U.S. patent application number 12/815026 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-15 for custom shoe and fabrication method thereof.
Invention is credited to Sung Yeol KIM.
Application Number | 20110302803 12/815026 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45095029 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110302803 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KIM; Sung Yeol |
December 15, 2011 |
CUSTOM SHOE AND FABRICATION METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
A custom shoe fabrication method comprises the steps of forming
a shoe having an upper and an outsole with the upper is detachably
attached to the outsole, detaching the upper from the outsole,
printing an image on a thermal transfer sheet, ironing the printed
image on the upper, and attaching to the outsole the upper having
the image printed thereon.
Inventors: |
KIM; Sung Yeol; (Goyang
City, KR) |
Family ID: |
45095029 |
Appl. No.: |
12/815026 |
Filed: |
June 14, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/23 ;
12/142T |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 3/0084 20130101;
A43B 3/242 20130101; A43B 3/244 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/23 ;
12/142.T |
International
Class: |
A43B 23/00 20060101
A43B023/00; A43B 13/28 20060101 A43B013/28 |
Claims
1. A custom shoe fabrication method, comprising: forming a shoe
having an upper and an outsole, wherein the upper is detachably
attached to the outsole; detaching the upper from the outsole;
printing an image on a thermal transfer sheet; ironing the printed
image on the upper; and attaching to the outsole the upper having
the image printed thereon.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper is replaceable with a
substitute upper.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising trimming the printed
thermal transfer sheet prior to the ironing.
4. The method of claim 1. wherein the printing is a thermal
transfer printing.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a downloadable
file.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is one selected from a
text mark, a design mark, a pop star, a movie star, and an art
work.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a celebrity
signature on the image-ironed upper prior to the attaching.
8. A custom shoe fabrication method, comprising: forming a shoe
having an upper and an outsole, wherein the upper is detachably
attached to the outsole by a zipper, detachedly unzipping the upper
from the outsole; selecting an image on a computer screen; printing
the selected image on a thermal transfer sheet; ironing the printed
image on the upper; and attachedly zipping to the outsole the upper
having the image printed thereon.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the upper is replaceable with a
substitute upper.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising trimming the printed
thermal transfer sheet prior to the ironing.
11. The method of claim 8. wherein the printing is a thermal
transfer printing.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the image is a downloadable
file.
13. The method of claim 8, wherein the image is one selected from a
text mark, a design mark, a pop star, a movie star, and an art
work.
14. The method of claim 8, further comprising adding a celebrity
signature on the image-ironed upper prior to the zipping.
15. A custom shoe, comprising: an outsole; an upper; a zipper
detachably attaching the upper to the outsole; and an image ironed
on the upper using a thermal transfer printing.
16. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the upper is replaceable with a
substitute upper.
17. The shoe of claim 15. wherein the printing is a thermal
transfer printing.
18. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the image is a downloadable
file.
19. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the image is one selected from a
text mark, a design mark, a pop star, a movie star, and an art
work.
20. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising a celebrity signature
on the upper.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a custom shoe and
fabrication method enabling a user to change one shoe upper to
another while maintaining the shoe sole by applying a zipper and
design the shoe upper with whatever image the user picks.
[0002] A conventional shoe is known to have a single purpose.
Running shoes are for running, and fashion shoes for showing off
and self-satisfaction. Fast moving shoe fashion trend is hard for a
shoe manufacturer to follow. When it comes to sneakers and other
casual shoes with non-leather uppers, shoe design is a major factor
for a user to pick one. Consumers show changing preferences on shoe
design and a shoe manufacturer is almost impossible to satisfy user
groups with specific design preferences. Though the market demands
manufacturing deference design shoes in a small quantity each it
would be tough to meet the demand at a competitive price.
[0003] A demand on the market is a fashion shoe reflecting
ever-changing personal preferences. Another demand is a shoe that
can be designed by a user in a simplified manner to enable the user
to practically own a plurality of difference shoe sets with a
single shoe sole.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is contrived to solve problems in
conventional shoes. Therefore, an objective of the invention is to
provide a custom shoe and fabrication method to enable a user to
change one shoe to another while maintaining the shoe sole by
applying a zipper between the shoe upper and the shoe sole.
[0005] Another objective of the invention is to provide a custom
design shoe using whatever image a user picks by applying the user
picked image on the shoe upper.
[0006] Still another objection of the invention is to provide a
custom design shoe serving as a plurality of shoe sets with
different designs.
[0007] In order to achieve these and other objectives, the custom
shoe fabrication method according to the present invention
comprises: forming a shoe having an upper and an outsole, wherein
the upper is detachably attached to the outsole; detaching the
upper from the outsole; printing an image on a thermal transfer
sheet; ironing the printed image on the upper; and attaching to the
outsole the upper having the image printed thereon.
[0008] The upper is replaceable with a substitute upper. The method
may further comprise trimming the printed thermal transfer sheet
prior to the ironing. Here, it is recommended that the printing is
a thermal transfer printing. The image is a downloadable file or
one selected from a text mark, a design mark, a pop star, a movie
star, and an art work. The fabrication method may further comprise
adding a celebrity signature on the image-ironed upper prior to the
attaching.
[0009] In an embodiment, the custom shoe fabrication method
comprises forming a shoe having an upper and an outsole, wherein
the upper is detachably attached to the outsole by a zipper;
detachedly unzipping the upper from the outsole; selecting an image
on a computer screen; printing the selected image on a thermal
transfer sheet; ironing the printed image on the upper; and
attachedly zipping to the outsole the upper having the image
printed thereon.
[0010] For a better performance, a custom shoe according to the
present invention comprises: an outsole; an upper; a zipper
detachably attaching the upper to the outsole; and an image ironed
on the upper using a thermal transfer printing. The shoe may
further comprise a celebrity signature on the upper.
[0011] The advantages of the custom shoe and fabrication method
include: (1) an individual user can design a custom fashion shoe by
detaching the shoe upper from the sole and printing whatever image
on the shoe upper using a thermal transfer sheet; (2) a plurality
of shoe uppers with different designs can be selectively zipped and
attached to a single shoe sole, thus virtually creating a plurality
of design shoe sets; and (3) the custom shoe expands applicability
of the detachable shoe uppers from a self-designed upper to a
souvenir with a celebrity signature. Although the present invention
is briefly summarized, the full understanding of the invention can
be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description, and
appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood with reference to
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a view showing formation of a shoe according to
the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a view showing image printing process on an upper
of the shoe according to the present invention; and
[0015] FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts illustrating the shoe
fabrication method according the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0016] As demonstrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the custom shoe and
fabrication method according to the present invention provides
convenience in custom shoe design. As shown therein, the custom
shoe 10 comprises an outsole 20, an upper 30, and a zipper 40
detachably attaching the upper 30 to the outsole 20. An image 50
may be ironed on the upper 30 using a thermal transfer
printing.
[0017] For a better performance, the upper 30 may be replaceable
with substitute uppers 32, 34. The image 50 is preferably a
downloadable file or one selected from a text mark, a design mark,
a pop star, a movie star, and an art work. The shoe 10 may further
comprise a celebrity signature on the upper 30 or on the substitute
uppers 32, 34.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, an upper teeth 42 of the zipper 40 is
attached along a lower end of the upper 30 selected depending on a
user's preference, and a lower teeth 44 is attached along an upper
end of the outsole 20. By zipping the upper 30 to the outsole 20
using a zipper slider 46, a fashion custom shoe 10 becomes ready
for use. Here, zipper stops 48 may be formed in a predetermined
size to facilitate open and close of the zipper 40. Preferably, the
zipper 40 is color matched with the upper 30 or the outsole 20. In
a preferred version, a front top 70 may be provided to cover a
user's toes and a tongue 72 may be attached to the front top 70. A
string 74 may be provided as applied to a commercial sneaker and a
standard shoe.
[0019] The custom shoe fabrication method according to the present
invention comprises a forming step S10 to form a shoe 10 having an
upper 30 and an outsole 20 where the upper 30 is detachably
attached to the outsole 20, a detaching step S20 to detach the
upper 30 from the outsole 20, a printing step S30 to print an image
50 on a thermal transfer sheet 60, an ironing step S40 to iron the
printed image on the upper 30, and an attaching step S50 to attach
to the outsole 20 the upper 30 having the image 50 printed
thereon.
[0020] In the shoe fabrication method, the upper 30 is replaceable
with a substitute upper 32 or another substitute upper 34. The
method may further comprise a trimming step S35 to trim the printed
thermal transfer sheet 60 prior to the ironing step S40. The
printing may be performed by a thermal transfer printing. In the
method, the image 50 is preferably a downloadable file or one
selected from a text mark, a design mark, a pop star, a movie star,
and an art work. In a preferred version, the show fabrication
method comprises an adding step S45 to add a celebrity signature on
the image-ironed upper 30 prior to the attaching step S50.
[0021] In another embodiment, the custom shoe fabrication method
comprises a forming step S10 to form a shoe 10 having an upper 30
and an outsole 20, the upper 30 is detachably attached to the
outsole 20 by a zipper 40, an unzipping step S20 to detachably
unzip the upper 30 from the outsole 20, a selecting step S30 to
select an image 50 on a computer screen (not shown), a printing
step S40 to print the selected image 50 on a thermal transfer sheet
60, an ironing step S50 to iron the printed image on the upper 30
using a household iron 62, and a zipping step S60 to attachedly zip
to the outsole 20 the upper having the image 60 printed
thereon.
[0022] The shoe fabrication method according to this embodiment,
the upper 30 is replaceable with a substitute upper 32 or another
substitute upper 34. The method may further comprise a trimming
step S45 to trim the printed thermal transfer sheet 60 prior to the
ironing step S50. The printing may be performed by a thermal
transfer printing. In the method, the image 50 is preferably a
downloadable file or one selected from a text mark, a design mark,
a pop star, a movie star, and an art work. In a preferred version,
the show fabrication method comprises an adding step S55 to add a
celebrity signature on the image-ironed upper 30 prior to the
zipping step S60. The image 60 may be obtained from a local
computer, internet, local area network, or wide area network.
[0023] As discussed above, the custom shoe has numerous advantages.
For example, an individual user can design a custom fashion shoe by
detaching the shoe upper from the sole and printing whatever image
on the shoe upper using a thermal transfer sheet. A plurality of
shoe uppers with different designs can be selectively zipped and
attached to a single shoe sole, thus virtually creating a plurality
of design shoe sets. Further, the custom shoe expands applicability
of the detachable shoe uppers from a self-designed upper to a
souvenir with a celebrity signature.
[0024] While the invention has been shown and described with
reference to different embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated
by those skills in the art that variations in form, detail,
compositions and operation may be made without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying
claims.
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