Patent Application
20140033569
The present invention relates to ballet shoes and, more particularly, to a ballet shoe with no drawstring, having elastic where the drawstring normally is positioned.
Ballet shoes with a drawstring always come untied or hang out of the ballet shoe. Dancers can trip over the drawstrings. When a dancer has the drawstrings untied or not tucked into the shoe properly, this causes unsightly feet during a performance. Moreover, drawstrings can slip out of the shoe and are typically not replaceable, requiring the dancer to purchase or obtain a new set of ballet shoes.
As can be seen, there is a need for an improved ballet shoe that does not require a drawstring yet can still fit properly to the dancer's feet.
In one aspect of the present invention, a ballet shoe comprises a loop formed along a rim of a shoe body; and an elastic material disposed in the loop.
In another aspect of the present invention, a ballet shoe comprises a suede sole; a leather shoe body attached to the suede sole; a loop formed from the leather shoe body about a rim of the shoe body; and an elastic band disposed inside the loop or not inside a loop but attached to the leather by stitching, the elastic band operable to resilient close an opening formed by rim of the ballet shoe, wherein no drawstring is used to secure the ballet shoe to a user's foot.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a ballet shoe comprises a loop formed along a rim of a shoe body; an elastic band disposed in the loop or attached to the shoe; and at least one elastic fabric disposed in a cut-away region of the rim of the shoe body.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a ballet shoe having elastic in place of a conventional drawstring. The ballet shoe of the present invention eliminates the need for a drawstring, making it easier for children to put on their own shoe as well as making it safer, as untied shoes (or those that become untied) can be a tripping hazard. Without a drawstring, the ballet shoes provide a neat appearance while still fitting on the user's foot and minimize the need for shoe repair due to broken drawstrings.
Referring now to
A loop 18 can be made along a rim 16 of the ballet shoe 10, as shown in
In some embodiments, the elastic band 20 can be included only in a portion of the loop 18, for example, only on the sides of the ballet shoe 10, where the ends of the elastic band 20 can be stitched or otherwise secured on each end within the loop 18.
In other embodiments, as shown in
Similar to that shown in
While the above discussion describes one type of ballet shoe having an elastic band about its rim, the design of the present invention can be used in various ballet shoe patterns or even in other shoe applications where attachment to the foot can be achieved through an elastic band disposed about the rim of the shoe.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
