Patent Grant
10531707
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to garments and footwear. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to decorative leg coverings that can be removably applied to a lower leg of a wearer.
People of all backgrounds are often deeply conscious of and passionate about style and fashion. Footwear, in particular, may be of special importance to fashion-conscious individuals. However, many articles of footwear, especially in the latest popular fashions, are frequently expensive, costing more than many consumers can reasonably afford.
Cowboy boots and biker boots are a particularly popular choice for footwear fashion. The range and variety of boot styles is limitless, with all type of embroideries, decorative stitches, stamped designs, linings, rivets, studs, rhinestones, jewels, gems, hems, charms, chains, inlays, feathers, fringes, and frills. Alas, cowboy boots of average quality cost hundreds of dollars; high-end handcrafted boots may even cost thousands of dollars. Biker boots start at just below one hundred dollars. Fashion-conscious boot-wearers may wish to own many pairs, but for the prohibitive cost of such a luxury.
Furthermore, many people do not live in a house or apartment spacious enough to store a large quantity of boot pairs. When traveling, it is inconvenient to carry several pairs of footwear, especially bulky boots. Additionally, many consumers may find changing between numerous boot pairs to be cumbersome and inefficient.
Much of the prior art in the area of over-shoe coverings provides for utilitarian protection from the elements, especially water infiltration. U.S. Pat. No. 258,996 issued to Cory, incorporated herein by reference, describes a water-proof legging, known in its day as a “gossamer,” featuring an elastic support garter, and secured with an underfoot strap. The gossamer is fastened around the lower leg with a vertical row of buttons or other fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 562,784 issued to Fisher, incorporated herein by reference, describes an improved legging for gentlemen's wear to be worn over the trousers to serve as protection against wet and stormy weather, and as a covering to provide greater warmth to the wearer's lower legs in cold weather. U.S. Pat. No. 755,694 issued to Peel, incorporated herein by reference, describes an improved legging secured by eyelets and hooks that covers and adheres closely to the upper portion and lace-opening of a boot or shoe for the purpose of preventing ingress of snow, water, or other foreign substances. U.S. Pat. No. 1,236,328 issued to Mackey, incorporated herein by reference, describes an improved legging secured releasably connected along the front with an improved lace-and-hook fastener, and having an improved protective tongue element. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,153,977; 1,265,280; and 1,368,771 issued to Tweedie, incorporated herein by reference, describe removable over-gaiters having an underfoot strap, and fastened along the front with laces. U.S. Pat. No. 1,564,056 issued to Friedman & Friedman, incorporated herein by reference, describes improved leggings secured to the wearer's lower leg using a zipper or fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 1,664,617 issued to Friedenthal, incorporated herein by reference, describes a wool spat to serve as a protective covering for the wearer's lower limbs, which includes woolen hose secured elastically to the wearer's leg, and having a detachable underfoot strap.
Other prior art relates to removable over-footwear accessories that render a single pair of footwear into a fashion statement. U.S. Pat. No. 2,446,158 issued to Miller & Easterling, incorporated herein by reference, describes an optionally removable cowboy boot upper for children, which may be applied to a wearer's shoe to simulate the appearance of a complete cowboy boot. U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,022 issued to Cohn, incorporated herein by reference, describes a dress boot having optionally interchangeable decorative tubular upper portions, which slide over a wearer's boot. U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,559 issued to Thiel, incorporated herein by reference, describes a tubular footwear accessory designed to simulate the appearance of a boot. U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,803 issued to Patterson, incorporated herein by reference, describes synthetic fleece leggings having an underfoot strap, and secured to the wearer's lower leg with several hook-and-pile (i.e., VELCRO™) fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 9,210,959 issued to Diamond Dust Design LLC, incorporated herein by reference, describes a selectively decorative “shin wrap” article, which has grommets and jeweler's hooks for temporary fastening of decorative elements, such as chains. U.S. Pat. No. 9,254,015 issued to Nugent, incorporated herein by reference, describes an interchangeable decorative bootleg cover worn over the upper portion of a boot.
Although numerous innovations relating to footwear coverings, decorations, and embellishments are provided in the prior art, no such innovation is suited for the purposes of the embodiments of the present disclosure, namely the featured display of designs or logos on the wearer's lower leg.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide wearers with a universal, easily interchangeable and moveable decorative over-ankle band fashion accessory, which embellishes the lower leg, but not the foot, of the wearer with a decorative covering. Embodiments of the present disclosure also help secure the wearer's trouser legs so as to prevent the wearer's trouser legs from rising, for example, when bending at the knee, or, for another example, due to wind while riding a motorcycle or bicycle. Embodiments of the present disclosure additionally protect the wearer from dust and dirt; insects, spiders, ticks, and the like; harm from collisions and falls; and catching of a wearer's trouser material, for example in a bicycle gear mechanism. Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide the wearer additional ankle support; and provide warmth to the covered area.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a lower leg wrap portion, which consists of a strip of material that may be reversibly secured into a loop around the wearer's lower leg, and an adjustable-length stirrup strap, operably coupled to the lower leg loop portion, which is easily applied over the outsole of the wearer's footwear.
The two ends of the lower leg wrap portion of the present disclosure are constructed from bonded leather, or suitable substitute material such a faux-leather vinyl material. The middle portion of the lower leg wrap portion features a supporting layer, made from a material of greater rigidity than the rigidity of the lower leg wrap. The supporting layer is dimensioned and has physical properties optimized for the display of an ornamental design, trademark, or logo.
The embodiments of the present disclosure wrap around the wearer's lower leg and are secured with hook-and-pile fasteners, such as VELCRO™, or the like, and are further secured to the wearer's lower leg with an adjustable-length stirrup strap. The adjustable-length stirrup strap is provided with a slideably adjustable buckle used to lengthen or shorten the strap, along with strap-loop fittings as part of a conventional two-part length-adjusting arrangement. The adjustable loop of the stirrup strap is operably coupled using a ring member to a base portion of the supporting layer; the opposite, fixed end of the stirrup strap is operably coupled proximate to a loose end of the lower leg wrap.
The summary above is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.
The disclosure can be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the disclosure, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
While embodiments of the disclosure are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof shown by way of example in the drawings will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.
As shown in
The lower leg cuff 101 has an outer surface 130 operating as a substrate for the display of an ornamental design 131. In one embodiment, as depicted in
The interchangeable over-ankle band 100 has a supporting layer 140 made from a material having a rigidity greater than the rigidity of the lower leg cuff 101. Frontal views of the supporting layer 140 are depicted in
In one embodiment, the supporting layer is made from bonded leather. In another embodiment, the supporting layer may serve as substrate for a pocket, which the wearer can use to carry small items on her or his person. In still another embodiment, the supporting layer operates as a substrate for decorative embellishments, such as feathers, frills, or flowers.
In one embodiment, the supporting layer 140 has a bottom edge 141, to which a ring member 151 is operably coupled. As depicted in
The simplicity, ease-of-use, and relatively low manufacturing cost of embodiments of the present disclosure provide improvements over the prior art. Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure are exceptionally lightweight and compact, enabling easy storage and transport, and minimizing encumbrances on the wearer. Embodiments of the present disclosure are sufficiently compact to fit neatly in a small handbag, e.g. a pocketbook.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the subject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features of the subject matter hereof may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted.
Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features with other dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended.
Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein.
For purposes of interpreting the claims, it is expressly intended that the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “means for” or “step for” are recited in a claim.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/522,426 filed Jun. 20, 2017, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 258996 | Cory | Jun 1882 | A |
| 562784 | Fisher | Jun 1896 | A |
| 755694 | Peel | Mar 1904 | A |
| 1153977 | Tweedie | Sep 1915 | A |
| 1236328 | Mackey | Aug 1917 | A |
| 1265280 | Tweedie | May 1918 | A |
| 1368771 | Tweedie | Feb 1921 | A |
| 1564056 | Friedman et al. | Dec 1925 | A |
| 1664617 | Friedenthal | Apr 1928 | A |
| D104880 | Rosenfield | Jun 1937 | S |
| 2126022 | Manolis | Aug 1938 | A |
| 2446158 | Miller et al. | Jul 1948 | A |
| 4393522 | Calabrese | Jul 1983 | A |
| 5501022 | Cohn | Mar 1996 | A |
| 5740559 | Thiel | Apr 1998 | A |
| 6301803 | Patterson | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 9210959 | Jankowski | Dec 2015 | B1 |
| 9254015 | Nugent | Feb 2016 | B2 |
| 20110191942 | Villalobos | Aug 2011 | A1 |
| 20140130227 | Stark | May 2014 | A1 |
| 20140283415 | Brown | Sep 2014 | A1 |
| 20160044978 | Callaway | Feb 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180360166 A1 | Dec 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62522426 | Jun 2017 | US |
