US20100313446A1

US20100313446A1 - Shoe

Info

Publication number: US20100313446A1
Application number: US12/225,323
Authority: US
Inventors: Kurt Udo Weixelbaumer; Harald Parzer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-13
Filing date: 2007-04-12
Publication date: 2010-12-16
Also published as: BRPI0709989A2; EP2004001B1; CN101420877A; JP2009533189A; EP2004001A1; ATE443457T1; KR20090007697A; WO2007118262A1; CN101420877B; AT503640B1; DE502007001587D1; AT503640A4

Abstract

Described is a shoe with an outsole (1) and with an exchangeable shoe upper part (2) forming a supporting sole (4) which can be connected to the outsole (1). In order to provide advantageous design conditions, it is proposed that the outsole (1) have at least one catch receptacle (6) which is provided in the forefoot region and overlaps a catch projection (5) of the supporting sole (4), which is shorter in its configuration than the outsole (1), and also a closure flap (8) which in a closed position overlaps a rear edge portion (7) of the supporting sole (4), that the outsole (1) and the supporting sole (4) be provided between the front catch recess (6) and the rear closure flap (8) on the one hand with catch apertures (13) and on the other hand with connecting projections (16) which engage with the catch apertures (13) in a form-fitting manner and that the supporting sole (4) of the shoe upper part (2) be covered by an exchangeable foot bed (3).

Description

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a shoe with an outsole and with an exchangeable shoe upper part forming a supporting sole which can be connected to the outsole.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

In order to be able to use various shoe upper parts with an outsole, it is known inter alia (DE 201 14 405 U1) to fasten in an exchangeable manner the shoe upper parts to the outsole which forms for this purpose catch receptacles for the shoe upper parts. A drawback of this is that the shoe upper parts have to be connected to the outsole via individual catch receptacles; this not only entails complex handling but rather also places limitations on the configuration of the shoe upper parts, because the catch receptacles of the outsole are locally defined. These drawbacks are avoided in another known shoe embodiment (DE 2 263 269 A) in which the shoe upper part forms a supporting sole which can be connected to the outsole and thus constitutes, together with the shoe upper part, an exchangeable design unit. The supporting sole is fastened with the aid of press studs which are provided on the supporting sole and directed toward the outsole, so that the shape of the shoe upper part received by the supporting sole is immaterial for the connection thereof to the outsole and can accordingly be configured substantially freely. Nevertheless, the inadequate connection of the supporting sole to the outsole with the aid of press studs, which are unable to prevent displacement of the supporting sole relative to the outsole in the event of relatively high loads, must be regarded as a drawback. As, moreover, the supporting sole forms the foot bed, in no way do such shoes provide the wearing comfort such as is conventional in shoes without exchangeable upper parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is thus based on the object of configuring a shoe of the type described at the outset in such a way as to allow wearing comfort comparable to a conventional shoe to be ensured despite simple exchangeability of the shoe upper part.
The invention achieves the object set in that the outsole has at least one catch receptacle which is provided in the forefoot region and overlaps a catch projection which is shorter in its configuration than the outsole and also a closure flap which in a closed position overlaps a rear edge portion of the supporting sole, in that the outsole and the supporting sole are provided between the front catch recess and the rear closure flap on the one hand with catch apertures and on the other hand with connecting projections which engage with the catch apertures in a form-fitting manner and in that the supporting sole of the shoe upper part is covered by an exchangeable foot bed.
Since, as a result of these measures, the supporting sole is not only held between a front catch receptacle and a rear closure flap, but rather is also connected, between the catch receptacle and the closure flap, to the outsole in a form-fitting manner with the aid of connecting projections which engage with catch apertures, displacement of the supporting sole relative to the outsole can be ruled out both in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction; this is a basic requirement for good stability and, as a function thereof, for corresponding wearing comfort. In addition, the supporting sole of the shoe upper part is covered by an exchangeable foot bed, so that the wearing comfort is co-determined not by the supporting sole, which serves as an intermediate sole, but rather, as in conventional shoes, also by a corresponding foot bed. Nevertheless, the handling operation for exchanging the shoe upper part remains simple, because after all the closure flap needs to be opened merely after the foot bed has been removed in order first to release the shoe upper part with the supporting sole, by upward pivoting about the front catch receptacle, out of the form-fitting engagement with the outsole and then to draw it out of the catch receptacle. For inserting a new shoe upper part, the supporting sole thereof must first be introduced, in the reverse order, with the front catch projection into the associated catch receptacle of the outsole before the supporting sole is pressed, with form-fitting engagement of the connecting projections with the catch apertures, against the outsole and secured in this engagement position by closing off the closure flap. The insertion of a foot bed completes the retrofitting of the shoe.
Although it is immaterial for the form-fitting connection between the outsole and the supporting sole of the shoe upper part whether the catch apertures, receiving the connecting projections in a form-fitting manner, are provided in the outsole or in the supporting sole, particularly advantageous design conditions are obtained if the supporting sole of the shoe upper part forms the catch apertures in the form of through-openings with which the connecting projections, which have a height adapted to the thickness of the supporting sole, of the outsole engage.
The closure flap, which overlaps the rear edge portion of the supporting sole, is compressively loaded when the shoe is used, so that no particular closing force for the closure flap is required for mounting the supporting sole on the outsole. In order nevertheless to be able advantageously to secure the closed position of the closure flap, the closure flap can be connected in the closed position to the outsole through recesses in the rear edge portion of the supporting sole, for example with the aid of press studs. So that the closure flap overlapping the rear edge portion of the supporting sole requires no adaptation of the foot bed, the rear edge portion of the supporting sole can have a heel which recedes by the thickness of the closure flap for receiving the closure flap flush in its closed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject-matter of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal section of a shoe according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view onto the supporting sole of the shoe upper part; and

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 of the shoe without a foot bed on the insertion of the shoe upper part.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The shoe according to the exemplary embodiment has an outsole 1, a shoe upper part 2, which is indicated merely in the form of laces, and a foot bed 3. The shoe upper part 2, which can vary greatly in its configuration in order to form for example sandals, slippers or loafers, is exchangeably connected to the outsole 1. For this purpose, the shoe upper part 2 is provided with a supporting sole 4 which is shorter in length than the outsole 1 and has at its front edge catch projections 5 which engage with catch receptacles 6 in the forefoot region of the outsole 1. The catch projections 5 are in this case overlapped by the catch receptacle 6, so that the supporting sole 4 cannot be raised away from the outsole 1 in the forefoot region. The supporting sole 4 is also overlapped in a rear edge portion 7 by a closure flap 8 which is arranged on the outsole 1 and can be connected in the closed position to the outsole 1 through recesses 9 in the edge portion 7 by press studs 10. The edge portion 7 forms a heel 11 which recedes by the thickness of the closure flap 8 for receiving the closure flap 8 flush, as may be seen from FIG. 1.
Between the front catch receptacles 6 and the rear closure flap 8, the outsole 1 forms connecting projections 12 which protrude toward the supporting sole 4 and engage in a form-fitting manner with catch apertures 13 of the supporting sole 4. The arrangement is in this case such that the catch apertures 13 are configured in the form of through-openings and the connecting projections 12 have a height adapted to the thickness of the supporting sole 4. This ensures flush engagement of the connecting projections 12 with the catch apertures 13, with the advantage that the foot bed 3 can be laid flat beyond the supporting sole 4.
In order to insert a shoe upper part 2, the supporting sole 4 of the shoe upper part 2 to be inserted must according to FIG. 3 be introduced with the front catch projections 5 into the catch receptacles 6 of the outsole 1 and swivelled away toward the outsole 1, so that the connecting projections 12 engage in a form-fitting manner with the through-openings of the catch apertures 13. After closing of the closure flap 8, which for this purpose is swivelled away toward the outsole 1 via the rear edge portion 7 of the supporting sole 4, thus allowing the press studs 10 to be closed through the recesses 9 of the supporting sole 4, the foot bed 3 is inserted, thus concluding the retrofitting of the shoe.

Claims

1. Shoe with an outsole and with an exchangeable shoe upper part forming a supporting sole which can be connected to the outsole, wherein the outsole (1) has at least one catch receptacle (6) which is provided in the forefoot region and overlaps a catch projection (5) of the supporting sole (4), which is shorter in its configuration than the outsole (1), and also a closure flap (8) which in a closed position overlaps a rear edge portion (7) of the supporting sole (4), wherein the outsole (1) and the supporting sole (4) are provided between the front catch recess (6) and the rear closure flap (8) on the one hand with catch apertures (13) and on the other hand with connecting projections (12) which engage with the catch apertures (13) in a form-fitting manner and in that the supporting sole (4) of the shoe upper part (2) is covered by an exchangeable foot bed (3).

2. Shoe according to claim 1, wherein the supporting sole (4) of the shoe upper part (2) forms the catch apertures (13) in the form of throughopenings with which the connecting projections (12), which have a height adapted to the thickness of the supporting sole (4), of the outsole (1) engage.

3. Shoe according to claim 1, wherein the closure flap (8) can be connected in the closed position to the outsole (1) by recesses (9) in the rear edge portion (7) of the supporting sole (4).

4. Shoe according to claim 1, wherein the rear edge portion (7) of the supporting sole (4) has a heel (11) which recedes by the thickness of the closure flap (8) for receiving the closure flap (8) flush in its closed position.