Convertible Footwear

Abstract

Footwear that includes a base and an attachable high top. The base forms low-top footwear that includes an ankle opening to receive the ankle of the wearer, and laces or straps to secure the base to the wearer's foot. The base also includes one or more strap openings. The footwear also includes a high-top that is attachable to the base to form a high-top to better support the wearer's ankle. The high-top includes one or more connectors that include an enclosed channel with an inlet and an outlet. An attachment strap is inserted through the one or more openings in the base and one or more connectors in the high-top to secure the sections together. The strap is constructed of a semi-rigid material that is longitudinally supportive to be pushed through the openings and connectors. The longitudinally-supportive strap and the one or more connectors provides for a straightforward and quick manner of attaching and detaching the high-top from the base.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Convertible footwear, comprising:
 a sole portion;   an upper fixed to the sole portion, wherein the upper defines an ankle opening through which the wearer's foot is inserted into the footwear;   a flap attached to an exterior of the upper so as to define a pocket in the upper adjacent to the ankle opening;   one or more strap openings formed in said flap;   a detachable high-top releasably secured to the upper to convert the footwear from a low top to a high-top, said high-top including a lower edge that is received in the pocket so the flap overlies the lower edge of the high-top;   one or more connectors attached to an outer surface of the high-top to align with the strap openings in said flap when the high-top is attached to the upper, each of the connectors extends outward from the outer side of the high-top and include an inlet, an outlet, and an intermediate enclosed channel; and   a securing strap configured to pass through the aligned one or more strap openings and the one or more connectors to secure the detachable high-top to the upper.   
     
     
         2 . The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the strap is longitudinally supporting to be pushed through the one or more strap openings and the one or more connectors. 
     
     
         3 . The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein each of the connectors is attached to the high-top at the lower edge and is positioned below an upper edge of the upper when the high-top is attached to the upper. 
     
     
         4 . The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein two connectors are attached to the high-top with each of the connectors being identical in shape and size. 
     
     
         5 . The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein two connectors are attached to the high-top with each spaced an equal distance away from a mid-point along a length of the high-top. 
     
     
         6 . The footwear of  claim 1 , further comprising enlarged pockets positioned in the upper at each of the strap openings, each of the pockets being sized to receive one of the connectors when the high-top is attached to the upper. 
     
     
         7 . The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the strap has elongated straight arms and includes a semi-rigid construction configured for the arms to maintain a straight shape when the strap is pushed through the strap openings and the connectors. 
     
     
         8 . Convertible footwear, comprising:
 a base with a sole and an upper, the upper having an ankle opening to receive a wearer's foot with a first pair of spaced-apart openings along a first side of the ankle opening and a second pair of openings along a second side of the ankle opening;   a detachable high-top releasably secured to the base to convert the footwear from a low top to a high-top;   first and second connectors attached to the high-top with the first connector positioned between the first pair of openings on the upper and the second connector positioned between the second pair of openings on the upper when the high-top is attached to the base, each of the connectors including a body with an inlet, an outlet, and an enclosed channel; and   a securing strap configured to pass through the first and second pairs of openings in the base and the first and second connectors in the high-top to secure the detachable high-top to the upper, the strap being constructed of a material to be longitudinally supporting to be pushed through the openings and the connectors.   
     
     
         9 . The footwear of  claim 8 , wherein the first connector includes a first length that is less than a second length measured between the first pair of openings for the inlet of the first connector to align with a first one of the openings and the outlet of the first connector to align with a second one of the openings when the high-top is secured to the base. 
     
     
         10 . The footwear of  claim 8 , wherein the strap includes an enlarged central section with a pair of outwardly-extending arms, the central section being wider than the connectors and the arms being narrower than the connectors. 
     
     
         11 . The footwear of  claim 8 , wherein the channels include smooth inner walls to facilitate pushing the strap through the connectors. 
     
     
         12 . The footwear of  claim 8 , further comprising a pair of pockets in the upper with each pocket positioned in proximity to ankle opening, a first one of the pockets configured to receive the first connector and a second one of the pockets configured to receive the second connector when the high-top is secured to the upper. 
     
     
         13 . The footwear of  claim 8 , wherein each of the connectors includes a common shape and size. 
     
     
         14 . The footwear of  claim 8 , wherein each connector includes a base that extends outward beyond the inlet and the outlet, the base including a flat back surface to abut against an outer surface of the high-top. 
     
     
         15 . Convertible footwear, comprising:
 a low-top with a sole and an upper, the upper having an ankle opening to receive a wearer's foot and a pocket formed at the ankle opening;   a first pair of spaced-apart openings along a first side of the ankle opening and a second pair of openings along a second side of the ankle opening, each of the pairs of openings extending into the pocket;   a detachable high-top including a lower edge that seats within the pocket and an opposing upper edge, the high-top having a folded configuration when attached to the low-top;   a first connector positioned at the lower edge of the high-top and sized to fit between the openings of the first pair of openings and a second connector positioned at the lower edge of the high-top and sized to fit between the openings of the second pair of openings, each of the connectors including an enclosed channel, each of the connectors further attached to an outer surface of the high-top to face away from the ankle opening when the high-top is attached to the low-top; and   a securing strap configured to pass through the first and second pairs of openings in the low-top and the first and second connectors in the high-top to secure the detachable high-top to the low-top, the strap including a central section and two outwardly-extending arms with the arms constructed from a semi-rigid material to extend outward from the central section.   
     
     
         16 . The footwear of  claim 15 , wherein each of the first and second connectors includes a rectangular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
         17 . The footwear of  claim 15 , wherein the channels of the first and second connectors include smooth surfaces to facilitate insertion of the securing strap. 
     
     
         18 . The footwear of  claim 15 , wherein the central section and the arms of the securing strap include a unitary, one-piece construction. 
     
     
         19 . The footwear of  claim 15 , wherein the connectors are positioned on an inner surface of the high-top.