Patent Abstract:
A protective cover, and a method for producing the protective cover, for footwear. The protective cover includes a unitary body including a toe portion, a vamp portion, a quarter portion, a heel portion, and a throat portion. The body is formed from a multi-layer film including an outer layer that includes a first frictional property, an intermediate layer that is compliant, and an inner layer that includes a second frictional property, wherein each layer is water-resistant and the first frictional property is greater than the frictional anti-slip property.

Full Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a protective cover for footwear. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
         [0003]    The cost of footwear has always been relatively high and continues to rise. As such, wearers do not wish to damage their shoes and ruin them prematurely. This is particularly true where dirt, rain, snow, ice, or other materials or compounds can contact and damage the uppers and outer soles of the shoes. Further, if shoes get wet, the wearer&#39;s feet may become uncomfortably damp throughout the day, which may cause the wearer to feel cold. Accordingly, shoe covers were developed to protect shoes in adverse weather conditions. Many of these shoe covers, however, are costly and/or unwieldy to use. 
         [0004]    Consumers of footwear today opt to invest in particular shoes not only for comfort features but with an eye towards fashion. The trend of foot apparel in the marketplace is towards style, design, brand name, and expense. Footwear is representative of an individual&#39;s particular taste and view towards fashion. Accordingly, today&#39;s consumers are opting to invest in costly footwear. There exists a continued need, therefore, to provide a low cost, easy to use means of protecting and preserving the appearance and comfort of the shoes of the wearer&#39;s choice. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
         [0006]    The present disclosure provides a protective cover, and a method for producing the protective cover, for footwear. The protective cover includes a unitary body including a toe portion, a vamp portion, a quarter portion, a heel portion, and a throat portion. The body is formed from a multi-layer film including an outer layer that includes a first frictional property, an intermediate layer that is compliant, and an inner layer that includes a second frictional property, wherein each layer is water-resistant, the first frictional property is greater than the second frictional property, and the intermediate layer includes recycled plastic. 
         [0007]    Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a protective shoe cover during use in accordance with a principle of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a protective shoe cover of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a multilayer film that may be used according to a principle of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates blank from which a plurality of protective shoe covers according to a principle of the present invention are manufactured; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  illustrates a manufacturing process that may be used to form a multilayer film. 
       
    
    
       [0014]    Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a protective cover  10  for ladies&#39; footwear will be described.  FIG. 1  illustrates protective cover  10  during use thereof, and  FIG. 2  illustrates protective cover  10  during non-use. Protective cover  10  may be formed of a sheet material that lays flat when in non-use (i.e., protective cover  10  during non-use has substantially no depth), which enables protective cover  10  to be lightweight, easily folded, and stowed. Protective cover  10  has dimensions (described below), however, such that protective cover  10  is able to expand similar to a plastic bag and receive a ladies&#39; shoe  12 . 
         [0017]    Similar to a ladies&#39; shoe  12 , a protective cover includes a toe portion  14 , a vamp portion  16 , a quarter portion  18 , a shank portion  20 , a heel portion  22  and a throat portion  24 . Throat portion  24  provides access into protective cover  10  and is shown in  FIG. 2  in its fully expanded form. To ensure that protective cover  10  remains snugly over a shoe  12 , throat portion  24  may include a retention mechanism  26 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , retention mechanism  26  pulls throat portion  24  snugly against a shin of the wearer to retain protective cover  10  snugly over shoe  12 . 
         [0018]    Protective cover  10  is particularly adapted for ladies&#39; shoe  12 , and more particularly adapted for a ladies&#39; high-heel shoe or pump. In this regard, shank portion  20  and heel portion  22  each include a length sufficient to accommodate the entire length of a heel  28  of shoe  12 , which may range between 1 and 5 inches in length. To accommodate various contours and shapes of different ladies&#39; shoes  12 , shank portion  20  may include a radius of curvature  30 , while heel portion  22  may include a radius of curvature  32  at a posterior portion  34  thereof. Anterior portion  36  of heel portion  22  may be substantially linear along an entire length thereof where it meets shank portion  20 . Vamp portion  16  may also include a radius of curvature  39  between throat portion  24  and toe portion  14 . 
         [0019]    To accommodate most ladies&#39; shoes  12 , protective cover  10  may include an overall length L 1  from toe portion  14  to quarter portion  18  that ranges between 12 and 16 inches. Preferably, length L 1  from toe portion  14  to quarter portion  18  is about 14 inches. A height H 1  of protective cover  10  from a bottom edge  38  to throat portion  24  may range between 8 and 14 inches, and preferably height H 1  is about 9 inches. A length L 2  of bottom edge  38  may range between 6 and 8 inches in length, and preferably length L 2  is about 7.75 inches. A height H 2  of toe portion  14  may range between 2 and 4 inches, and preferably is about 3 inches. A length L 3  between shank portion  20  and quarter portion  18  may range between 5 and 7 inches, and preferably length L 3  is about 6.25 inches. A height H 3  of posterior portion  34  may range between 3 and 4 inches, and preferably height H 3  is about 3.25 inches. A length L 4  of posterior portion  34  may range between 1 and 2 inches, and preferably length L 4  is about 1.375 inches. A length L 5  of throat portion  24  may range between 10 and 12 inches, and preferably length L 5  is about 11 inches. It should be noted, however, that due to retention mechanism  26 , throat portion  24  will have a length less than L 5  during use of protective cover  10  as retention portion  26  will gather throat portion around the wearer&#39;s ankle. Lastly, a length L 6  of shank portion may range between 2 and 4 inches, and preferably length L 6  is about 3 inches. Protective covers  10  having the above-noted lengths and heights in the listed ranges are suitable for accommodating most sizes of ladies&#39; shoes  12 . It should be appreciated, however, that for smaller or larger ladies&#39; shoes  12  the range of dimensions will vary accordingly. 
         [0020]    It should be understood that although protective cover  10  is described throughout the specification as being directed to a ladies&#39; shoe  12 , the present disclosure should not be limited thereto. More particularly, protective cover  10  may be adopted for use over men&#39;s and children&#39;s footwear as well. To accommodate most men&#39;s and children&#39;s footwear, heel portion  22  may have a height H 3  of about 0.5 inches. Moreover, L 1  may be between about 9 to 16 inches, L 2  may be between about 5 to 8 inches, L 3  may be between about 4 to 8 inches, L 5  may be between about 5 to 12 inches, and L 6  may be between about 1 to 4 inches. H 2  may be about the same as for ladies&#39; shoe  12 , while H 1  may be between about 6 and 10 inches. 
         [0021]    Protective cover  10  is preferably formed from a material that is water- and weather-resistant. In particular, protective cover  10  may be formed from a polymeric or plastic material. Forming protective cover  10  from polymeric or plastic materials enables protective cover  10  to be worn over ladies&#39; shoe  12  during inclement weather to protect a ladies&#39; shoe from damage from water, ice, snow, mud and any other debris that may damage shoe  12 . Although not required by the present disclosure, the polymeric or plastic material may be a clear and colorless material that enables the design of shoe  12  to be viewed during use of protective cover  10 . It should be understood, however, that protective cover  10  may be an opaque or colored material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As a material that is water- and weather-resistant, linear low-density polyethylene may be used. Other polymeric or plastic materials that are water- and weather-resistant include polypropylene, and polyvinylchloride. Any other material, however, that meets the water- and weather-resistant criteria herein may also be used. 
         [0022]    Forming protective cover  10  from a polymeric or plastic material such as polyethylene enables protective cover  10  to be light-weight and easily foldable, which enables protective cover  10  to be easily storable. Accordingly, protective cover  10  may be kept in a purse, wallet, glove compartment, or storage receptacle within an automobile that enables a wearer to use protective cover  10 , as needed. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , protective cover  10  may be formed from a multi-layer film  40  that includes an outer layer  42  that may include a frictional property (i.e., comprises an anti-slip resistant property), an intermediate layer  44  that is compliant, and an inner layer  46  (i.e., a layer that contacts the shoe) that includes another frictional property that may be substantially less in magnitude than outer layer  42  to enable the wearer to easily slide protective cover  10  over shoe  12 . Multi-layer film  40  preferably comprises a total thickness T that ranges between 1.0 and 4.0 mils. Preferably, total thickness T of protective film  40  is about 2.0 mils. 
         [0024]    Outer layer  42  includes an anti-slip resistant property because outer layer  42  will be exposed to environments that may include water, ice, snow, and other debris when protective cover  10  is in use. Outer layer  42 , therefore, should provide sufficient frictional resistance during use to prevent, or at least substantially minimize, the wearer from slipping on the walking surface in the above-noted conditions. Further, if protective cover  10  is used indoors, outer layer  42  should provide sufficient frictional resistance to prevent, or at least substantially minimize, the wearer from slipping on surfaces such as carpet and smooth surfaces like tiled or wood floors. Although inner layer  46  may have a frictional property of substantially lesser magnitude than outer layer  42  to allow the wearer to easily place protective cover  10  over shoe  12 , it should be appreciated that the frictional property of inner layer  46  is sufficient to prevent protective cover  10  from slipping off shoe  12  during use thereof. 
         [0025]    Intermediate layer  44  may be a compliant layer. That is, intermediate layer  44  resists stretching and tearing, to increase the durability of protective cover  10 . To make intermediate layer  44  compliant, intermediate layer  44  may include between 15-40% PCR (post consumer recycled plastic), and preferably intermediate layer includes about 25% PCR. Although intermediate  44  is described as including environmentally conscious use of PCR, it should be understood that both outer layer  42  and inner layer  46  may also include PCR, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Using PCR in multi-layer film  40  decreases the cost of material used in manufacturing protective cover  10 , and provides the wearer with a protective cover that is environmentally conscious. 
         [0026]    Each layer of multilayer film  40  may be formed of the same material (such as polyethylene) or different materials. For example, outer layer  42  may be formed of polyethylene, intermediate layer  44  may be formed of polyvinylchloride, and inner layer  46  may be formed of polypropylene. Regardless, any combination of materials for each layer is contemplated so long as outer layer  42  includes frictional properties that are anti-slip, inner layer  46  includes frictional properties that enable the wearer to easily slip protective cover  10  over shoe  12 , and intermediate layer is compliant. 
         [0027]    If each layer of multilayer film  40  is formed of the same material (such as polyethylene), the frictional properties of both the outer layer  42  and inner layer  46  and the compliant property of intermediate layer  44  may be adjusted by modifying the molecular weight of the selected material of each layer. For example, to provide outer layer  42  with an anti-slip property, outer layer  42  may be formed of a form of the material having a lower molecular weight and density than inner layer  46 . Moreover, as stated above, intermediate layer  44  may comprise a form of the material including an environmentally conscious PCR content ranging between 15 and 40%, which increases the compliant property of the intermediate layer  44 . Adding PCR to the outer layer  42  and inner layer  46  may also adjust the molecular weight of these layers to adjust their respective frictional properties. 
         [0028]    Layers of multi-layer film  40  may also include materials such as ultraviolet (UV) inhibitors, anti-blocking materials, plasticizers, and the like. UV-inhibitors assist in preventing UV radiation from penetrating protective cover  10 , which decreases the likelihood of shoe  12  fading during use of protective cover  10 . UV inhibitors also protect the material that forms protective cover  10  from UV radiation, which can weaken the polymer or plastic&#39;s strength and, if colored, fade its color. Anti-blocking materials assist in preventing protective covers  10  from sticking together during packaging of protective covers  10 . Plasticizers may be used to assist in manufacturing of protective cover  10 . 
         [0029]    Although protective cover  10  is described above as being formed of multi-layer film  40 , the present disclosure should not be limited thereto. In this regard, protective cover  10  may be formed of a single layer film, a dual layer film, or any other number of films, as desired so long as protective cover  10  is suitable for remaining weather-resistant. Further, if protective cover  10  is formed of a single layer or double layer film, protective cover  10  may retain the above-noted anti-slip properties by making an outer surface more slip-resistant relative to an inner surface by, for example, using various polymeric or plastic additives in the film, or by providing various additives to the outer and inner surfaces, respectively, by spraying, coating, or the like. 
         [0030]    Now referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a method for manufacturing protective cover  10  will be described. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a plurality of protective covers  10  may be formed from a blank  48  of multi-layer film  40 . Blank  48  may be formed by blown-film extrusion, also known as a tubular film process. To produce blank  48  of multi-layer film  40 , the polymeric or plastic material (such as polyethylene) arrives at the manufacturing facility in pellet (resin) form. The machine operator pours the resin into a hopper  50 , which feeds the resin into an extruder  52 . Heating elements  54  and turning of the extruder screw (not shown) melts the resin into a molten form and forces it through extruder  52 . 
         [0031]    If protective cover  10  is to be formed from a single-layer film (not shown), extruder  52  may be provided with a circular die  56  located downstream from extruder  52  so that as the molten resin flows evenly and over circular die  56 , the sheet material will emerge as a tube  60 . The tube  60  is then fed through a pulley system  62  that pulls tube  60 . As pulley system  62  is pulling tube  60 , the machine operator inserts an air gun (not shown) into tube  60  to blow air into sheet  58 , which increases a diameter of tube  60  as it is pulled by pulley system  62 . Once tube  60  reaches the desired diameter, tube  60  is fed through a guide  64 , which forces tube  62  into a layflat form  66 . Subsequently, tube  60  in layflat form  66  is rolled until protective covers  10  are to be formed therefrom in a die-cutting and sealing process. 
         [0032]    To form multi-layer film  40 , three extruders  52  are used that each extrude material for outer layer  42 , intermediate layer  44 , and inner layer  46 , respectively. This enables, as stated above, each layer to be separately formed to have different properties (e.g., anti-slip, compliant, UV-resistant, etc). As sheets  58  emerge from extruders  52 , sheets  58  are simultaneously fed through circular die  56 , which is located downstream from extruders  52  and fuses each layer together to form multilayer film  40  in the shape of tube  60 . Tube  60  is then fed through pulley system  62  that pulls tube  60 . As pulley system  62  is pulling tube  60 , the machine operator inserts the air gun (not shown) into tube  60  to insert air therein, which increases the diameter of tube  60  as it is pulled by pulley system  62 . Once tube  60  reaches the desired diameter, tube  60  is fed through a guide  64 , which forces tube  60  into a layflat form  66 . Subsequently, tube  60  in layflat form  66  is rolled until protective covers  10  are to be formed therefrom in a die-cutting and sealing process. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates the outline  66  of protective covers  10  to be die cut and sealed during the die-cutting and sealing process. Lines  68  represent portions of multilayer film  40  that are sealed to enclose and complete formation protective cover  10 . To cut and seal protective cover  10  along lines  66  and  68 , a heat sealing process may be used. In this regard, a heated die (not shown) having a shape that corresponds to outline  66  of protective cover  10  is pressed against blank  48  for a predetermined dwell time, which seals portions of multilayer film  40  along lines  68  and cuts protective covers  10  from blank  48  along lines  66 . Alternatively, lines  68  may be sealed sonically, vibrationally, by laser, or any other process known to one skilled in the art. Line  70  represents a separation line of adjacent protective covers that may be perforated by the heated die. When line  70  is cut, throat portion  24  is formed. 
         [0034]    After protective covers  10  are formed as set forth above, retention mechanism  26  may be incorporated into throat portion  24 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , retention mechanism may be an elastic band. Retention mechanism  26 , however, should not be limited thereto. In this regard, after cutting along line  70 , throat portion  24  may be slightly folded and sealed to provide a sleeve that may accommodate a lace or drawstring that may act as retention mechanism  26 . Retention mechanism  26  may also comprise VELCRO® or a buckle such as a hook-eye. Regardless, when protective cover  10  is provided with retention mechanism  26 , dimension of throat portion  24  pulls throat portion  24  to a dimension less than a length L 5  of throat portion  24  illustrated in  FIG. 2 , but may enable throat portion  24  to fully expand to length L 5  in order to enable a wearer to place her foot and shoe  12  into protective cover  10 . It should be understood, however, that retention mechanism  26  provides a manner in which to secure protective cover  10  to a wearer&#39;s foot or shoe and prevent protective cover  10  from sliding off the wearer&#39;s foot during use thereof, and prevents weather (i.e., rain, snow, ice, debris, etc.) from entering protective cover  10  during use thereof. 
         [0035]    As described above, protective cover  10  provides an inexpensive, lightweight, and foldable device for protecting ladies&#39; footwear. Protective cover  10 , therefore, may be easily stowed and used, as weather conditions require. As protective cover  10  may be formed from a polymeric or plastic film, protective cover  10  enables the design of shoe  12  to be viewed during use thereof. Moreover, as protective cover  10  may be formed from multi-layer film  40 , protective cover  10  may be provided with a plurality of different properties, including anti-slip, weather-resistant, anti-UV, etc., without limitation. Further, the use of recycled plastic provides an environmentally conscious protective cover  10 . Due to retention mechanism  26 , protective cover  10  is also adapted to remain snugly over shoe  12  during use thereof, while expandable to easily place protective cover  10  over shoe  12 . 
         [0036]    The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0