Abstract:
A system is provided which prevents boot tops from slouching or sagging. The system includes a wrap-around garter for the leg, having on its outer surface a hook-and-loop fastener surface. Self-adhesive strips having the mating hook-and-loop surface are attached to the inside of the boot, near the top of the shaft. The garter is fastened to the leg at the appropriate height, the boot is pulled on, and the hook-and-loop surfaces on the strips are pressed against the hook-and-loop surface of the garter. The garter then holds the boot shaft to the leg, preventing the boot from sagging.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part, and claims priority, of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/455,522 filed Apr. 25, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to the fields of footwear and clothing accessories. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Dress boots, particularly women&#39;s dress boots, are often made from soft leathers or polymers, and as a result the boot shafts lack the structural strength to hold up their own weight. Firmer materials can lose stiffness as a pair of boots ages, and suffer from the same weakness. Unless tightly fitted to the calves, such boots tend to sag under their own weight over time, a phenomenon referred to in the art as slouching. The result is an unsightly appearance that can lead the owner to discard the boots, despite their otherwise excellent condition. The perfect fit needed to prevent slouching is difficult to obtain when purchasing factory-made consumer-quality boots, while custom-made boots, which can achieve a precise fit, are extremely expensive. Prior art solutions include stiff reinforcements glued or sewn to the inside of the shaft, in an attempt to stiffen the boot, but at the cost of reduced fit and comfort (see, e.g., U.S. Patent Application 2011/0192055.) Some wearers wear multiple pairs of socks, or wrap their legs in various materials, to bulk them up sufficiently to create a tight fit, but this is an inconvenience that can leave the legs hot and uncomfortable. There remains a need for a simple, comfortable, and cost-effective method to prevent boots from slouching. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for improving the appearance and preventing the slouching of boots. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a system for straightening boots is provided which comprises a hook-and-loop fastener strip, preferably an elastic strip, adapted to be fastened around the leg of the user, and a complementary patch of self-adhesive hook-and-loop fastening material, suitable for being adhered to the inside of the boot shaft. The user attaches the fastener strip around his or her leg, at a height corresponding to the upper few inches of the boot shaft, preferably above the calf so that it resists sliding downward. One or more self-adhesive patches, preferably in the form of strips, are adhered to the inside of the boot shaft, at a height corresponding to the position of the elastic fastener on the user&#39;s leg when the boot is being worn fully upright on the leg. 
         [0005]    The user&#39;s foot is placed in the boot, and the boot shaft is pulled up to its full extension, whereupon the hook-and-loop device fastened to the user&#39;s leg engages the mating hook-and-loop strip adhered to the inside of the boot shaft. The resulting attachment between the boot and leg prevents sagging of the boot shaft. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates a person wearing slouching boots, which the present invention is intended to prevent. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a plurality of self-adhesive strips of hook-and-loop material. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of an elastic hook-and-loop garter of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  illustrates the location of the self-adhesive strips of the invention on the inner surface of a boot shaft. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates the boot from  FIG. 4 , on the foot of a user and with the garter in place on the leg of the user. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates the boot from  FIG. 5 , with the garter engaged with the self-adhesive strips and holding the boot shaft in place. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention provides a means for preventing boots from sagging or “slouching”. This is a particular problem with women&#39;s dress boots, but may occur with riding boots and dancer&#39;s boots. The invention is applicable to any boot, whether for men or women, which is prone to slouching. 
         [0013]    Broadly, the invention provides a system for preventing the slouching of a boot shaft, comprising (a) a garter band, adapted to be wrapped and fastened around a wearer&#39;s leg, having an outer surface bearing a first component of a two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces; and (b) at least one adhesive patch, adapted to be adhered to the inner surface of a boot shaft, having on its surface a second component of the two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces. 
         [0014]    In preferred embodiments, the two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces is a hook-and-loop fastener system. In certain of these and other embodiments, the garter band is preferably elastic. 
         [0015]    The invention further provides kits for preventing the slouching of a boot shaft, comprising (a) at least one garter band, adapted to be wrapped and fastened around a wearer&#39;s leg, having an outer surface bearing a first component of a two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces; and (b) at least two adhesive patches, adapted to be adhered to the inner surface of a boot shaft, having on their surfaces a second component of the two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces. 
         [0016]    In certain embodiments, the kits comprise at least two garter bands and at least four adhesive patches. In certain of these and other embodiments, the garter band is preferably elastic. 
         [0017]    The invention further provides a method for preventing the slouching of a boot shaft while the boot is being worn by a wearer, comprising (a) adhering to the inner surface of the boot shaft at least one adhesive patch, wherein the patch has on its surface a first component of a two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces, (b) attaching to the leg of the wearer a garter band, wherein the garter band has an outer surface bearing a second component of the two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces; (c) placing the boot on a foot of the wearer; (d) pulling the boot shaft to its full extension; and (e) pressing together the two components of the two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces. The two mutually adherent components are thereby made to reversibly adhere to one another, and the boot shaft is thereby held to the leg in the fully extended position. The boot cannot slouch so long as the mutually adherent components are engaged, and so long as the garter remains in place. 
         [0018]    In certain embodiments, the two-component system of mutually and reversibly adherent surfaces employed in the above method is a hook-and-loop fastener system. In certain of these and other embodiments, the garter band is preferably elastic. 
         [0019]    The term “hook and loop” is used herein for brevity and ease of understanding, but it should be understood to refer generally to a class of mutually and reversibly adherent fabric and plastic surfaces. The most common of these are the hook-and-loop systems well known in the art, for example the systems sold under the trade name VELCRO™ by Velcro USA Inc., Manchester N.H. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,235 (1961 to G. de Mestral), and the numerous patents and applications that cite it. Polymer surfaces may be prepared with integral hooks; see for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,522 (2010 to Ausen et al.), and references cited therein. As an alternative to hooks, so-called “mushroom” fasteners may be employed, and as an alternative to loop surfaces, woven or non-woven fabrics capable of engaging with hooks or mushrooms may be employed. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,649 (2005 to B. VanBenschoten et al.), and references therein. It will be apparent that a variety of such mutually adherent fabrics and polymer surface systems can be employed in the present invention, and that the invention is not limited to hook and loop systems typified by the VELCRO™ products. Accordingly, wherever the term “hook and loop” is used herein, it should be understood that a wide variety of such mutually, reversibly adherent fabrics and surfaces may be substituted for the hook and loop system. 
         [0020]    Reference is made to the drawings, which are intended to be illustrative of certain embodiments. The drawings do not indicate or suggest limitations on the scope of the invention. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a woman  100  wearing Capri-length pants  102 , and slouching boots. The boots have outsoles  104   a  and  104   b,  uppers  105   a  and  105   b , and shafts  101   a  and  101   b.  The boot shafts are shown to be sagging away from the lower parts  103   a  and  103   b  of the legs  103 . This sagging or “slouching” causes the boots to be deformed from the shape they had when first purchased, and gradually afflicts such footwear over a period of time. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows a set of self-adhesive hook-and-loop patches, in the form of fabric strips  201 - 213 . These strips bear an adhesive layer on one side, typically covered by a peel-off disposable sheet which is removed by the user prior to adhering the strips to the inside of the boot shaft. The opposite side of the strip bears one of the two components of a hook-and-loop fastener system. The adhesive is preferably a high-strength adhesive that is suitable for porous surfaces, such as the fabric or unfinished leather often encountered on the inner surface of a boot shaft. The adhesive preferably cures to a resilient but flow-resistant state, ensuring that the strips do not slide out of position. By way of example, a suitable commercial product is VELCRO™ brand strips sold under the trade name “Extreme Titanium” (product No. 90800ACS, Velcro USA Inc., Manchester N.H.) The adhesive strips preferably bear the loop component, rather than the hooks, of a hook-and-loop system, so as to avoid hooking onto and possibly damaging the fabric of the user&#39;s stockings, leggings, or pants. 
         [0023]    In a commercial embodiment of the invention, a kit is provided to the consumer, which preferably comprises two garters ( FIG. 3 ) and a plurality of self-adhesive hook-and-loop fabric patches, such as the strips shown in  FIG. 2 . The number of strips in the kit is preferably at least four, permitting the user to apply two strips to each of a pair of boots, but the kit may optionally contain sufficient strips for two pairs of boots, and/or spare strips. The strip geometry is a preferred embodiment of the patches, but it will be appreciated that other shapes (e.g., circles, ovals, or squares) are within the scope of the invention. 
         [0024]    With reference to  FIG. 3 , a garter is shown in side view. The garter preferably comprises a band  300  of a durable elastic fabric, such as for example a knitted polyester or nylon. The outer side of the band bears one or more portions ( 301  and  303 ) of one component of a hook-and-loop system. In one embodiment, the hook-and-loop system component extends over the entire outer surface of the elastic band; a suitable material for this embodiment is the elastic material sold under the trade name VELSTRETCH™ (Velcro USA Inc., Manchester N.H.) In a second embodiment, a plurality of separate portions of a non-stretchable hook-and-loop component (e.g.,  301  and  303 ) are sewn, glued, thermally fused, or otherwise affixed to the outer surface of the garter band  300 . 
         [0025]    The garter band may be fastened around the leg by any means known in the art, such as for example hooks and eyelets, buttons, buckles, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, a portion of the complimentary (mating) hook-and-loop component is affixed to the inner surface of the garter band, close to one end. By way of example, it may be located behind the fastener area  303  in  FIG. 3 , on the obverse side of the band, where it can engage area  301  when the garter is wrapped around the user&#39;s leg. 
         [0026]    With reference to  FIG. 4 , in using the invention, one or more of the self-adhesive strips, e.g.  201  and  203 , are fastened to the inner surface of the boot shaft  101   a,  preferably on opposite sides  401  and  403 , using the adhesive layer of the strips. (In the figure, the side of the shaft closer to the viewer has been folded down to show the placement of the strip  203 .) A garter band  300  is wrapped around the user&#39;s leg, at a height corresponding to the desired height of the adhesive strips when the boot is worn, stretched to obtain sufficient tightness, and fastened to itself, preferably via an attached mating hook-and-loop component. The garter band may be wrapped directly around the leg, or it may be wrapped around the lower end of a pants leg if the user wishes to wear the pants tucked into the boots. When used in this manner, the invention serves to hold the pants in an extended position, preventing bunching and providing a neat appearance to the pants as well as to the boots. Ideally, if the boots are of an appropriate height, the garter band will be located above the calf muscle, so that the bulge of the calf helps maintain the vertical position of the garter. 
         [0027]    The boot is subsequently put onto the user&#39;s foot ( FIG. 5 ), pulled up to its full height, and the strips  201  and  203  are pressed into contact with the mating adherent surfaces (e.g.,  301 ,  303 ) on the garter band  300 . The boot shaft  101   a  is thereby connected to the wearer&#39;s leg, and remains upright and extended, giving the desired neat appearance ( FIG. 6 ). In addition to an immediate improvement in appearance, consistent use of the invention will protect boots from the wrinkling, folding, and cracking that frequently accompanies slouching, thereby extending the useful lifetime of the boots. 
         [0028]    The invention has been illustrated in the drawings, and described above in terms of specific, exemplary embodiments, but such variations and modifications as will be obvious to one of skill in the relevant arts are considered to be within the scope and spirit of the invention which is set forth in the claims.