Abstract:
A footwear accessory system is presented. The system includes a shoe including an exterior surface upon which an individual may desire to customize. An interchangeable article is provided having an appearance that the individual desires to place on the exterior surface of the shoe. The article further includes a contour to match a contour of the exterior surface of the shoe. A means for attaching the interchangeable article to the shoe is provided. When attached to the shoe, the article remains in place during normal use of the shoe by the individual. The individual, for replacement by another interchangeable article, can easily remove the article.

Description:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER LISTING APPENDIX 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
       [0003]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates generally to footwear. More particularly, the invention relates to an athletic footwear accessory system with interchangeable adhesive articles. Moreover it pertains specifically to such apparatus for holding an article in a manner by means of attaching the article to the exterior surface of a shoe 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention relates to an improved system for customizing shoes such as, but not limited to, athletic shoes. Prior art techniques of customizing shoes are complicated in their construction, not versatile in function and are not universally usable. 
         [0006]    In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved techniques for providing a footwear accessory system with interchangeable articles that is simpler in construction, more universally usable and more versatile in operation than known apparatus of this kind. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
           [0008]      FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C illustrate an exemplary footwear accessory system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1A  is a side view of an exemplary shoe with interchangeable articles  105 ,  107  and  109  partially attached.  FIG. 1B  is a side view of interchangeable article  105  detached from shoe  100 , and  FIG. 1C  is a side view of interchangeable article  107  detached from shoe  100 . 
       
    
    
       [0009]    Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    To achieve the forgoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, an athletic footwear accessory system with interchangeable adhesive articles is presented. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, a footwear accessory system is presented. The system includes a shoe including an exterior surface upon which an individual may desire to customize, an interchangeable article including an appearance that the individual desires to place on the exterior surface of the shoe, the article further including a contour to match a contour of the exterior surface of the shoe and means for attaching the interchangeable article to the shoe where, when attached to the shoe, the article remains in place during normal use of the shoe by the individual and the article can be easily removed by the individual for replacement by another interchangeable article. In other embodiments the exterior surface includes a design area including a shape corresponding to the article, the design area includes a first part of the attachment means and the article further includes a second part of the attachment means and the first and second parts form a hook and loop type fastener. In another embodiment the attachment means is an adhesive type and is disposed on a surface of the article. In yet other embodiments, the attachment means includes an adhesive layer for placement between the exterior surface and the article and the attachment means further includes a shape corresponding to the article. In a further embodiment the attachment means includes a plurality of adhesive layers including shapes smaller than the article for placement at positions between the exterior surface and the article. In still another embodiment the shoe is an athletic shoe. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment, a footwear accessory system is presented. The system includes means for providing an exterior surface upon which an individual may desire to customize, means for providing an interchangeable article to be placed on the exterior surface and means for attaching the interchangeable article to the exterior surface. In a further embodiment the exterior surface includes a design area including a shape corresponding to the article. 
         [0013]    In another embodiment an accessory apparatus for a personal item is presented. The apparatus includes an interchangeable article including an appearance that an individual desires to place on an exterior surface of the item, the article further including a contour to match a contour of the exterior surface of the item and means for attaching the interchangeable article to the item where, when attached to the item, the article remains in place during normal use of the by the individual and the article can be easily removed by the individual for replacement by another interchangeable article. In other embodiments the exterior surface includes a design area including a shape corresponding to the article, the design area includes a first part of the attachment means and the article further includes a second part of the attachment means and the first and second parts form a hook and loop type fastener. In yet another embodiment the attachment means is an adhesive type and is disposed on a surface of the article. In other embodiments the attachment means includes an adhesive layer for placement between the exterior surface and the article and the attachment means further includes a shape corresponding to the article. In yet another embodiment the attachment means includes a plurality of adhesive layers including shapes smaller than the article for placement at positions between the exterior surface and the article. In still another embodiment the exterior surface is an exterior surface of an athletic shoe. 
         [0014]    Other features, advantages, and object of the present invention will become more apparent and be more readily understood from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. 
         [0016]    Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are numerous modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive. 
         [0017]    The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
         [0018]    Embodiments of the present invention provide an athletic footwear accessory system with interchangeable adhesive articles. The preferred embodiment comprises an athletic shoe and articles that can be placed on and removed from the exterior body of the shoe. Articles of the shoe in the preferred embodiment are designed to fit corresponding design areas on the surface of the shoe, while adhesive materials on both the underside of the article and the surface side of the shoe enable said article to be easily affixed to and removed from the surface of the shoe. 
         [0019]    Embodiments of the present invention provide limitless options and possibilities with the use of interchangeable inserts. By mixing and matching these inserts, infinite combinations and styles may be created. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention are more universally functional in today&#39;s market than prior art devices. 
         [0020]      FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C illustrate an exemplary footwear accessory system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1A  is a side view of an exemplary shoe  100  with interchangeable articles  105 ,  107  and  109  partially attached.  FIG. 1B  is a side view of interchangeable article  105  detached from shoe  100 , and  FIG. 1C  is a side view of interchangeable article  107  detached from shoe  100 . In the present embodiment, athletic shoe  100  may be customized with interchangeable adhesive articles  105 ,  107  and  109 . Articles  105 ,  107  and  109  can be affixed to and removed from the exterior surface of shoe  100 . Articles  105 ,  107  and  109  are designed to fit corresponding design areas  110 ,  113  and  115 , respectively, on the surface of shoe  100 . Articles  105 ,  107  and  109  may be made of various materials including, but not limited to, various plastics, leather, fabrics, rubber, etc. In the present embodiment, design areas  110  and  115  and articles  105  and  109  are shaped to fit the contours of shoe  100 , and design area  113  and article  107  comprise a stripe pattern. However, in alternate embodiments the design areas and interchangeable articles may be any shape desirable to match various interchangeable articles, for example, without limitation, dots, lightning bolts, trademarks, logos, irregular shapes, etc. 
         [0021]    In the present embodiment, adhesive material on both the undersides of articles  105 ,  107  and  109  and the surfaces of design areas  110 ,  113  and  115  of shoe  100  enable articles  105  to be easily affixed and removed from the surface of shoe  100 . In typical use a user places an interchangeable article adhesive side down onto its corresponding design area on shoe  100 , for example, without limitation, article  109  on design area  115 . When the user wishes to change the look of shoe  100 , he may remove any of interchangeable articles  105 ,  107  or  109  and replace them with other interchangeable articles. In the preferred embodiment the adhesive used on the undersides of articles  105 ,  107  and  109  and the surface of design areas  110 ,  113  and  115  is sufficiently strong to hold articles  105 ,  107  and  109  in place while shoe  100  is worn yet not so strong that articles  105 ,  107  and  109  cannot be removed from the surface of shoe  100 . Examples of adhesives that are suitable for use in embodiments of the present invention include, without limitation, hook and loop, glue, paste, etc. 
         [0022]    Alternate embodiments may comprise an adhesive surface on either the surface of the shoe or the undersides of the interchangeable articles rather than on both. In embodiments where the adhesive is on the interchangeable articles only, design areas on the surface of the shoe are not required, and the articles may be placed anywhere on the surface of the shoe. This embodiment may be particularly useful when the interchangeable articles are irregularly shaped or vary in shape and size. However, some embodiments with adhesive on the interchangeable articles only may also implement design areas, for example, without limitation, to guide the user in where interchangeable articles may be placed on the shoe. 
         [0023]    Those skilled in the art, in light of the present teachings, will recognize that in addition to use in an athletic footwear system, interchangeable adhesive articles can be used in various other implementations such as, but not limited to, various other styles of shoes, articles of clothing, sportswear, or other embodiments not described herein. For example, without limitation, an alternate embodiment may incorporate design areas on a backpack onto which interchangeable articles may be adhered. 
         [0024]    In an alternate embodiment, a thin, double-sided adhesive layer may be provided to attach interchangeable articles to the surface of the shoe. In the present embodiment the adhesive layer has the same shape as the corresponding interchangeable article and is placed between the interchangeable articles and the surface of the shoe. The adhesive layer may be removed and replaced with a new adhesive layer, for example, without limitation, if the adhesive begins to loose its adhesive strength. Furthermore, this embodiment enables interchangeable articles to be placed anywhere on the surface of the shoe as specific design areas are not required. However, in some embodiments an adhesive layer may be implemented along with design areas. 
         [0025]    In another alternate embodiment, interchangeable articles may be attached to the surface of the shoe with double-sided adhesive tabs. These tabs may be various shapes such as, but not limited to, variously sized stripes and dots so that multiple tabs may be placed on the underside of the interchangeable articles to generally match the shape of the particular interchangeable article being placed on the surface of the shoe. As in the previous embodiment, the adhesive tabs in the present embodiment may be removed and replaced as required, and design areas on the surface of the shoe may or may not be used. Furthermore the present embodiment does not require that specific adhesive tabs be made to match particular interchangeable articles. 
         [0026]    Having fully described at least one embodiment of the present invention, other equivalent or alternative methods of customizing shoes according to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The invention has been described above by way of illustration, and the specific embodiments disclosed are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. For example, the particular implementation of the interchangeable articles may vary depending upon the particular type of attaching method used. The attaching methods described in the foregoing were directed to adhesive implementations; however, similar techniques include without limitation, hook and loop material, snaps, or a combination of methods. For example, without limitation, in an embodiment using hook and loop material, the hook portion of the hook and loop material is positioned on the underside of the interchangeable articles and the loop portion of the hook and loop material is placed on the design areas of the surface of the shoe, or vice versa, and the interchangeable articles may be affixed to or removed from the surface of the shoe repeatedly. Non-adhesive implementations of the present invention are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention. The invention is thus to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.