Patent ID: 7698834

Claim:
A shoe system comprising: (a) a shoe base having a heel area, an instep area and a toe area and having a rim piece positioned along an inner and outer longitudinal margin of the shoe base from a location substantially near the instep area forward to and encircling the toe area of the shoe base, the rim piece having a lower wall, an outer wall, an upper wall, an inner wall and an opening in the lower edge of the inner wall connected to a central channel, forming an interlocking rim piece, except that at or near the distal end of the toe area of the shoe base, the rim piece lacks the opening in the lower inner wall, forming an abutting rim piece; and (b) a vamp having an inner lip located along those portions of an inner longitudinal margin of the vamp corresponding to the location of segments of interlocking rim piece on the inner longitudinal margin of the shoe base, said inner lip having a shape conforming to the shape of the opening and central channel in the interlocking rim piece on the inner longitudinal margin of the shoe base, and an outer lip located along those portions of the outer longitudinal margin of the vamp corresponding to the location of segments of interlocking rim piece on the outer longitudinal margin of the shoe base, said outer lip having a shape conforming to the shape of the opening and central channel in the interlocking rim piece on the outer longitudinal margin of the shoe base, the inner lip and outer lip being absent in the locations corresponding to segments of abutting rim piece on the shoe base, the vamp being attached to the shoe base by inserting the inner lip of the vamp into the opening in the inner wall of the interlocking rim piece on the inner margin of the shoe base and urging the lip into the central channel, and inserting the outer lip of the vamp into the opening in the inner wall of the interlocking rim piece on the outer longitudinal margin of the shoe base and urging the lip into the central channel.