Patent Application
20140115927
An understanding of embodiments described in this disclosure and many of the attendant advantages may be readily obtained by reference to the following detailed description when considered with the accompanying drawings, of which:
Applicants have recognized that, in accordance with some embodiments described in this disclosure, some types of fashion-conscious shoppers and other types of consumers may find it beneficial to have footwear (e.g., boots, shoes) that can be customized and/or decorated by the user with different colors, styles and/or patterns.
Applicants have recognized that it may be desirable, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, for some types of users to decorate different types of footwear in order to make them more attractive, stylish, versatile and/or changeable. Some types of consumers may find it desirable to be able to give their footwear items, such as a favorite pair of boots, a different look for different occasions, for different weather conditions and/or for different times of the day. Applicants have recognized that this would be a budget friendly way to make a practical rain boot fashion friendly, as well as bring in additional revenue after the sale of the rain boot because customers would always be looking for new colors and patterns to add to their collections.
Some embodiments discussed in this disclosure are descriptive of methods and articles of manufacture providing for decorative customization (e.g., by a user) of boots and other types of footwear.
Some embodiments provide for methods and articles of manufacture allowing a user to insert one or more decorative and/or customizing inserts into one or more sleeves, pockets or other type of receiving portion of a boot, for displaying the inserted insert(s). In some embodiments, a user may insert a piece of decorative material into a clear display sleeve, envelope or holder on a calf portion or other portion of a boot. In one or more embodiments, the sleeve may be made of plastic, rubber, and/or a rubberized material that has been coated, treated, and/or impregnated with rubber (e.g., a rubberized plastic).
According to some embodiments, methods and articles of manufacture provide for a rain boot that can be adapted to be many different colors and patterns, allowing a consumer to invest in one pair of boots that can be adapted to match any outfit, style and/or color.
According to one or more embodiments, systems and articles of manufacture are provided comprising (i) at least one boot and/or other type of footwear having at least one insert sleeve, and (ii) at least one insert for inserting in the insert sleeve.
According to one or more embodiments, a system is provided that includes a rain boot (e.g., comprising waterproof material) having at least one insert sleeve for receiving an insert, and at least one decorative insert for inserting in the at least one insert sleeve.
According to some embodiments, a boot comprises a transparent outer sleeve portion encircling at least a portion of a calf of the boot. The sleeve portion includes an opening for receiving at least one insert and a closing means for closing the opening to secure the insert in the sleeve portion and/or to protect the insert and/or interior of the sleeve portion from exposure to environmental elements (e.g., rain, snow, dirt).
In one example embodiment, a boot (e.g., a rain boot) is available in basic colors on the toe, heel and sole of the shoe that would remain constant. According to the example, the upper calf of the boot would be a clear rubberized and waterproof material that allows for the insertion of a pre-printed, patterned insert to show through. A user is able to slip the patterned and/or colored insert into the clear cavity of the calf portion and then seal the boot off with a waterproof fastener, zipper, hook and eye fastener (e.g., Velcro®) or closure of some kind.
Applicants have recognized that rain boots are the most practical pair of shoes a fashionista can invest in because it rains almost everywhere, affecting almost everyone. Therefore, a pair of rain boots that can be made to match any outfit, at any time, in accordance with one or more embodiments, would be highly desirable to a client looking to remain fashion forward even in the worst of weather. Rain apparel plays an important role in a university student's wardrobe. After one day of sore feet from walking around campus in cheap rain boots, a student may invest in a very comfortable designer pair. If it rains a lot, multiple times a week a student needs to wear the same color clothes to match her boots. A new pair may not match existing purchases, such as coats, jackets, and/or raincoats. Girls and women who own rain boots may share the same problem of finding different outfits to match their boots.
Although boots, and particularly rain boots, may be referenced in this disclosure, it will be readily understood that some embodiments of the present invention may be implemented with one or more other various types of footwear.
In some embodiments, boots may be available for sale with at least one insert (e.g., a solid color that matches the boot). Alternatively or in addition, according to some embodiments, sleeve inserts may be available separately for sale in solid colors and/or patterns.
In one example, the insert 100 may comprise a panel of material suitable to be flattened for storage purposes and suitably flexible for conforming to the shape of one or more insert sleeves. In one example, the insert 100 may comprise rubber or a rubber-like material able to flex and move as the wearer takes a step (similar to the material used in constructing the boots). In some embodiments, the insert 100 does not comprise any paper or plastic materials.
According to some embodiments, an insert comprises one or more patterns and may be inserted one or more at a time in a corresponding insert sleeve. Inserts may be interchanged, as desired by a user (e.g., to match other clothing items).
As shown in
An insert may be manipulated by a user, according to some embodiments, so that two opposite edges overlap in the insert sleeve 202 in the back of the boot 200 (e.g., forming a cylindrical shape around the boot's calf). In one embodiment, an ornamental seam or other portion (not shown) may be placed down the back of the calf of a boot to obscure where the edges of the insert meet or overlap. For example, a vertical strip of material (e.g., incorporating a company logo) outside of the insert sleeve 200 may extend the height of the insert sleeve 200, and may be the same color as the foot or base portion of the boot. Accordingly, the vertical strip map cover the overlap as well and/or eliminate a need for a fastener to fasten the edges of the insert together.
The inner boot layer 204 may or may not be constructed of the same material and/or may be the same color as one or more other portions of the boot. The boot may also comprise a foot portion 208, sole 210, and/or a top portion 212, and may contain one or more other types of ornamental or functional components.
The following non-limiting example scenario discusses an example embodiment called a “Slip and Slide Boot” embodied as a rain boot. Slip and Slide Boots solve the problem some types of consumers may experience in finding different outfits to match one or more different pairs of boot(s). They may come in solid colors (e.g., black, red, grey, silver, gold, purple, navy blue, or orange, or the like) that show on the toes and/or heel. The boot may have a clear plastic and/or rubberized calf. A user may insert inserts (e.g., that may be purchased separately) that come in one or more solid colors and/or patterns into one or more sleeves of the plastic calf portion, allowing the boot to match any outfit and/or different types of outfits. One or more different inserts may be used to decorate the example Slip and Slide Boot. It will be readily understood that a boot may have any number of sleeves as desirable for a particular implementation, and that a consumer may utilize any desired number of one or more inserts, in any desired colors and/or patterns (e.g., all the same, all different, some the same and others different).
While the disclosure has been described in terms of specific embodiments, it is evident in view of the foregoing description that numerous alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to encompass all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.
Numerous embodiments are described in this patent application, and are presented for illustrative purposes only. The described embodiments are not, and are not intended to be, limiting in any sense. The presently disclosed invention(s) are widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as is readily apparent from the disclosure. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the disclosed invention(s) may be practiced with various modifications and alterations. Although particular features of the disclosed invention(s) may be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments and/or drawings, it should be understood that such features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments or drawings with reference to which they are described, unless expressly specified otherwise.
The present disclosure is neither a literal description of all embodiments of the invention nor a listing of features of the invention that must be present in all embodiments.
The Title (set forth at the beginning of the first page of this patent application) is not to be taken as limiting in any way the scope of the disclosed invention(s).
The terms “an embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “the embodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “some embodiments”, “one embodiment” and the like mean “one or more (but not all) disclosed embodiments”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
A reference to “another embodiment” in describing an embodiment does not imply that the referenced embodiment is mutually exclusive with another embodiment (e.g., an embodiment described before the referenced embodiment), unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms “including”, “comprising” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
Although a process may be described as including a plurality of steps, that does not indicate that all or even any of the steps are essential or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of the described invention(s) include other processes that omit some or all of the described steps. Unless otherwise specified explicitly, no step is essential or required.
Although a product may be described as including a plurality of components, aspects, qualities, characteristics and/or features, that does not indicate that all of the plurality are essential or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of the described invention(s) include other products that omit some or all of the described plurality.
Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the title of this patent application are for convenience only, and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.
The present application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/719,547 filed Oct. 29, 2012, entitled “BOOT WITH DECORATIVE INSERTS,” which is incorporated by reference in the present application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61719547 | Oct 2012 | US |
