AU2003259619B2 - An insert for a shoe - Google Patents

Description

-1 AN INSERT FOR A SHOE Field of the Invention 5 This invention relates to an insert for a shoe and particularly, though not exclusively, to an insert used to prevent insects from entering a shoe when the shoe is not in use. 10 Background to the Invention It is a common problem in Australia that insects are able to crawl into and hide in various cavities or crevices. There are many cases each year of unexpected bites or stings from hidden insects that can cause a great deal of discomfort and, 15 in some cases, death. One popular hiding space for insects is the humble shoe. Generally speaking, people do not check their shoes for hidden insects when leaving their homes. As a consequence, 20 people are often bitten or stung by insects that have crawled into an unused shoe when they step into the shoe. Even if a person is disposed to check a shoe for a hidden insect, the usual way in which this is done is to insert the person's hand into the cavity of the shoe to check for the presence of 25 an insect. This can also result in the person being bitten or stung. The present invention was developed to provide a device to stop insects from entering the cavity of an unused shoe to 30 alleviate the problem described above. In the statement of invention, the claims and description of the invention which follow, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, 35 the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or Kirstie/keep/speci/An Insert for a Shoe 03/11/03 - 2 "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. 5 Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insert for a shoe, the shoe comprising an opening for insertion of a foot and a cavity to 10 accommodate the foot when the shoe is worn by a person, the insert comprising: a body of resiliently compressible material, the body being compressible for insertion through the opening of the shoe into the cavity of the shoe and expandable so as 15 to block the opening of the shoe whereby ingress of insects through the opening of the shoe is prevented. Preferably, the body of resiliently compressible material is compressible by application of a compressive force. 20 Preferably, the compressive force is applied by a hand of a person. Preferably, the insert further comprises a means for 25 hanging the insert connected to and extending from the body of resiliently compressible material. The means for hanging can be used to hang up the insert, for example, on a hook on the wall of house or in a cupboard either when not in use or when inserted into the cavity of a shoe. 30 According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pair of inserts for a pair of shoes, each shoe comprising an opening for insertion of a foot and a cavity to accommodate the foot when the shoe is worn 35 by a person, each insert comprising: a body of resiliently compressible material, the body 21441091 (GHMatters) 14/12/09 -3 being compressible for insertion through the opening of the shoe into the cavity of the shoe and expandable so as to block the opening of the shoe whereby ingress of insects through the opening of the shoe is prevented. 5 Preferably, the pair of inserts are tethered together by a coupling means joining one of the inserts to the other insert. More preferably, the coupling means is in the form of a length of string, wire or plastic cord. More io preferably, still, the coupling means is flexible. Preferably, each inset further comprises a hood for housing a portion of the body of resiliently compressible material when the insert is not in use in a shoe. More i5 preferably, the hood comprises an opening through which the coupling means is slidably receivable. Preferably, each hood is slidable from a first configuration in which a portion of the body of the 20 resiliently compressible material is received within the hood for storage and a second configuration in which the body of the resiliently compressible material is free of the hood to facilitate compression of the body of the resiliently compressible material for insertion in the 25 shoe. Preferably, the body of the resiliently compressible material is treated with a chemical. More preferably, the chemical is an insect repelling agent. Alternatively or 30 additionally, the chemical is an odour-reducing agent. Preferably, the coupling means is a means for hanging a plurality of inserts. 21441091 (GHMatters) 14/12/09 -4 Brief Description of the Drawings In order to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the nature of the invention, preferred embodiments of the process in accordance with the invention will now be 5 described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an insert with a hood for storage of the insert and a hook for hanging the insert up; Figure 2 shows the pair of inserts for use with a pair 10 of shoes with the inserts being tethered together by an extendible coupling means; Figure 3 shows a pair of inserts in a first configuration in which a portion of the body of the inserts is housed inside a hood for storage; and, 15 Figure 4 shows the pair of inserts of Figure 3 inserted into a pair of shoes, the inserts being tethered together using a flexible coupling means along which a hood for each insert is slidable. 20 Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Present Invention With reference to Figure 1, there is provided an insert 10 for a shoe 12, the shoe having a opening 14 for insertion of a person's foot and a cavity 16 shaped to accommodate the 25 foot of the person when the shoe is worn. The insert 10 comprises a body 18 of resiliently compressible material, typically foam. The resiliently compressible material can be any material that can be compressed or squashed to assume a smaller volume and then expand to assume its original shape 30 when the compressive force is released. The body 18 of the insert 10 is compressible for insertion through the opening 14 of the shoe 12. The particular shape of the body 18 is not critical to the function of the insert 35 10 of the present invention. The size and colour of the body Kirstie/keep/speci/An Insert for a Shoe 03/11/03 -5 18 may be varied to suit particular sizes and styles of shoes. Once inside the cavity 16 of the shoe 12, the compressed 5 body 18 is released and expands so as to block the opening 14 of the shoe 12 such that ingress of insects through the opening 14 of the shoe 12 is prevented. It is to be understood that it is not a requirement of the present invention that the body 18 be large enough to fill the 10 cavity 16 of the shoe 12. Insects are precluded from entry into the cavity 16 of the shoe 12 by the expansion of the body of resiliently compressible material 18 blocking the opening 14. 15 The compressive force applied to compress the body 18 of the insert 10 for insertion into the shoe 12 would typically be applied by a person squeezing the body 18 of the insert 10 in their hand. 20 For handy storage of the insert 10, a hook 20 or other suitable means for hanging the insert may be provided. The hook 20 is connected to and extends from the body 18 of resiliently compressible material. Depending on the degree to which the body of resiliently compressible 25 material 18 fills the cavity 16 of the shoe 12, it may be possible to hang the insert 10 from the hook 20 whilst the insert 10 is inserted in a shoe 12. The insert 10 in the illustrated embodiment of Figure 1 is 30 provided with a hood 22 for housing at least a portion of the body of resiliently compressible material 18. The hood 22 may cover the whole of the body 18 or only part thereof and is an optional feature that may be included to store the insert 10 when not in use and/or keep the insert 35 10 clean and/or dry. 21441091 (GHMatters) 14/12/09 -6 The hood 22 would typically be made from a rigid plastic material but can also be made from a flexible material is desired, provided only that it is shaped to house at least a portion of the body of resiliently compressible material 18. 5 Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 2 in which there is shown a pair of inserts 10' and 10" for use with a pair of shoes 12' and 12". The pair of inserts 10' and 10" are tethered together by a 10 coupling means 30 joining one of the inserts 10' to the other insert 10". In the illustrated embodiment of Figure 2, the coupling means 30 takes the form of an extendible plastic cord, similar to the type of cord commonly used to connect a telephone to a handset. 15 In the illustrated embodiment of Figures 3 and 4, the coupling means 30 takes the form of a flexible wire tethering one of the inserts 10' to the other insert 10". In this embodiment, each of the inserts 10' and 10" is provided with 20 a hood for housing at least a portion of the body of resiliently compressible material 18 of each insert. To allow the hood 22 to be slidable along the coupling means 30, each hood 22 is provided with an opening 32 through which the coupling means 30 is slidably receivable. 25 Each hood 22 may be slid along the coupling means 30 from a first configuration in which a portion of the body of the resiliently compressible material 18 is housed within the hood 22 for storage as illustrated in Figure 3, and a second 30 configuration in which the body of the resiliently compressible material 18 is outside the hood 22 and able to inserted in a shoe 12 as illustrated in Figure 4. In either of the configurations illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the coupling means 30 is able to serve as a means for hanging the 35 tethered pair of inserts 10' and 10". Kirstie/keep/speci/An Insert for a Shoe 03/11/03 -7 As described above, each of the inserts 10' and 10" are inserted into each of the shoes 12' and 12" by application of a compressive force, typically by hand to the body 18 of each 5 insert 10' and 10". The body 18 of each insert 10' and 10" is compressed sufficiently to allow insertion of the body 18 of each insert 10 through the opening 14 of each shoe 12. As before, once inside the cavity 16 of the shoe 12, the compressed body 18 is released and expands so as to block the 10 opening 14 of the shoe 12 One of the advantages of using a pair of tethered inserts 10' and 10" is that, when the inserts are in position inside a pair of shoes 12' and 12", the shoes are also effectively 15 tethered together. This helps the wearer of the shoes to be able to quickly and easier identify and select a matching pair for wearing. The means for coupling 22 can be used to apply a pulling 20 force to extract the expanded body 18 from the shoe when the time comes to remove the insert 10 from a shoe 12. To further discourage the ingress of insects into the cavity 16 of a shoe 12, the body of the resiliently compressible 25 material 18 may be treated with an insect repelling agent such as citronella. Alternatively or additionally, another chemical may be used to combat another common problem faced by persons who wear shoes, namely foot odour. The chemical used as an insect repelling agent and/or an odour reducing 30 agent may be impregnated into the foam or other resiliently compressible material used to form the body 18. Now that the preferred embodiments and illustrative examples of the present invention have been described in detail, the 35 present invention has a number of advantages over the prior Kirstie/keep/speci/An Insert for a Shoe 03/11/03 -8 art, including the following: a) the insert is very simple to use and yet extremely effective in blocking the ingress of insects into footwear; b) the coupling means allows not only for a pair of 5 inserts to be tethered together for convenience in being able to locate two inserts when needed, but also help to keep pairs of shoes together; c) the coupling means doubles as a means for hanging either the inserts or a pair of shoes for storage; and, 10 d) various chemical agents may be added to the resiliently compressible material to alleviate at least in part the problem of foot odour at the same time as reducing the chances of a person being stung or bitten by an insect hiding in their shoes. 15 Numerous variations and modifications will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the relevant art, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts. All such variations and modifications are to be 20 considered within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description and the appended claims. Kirstie/keep/speci/An Insert for a Shoe 03/11/03

Claims (18)

1. An insert for a shoe, the shoe comprising an opening s for insertion of a foot and a cavity to accommodate the foot when the shoe is worn by a person, the insert comprising: a body of resiliently compressible material, the body being compressible for insertion through the opening of io the shoe into the cavity of the shoe and expandable so as to block the opening of the shoe whereby ingress of insects through the opening of the shoe is prevented.

2. An insert for a shoe according to claim 1 wherein the 15 body of resiliently compressible material is compressible by application of a compressive force.

3. An insert for a shoe according to claim 2 wherein the compressive force is applied by a hand of a person. 20

4. An insert for a shoe according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising a means for hanging the insert connected to and extending from the body of resiliently compressible material. 25

5. An insert for a shoe according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising a hood for housing a portion of the body of resiliently compressible material when the insert is not in use in a shoe. 30

6. An insert for a shoe according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the body of the resiliently compressible material is treated with a chemical. 35

7. An insert for a shoe according to claim 6 wherein the chemical is an insect repelling agent. 2144109_1 (GHMatters) 14/12/09 - 10

8. An insert for a shoe according to claims 6 or 7 wherein the chemical is an odour-reducing agent.

9. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes, each shoe 5 comprising an opening for insertion of a foot and a cavity to accommodate the foot when the shoe is worn by a person, wherein each insert is in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

10 10. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes according to claim 9 wherein the pair of inserts are tethered together by a coupling means joining one of the inserts to the other insert. 15

11. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes according to claim 10 wherein the coupling means is a length of string, wire or plastic cord.

12. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes according to 20 claim 10 wherein the coupling means is flexible.

13. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes according to any one of claims 9 to 12 further comprising a hood for housing a portion of the body of resiliently compressible 25 material of one or both of the inserts.

14. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes according to claim 13 wherein a or the hoods comprise(s) an opening through which a coupling means for tethering one of the 30 inserts to the other of the inserts is slidably receivable.

15. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes according to claims 13 or 14 wherein each hood is slidable from a first 35 configuration in which a portion of the body of the resiliently compressible material is received within the hood for storage and a second configuration in which the 21441091 (GHMatters) 14/12/09 - 11 body of the resiliently compressible material is free of the hood to facilitate compression of the body of the resiliently compressible material for insertion in the shoe. 5

16. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes according to any one of claims 10 to 15 wherein the coupling means is a means for hanging the pair of inserts. 10

17. An insert for a shoe substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

18. A pair of inserts for a pair of shoes substantially 15 as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 21441091 (GHMatters) 14/12/09