Patent Publication Number: US-8984777-B1

Title: Weighted footwear assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to footwear and weight combination devices and more particularly pertains to a new footwear and weight combination device for adding selective amounts of weight to a person&#39;s footwear in order to increase resistance while exercising legs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a foot covering including a sole and a perimeter wall attached to and extending upwardly from the sole. The perimeter wall includes an upper, a heel counter and a heel collar extending upwardly from the heel counter. The foot covering includes a back side, a front side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side wherein the front side is configured to cover toes of a foot. A plurality of sleeves is attached to the perimeter wall. A plurality of weights is provided and each of the weights has a size and shape for being received by one of the sleeves. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a weighted footwear assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new footwear and weight combination device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the weighted footwear assembly  10  generally comprises a foot covering  12  including a sole  14  and a perimeter wall  16  attached to and extending upwardly from the sole  14 . The perimeter wall  16  includes an upper  18 , a heel counter  20  and a heel collar  22  extending upwardly from the heel counter  20 . The foot covering  12  generally includes a back side  24 , a front side  26 , a first lateral side  28  and a second lateral side  30  wherein the front side  26  is configured to cover toes of a foot. The foot covering  12  is generally conventional and may include a shoe or more particularly a basketball high-top shoe or a boot such as might be used for hiking. 
     A plurality of sleeves  32  is attached to the perimeter wall  16 . The sleeves  32  are adjacent to each other and each is vertically oriented. Each of the sleeves  32  has an open upper end  34 . The sleeves  32  may be positioned on the heel collar  22  and extend along the back side  26  of the foot covering  12  to each of the first  28  and second  30  lateral sides of the foot covering  12  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The plurality of sleeves  32  is at least three sleeves  32  and may include more than six sleeves  32 . Typically there will be less than twenty sleeves  32  on the foot covering  12 . 
     A plurality of weights  36  is provided. Each of the weights  36  has a size and shape for being received by one of the sleeves  32 . Each of the weights  36  has an upper end  38 , a lower end  40  and a peripheral surface  42  extending between the upper  38  and lower  40  ends. The upper  38  and lower  40  ends may each have a convex dome shape and the peripheral surface may have a cylindrical shape. The weights  36  may each weigh between 0.02 kg and 0.40 kg and the weights  36  may be provided in different weighting increments. 
     A shield  44 , comprised of a flexible material, is attached to the foot covering  12  adjacent to an upper edge of the heel collar  22 . The shield  44  is positionable in an upright position exposing the sleeves  32  or in a folded position covering the sleeves  32 . A fastener  46  is attached to the shield  44  and releasably retains the shield  44  in the folded position. While the fastener  44  shown in  FIG. 1  includes a zipper including zipper sections attached to the foot covering  12  and the shield  44 , the fastener  46  may include hook and loop couplers, snaps and the like. 
     In use, a user of the assembly wears the foot covering in a conventional manner. The user then places a desired amount of weights in the sleeves. The weights have a generally a same shape as the sleeves to prevent excess movement of the weights relative to the foot covering. The user then exercises or plays athletic games with the footwear adding increased weight to the user&#39;s feet to help provide a greater athletic work out for the user&#39;s legs. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to 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 an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure.