Customizable Universal Heel Protector Assembly

Abstract

The universal heel protection assembly disclosed herein includes an outer shell and a removable engagement member sized for receipt within the outer shell. The heel protection assembly may be sized to increase the surface area of the heel portion of footwear, such as high-heel shoes. The engagement members may include flexible vanes for receiving the heel of a piece of footwear to enable a universal fit for a variety of heel sizes and shapes. Accordingly, the universal heel protection assembly may provide a one-size fits all solution for high-heel wearers when they walk on grass, grates, and cracked surfaces. This device may fit on the bottom of the high-heel, protecting the heel from surface damage while supporting the wearer on various surfaces. The heel protection assembly may utilize at least two types of material, including a soft material for contacting the footwear.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A universal heel protection assembly for use with footwear, comprising:
 a outer shell comprising an opening at a top end of the outer shell;   an engagement member comprising a plurality of vanes and at least one engagement surface; and   wherein the engagement member is configured to be received in the opening of the outer shell, and the vanes are configured for securely receiving a heel of the footwear therein.   
     
     
         2 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the outer shell comprises a plurality of surface features selected from the group including faceted surfaces, grooves, dimples, and bumps. 
     
     
         3 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the engagement member further comprises a plurality of grip members. 
     
     
         4 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 3 , wherein a bottom surface of the outer shell comprises a plurality of apertures corresponding to the plurality of grip members, the aperture configured to receive one or more of the plurality of grip members. 
     
     
         5 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the engagement member further comprises a plurality of retention members for retaining the engagement member within the outer shell and preventing rotation of the engagement member relative to the outer shell. 
     
     
         6 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the outer shell further comprises a plurality of recesses configured to receive one or more of the retention members. 
     
     
         7 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer shell is formed from a rigid material and at least a portion of the engagement member is formed from a resilient, flexible material. 
     
     
         8 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer shell is at least partially coated with a friction-increasing, sound-dampening, and/or force-absorbing coating. 
     
     
         9 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising an accessory selectively couplable to the outer shell and including one or more indicia. 
     
     
         10 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein when the heel of the footwear is inserted into the engagement member nested within the opening of the outer shell, the vanes are configured to flexibly deform to increase the contact surface between the engagement member and the heel. 
     
     
         11 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the flexibly deformable vanes are configured to flexibly deform to provide a universal fit for various heel shapes and diameters from 5 mm to 20 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the plurality of grip members protrude from the bottom surface of the outer shell. 
     
     
         13 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising an internet of things (IoT) sensor and/or a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag provided on one or more of the outer shell and the engagement member. 
     
     
         14 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the footwear is a high-heel or stiletto shoe. 
     
     
         15 . The heel protection assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the engagement member is configured to be entirely received in the opening of the outer shell. 
     
     
         16 . A method of providing supplemental support for footwear having a heel, comprising:
 providing a heel protection assembly including an outer shell including an opening at a top end of the outer shell, and an engagement member comprising a plurality of vanes and at least one engagement surface;   nesting the engagement member within the opening of the outer shell by inserting the engagement member into the opening; and   inserting the heel into the engagement member, wherein the at least one engagement surface and/or vanes flexibly deform to secure the heel within the heel protection assembly.