Patent Publication Number: US-2007119723-A1

Title: Safety socks

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      Not Applicable  
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a foot protection barrier and methods of use thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disposable foot protection barrier having adhesive and non-skid properties associated therewith and methods of use thereof. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a foot protection barrier constructed in accordance with the present invention, one corner of the foot protection barrier being upwardly turned to illustrate a lower surface thereof.  
       FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the foot protection barrier of  FIG. 1  attached to a foot of a user.  
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the foot protection barrier of  FIG. 1  attached to a foot of a user.  
       FIG. 4  is top plan view of the foot protection barrier of  FIG. 1  having a detachable layer of material disposed over the adhesive provided on the upper surface of the foot protection barrier.  
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view of a pair of foot protection barriers having perforations therebetween for separating the foot protection barriers.  
       FIG. 6  is a pictorial representation of a pad of foot protection barriers having perforations for detaching individual foot protection barriers from the pad of foot protection barriers.  
       FIG. 7  is a pictorial representation of a roll of foot protection barriers having perforations for detaching an individual protection barrier from the roll of foot protection barriers.  
       FIG. 8  is a pictorial representation of a kit containing a plurality of foot protection barriers constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 9  is a pictorial representation of a kit containing a roll of foot protection barriers constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 10  is a pictorial representation of a kit having two compartments, each compartment containing a plurality of foot protection barriers constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , shown therein is a foot protection barrier  10  constructed in accordance with the present invention. The foot protection barrier  10  has adhesive and non-skid properties associated therewith so that the foot protection barrier  10  can be adhered to a portion of a user&#39;s foot while preventing a user from slipping and/or sliding while utilizing the foot protection barrier  10 . The term “foot” as used herein should be understood to include a barefoot, a foot having a stocking thereon including, for example, a sock or pantyhose, or a foot having a shoe thereon.  
      The foot protection barrier  10  includes a sheet of material  12  having an upper surface  14  and a lower surface  16 . The upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  having an adhesive  15  disposed on at least a portion thereof and the lower surface  16  of the sheet of material  12  having a non-skid material  20  disposed thereon.  
      The sheet of material  12  may be constructed of any material having a thickness of about 1 mm or less and which is capable of having the adhesive  15  disposed on the upper surface  14  of the foot protection barrier  10  and the non-skid material  20  disposed on the lower surface  16  thereof. Examples of materials which can be employed as the sheet of material  12  include, for example, bond paper (i.e., 105 bond), tissue paper or paper-like material. The sheet of material  12  may also be fabricated of any fibrous material, natural material, synthetic material, hypo-allergenic material, laminates, and combinations thereof.  
      The foot protection barrier  10  is substantially non-deformable along the thickness such that the sheet of material  12  is non-conforming to a user&#39;s foot upon the foot being placed on the upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  when the lower surface of the sheet of material  12  is positioned on a rigid, planar surface  18  in a face to face relation ( FIG. 2 ). Examples of such surfaces include a concrete floor, a tile floor, a laminate floor, and the like.  
      At least a portion of the upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  is provided with the adhesive  15  so that the foot protection barrier  10  formed of the sheet of material  12  can temporarily adhere to at least a portion of a user&#39;s foot. That is, the adhesive  15  provides the upper surface  14  of the foot protection barrier  10  with sufficient tact so that at least a portion of the upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10  can temporarily adhere to at least a portion of the bottom of a user&#39;s foot (i.e., a ball portion, a heel portion, and a toe portion of a user&#39;s foot) when the user&#39;s foot is positioned thereon.  
      It should be understood that the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention does not conform to the bottom of a user&#39;s foot. Rather, the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention adheres to various portions of the bottom of a user&#39;s foot as described above. The foot protection barrier  10  may be utilized by a barefoot user, a user wearing a stocking, such as a sock or pantyhose, and/or a user wearing a shoe.  
      The term “adhesive” as used herein means any and all materials capable of providing sufficient tact to at least a portion of the sheet of material  12  to allow the sheet of material  12  to adhere to at least a portion of a user&#39;s foot while at the same time allowing the sheet of material  12  to be readily removed therefrom. Such adhesive materials which can be used as the adhesive  15  are well known in the art. Thus, no further comments concerning the types of adhesives are believed to be necessary to allow one having ordinary skill in the art to understand and practice the invention. The adhesive  15  may also be hypo-allergenic so as to prevent allergic reactions that may be caused by certain adhesives and/or additives.  
      The adhesive  15  may be provided on the upper surface  14  in any manner or configuration so as to allow at least a portion of a user&#39;s foot to adhere to at least a portion of the upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10 . For example, the adhesive  15  may be disposed on the entire upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  or to selected portions thereof in various manners and/or configurations such as, for example, adhesive strips, spots, lines, or any other manner provided that the foot protection barrier  10  is provided with an effective amount of adhesive  15  for permitting the foot protection barrier  10  to temporarily adhere to at least a portion of the bottom of a user&#39;s foot. Further, the adhesive  15  may be applied in a random pattern, repeat pattern, or any other desirable pattern that is capable of allowing at least a portion of a user&#39;s foot to adhere to at least a portion of the upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention.  
      The foot protection barrier  10  may be provided with a detachable layer  19  ( FIG. 4 ) for covering the adhesive  15  until a user desires to adhere the foot protection barrier  10  to the user&#39;s foot in which case the user may remove the detachable layer  19  to expose the adhesive  15  prior to application of the foot protection barrier  10  to the user&#39;s foot. It should be understood that the detachable layer  19  may be employed in any of the configurations of adhesive described above. Such detachable layers  19  are well known. Examples of detachable layers  19  which can be used to cover the adhesive  15  on the upper surface  14  of the sheet of material  12  include those used in conjunction with BAND-AIDS®, feminine pads, and the like.  
      As previously stated, the lower portion  16  of the sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10  is provided with a non-skid material  20  on at least a portion thereof for preventing a user from slipping and/or sliding while wearing the foot protection barrier  10 . That is, a user may be mobile while wearing the foot protection barrier  10  and the non-skid material  20  provided on the lower surface  16  of the sheet of material  12  will prevent the user from slipping and/or sliding. Examples of non-skid materials that may be used include any polymeric material such as, for example, rubber and the like.  
      The non-skid material  20  may be provided on the lower surface  16  of the sheet of material  12  in any manner so as to provide the foot protection barrier  10  with a non-skid surface on at least a portion of the lower surface  16  of the sheet of material  12 . For example, the non-skid material  20  may be disposed on the entire lower surface  16  of the foot protection barrier  10  or the non-skid material  20  may be applied in various manners and/or configurations such as, for example, strips, spots, dots, lines, or any other manner such that at least a portion of the lower surface  16  of the sheet of material  12  is provided with a sufficient amount of non-skid material  20  for providing the foot protection barrier  10  with a non-skid surface for preventing a user from slipping and/or sliding while wearing the foot protection barrier  10 . The non-skid material  20  may be applied in a random pattern, a repeat pattern, or any other pattern desirable for providing a non-skid surface to the lower surface  16  of the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention.  
      The sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention is shown in the drawings as being substantially square in configuration; however, it should be understood that the sheet of material  12  is not limited to having a substantially square configuration. Additionally, the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention may be any dimension that is desirable for use. Examples of various shapes and/or configurations which may be employed in the construction of the foot protection barrier  10  include rectangular, round, oval, triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, and/or novelty shapes such as, for example, a heart, a pumpkin, a balloon, a star, or any other desirable novelty shape provided with sufficient dimensions to prevent a user&#39;s foot from having direct contact with a non-desirable support surface. Further, the foot protection barrier  10  is not foot-specific. That is, the foot protection barrier  10  is shaped such that the foot protection barrier  10  may be used interchangeably for protecting the bottom of either a left foot or a right foot of a user.  
      The foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention may also include various printing thereon. For example, the foot protection barrier  10  may include various configurations printed thereon such as, for example, hearts, stars, balloons, or any other configuration or multiple configurations that is desirable. Additionally, an outline of a foot may be printed on the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention to designate the appropriate area for foot placement on the foot protection barrier  10 . The printed configurations may be printed on the upper surface  14 , the lower surface  16 , or both the upper surface  14  and the lower surface  16  of the sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10 . Any conventional inks and printing techniques may be employed in application of printed configurations on the foot protection barrier  10 .  
      Advertisements may also be printed on the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention. For example, a company may wish to advertise by placing their logo or slogan on the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention. The advertisements may be printed on the upper surface  14 , the lower surface  16 , or both the upper surface  14  and the lower surface  16  of the sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10 .  
      Additionally, the sheet of material  12  of the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention may be any color that is desirable. For example, a package of multiple foot protection barriers of the present invention may include several different colors of foot protection barriers or may include a single color of foot protection barriers.  
      Further, the foot protection barrier  10  is disposable. That is, once a user has employed the foot protection barrier  10  for its desired use, the foot protection barrier may be thrown away. Also, the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention may be biodegradable.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a user&#39;s foot  22  is positioned on the foot protection barrier  10  while the user is standing on the rigid, planar surface  18 . It should be understood that the foot protection barrier  10  may also be wrapped about the foot  22  of the user such that the user&#39;s entire foot  22  is encompassed within the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention for added protection.  
      Shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , the foot protection barrier  10  may be packaged and/or sold in various manners such as, for example, individually, as a pair  24  of foot protection barriers ( FIG. 5 ), as a pad of multiple foot protection barriers  26  ( FIG. 6 ), as a roll of multiple foot protection barriers  30  ( FIG. 7 ) or in any other manner that is desirable. If the foot protection barrier  10  of the present invention is packaged and/or sold in pairs, the pair of foot protection barriers  10  may be connected or may be packaged loosely as individual units. That is, the pair of foot protection barriers  24  may be connected along one edge of each individual foot protection barrier  10  wherein each foot protection barrier  10  may be provided with a perforation  25  for ease of separation or when packaged as the pair  24  it may be desirable to provide a perforation  25  therebetween to enhance separation.  
      Shown in  FIG. 6 , multiple foot protection barriers may be packaged and/or sold as a pad of foot protection barriers  26 . For example, the pad of foot protection barriers  26  may include adhesive along one edge for connecting individual foot protection barriers together along one edge for forming the pad  26 . Additionally and/or alternatively, each foot protection barrier  10  of the pad of foot protection barriers  26  may be provided with a perforation  28  along one edge such that each foot protection barrier  10  may be separable from the pad of foot protection barriers  26  by tearing along the line of perforation  28 .  
      The non-skid material  20  described above may also contain a release-coating (not shown) therein such that the non-skid material  20  will not adhere to an adhesive material such as the adhesive coating  15  described above such that if multiple foot protection barriers  10  of the present invention are stacked upon each other, the lower surface  16  of one foot protection barrier will not adhere to the upper surface  14  of a second foot protection barrier placed beneath it. Additionally, it is important that, with the addition of a release-coating to the non-skid material  20 , the non-skid material  20  will maintain the desirable non-skid properties associated therewith.  
      Shown in  FIG. 7 , the foot protection barrier  10  may be packaged and/or sold as a roll of multiple foot protection barriers  30 . In this embodiment, a line of perforation  32  may be provided between each foot protection barrier  10  wherein a user may simply separate each foot protection barrier  10  by tearing along the line of perforation  32 . Additionally, the detachable layer  19  may be used to sufficiently cover the adhesive  15  to prevent exposure of the adhesive  15  until desired. Additionally, the detachable layer  19  will prevent multiple foot protection barriers from adhering together in the roll configuration.  
      Shown in  FIGS. 8-10 , the foot protection barrier  10  may be packaged and/or sold as a kit  34  wherein the pad of foot protection barriers  26  ( FIG. 8 ) or roll of foot protection barriers  30  ( FIG. 9 ), as described above, may be packaged in a container  36  such as, for example, a box, wherein a user may place his or her foot inside of the container  36  for removal of the desired foot protection barrier  10  by any method described herein. For example, a user may place his or her foot on the pad of foot protection barriers  26  inside the container  36  and separate a single foot protection barrier  10  from the pad of foot protection barriers  26  along the line of perforation  28  as described above. The container  36  includes at least one receiving space  38  sized and configured to receive a plurality of foot protection barriers such as the pad of foot protection barriers  26  or roll of foot protection barriers  30  shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 .  
      Shown in  FIG. 8 , the pad of foot protection barriers  26  may include at least one connector  40 , such as a brad, for forming the pad of the foot protection barriers  26 . That is, the connector  40  is positioned through each of the individual foot protection barriers  10  of the pad  26  to maintain the individual foot protection barriers  10  inside the container  36  while maintaining the individual foot protection barriers  10  as a pad of foot protection barriers  26 .  
      Shown in  FIG. 9 , a cutting element  42  may be positioned on a portion of the container  36  for separating an individual foot protection barrier  10  from the roll of foot protection barriers  30  disposed in the container  26 . Cutting elements are known in the art. Examples of cutting elements include those used in conjunction containers having wax paper, aluminum foil, and the like contained therein. Additionally, the cutting element  42  may include a straight or serrated edge. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the container  36  includes a first receiving space  44  and a second receiving space  46  for placement of individual foot protection barriers  10  or multiple foot protection barriers, such as a stack of individual foot protection barriers  10  (as shown), a pad or a roll, in each receiving space.  
      The present invention further contemplates a method for temporarily protecting the user&#39;s foot  20  from contamination when the user&#39;s foot  22  is positioned on the support surface  18  as described hereinabove. The foot protection barrier  10  may be used to protect the user&#39;s foot  22  from non-sanitary surfaces such as, for example, a hospital floor. In use, the user is provided with the foot protection barrier  10  and positions his or her foot on the foot protection barrier  10  for travel across the support surface  18 . The user may remove the foot protection barrier  10  from the foot  22  after traveling across the support surface  18  and subsequently disposes the foot protection barrier  10  in a container, such as a wastebasket or trash can.  
      While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it should be understood that many modifications may be made to the present invention as described herein or in the steps or sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.