This invention generally relates to the field of fashion, and particularly to an accessory for enhancing the beauty of one's foot and, more particularly, to a foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery (or barefoot sandals) having interchangeable features like barefoot sandals assembly, which is to be positioned at one's foot more particularly, the leg, the thigh or the hip or in any of the combinations stated for enhancing the beauty of one's foot vis-a-vis the wearer's clothing.
Barefoot sandals are somewhat of a product of evolution from South Asia. These were first developed as variation of jewellery that was designed specifically for the feet and worn as a symbol of ceremonial celebration, especially for brides for celebrating their upcoming nuptials and vows. There are many variations of barefoot sandals which can be accomplished by altering the materials used or varying the styles used as well as varied utilization of the area of the foot or leg they cover. However, these all have one thing in common in that, they don't have soles like other sandals or shoes, and these usually have a loop in which to slide the second or third toe through and a tie or clasp that wraps around the ankle to hold them into place. These are meant more for decoration than practicality or protection for the feet. Conveniently, the beauty of barefoot sandals is that they can be worn by themselves or actually with traditional sandals that are open faced and do not cover or interrupt the sandal.
Besides, the mentioned barefoot sandals, another item worth mentioning to understand the present invention had its reference drawn from Garters, popular in the 1930s and 1940s, that apart from being a fancy wearable item doubled as a small purse to carry small valuables for ladies.
These garter belts or suspenders consist of an elasticised material strip of at least 2″ to 3″ in width, but could be wider, that is worn around the waist, to which 2 or 3 elastic suspender ‘slings’ are attached on each side, where the material is shaped to the contours of the body. The suspenders were typically clipped to the stockings with metal clips into which a rubber disc was inserted through the stocking material effectively ‘locking’ the stocking in place. These were normally attached to a length of elastic allowing for adjustment. These clips, also known as suspender slings, were best attached to stockings with a simple welt that do not have lace, or ‘hold-ups’ with a silicon rubber lining.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386/710 to Alberta M-Moore, discloses a foot jewellery; U.S. publication no. 2007/0062217 A1 discloses an instep jewellery, U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,158 to Mouri, Uemura and Koryo-cho discloses a slip down-free socks with a garter and lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 335,102 to Crowder and Worchester discloses a leg ring.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a leg ornamentation device which enhances the aesthetic beauty of the leg of the wearer apart from providing functional utility of handy storage and having the flexibility of being worn in parts depending upon the occasion to be worn.
The present invention is an innovative way to blend the bare foot sandal with the high thigh stocking and garter belts, incorporating these with intricate artistic jewellery rudiments from the toes up to the legs and then up to the hips.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery or barefoot assembly for enhancing the beauty of the foot up to the leg and hip.
Another objective of the present invention, is to provide a scope for temporarily holding small valuables, like cell phones, or lipstick in place of a small purse.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery or barefoot sandal assembly, wherein the style can be altered depending upon the occasion and can be worn only about the ankle or up to the knee or up to the thighs alone with the garter belt inserted for decoration only.
A further object of the present invention is to provide flexibility in fastening of the said decorative jewellery depending upon the design and the occasion of its wearing.
A still further objective of the present invention is to provide flexibility in the choice of materials, wherein, the materials could be any fabric, yarns, threads, elastics and fasteners which are elastically expandable and contractible.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide flexibility in weaving the barefoot sandals or foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery wherein, the technique involved could be either hand-made or machine made.
It is still yet another object of the invention to provide foot accessory, which can be a cost-effective means to access a particular outfit while enhancing the beauty of one's foot.
In addition to the various objects and advantages of the invention which have been described in some specific detail above it should be noted that various other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those persons who are skilled in the relevant art from the following more detailed description, particularly, when such description is taken in conjunction with the attached drawing Figures and with the appended claims.
The present invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with the aid of the description which relates to preferred embodiments of the invention explained with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
Before describing the invention in detail, the reader is advised that, for the sake of clarity and understanding, identical components having identical functions have been marked where possible with the same reference numerals in each of the Figures provided in this document.
Now reference is made to the Figures that show decorative foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery, generally indicated as (10), to be worn about the foot of one's foot or leg or hip accordingly (40). This jewellery or barefoot sandal assembly comprises a length of flexible material having a closed toe loop (11) which merges into a first bridge (12) and branches
In so embodiment of the present invention, fabric band of the thigh portion of the foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery is provided with an elastic band and or silicone band to help secure the jewellery snugly around the thigh and preventing it from sliding down the leg.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the band at the thigh portion of the wearer is further provided with pockets (36) for holding small valuables, like cell phones, or lipstick thereby, providing an alternative to carrying a small purse.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery or barefoot sandal assembly can either be worn in a combined way or it can also be worn in parts separately. To achieve the present result each of the said band at its upper portion is provided with a decorative eyelet woven with the fabric or yarn of the band which functions as an insertion point for the next bridge of the band to be worn.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the eyelet can further function to hold a decorative connecting means (35) for connecting the subsequent bridge of the hand with the preceding band.
The materials used for weaving the foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery or barefoot sandal assembly, of the present invention, could be any fabric, yarns and threads which can be elastically expandable and contractible, thereby providing flexibility of size to the wearer.
The foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery or barefoot sandal assembly of the present invention could be handmade with techniques like sewing, crochet and weaving or can be machine made.
The foot-leg-thigh-hip jewellery or barefoot sandal assembly of the present invention are further provided with decorative means, for enhancing the aesthetic beauty of the said jewellery. This decorative means can be one or a plurality of charms, precious stones, semi-precious stones, non-precious stones, beads and/or bows or any other well known decorative member that can be threaded onto the bridge or bands.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description only. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously modifications remain possible, in particular from the point of view of the design of the various elements or by substitution of equivalent methods, without thus departing from the scope of protection of the invention.