Abstract:
A decorative women&#39;s shoe cover made of an elastic fabric and using elastic hem strips is used to cover a shoe to change its fashion content. Elastic hem strips form an elastic foot opening to match the foot opening of the shoe. Elastic hem strips also form an elastic shank and heel opening extending from the back of the sole member to the heel of the shoe cover. Because of the elastic shank and heel opening, when the shoe is bent by normal walking use, the elastic foot opening will not separate from the shoe foot opening. Also, the shoe cover can be adhered to the shoe in selected places. A boot form is also disclosed

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to shoe covers that can be applied to a shoe. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    While women&#39;s shoes are generally of similar configurations, each pair is limited to a particular fashion content. While women can buy as many different shoe pairs as they wish and/or can afford; there are circumstances for which varying the fashion content of a given pair is desirable. Such circumstances include of course, the general idea of rendering a given pair to have a different fashion content, and the particular convenience for traveling in which only a limited number of shoe pairs can practically be carried. 
         [0003]    Decorative shoe covers are known in the art having various constructions and attributes. Such prior shoe covers typically extend from the upper member around the shank of the shoe that is to be covered and covering the heel as well. This causes a problem when the shoe is bent in normal walking resulting in the foot opening of the cover being pulled away from its matching configuration with the shoe foot opening. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary woman&#39;s shoe with which the invention can be used. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a shoe cover in accordance with the invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  shows the shoe of  FIG. 1  with a shoe cover in accordance with the invention in place. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  shows a view of the bottom of a shoe with the invention in place 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  shows the invention in the form of a boot. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Following is an exemplary description of the invention given to describe it so that it could be made based on the description, and to show the preferred mode of practicing the invention. However reference to “the invention” in the following description should not be taken to mean that the invention is limited to the form so described. 
         [0010]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows generally, a woman&#39;s dress shoe  10  of a conventional style. It is understood, that, while this description shows the invention as applied to a dress shoe (that is a shoe with high heels), it is not limited to that embodiment since the elements of the invention can be applied to many different forms and styles. The parts of the illustrative shoe  10  include generally the shoe upper  12 , the outsole  14 , the toe area  16  (including the vamp), the projecting heel  18 , the shoe back also called the counter  20  and the shank  22  (shown in  FIG. 4 ). The periphery  24  in the shoe upper  12  defines a foot opening. 
         [0011]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary shoe cover  30 , having a flexible stretchable upper member  32  shaped to conform when installed in snug-fitting, face-to-face interengagement to the outer surface of the shoe (except the shank as will be seen below). The shoe cover  30  has a flexible stretchable upper member  32  which has a toe end  34 , a heel end or back  36 , and an elastic foot opening defined by the periphery  38 . A sole member  40  is attached on the bottom of the upper member  32 . From the rear terminal end  44  of the sole ember  40  a bottom periphery  42  in the upper member  32  extends rearward to the back  36  of the upper member  32  defining an elastic bottom opening also called a shank and heel opening. A foot opening elastic hem strip  46  is sewn around the periphery  38  that defines the elastic foot opening, and a bottom opening elastic hem strip  48  is sewn around the bottom periphery  42  that defines the elastic bottom opening. While this description focuses on one shoe cover it is apparent that they would be typically sold and used in pairs, to be applied to a pair of shoes. 
         [0012]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show the shoe cover  30  in place on a shoe  10 . The show cover will take on the shape of the shoe. The upper member  32  is made of a flexible stretchable material which when in its relaxed form is smaller and readily transported, even in a purse or pocket, but when stretched and applied will form the subject shoe cover. The material will usually be some type of woven elastic fabric with a stylish design. It could be a waterproofed or water resistant material. When so in place on a shoe, the shoe cover  30  covers substantially the entire upper of the shoe  10 , with the elastic foot opening elastic hem strip  46  being substantially coextensive with the periphery  24  so as to match the foot opening shape. As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the shoe cover  30  has its sole member  40  generally covering the outsole  14  (not shown in FIG.  4 —shown in  FIG. 1 ) of the shoe. The sole member  40  can be attached to the upper member  32  in ways known to those skilled in the art. An exemplary way of doing this is to sew the sole member  40  to the upper  32  as indicated by the dash line  41  and by gluing the area indicated as  43  which extends from the sewing line  41  to the outer perimeter  45  of the sole member  40 . The elastic bottom opening elastic hem strip  48  extends from each side of the shoe cover  24  proximate the terminal end  44  of the sole member  40  and around the back of the projecting shoe heel  18 . Consequently, the shank  22  of the shoe  10  is not covered but rather the elastic bottom opening extends from the terminal end  44  of the sole member  40  completely around the projecting heel  18  which is also not covered. 
         [0013]    In order to enhance stable emplacement of the shoe cover on the shoe during wearing, it is preferred to adhere the shoe cover to the shoe at one or more selected places that is/are subject to relative movement. One such place is between the sole member of the shoe cover and the outsole of the shoe. There are many ways to do this as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. One exemplary way to do this is by placing a piece of double sided adhesive tape  50  between the shoe outsole and the cover sole member or by otherwise putting adhesive in that area. Other ways to accomplish this include making the sole member to have a high friction surface or to have an affinity surface or to have a physically interlocking structure with the shoe outsole. Another place to enhance stability of the shoe cover on the shoe is at the back of the shoe. One way to do this is to adhere the show cover it at the back of the shoe as shown by the double sided adhesive tape  52 . 
         [0014]    It is apparent that a single shoe cover pair can fit a fairly wide variety of shoe shapes, although, for example, a shoe cover made for generally rounded toe shoes may not fit the extreme pointed toe shoes. 
         [0015]    Another form of the shoe cover is a boot form  60  as shown in  FIG. 5 . In this form the shoe upper extends to form the boot shaft  62 . In one form the boot shaft would be made of the same elastic material as the rest of the boot upper as described above. But, in another form the boot shaft or an upper portion of it such as above the line  64  could be made of a less flexible material since it does not have to have the snug fitting character as does the portion of the upper that is in contact with the shoe that it covers. The boot form is more given to designs that would make a pair handed, as in left and right handed by having a design such as design  66  which could be on the outside of each of the left and right boot. 
         [0016]    In the use of the subject decorative shoe cover  30 , it will be applied simply by slipping it over the toe of the shoe and pulling it back into the form fitting position around the back of the shoe substantially covering the shoe upper and leaving the bottom opening from the rear of the sole member of the shoe cover to the back or counter of the shoe; the shoe shank not being covered as explained above. 
         [0017]    Not covering the shoe shank has the advantage that when walking and bending the shoe, the shoe cover&#39;s foot opening periphery will not pull away from the foot opening. This solves a problem with the prior shoe covers that extend continuously from the upper member over the shank of the shoe which causes the cover foot opening to pull away from its matching configuration with the shoe foot opening. 
         [0018]    By use of a decorative shoe covering, the design appearance of a given shoe can be changed at will. 
         [0019]    To conclude, with respect to the above description, it is to be understood that the optimal dimensional specifications for the parts of the invention, including variations in number, size, shape, form, placement, material and the method of fabrication and assembly, are deemed readily apparent to persons skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description, and all equivalent specifications to those illustrated in the drawings and detailed in the description are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
         [0020]    Further, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and revisions can be made to the embodiment shown herein without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention. It is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover any and all such modifications and revisions within the scope of the present invention.