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  Molded shoe with unitary strap attachment connectorUSPTO Application #: 20070266596Title: Molded shoe with unitary strap attachment connector Abstract: A shoe having a one-piece connector attaching a strap to the shoe and method of construction the same is provided. The shoe has: a sole; an upper portion extending from the sole with an aperture defined in the upper portion; a strap with a strap aperture defined in an end of the strap; and a one-piece connector having a shaft, an inner head fixed to a first end of the shaft and an outer head fixed to a second end of the shaft. The connector secures the strap to the upper portion of the shoe by the shaft extending through the aperture and the strap aperture. Material surrounding the apertures is elastic to allow diameters of the apertures to be temporarily stretched allowing the inner head of the connector to pass through the apertures before the diameters of the apertures contract, holding the connector in place. (end of abstract) Agent: Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP - Minneapolis, MN, US Inventor: Steve Mann USPTO Applicaton #: 20070266596 - Class: 036050100 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Boots, Shoes, And Leggings, Uppers, Closure The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070266596. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/786,192, filed Mar. 27, 2006. BACKGROUND [0002] This invention is in the field of footwear and more particularly an apparatus and method of attaching a strap to footwear using one-piece connectors. [0003] Various types of footwear are held on a foot of a wearer using a strap that wraps around a heel of the user. This strap, in many cases, is connected to a main or upper portion of the footwear with a pair of two-piece rivets; one of two-piece rivets attaching each end of the strap to the main or upper portion of the footwear piece. [0004] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,858 teaches the use of a two-piece rivet with a male and female portion, in order to attach a strap to the rest of a piece of footwear. This document teaches the construction of a molded piece of footwear. First, the shoe and strap section are molded and perforations are made in the shoe and strap. Next, a pair of two-piece rivets are then inserted through the apertures to attach the strap to the shoe. A male part of the two-piece rivet is inserted through a perforation in the shoe and a perforation in the strap and then a female part of the two piece rivet is snapped into place to attach the strap to the shoe. [0005] The problem with using a two-piece rivet is that there is a weakness in the two-piece rivet at the point were the two pieces snap together, i.e. what is snapped together can be unsnapped. Although U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,858 teaches that the two-piece rivet can be made of plastic or made from some other material such as metal or rubber, whatever material these two-piece rivets are made out of, the material cannot be so rigid that the two-piece rivet will not snap together. Because of this limitation that the material used must be elastic enough to allow the two-piece rivet snap together, the rivet can be snapped apart causing the strap to detach from the shoe. Additionally, the snap mechanism that allows the two-pieces of the rivet to snap together, is by necessity weaker than a solid shaft would be, allowing the two-piece rivet to break more easily. If the two-piece rivet is made of a material that is too strong and rigid to try to prevent the two-piece rivet snapping apart or breaking, the two-piece rivet will not snap together. [0006] Because, the strength and rigidity of the material that the two-piece rivet is made out of is limited by the amount of force necessary to snap the two-pieces together, there is always a limitation in the material used for the two-piece rivet and there is a trade-off between the strength of the material being used to make the two-piece rivet and the ability to snap the two-pieces together. Additionally, there is an inherent weakness in the two-piece rivet as a result of the snap mechanism having to be used. Because the two-piece rivet is used to secure a foot of a person in the footwear, substantial forces and stress are placed on the two-piece rivet and it is common for these two-piece rivets to unsnap or break. SUMMARY [0007] The present disclosure is directed to a piece of footwear and method of manufacturing the piece of footwear using a single piece that overcomes problems in the prior art. [0008] In a first aspect, a footwear piece is provided. The footwear piece has a sole; an upper portion extending from the sole and having a rear opening operative to receive a foot of a user and a footwear aperture defined in a back part of the upper portion, wherein a first material defining the footwear aperture has a first thickness and is elastic such that a diameter of the footwear aperture can be increased by stretching; a strap having a first end, a second end and a strap aperture defined in the first end of the strap, wherein a second material defining the strap aperture has a second thickness and is elastic such that a diameter of the strap aperture can be increased by stretching; and a connector having a shaft with a length substantially equal to a total of the first thickness plus the second thickness, an inner head fixedly connected to a first end of the shaft and an outer head fixedly connected to a second end of the shaft. The connector secures the first end of the strap to the upper portion by the shaft extending through the footwear aperture and the strap aperture. [0009] In as second aspect, a method of attaching a strap to a footwear piece using a connector is provided. The method comprises: providing a connector having a shaft, an inner head fixedly connected to a first end of the shaft and an outer head fixedly connected to a second end of the shaft; aligning a footwear aperture defined in a back part of an upper portion of the footwear piece with a strap aperture defined at an end of the strap; stretching the strap aperture and the footwear aperture to allow the inner head of the connector to pass through the footwear aperture and strap aperture; passing the inner head of the connector through the footwear aperture and strap aperture; and once the inner head of the connector has passed through the footwear aperture and the strap aperture, allowing a diameter of the footwear aperture and a diameter of the strap aperture to contract to a size less than a diameter of the inner head of the connector. [0010] In one aspect, a piece of footwear comprising a main and a strap is provided. The main portion comprises a sole and an upper. The sole cushions a bottom of a foot of a wearer and the upper portion keeps the foot of the wearer positioned against the sole. The strap is pivotally connected to the upper portion of the footwear piece and when worn across a back of a foot of the wearer, holds the foot of the wearer in the upper portion of the piece of footwear. [0011] A first pair of apertures is positioned near a back of the upper portion. This first pair of apertures corresponds to a second pair of apertures located near ends of the strap. The material surrounding the first and second pair of apertures is sufficiently elastic so that the apertures can be temporarily stretched, increasing the size of the apertures. A pair of single-piece connectors are used to attach the strap to the upper portion of the piece of footwear, with each connector passing through one of the apertures on an end of the strap section and one of the apertures on the upper of the footwear so that the pair of one-piece connectors pivotally attach the strap to the main portion of the piece of footwear. [0012] The connectors are formed as a single piece. They are not made of a number of pieces meant to be snapped together to form the connector or unsnapped. Rather than needing to be snapped together in order to attach the strap to the upper portion of the piece of footwear, the material around the apertures is stretched to increase the size of the apertures so that a head of the connector will pass through the aperture and then the aperture is allowed to return to its original size, with the connector attaching the strap to the upper portion of the piece of footwear. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where: [0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a piece of footwear in accordance with the present disclosure; [0015] FIG. 2 is top view of a main portion of the piece of footwear illustrated in FIG. 1; [0016] FIG. 3 is side view a strap portion of the piece of footwear illustrated in FIG. 1; [0017] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a one-piece connector in a first aspect; [0018] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the one-piece connector of FIG. 4A from another end with a design on an outer surface of an outer head; [0019] FIG. 4C is a perspective view of another aspect of a connector where an outer head is a decorative object; [0020] FIG. 4D is a perspective view of another aspect of a connector that is attachable to a decorative object; Continue reading... Full patent description for Molded shoe with unitary strap attachment connector Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Molded shoe with unitary strap attachment connector patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Molded shoe with unitary strap attachment connector or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Drying device and method Next Patent Application: Footwear sole Industry Class: Boots, shoes, and leggings ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Molded shoe with unitary strap attachment connector patent info. 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