GB2346065A

GB2346065A - Footwear cover

Info

Publication number: GB2346065A
Application number: GB9902079A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Floyd; Mario Walsh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-01-29
Filing date: 1999-01-29
Publication date: 2000-08-02
Also published as: GB9902079D0

Abstract

An article of footwear (1, Fig. 1) comprises a second upper 9 removably attached to a unit comprising a sole 3 and a first upper 7 fixedly attached thereto. When attached to the unit, the second upper 9 covers substantially all of the outer surface of the first upper 7 but typically does not enclose the base of the sole 3. Hook-and-loop fastening means 10 may be provided on the second upper 9 and on the first upper 7 or the sole perimeter so as to releasably attach the second upper 9 to the unit. The fastening means 10 of the first and second uppers 7, 9 may be located at discrete locations or may extend over substantially all of the outer surface of the first upper 7 and the inner surface of the second upper 9. Preferably, the uppers 7, 9 are provided with a set of eyelets 11, 13 through which a lace may be threaded so that the second upper 9 may be attached to the first 7. A method of assembling the article of footwear (1) is also disclosed.

Description

AN ITEM OF FOOTWEAR This invention relates to items of footwear, and in one illustrative embodiment to training shoes or similar sports footwear.

A variety of different types of footwear, having a variety of different shapes and configurations, are known. One illustrative type of footwear is the sports shoe-or training shoe as it is more commonly known.

A persistent illustrative problem with such shoes is that they can become dirty after use and can quickly acquire an appearance that belies the fact that they have only recently been purchased. Whilst it is known to provide shoes that can be washed, such washable shoes often take a long time to dry which can be inconvenient when the shoes are worn regularly. Furthermore, simply washing the shoes does not avoid problems associated with detracted appearance caused by scuffing and the like. It is also known to provide overshoes; which can be thought of as a bag entirely enclosing the shoe ; in order to keep the shoes clean but such arrangements are wholly inappropriate for sports wear as they are typically cumbersome and do not provide suitable levels of grip.

It is an object of aspects of the invention to alleviate these and/or other problems associated with the prior art.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an item of footwear comprising a second upper removably attachable to a unit comprising a sole and a first upper fixedly attached to the sole. This aspect of the invention is advantageous as it allows the second upper to be removed from the shoe for washing whereupon it can quickly dry without having to dry the first upper and sole.

Furthermore, the second upper can be interchanged with replacement second uppers should it become scuffed with use.

Preferably the second upper-when attached to the unit-covers at least a major portion of the outside surface of the first upper. The second upper-when attached to the unit-may cover substantially all of the outside surface of the first upper.

The sole's perimeter and the second upper may each be provided with complementary detachable engaging means to enable said second upper to be releasably attached to said sole.

The first and second uppers are preferably each provided with complementary detachable engaging means to enable said second upper to be releasably attached to said first upper.

The detachable engaging means may comprise mechanical hook and loop fasteners, the loops or hooks of said fasteners being attached to one of said first upper or said sole perimeter and the hooks or loops-as appropriate-of said fasteners being attached to the second upper. The engaging means may extend over substantially all of the outside surface of said first upper. Alternatively, the engaging means may be provided at one or more discrete locations on the outside surface of said first upper.

Similarly, the engaging means may extend over substantially all of an inside surface of said second upper, or alternatively may be provided at one or more discrete locations on an inside surface of said second upper. It will be appreciated that alternative complementary engaging means such as poppers or the like may be provided as an alternative to mechanical hook and loop fasteners.

Preferably, both of said first and second uppers are provided with a set of eyelets through which a lace may be threaded, the eyelets on said first and second uppers being in alignment with one another when said second upper is attached to said first. By virtue of this arrangement, which is not essential, the lace can be used to further secure the second upper to the first and to therefore further reduce the likelihood of the two uppers being separated during use.

In any event it is preferred that said second upper when attached to said unit does not enclose the sole's base.

The item of footwear disclosed herein is preferably an item of sports wear such as a training shoe or the like.

A second aspect of the invention provides a detachable upper suitable for an item of footwear as disclosed herein.

A third aspect of the invention provides a set comprising an item of footwear having a sole and a first upper fixedly attached thereto, and a plurality of second uppers each being releasably attachable to the first upper.

A fourth aspect of the invention provides a method of assembling an item of footwear comprising removably attaching a second upper to a unit comprising a first upper fixedly attached to a sole.

A fifth aspect of the invention relates to modular footwear comprising a core module of a sole and a first upper fixedly attached thereto, and an interchangeable second upper removably attached to the core module.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line A--A of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a disassembled shoe according to the embodiment of Fig. 1.

It should be noted that whilst the particular embodiment to be described relates to a shoe, and more particularly to a training shoe, the teachings of the invention may be applied equally to other items of footwear such as boots or formal shoes for example.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe 1 comprising a sole 3 and upper 5 connected thereto. The outer surface of the upper 5 may be decorated, as shown, with logos or other designs that may for example be particular to the manufacturer of the shoe.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line A--A of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper 5 comprises a first upper 7 that is fixedly secured to the sole 3 of the shoe 1. A second upper 9 is secured to the first upper by suitable securing means 10 that will be later described. The outer surface of the second upper may be decorated, as in Fig. 1 for example, to provide the shoe with a desirable outward appearance.

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the shoe of Fig. l when disassembled.

As shown in Figure 3, the shoe 1 is disassemblable into a first portion comprising the sole 3 and first upper 7 and a second portion comprising the second upper 9. Both of the first and second uppers 7,9 are preferably provided with a set of eyelets 11,13 and it is preferred that the eyelet sets are located so as to be in communication with one another when the second upper is attached to the first upper. In this way a lace may be threaded through both uppers to further secure the second upper 9 to the first 7.

In this preferred embodiment, the outer surface of the first upper 7 is entirely covered with either the hooks or loops of a mechanical hook and loop fastener 10 such as Velcro'. The inner surface of the second upper 9 is similarly preferably entirely covered with either the loops or hooks of the hook and loop fastener so that the uppers 7,9 may easily be secured to and removed from one another.

Whilst in the preferred embodiment the entire outer and inner surfaces, respectively, of the first and second uppers 7,9 are covered with fasteners it will be appreciated that fasteners could only be provided at select corresponding locations on inner and outer surfaces of the uppers. It is also conceivable that one of the first and second outer or inner surfaces, respectively, could be entirely covered with fasteners with the other only being provided with fasteners at selected locations.

Similarly, whilst the preferred fastener employed is a mechanical hook and loop fastener it will be appreciated that alternative fasteners may be employed if desired. For example an appropriate number of poppers, for example, may be provided on the outer surface of the first upper 7 for releasable engagement with corresponding poppers on the inner surface of the second upper 9.

From the above discussion it will be apparent that the footwear described herein is advantageous over that previously proposed as the second upper can easily be removed for cleaning or replacement simply by disengaging the engaging means provided between the uppers.

It will be understood that embodiments of the invention have been described herein by way of example only, and that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

For example, the outer surface of the second upper 9 may be provided with fastening means at selected locations to which mouldings, or decorative logos for example, may be attached. The mouldings could used as a playing or training aid for example to apply spin or swerve to a ball when kicked.

Similarly, whilst in the preferred embodiment the second upper completely covers the first upper it will be appreciated that alternative configurations are possible.

For example, the second upper could be smaller and arranged only to cover those areas of the shoe that might be likely to be scuffed in use. The second upper could even comprise a plurality of individual uppers each secured to the first upper.

It is also conceivable that the second upper could be attached to the perimeter of the sole, either in addition to or instead of being attached to the first upper. In such an arrangement, the perimeter of the sole would be provided with means (such as mechanical hook and loop fasteners) for engagement with corresponding means provided on the inside of the second upper.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An item of footwear comprising a second upper removably attachable to a unit comprising a sole and a first upper fixedly attached to the sole.
2. An item of footwear according to Claim 1, wherein the second upper-when attached to the unit-covers at least a major portion of the outside surface of the first upper.
3. An item of footwear according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the second upper-when attached to the unit-covers substantially all of the outside surface of the first upper.
4. An item of footwear according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the sole's perimeter and the second upper are each provided with complementary detachable engaging means to enable said second upper to be releasably attached to said sole.
5. An item of footwear according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the first and second uppers are each provided with complementary detachable engaging means to enable said second upper to be releasably attached to said first upper.
6. An item of footwear according to Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein the detachable engaging means comprises mechanical hook and loop fasteners, the loops or hooks of said fasteners being attached to one of said first upper or said sole perimeter and the hooks or loops-as appropriate-of said fasteners being attached to the second upper.
7. An item of footwear according to any of Claims 4 to 6, wherein said engaging means extends over substantially all of the outside surface of said first upper.
8. An item of footwear according to any of Claims 4 to 6, wherein said engaging means is provided at one or more discrete locations on the outside surface of said first upper.
9. An item of footwear according to any of Claims 4 to 8, wherein said engaging means extends over substantially all of an inside surface of said second upper.
10. An item of footwear according to any of Claims 4 to 8, wherein said engaging means is provided at one or more discrete locations on an inside surface of said second upper.
11. An item of footwear according to any preceding claim, wherein both of said first and second uppers are provided with a set of eyelets through which a lace may be threaded, the eyelets on said first and second uppers being in alignment with one another when said second upper is attached to said first.
12. An item of footwear according to any preceding claim, wherein said second upper when attached to said unit does not enclose the sole's base.
13. An item of footwear according to any preceding claim wherein said item is an item of sports wear such as a training shoe or the like.
14. A detachable upper suitable for an item of footwear according to any preceding claim.
15. A set comprising an item of footwear having a sole and a first upper fixedly attached thereto, and a plurality of second uppers each being releasably attachable to the first upper.
16. A method of assembling an item of footwear comprising removably attaching a second upper to a unit comprising a first upper fixedly attached to a sole.
17. Modular footwear comprising a core module of a sole and a first upper fixedly attached thereto, and an interchangeable second upper removably attached to the core module.
18. An item of footwear substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
19. A detachable upper substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
20. A set substantially as hereinbefore described.
21. A method substantially as hereinbefore described.
22. Modular substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.