Shoe with a Replaceable Upper

Abstract

An open-toe shoe with a flexible upper removably attachable to a rigid sole. The upper is attached to the sole by a set of screws turned into internally-threaded bores in the sole. The bore is a hole formed directly in the sole or the bore is within a hard insert secured in the sole. For an upper with a thong, the thong optionally attaches to the foot bed using a threaded rod turned into a threaded bore.

1 . A shoe comprising:
 (a) a sole composed of a rigid material and having a back, toe, sides extending between the back and toe, and a foot bed;   (b) an upper composed of a flexible material that arches over the front portion of the sole and having edges that overlap the sides of the sole at the front portion;   (c) a plurality of holes along each side edge of the upper, the holes having a hole diameter;   (d) a plurality of threaded bores in the sides of the sole, each of the holes having a bore aligned therewith;   (e) a plurality of screws having a threaded body and a head, the head having a diameter larger than the hole diameter, each screw body extending through each hole and turned into the aligned threaded bore until the screw head holds the upper against the side of the sole.   
     
     
         2 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the bore is within an insert mounted in an aperture in the sole, the insert being composed of a hard material. 
     
     
         3 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the screw is composed of a metal. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the screw is composed of a plastic. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the hole is reinforced. 
     
     
         6 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the upper further comprises a thong and wherein the thong removably attaches to the foot bed by a threaded attachment.