Oh, patents! Original Sanuk Not-a-shoe

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann The first patent awarded to Jeff Kelley, Inventor and Master Sanuk Shooemaker, was for Not-a-shoe soles, called footbeds! Indeed, US2005044746 titled DECORATIVE FOOTBEDS FOR FOOTWEAR was awarded for footbeds made of commercial and industrial carpeting materials! So the quintessential feeling of sinking into a carpet was perhaps the idea originally embodied in the Sanuk Not-a-shoe, which was definitely a sandal...and Not-a-shoe…. Here is the original exploded patent drawing, and a recent embodiment, the Sanuk Yoga Sling, where the sandal footbeds are made of yoga mat materials!    Oh, BTW... The term “sanuk” is apparently a Thai word meaning “fun”, so that every Not-a-shoe is awarded that title. Visit the www.sanuk.com splash page and click on “Saaa what? (How to say sanuk?) for info on pronunciation too!