Transforming shoe sole
View Patent ↗The transforming shoe sole may have a sole body, a toe plate, a toe hinge, a heel, a heel hinge, a toe-angle push rod, and a heel-release mechanism. The transforming shoe sole may be a sole for a shoe that may be reconfigured between a flat shoe configuration and a heeled shoe configuration. The heel may pivot downwards and may lock into place to convert from the flat shoe configuration to the heeled shoe configuration. The heel-release mechanism may release the heel to pivot upwards into the sole body to convert from the heeled shoe configuration to the flat shoe configuration. A toe angle may change responsive to pivoting of the heel. The sole may be coupled to one or more straps, an enclosed upper, or both to form a complete shoe.
1 . A transforming shoe sole comprising:
a sole body having a semioval shape, a laterally narrower front, and a vertically thicker rear;
a toe plate including a toe plate depression and a toe angle leverage point with a toe plate inclined surface;
a toe hinge pivotally coupling the toe plate to the front of the sole body, the toe hinge secured with a toe hinge pin passing through a first sole body hinge aperture and a toe plate hinge aperture;
a heel comprising a heel shaft, a heel cam, a heel stop, and a heel lock aperture;
a heel hinge pivotally coupling the heel to the bottom rear of the sole body, the heel hinge secured with a heel hinge pin passing through a second sole body hinge aperture and a heel hinge aperture;
a heel-release mechanism comprising a left heel release and a right heel release, each equipped with a lock pin, a release button, a left heel release spring, and a right heel release spring;
a toe-angle push rod including a heel end and a toe end, the toe-angle push rod being slidably retained by a toe rod track and interacting with the toe plate to adjust the toe angle in response to the heel's movement; and,
a push rod spring supporting the toe-angle push rod; and,
wherein the left heel release and right heel release each include a J-shaped lock pin that engages the heel cam to prevent pivoting in a heeled shoe configuration; and,
wherein the push rod spring is configured to force the toe-angle push rod rearwards in a flat shoe configuration, causing the front of the toe plate to pivot downward.
2 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 1 , wherein the toe plate depression is configured to allow the toe plate to pivot upward when transitioning from a flat shoe configuration to a heeled shoe configuration.
3 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 2 , wherein the heel shaft, heel cam, and heel stop are configured to pivot downward from the bottom rear of the sole body in the heeled shoe configuration.
4 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 3 , wherein the heel-release mechanism locks the heel in place in the heeled shoe configuration and allows the heel to pivot upward into the sole body in the flat shoe configuration.
5 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 4 , wherein the toe-angle push rod's heel end is configured to interact with the toe angle leverage point to adjust the toe angle when the heel pivots.
6 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 5 , wherein the toe hinge pin, heel hinge pin, and lock pins are made of stainless steel.
7 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 6 , wherein the sole body, toe plate, and heel are made of materials selected from the group consisting of wood, plastic, metal, and composite resins.
8 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 7 , wherein the toe hinge, heel hinge, and lock pin apertures include tubular metal liners to reduce mechanical wear.
9 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 1 , further comprising:
the flat shoe configuration where the heel is pivoted upward into the sole body.
10 . The transforming shoe sole of claim 1 , further comprising:
the heeled shoe configuration where the heel is pivoted downward from the bottom rear of the sole body and locked into place by the heel-release mechanism.