Patent ID: 7383646

Claim:
A cover for an athletic shoe having an upper portion enclosing a wearer's foot and ankle, and a sole provided with gripping surfaces for engaging an athletic playing surface, the cover comprising: an elastic fabric upper member sized to snugly conformally fit over an athletic shoe having elastic panels covering at least a top and an inboard and outboard side of a mid-foot region of the shoe upper portion, and extending above and encircling the wearer's ankle; an elastic lower member extending under at least a portion of the shoe sole and spanning between the inboard and outboard side panels of the fabric upper member without inhibiting the gripping surface of the sole from engaging the athletic playing surface; and a zipper cooperating with the fabric upper member to form an openable seam which extends from an ankle opening in the fabric upper member along a sufficient length of the fabric upper member to enable the wearer of the shoe to remove the shoe from the wearer's foot when the zipper seam is open without totally removing the cover from the shoe, and closing the zipper seam causes the elastic fabric upper member to snugly conformally fit over the shoe upper member.