Footwear

Abstract

Footwear; such as sandals ( 10 ) has soles ( 11 ) with shapes replicating surfboard designs, such as “pintail”, swallow tail” and “square tail” and may incorporate leg ropes ( 16 ), stringers ( 620 ), hips or flyers ( 430,431 ), raised heel grips ( 840 ) and ornamentation of one-, two- or three fins. The raised heel grips ( 840 ) provide support and/or grip to a wearer's heel. The footwear may also be used as a hand surfer for body surfers and incorporate wrist strap for releasable attachment to wearer's wrist.

1 . Footwear, having a sole, wherein at least the rearward portion of the sole is shaped to replicate the tail shape of a surfboard.  
   
   
       2 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 1  wherein: 
 the underside of the sole incorporates a pattern or ornamentation to replicate the one to three fin(s) of a surfboard.    
   
   
       3 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 2  wherein: 
 two or more fins may extend below the sole to form a raised heel portion.    
   
   
       4 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 1  wherein: 
 the tail shapes of the surfboards replicated include (a) “pintail”; (b) “swallow tail”; and (c) “square tail”.    
   
   
       5 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 4  wherein: 
 side portions of the sole incorporate hips or flyers, replicating the hips or flyers in surfboards, to complement the tail shapes.    
   
   
       6 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 1  wherein: 
 the sole incorporates a coloured stringer, from nose to tail, replicating the stringer of a surfboard on the upper side of the sole.    
   
   
       7 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 1  wherein: 
 the upper side of the sole is provided with a raised heel pad, with added grip, to replicate the deck grip or “gorilla grip” on a surfboard.    
   
   
       8 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 7  wherein: 
 the heel pad has an inclined forwardly-directed face and a patterned-or-profile upper surface and provides support and/or grip to a wearer's heel.    
   
   
       9 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 1  wherein: 
 the sole incorporates a leg rope hole, or pattern or ornamentation replicating same.    
   
   
       10 . Footwear as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the upper side of the sole incorporates branding, labelling and/or other surfboard aesthetics.  
   
   
       11 . A hand surfer for body surfers comprising the footwear as claimed in  claim 1 .  
   
   
       12 . A hand surfer as claimed in  claim 11 , including: 
 a wrist strap attachable at one end to the sole and at the other end to the wearer's wrist.    
   
   
       13 . A hand surfer as claimed in  claim 12  wherein: 
 the wrist strap has a length of cord or rope, with a loop at one end and a locking pin at the other end, the cord or rope passing through the loop for attachment to the wearer's wrist and the locking pin being engageable in a leg rope hole in the sole.    
   
   
       14 . A hand surfer as claimed in  claim 11 , including: 
 A front strap, extending laterally to the sole, adjacent the front end of the sole, engageable by the wearer's hand and/or fingers.    
   
   
       15 . A hand surfer as claimed in  claim 12 , including: 
 A front strap, extending laterally to the sole, adjacent the front end of the sole, engageable by the wearer's hand and/or fingers.