Patent Abstract:
An overshoe that is removably disposable on a user&#39;s shoe and provides a tread surface that enhances the user&#39;s footing on slippery surfaces. The tread surface has removable spikes that penetrate surfaces and forward-oriented and rearwards-oriented gripping ridges that grip the surface. The ease of pulling on and removing the overshoe is enhanced by using stretch zones that are placed to allow stretching of the overshoe to fit over a shoe or the like without compromising the snugness of the overshoe fit. A spike assembly for use with an overshoe that fits over a person&#39;s shoe and enhances a person&#39;s contact with the ground, includes a spike having a head operably coupled to a shank; and a button overmolded on the spike and having a neck for removable engagement in a bore defined in the overshoe. A method of minimizing slippage on a ground surface is further included.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/648,920 filed Aug. 25, 2000. 
     
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0002]    The present invention is related to the field of footwear worn over other footwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to anti-slippage footwear and to a spike assembly for use with such footwear.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Shoes, including athletic shoes, work boots, dress shoes, ski boots, overshoes, and all manner of footwear, provide poor traction on many surfaces, including slippery, icy, and wet surfaces. The difficulties of moving across a slippery surface, including walking, running, and jogging, result in inconvenience and injury. Slips, falls, and resultant injuries are typically caused by a lack of good footing. And even if a person does not actually fall, the need to walk slowly or with small steps over a slippery surface is inconvenient, slows movement, and is a distraction that interferes with a person&#39;s ability to be aware of their surroundings and to be alert to non-slip hazards.  
           [0004]    The inconvenience of walking on slippery surfaces interferes with businesses that require outdoor work to be done when conditions are icy. Postal and parcel delivery, for instance, is hampered, as well as baggage handling, road repair, ambulance and emergency work, police work, and any outdoor work that cannot be stopped for inclement weather.  
           [0005]    Runners, joggers, and persons that exercise outdoors are hampered by the loss of traction on slippery surfaces. For example, even if outdoor surfaces are slightly slippery, a jogger must take smaller strides to avoid slipping. Activities that require movement faster than a slow walk are greatly hindered in inclement conditions by a lack of suitable footwear.  
           [0006]    Further, even the knowledge that roads and sidewalks are slippery can be detrimental. The knowledge that outdoor walking conditions are hazardous may discourage persons from engaging in normal activities. For instance, a person is more likely to choose not to walk to a store, to take a pet for a walk, or otherwise leave home if the person knows that walking conditions are slippery.  
           [0007]    This problem is especially acute for the elderly or persons with disabilities that interfere with a standard gait. Many elderly persons experience impediments to walking that make them more likely to slip and fall under normal conditions; and in climates where snow and ice persists through a significant portion of the winter, some elderly persons become essentially home-bound. Similarly, a disability that causes an irregular gait may discourage a person from undertaking normal activities when outdoor walkways provide sub-par traction; for example, the loss of a leg may create an irregular gait that leads to added vulnerability to slipping.  
           [0008]    Ideally, footwear that provides good traction in all weather would minimize the inconvenience of changing or removing shoes every time a person comes indoors. Further, a device that is versatile and works with many size shoes or foot-sizes is desirable so that a user, especially an organization that serves multiple persons, may stock a minimal number.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The invention solves the difficulties described above by providing footwear that is worn over other footwear, and is referred to herein as an overshoe. The overshoe easily slips on and off of shoes and provides excellent grip and traction on slippery surfaces. The improvement in grip and traction results in greater safety, efficiency, and confidence for a person moving across a surface. Walking or jogging is safer and the wearer of the overshoe may move with an increased stride length that is faster and more comfortable.  
           [0010]    The overshoe has spikes that help the wearer have grip and traction on a surface; the weight of the wearer pushes the spikes into the surface so that they grip. The spikes may be made of a durable material—for instance, carbide—which resists wear and maintains a sharp point, or stainless steel. The spikes are under the heel, the ball of the foot, and forward and rearward of the ball of the foot. Thus, they are arranged so that the heel or the ball of the foot pushes spikes into the ground while walking. The forwardmost spike is pushed into the ground when the user&#39;s weight is shifted far forward—for example when running, standing on tip-toe, or leaning back with the toes pointed—a position that is naturally assumed in some situations, for instance when leaning far back while pulling a rope tied to a heavy object.  
           [0011]    The spikes may be readily removed from the overshoe for use on surfaces that might be damaged by the spikes. Readily removing the spikes facilitates worn spike replacement, and is a safety feature that, for instance, allows a user to be freed when a spike is inadvertently wedged into a crevice in a rigid surface. As will be appreciated, the overshoe has gripping features in addition to the spikes. These features enhance traction and a user may wear the overshoe without the spikes and enjoy greatly increased traction, although maximum traction on ice is achieved with the use of the spikes. Removing the spikes is particularly useful when the overshoe is worn indoors as many household surfaces would be damaged by the spikes.  
           [0012]    The material of the overshoe is a durable elastic material that is tough, lightweight, and flexible even in temperatures below 0° F. The term “elastic material,” as used herein, includes natural and synthetic polymers, including rubbers and reinforced rubbers, TRP, and other suitable materials.  
           [0013]    The overshoe has a front-gripping portion that substantially encloses and grips the front toe portion of the user&#39;s shoe and a back-gripping portion that grips the back heel portion of a user&#39;s shoe. The front-gripping portion of the overshoe has an opening that accepts the user&#39;s shoe; this opening is formed in the overshoe and stays open, and therefore does not have to be held open. The user may insert the user&#39;s shoe into the opening and stretch the front-gripping portion to fit around the shoe&#39;s front. The back-gripping portion is similarly stretched around the back of the shoe to provide a secure fit. The overshoe is preferably made available in several sizes to accommodate a wide range of shoe sizes over which the overshoe is to be worn.  
           [0014]    The back-gripping portion includes a hole that allows the overshoe to be easily put on a shoe. A user may insert a finger into a finger hole and easily stretch the overshoe by pulling. This feature is especially useful for users with limited use of their hands or reduced strength, including disabled, arthritic, and elderly persons. This feature is superior to a tab or a tab-type feature because the finger hole does not require a grip; it merely requires that the finger hole be hooked with a finger or implement.  
           [0015]    The overshoe has an outersole that joins the front- and back-gripping portions. The top of the outersole contacts the user&#39;s shoe and the bottom is the tread surface; the spikes project from the tread surface, which also has gripping ridges.  
           [0016]    The gripping ridges work with the spikes to provide extra traction and increase the coefficient of friction between the outersole and the surface. The gripping ridges may have a triangular shape: one side of the triangle is a push-face that is vertical to the walking surface, generally referred to as the ground herein; and another side of the triangle, the hypotenuse face, slopes back to the outersole surface and serves as a brace to the push-face. The push-face may be a forward-pushing push-face that is oriented to the front of the oversole so that it directly resists forces that tend to pull the overshoe forward. Or the push-face may be a backward-pushing push face that faces the rear of the oversole and provides a surface that resists forces that move the overshoe backward. The triangular shape distributes the force effectively to provide strength, durability, and surface area to resist movement.  
           [0017]    The overshoe is configured so that it fits snugly and conforms to the shape of the shoe but is easy to put on and remove. The shoe material ideally is elastic so that it may be stretched by applying tension, but returns to its original shape when the tension is removed. Thus, the overshoe may be stretched by a user to fit around a shoe and its elastic force provides for a snug fit that conforms to the user&#39;s shoe. If the material is too easily stretched, however, it stretches and moves while the user is walking so that walking is more difficult. The invention reconciles these competing design needs by strategically incorporating stretch zones into the overshoe. The stretch zones are placed so that the overshoe is readily stretched by a user in the course of putting on or removing the shoe.  
           [0018]    The stretch zones are placed in the front-gripping portion and in the back-gripping portion so that these portions may be readily stretched by the user. A stretch zone is a portion of the overshoe that is made in the shape of a narrow strip: since the ease of stretching the plastic is proportional to its cross-sectional area—the product of the zone width and thickness—control of the zone&#39;s cross-sectional area allows for control of its stretch; a small area increases stretchability. But the cross-sectional area of the zone is related to the durability and longevity of the stretch zone; a larger area increases longevity. The zones are created by introducing holes or cut-outs that reduce the amount of plastic in the overshoe. The invention includes placing these zones in areas that need to be stretched to fit over a shoe but restricting their use in overshoe areas that experience stretching loads during a user&#39;s movement. The need for ease in stretching these zones must be balanced against the need for durability and strength.  
           [0019]    The incorporation of the stretch zones increases the versatility of the overshoe. Since the overshoe can be more readily stretched by a user than would otherwise be possible, the overshoe may be stretched to fit around a greater variety of shoe sizes. Therefore a user may accommodate all of their shoes with a minimal number of overshoes. The placement of the stretch zones allows for a better fit and for a better stretchability when the user needs it: stretchability is great when the overshoe is being put on but small when it is being worn.  
           [0020]    The outer sole has a forward portion, a central opening, and a rearward portion. The forward portion generally underlies the front of the shoe and the rearward portion generally underlies the heel of the user. The central opening is an opening between the forward and rearward portions. The central opening minimizes the amount of material used to form the overshoe and avoids creating a space between the outersole and user&#39;s shoe that could trap unwanted material such as ice, mud, and rocks.  
           [0021]    In an embodiment of the rearward portion of the outer sole, the rearward portion is a band of material that includes both gripping ridges and spikes. It has a surface area that contacts the ground. The rearward portion of the present invention has a rearward portion that is improved over the prior art because it has a greater surface area and has an increased thickness. Furthermore, the increased thickness allows for a plurality of gripping ridges to be incorporated so that traction is greatly improved compared to a narrower rearward portion.  
           [0022]    The overshoe has a greater thickness in critical areas. Other anti-slip overshoes have a thickness that is essentially uniform throughout. This makes it easier to mass-produce the prior art overshoes, but the durability of such overshoes is compromised. The longevity of the overshoe of the present invention has been improved by adding extra material thickness at key areas. For instance, the rearward portion is thicker than most of the rest of the outersole; this increased thickness improves the longevity of the rearward portion. The areas around the spikes are also reinforced with extra thickness; the extra thickness increases the longevity of the overshoe because the hard material of the spikes, such as metal, tends to cause the material of the overshoe to wear down. Other areas of increased thickness are generally the stretch zones. Manipulating the thickness of the stretch zones allows their cross-sectional area to be optimized to balance longevity with stretchability.  
           [0023]    The invention is further a spike assembly for use with an overshoe that fits over a person&#39;s shoe and enhances a person&#39;s contact with the ground and includes a spike having a head operably coupled to a shank and a button overmolded on the spike and having a neck for removable engagement in a bore defined in the overshoe. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an anti-slip overshoe attached to a shoe that is shown in phantom;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a right side elevational view of an anti-slip overshoe;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an anti-slip overshoe;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 a  is a top plan view of an anti-slip overshoe with spikes removed;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of an anti-slip overshoe;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 a  is a bottom plan view of an anti-slip overshoe with spikes removed;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5 is a front plan view of an anti-slip overshoe;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 6 is a rear plan view of an anti-slip overshoe;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 7 is a plan view of the Section A-A′ shown in FIG. 4;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a spike molded into a supporting button;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 9 is a bottom planform view of the spike of FIG. 8;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a spike having a serrated shank;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 11 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of an anti-slip overshoe;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 12 is a section of the outersole only taken along the section line  12 - 12  of FIG. 11;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the anti-slip overshoe of the present invention depicted turned inside out such that the tread pattern is shown on the inside of the ball and heel portions of the overshoe;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the overshoe of FIG. 13;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of the overshoe of FIG. 13;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the overshoe of FIG. 13 showing the inside of the ball and heel portions of the overshoe;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an alternative pattern of the tread imposed on the ball of the overshoe;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 18 is a plan view of the tread pattern of FIG. 17;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 19 is a sectional view of the tread pattern taken along the section line A-A of FIG. 18;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an alternative pattern of the tread imposed on the ball of the overshoe;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 21 is a plan view of the tread pattern of FIG. 20;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 22 is a sectional view of the tread pattern taken along the section line A-A of FIG. 21;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an alternative pattern of the tread imposed on the ball of the overshoe;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 24 is a plan view of the tread pattern of FIG. 23;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 25 is a sectional view of the tread pattern taken along the section line A-A of FIG. 24;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 26 is a perspective view of an alternative pattern of the tread imposed on the ball of the overshoe;  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 27 is a plan view of the tread pattern of FIG. 26; and  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 28 is a sectional view of the tread pattern taken along the section line A-A of FIG. 27. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0054]    The overshoe of the present invention is shown generally at  10  in the figures. The overshoe  10  is configured to fit around exemplary shoe  5 . Shoe  5  may be any manner of footwear, including but not limited to shoes, boots, ski-boots, and athletic shoes. Shoe  5  has a forward toe portion  7 , a heel portion  8 , and a bottom  9 . Forward toe portion  7  accommodates the user&#39;s toes and the ball of the foot. Heel  8  accommodates the user&#39;s heel, and bottom  9  of shoe  5  contacts the ground when the overshoe  10  is not being used. The user walks or moves on the ground, such movement including walking, jumping, running, jogging, and similar movement.  
         [0055]    The overshoe  10  has a front-gripping portion  50 , a back-gripping portion  40 , and an outersole  20 . The front-gripping portion  50  grips the forward toe portion  7  of shoe  5  and back-gripping portion  40  grips the heel portion  8  of shoe  5 . The overshoe  10  has an outersole  20  that joins the front-gripping portion  50  and back-gripping portion  40 .  
         [0056]    The outersole  20  has a forward portion  26 , a rearward portion  28 , a central opening  34 , a top  22 , and a tread surface  24 . The forward portion  26  is generally disposable under the forward toe portion  7  of the shoe  5  and is continuous with the rearward portion  28 , which is generally disposed under heel  8  of shoe  5 . Forward portion  26  and rearward portion  28  together define central opening  34 . The top of the outersole  22  generally contacts the bottom of shoe  9  and the opposing bottom of the outersole is tread surface  24 .  
         [0057]    Spikes  25  project downward from tread surface  24 . The spikes  25  may be carbide, stainless steel, or other suitable materials. The spikes  25  may additionally be conventional golf spikes as used in conjunction with golf shoes. Such spikes  25  are especially useful where the overshoe  10  is intended for use in areas of grass and dirt. The spikes  25  are set in a spike assembly that has a top  23  in the top of the outersole  20  and are replaceable by the user. The spike assembly is disposed in a bore  23  (see FIGS. 3 a  and  4   a ) formed in the material forming overshoe  10 .  
         [0058]    The spikes  25  may be arranged in the outersole forward portion  26  as shown in FIG. 4. For example, the spikes  25  may be arranged as a four-spike diamond shape with one spike  25  approximately on the longitudinal axis of the outersole  20 , in a position more forward than the other three spikes  25  and slightly forward of the ball of the foot. The spike  25  on the opposing corner of the diamond is on the same axis and is more rearward than the other three spikes  25  and to the rear of the ball of the foot. The other two spikes  25  are disposed approximately beneath the ball of the foot and placed closer to the outer edge of tread surface  24 . Two additional spikes  25  may be placed in rearward portion of outersole  28  (FIG. 4). These two spikes  25  are disposed to be approximately under the user&#39;s heel.  
         [0059]    [0059]FIGS. 3 a  and  4   a  depict the overshoe  10  with spikes  25  removed from the bores  23 . The removal may be removed for replacement of the spikes  25 . Further, the spikes  25  are readily removed for use on surfaces that would otherwise be marked by the spikes  25 . FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b  depict the reinforcing ridges  21  surrounding the bores  23 . The ridges  21  have increased thickness of the elastic material forming the overshoe  10 .  
         [0060]    Tread surface  24  includes gripping ridges  27  (FIGS. 2, 4,  4   a , and  7 ). The gripping ridges  27  may be forward-pushing gripping ridges  29  and rearward-pushing gripping ridges  30 . The gripping ridges  27  have a push-face  32  and a hypotenuse face  31 . The height of the gripping ridge  27  is its maximum length perpendicular from the tread surface. Referring to FIG. 7, the gripping ridge  27  has a push-face  32  that is perpendicular to the outersole  20  and a hypotenuse face  31  that joins the push-face  32  to the outersole  20 . The hypotenuse face  31  of a forward-pushing gripping ridge  29  faces substantially to the rear of shoe  5  so that push-face  32  is oriented to provide a surface area that gives much more traction to the user as they push their foot forward, as when attempting to stop or walk backwards. Hypotenuse face  31  of a rearward-pushing gripping ridge  30  faces substantially to the forward of shoe  5  so that push-face  32  is oriented to provide a surface area that gives traction to the user as the user pushes the foot rearward, as when walking forwards. The combination of opposite-facing directions of forward-pushing  29  and rearward-pushing  30  gripping ridges supply a higher degree of traction than if the ridges faced only one direction.  
         [0061]    Gripping ridge  27  preferably has a height in the range of approximately three- to ten- sixty-fourths of an inch. The gripping ridges  27  may be shaped to have the cross-sectional profile of a right triangle (FIGS. 4, 4 a  and  7 ). The push-face  32  defines the height of the triangle and the hypotenuse face  31  joins the push-face  32  to the outersole  20 .  
         [0062]    The rearward portion of the outersole  28  includes an under-heel portion  50  that is disposed substantially beneath the heel of the shoe  8 . The under-heel portion  50  may include two spikes  25  and gripping ridges  27  (FIG. 4). The width of the under-heel portion  50 , the width being measured in the plane of the outersole  20 , approximately along the outersole&#39;s longitudinal axis (see FIG. 4 a ), is preferably in the range of 0.85 to 1.5 inches.  
         [0063]    Rearward portion  28  and forward portions  26  of outersole define central opening  34  (FIG. 4). Central opening  34  may be roughly square-shaped and configured to minimize the space between outersole  20  and shoe  5  that would otherwise form a pocket that might entrap ice or other unwanted debris.  
         [0064]    Front-gripping portion  50  of the overshoe is configured to grip the forward toe portion  7  of the shoe and to be form-fitting to the shoe. It is continuous with outersole  20  and is shaped so that it maintains a shape that does not require a user to hold it open when inserting the toe of shoe  5  (FIGS. 1, 3,  5 ).  
         [0065]    Front-gripping portion  50  is generally stretchable by a user because it is made of an elastic material. Front-gripping portion  50  includes stretch zones  57  that are sized to be especially elastically deformable by a user. The stretch zones  57  are disposed so that a user may readily stretch them while putting the overshoe  20  onto a shoe but so that the stretch zones  57  are not readily stretched in use while the user is walking. Openings  56  are used to define stretch zones  57 .  
         [0066]    Front-gripping portion  50  may have five openings  56  that define six stretch zones  57  that are disposed at the region where the outersole  20  meets the front-gripping portion  50  (FIGS.  3 - 5 ). The stretch zones  57  are sized to allow optimal stretching and snugness of fit and are optimally approximately 0.5 inches in width at their narrowest points. Stretch zones  57  that allow for adjustment of the overshoe  20  in the shoe forward toe area  7  are also incorporated into the upper surface of the front-gripping portion  50  (FIG. 3).  
         [0067]    The back-gripping portion  40  of the overshoe  20  is configured to grip the heel portion  8  of the shoe  5  and to be form-fitting to the shoe. It is continuous with the outersole  20  and is shaped so that it maintains a shape that does not require a user to hold it open when inserting the heel  8  of a shoe (FIGS. 1, 3,  6 ). The back-gripping portion  40  is generally stretchable by a user because it is made of an elastic material. The back-gripping portion  40  includes stretch zones  57  that are sized to be especially elastically deformable by a user.  
         [0068]    The zones  57  are disposed so that a user may readily stretch the zone  57  while putting the overshoe  10  onto a shoe  5  but so that the zones  57  are not readily stretched while the user is walking. Openings  56  are used to define approximately seven stretch zones  57 .  
         [0069]    Referring to FIG. 6, with the left side of the diagram being the left side of shoe  5 ; stretch zones  57  are defined between left opening  42  and the left edge; between the left opening  42  and the bottom edge, between the left opening  42  and the opening  42  that is placed centrally in the back-gripping portion; right opening  42  and the right edge; between the right opening  42  and the bottom edge, between the right opening  42  and the opening  42  that is placed centrally in the back-gripping portion; and between the same central opening  42  in the back edge and the upper edge of the back gripping portion  40  (see also FIGS. 1, 2, and  5 ). The stretch zones  57  of the back portion  40  are sized to allow optimal stretching and snugness of fit and are preferably approximately three-eights inch in width at their narrowest points.  
         [0070]    The width dimension, W in FIG. 4 a , of the under-heel band  29  and the thickness, dimension T of FIG. 6 of the under-heel portion  54  and the under-ball portion  52  are preferably greater to increase durability of these critical areas.  
         [0071]    Referring to FIGS.  8 - 10 , two further embodiments of a spike  25  are depicted. The spike of FIGS. 8, 9 is formed of suitable material as indicated above that exhibits good grip and has good wear resistant qualities. The spike  25  has a head  70  and a shank  72 . The head  70  presents a preferably circular outer margin  74  and has a generally flat top margin  76 . The diameter of the head  70  is expanded to help prevent the spike  25  from pushing upward through to the shoe of the user as a result of use on hard surfaces. The spike  25  is molded into a button  78  of resilient material, such as nylon or the like. The button  78  has an expanded head  80  to support the spike  25  against the underside of the shoe of the user. The head  80  tapers to a reduced diameter neck  82 . The diameter of the neck  82  is substantially equal to that of the bore  23  formed in the outer sole  20 . The neck  82  expands to a rim  84 , the rim  84  having a greater diameter than the neck  82 .  
         [0072]    In assembly, the spike  25  is set into the button  78  when the button is in a molten state. Upon setting of the button  78 , the spike is fixed in the button  78 . Referring to FIG. 10, the shank  72  of the spike  25  has serrations  86  formed on the surface thereof, the serrations  86  acting to form a better engagement with the surrounding button  78 .  
         [0073]    The button  78 /spike  25  combination, comprising a spike assembly  88 , is coupled to the outersole  20  by slightly stretching the bore  23 , the button  78  with the spike embedded therein may be readily disposed in the bore  23  by pushing the rim  84  through the stretched bore  23 . When the spike  25  has worn through use, the button  78  may be simply popped out of the bore  23  and a replacement button  78  with embedded spike  25  popped in.  
         [0074]    Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, a modified embodiment of the overshoe  10  is depicted. The overshoe  10  has an opening  34  that extends forward from the under-heel portion  54  in a generally elliptical shape. The front gripping portion  50  terminates in a rearward-most margin  90  that is radiused, as distinct from having a point in the above embodiments. The outersole  20  is formed of material having at least two different thicknesses. The thickness T 2  in the region of greatest contact with the ground is formed in greater thickness than the thickness T 1 . This is true in both the under ball portion  52  and the under heel portion  54  of the overshoe  10 .  
         [0075]    A further embodiment of the anti-slip overshoe of the present invention is shown generally at  100  in FIGS.  13 - 16 . The anti-slip overshoe  100  of this embodiment is particularly suited for use with boots. The anti-slip overshoe  100  has five major subcomponents: ball  102 , heel  104 , connecting portion  106 , overtoe  108 , and overheel  110 .  
         [0076]    The ball  102  has a tread pattern  112  formed thereon. The tread pattern  112  is comprised of two chevrons,  112   a, b , and a triangle  112   c . The chevrons  112   a, b  and the triangle  112   c  each have a pattern of spaced apart ridges  114 . Preferably, the ridges  114  of the chevron  112   a  and the triangle  112   c  face forward while the ridges  114  of the chevron  112   b  faces rearward in order to provide traction in both directions.  
         [0077]    Four spike apertures  116  are disposed about the tread pattern  112 . Each of the spike apertures  112  facilitates removably fixing a downward directed spike (not shown) in the respective aperture  116  in a manner as noted above. The spikes  116  are preferably oriented in a trapezoid configuration with a spacing between two forward spikes being less than spacing between two rearward spikes.  
         [0078]    The heel  104  is disposed immediately rearward of the ball  102 . While the ball  102  is designed to generally underlie the ball of the foot of a wearer of the anti-slip overshoe  100 , the heel  104  is designed to underlie the heel of a wearer of the anti-slip overshoe  100 .  
         [0079]    The heel  104  has a downward directed tread pattern  118 . The tread pattern  118  in a preferred embodiment has a rectangle pattern  118   a  flanked by two triangular patterns  118   b, c . Each of the rectangular pattern  118   a  and triangular patterns  118   b, c  has a plurality of spaced apart, angled ridges  120 . The ridges  120  of the rectangular pattern  118   a  are directed in the same direction as the ridges  114  of chevron  112   a  and triangle  112   c . The ridges  120  of the triangular patterns  118   b, c  are directed in the same direction as the ridges  114  of the chevron  112   b . In this manner, the ridges complement the forward and rearward traction characteristics exhibited by the tread pattern  112 .  
         [0080]    A pair of spaced apart spike apertures  122  are disposed in the rectangular pattern  118   a  and have the same function as the spike apertures  116  described above.  
         [0081]    The connecting portion  106  extends between the ball  102  and the heel  104 . The connecting portion  106  is comprised of two spaced apart side straps  124 . Each side strap  124  is at an integral with the ball  102  and heel  104 , respectively. The side straps  124  define a generally triangular shaped aperture  126  therebetween.  
         [0082]    The next major subcomponent of the anti-slip overshoe  100  is the overtoe component  108 . The overtoe component is coupled to the ball  102  by a plurality of spaced apart straps  130 . As compared with prior art overshoes, the straps  130  are relatively narrow to accommodate stretching such that the anti-slip overshoe  100  may be used with a plurality of different types of shoes, including the rounded, bulbous pac type boots and including more pointed cowboy type boots.  
         [0083]    A plurality of apertures  132  are defined between the straps  130 . Preferably, there are five apertures  132  defined by six straps  130 . A first aperture is centered on the center line  134  of the anti-slip overshoe  100  at the apex of the anti-slip overshoe  100 .  
         [0084]    Two additional apertures  132  are arrayed on either side of the apex aperture  132 . Preferably, the overtoe body  128  is a shape that is generally semi-circular, defined by a semi-circle  136  centered on an origin  138 . The two apertures  132  deployed on either side of the apex aperture  132  are preferably equiangularly displaced from the center line  134 . A first aperture  132  on either side of the center line  134  are disposed at an angle between 30 and 50 degrees and preferably substantially 39 degrees from the center line  134 . The second aperture  132  on either side of the center line  134  is preferably disposed at angle of between 30 and 50 degrees from the first aperture and is preferably disposed at an angle of substantially 39 degrees from the first aperture  132 .  
         [0085]    The top portion  140  of the overtoe body  128  additionally includes a plurality of apertures defined therein. The first such aperture is a center aperture  142  defined around the origin  138 . In addition to facilitating stretching, the center aperture is useful for pulling the overheel  108  over the heel portion of a shoe by extending a finger at least partially into the first aperture.  
         [0086]    Three radial apertures  134  are centered on radaii extending from the origin  138 . A first radial aperture  144  is centered on the center line  134 . A further radial aperture  144  is equiangularly disposed on either side of the first radial aperture  144 . Preferably, the radius on which the second two radial apertures  144  are disposed is coincident with the radius on which the first two apertures  132  are displaced from the center line  134 . A first two side apertures  146  are defined adjacent to a respective angularly displaced radial aperture  144 . Inclusion of the circular aperture  142 , radial apertures  144 , and side apertures  146  in the top portion  140  defines a plurality of stretch zones between the aforementioned apertures that aid in the overtoe component  108  stretching to accommodate a great variety of different shoe toe shapes are previously discussed.  
         [0087]    The final major subcomponent of the anti-slip overshoe  100  is the overheel component  110 . The overheel  110  is comprised of a single strap  148  that is displaced from the heel  104 . An aperture  150  is defined between the heel  104  and the strap  148 .  
         [0088]    The strap  148  is comprised of a rear portion  152  and two descending connecting portions  154  that are connected to the heel  104 .  
         [0089]    The rear portion  152 , which rides on the rear of the heel area of the shoe on which the anti-slip overshoe  100  is disposed, includes a center aperture  156  that is preferably disposed on the centerline  134 . The center aperture  156  is preferably circular in shape. In addition to facilitating stretching, the center aperture is useful for pulling the overheel  108  over the heel portion of a shoe by extending a finger at least partially into the first aperture.  
         [0090]    A plurality of curved ridges  158  are disposed adjacent to the center aperture  156 . The ridges  158  facilitate grasping the rear portion  152  and pulling it up over the rear portion of the heel of the shoe. A pair of oval apertures  160  are displaced from the center aperture  156 , one oval aperture  160  on each side of the center aperture  156 .  
         [0091]    The connecting portion  154  has a tapering margin  162  that widens as the side portion  154  joins the connecting portion  106 . Each of the side portions  154  has an oval aperture  164  defined therein.  
         [0092]    FIGS.  17 - 28  depict four different embodiments of an alternate grip pattern formed on the ball  102  of the anti-slip overshoe  100 . Each of the tread patterns  112  is circular in shape having a plurality of generally circular ridges  114 . Preferably, the tread pattern  112  of FIGS.  17 - 28  is concentric with the origin  138 . The tread patterns  112  of FIGS.  17 - 28  include four spike apertures  116  generally disposed in a rectangular shape and fifth spike aperture  116   a  disposed at the origin of the tread pattern  112 . An advantage of the tread patterns  112  of FIGS.  17 - 28  is that the ridges  114  are in all cases angled outward with respect to the origin  138  and thereby provide for improved traction in all quadrants radiating from the origin  138 . Additionally, traction on ice is improved by including a fifth spike disposed in the spike aperture  116   a.    
         [0093]    Referring to the embodiment of FIGS.  17 - 19 , the ridges  114  are circular concentric the spike aperture  116   a . Two of the concentric ridges  114  are interrupted by the spike apertures  116 .  
         [0094]    FIGS.  20 - 22  depict a second circular tread pattern  112 . In the embodiment of FIGS.  20 - 22 , every other concentric ridge  114  is interrupted by spaces  166 . The spaces  166  emanate radially from the center of the circular tread pattern  112 . There are six radial sets of spaces  166  disposed equiangularly around the origin of the circular tread pattern  112 .  
         [0095]    A second set of spaces  168  also radiates from the origin of the circular tread pattern  112 . There are also six sets of spaces  168  radiating from the origin. The spaces  168  intersect every other circular ridge  114 , but not the circular ridges  114  that are intersected by the spaces  166 .  
         [0096]    FIGS.  23 - 25  depict a further embodiment of a circular tread pattern  112 . In this circular tread pattern  112 , the spaces  166 ,  168  intersect adjacent pairs of circular ridges  114 , the spaces  166  intersecting a first pair and the spaces  168  intersecting an adjacent pair of circular ridges  114 . A final circular tread pattern  112  is depicted in FIGS.  26 - 28 . In this embodiment, circular spaces  170  are included in addition to the spaces  166 ,  168  of the embodiment of FIGS.  23 - 25 . The circular spaces  170  are concentric with the origin of the circular tread pattern  112  and are disposed between adjacent pairs of ridges  114 .  
         [0097]    It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other embodiments in addition to the ones described herein are indicated to be within the scope and breadth of the present application. Accordingly, the applicant intends to be limited only by the claims appended hereto.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0