Abstract:
A shoe secures the foot like a flip flop without requiring the wearer to grip the shoe with their foot muscles and covers the foot, protecting it from injury and cooler temperatures. A wearer can easily insert their foot in shoe, as they would the traditional slipper, but the shoe would not slip off. The foot would naturally cling to a thong portion of the slipper. A wearer could wear the shoe outside for distance walking just as they would flip flops in warmer weather.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional App. No. 61/724,967, filed 10 Nov. 2012 by the inventor hereof, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of Endeavor 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a Y-shaped thong sandal where the top half of the foot is covered like a clog. 
         [0004]    2. Brief Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    There is no slipper in which a person can insert and remove a foot easily and quickly without manual help that is also secure and protects the foot from injury. Inserting a foot in a Y-shaped thong sandal (e.g., a “flip flop”) is easy and does not require manual assistance, but it exposes the foot, particularly the toes and, making it more vulnerable to injury. The flip flop is exclusively a warm weather shoe and forces the feet to be exposed even when the wearer is uncomfortable showing his/her feet. 
         [0006]    A bedroom type slipper or clog, which slips on and off without manual help, also makes the foot vulnerable to injury because it is not secure. The foot easily slips in and out, but there is nothing to secure the foot inside and it requires trained foot muscles to keep the foot inside. There is no slip-on, slip-off shoe that is secure and comfortable that does not require the foot to use its muscles to keep the foot positioned. 
         [0007]    According to “Hip Fractures: A practical guide to management”, by Kenneth Koval and Joseph Zuckerman (Springer, 2000), ill-fitting bedroom slippers are the cause for many elderly people falling in the middle of the night on their way to the bathroom. A flip flop does not protect the foot from injury because it completely exposes the foot, while a traditional backless slipper slips off too often and can injure the wearer by overextending the Achilles tendon or, worse, cause the wearer to fall if they climb stairs with the backless slipper on and are not gripping the shoe strongly with their foot. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    According to a first aspect of the invention, a shoe comprises a sole including a top surface, a bottom surface, a front, and a rear; an upper attached to the sole and enclosing only a portion of the sole top surface adjacent to the sole front, the upper exposing the sole top surface adjacent to the sole rear; and a Y-shaped strap attached to the sole top surface, the strap being positioned entirely between the upper and the sole top surface. 
         [0009]    Still other aspects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of embodiments constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments of the apparatus and method, given only by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of footwear as described herein; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the exemplary footwear of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the exemplary footwear of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a rear view of the exemplary footwear of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates a sectional view of the exemplary footwear of  FIG. 1 , taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIGS. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    The footwear described herein is an improvement on slippers or a slip-on, backless shoe. In very general terms, exemplary embodiments are a Y-shaped thong sandal where the top of the front half of the foot is covered like a clog or slipper, while the rear of the footwear is entirely open in the manner of a clog. 
         [0017]    Concerning slip-on indoor and outdoor footwear, the available options fall into one of two categories: a thong sandal or “flip flop”; or a clog, essentially a slipper in which a foot can be inserted and removed easily without manual help, which typically does not include a back strap or heal portion. As discussed above, the flip flop exposes the entire foot, making it vulnerable to injury and is restricted to being a warm weather shoe for all but the most adventurous. The clog or backless slipper requires a wearer to exercise foot muscles to keep the slipper attached to the foot, because of the lack of structure of the footwear that secures the footwear to the wearer&#39;s foot, or which permits the wearer&#39;s toes to ‘hold’ the footwear. The options make a wearer prone to injury if the wearer is walking up and down stairs or loses grip of the slipper while walking. The Achilles tendon can become overextended or strained. 
       LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0018]      10  overall footwear 
         [0019]      12  sole 
         [0020]      14  natural or synthetic upper 
         [0021]      16  Y-shaped thong 
         [0022]      18  insole 
         [0023]    Footwear embodying principles of the present invention includes a flip flop with half of the top of the foot, including the toes, covered like a clog, while leaving the rear of the shoe entirely open, in the manner of a slipper or clog. The upper or cover  14  can be made of fur or synthetic stretchable material, leather or silk or some other material. The insole could contain materials that would allow it to mold to an individual&#39;s feet, creating a well-supporting shoe. Optionally, the footwear  10  can be made more durable and more supportive of the foot, ankle, leg and back, with the inclusion of a sturdy bottom which could resemble an athletic shoe, e.g., running or training shoe with a textured bottom of the sole. The sole can be formed integral with the upper, or optionally they can be formed of two separate pieces which are permanently joined together. 
         [0024]    Optionally, the footwear  10  can be made to provide additional orthopedic support by the further inclusion of materials in the insole that are, or resemble, memory foam. 
         [0025]    The upper  14  (slipper) portion, which would cover the top of the foot, can be made of various materials including, but not limited to, fur, leather, silk, or synthetic materials. Furthermore, the upper  14  can be made of a breathable material, and/or can include holes or perforations, either entirely or in selected portions thereof. 
         [0026]    The Y-shaped thong  16  is preferably constructed essentially the same as the same or similar structure currently commonly available in flip flops, e.g., includes a forward strap which includes a forward end secured to the insole, and a pair of side straps with rear ends also secured to the insole, with the rear end of the forward strap secured to the front ends of the side straps. Those of ordinary skill in the footwear art are well-acquainted with the structures and functions of such straps. As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment, the location where the front end of the forward strap is secured to the sole or insole is spaced from the front end of the footwear  10  a distance sufficient for a wearer&#39;s toes to be comfortably located therein, and the locations where the rear ends of the side straps are secured to the sole or insole are advantageously positioned within the space covered by the footwear upper  14 . Alternatively, the short side straps of the Y-shaped thong are attached on either side of the insole in about the same place where the cover is attached to the sole. 
         [0027]    In use, the wearer&#39;s foot would slip into footwear  10 , grasp onto the thong attached to the top portion of the insole  18 , and half of the foot would be covered by material instead of exposing the toes and most of the foot. The user will feel the Y-shaped thong between their big toe and the second toe. The wearer will only see the cover which attaches to the base or sole of the shoe. The wearer inserts his/her foot into opening of the footwear  10 , and the foot will be secured when the Y-shaped thong is between the big toe and the second toe. The wearer&#39;s foot will be covered by the cover and the wearer will walk without having to grip the insole and will be able to walk in the sandal without exposing the foot. 
         [0028]    Optionally, the upper  14  can include a plush or fur lining. Further optionally, the upper  14  is detachable from the rest of the footwear, e.g., the upper, the insole, the sole, or combinations thereof can include fasteners (hook-and-loop-pile type fasteners, snaps, lacing, buttons, etc.) which permit the upper to be removable without damaging the upper or the rest of the footwear, so that the wearer can change the look of, or wash, the footwear. 
         [0029]    The cover advantageously extends about ¾ of the length of the sole of the footwear. The upper or cover is preferably attached to the sole (i.e., the base of the footwear), either at the insole or to the sides of the sole. More specifically, the upper is advantageously attached at either side of the sole—one on the left and one on the right of the sole—about ½ to ¾ from the front of the shoe. The upper or cover is raised and arcuate, and sits above the Y-shaped thong, forming a space between the sole and the upper in which a front portion of the wearer&#39;s foot can be inserted. 
         [0030]    The upper or cover does not have to attach to any part of the Y-shaped thong material, but will instead cover the thong portion. The wearer will not see the thong when they slip the shoe on. 
         [0031]    According to an alternative embodiment (not illustrated), the two side straps are eliminated, and the front strap connects directly between the sole (or insole) and the upper or cover. This alternative embodiment preferably does not have a removable upper, because removing the upper would require detaching the front strap from the remainder of the footwear, potentially destabilizing the footwear. In this alternative embodiment, the front strap can optionally be removably connected to the sole and/or the upper, so that if the upper is detached from the sole, the front strap can also be separated from either or both of the upper and the sole. 
         [0032]    When the upper or cover is made to be detachable, then the wearer can change the look of the footwear by making it leather one day and silk the next. The wearer can wash the footwear, its cover and sole, wear the footwear without the upper, and then attach the upper if the foot gets cold. Indeed, footwear embodying principles of the present invention can be worn to work with a natural leather cover, or to the beach with a rubber or waterproof cover. The footwear described herein could be worn in a variety of settings depending on the material used. It can be used by professionals on their feet all day, by brides that want a comfortable fashionable shoe that grips their feet and does not require them to bend down to put the shoe on. The footwear  10  is good for elderly people and patients in nursing homes or hospitals that need to get in and out of bed but cannot bend down and put on shoes that protect their feet and do not want to slip when their slippers slip off. Footwear described herein is good for active people that want to wear shoes but need footwear that provides support and they can slip on and off; it is a good summer shoe between pedicures or a year-round option for those that do not want to expose their feet; it can be worn by people who break their toes or have foot surgery on their toes and are not allowed to wear closed-toe shoes for a period but do not want to show their bandages through thong sandals. 
         [0033]    Advantageous further materials include: memory foam (e.g., TEMPUR) or cork for the insole; elastic or soft leather for the thong portion; the entire footwear  10  could be rubber or a rubberized material, e.g., elastomeric polymer (for the pool, warm rainy days); and/or the entire shoe could be formed of a plush material. 
         [0034]    While the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes can be made, and equivalents employed, without departing from the scope of the invention. The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. The entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein.