Patent Publication Number: US-7581337-B2

Title: Expandable shoe having screw drive assemblies

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of now U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/191,682, filed Jul. 9, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,116 which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/438,935 filed on Nov. 12, 1999, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,872 on Aug. 27, 2002, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to expandable shoes that may be adjusted longitudinally. 
     2. Discussion of Related Art 
     Some attempts have been made to provide expandable shoes, which can purportedly withstand day-to-day use. U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,481, for example, discloses a shoe in which a two plate assembly is disposed between an inner and a disjointed outer sole, having overlapping front and back portions. One of the plates includes a spring tongue, and the other plate includes two apertures to receive the spring tongue, each aperture corresponding to a shoe size. To adjust the shoe size, a screw which extends through the heel and into the disjointed soles is removed. The shoe may then be pulled apart allowing the disjointed sole to separate until the spring tongue engages the next aperture. Thus the shoe size may be lengthened by one size, but apparently the size cannot be controlled finely or reduced. The shoe includes two crinkled leather portions  34 , one on each side of the shoe, to facilitate expansion of the shoe. 
     SUMMARY 
     Under one aspect of the present invention, a shoe includes a front outer assembly and a rear outer assembly. A flexible, expandable segment is attached to the front and rear outer assemblies to define a shoe outer shell. The flexible segment extends at least partially along each side of the outer shell and transversely across the bottom of the outer shell. Within the outer shell an adjustable inner assembly is disposed and attached to the front and rear outer assembly. The inner assembly has a control to adjust a dimension of the inner assembly and thereby a corresponding dimension of the shoe. 
     Under another aspect of the invention related to the above aspect, the inner assembly may be in the form of a last board, or as a combination of a last board and other portions of the shoe, for example, a portion of a midsole. 
     Under one aspect of the invention, a visualization window provides a view port to the inner assembly. The inner assembly may include size markings or other indicia representative of a shoe adjustment, and these markings may be placed on the inner assembly to allow them to be visible through the view port. 
     Under another aspect of the invention, the inner assembly includes a first sole portion, a second sole portion, and a screw drive. The screw drive has an externally accessible screw passing through a screw insert mounted to one of the first and second sole portions and a screw-receiving portion attached to the other of the first and second sole portions. In this fashion, turning the screw causes the first and second portions to move relative to one another, thereby adjusting a dimension of the shoe. 
     Under still another aspect of the invention, the shoe includes a base and a manually operable control coupled to the base and to the screw for turning the screw and thereby adjusting adjust a dimension of the shoe. 
     Under another aspect of the invention, the control includes a latching mechanism operable between a first position in which the latching mechanism resists movement around an axis defined by the screw and a second position in which the latching mechanism can be used to turn the screw to adjust a dimension of the shoe. Under another aspect of the invention, a separate locking mechanism is used to hold the control in the first position. 
     Under another aspect of the invention related to the above, the control is externally accessible from the outer shoe and it is possible to adjust a dimension of the shoe while the shoe is being worn. 
     The principles of the invention may be realized in hiking shoes, dress shoes, sandals, skates, biking shoes, Nordic and cross-country ski-boots and the like. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       In the Drawing, 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 1C  is a transverse cross section of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of an adjustable inner sole assembly of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a control feature according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an exemplary embodiment of the invention in which view ports may be used to show indicia of a shoe adjustment. 
         FIG. 9  is a view of another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1A-B  show an exemplary embodiment in perspective and exploded views. Shoe  10  includes a front outer sole  12  and a front upper  18  to form a front outer assembly  13 , and a rear outer sole  16  and a rear upper  20  to form a rear outer assembly  17 . The front outer assembly  13  is attached to one edge  15 B of a bellows segment  14 , and the rear outer assembly  17  is attached to a second edge  15 A, in each case using conventional techniques, such as by using stitching to the uppers  18 ,  20  and glue along the outer soles  12 ,  16 . The combination of front outer assembly  13 , rear outer assembly  17 , and bellows segment  14  forms an outer shell  21 . 
     An adjustable inner sole assembly  22  is placed within outer shell  21  so that a screw  26  extends through a screw port opening  31  of the rear outer sole  16 . The inner assembly  22  is firmly attached to the front and rear outer assemblies  13 ,  17  but not to bellows  14 . In this fashion, once the shoe is assembled and in use, a wrench  28  (e.g., with an allen-head design) may be used to turn a screw  26  to adjust the length of the inner sole assembly  22  (and correspondingly the entire shoe  10 ) in the direction A. A control feature  24  (more below) is positioned within guide slot  27  to facilitate the directional control of the shoe  10  as it is caused to expand or contract. Screw port plug  30  may be used to fit within screw port opening  31  to cover the screw  26  when the shoe is not being adjusted. To adjust the size of this embodiment, only the screw  26  needs to be turned. The size may be lengthened or shortened in fine increments corresponding to the pitch of the screw  26 . 
       FIG. 1C  shows a transverse cross section of an assembled shoe. Not shown in  FIGS. 1A-B , but shown here, are the inclusion of a midsole  21  and an inner sole  23 . At area  25  the upper  18  is joined to the inner assembly  22  by glue or stitching. Analogous joinery may be used at a rear portion of the shoe. The inner sole  23  is conventional and the midsole may be conventional in embodiments using a last board or may be modified to form all or a portion of the inner assembly  22 . This figure will illustrate to those skilled in the art, the simplicity of integrating the features of inner assembly  22  into the midsole or leaving it as a last board left in the shoe. Such integration is largely dictated by the type of shoe into which the principles of the invention will be realized, e.g., hiking shoes, dress shoes, biking shoes, ski boots, sandals and the like. Likewise, the stiffness of the last board and/or the midsole is dictated by the shoe type. 
     The front and rear outer soles  12 ,  16  may be made with conventional techniques and material to obtain popular shoe constructions. The front sole  12  may be made so that it is roughly only a front half of a shoe sole, and the rear outer sole  16  may be made so that it is only approximately a rear half of a sole. The rear outer sole, unlike conventional soles, is also made to define a screw port opening  31  and a generally rectangular recess  33  (see  FIG. 1B ) in the heel portion  34 . (As will be described below, the recess  33  receives a portion of the inner sole assembly  22 .) Analogously, the front and rear uppers  18 ,  20  may be made using conventional techniques and materials to obtain popular shoe appearances. 
     Bellows segment  14  is made of a stretchable material, e.g., rubbers, press coated fabrics, etc., and fashioned (e.g., molded or extruded) as a bellows in a generally rectangular segment, which is then shaped into the U-shape, extending along the sides and bottom of the shoe  10  as shown in  FIG. 1B . The bellows segment  14  includes flat edges  15 A, B opposite each other which is used in attaching the bellows  14  to the uppers  18 ,  20  and outer soles  12 ,  16 . In the illustrated embodiment, edge  15 C and a corresponding unshown edge opposite  15 C are attached to expandable eyelet assemblies  35 , described below. 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of adjustable inner assembly  22 . The inner assembly  22  includes a front section  40  and a rear section  50 . The top surface of each section is generally flat but may be shaped with slight curvature found in conventional designs. Viewing the sections  40 ,  50  from above, each section is cut according to a conventional inner sole pattern, except that each section respectively corresponds to approximately a front or rear half of an inner sole. Conventional materials may be used in fabricating the sections  40 ,  50 , for example, through injection molding or analogous techniques. 
     A front adjustment member  42  may be attached to or integrated with front section  40 . Front adjustment member  42  includes a generally flat section  43  and includes an elongated section  44  having a generally rectangularly shaped top portion  45  with wing-like extensions  46 A and B. As will be explained below, wing-like extensions  46 A and B are shaped to fit corresponding grooves  47 A and B, within rear section  50 . On the underside of elongated section  44  is a threaded screw-receiving section  48  that extends parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the front section  40 , but which is offset from the top surface of front section  40 . On the top side of the elongated section  44  is a control guide  24  protruding slightly upward and substantially on the longitudinal centerline of the front section  40 . This guide  24  may be made in numerous ways, including for example, using rivets or integrating the shape into the design of member  42 . 
     The rear section  50  is shaped on its underside to have a first hollowed segment  52  and a second hollow segment  54 , more rearward than the first. The first segment  52  mates with flat section  43  of the front section  40 , and the second segment  54  is shaped to receive the top portion  45  of the front section  40 . Second hollow segment  54  includes longitudinal grooves  47 A,B shaped to receive wing-like extensions  46 A,B of front section  40 . The rear section  50  also includes a screw section insert  56  for receiving and guiding screw  26  into alignment with screw-receiving section  48 . The rear section  50  includes guide slot  27  along the longitudinal centerline of rear section  50  and through which the guide  24  is positioned once the inner assembly  22  is configured. As is readily apparent, for right-handed screws, once the screw  26  engages threads in hole  48 , rotating screw  26  clockwise B will draw front section  40  closer to rear section  50 , and vice-versa. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional, longitudinal view of shoe  10 . For clarity of illustration, portions of the front section  40  and rear section  50  are not shown. As shown in  FIG. 3 , screw-receiving section  48  is positioned to fit within recess  33  of heel  34  of rear outer sole  16 . The recess  33  has a longitudinal length sufficient to allow section  48  to be moved longitudinally therein, thus allowing for adjustment of the shoe. When the distal edge  60  of section  48  abuts insert  56 , the shoe is at the smallest adjustment size. When the front edge  62  of section  48  abuts the front edge  64  of recess  33 , the shoe is at its largest size. The size adjustments between smallest and largest are controlled by turning screw  26  and the granularity of the adjustment is only limited by the pitch of the screw  26 . A clip  66  prevents screw  26  from becoming disengaged with section  48  and becoming dislodged from the shoe  10 . 
       FIG. 3  also shows that the design of the soles  12 ,  16  may be made to provide a raised arch area  37  where the bellows segment  14  resides. The arch area is sufficiently raised from the wear surface  38  so that the exterior surface of the bellows segment  14  should not contact the ground. By having a raised area  37 , the bellows  14  may be one continuous piece extending along the sides and bottom of the show, facilitating good sealing at the expandable portion of the outer shell  21 . 
       FIGS. 4-7  show another embodiment of the invention, similar to that shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , but which includes a latching mechanism for manually turning the screw and thereby adjusting a dimension of the shoe. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show this embodiment in perspective and exploded views. An adjustable inner sole assembly  122  is placed within outer shell  121  so that a screw  110  extends through a screw port opening (not shown) of the rear outer sole  116 . In the embodiment shown, a base  112  is attached to the outer heel portion  116  of the shoe surrounding the hole. The latching mechanism  102  is coupled to both the base  112  and to the screw  110 . The base  112  is rigidly attached to an outer portion of the shoe and includes two cavities, one on each side of the base  112 .  FIGS. 4 and 5  show a cavity  105  on the left side of the shoe. An identical cavity on the right side of the shoe, is not shown. The latching mechanism  112  may be attached to the screw  110  or it may form an integral part of the screw itself. 
     The latching mechanism  102  is operable between a first position (shown in  FIG. 4 ) in which the locking mechanism resists movement around an axis defined by the screw  110  and a second position (shown in  FIG. 5 ) in which the latching mechanism  102  can be used to turn the screw  110  to adjust a dimension of the shoe. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the latching mechanism  102  includes an extendable member  106 , and a non-extendable member  104 . The non-extendable member  104  is attached to the screw  110  and to the extendable member  106 . A projection  108  is provided on the extendable member  106  and is accessible only when the latching mechanism  102  is in the open position. When the latching mechanism  102  is in the second position, the projection  108  rests in one of the cavities  105  in the base  112  to resist movement of the extendable member  106  and to prevent the dimension of the shoe from changing. In addition, the projection  108  can be manually grasped to make it easier to control the turn of the extendable member  106 . 
       FIG. 8  shows relevant portions of an exemplary embodiment having indicia  130  which can be marked with absolute or relative markings indicative of the adjustment that may be made. In the illustrated embodiment, the horizontal arrow  126  designates shoe size, while the vertical arrow  128  represents the direction that the horizontal arrow may move to indicate shoe size. A visualization window may be provided over the indicia. 
       FIG. 9  shows another embodiment of a mechanism for manually turning the screw to adjust a dimension of the shoe. The mechanism includes a rotatable portion  140  that is attached to the shoe in the same way that the latching mechanism  102  is attached to the shoe (i.e., it is coupled to both the base  112  and to the screw  110 ). The base  112  can be a separate element that is rigidly attached to an outer portion of the shoe or it can be a part of the outer portion of the shoe itself (i.e., not a separate element to be attached). In addition, the rotatable member  140  may be attached to the screw  110  as a separate element or it may form an integral part of the screw itself. 
     The rotatable member  140  includes a member  142  that extends across a diameter of the rotatable portion  140  that can be manually grasped to turn the rotatable portion  140  and thereby turn the screw to adjust a dimension of the shoe. After the shoe is adjusted, a bar  144  is provided to cause the rotatable member  140  to resist movement around an axis defined by the screw  110 . The bar  144  includes two projections,  148  and  149 , each of which is inserted into a civility  146  in the rotatable member  140 . When the projections  148  and  149  are in the cavities  146 , the rotatable member  140  resists movement around an axis defined by the screw. When the bar  144  is removed from the cavities  146 , the rotatable member  140  can be used to turn the screw. 
     In all of the embodiments described, the controls are easily accessible through the outer shell and not requiring access through the bottom portion of a sole. In some embodiments the adjustments may be made without any tools. All adjustments were relatively fine-grained, and size may be increased or decreased. 
     Preferred embodiments of the invention are described with particular reference to a hiking shoe design. Other embodiments entail other shoe constructions, including running shoes, biking shoes, ski boots, dress shoes, snow boarding boots, sandals, skates and the like. Depending on the shoe type, the inner assembly may be in the form of a last board, or a combination of a last board and a midsole. Likewise, depending on the shoe type, the materials used will be selected to provide a desired amount of flexibility or rigidity. Moreover, depending on the shoe design the outer shell may differ. In the case of a sandal, for example, one of the novel last boards may be used, but the outer shell would only have strapping. Other embodiments, such as a biking shoe, might have either netting, meshing, or no material where the bellows are shown, thus providing increased ventilation. In short, the outer shell design offers wide latitude though the bellows embodiments shown are believed novel and advantageous in some embodiments. 
     In other embodiments, the screw ports and conduits for rod members may be positioned in many other areas. Likewise, though the embodiments included the control mechanisms, such as the screws, screw receiving sections, gears and deformable teeth in a rear portion of the shoe, these features may be positioned at other portions as well. 
     Moreover, the above embodiments described a flexible segment made of a bellows-shaped material, but other embodiments may use other materials, e.g., stretchable nylon, netting or meshing, or it may be omitted. Likewise all of the control features described had external features to activate the control, but other embodiment (e.g., cost-reducing embodiments or embodiments where hiding the control is desirable) may place the control mechanisms on the interior of the outer shell. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included in the appended claims. Some specific components, figures and types of materials are mentioned, but it is to be understood that such component values, dimensions and types of materials are, however, given as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention in any manner.