Patent Publication Number: US-9883712-B1

Title: Waterproof footwear cover

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of footwear, more specifically, an accessory that is adapted to be positioned over an article of footwear in order to cover and protect said article of footwear. 
     Shoes and footwear can be pricey. When wearing said footwear outside, the elements can ruin or destroy said footwear. This is especially true in rainy or muddy conditions. 
     What is needed and is covered via the device of the present application is a disposable boot that is adapted to be positioned over a leg, foot, and an article of footwear in order to protect and cover the article of footwear from the elements. Furthermore, what is needed and accomplished herein is a device that is easily installed, easily opened after use, and disposable. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The waterproof footwear cover is a disposable accessory that is adapted to be positioned over an article of footwear. The waterproof footwear cover is made of a soft plastic material that is adapted to be positioned over a foot and leg and a respective article of footwear. The waterproof footwear cover features at least one perforated tab, which when pulled enables the waterproof footwear cover to fold open in order to remove the leg, foot, and respective article of footwear. The at least one perforated tab is positioned on a layer surface of the waterproof footwear cover, and is pulled upwardly along a line of perforations in order to enable the waterproof footwear cover to open up. The at least one perforated tab may be provided on side surfaces adjacent an ankle of the foot and leg, as well as at the toe portion of the waterproof footwear cover. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a device that is adapted to be positioned over a leg, foot, and an article of footwear in order to cover and protect the article of footwear from the elements. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that is easily installed, and is disposable after use. 
     These together with additional objects, features and advantages of the waterproof footwear cover will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     In this respect, before explaining the current embodiments of the waterproof footwear cover in detail, it is to be understood that the waterproof footwear cover is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the waterproof footwear cover. 
     It is therefore important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the waterproof footwear cover. It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. They are meant to be exemplary illustrations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is an open view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom, perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments of the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. 
     Detailed reference will now be made to a first potential embodiment of the disclosure, which is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 . The waterproof footwear cover  100  (hereinafter invention) comprises a boot-shaped member  101  that is adapted to extend upwardly from an ankle  201 . Moreover, the boot-shaped member  101  ideally extends upwardly to not more than a knee  202  of the user. The boot-shaped member  101  is made of a flexible, yet hydrophobic material, such as vinyl. 
     The boot-shaped member  101  is adapted to be positioned over an article of footwear  203  as well as a leg  204  of the user. The boot-shaped member  101  is further defined with a bottom surface  102  that is planar, and which includes at least one non-slip pad  103  thereon. The bottom surface  102  has a bottom thickness  140  that is sufficient to withstand use when walking on a ground surface. However, the remaining sides of the boot-shaped member  101  are defined with a side thickness  141 . Moreover, the bottom thickness  140  is greater than or equal to the side thickness. 
     The boot-shaped member  101  includes at least one perforated tab  104  thereon. The at least one perforated tab  104  is positioned on a lower portion of the boot-shaped member  101 . The at least one perforated tab  104  is designed to be pulled upwardly in order to form an opening  105  in the boot-shaped member  101  along a line of perforations  106 . 
     The at least one perforated tab  104  may be provided on a toe portion  107  of the boot-shaped member  101 . Moreover, the at least one perforated tab  104  is pulled along the line of perforations  106  extending along a front surface  108  of the boot-shaped member  101 , and up to an elastic cuff  109  provided at a top edge  110  of the boot-shaped member  101 . The elastic cuff  109  extends along a perimeter of the top edge  110 . 
     Alternatively, the at least one perforated tab  104  may be provided on an inner, side surface  111  of the boot-shaped member  101 . The line of perforations  106  extends upwardly from the inner, side surface  111  up to the elastic cuff  109 . It shall be noted that the line of perforations  106  may be referred to as at least one line of perforations  106  or a pair of line of perforations  106 . Moreover, the pair of line of perforations  106  are generally parallel with one another. 
     Alternatively, the at least one perforated tab  104  may be provided on an outer, side surface  112  of the boot-shaped member  101 . The line of perforations  106  extends upwardly from the outer, side surface  112  up to the elastic cuff  109 . 
     In use, the boot-shaped member  101  is positioned over the article of footwear  203 . After use, the at least one perforated tab  104  is pulled along the line of perforations  106  in order to form the opening  105  required in order to extract the article of footwear  203 . Afterwards, the at least one perforated  104  and an attached tab strip  120  are discarded along with the boot-shaped member  101 . 
     With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationship for the various components of the invention described above and in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the invention. 
     It shall be noted that those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the various embodiments of the present invention which will result in an improved invention, yet all of which will fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.