Abstract:
This disclosure relates in certain embodiments to protective footwear comprising a flexible strap that can be wrapped around a bare foot in order to provide protection and traction to the ball and heel of the foot. The footwear can provide protection from rough or hot surfaces, for example swimming pool decks or hot sand at the beach. The footwear can also provide traction for the user on wet or slippery surfaces. The footwear is designed to minimally cover the foot, giving the user a “barefoot” feeling, while still providing protection and traction to the pressure points (e.g., ball and heel) of the foot. The footwear can be securely fastened to the user&#39;s foot such that it does not fall off during routine physical activity (e.g., swimming, walking, etc.).

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/779,172 filed Mar. 13, 2013, which is hereby expressly incorporated in its entirety by reference herein and should be considered a part of this specification. 
     
    
     SUMMARY 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates in certain embodiments to protective footwear comprising a single-molded strap that can be wrapped around a bare foot in order to provide protection and traction to the ball and heel of the foot. The footwear can provide protection from rough or hot surfaces, for example swimming pool decks or hot sand at the beach. The footwear can also provide traction for the user on wet or slippery surfaces. The footwear is designed to minimally cover the foot, giving the user a “barefoot” feeling, while still providing protection and traction to the pressure points (e.g., ball and heel) of the foot. The footwear can be securely fastened to the user&#39;s foot such that it does not fall off during routine physical activity (e.g., swimming, walking, etc.). 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  is a top profile view of one embodiment of the footwear. 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  is a top profile view of one embodiment of the footwear. 
           [0005]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of progressive stages of wrapping one embodiment of the strap onto a foot. 
           [0006]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of one embodiment of the footwear worn on a foot. 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  is a top profile view one embodiment of the footwear. 
           [0008]      FIG. 6  is a top profile view one embodiment of the footwear. 
           [0009]      FIG. 7  is a top profile view one embodiment of the footwear. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    In a preferred embodiment, the footwear is designed to cover just the ball and heel on the underside of the foot, with the strap  100  wrapping around portions of the sides and top of foot for purposes of securing the footwear to the user&#39;s foot. Specifically, the toes and the arch of the foot can be left uncovered, helping to give the user the feeling of being barefoot. Additionally, the open-toe design gives the user additional stability and traction compared to closed-toe footwear. In some embodiments, the footwear only covers a small portion of the underside of the foot, e.g., between 5 and 40% of the underside of the foot. 
         [0011]    The single-piece strap  100  is designed to be substantially flat when not in use. The flat design can be reversible, with the same material or surface on both sides, allowing a single strap  100  to be worn on either the left or right foot. The strap  100  can be made from a flexible, resilient and/or elastic material, for example, silicone. In some embodiments, the silicone can be about 5 durometer silicone. The resilient material allows the strap  100  to stretch around the foot to provide a tight or “snug” fit. The resilient material also provides cushioning for the portions of the underside of the foot covered by the strap  100  (e.g., the ball and heel of the foot). The generally flat, compressible nature of the strap  100  allows for it to be easily transported and stored. In some embodiments, the footwear can also be intended to be single-use or disposable (e.g., after a few days of use). 
         [0012]    A top profile view of the footwear is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , along with a generic outline of a human foot in  FIG. 1  for purposes of demonstrating alignment. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  above, the strap  100  (which is shown in a flat configuration) comprises a forefoot portion  110  that includes a ball portion  112  and two attachment elements  114  and  116  integrally formed off the medial and lateral sides, respectively, of the ball portion  112 . The ball portion  112  can generally have the shape of the underside of a human foot in the metatarsal region around or near the ball of the foot. This shape can be, for example, rectangular with rounded corners, or it can be generally oval or oblong. The attachment elements  114  and  116  can project outward from opposite sides of the ball portion  112  along a forefoot axis  10 - 10  generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  20 - 20  of the human foot defined between the anterior  40  and posterior  50  portions of the human foot. The attachment elements  114  and  116  can stretch and/or wrap around the top of the foot generally above the ball portion and removably engage one another, securing the forefoot portion  110  to the user&#39;s foot. In one embodiment, the attachment elements  114  and  116  comprise a series of complementary interlocking hooks or teeth capable of removably engaging each other, as shown in the figures. In some embodiments, the attachment elements  114  and  116  may further comprise an attachment insert  118  that can be made of a stiffer or less flexible material compared to the rest of the strap in order to facilitate the engagement between the complementary attachment elements  114  and  116 . For example, in some embodiments, the attachment insert  118  can be made of about 80 durometer silicone. In one embodiment, the attachment elements  114  and  116  can comprise one or more flexible teeth (on one element) able to removably engage one or more corresponding openings (on the second element). In other embodiments, the attachment elements can comprise any complementary attachment mechanism known in the art, including buckles, Velcro, snap fasteners, laces, etc. In some embodiments, the forefoot portion  110  can have one or more openings  120  capable of engaging one or more toes (e.g., the big toe) to further secure the forefoot portion  110  to the foot. 
         [0013]    The strap  100  of the footwear further comprises a first connecting strip  130  that is integrally formed off of the posterior side of the forefoot portion  110  of the strap. The first connecting strip  130  can be formed at an angle relative to the forefoot axis  10 - 10  that allows the first connecting strip  130  to stretch and/or wrap over the top of the user&#39;s foot in a direction generally from the anterior lateral portion of the foot to the posterior medial portion of the foot. The angle of departure of the first connecting strip from the forefoot region defines the strip axis  30 - 30  (see  FIG. 1 ). The first connecting strip  130  can be generally straight along the strip axis  30 - 30 . Preferably, the first connecting strip  130  is relatively thin to reduce overall weight of the footwear, increase flexibility of the strip, and reduce coverage of the foot by the footwear (e.g., to provide the user with a barefoot feeling). The first connecting strip  130  connects the forefoot portion  110  of the strap  100  to a heel portion of the strap  140 . 
         [0014]    The heel portion  140  is designed to cover the bottom of the heel, and in some embodiments, to “cup” the heel while the footwear is worn to the user. The heel portion  140  can have a generally rounded or oval shape. The heel portion  140  is also connected to a second connecting strip  132  formed integrally with the heel portion  140 , with the first and second connecting strips  130  and  132  integrally attached to opposite sides of the heel portion  140  along the strip axis  30 - 30 . The heel portion  140  can further comprise one or more expansion slits or ribs  142  located within the body of the heel portion  140  to allow the heel portion  140  to stretch around the user&#39;s heel. The expansion slits  142  can be generally oriented parallel to the strip axis  30 - 30  in the direction from the first connecting strip  130  to the second connecting strip  132 . 
         [0015]    The second connecting strip  132  is integrally formed off the heel portion  140  opposite the first connecting strip  130 . The second connecting strip  132  can be generally straight along the strip axis  30 - 30 . Preferably, like the first connecting strip  130 , the second connecting strip  132  should have a relatively thin width, as shown in the figures, compared to the forefoot  110  and heel portions  140  of the strap  100 . The end of the second connecting strip  132  opposite the heel member  140  is integrally formed with a second attachment feature  144 . The second attachment  144  feature is capable of removably engaging the first connecting strip  130  when the first connecting strip  130  is stretched and/or wrapped across the top of the user&#39;s foot, thereby securing the heel portion  140  to the user&#39;s heel with the tension created by the first and second connecting strips  130  and  132 . 
         [0016]    In one embodiment shown above, the second attachment feature  144  comprises two hooks  146  and  148  that project perpendicularly to the strip axis  30 - 30  from the second connecting strip  132 . The hooks  146  and  148  and second connecting strip  132  can removably engage the first connecting strip  130  while the first connecting strip  130  is wrapped across the top of the user&#39;s foot. In other embodiments, the second attachment feature  144  can be any attachment mechanism known in the art, including laces, Velcro, snap fasteners, etc. 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  below, a user wears the footwear/strap  100  by stretching and/or wrapping the strap  100  around the foot. The user can place the ball portion  112  under the ball of the user&#39;s foot, with the attachment elements  114  and  116  extending out from the medial and lateral sides of the ball portion  112  and the first connecting strip  130  extending out posteriorly from the lateral side of the user&#39;s foot ( FIG. 3-2 ). The user can use the attachment elements  114  and  116  to secure the forefoot portion  110  to the user&#39;s foot by wrapping the attachment elements  114  and  116  over the top of the foot and engaging the opposite attachment elements ( FIG. 3-3 ). Preferably, the attachment elements  114  and  116  can be stretched with an amount of tension sufficient for the forefoot  110  portion of the strap  100  to be tightly wrapped around the foot to prevent the strap from falling or sliding off, but not too tight as to be uncomfortable for the user. The user can wrap the first connecting strip  130 , extending laterally out from the forefoot portion  110 , over the top of the user&#39;s foot in a direction generally from the anterior lateral portion of the foot to the posterior medial portion of the foot ( FIG. 3-3 ). Preferably, the length of the first connecting strip  130  is such that when both the forefoot  110  and heel  140  portions are probably aligned on the user&#39;s foot, the first connecting strip  130  is tensioned. The user can then place the user&#39;s heel in the heel portion of the strap  100  ( FIG. 3-4 ). If the user desires, the user can utilize the expansion slits  142  to stretch the heel portion around the user&#39;s heel for more protective coverage of the heel. Finally, the user can wrap the second connecting strip  132  along the lateral side of the foot towards to top middle of the foot where it can intersect the first connecting strip  130  which is wrapped across the top of the foot ( FIG. 3-5 ). The first and second connecting strips  130  and  132  can then be removably engaged using the second attachment feature  144  located at the end of the second connecting strip  132  ( FIG. 3-5 ). Preferably, when the first and second connecting strips  130  and  132  are removably engaged using the second attachment feature  144 , both the first and second connecting strips  130  and  132  should be tensioned so as to maintain a snug fit for the footwear on the user&#39;s foot. 
         [0018]    In one embodiment, the forefoot portion  110  can have a plurality of indentations  200 . In some embodiments, the indentations  200  pass through the entire thickness of the strap  100 , resulting in a hole through the strap. In some embodiments, the indentations  200  only pass through a portion of the strap  100 , leaving a layer or membrane on one side of the indentation or within the indentation. In some embodiments, the indentations  200  can be round. In some embodiments, the indentations  200  can be polygonal. In some embodiments, the indentations  200  allow water and/or air to pass through the strap, giving the strap a breathable feel for the user. 
         [0019]    In one embodiment, the heel portion  140  can have a plurality of indentations  210 . In some embodiments, the indentations  210  pass through the entire thickness of the strap  100 , resulting in a hole through the strap. In some embodiments, the indentations  210  only pass through a portion of the strap  100 , leaving a layer or membrane on one side of the indentation or within the indentation. In some embodiments, the indentations  210  can be round. In some embodiments, the indentations  210  can be polygonal. In some embodiments, the indentations  210  allow water and/or air to pass through the strap, giving the strap a breathable feel for the user. 
         [0020]    While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. Indeed, the novel methods and apparatuses described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and apparatuses described herein may be made. Furthermore, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0021]    Although the present disclosure includes certain embodiments, examples and applications, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof, including embodiments which do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosures of preferred embodiments herein.