Footwear combining comfort with fashion

Abstract

An article of footwear has a relatively elevated heel composed of durable material with fashionable characteristics such as design and style as well as functional features such as arch support and comfort. The article of footwear includes a sole having a front portion and a rear portion, a heel positioned over the rear portion of the sole, an insole positioned upon the heel and the front portion of the sole, a cushion positioned on a rear portion of the insole above the heel, and a strap attached to the insole for removably securing at least the insole to the foot of a wearer. The heel has a height greater than the thickness of the insole. A fastener removably attaches a portion of the strap to the insole, and is a hook-and-loop fastener. The heel could be composed of hardened plastic.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] This invention relates to footwear, and in particular to an article of footwear which provides a elevated heel with comfort. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Footwear is typically divided into formal footwear and leisure footwear. Formal footwear ofttimes provides a elevated heel and aesthetic characteristics, such as sharp edges, pointed edges tooled or punched leather surfaces, and / or patent leather surfaces. Typically, formal footwear sacrifices comfort for fashion, since such footwear is not worn during recreational, leisure, and / or lengthy activities, but rather is worn for brief periods, such as for social events including cocktail parties, or during working hours within an office. [0005] In contrast, leisure footwear typically provides a low heel for ease of movement and comfort, and includes materials designed to provide cushioning for the foot during commuting between work and home, or for er...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] What has been invented is an article of women's footwear which provides cushioning for comfort as well as a relatively elevated heel composed of durable material for providing fashionable characteristics as well as arch support. Such footwear may be worn by women but so comfortable that men may even wear such footwear, and also to enhance one's height and appearance as well as comfort.

Problems solved by technology

In this manner, leisure footwear sacrifices fashion for comfort.

Sneakers may provide more comfort and higher heels than sandals, for example, to support the arches, but typically a sneaker substantially encloses the foot, and so reduces the ability of the foot to breathe.

Sneakers also typically require some form of fastener, such as lacing or “VELCRO®”, to secure the sneaker to the foot, and so sneakers are not as easy to remove from or to secure to the foot as sandals are.

However, sandals typically provide minimal cushioning, such as foam or a sponge-like insole, and the insole is relatively flat.

Accordingly, sandals may be less comfortable and more harmful to the arches of the wearer's foot than sneakers.

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