US20110247151A1

US20110247151A1 - Shoe Tree with a Split Toe

Info

Publication number: US20110247151A1
Application number: US12/755,956
Authority: US
Inventors: Hedy Bentel; Catherine Bentel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-04-07
Filing date: 2010-04-07
Publication date: 2011-10-13

Abstract

A shoe tree with a split toe includes a shoe-front support, a split toe portion, and a handle. The shoe-front support is shaped to fit inside a front portion of a shoe so as to facilitate maintaining the shape of the shoe. The split toe portion has a groove with a groove bottom portion provided at about the tip portion of the shoe-front support, the split toe portion being configured to accept a strap of the shoe such that the strap is positioned within the groove. The handle extends from the rear portion of the shoe-front support. The split toe portion is of a shape of wedge, and the groove bottom portion divides the tip portion of the shoe-front support vertically into first and second sides and connected the the first and second sides horizontally around an innermost portion of the groove.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shoe tree with a split toe. More particularly, this invention relates to a shoe tree with a split toe, which is configured to support from inside and maintain the shape of shoes.
Prior arts provided many different types of shoe tree, but had a lot of problems limiting the usage of them.
Accordingly, a need for a shoe tree with a split toe has been present for a long time considering the expansive demands in the everyday life. This invention is directed to solve these problems and satisfy the long-felt need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention contrives to solve the disadvantages of the prior art.
An object of the invention is to provide a shoe tree with a split toe.
Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe tree with a split toe, which can be used with shoes.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a shoe tree with a split toe, which helps to support from inside and maintain the shape of the shoes.
An aspect of the invention provides a shoe tree with a split toe.
A shoe tree with a split toe comprises a shoe-front support, a split toe portion, and a handle.
The shoe-front support has a tip portion, a side portion, and a rear portion, and the shoe-front support is shaped to fit inside a front portion of a shoe so as to facilitate maintaining the shape of the shoe.
The split toe portion has a groove with a groove bottom portion provided at about the tip portion of the shoe-front support, the split toe portion being configured to accept a strap of the shoe such that the strap is positioned within the groove.
The handle extends from the rear portion of the shoe-front support. The shoe tree further comprise a shoe horn disposed in the handle.
The split toe portion may be of a shape of wedge, and the groove bottom portion may divide the tip portion of the shoe-front support vertically into first and second sides and connected the the first and second sides horizontally around an innermost portion of the groove.
The rear portion of the shoe-front support may comprise at least one or more substantially flat surfaces, and the handle may extend from one of the flat surfaces.
The split toe portion may comprise an outer portion and an inner portion, and each of the inner and outer portions may comprise a vertically open gap, and the inner portion of the split toe portion may be larger than the outer portion of the split toe portion.
The inner and outer portions of the split toe portion may be configured to hold the strap of the shoe in the inner portion of the split toe portion.
The outer portion of the split toe portion may comprise one or more elastic surface for facilitating the strap of the shoe's entering into the inner portion of the split toe portion.
The shoe tree may further comprise a soft padding portion disposed around at least part of the shoe-front support, the soft padding portion being configured to protect the inside of the shoe, and the soft padding portion may comprise fabric and soft flocked foam, and wherein the soft padding portion is impregnated with deodorizer.
The shoe tree may further comprise a shoe horn disposed in the handle.
The shoe horn may comprise a concave top surface and a convex bottom surface. The shoe horn may further comprise a thin edge portion at the end portion of the handle.
The shoe-front support and the split toe portion may be configured to fit a right or left shoe.
The shoe may comprise thongs and regular shoes.
The tip portion of the groove may open to the front side of the shoe with an angle of about 30 degrees or more from a general line connecting a front and a rear of the shoe.
The groove may comprise an inner portion aligned with the general front-rear line such that the tip portion of the groove meets the inner portion with an angle of about 150 degrees or less.
Another aspect of the invention provides a shoe tree comprising a shoe support, a front portion having a groove, a handle, and a shoe horn.
The shoe support has a front portion, a side portion, and a rear portion, and the shoe support is shaped to fit inside a shoe so as to help maintaining the shape of the shoe.
The front portion has a groove having a first side, a second side, and a groove bottom connecting the first side and the second side such that a strap of the shoe may be positioned within the groove.
The handle extends from the rear portion of the shoe support, and further comprises a shoe horn at an end portion of the handle.
The shoe may be a footwear having the strap designed to fit between toes.
The strap may be designed to fit between a first toe and a second toe, and the footwear may be a sandal.
The shoe horn may comprise a concave top surface and a convex bottom surface. The shoe horn may further comprise a thin edge portion at the end portion of the handle.
The groove may be at about a middle of the front portion so that the shoe tree may be inserted into either a right or a left shoe interchangably.
The handle may comprise an elastic portion in a middle portion such that the handle is flexible under a sidewise pressure.
The advantages of the present invention are: (1) the shoe tree with a split toe can maintain the shape of the shoes in a long-term storing; and (2) the shoe tree with a split toe can accommodate shoes of different styles.
Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view showing a shoe tree with a split toe installed in a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective top view showing the shoe tree of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shoe tree according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shoe tree of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the shoe tree of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of a shoe tree according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of two shoe trees for right and left shoes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a shoe tree according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a shoe tree according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective plan view of a partial portion of handle with a shoe horn according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe horn along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-9 show a shoe tree with a split toe 100 according to embodiments of the present invention.
An aspect of the invention provides a shoe tree 100 with a split toe.
FIG. 1 shows a shoe tree 100 inserted in a shoe 90.
The shoe tree 100 comprises a shoe-front support 10, a split toe portion 20, a handle 30, and a shoe horn 40.
The shoe-front support 10 has a tip portion 12, a side portion 14, and a rear portion 16, and the shoe-front support 10 is shaped to fit inside a front portion of a shoe 90 so as to facilitate maintaining the shape of the shoe 90 as shown in FIG. 3. In certain embodiments, the shoe-front support 10 has a shape of wedge in general to fit into the shoe shoe-front support 10 has 90.
The split toe portion 20 has a groove 22 with a groove bottom portion 24 provided at about the tip portion 12 of the shoe-front support 10, the split toe portion 20 being configured to accept a strap 92 of the shoe 90 such that the strap 92 is positioned within the groove 22 as shown in FIG. 2.
The handle 30 extends from the rear portion 16 of the shoe-front support 10 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7.
The split toe portion 20 may be of a shape of wedge when viewed from the side, and the groove bottom portion 24 may divide the tip portion 12 of the shoe-front support 10 vertically into first and second sides and connected the the first and second sides horizontally around an innermost portion of the groove 22 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The rear portion 16 of the shoe-front support 10 may comprise at least one or more substantially flat surfaces, and the handle 30 may extend from one of the flat surfaces. In certain embodiments, the rear portion 16 of the shoe-front support 10 may comprise a curved portion instead of the flat surfaces.
The split toe portion 20 may comprise an outer portion 26 and an inner portion 28, and each of the outer and inner portions 26, 28 may comprise a vertically open gap, and the inner portion 28 of the split toe portion 20 may be larger than the outer portion 26 of the split toe portion 20 such that the strap 92 of the shoe 90 may be held easily as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.
The inner and outer portions 28, 26 of the split toe portion 20 may be configured to hold the strap 92 of the shoe 90 in the inner portion 28 of the split toe portion 20 as shown in FIG. 6.
The outer portion 26 of the split toe portion 20 may comprise one or more elastic surface for facilitating the strap 92 of the shoe's entering into the inner portion 28 of the split toe portion 20.
In another embodiments of the invention, the shoe tree 100 may further comprise a soft padding portion 18 disposed around at least part of the shoe-front support 10, the soft padding portion 18 being configured to protect the inside of the shoe 90, and the soft padding portion 18 may comprise fabric and soft flocked foam, and the soft padding portion 18 may be impregnated with deodorizer. In certain embodiments, the soft padding portion 18 may cover the entire surface of the shoe-front support 10.
The shoe horn 40 is disposed in the handle 30 as shown in FIG. 3.
The shoe horn 40 may comprise a concave top surface 42 and a convex bottom surface 44. The shoe horn 40 may further comprise a thin edge portion 46 at the end portion of the handle 30.
The shoe-front support 10 and the split toe portion 20 may be configured to fit a right or left shoe 90 as shown in FIG. 7.
The shoe 90 may comprise thongs and regular shoes.
The tip portion 26 of the groove 22 may open to the front side of the shoe 90 with an angle of about 30 degrees or more from a general line connecting a front and a rear of the shoe 90 as shown in FIG. 8.
The groove 22 may comprise an inner portion 28 aligned with the general front-rear line such that the tip portion 26 of the groove 22 meets the inner portion 28 with an angle of about 150 degrees or less as shown in FIG. 9.
Another aspect of the invention provides a shoe tree 100 comprising a shoe support 10, a front portion 12 having a groove 22, a handle 30, a shoe horn 40.
The shoe support 10 has a front portion 12, a side portion 14, and a rear portion 16, and the shoe support 10 is shaped to fit inside a shoe 90 so as to help maintaining the shape of the shoe 90.
The front portion 12 has a groove 22 having a first side 23, a second side 25, and a groove bottom 24 connecting the first side 23 and the second side 25 such that a strap 92 of the shoe 90 may be positioned within the groove 22 as shown in FIG. 4.
The handle 30 extends from the rear portion 16 of the shoe support 10.
The shoe 90 may be a footwear having the strap 92 designed to fit between toes.
The strap 92 may be designed to fit between a first toe and a second toe, and the footwear may be a sandal.
The shoe horn 40 is disposed at an end of the handle 30 as shown in FIG. 3.
The shoe horn 40 may comprise a concave top surface 42 and a convex bottom surface 44. The shoe horn 40 may further comprise a thin edge portion 46 at the end portion of the handle 30.
The groove 22 may be at about a middle of the front portion 12 so that the shoe tree 100 may be inserted into either a right or a left shoe 90 interchangably.
The handle 30 may comprise an elastic portion 34 in a middle portion such that the 25 handle is flexible under a sidewise pressure as shown in FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 shows a perspective plan view of a partial portion of handle with a shoe horn according to an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the shoe horn along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to different embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations in form, detail, compositions and operation may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A shoe tree with a split toe comprising:

a shoe-front support having a tip portion, a side portion, and a rear portion, wherein the shoe-front support is shaped to fit inside a front portion of a shoe so as to facilitate maintaining the shape of the shoe;

a split toe portion having a groove with a groove bottom portion provided at about the tip portion of the shoe-front support, the split toe portion being configured to accept a strap of the shoe such that the strap is positioned within the groove;

a handle extending from the rear portion of the shoe-front support; and

a shoe horn provided at an end portion the handle.

2. The shoe tree of claim 1, wherein the split toe portion is of a shape of wedge, and wherein the groove bottom portion divides the tip portion of the shoe-front support vertically into first and second sides and connected the the first and second sides horizontally around an innermost portion of the groove.

3. The shoe tree of claim 1, wherein the rear portion of the shoe-front support comprises at least one or more substantially flat surfaces, and wherein the handle extends from one of the flat surfaces.

4. The shoe tree of claim 1, wherein the split toe portion comprises an outer portion and an inner portion, and wherein each of the inner and outer portions comprises a vertically open gap, and wherein the inner portion of the split toe portion is larger than the outer portion of the split toe portion.

5. The shoe tree of claim 4, wherein the inner and outer portions of the split toe portion are configured to hold the strap of the shoe in the inner portion of the split toe portion.

6. The shoe tree of claim 4, wherein the outer portion of the split toe portion comprises one or more elastic surface for facilitating the strap of the shoe's entering into the inner portion of the split toe portion.

7. The shoe tree of claim 1, further comprising a soft padding portion disposed around at least part of the shoe-front support, the soft padding portion being configured to protect the inside of the shoe, wherein the soft padding portion comprises fabric and soft flocked foam, and wherein the soft padding portion is impregnated with deodorizer.

8. The shoe tree of claim 1, wherein the shoe horn comprises a concave top surface and a convex bottom surface.

9. The shoe tree of claim 8, wherein the handle further comprises a thin edge portion at the end portion of the handle.

10. The shoe tree of claim 1, wherein the shoe-front support and the split toe portion are configured to fit a right or left shoe.

11. The shoe tree of claim 1, wherein the shoe comprises thongs and regular shoes.

12. The shoe tree of claim 1, wherein the tip portion of the groove opens to the front side of the shoe with an angle of about 30 degrees or more from a general line connecting a front and a rear of the shoe.

13. The shoe tree of claim 12, wherein the groove comprises an inner portion aligned with the general front-rear line such that the tip portion of the groove meets the inner portion with an angle of about 150 degrees or less.

14. A shoe tree comprising:

a shoe support having a front portion, a side portion, and a rear portion, wherein the shoe support is shaped to fit inside a shoe so as to help maintaining the shape of the shoe;

the front portion having a groove having a first side, a second side, and a groove bottom connecting the first side and the second side such that a strap of the shoe may be positioned within the groove;

a handle extending from the rear portion of the shoe support; and

a shoe horn provided at an end portion the handle.

15. The shoe tree of claim 14, wherein the shoe is a footwear having the strap designed to fit between toes.

16. The shoe tree of claim 15, wherein the strap is designed to fit between a first toe and a second toe, and wherein the footwear is a sandal.

17. The shoe tree of claim 14, wherein the shoe horn comprises a concave top surface, a convex bottom surface.

18. The shoe tree of claim 17, wherein the shoe horn further comprises a thin edge portion at the end portion of the handle.

19. The shoe tree of claim 14, wherein the groove is at about a middle of the front portion so that the shoe tree may be inserted into either a right or a left shoe interchangably.

20. The shoe tree of claim 14, wherein the handle comprises an elastic portion in a middle portion such that the handle is flexible under a sidewise pressure.