Dual Use Shoe

A dual use shoe comprising,

• a sole;
• an upper connected to the sole, the upper conforming to contours of a human foot that is to be received within the upper when the shoe is worn;
• and
• a heel assembly including
• a housing attached to the sole,
• the housing having a receptacle formed therein, a heel piece having a first section proximate the housing and a second section remote from the housing;
• and
• means for coupling the first section of the heel piece to the housing such that the heel piece may be selectively pivoted between
• a radially inboard position where the heel piece is rotated and locked into a retracted configuration proximate the sole such that the heel piece dominantly resides within the receptacle;
• and
• a radially outboard position where the heel piece is rotated away from the sole into an extended high heel configuration such that the heel piece resides dominantly out of the receptacle.

In a women's shoe having a sole and an upper, the improvement comprising:

• a heel assembly including
• a housing;
• a pivot latch mechanism for coupling the first section of the heel piece to the housing such that the pivot-latch mechanism may be selectively manipulated for pivoting of the heel piece between
• a radially inboard position where the heel piece is rotated and locked into a retracted configuration proximate the sole such that the heel piece dominantly resides within the receptacle;
• and
• a radially outboard position where the heel piece is rotated away from the sole into an extended high heel configuration such that the heel piece resides dominantly out of the receptacle.

A heel assembly comprising,

• a housing having a receptacle formed therein;
• a pivot latch mechanism for coupling the first section of the heel piece to the housing such that the pivot-latch mechanism may be selectively manipulated for pivoting of the heel piece between
• a radially inboard position where the heel piece is rotated and locked into a retracted configuration proximate the sole such that the heel piece dominantly resides within the receptacle;
• and
• a radially outboard position where the heel piece is rotated away from the sole into an extended high heel configuration such that the heel piece resides dominantly out of the receptacle.