EP3534742B1

EP3534742B1 - Protective overshoe and a method of using the protective overshoe

Info

Publication number: EP3534742B1
Application number: EP17784252.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: John Robert ANDERSEN
Original assignee: Safety2shoes Aps
Current assignee: Safety2shoes Aps
Priority date: 2016-10-13
Filing date: 2017-10-05
Publication date: 2021-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2037-10-05
Also published as: EP3534742A1; WO2018069142A1

Description

The present invention relates to a method of using a protective overshoe, and to an improved protective overshoe used with the method.

Background of the invention

Overshoes are commonly used by a variety of professionals and are disposed over a primary footwear, see by way of example US patents no. 6 023 856 , 4 103 439 and 4 779 360 . Today, a wide range of overshoe models are available on the market, addressing a wide range of industries, such as hospitals, bathing, craftsmen, sportsmen and more. The appropriate features of such overshoes depend on the area of application and may therefore vary considerably.
It is a problem with the prior art overshoes that they are not fully suitable for certain applications, such as in the house building industry where a construction worker wearing the overshoe may enter a building from a wet and dirty environment and walk across sensitive, easily damaged building flooring and up/down ladders, to work in different body positions, such as standing up or kneeling down. Overshoes for such a purpose should be easy to put on a pair of shoes/the person's primary footwear while the shoes are being worn by the person, without requiring the person to spend much time, as any inconveniences may cause the worker to refrain from wearing the overshoes, despite being required to. At the same time wearing the overshoes should also be safe in preventing the wearer from slipping when walking across one surface or another surface.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides an improved protective overshoe, particularly suitable for walking on different surfaces requiring different frictional properties of the overshoe to prevent slipping, which overshoe is easy to apply onto a person's primary footwear.
This is achieved in that the overshoe is insertable for bringing the overshoe from a first configuration into a second configuration.
As will be understood, the terms "inversion", "insertable", "inverted" and "inverting" as used herein refer to a procedure or configuration wherein the overshoe is turned inside out such that all inner faces, i.e. those faces oriented in a first configuration towards the inside of the overshoe become oriented towards the outside, the overall shape of the overshoe remaining essentially the same.
Irrespectively of the configuration the inventive overshoe provides at the same time internal friction between the inside of the overshoe and the worker's own shoe, and external friction between the overshoe and building flooring. Such internal friction prevents the primary footwear/shoe from slipping inside the overshoe, thereby reducing the risk of accidents, such as where the user is moving up/down a ladder.
In addition, flooring protection is achieved by reducing the risk that grains of sand or other hard particles carried on the sole of the worker's shoes leave marks/cuts on the building flooring through the overshoe. Such marks may give rise to repair costs on the side of the builder which should be avoided. At the same time, seepage of water through the base, also referred to herein as the sole, of the overshoe is prevented whereby the building flooring may remain dry.
In particular, with the invention external friction between the overshoe and the building flooring as well as protection of the building flooring may in one or both configurations of the overshoe be available not only when the worker is in a standing position but also where he is kneeling in a position with the upper side of his toes against the flooring, i.e. with his toes pointing backwards.
The invention relates to a flooring protecting overshoe as specified in appended independent claim 1 and to a method of adapting a flooring protecting overshoe as specified in appended independent claim 8. Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.
The elastic flexible base preferably has such an elasticity, through selection of the elastomeric substance, in a direction between the opposite lateral parts that it is stiffer than the elastic mid-foot part, preferably with Young's modulus of the base being at least 50%, such as 150% higher, such as at least 200% higher, or even at least 850% higher, in the direction between the opposite side parts. Preferably, Young's modulus is increased by between 50% and 100%.
Often, the transition between the mid-foot part and the lateral parts and the heel of the overshoe will not be distinguishable by any clear boundary lines.
Through the above invention an overshoe with an overall flexibility may be provided wherein preferably all portions of the overshoe are so flexible they may be manually folded in any direction, allowing for the overshoe to be turned inside out into an inverted configuration, and to be applied onto the user's primary footwear in this second, inverted configuration, without affecting the integrity of the overshoe as it is being inverted. Choosing one or the other configuration may depend on the properties of the surface on which the worker is walking; for a wet surface the worker may prefer to wear the overshoe in a configuration where the outer face of the base is presented in the form of an irregular surface, such as a base including dimples or a pattern of ridges formed by the cured elastomeric substance. "Purpose adapting" the overshoe as referred to herein means selecting the configuration in which the overshoe is to be worn, depending on what the user may perceive as the best configuration where frictional properties defined by one face of the overshoe base may be better for one purpose than the frictional properties of the other face of the overshoe base.
It follows that for easy insertion of a shoe into the overshoe a mid-foot part of the overshoe of the invention is manually elastically stretchable with a relatively low resistance and the overshoe is maintained on the wearer's shoe through the resiliency of this stretchable mid-foot part, without the need for laces or other attachments. Other portions of the overshoe are also stretchable, though requiring a larger force for a given deformation due to a coating on one side forming an integral part of those other portions, in particular at the base or sole of the overshoe. This allows for the overshoe to be applied to different shoe sizes within a given range, permitting the overshoe itself to be made in few sizes.
Internal and external friction is provided by the cured elastomeric substance. The flexibility of the base referred to is preferably such as to allow the overshoe to be doubled upon itself, or at least to allow for inversion where the base is pulled through the aforementioned opening such that the inner face thereof becomes oriented towards the outside of the overshoe.
By way of example, for the finished overshoe the toe-part may have an extension along a longitudinal axis of the overshoe extending from the front tip of the overshoe to the heel in the order of 10% of the total length of the overshoe, while the mid-foot part will have an extension along the same axis in the order of 25% of the total length of the overshoe, with the opening representing the remaining about 65% of the total length along the same longitudinal axis. Preferably, for the finished overshoe the surface area of the uncoated stretchable mid-foot part defined by the stretchable fabric may represent about 25%, preferably around 20%-30%, of the surface area of the top of the overshoe.
Further objects, features, advantages and properties of the protective sock and the method of manufacture of the same according to the invention will become apparent from the detailed description.

Brief description of the drawings

In the following detailed portion of the present description, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

Figs. 1a and 1b are perspective views of an overshoe according to one embodiment of the invention, in a first configuration and inverted to assume a second configuration, respectively,
Fig. 2 is a top view of an overshoe according to another embodiment of the invention, in a first configuration,
Fig. 3a is a perspective view of an embodiment of a sock for making the overshoe of fig. 1a,
Fig. 3b is an embodiment of a last useful in making the overshoe of fig. 1a in a dipping process,
Fig. 3c shows a portion of a base of an embodiment of the overshoe of the invention, and
Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the overshoe of fig. 2 in the first configuration.

Detailed description of the invention

In the following detailed description a protective overshoe 10 according to the invention will be described with reference to presently preferred embodiments. A method of using the overshoe 10 will also be discussed.
Two embodiments of the overshoe 10 of the invention are shown in a first configuration in figs. 1a and 2 respectively. In fig. 1b the overshoe of fig. 1a is shown in an inverted/inside-out, second configuration.
The overshoe 10 of the invention is intended to receive a shoe, herein also referred to as primary footwear, worn by a person, such as a shoe worn by a builder working where direct contact between the sole of his primary footwear and a building flooring is to be avoided.
In use, a person will initially select whether to wear the overshoe in the first configuration or in the second configuration, depending on the building surface on which he walks. Often the user will not subsequently bring the overshoe into the other configuration.
A pair of overshoes 10 used according to the disclosed method may be worn at least several times before the overshoe 10 is worn out. The overshoe 10 can be considered disposable due to the relatively low costs required for making the overshoe.
The overshoe 10 can be used with many types of worker's shoes/boots. The precise extent to which the overshoe 10 covers the shoe may depend on various factors, for example the size and type of shoe and the particular design of the overshoe 10. The materials used for making the overshoe, such as of the sock referred to below, may be black, transparent or opaque or may have a variety of colours. Preferably, the overshoe 10 is made in various sizes, for example adult sizes for both men and women and extra-large, and sizes for children.
Referring first to figs. 3a and 3b, various methods of manufacturing the overshoe will be described in the following. Details of the overshoe 10 will be discussed later below.
Manufacturing of the overshoe 10 generally is based on a first step of providing a sock-like body 11, in the following simply referred to as a "sock" due to the similarity of the body with a conventional sock, of suitable material. Fig. 3a shows the sock 11 with a shape as it appears when fitted onto an object (not shown) having the general shape of a foot; often the unfitted sock 11 will be a somewhat flat body, as a conventional sock for wearing directly on a person's foot.
The sock 11 of fig. 3a will be discussed in the following, before explaining the next steps of the manufacturing method.
The sock 11 is formed from a fabric which, as for conventional socks for wearing on a foot, defines a sole or base 13, a heel 16, an upper or top 18, and two opposite lateral parts 15 of the sock 11. The term "fabric" as used herein may refer to a material with variations in structure; in other words, the fabric may include areas having different properties - by way of example, the structure of the fabric forming the area defining the heel 16 may be different from that of the lateral parts 15; however, preferably there will be no such variations in the structure.
As shown in fig. 3a the top 18 includes a toe-part 17 and a mid-foot part 14, where the toe-part 17 is the part of the top 18 more or less overlying the toe of a person wearing the shoe having the finished overshoe 10; the two opposite lateral parts 15 extend from the heel 16 along the mid-foot part 14 on either side thereof. Often, the aforementioned mid-foot part 14, lateral parts 15, heel 16 and toe part 17 will not be distinguishable from each other by any specific clear demarcation.
An opening 19 which gives access to the inside of the sock 11 is delimited by the heel 16, the mid-foot part 14 and a portion of the lateral parts 15. The opening 19 preferably is elongated with an oval shape, viewed from above, and preferably has a maximum length L2 from heel to mid-foot part 14 of at least 50%, preferably of between 50% and 65%, of the length L1 from the heel 16 to the tip of the sock 11. As such, the length and shape of the opening 19 normally differs from the opening provided in conventional socks for wearing directly on a foot, so as to allow for a shoe or boot to be inserted into the finished overshoe 10 by widening the opening 19, as discussed below.
The aforementioned fabric is flexible and elastically stretchable such that the mid-foot part 14 may be stretched by manually applying oppositely directed forces F to the finished overshoe 10, as shown for the embodiment in fig. 2, to allow a shoe, preferably being worn by a user, to be introduced through the opening 19 after some widening thereof, resulting from the aforementioned stretching. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the overshoe 10 shown in fig. 2 showing how the base 13 of the sock 11 has been fully covered on the entire first side thereof by the elastomeric coating, to define the shown outer face of the overshoe 10 and preventing seepage of water through the base 13' of the overshoe 10. When inverting the overshoe 10 the shown outer side of the base 13' will face the inside of the overshoe 10.
For easy manufacturing of the overshoe 10 of the present invention the sock fabric preferably has a mesh-structure. The mesh-structure is such that stretching the fabric, in at least one direction, opens up the mesh-structure, by widening the mesh-openings. Depending of the intended use of the overshoe 10, the fabric may be water repellent.
In one embodiment of the invention, the fabric is a stretchable seamless nylon knit; alternatively, nylon and/or polyester knits with or without elastane (commonly known as Spandex or Lycra) may be used. In further embodiments, the sock 11 may be knitted such that cuffs are integrated in the sock 11. Cuffs may provide increased resilience and durability in sections of the sock 11 being subjected to frequent elevated tensioning or wear. Cuffs may for example be suitable around the aperture 19 to define a rim R, around the heel portion 16 or around the toe-part 17.
In a subsequent step, in one embodiment of the method of manufacturing the flooring protecting overshoe of the present invention, a frame 25 is inserted into the sock 11, the frame 25 having a shape corresponding largely to that of the finished overshoe 10 but preferably oversized to provide for an expansion of the sock 11 by stretching at least the portion of the fabric defining the base 13, conveniently at least or only in the direction between the lateral sides 15, thereby opening up the mesh-structure of the area of the fabric defining the base 13.
Still referring to Fig. 3a, in this embodiment of the method a next step includes the partial dipping of the sock 11 mounted onto the frame 25 into a vessel (not shown) containing a liquid elastomeric coating substance. The dipping step may for example be carried out by hand or by an automated or semi-automated machine.
An example of such a frame 25 is shown in fig. 3b. The frame 25 is preferably constructed to allow natural migration of the coating substance from the outside, from the first bottom side of the base 13 towards the inside 21 of the sock 11 mounted on the frame 25. In one embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 3b, the frame 25 constitutes metal or plastic wiring or like which is shaped into a last such that it may hold the sock 11 in the desired shape (similar to the shape shown in fig. 3a) while stretching the base 13. Due to the open surface structure of such a last frame 25, the coating substance is able to migrate/penetrate from the outside surface of the stretched base 13, through the opened-up mesh-structure, and then spread uniformly on the inside surface or second side of the fabric defining the base 13.
The sock 11 partially is dipped into a liquid elastomeric substance held in the vessel such that an external coating layer 12, 17', seen in part fig. 1a and 2, of a desired thickness is formed on selected external surfaces of the sock 11, while leaving the mid-foot part 14 uncoated by avoiding any dipping thereof. Preferably, in addition to coating layer 12 fully covering the entire base 13 to provide water-tightness thereof, the toe-part 17 and also a lower part of the lateral parts 15 are also provided with such an external coating layer 12.
A suitable composition of the elastomeric substance may be chosen depending on the purpose of use of the overshoe 10. The coating substance may comprise a vulcanizable natural or synthetic elastic polymer. Nonlimiting examples of materials which may be suitable include nitrile or latex rubber, crude rubber or silicone rubber.
As the coating substance migrates through the opened-up mesh-openings of the fabric, an internal coating layer forms on the inside of the sock 11, more particularly on the inside of the stretched base 13 of the sock 11. This internal layer will upon curing form a high-friction internal surface which prevents a shoe inserted into the overshoe 10 from slipping relative to the overshoe 10.
In a further embodiment of a method of manufacturing the flooring protecting overshoe of the invention, the method may include an additional step comprising a second dipping of the sock 11. For example, it may be desirable to have a second external coating layer having different characteristics than the first external coating layer. For example the second external coating may provide a second more durable, harder or softer coating layer of the overshoe 10. If several layers of coating are applied the elasticity of the modified base 13' resulting from the elasticity of the coating layers in combination, relative to the elasticity of the base 13 of the sock 11, is of interest; hence, the appended claims are intended also to cover multiple dippings or coating applications, with different coating substances, when the end result is such that the elasticity is reduced, i.e. that the base 13' of the overshoe is stiffer than the base 13 of the sock.
In a further embodiment of a method of manufacturing the flooring protecting overshoe of the method of the invention, the method may further comprise the step of providing the external coating 12 on the first side of the base 13 with an external friction pattern. This could for example be achieved by subjecting the external coating 12 to a surface treatment such that an external friction pattern (not shown) is achieved at least on parts of the external coating 12. This step is advantageously carried out prior to or during the curing of the external coating layer 12. Alternatively, such external friction pattern may be achieved by post-curing machining or tooling.
It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art how to dimension the fabric mesh-structure having regard to the viscosity of the relevant coating substance and further to adjust the time required for the dipping step in order to achieve a suitable migration and formation of the internal layer on the base 13.
The step of curing the coating substance may include cooling. Such cooling may include a cool airstream directed to the inside and/or outside of the overshoe 10 or it may involve rapid cooling such as temperature quenching.
Normally, the overshoe 10 will then be finished, and is removed from the frame 25 before or after curing of the elastomeric substance. Heating may also be used for the curing while the overshoe is still on the mould/last by placing the overshoe and mould into an oven during the manufacturing process.
In figs. 1a, 1b and 2 showing the finished overshoe 10, portions of the sock 11 modified at least in areas thereof in the dipping process, as discussed above, are identified by the same numerals used in fig. 3a, but with an apostrophe added. The external coating layer 12 formed on the base 13 of the sock 11 defines a high-friction surface whereby a person wearing the overshoe 10 may walk safely without slipping; the coating layer 12 on the toe-part 17 prevents slipping when the user is in a kneeled-down working position with the toe-part 17 contacting a floor, with the modified base 13' facing upwards.
More specifically, the elastomeric material is selected such that the elastic properties of the base 13 of the sock 11 are modified such that the modified base 13' of the sock 11 after the dipping, due to its composite structure comprising the fabric and the cured elastomeric substance on both opposite surfaces of the base 13 and in the mesh-openings, is stiffer, i.e. will be less elastic than the elastically stretchable fabric, preferably with a Young's modulus increased by 150%-850% compared to Young's modulus of the fabric, in the direction between the lateral sides 15 of the sock 11. Since the mid-foot part 14 is not dipped, i.e. uncoated, this part will maintain the stretchable properties defined by the fabric of the sock 11.
In one embodiment, see fig. 3c, the sock 11 comprises a number of discrete holes 23 formed in the base 13 of the sock 11. The holes 23 extend through the base 13 and form a fluid connection between the inside 21 of the sock 11 and the outside, as depicted in fig.3c. Generally, the holes 23 may be created by any suitable method found in the art. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the holes 23 are formed in the sock 11 during the weaving/knitting process. During the dipping step the coating substance will migrate and penetrate the sock 11 through the holes 23, as well as through the opened-up mesh-structure (not shown in fig. 3c) of the fabric. As the coating substance reaches the inside 21 of the sock 11, the coating substance will accumulate into grip spots 20. The migration of coating substance from the outside 27 to the inside 21 will continue during the dipping step and consequently the size of the grip spots 20 will be determined partially by the time during which the sock 11 is surrounded by the coating substance 26. Some holes 23 may be located in portions of the sock 11 that are not stretched such that in those portions coating substance will only migrate into the inside of the sock 11 through the holes 23. Depending on the viscosity of the coating substance 26, the grip spots 20 may attain different shapes. A low viscosity may result in a spherical shape of the grip spots whereas a high viscosity may result in a more cylindrical shape of the grip spots since in the latter case, the grip spots are then shaped by the holes 20. The viscosity and the amount of time required for the dipping step may therefore be selected such that a preferable shape of the grip spots 20 is achieved.
According to another embodiment of a method of making the aforementioned overshoe 10 shown in figs. 1a, 1b and 2 the coating substance is not allowed to migrate into the interior the aforementioned sock 11 during the dipping, but only to migrate into the opened-up mesh structure. Here, the sock 11 is provided with an elastomeric coating substance on the interior face or second side of the base 13 of the sock 11 in a separate process step either before or after the dipping step. In this separate process coating substance may be applied, such as through screen printing or spraying, to form a continuous layer thereon or, as shown for the embodiment of fig. 2, to form discrete areas 200 providing friction, such as in the form of dimples similar to the dimples 20 shown in fig. 3c. Preferably, this separate process steps involves first turning the sock 11 inside out to apply the coating substance, and then re-inverting the sock 11, after which the aforementioned dipping is performed on the sock 11 now carrying the coating substance on the inside, to form the external coating 17', 12 which completely covers the outer side of the base 13. For the overshoe 10 shown in fig. 2 the white/light colored areas represent portions of the sock 11 without any elastomeric substance applied thereto while the black areas represent portions of the sock 11 covered by the elastomeric substance. With this embodiment the base 13' of the overshoe 11 may be more elastic compared to the embodiment where both sides of the sock 11 are covered fully by the elastomeric substance at the dipping step.
The dimensions of the sock 11 are preferably such that when the overshoe 10 assumes the fitted shape shown in fig. 1a will the rim R of the opening 19 bear either against the ankle of the person wearing the overshoe or against or below the ankle portion of the shoe inserted into the overshoe 10. In this manner the overshoe 10 may be held onto the primary footwear with a proper fit and force determined by the extent to which the mid-foot part 14 remains partially stretched and under tension.
As shown in figs. 1a, 1b and 2, the overshoe 10 comprises the aforementioned sock 11 of an elastically stretchable fabric having a mesh-structure, and has a heel 16', a top 18' and opposite lateral parts 15'. The top 18' includes a toe-part 17' and a mid-foot part 14. An opening 19 accessing the inside of the overshoe 10 is delimited by the heel 16', the mid-foot part 14 and the lateral parts 15', and is preferably elongated and preferably has a length L2' of at least about 50%, preferably of between 50% and 65%, of the length L1' of the overshoe 10, the mid-foot part 14 being defined by the sock 11. A flexible base 13' of the overshoe 11, having modified properties compared to the base 13 of the sock 11, is defined by the fabric of the sock 11 carrying on both sides a cured elastomeric material, the toe-part 17' carrying, preferably on the external side only, a layer of the aforementioned cured elastomeric material. The elastomeric material is preferably selected such that the flexible base 13' is stiffer than the base 13 of the sock, i.e. stiffer than the elastically stretchable fabric, preferably with a Young's modulus increased by 150%-850%, compared to Young's modulus of said fabric, cross-wise to the length of the overshoe 10. In this manner will the elastomeric substance serve to restrict or prevent any excessive deformation, such as by stretching, of the overshoe, while the non-coated portion, i.e. the mid-foot part 14, allows for a local widening of the overshoe 10 as the user introduces his shoe through the opening 19. After curing, the cured elastomeric material is present in opened-up portions of the fabric of the base 13', unless release of the sock 11 from the frame before curing is effective in squeezing out the elastomeric substance from the mesh-openings.
By way of example only, the toe-part 17' may have an extension L3' along the length of the overshoe 10 in the order of 10% of the total length L1' of the overshoe, while the mid-foot part 14 may have an extension L4' in the order of 25%, or at least 25%, thereof, with the extension L2' of the opening representing the remaining about 65% of the total length along the same longitudinal axis.
An overshoe 10 as shown may easily be inverted or turned inside out by a person flexing the base 13' and pushing it through the opening 19 while holding on to the rim R thereof, whereby the inner face of the overshoe 10 will become the outer face of the overshoe 10, thereby giving a person wearing the overshoe 10 on his primary footwear a different grip onto a building surface across which the person walks, depending on the pattern of the coating material on the face of the base oriented towards the building surface, and/or the nature of the coating material.
The second side coating may as mentioned define spots/dimples, having a thickness, preferably a uniform or substantially uniform thickness, in the order of 0,1mm - 0,5 mm, with the first side coating applied during a first dipping, having a thickness, preferably a uniform or substantially uniform thickness, in the order of 0,1 mm - 0,5 mm or in the order of more than 0,5 mm - 2 mm.
The term "comprising" as used in the claims does not exclude other elements or steps. The term "a" or "an" as used in the claims does not exclude a plurality. Where reference is made in the present application to internal and external surfaces this is meant to refer to surfaces facing a person's shoe and the outside, such as a building floor when worn, respectively, depending on the configuration selected by the user.

Claims

A flooring protecting overshoe (10) comprising a sock (11) of an elastically stretchable fabric having a mesh-structure, said overshoe (10) comprising:
- a heel (16'),

- an elastic flexible base (13'),

- a top (18'),

- opposite lateral parts (15'),

- said top (18') including a toe-part (17') and a mid-foot part (14), an opening (19) giving access to the inside of said overshoe (10) being delimited by said heel (16'), said mid-foot part (14) and said lateral parts (15'),

- said opening (19) preferably being elongated and preferably having a length (L2) of at least 50%, preferably of between 50% and 65%, of the length (L1) of said overshoe (10),

- said elastic flexible base (13') comprising said fabric of said sock (11) i) covered on a first side thereof by a cured elastomeric substance (12) defining in a first flooring protecting configuration of said overshoe (10) the outer face of said elastic flexible base (13') and ii) fully or partially covered on a second side thereof by a cured elastomeric substance defining at least portions of the inner face of said elastic flexible base 13' oriented towards the inside of said overshoe (10),

- said toe-part (17') comprising said fabric of said sock (11) covered on said first side thereof by a cured elastomeric substance defining the outer face of said toe-part (17'),

- said mid-foot part (14) carrying no coating of elastomeric substance, wherein said overshoe (10) is invertible, for bringing said overshoe (10) into an inverted inside out second flooring protecting configuration where said outer face of said elastic flexible base (13') is oriented towards the inside of said overshoe (10).
The overshoe of claim 1, said elastic flexible base (13') being stiffer in a direction between said opposite lateral parts (15) than said mid-foot part (14), preferably with Young's modulus of said elastic flexible base (13') being at least 50% higher, such as 150% higher, in said direction between said opposite side parts (15), preferably between 50% and 100% higher than Young's modulus of said mid-foot part (14),
The overshoe of claim 1 or 2, said mid-foot part (14) being defined solely by said fabric of said sock (11).
The overshoe of any of claims 1-3, wherein said cured elastomeric substance is present in opened-up mesh-structure portions of said fabric comprised by said elastic flexible base (13').
The overshoe of any of claims 1-4, said elastomeric substance defining said outer face of said elastic flexible base (13') being a layer having a thickness, preferably a uniform or substantially uniform thickness, of 0,1 mm - 0,5 mm or of more than 0,5 mm - 2 mm.
The overshoe of any of claims 1-5, said cured elastomeric substance oriented towards the inside of said overshoe before said inversion defining a dotted structure (200).
The overshoe of any of claims 1-6, a cured elastomeric substance defining portions of said heel (16') and said opposite lateral parts (15') adjacent said base (13').
A method of adapting a flooring protecting overshoe (10) comprising a sock (11) of an elastically stretchable fabric having a mesh-structure, said overshoe (10) comprising in a first flooring protecting configuration:
- a heel (16'),

- an elastic flexible base (13'),

- a top (18'),

- opposite lateral parts (15'),

- said top (18') including a toe-part (17') and a mid-foot part (14), an opening (19) giving access to the inside of said overshoe (10) being delimited by said heel (16'), said mid-foot part (14) and said lateral parts (15'),

- said opening (19) preferably being elongated and preferably having a length (L2) of at least 50%, preferably of between 50% and 65%, of the length (L1) of said overshoe (10),

- said elastic flexible base (13') comprising said fabric of said sock (11) i) covered on a first side thereof by a cured elastomeric substance (12) defining the outer face of said elastic flexible base (13') and ii) fully or partially covered on a second side thereof by a cured elastomeric substance defining at least portions of the inner face of said elastic flexible base 13' oriented towards the inside of said overshoe (10),

- said toe-part (17') comprising said fabric of said sock (11) covered on said first side thereof by a cured elastomeric substance defining the outer face of said toe-part (17'),

- said mid-foot part (14) carrying no coating of elastomeric substance, said method comprising a step of inverting said overshoe (10) to bring said overshoe (10) into a second flooring protecting configuration where said outer face of said elastic flexible base (13') is oriented towards the inside of said overshoe and said inner face is oriented towards the outside of said overshoe (10).
The method of claim 8, said elastic flexible base (13') being stiffer in a direction between said opposite lateral parts (15) than said mid-foot part (14), preferably with Young's modulus of said elastic flexible base (13') being at least 50% higher, such as 150% higher, in said direction between said opposite side parts (15), preferably between 50% and 100% higher than Young's modulus of said mid-foot part (14).