GB2262215A

GB2262215A - Shoe attachments

Info

Publication number: GB2262215A
Application number: GB9126592A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony John Homden
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-12-14
Filing date: 1991-12-14
Publication date: 1993-06-16
Also published as: GB9126592D0

Abstract

A shoe attachment 4 for a studded shoe comprises a cover 6, 8 for covering and protecting at least a portion of the front of the shoe, and stud attachment means for releasably engaging with a stud 2 of the shoe so as to releasably attach the cover 6, 8 to the shoe. Reattachment means may comprise holes through which the studs project, the edges of the holes being clamped between the sole of the shoe and the stud. The top of the cover may have holes 1, 2 for engagement by the lace and the lower part of the cover may be engaged between the stud and the sole. <IMAGE>

Description

SHOE ATTACHMENTS This invention relates to shoe attachments.

In this specification, the word shoe includes any kind of footwear including, for example boots and training shoes.

A stud of a studded sports shoe, such as a rugby, football or hockey boot, conventionally comprises a ground engaging part and a sole engaging part for engaging with the sole of a shoe. The sole engaging part is usually formed as a threaded metal member adapted to be screwed into a threaded socket formed in the sole of the shoe. Each stud of the shoe is therefore removable, and can be replaced separately when it has become worn.

The ground engaging part covers the lower end of the threaded metal member and is usually formed of plastics material, rather than metal, so as to reduce the chances of injury to players.

Studded sports shoes have a tendency to wear out at their fronts, i.e. in the region of the toes of the wearer. Once a shoe has worn out in this way there is usually no way in which the shoe can be repaired at a reasonable cost, and the shoe must therefore be replaced, even though the rest of the shoe is normally in good condition. If the shoe is used regularly, it is not uncommon for the shoe to wear out in this way after only about one year's use.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device for preventing shoes from wearing out in this way.

According to the invention there is provided a shoe attachment for a studded shoe, comprising a cover for covering and protecting at least a portion of the front of the shoe, and stud attachment means for releasably engaging with a stud of the shoe so as to releasably attach the cover to the shoe.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shoe attachment is adapted for use with a laced shoe, and further comprises lace attachment means for attaching the cover to a lace of the shoe.

Conveniently, the lace attachment means comprises one or more eyelets formed in the cover for receiving a lace of the shoe in order to attach the cover to the lace.

Similarly, the -stud attachment means may comprise a hole formed in the cover for receiving at least a part of the stud in order to attach the cover to the shoe.

Preferably, the shoe attachment is adapted for use with a shoe having a removable stud, and the cover is adapted to be attached to the sole of the shoe by trapping the cover between the stud and the sole of the shoe.

In this case, if the stud attachment means comprises said hole, the stud attachment means may .further comprise one or more washers or the like for placing around said part of the stud so as to overlap, when the stud is attached to the sole, with the part of the cover surrounding the hole, on one or both of the sides of the cover.

At least one of the washers may be formed with a roughened or uneven surface for gripping the cover when the cover is trapped between the stud and the sole.

Preferably, the cover comprises an upper part, typically made of leather, and a lower part for covering a portion of the sole of the shoe, typically made of rubber or plastics material.

The shoe attachment may be provided with at least one elastically deformable part for enabling the shoe attachment to be attached to a range of different sizes of shoes.

One embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view from the top of a studded sports shoe fitted with a shoe attachment according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the sports shoe of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an underneath plan view of the sports shoe of Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 4 is a side view of one of the studs of the sports shoe A studded sports shoe 1 having six studs 2 is fitted with a shoe attachment 4 which covers the front of the shoe. The shoe attachment 4 comprises an upper part 6 made of leather, and a lower part 8 made of rubber or plastics material which covers a portion of the sole 10 at the front of the shoe.

The upper part 6 of the shoe attachment 4 has a tongue formed with four eyelets 12 through which the lace 14 of the shoe is passed in order to attach the upper part 6 to the top 16 of the shoe.

The lower part 8 of the shoe attachment 4 is formed with two holes (not shown) for receiving the two frontmost studs 18 of the shoe in order to attach the lower part 8 to the sole 10 of the shoe. As shown in Figure 4, each stud 2 comprises a threaded metal member 20 for screwing into a threaded socket (not shown) formed in the sole 10 in order to attach the stud 2 to the sole 10, and a plastics ground engaging part 22 surrounding the lower end of the threaded metal member 20. The threaded metal members 20 of the two frontmost studs 18 are inserted through the two holes (not shown) in the lower part 8 of the shoe attachment 4 and then inserted into their respective sockets (not shown) so that the portions of lower part 8 surrounding the two holes are trapped between the plastics parts 22 of the studs 18 and the sole 10 of the shoe when the studs 18 are tightened.It will be appreciated that the lower part 8 could be adapted to engage with any number of studs 2.

Each of the two studs 18 may be provided with two metal washers for placing around the metal member 20 so that, once the stud 18 is tightened the lower part 8 is gripped between the two washers. The washers may be toothed to enable them to grip the lower part 8 more effectively. Alternatively, one or more washers or the like could be attached directly to the lower part 8 around the holes, so as to prevent tearing of the lower part 8 in the region of the holes.

The upper and lower parts 6 and 8 may be provided with elasticated strips 24 for enabling the shoe attachment 4 to be fitted to a range of different sizes of shoes.

In a non-illustrated variant of the invention, the lower part 8 is formed with two holes which are large enough to fit respectively over the ground .engaging parts 22 of the two studs 18. Such a modification would enable the shoe attachment 4 to be attached to and removed from the studded sports shoe without the need to remove the studs 18, and would also allow the shoe attachment to be used with shoes having non-removable studs. In order to ensure that such a shoe attachment is held firmly against the sole 10 of the shoe, the upper and/or lower parts 6 and 8 could be provided with further elasticated parts.

In a further non-illustrated variant of the invention, the holes formed in the lower part 8 are replaced by slits extending from the rear edge 26 of the lower part 8. This allows the lower part 8 to be released from and attached to the sole 10 simply by respectively loosening and tightening the studs 18, without the need to completely remove the studs 18.

Claims

1. A shoe attachment for a studded shoe, comprising a cover for covering and protecting at least a portion of the front of the shoe, and stud attachment means for releasably engaging with a stud of the shoe so as to releasably attach the cover to the shoe.

2. A shoe attachment as claimed in Claim 1, which is adapted for use with a laced shoe, and which further comprises lace attachment means for attaching the cover to a lace of the shoe.

3. A shoe attachment as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the lace attachment means comprises one or more eyelets formed in the cover for receiving a lace of the shoe in order to attach the cover to the lace.

4. A shoe attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stud attachment means comprises a hole formed in the cover for receiving at least a part of the stud in order to attach the cover to the shoe.

5. A shoe attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, which is adapted for use with a shoe having a removable stud, and wherein the cover is adapted to be attached to the sole of the shoe by trapping the cover between the stud and the sole of the shoe.

6. A shoe attachment as claimed in Claim 5 when dependent on Claim 4, wherein the stud attachment means further comprises one or more washers or the like for placing around said part of the stud so as to overlap, when the stud is attached to the sole, with the part of the cover surrounding the hole, on one or both of the sides of the cover.

7. A shoe attachment as claimed in Claim 6, wherein at least one of the washers is formed with a roughened or uneven surface for gripping the cover when the cover is trapped between the stud and the sole.

8. A shoe attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cover comprises an upper part, and a lower part for covering a portion of the sole of the shoe.

9. A shoe attachment as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the upper part is made of leather.

10. A shoe attachment as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, wherein the lower part is made of rubber or plastics material.

11. A shoe attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, which further comprises at least one elastically deformable part for enabling the shoe attachment to be attached to a range of different sizes of shoes.

12. A shoe attachment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.