Abstract:
A kicking aid for a shoe and method therefor, comprising a sleeve adapted to be fitted over an arch area of a shoe to provide a wearer with larger, stronger and more even kicking surfaces to enable a player to kick a ball with more power and accuracy.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM  
       [0001]    This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/131,019, filed Oct. 16, 2000, in the name of the Applicant, to which priority is claimed. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to shoes and, more specifically, to a kicking aid for a shoe comprising a sleeve adapted to fit over an arch area of a shoe and dimensioned to provide larger kicking surfaces to enable a wearer to kick a ball with more power and accuracy.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    A shoe is used to make contact with a ball in soccer, rugby, football and other sports. Soccer, or football as it is referred to in most countries outside of the United States, is the most popular sport worldwide. During a game of soccer, players mostly use their feet to control and manipulate a soccer ball. When passing from one player to another, generally a soccer player will use either an inner portion of his shoe when passing across his body and an outer portion of his shoe when passing away from his body. When either shooting on goal or kicking the ball for distance, generally a soccer player will make contact with an upper portion of the shoe. In football and rugby, a player also uses both the upper portion of his shoe (when punting a football or rugby ball for example) and the inner portion of a shoe (during a kickoff in football for example).  
           [0004]    It is often the case, however, that soccer shoes and other sports shoes do not provide a sufficiently large enough and strong enough kicking surface on either the inner, outer or upper surfaces of the shoe. Shoelaces, due to the uneven way in which they lay across the upper portion of a shoe, can also interfere with the accuracy and power of a kick.  
           [0005]    A need therefore existed for a kicking aid capable of being fitted over a shoe to provide larger, stronger and more even kicking surfaces to an inner portion, an outer portion and an upper portion of a shoe, thus enabling a player to kick a ball with more power and accuracy.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    An object of the present invention is to provide a kicking aid capable of providing a larger and stronger kicking surface to an inner, outer and upper portion of a shoe.  
           [0007]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a kicking aid capable of providing a raised kicking surface located on an upper portion of a shoe to cover a shoe&#39;s shoelaces in order to provide more accuracy and power when kicking a ball from the raised kicking surface.  
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
         [0008]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a kicking aid is disclosed, comprising, in combination, a sleeve having an open front portion and an open rear portion and adapted to be fitted over an arch area of a shoe so that the front portion is proximate a toe end of the shoe and the rear portion is proximate a foot entry portion of the shoe, and a raised kicking surface located on an upper portion of the sleeve, wherein the raised kicking surface ascends from proximate the front portion of the sleeve to proximate the rear portion of the sleeve.  
           [0009]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for kicking a ball is disclosed, comprising, in combination, the steps of providing a sleeve having an open front portion and an open rear portion and a raised kicking surface located on an upper portion of the sleeve, the raised kicking surface ascends from proximate the front portion of the sleeve to proximate the rear portion of the sleeve, fitting the sleeve over an arch area of a shoe so that the front portion is proximate a toe end of the shoe and the rear portion is proximate a foot entry portion of the shoe, and kicking a ball with a portion of the sleeve.  
           [0010]    The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the kicking aid of the present invention, showing the sleeve fitted over an arch area of a shoe.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the kicking aid of FIG. 1, showing a sample logo on the raised kicking surface.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a top view of the kicking aid of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]    Referring to FIGS.  1 - 3 , reference number  10  refers generally to the preferred embodiment of the kicking aid of the present invention. The kicking aid  10  comprises a sleeve  12  having an open front portion  14  and an open rear portion  16 . The sleeve  12  is adapted to be fitted over an arch area  18  (shown in FIG. 1) of a shoe  20  (shown in FIG. 1) so that the front portion  14  is proximate a toe end  22  (shown in FIG. 1) of the shoe  20  and the rear portion  16  is proximate a foot entry portion  24  (shown in FIG. 1) of the shoe  20 . The bottom portion of the sleeve  12  should be dimensioned so as to fit over the non-cleated underside of a cleated shoe, between the front and rear sets of cleats—as illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0015]    The sleeve  12  further comprises a raised kicking surface  26  located on an upper portion of the sleeve  12 . The raised kicking surface  26  ascends from proximate the front portion  14  of the sleeve  12  to proximate the rear portion  16  of the sleeve  12 . Preferably, the raised kicking surface has a thickness in the range of approximately one-eighth of one inch at its lowest point, and approximately three-fourths of one inch at its highest point, although these dimensions could be departed from in either direction. Preferably, the sleeve  12  is comprised of a rubber-type material, although plastic, leather, or other materials could also be used.  
         [0016]    The raised kicking surface  26  serves several purposes. It increases the size of the kicking surface when a ball is kicked with either the inside or outside of the shoe, making for greater accuracy. When the ball is kicked from the top of the shoe, the raised kicking surface  26  creates greater kicking power and, by covering the laces and provide a uniform, smooth surface, potentially greater accuracy.  
         [0017]    There are other benefits associated with the kicking aid  10 . The raised kicking surface  26  can protect the foot of the wearer when another player wearing a cleated shoe steps on the wearer&#39;s foot. In such instance, the raised kicking surface  26  will act to protect the top of the wearer&#39;s foot from the other player&#39;s cleats. Moreover, in children&#39;s soccer in particular, it is not uncommon for one player to inadvertently kick another player in the face or head. In such instance, the raised kicking surface  26 , particularly where it is manufactured from rubber or some other compressible material, will be less hard than the top of the wearer&#39;s foot and will therefore impact less severely on the body of the child who has been kicked.  
         [0018]    The raised kicking surface  26  and sleeve  12  can be manufactured as a one-part assembly. Alternatively, the sleeve  12  could define a hollow receptacle at the top portion thereof, into which the raised kicking surface  26  may be inserted and secured in an appropriate manner. Still further, it would be possible to provide the raised kicking surface  26  as a permanent part of a shoe  20 .  
         [0019]    In the preferred embodiment, indicia  28  (shown in FIG. 2) are located on the sleeve  12 . The indicia  28  could be in the form of a logo, a name, an advertisement, a picture or some other kind of marking that may make the kicking aid  10  more stylish or commercially marketable.  
         [0020]    Still referring to FIGS.  1 - 3 , the sleeve  12  preferably defines an upper aperture  30  and a lower aperture  32  on each side of the raised kicking surface  26  proximate the rear portion of the sleeve. The apertures  30  are dimensioned to permit the passage of shoelace ends (not shown) from the shoe up through the apertures  30 . The shoelace ends may then be passed downward through the apertures  32 . The shoelaces are then tied and, optionally, may be tucked under the raised kicking surface  26 —preventing the shoelaces from becoming untied or from contacting the ball during kicking.  
         [0021]    While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.