Patent Publication Number: US-6219938-B1

Title: Removable fabric covering for a shoe

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/911,726 filed Aug. 15, 1997, now abandoned. 
    
    
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to protective clothing and, more specifically, to a covering for a shoe. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     One of a plethora of examples of a place where a covering over the bottom of a shoe is particularly desirable is in a hospital. The shoe covering could prevent an accumulation of dirt on the bottom of the shoe resulting in a spread of microbes among a population that has a low resistance to disease. The shoe covering is additionally desirable in many types of industrial establishments, such as a clean room of a semiconductor factory. 
     Similarly, when a homeowner has a workman install a carpet in a home, it is preferable that the carpet be clean at least prior to either the homeowner or a member of the homeowner&#39;s family setting foot on the carpet. Accordingly, it is desirable that the workman wear the shoe covering. 
     Likewise, when a person enters an automobile, dirt from the person&#39;s shoes is usually deposited upon the floor of the automobile. The deposition of the dirt can be prevented by the person wearing the shoe covering prior to entering the automobile. 
     One of the typical problems of the shoe coverings in the prior art is that they do not fit a multiplicity of sizes of shoes. That is, when the shoe covering fits a small shoe of a female, it usually does not fit a large shoe of a workman. Thus, it is desirable that a shoe covering be able to fit a range of shoe sizes. 
     Furthermore, it is desirable that the shoe covering be simple and inexpensive to manufacture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,281 discloses a covering that fits almost all sizes of shoes. However, the &#39;281 covering includes elastic yarn and requires a considerable amount of stitching. Therefore, the &#39;281 covering is undesirably complex and may be expensive to manufacture. 
     There is a need for a shoe covering that fits a multiplicity of sizes of shoes and is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a shoe covering that fits a multiplicity of sizes of shoes. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe covering that is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to construct. 
     According to the present invention, a cloth retention strip is folded to form two plies. The retention strip is fixedly disposed along the border of a cloth panel. A draw string that is retained between the plies is operable to draw the panel over the toe and around the heel of a shoe that is placed upon the panel. 
     The invention provides a shoe covering that fits either a left shoe or a right shoe. The invention includes a draw string that is operable to cause the size of the shoe covering to vary to fit a multiplicity of sizes of shoes. Various covering sizes may be used to accommodate a wider variety of shoe sizes such as one size for smaller shoes and another size for larger shoes. The shoe covering is easily used and is washable to permit reuse. A rubberized pad may be connected to an outside of the shoe covering to provide a non-skid surface. In an alternate embodiment, rubber or similar non-skid substance could be baked or deposited on the outside of the shoe covering in a dotted, crisscrossed, or solid pattern to provide a non-skid surface. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention should be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of an inside surface of a panel in the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of an outside surface of the panel in the embodiment of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a section of FIG. 1 taken along the line  3 — 3 ; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view, with parts broken away, of a portion of the seams in the embodiment of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 1 being worn on a shoe; 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 1 being worn on a shoe; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of an outside surface of the panel in an alternate embodiment; and 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 7 being worn on a shoe. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a shoe covering includes a substantially flat, flexible cloth panel  10  in the general shape of an oval. The panel  10  is folded along a border  12  (FIG. 3) to form a panel ply  14 . 
     A cloth retention strip  16  is comprised of an inner ply  18  and an outer ply  20 . Means for fixedly connecting the panel  10  to the retention strip  16 , such as a seam  32 , are provided. In the preferred embodiment, the panel  10  and the strip  16  are sewn together along the border  12  in a manner described hereinafter. 
     A draw string  22  is carried between the plies  18 ,  20 . The device includes means for providing access to the draw string  22 , such as a pair of access slits  24 ,  26 . As explained hereinafter, the draw string  22  is used to draw the panel  10  over the toe and around the heel of a shoe that is worn by a user. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the plies  14 ,  18  are sewn together by a seam  28  that is substantially parallel to the border  12 . Therefore, the seam  28  is in the shape of an oval. It should be understood that the seam  28  is not visible to a user because it is not directly connected to either the panel  10  or the ply  20 . 
     Means for retaining the draw string  22  between the strip plies  18 ,  20 , such as a retention seam  30 , is provided. In the preferred embodiment, the panel  10  and the plies  14 ,  18 ,  20  are all sewn together by a retention seam  30  that is substantially parallel to the border  12 . Because the plies  18 ,  20  are sewn together by the seam  30 , the draw string  22  is retained by the seam  30  between the plies  18 ,  20 . Like the seam  28 , the seam  30  is in the shape of an oval that is substantially parallel to the border  12 . 
     The plies  14 ,  18 ,  20  are sewn to the panel  10  by a seam  32 , whereby ends of the plies  14 ,  18 ,  20  are sewn together. The seam  32  reduces stress on the seam  30 . 
     A pair of cloth tabs  34 ,  36  (FIGS. 1 and 2) have loops  38 ,  40 , respectively, at ends thereof. The draw string  22  passes through the loops  38 ,  40 . Preferably, ends (not shown) of draw string  22  are tied together and sewn into the interior of the loop  38 . 
     In one embodiment, the tabs  34 ,  36  have mating fastener elements, such as mating fastener pads  42 ,  44  of a hook and pile fastener such as Velcro™, sewn onto one side. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in this embodiment, when a user&#39;s shoe  46  is upon the inside surface of the panel  10 , the user may pull on the draw string  22  to cause the panel  10  to fit over the toe and around the heel of the shoe  46 . Additionally, the fastener pads  42 ,  44  may be used to connect the tabs  34 ,  36  together and thereby maintain the fit over the toe and around the heel. 
     In an alternate embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, one fastener element, such as hook fastener pads  42 ,  44  of a hook and pile fastener such as Velcro™, is attached onto one side of each tab  34 ,  36 . The mating fastener element, such as a pile fastener pad  45 , is attached to the outside surface of the panel  10 . 
     As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the panel  10  is secured by pulling the draw string  22  tight to fit the panel  10  over the toe and around the heel of the shoe  46 . To maintain the fit, the tabs  34 ,  36  may be pulled in opposite directions across the front top of the user&#39;s foot, thereby crossing the draw string  22  at the front top of the user&#39;s foot. The hook fastener pads  42 ,  44  attached to the tabs  34 ,  36  may then be coupled to the pile fastener pad  45  on the outside of the panel  10  which is drawn around the user&#39;s heel when the draw string  22  is tightened. Because the tabs  34 ,  36  are crossed at the front top of the user&#39;s foot, the hook fastener pad  44  on the tab  36  from the right side of the user&#39;s foot is coupled to the pile fastener pad  45  near the left side of the heel and the hook fastener pad  42  on the tab  34  from the left side of the user&#39;s foot is coupled to the pile fastener pad  45  near the right side of the user&#39;s heel. 
     Preferably, a rubberized pad  48  (FIG. 2) is sewn onto the outside surface of the panel  10 . The pad  48  provides a non-skid surface that reduces a danger of the user slipping on a floor with a smooth surface. In an alternate embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, a rubber or other non-skid material  49  is baked or deposited directly onto the outside surface of the panel  10 . The non-skid material  49  may be arranged in a variety of patterns including dots, cris-crossed lines, or solid patches. The panel  10  is preferably made from a water repellant material such as Subplex®. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.