US20040074113A1

US20040074113A1 - Protective cover for a cleat shoe

Info

Publication number: US20040074113A1
Application number: US10/277,277
Authority: US
Inventors: Jun Kim; Jae Ryu
Original assignee: EBENEZER STONE Inc
Current assignee: EBENEZER STONE Inc
Priority date: 2002-10-21
Filing date: 2002-10-21
Publication date: 2004-04-22

Abstract

A protective cover for a cleat shoe comprises a sole an upper surface of which is surrounded by an edge line, and a vamp to guide and support with the sole the cleat shoe in the cover. The edge line includes a rear end arc line belonging to a sole heel portion. The vamp includes a lower end line having points each attached to and along the edge line excepting the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion. The lower end line is upwardly waved between the points to form openings through between inside and outside of the cover. First and second vamp straps are opposedly formed to extend rearward from each guide vamp portion adjacent to the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion to allow the first vamp strap to become detachably attached to the second vamp strap when required.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a cover shoe put on over a cleat shoe. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved protective shoe cover to facilitate protection of cleat shoes while preventing ambient environments from being soiled or damaged.

Athletic or recreational shoes including sneakers have cleats on their soles and are easy to carry and drop in clean, hygienic environments unwanted substances between cleats to thus incur contamination. Further, taking off those shoes does not help in many cases to keep clean since walking indoors with shoes off after sport activities may double the filth, especially after activities such as soccer game, golf game, basket ball game and other intensive sport games.

A demand on the market place is a provision of a shoe cover especially for cleat shoes such as sneakers worn by most ball game players, golfers, hikers, trekkers, joggers, and other outdoor sport players. Another demand is to provide flexibility in size of a shoe cover so that, for example, a sport center with non-sport facilities can rotate shoe covers between its customers with little concern of sizes of cleat shoes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a protective cover for a cleat shoe that facilitates protection of cleat shoes while preventing ambient environments from being soiled and damaged. Another object is to allow easy rotation of shoe covers for cleat shoes by enabling a user to adjust the cleat cover size in a simple format.

To achieve the above-described objects, a protective cover for a cleat shoe according to the present invention comprises a sole having a toe portion, a heel portion, and a waist portion linking the toe and heel portions. An upper surface of the sole is surrounded by a peripheral edge line. The peripheral edge line includes a rear end arc line which belongs to the sole heel portion.

A guide vamp is further provided to guide and support together with the sole said cleat shoe in the protective cover when required, wherein the guide vamp includes a lower end line having a plurality of points. Each point of the lower end line is attached to and along the peripheral edge line of the sole with an exception of the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion. The lower end line of the guide vamp is upwardly waved between the points so as to form a plurality of openings through between inside and outside of the protective cover. First and second vamp straps are opposedly formed to extend rearward from each guide vamp portion adjacent to the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion. The first vamp strap is detachably attached to the second vamp strap when required.

The guide vamp is formed of either a fabric material or substantially resilient. The detachable attachment of the first and second vamp strips is accomplished either by a hook and pile mechanism or by a snap fastening mechanism. The snap fastening mechanism comprises a snap socket inwardly attached to the first vamp strap, and a primary snap stud outwardly attached to the second vamp strap, whereby the snap socket is detachably engaged to the primary snap stud. A secondary snap stud outwardly attached to the second vamp strap and horizontally spaced from the primary snap stud to allow adjustment for a larger or smaller size of cleat shoes. The points of the lower end line are between about three and about eleven in number.

The advantages of the present invention are numerous in that: (1) the protective cover for a cleat shoe according to the present invention efficiently prevents the cleat shoe worn therein from soiling ambient environments by flexibly enabling the guide vamp to incessantly cover along a lower periphery of the cleat shoe, thereby enhancing usability and product reliability; (2) the detachable attachment mechanism applied to the first and second vamp straps enables a user to easily adjust the protective cover size so that more users in wider age span can be accommodated with less pairs of the protective covers, thereby maximizing convenience and subsequent user satisfaction; and (3) the resilient fabric material applied to the guide vamp together with the successive openings through between inside and outside of the protective cover facilitates storage and ventilation of the shoe cover by reserving a collapsible characteristic and elevational air communication, thereby satisfying the ever increasing needs of users for sanitational cleanliness.

Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0010]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a protective cover for a cleat shoe according to the present invention; [0011]
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the protective cover worn over a cleat shoe; [0012]
FIG. 3 is a partial view showing an engagement mechanism of first and second vamp straps according to the present invention; and [0013]
FIG. 4 is a partial view showing another engagement mechanism of first and second vamp straps according to the present invention.[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a [0015] protective cover 10 for a cleat shoe 12 according to the present invention includes a sole 14 having a predetermined thickness. The sole 14 is defined by an upper or top surface 16 and a lower or bottom surface 18. The upper surface 16 may be separate from the lower surface 18 to form a double layer structure where the upper surface 16 is preferably formed of a fabric material and the lower surface 18 is preferably formed of a rubber material. Meanwhile, the sole 14 may be partitioned to have a toe portion 20, a waist portion 22 and a heel portion 24. The waist portion 22 is provided such that it links the toe and heel portions 20, 24.
The [0016] upper surface 16 of the sole 14 is surrounded by a peripheral edge line 26. The peripheral edge line 26 includes a rear end arc line 28 which belongs to the sole heel portion 24. The sole 14 is formed in a substantially flat format.
The [0017] protective shoe cover 10 further includes a guide vamp 30 in a substantial oval format to assimilate an outer covering of shoes such as sneakers. The guide vamp 30 is provided to guide and support together with the sole 14 the cleat shoe 12 in the protective cover 10 when required. The guide vamp 30 is defined by an inner surface 32, an outer surface 34, and a lower end line 36. The lower end line 36 of the guide vamp 30 is attached to and along the peripheral edge line 26 of the sole 14 with an exception of the rear end arc line 28 of the sole heel portion 24.
In a preferred version, the [0018] guide vamp 30 has a plurality of points 38 along the lower end line 36 thereof. Each point 38 of the lower end line 36 is attached to and along the peripheral edge line 26 of the sole 14 with an exception of the rear end arc line 28 of the sole heel portion 24. Here, the lower end line 36 of the guide vamp 30 is upwardly waved between adjacent two of the points so as to form a plurality of openings 40 through between inside and outside of the protective cover 10. The points 38 of the lower end line 36 are between about three and about eleven in number. In a better mode, the points 38 are seven in number.
In order to facilitate the wearing of the [0019] protective shoe cover 10 over the cleat shoe 12, the guide vamp 30 is preferably formed of a fabric material. Selectively, the guide vamp 30 may be substantially resilient to realize flexibility when putting on the protective cover 10 over the cleat shoe 12. The guide vamp 30 also reserves a collapsible characteristic to facilitate mass storage in a limited storage space.
For a better performance, first and [0020] second vamp straps 42, 44 are opposedly formed to extend rearward from each guide vamp portion 43, 45 each of which is adjacent to the rear end arc line 28 of the sole heel portion 24. In this construction, the first vamp strap 42 is detachably attached to the second vamp strap 44 when required. That is, the wearing of the cleat shoe 12 in the protective cover 10 is completed by attaching the first strap 42 onto the second strap 44. The first vamp strap 42 may be elastic to further improve flexibility and usability.
As shown in FIG. 3, the detachable attachment of the first and second vamp strips to each other is preferably accomplished by a hook and pile mechanism. For example, the [0021] hook 46 is attached to an inner surface 47 of the first vamp strap 42 and the pile 48 is attached to an outer surface 49 of the second vamp strap 44 so that the first vamp strap 42 can be detachably attached onto the second vamp strap 44 in accordance with the detachable attachment mechanism of the hook 46 and pile 48.
As further shown in FIG. 4, the detachable attachment of the first and [0022] second vamp strips 42, 44 is accomplished by a snap fastening mechanism. For the snap fastening mechanism, a snap socket 50 is inwardly attached to the first vamp strap 42, and a primary snap stud 52 is outwardly attached to the second vamp strap 44, whereby the snap socket 50 is detachably engaged to the primary snap stud 52. Selectively, a secondary snap stud 54 is outwardly attached to the second vamp strap 44 and horizontally spaced from the primary snap stud 52 to allow adjustment for a larger or smaller size of cleat shoes. The snap sockets and studs may be formed in pair.
The snap fastening mechanism may be selectively realized such that snap sockets are outwardly attached to the [0023] second vamp strap 44, and the snap stud is inwardly attached to the first vamp strap 42.
An advantage of the present invention is that the [0024] protective cover 10 efficiently prevents the cleat shoe 12 worn therein from soiling ambient environments by flexibly enabling the guide vamp 30 to incessantly cover along a lower periphery of the cleat shoe, thereby enhancing usability and product reliability.
Further, the detachable attachment mechanism applied to the first and second vamp straps enables a user to easily adjust the protective cover size so that more users in wider age span can be accommodated with less pairs of the protective covers, thereby maximizing convenience and subsequent user satisfaction. In addition, the resilient fabric material applied to the guide vamp together with the successive openings through between inside and outside of the protective cover facilitates storage and ventilation of the shoe cover by reserving a collapsible characteristic and elevational air communication, thereby satisfying the ever increasing needs of users for sanitational cleanliness. [0025]
Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible by converting the aforementioned construction. Therefore, the scope of the invention shall not be limited by the specification specified above and the appended claims. [0026]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A protective cover for a cleat shoe, comprising:

a) a sole having a toe portion, a heel portion, and a waist portion linking the toe and heel portions, wherein an upper surface of the sole is surrounded by a peripheral edge line, wherein the peripheral edge line includes a rear end arc line which belongs to the sole heel portion; and

b) a guide vamp to guide and support together with the sole said cleat shoe in the protective cover when required, wherein a lower end line of the guide vamp is attached to and along the peripheral edge line of the sole with an exception of the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion, wherein first and second vamp straps are opposedly formed to extend rearward from each guide vamp portion adjacent to the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion, wherein the first vamp strap is detachably attached to the second vamp strap when required.

2. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 1 wherein the guide vamp is formed of a fabric material.

3. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 2 wherein the guide vamp is substantially resilient.

4. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 1 wherein the detachable attachment of the first and second vamp strips is accomplished by a hook and pile mechanism.

5. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 1 wherein the detachable attachment of the first and second vamp strips is accomplished by a snap fastening mechanism.

6. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 5 wherein the snap fastening mechanism comprises a snap socket inwardly attached to the first vamp strap, and a primary snap stud outwardly attached to the second vamp strap, whereby the snap socket is detachably engaged to the primary snap stud.

7. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 6 further comprising a secondary snap stud outwardly attached to the second vamp strap and horizontally spaced from the primary snap stud to allow adjustment for a larger or smaller size of cleat shoes.

8. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 5 wherein the snap fastening mechanism comprises a primary snap socket outwardly attached to the first vamp strap, and a snap stud inwardly attached to the second vamp strap, whereby the primary snap socket is detachably engaged to the snap stud.

9. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 8 further comprising a secondary snap socket outwardly attached to the second vamp strap and horizontally spaced from the primary snap socket to allow adjustment for a larger or smaller size of cleat shoes.

10. A protective cover for a cleat shoe, comprising:

b) a guide vamp to guide and support together with the sole said cleat shoe in the protective cover when required, wherein the guide vamp includes a lower end line having a plurality of points, wherein said each point of the lower end line is attached to and along the peripheral edge line of the sole with an exception of the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion, wherein the lower end line of the guide vamp is upwardly waved between the points so as to form a plurality of openings through between inside and outside of the protective cover, wherein first and second vamp straps are opposedly formed to extend rearward from each guide vamp portion adjacent to the rear end arc line of the sole heel portion, wherein the first vamp strap is detachably attached to the second vamp strap when required.

11. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 10 wherein the guide vamp is formed of a fabric material.

12. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 11 wherein the guide vamp is substantially resilient.

13. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 10 wherein the detachable attachment of the first and second vamp strips is accomplished by a hook and pile mechanism.

14. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 10 wherein the detachable attachment of the first and second vamp strips is accomplished by a snap fastening mechanism.

15. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 14 wherein the snap fastening mechanism comprises a snap socket inwardly attached to the first vamp strap, and a primary snap stud outwardly attached to the second vamp strap, whereby the snap socket is detachably engaged to the primary snap stud.

16. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 15 further comprising a secondary snap stud outwardly attached to the second vamp strap and horizontally spaced from the primary snap stud to allow adjustment for a larger or smaller size of cleat shoes.

17. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 14 wherein the snap fastening mechanism comprises a primary snap socket outwardly attached to the first vamp strap, and a snap stud inwardly attached to the second vamp strap, whereby the primary snap socket is detachably engaged to the snap stud.

18. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 17 further comprising a secondary snap socket outwardly attached to the second vamp strap and horizontally spaced from the primary snap socket to allow adjustment for a larger or smaller size of cleat shoes.

19. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 10 wherein the points of the lower end line are between about three and about eleven in number.

20. The protective cover for a cleat shoe of claim 10 wherein the points of the lower end line are about seven in number.