US20140360054A1

US20140360054A1 - Article for footwear that prevents a wearer's foot from slipping out of the footwear

Info

Publication number: US20140360054A1
Application number: US14/296,479
Authority: US
Inventors: Erin Scott LESLIE; Natalie LESLIE
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-06-05
Filing date: 2014-06-05
Publication date: 2014-12-11
Also published as: EP2914144A4; FR3006562B3; HK1212868A1; EP2914144A1; CA2894766A1; GB201310057D0; WO2014194845A1; FR3006562A3; GB2514820A; HK1193695A2; AU2014100596A4

Abstract

An article for footwear that prevents a wearer's foot from slipping out of the footwear is disclosed herein. The footwear article of the present invention also provides aesthetic changes to the footwear to allow matching of different outfit and dress occasions

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.K. Patent Application Number 1310057.3 filed on Jun. 5, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a detachable footwear article, particularly pertains to a footwear article which secures a wearer's foot to footwear that does not have adequate support over the top of the foot and provides aesthetic changes to the footwear at the same time.

BACKGROUND

Footwear comes in an enormous variety of styles, designs and shapes to achieve its original protective function and to satisfy fashion conscious consumers to coordinate variety of outfits and dress occasions. Due to exquisite shoe designs or individual feet does not always fit standard shoe size perfectly, wearers very often encounter footwear slipping off the back of their heels when walking. Also, a continuous slippage causes chafing and blister formation on the wearer's heels resulting further discomfort and irritation. Therefore, there is a need for a footwear article that affords security and comfort to the wearer, while providing a changeable aesthetic appearance to meet wearer's desire to match different outfits or dress occasions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to provide an article for footwear that prevents a wearer's foot from slipping out of the footwear due to design of the footwear or the wearer's foot being slightly too small. The footwear article of the present invention also provides aesthetic changes to the footwear to allow matching of different outfits and dress occasions.
In one aspect, the present invention is a footwear article that wraps around top of a wearer's foot and dorsal portion of footwear. In one aspect, the present article comprises an elongated member and an aesthetic member. The elongated member comprises a first end and a second end, and an inner surface proximal to the wearer's foot and an outer surface distal to the wearer's foot. The aesthetic member comprises a first end and a second end, and an inner surface configured to removably secure to said outer surface of said elongated member via an attachment means and an outer surface distal to said elongated member. The first and second ends of said elongated member are joined together via a connecting means, encircling the wearer's foot in the footwear. The elongated member further comprises a length adjusting means for length adjustment of the present footwear article to accommodate a range of circumferences of different sizes of foot in footwear.
In another aspect, the first and second ends of the elongated member removably secure to the two lateral sides of topline of footwear and wraps around the top of the wearer's foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of the footwear article in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of the footwear article in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the footwear article in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the footwear article in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the elongated member with a length adjustable means of the present invention when not being worn (FIG. 5A) and being worn with the aesthetic member attached thereon (FIG. 5B).

FIG. 6 illustrates various exemplary embodiments of the aesthetic member and attachment means of the present invention; FIG. 6A illustrates clasps as attachment means, FIG. 6C illustrates buttons as attachment means and FIG. 6B and FIG. 6D illustrates hook and loop (Velcro®) as attachment means.

FIG. 7 illustrates a sheath slide on the heel of a shoe of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates arrangement of the elongated member and the aesthetic member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made in detail to the presently preferred of the present invention, which serves to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments or examples disclosed herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and that changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described below with reference to the accompany drawings.
The present invention is an article for footwear called ShuSpenda™, which provides operative and aesthetic appearance functionalities to footwear. The present invention is a detachable article for a footwear that prevents a wearer's foot from slipping out of the footwear due to design of the footwear or the wearer's foot being slightly too small. The footwear article of the present invention also provides aesthetic changes to the footwear to allow matching of different outfits and dress occasions.
In one embodiment, the present footwear article comprises an elongated member 110 and an aesthetic member 120 (FIGS. 1-4). The elongated member comprises a first end 111 and a second end 112, and an inner surface 113 proximal to the wearer's foot and an outer surface 114 distal to the wearer's foot (FIG. 5). Referring to FIG. 6A-6D, the aesthetic member comprises a first end 121 and a second end 122, and an inner surface 123 configured to removably secure to said outer surface of said elongated member via an attachment means 130 and an outer surface 124 distal to said elongated member. The aesthetic member is configured to secure on top of the elongated member. The aesthetic member may cover the elongated member entirely or partially.
Referring to FIG. 5, the first and second ends 111, 112 of said elongated member are joined together via a connecting means 140 forming an enclosed loop-like configuration in order to encircle the top of a foot and dorsal portion of footwear. Depending on the types of footwear, the dorsal portion of footwear can be any one part of a counter, quarter, shank, heel or outer sole portion of footwear. The ends of said elongated member may be joined permanently by connecting means, such as stitching and gluing or any other means as would apply by one skilled in the art. The ends of said elongated member may be joined by separable connecting means. In certain embodiment, the elongated member may be a one piece member or may comprise two separate pieces. In another embodiment, the elongated member may be worn alone without the elongated member. The elongated member of the present invention further comprises a length adjusting means 150 for length adjustment of the present footwear article to accommodate a range of circumferences of different sizes of foot in footwear. Examples of a length adjusting means for use in the present invention may be a cord adjuster, a buckle, a slide or any other suitable means as known in the art.
In another embodiment, referring to FIG. 7, the first and second ends 111, 112 of the elongated member are linked to a sheath 160. Said sheath is hollow for insertion of the heel portion of footwear. The sheath may be decorative and is designed to slide on to heels and to fit around the heel portion. The two ends of the elongated member may be secured to said sheath by permanent or separable connecting means known in the art. In one embodiment, the sheath is a semi-circular, wherein the semi-circular sheath is positioned around the heel. In yet another embodiment, the sheath may be made from a bendable material to permit the sheath to be shaped according to the shape and size of the heel. In another embodiment, a ring secures around the heel of footwear.
In another embodiment, the elongated member further comprises a bridging body. The first and second ends of the elongated member may be linked by the bridging body. The bridging body is generally decorative of any shapes or design. The bridging body may be a metal or non metal plate with decorative designs or logos engraved or printed thereon.
In yet another embodiment, the first and second ends of the elongated member of the present invention are secured to the two opposite lateral sides of the topline of footwear. The topline is a common term used in the art referring to the periphery of the opening of the footwear where the foot enters.
The present invention may be worn with any types of footwear as desired by a wearer. The footwear may be one that does not have adequate support over the top of the foot or the wearer's feet is slightly too small for the footwear. The present invention can be used with different types of footwear including, but are not limited to, stiletto heels, pump, wedges, mules or flats. The present invention, when being worn, wraps around top of the foot only or with the dorsal portion of the footwear in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
It should be understood that individual members or components of the present invention can be made of any types of materials in various sizes, shapes, colors, designs as appropriate by those skilled in the art without departing the overall concept of the subject invention.
The elongated member and the aesthetic member may be leather, imitation leather, elasticized fabric, elasticized cord, silicone, rubber, metal, non-metal or any other types of materials. The number of types of materials of the elongated member and aesthetic member is not confined to one. A combination of two or more different materials may be used therein to achieve a desirable functional and aesthetic changeable footwear article without affecting the overall concept of the present invention. The elongated and aesthetic members are generally long and rectangular; however, any suitable shapes, such as band, chain, ring, regular or irregular shapes can be used by one skilled in the art. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the elongated member is a rectangular band made of fabric or a rectangular silicone band (FIGS. 2-3). The aesthetic member is detachable and can be replaced with a desirable design (FIGS. 1 and 3). FIG. 4 illustrates that the elongated member composes of a combination of two different materials (silicone band (covered by aesthetic member 120) and a metal chain 110).
The elongated member is configured to an enclosed loop-like structure to encircle the footwear and the foot in one embodiment or is configured to secure to both opposite lateral sides of topline of a footwear in another embodiment via the connecting means. Attachment means of the present invention functions to detachably anchor the aesthetic member onto the elongated member. Attachment means and connecting means may be applied in the present invention include, but are not limited to, hooks, buttons, snaps, Velcro®, magnets, clips, clasps, lobster clasps, rings, buckles, or any other suitable means as is known in the art. The types of connecting or attaching means in the present invention does not confined to one. A combination of different types of connecting and attaching means may be used depending on the elongated member and aesthetic member as would readily appreciated by a skilled artisan. In another embodiment, the connecting means and/or the attachment means is a clip. The clip comprises a front side and a back side, which are secured together to form a hinge. The front and back sides may be manufactured as a one-piece article or two integral parts. More specifically, the interior of the front and back sides comprise non-slip grip surface (e.g. silicone/rubber) or any other suitable material for gripping and securing to the lateral sides of the footwear. For example, the interior of the clip may comprise complementary teeth for gripping. Furthermore, exterior of the clip or any other suitable connecting means may also be decorated.
In exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the elongated member is an elasticized cord with a cord adjuster acting as a length adjusting means (FIG. 5A). FIG. 5B shows the present footwear article having an elasticized cord as the elongated member, a cord adjuster as connecting means and a removable aesthetic member attached to the elongated member. The removable aesthetic partially covers the elongated member.
FIG. 6 demonstrates various materials being used as the aesthetic member having different attachment means. The aesthetic member can include two clasps at the first and second ends thereof (FIG. 6A); two Velcro® at the first and second ends thereof (FIG. 6B); two pairs of buttons at the first and second ends thereof (FIG. 6C) and a Velcro® strap along the aesthetic member entirely (FIG. 6D)
FIG. 7 illustrates the two ends of the elongated member are linked via a sheath. The sheath slides on to the heel on a shoe and also plays a decorative role. A permanent ring connection arrangement is illustrated herein, however, any other types of connecting means may be used as known by one skilled in the art.
FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the present footwear article. The elongated member 110 comprises a loop at each of the first and second ends thereof. In this illustrative embodiment, the aesthetic member 120 is configured to threads through the loops of the elongated member and forms an enclosed footwear article to encircle the wearer's foot and the footwear via a second attachment means 170, such as Velcro®. In this exemplary embodiment, the aesthetic member is permitted to anchor onto the elongated member with or without attachment means 130 as desired by one skilled in the art.
Without further elaboration, it is believed that one skilled in the art can, based on the description herein, modify the present invention without departing the spirit of the present invention and utilize the present invention to its fullest extend.

Claims

1. An article for footwear with heels comprises

an elongated member comprising a first end and a second end, and an inner surface proximal to a wearer of the article and an outer surface distal to the wearer; and

an aesthetic member comprising a first end and a second end, and an inner surface configured to attach to said outer surface of said elongated member via an attachment means and an outer surface distal to said elongated member,

wherein the first and second ends of said elongated member are joined together via a connecting means, wherein the elongated member is configured to encircle the wearer's foot and the footwear by contacting a top of the foot and a back of a heel portion of the footwear.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein said elongated member further comprises a length adjustable means for flexible length adjustment thereof to permit said elongated member to wrap around the top of the foot of the wearer and the back of heel portion of the footwear and fasten to the foot and the footwear.

3. The article of any of claims 1, further comprises a sheath configured to position around the heel of the footwear, wherein the first and second ends of said elongated member are configured to secure to said sheath.

4. An article for footwear with heels comprises

an elongated member comprising a first end and a second end, and an inner surface proximal to a wearer of the article and an outer surface distal to the wearer wherein the first and second ends of said elongated member are joined together via a connecting means, wherein the elongated member is configured to encircle the wearer's foot and the footwear by contacting a top of the foot and a back of a heel portion of the footwear.

5. The article of claim 4, wherein said elongated member further comprises a length adjustable means for flexible length adjustment thereof to permit said elongated member to wrap around the top of the foot of the wearer and the back of heel portion of the footwear and fasten to the foot and the footwear.

6. The article of any of claims 1, wherein the elongated member further comprises a bridging body.

7. The article of any of claims 1, wherein said aesthetic member is configured to cover said elongated member entirely.

8. The article of any of claims 1, wherein said aesthetic member is configured to cover said elongated member partially.

9. The article of any of claims 1, wherein said elongated member is a band, a chain, a cord or a combination thereof.

10. The article of any of claims 1, wherein said attachment means and connecting means comprises hooks, buttons, snaps, hook and loop, magnets, clips, clasps, lobster clasps, rings, buckles or a combination thereof.