Abstract:
Formfitting footwear including a stretchable sleeve to be worn on a human foot, the sleeve having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. Toe openings are disposed at the first end of the elastic sleeve. A footpad is disposed at the first end of the elastic sleeve adjacent the toe openings, the footpad including an inner layer of at least one of shock absorbing material and cushioning material and an outer layer that contacts a ground surface.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present disclosure relates to protective footwear for use in dance and other athletic activities.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The need for protective and functional footwear intended for specific applications is well-known. Just as sports such as basketball and football place different demands on the human foot and thus require specialized footwear, different forms of dance and athletics also require specialized footwear. For example, ballet requires specially designed toe shoes, jazz-style dance requires specially-designed character shoes, and tap dance requires specially modified tap shoes.  
         [0003]     Unlike many more traditional forms of dance, modern dance requires rapid, abrupt and often complex shifts in body position, center of gravity, directional momentum and weight distribution. Included in these movements are forceful turns, spins and other such movements that can cause friction burns, tearing, slivers, blisters and other foot problems. In addition, modern dancers—like other dancers—risk serious injury if their foot should slip on the dance floor or if they should turn their ankle. However, given the aesthetic requirements of their art, most modern dancers currently opt to dance barefoot and tolerate the damage done to their feet.  
         [0004]     Earlier, unsuccessful attempts at providing such footwear range from the use of thongs that were wrapped around the foot to dancers cutting up nylon stockings and tying them to their feet before each performance. Footwear currently available for use in modern dance includes a “sole” that is secured to the foot by an ankle strap and toe loops. Other footwear products cover only the ball of the foot and do not have an ankle strap. Such products attach to the foot with toe loops and an elastic band that crosses over the bridge of the foot. However, these known footwear products are not securely bound to the foot, and thus have a tendency to cause tearing of the skin, particularly between the great and index toes. For this reason, most modern dancers do not use this type of footwear. A major drawback of all the above approaches is that such footwear does not provide all of the necessary protective and safety benefits, not are they durable and minimally disruptive to a dancer&#39;s performance.  
         [0005]     Accordingly, there is a need for dance footwear that protects feet from friction burns, tearing, slivers, blisters and other foot problems commonly associated with dance movements, while also providing beneficial traction, maneuverability and an inconspicuous appearance.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     Formfitting footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a stretchable sleeve to be worn on a human foot, the sleeve having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. Toe openings are disposed at the first end of the elastic sleeve. A footpad is disposed at the first end of the elastic sleeve adjacent the toe openings, the footpad comprising an inner layer of at least one of a shock absorbing material and a cushioning material and an outer layer that contacts a ground surface.  
         [0007]     In at least one embodiment of the invention, an elastic piece is disposed around the second end of the sleeve.  
         [0008]     In at least one embodiment of the invention, the footpad further includes a moisture-absorbing layer.  
         [0009]     A method of forming formfitting footwear according to an embodiment of the invention includes providing a sheet of stretchable material, the sheet having a first longitudinal end portion, a second longitudinal end portion, a first lateral end portion and a second lateral end portion. Toe openings are formed at the first longitudinal end portion of the sheet. A footpad is attached to the first longitudinal end portion of the sheet adjacent to the toe openings. The sheet is folded such that the first lateral end portion overlaps the second lateral end portion with the footpad disposed between the first and second lateral end portions. The first lateral end portion is permanently attached to the second lateral end portion so as to form a sleeve with the footpad disposed within the sleeve. The sleeve is turned inside out such that the footpad is disposed outside the sleeve.  
         [0010]     These and other features of this invention are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of this invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     Various exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  shows protective footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention placed on a wearer&#39;s feet;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view showing various components of the protective footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention with the sleeve in a spread-out configuration;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view showing various components of the protective footwear according to an another exemplary embodiment of the invention with the sleeve in a spread-out configuration;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view showing various components of the protective footwear according to an another exemplary embodiment of the invention with the sleeve in a spread-out configuration;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  shows the sleeve of  FIG. 4  spread out and patterned to include a second cut-out portion;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  shows protective footwear according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  shows a step of a method of forming formfitting footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  shows another step of a method of forming formfitting footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]     The protective footwear according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention includes an elastic sleeve having toe holes and a footpad that protects a wearer&#39;s foot from blisters, burns, cuts, scrapes and other injuries commonly associated with athletic movements, and that also functions to absorb shock to the bottom of the foot that occurs during, for example, leaping maneuvers. In exemplary embodiments, the protective footwear of the present invention may include ankle support and/or protective material surrounding the toes openings. It should be appreciated that, although the protective footwear of the present invention is particularly applicable to dance, it may also be used in other activities, such as, for example, martial arts, pilates, yoga or gymnastics.  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows protective footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention placed on a wearer&#39;s feet. The protective footwear  1  includes a sleeve  10  that is preferably made of an elastic material so as to conform and fit snugly around the foot. An elastic piece  12  is provided around an open end of the sleeve  10  to ensure that the sleeve  10  does not fall towards the toes during movement. Toe openings  14  are provided at the opposite end of the sleeve  10  to allow the toes to move freely and contact the ground surface. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a footpad  16  is disposed on the bottom portions of the sleeve  10  near the ball of the foot. As will be described in more detail below, the footpad protects the wearer&#39;s foot from injury by providing a barrier between the skin and the floor and by absorbing shock, and also provides traction.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view showing various components of the protective footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention with the sleeve in a spread-out configuration. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the sleeve  10  is cut out of or otherwise formed from elastic material so as to have the appropriately placed toe openings  14  formed in an upper portion  11  of the sleeve  10 . The elastic material used to form the sleeve  10  is preferably lycra or spandex. The footpad  16  is attached to a lower portion  13  of the sleeve  10  preferably by sewing. In the present embodiment of the invention, the footpad  16  is a multi-layer structure made up of a ground-contact layer  18 , a shock-absorbing and/or cushioning layer  20  and an optional moisture absorbing layer  22 . The various layers of the footpad  16  may be laminated together by, for example, adhesive.  
         [0023]     The ground-contact layer  18  is preferably made of a durable material that provides adequate friction with the ground surface. Suitable material for the ground contact layer  18  include smooth leather, suede leather, synthetic leather, moldable polymers, elastomers and synthetic rubber materials, such as neoprene. The ground-contact layer  18  may also be textured to enhance traction, such as by forming ridges, grooves and/or dimplings in the outer surface of the ground-contact layer  18 . The thickness of the ground-contact layer  18  is preferably in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 2.0 mm.  
         [0024]     The shock-absorbing and/or cushioning layer  20  is preferably placed between the ground-contact layer  18  and the optional moisture-absorbing layer  22 . Depending on the structure and materials used, the shock-absorbing and/or cushioning layer  22  may have the ability to cushion and/or absorb forces exerted on the wearer&#39;s feet during, for example, dance movements such as leaps and twirls. The shock-absorbing and/or absorbing layer  22  assists in reducing foot pain and injury. Suitable materials for the shock-absorbing and/or absorbing layer  22  include foam materials, such as, for example, polyurethane foam, hydrophilic urethane foam, polyethylene foam, closed cell foams, open cell foams, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM), or gel-like materials, such as, for example, non-silicon polymer gel. The thickness of the shock-absorbing layer  18  is preferably in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 3.0 mm.  
         [0025]     The moisture-absorbing layer  22  is preferably placed closest to the wearer&#39;s foot to enhance sweat capability. The moisture-absorbing layer is an optional layer, and thus, in other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the footpad  16  may only include the ground-contact layer  18  and the shock-absorbing layer  20 . The moisture absorbing layer  22  is preferably made of materials such as, for example, Ultralore® or nylon and polyester fabrics made with up to 50% load of ReFresh fibers, and has a thickness in the range of about 0.25 mm to about 2.0 mm.  
         [0026]     The elastic piece  12  is preferably in a band shape and is attached to the end of the sleeve  10  furthest from the wearer&#39;s toes. The elastic piece  12  is attached to the sleeve  10  by sewing and/or adhesive and is made of, for example, woven or knit elastic.  
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view showing various components of the protective footwear according to an another exemplary embodiment of the invention with the sleeve in a spread-out configuration. The present embodiment is substantially the same as the previous embodiment except for the provision of a separate toe piece  32  that protects the forefoot of the wearer and provides toe openings. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the toe piece  32  is attached to a cutout portion  30  of the sleeve  10  formed in the upper portion  11  of the sleeve  10 . Preferably the toe piece  32  is formed of a material that provides sufficient support so that the portions adjacent to or between the toe holes do not tear during intensive use, and also sufficient comfort so as not to induce blistering or tearing of the skin adjacent to or between the toes. Appropriate materials for the toe piece  32  may be, for example, neoprene, powermesh or tricot spandex.  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view showing various components of the protective footwear according to an another exemplary embodiment of the invention with the sleeve in a spread-out configuration. The present embodiment is substantially the same as the first-described embodiment except for the provision of a second cut-out portion  34  formed in a lower portion  13  of the sleeve  10  that accommodates the footpad  16 .  FIG. 5  shows the sleeve  10  spread out and patterned to include the second cut-out portion  34 . The footpad  16  is attached to the cut-out portion  30  preferably by sewing. In other embodiments of the invention, the sleeve  10  may include both the first cut-out portion  30  to accommodate the toe piece  32  and the second cut-out portion  34  to accommodate the footpad  16 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  shows protective footwear according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. The present embodiment is substantially the same as the previous embodiments except that the sleeve  10  extends over the ankle of a user. Such a construction provides increased lateral stability and support.  
         [0030]     In a method of forming the protective footwear according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the sleeve  10  is first formed from a lycra sheet in a spread out configuration as shown in  FIG. 2 . Cut-out portions  30  and  34  may be formed in the lycra sheet to accommodate the toe piece  32  and the footpad  16 , respectively. Alternatively, toe holes  14  may be formed directly in the sheet instead of using a separate toe piece  16 . The footpad  16  is then attached to the lower portion  13  of the sleeve  10  and the lycra is trimmed around the footpad  16 . The elastic piece  12  is then attached to the end of the sleeve  10  furthest from the wearer&#39;s toes. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the upper portion  11  of the sleeve  10  is folded over the lower portion  13  of the sleeve  10  such that the footpad  16  is disposed within the void defined by the upper portion  11  and lower portion  13 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the upper portion  11  and the lower portion  12  are joined together around their respective edges, and the product is turned inside out to result in the finished protective footwear  10 .  
         [0031]     It should be appreciated that the protective footwear according to various exemplary embodiments of the invention may be made by any other suitable process, such as one in which the sleeve with the toe holes are formed as a unitary construction using conventional molding processes. Alternatively, the upper and lower portions of the sleeve may be two entirely separate pieces which are later sewn together.  
         [0032]     Now that the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvement thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is to be construed broadly and limited only by the appended claims, and not by the foregoing specification.