Patent Publication Number: US-2020288882-A1

Title: Footwear carrier

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to footwear. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus to carry footwear. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which originally serves to purpose of protection against adversities of the environment, usually regarding ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves the purpose to ease the locomotion and prevent injuries. Secondly footwear can also be used for fashion and adornment as well as to indicate the status or rank of the person within a social structure. Socks and other hosiery are typically worn additionally between the feet and other footwear for further comfort and relief. 
     Cultures have different customs regarding footwear. These include not using any in some situations, usually bearing a symbolic meaning. 
     Footwear has been in use since the earliest human history, archeological finds of complete shoes date back to the copper age (ca. 5.000 BCE). Some ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and Greece however saw no practical need for footwear due to convenient climatic and landscape situations and used shoes primarily as ornaments and insignia of power. 
     The Romans saw clothing and footwear as unmistakable signs of power and status in society, and most Romans wore footwear, while slaves and peasants remained barefoot. The Middle Ages saw the rise of high-heeled shoes, also associated with power, and the desire to look larger than life, and artwork from that period often depicts bare feet as a symbol of poverty. Depictions of captives such as prisoners or slaves from the same period well into the 18th century show the individuals barefooted almost exclusively, at this contrasting the prevailing partakers of the scene. Officials like prosecutors, judges but also slave owners or passive bystanders were usually portrayed wearing shoes. 
     In some cultures, people remove their shoes before entering a home. Bare feet are also seen as a sign of humility and respect, and adherents of many religions worship or mourn while barefoot. Some religious communities explicitly require people to remove shoes before they enter holy buildings, such as temples. 
     In several cultures people remove their shoes as a sign of respect towards someone of higher standing. In a similar context deliberately forcing other people to go barefoot while being shod oneself has been used to clearly showcase and convey one&#39;s superiority within a setting of power disparity. 
     Practitioners of the craft of shoemaking are called shoemakers, cobblers, or cordwainers. 
     When a person&#39;s foot hurts after walking in footwear or there is a desire to no longer have footwear on such as on the beach, these people may desire to carry their footwear. When carrying their footwear, it takes either one or both hands to carry the footwear which prevents these people from using their hands for other, more desirous things. Therefore, there is a need to have an apparatus that a person can carry their footwear without preventing them from using their hands for other uses. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is an illustrated view of an exemplary footwear carrier. 
         FIG. 1B  is an illustrated view of a second figure for the exemplary footwear carrier of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 1C  is an illustrated view of third figure for the exemplary footwear carrier of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 1D  is an illustrated view of a fourth figure for the exemplary footwear carrier of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2  is an illustrated view of the exemplary footwear carrier of  FIG. 1  in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list. 
     “Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise. 
     Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary footwear carrier  100  for carrying footwear is presented. The footwear carrier  100  is useful for when at the beach, at a swimming pool and other locations and a person desires to have their footwear off. The footwear carrier  100  is useful for providing a way to carry the footwear without having to not have the person&#39;s hands available for other activity or needs. 
     The footwear carrier  100  may carry footwear. The footwear may preferably be sandals, but may be any type of footwear such as tennis shoes, boots, dress shoes, etc. The footwear carrier  100  is preferably made of a plastic material, but may be made of other materials such as PVC, cloth, aluminum, steel, etc. 
     The footwear carrier  100  has a  FIG. 102 , a rotator  104 , a base  106  and a clip  108 . 
     The  FIG. 102  has a first hook  110 , a second hook  112  and a top  114 . The first hook  110  of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  is useful for providing a holding area for coupled to a first connecting area (described in  FIG. 2 ) of a first footwear. The first connecting area is preferably a strap, but may be any connecting area such as shoelaces, Velcro strip, etc. The  FIG. 102  of  FIG. 1A  is shown as an anchor, but in  FIG. 1B  a star fish is shown,  FIG. 1C  shows the  FIG. 102  to be an octopus,  FIG. 1D  shows a shark as the  FIG. 102 , any other shapes may be used whether ocean specific or otherwise. 
     The second hook  112  of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  is useful for providing a holding area for coupled to a second connecting area (described in  FIG. 2 ) of a second footwear. The second connecting area is preferably a strap, but may be any connecting area such as shoelaces, Velcro strip, etc. 
     The top  114  of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  may be coupled to a base  106 . The base  106  is preferably rectangular in shape, but may be other shapes such as triangular, round, square, etc. The base  106  is preferably made of a plastic material, but may be made of other materials such as aluminum, steel, etc. 
     Optionally and or additionally, the top of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  may be coupled to a connecting rod  116 . The connecting rod  116  is preferably cylindrical in shape, but may be made of other shapes such as rectangular, oblong, etc. 
     The optional connecting rod  116  may be coupled to the base  106  of the footwear carrier  100 . The connecting rod  116  may further be coupled to the rotator  104 . 
     The rotator  104  is preferably coupled to substantially near a center  118  of the base  106  of the footwear carrier  100 . The rotator  104  is useful for positioning the footwear carrier  100  in a different position if the footwear carrier  100  is uncomfortable. 
     The base  106  further has a back  120 . A clip  108  is coupled to the back  120  of the base  106  of the footwear carrier  100 . The clip  108  is useful for coupling to an article, such as a belt, waist band, bag, stroller, etc. The clip  108  is preferably a u-clip, but may be a string, an s-clip, etc. 
     Moving now to  FIG. 2 , the footwear carrier  100  of  FIG. 1A  is shown in use with a footwear  200 . The footwear  200  may preferably be sandals, but may be any type of footwear such as tennis shoes, boots, dress shoes, etc. 
     The footwear  200  has a right footwear  202  and a left footwear  204 . The right footwear  202  has a first strap  206  and a second strap  208 . In other types of footwear  200  instead of a first strap  206  and second strap  208 , the footwear  200  may have shoestrings, Velcro, etc. 
     The left footwear  204  has a first strap  210  and a second strap  212 . The first hook  110  of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  is coupled around the first strap  206  of the right footwear  202 . The first hook  110  of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  is further coupled around the second strap  206  of the right footwear  202 . 
     The second hook  112  of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  is coupled around the first strap  210  of the left footwear  204 . The second hook  112  of the  FIG. 102  of the footwear carrier  100  is further coupled around the second strap  212  of the left footwear  204 . 
     Although not shown, the base  106  is coupled to a belt of a pair of shorts worn by a person. The base  106  is coupled to the belt by the clip  108 . The rotator  104  may be repositioned to help make the footwear carrier  100  more comfortable. 
     In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application. 
     The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.