Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses consistent with the present invention relates to a flexible device, which fits over a shoe. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flexible shoe covering which reduces the friction and drag between shoes and carpeted surfaces allowing a wearer to move with ease and less risk of injury.
2. Description of the Related Art
Not Applicable.
The fitness industry is very aware that moving or exercising on carpeted surfaces while wearing rubber soled or athletic shoes is difficult, compromising and dangerous. This problem occurs because athletic shoes are not designed to move freely on carpet. Specifically, athletic shoes provide too much grip on carpet and do not allow a wearer to turn, slide, twist, or pivot in order to move or to do exercises properly and safely. Such a strong grip can cause various injuries and put unnecessary stress and strain on the muscles and joints of the lower body. Those injuries including, but not limited to, the lower back, hips, knees and ankles because while a wearer tries to accomplish these various movements the shoe will stay stationary causing the wearer to move in an unnatural and potentially harmful way.
The home fitness and video games industries, in particular need to address this problem because the majority of their target market will use their instructional fitness or sport interactive games at home on carpeted surfaces. With the latest video game technology of motion recognition, more people than ever are choosing to stay home to workout, dance and even play sports. Can you imagine playing tennis or basketball on a carpeted court? But that's what the developers of these interactive games are asking you to do, which is dangerous, and they know it. They advertise their products by photographing people playing the games in their athletic shoes, which lessens the chance of injury and on hard wood and/or polished studio floors because it's safer and easier to move on than carpet.
This type of misleading advertising has been going on for decades with the origin of the home fitness industry. The choreography for the home fitness market is developed, taught and filmed from expensive wood polished studio/dance floors so no one gets hurt and can do the exercises properly. So why would the fitness industry ask those at home to do what they themselves will not do on carpeted surfaces? Because neither the fitness nor the entertainment video game industries know how to fix the problem of moving effectively and safely on carpet. Participants are not aware that it is neither their inability to learn nor their current level of physical fitness that is holding them back and causing potential injuries. It is the surface of the floor they are working on and the movements they trying to accomplish upon them.
By fixing this problem, the home fitness/game enthusiast can finally have a level playing field in trying to accomplish what is being asked from them. Once the dangers of moving on carpeted surfaces in athletic/rubber soled shoes are known by the general public, the implicated industries will not have to discontinue or go back and change their older products. By simply including and/or endorsing this small, lightweight, portable, convenient and invaluable device, they will have given their consumers the knowledge and the tool to overcome the obstacle of moving on carpeted surfaces.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention, as embodied in the non-limiting and exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, to overcome or avoid these problems and provide a device, which allows a person to move and/or exercise safely and properly on carpet while any type of footwear.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. In addition, the present invention is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any or all of the problems described above.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible covering for use on shoes. A flexible material in the general shape of a sock has a top stretchable first ring and a smaller retractable bottom second ring. When the top ring and material is stretched around the toe and heel, the material continues around to the bottom of the shoe setting the second retractable ring in place at the arch of the shoe. The material that covers the bottom of the shoe has a lower coefficient of friction than the sole of the shoe allowing the wearer to move with ease on carpeted surfaces.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible covering for use on shoes including a first ring which is fitted around the top of a shoe, a second ring located on the bottom of the shoe, and a material that extends from the first ring to the second ring, wherein the second ring is stretchable between a non-stretched configuration and a stretched configuration wherein the second ring is stretched over a heel of the shoe to allow more fraction to be obtained through the heel when necessary.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible covering for use on shoes including a first ring which is fitted around the top of a shoe, a second ring located on the bottom of the shoe, and a material that extends from the first ring to the second ring, wherein reinforcement is provided on portions of the covering which correspond to a toe and or heel of the shoe allowing for specific exercises to be accomplished or modified from a prone or supine position on carpeted surfaces.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible covering for use on shoes including a first ring which is fitted around the top of a shoe, a second ring located on the bottom of the shoe, and a material that extends from the first ring to the second ring, wherein the second ring is stretchable but not retractable between a non-stretched configuration and a stretched configuration wherein the second ring is stretched over a heel of the shoe to allow fraction through the heel to be maintained.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible covering for use on shoes including a first ring which is fitted around the top of a shoe, a second ring located on the bottom of the shoe, and a material that extends from the first ring to the second ring, wherein reinforcement is provided on portions of the covering which correspond to the toe and or ball of the shoe and has a lower coefficient of friction than the bottom of the shoe and the material covering the shoe, wherein the second ring is stretched over a heel of the shoe allowing for heel traction to be obtained and reinforcement to be only at the toe and or ball of the shoe providing a extra level of lower coefficient of friction than the bottom of the shoe and floor. Such in the case of, but not limited to, dancers who need a spot in which to spin allowing them to practice on a carpeted or other surface where the grip of the shoes worn would create too much grip to practice safely.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible covering for use on shoes including a first ring which is fitted around the top of a shoe, a second ring located on the bottom of the shoe, and a material that extends from the first ring to the second ring, wherein reinforcement is provided on portions of the covering which correspond to the toe and or ball of the shoe and has a lower coefficient of friction than the bottom of the shoe and the material covering the shoe, wherein the second ring has a stabilization patch to hold the second ring in place while stretched over a heel of the shoe. Reinforcement to be only at the toe and or ball of the shoe providing a extra level of lower coefficient of friction than the bottom of the shoe and floor and a stabilization patch on the top of the fabric corresponding to the toe of the shoe, which has a higher coefficient of friction than the toe of the shoe and the material covering the shoe allowing, but not limited to, dancers and player of dance games to accomplish popular dance moves otherwise not able to attempt.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of moving on carpet including putting on a shoe, putting covering over the shoe, wherein the covering has a lower coefficient of friction than a bottom of the shoe, and moving on carpet.
These and/or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following description, same drawing reference numerals are used for the same elements in different drawings. The matters defined in the description, such as detailed construction and element descriptions, are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the invention. In addition, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention with unnecessary detail.
In
In addition, the material 4 has a lower coefficient of friction than the bottom of the shoe 3. Therefore, when a wearer puts on the sock 1 with the second ring 3 in the non-stretched configuration, the wearer is able to glide over a carpeted surface regardless of where the bottom of the shoe 6 meets the carpet or floor surface. Being able to glide allows the wearer (not shown) to better move with ease in any direction which might otherwise put undue stress on joints and muscles such as turning, twisting, pivoting and sliding. All such movements happen frequently throughout our daily routines or while exercising with or without a video within our own homes. Therefore, when a wearer puts on the sock 1 with the second ring 3 in the non-stretched configuration the wearer is able to move through their daily tasks, perform exercises and/or play interactive video games properly on carpeted surfaces with less risk of injury.
For example, many exercises are more easily performed when the heel 9 grips the carpet harder than the ball portion 10 of the shoe 5. In the stretched configuration, a wearer is able but not limited to easily turning on the balls of his or her feet while still having the ability to stop at any moment when necessary using the heel 9.
In addition, a wearer may use the stretched configuration when he or she is moving on different types of surfaces. Different surfaces have different coefficients of friction. Since the sock 1 has a lower coefficient of friction than the bottom of the shoe 6, wearing the sock 1 on a surface with a lower coefficient of friction, such as a wood, tile or linoleum floor, may cause there to be too little fraction between the sock 1 and the said surface. In such a case, a wearer may feel insecure in their pursuit of movement. Therefore, by having the heel 9 not covered by the material 4 in the stretched configuration, the heel 9 creates more traction between the shoe 5 and the surface preventing accidental slipping or falling. Also, in the stretched configuration, a wearer will not have to take off the sock 1 in order to go between different types of surfaces.
Additionally, many people who use walkers, and especially older people, tend to lean forward putting as much of their body weight as possible on their walkers for support which takes weight off their lower body allowing them to pull their feet forward over the floor. Older people also tend to take off their shoes while inside because the weight of their shoes and drag on carpeted surfaces is problematical when trying to walk. However, by wearing a sock 1 in the stretched configuration, the sock 1 will allow their shoes to glide over the carpeted floor due to its lower coefficient of friction. Therefore, the person using the walker will not have to lean over as far or put so much of their body weight onto the walker to get the leverage necessary to move. By lessening the weight load on their upper body buy allowing them to glide over a surface instead of unavoidable gripping, the capability to stand up straighter is possible therefore can improve proper body mechanics, overall posture and lung capacity. Additionally, by having the heel 9 not covered by the material 4, greater traction is obtained at the heel 9, and there is less chance that the wearer will accidentally slip or fall while moving freely from one surface to another. It is also important to note that the above strategy can work for anyone who has ambulatory difficulty weather through but not limited to age, disability, or in recovery from an acute injury.
Furthermore, the second ring 3 is designed to be both stretchable from the non-stretched configuration to the stretched configuration and retractable from the stretched configuration to the non-stretched configuration. This allows for the sock 1 to be switched back and forth between full coverage of the bottom of the shoe 6 and exposing just the heel 9 of the shoe 5.
While
Providing reinforcement 11 on portions of the sock 1 which corresponds to a toe 12 and the heel 9 of the shoe 5 allows for the improvement of a variety of exercises and better performance when the reinforcement 11 has a different coefficient of friction than the rest of the material 4. For example, by having reinforcement 11 at a toe 12, push-ups become a full body exercise due to the lack of grip on the floor from the toes of the shoes. Without gripping the floor, the wearer must use more than just their normal upper body strength to complete the exercise. The entire abdominal wall along with the muscles of the back, legs and gluteus must engage for the toes of the shoes not move backwards with the up and down motion of the push-up. If someone is not strong enough for such an advanced exercise, he or she can still use the sock 1 with the reinforcement 11 from an easier approach, yet still challenging. For example, a wearer would start in a boxed push-up position with their elbows and knees on the floor and toes under. Keeping their elbows on the floor they then would push one leg out straight and then the other one out to meet the first one At this point both legs are in a straight position behind them. Using their body strength to stay in that position is challenging since the grip of their toes will be less than what they are use to with the reinforcement 11 on the toe 12 of shoe 5. Taking it one step further, from previous position, the wearier could allow the sliding ability of the sock 1 with the reinforcement 11 to take them back a few inches further without moving their elbows or bending their knees and then using their abdominal, upper back and shoulder muscles, pull themselves back to the beginning position using the gliding ability given from the reinforcement 11 being placed on the toe 12 of shoe 5.
In addition, by having reinforcement 11 at the heel 9, a wearer regardless of ability, can turn supine and start working their abdominal muscles by pushing their heels forward and back on the carpet or known surface. This is an especially good option for obese or over weight individuals because their legs never leave the ground and the hip flexor muscles do not engaged. Therefore, participants will not experience the common pain that comes from improper positioning due to a lack of strength and or too much stress being applied. Even for people who consider themselves fit will get an intense core workout from pushing their heels forward on the floor instead of driving their legs up.
By making the reinforcement 11 with a different coefficient of friction than the rest of the material 4, one can choose the amount of force needed to perform a given exercise in order to optimize the workout. The coefficient of friction of the reinforcement 11 may be either higher or lower than the rest of the material 4 allowing for many options in manufacturing for different physical abilities and disabilities.
While
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
For example, the material 4 of sock 1 or the material 140 of sock 100 may be made from materials such as nylon, spandex, Lycra, polyester and/or cotton but the material 4 of sock 1 or the material 140 of sock 100 is not limited to those materials. Also, the material 4 of sock 1 or the material 140 of sock 100 may be made from a blend of material. Further, the first and second rings 2 and 3 of sock 1 and the first, second, and third rings 120, 130 of sock 100 may be made of the same as material 4 of sock 1 or the material 140 of sock 100 as the rest of the sock, a different material, or the same material but reinforced at the rings or full panels. Also the positioning and stabilization patches may be made of but not limited to silicone rubber. Additionally, while it is preferable for the bottom of the shoe 6 to be completely covered by the material 4, except for a portion of the arch 8, when the second ring 3 of sock one or the second ring 130 of sock 100 is in the non-stretched configuration, some portion of the bottom of the shoe 6 besides the arch 8 may be exposed and still be within the present invention. Also, the term ring used in this specification is not limited to a circular ring and can be any shape such as an oval, square, or any other type of geometric figure so long as the ring is closed or it can be a tighter material woven into the fabric and not separated. Furthermore, it is preferable for the sock 1 or 100 to have the general shape of a sock, tube, or a combination thereof with or without a closed or open heel.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/234,448, filed on 2009 Aug. 17 by the present inventor.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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293475 | King | Feb 1884 | A |
1664617 | Friedenthal | Apr 1928 | A |
2171654 | Hinchliff et al. | Sep 1939 | A |
2420618 | Rabinovitz | May 1947 | A |
2447284 | Bolte et al. | Aug 1948 | A |
4646727 | Chambers | Mar 1987 | A |
4665633 | Edgerton | May 1987 | A |
4872271 | Allen | Oct 1989 | A |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61234448 | Aug 2009 | US |