Transicleat - convertible athletic shoe

Abstract

The Transicleat relates generally to an athletic shoe and more particularly to an athletic shoe that converts from an ordinary running shoe to an athletic shoe with removable cleats. It is an athletic shoe comprising a sole that is convertible and may be applied to a variety of athletic shoe configurations and uses including, but not limited to, basketball, tennis, running, and walking. Then by installing the removable cleats into the soles of the shoes, they may be applied to other sports such as baseball, soccer, golf, and football that require the increased traction of cleats. The Transicleat also describes an upper part of the shoe that is secured to the wearer's foot by a closure system which typically includes a lacing means, buckles, or hook and loop-type fasteners. In addition to conventional shoelaces, the Transicleat has one or more straps having sticky cloth surfaces including two component fabrics of different composition adapted to stick together in the nature of the material sold under the trademark VELCRO. Finally, the shoelaces are covered with a VELCRO-type flap that serves the dual purposes of hiding the shoelaces from view and, when fastened, secures the shoe on the foot of the wearer whether or not the shoelaces are tied.

1 . An athletic shoe for use in sports that is comprised of two components: an outer ground engaging sole and a supportive upper.  
     
     
         2 . An athletic shoe for use in sports, as recited in  claim 1 , in which the outer ground engaging sole is made from a material selected from rigid and semi-rigid synthetic resins, rubbers, and metals as are common and standard to the athletic shoe industry.  
     
     
         3 . An athletic shoe for use in sports, as recited in  claim 1 , in which the outer ground engaging sole has several female receptor openings that function to receive the male extensions of the removable cleats.  
     
     
         4 . Removable cleats, as recited in  claim 3 , comprised of several different sets of cleats in styles for use in a variety of sports that require increased shoe traction such as soccer, golf, baseball, and football.  
     
     
         5 . An athletic shoe for use in sports, as recited in  claim 1 , that includes an upper with three components, all of which involve the closure system.  
     
     
         6 . The first component of the upper of  claim 5  is comprised of laces exactly as are typical of conventional athletic shoes.  
     
     
         7 . The second component of the upper of  claim 5  is comprised of one or more straps having sticky cloth surfaces including two component fabrics of different composition adapted to stick together in the nature of the material sold under the trademark VELCRO.  
     
     
         8 . The third component of the upper of  claim 5  is comprised of a flap that covers the laces and is comprised of VELCRO-type material that serves the dual purposes of hiding the shoelaces from view and, when closed and fastened, secures the shoe on the foot of the wearer whether or not the shoelaces are tied.