FOOT TREATMENT SLIPPER

Abstract

A slipper for use in applying moisture to only predetermined areas of a person's foot and including a toe enclosing portion and a heal engaging portion that are movably connected to one another and wherein the toe enclosing portion includes a non liquid absorbing sole and an upper secured to the sole so as to define a cavity in which at least a person's toes may be received, and wherein the upper includes an outer non liquid absorbent cover layer and an inner liquid absorbent material layer, and the heel engaging portion includes an inner liquid absorbent material oriented toward an opening into the cavity of the toe enclosing portion and at least an outer covering layer of non liquid absorbent material.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to the field of slippers, medical treatment socks and the like. More particularly to such foot receiving structures that are used to apply liquid to a person's foot.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

US Published Application 2005/0066547 to Abudullah K. Al-Rasheed and published Mar. 31, 2005, discloses a soaking shoe which is constructed to retained liquid therein so that a person having corns or calluses can soak such area while wearing and walking in the shoes in a manner similar to soaking their feet in a bowl of water. The soaking shoe is provided with a water resistant outer layer or material and with an inner sole of water absorbent material that retains water at a higher water concentration than that of the human foot so that the retained water acts by osmosis to soften the tissue of the person's foot when being worn. In some embodiments, the upper portion of the shoe may porous to ventilation from the interior of the shoe during use. Another article of footwear having interior water absorbing characteristics for applying water to a person's foot is disclosed in US Published Patent Application 200810120869 to Normand Roy et al, published May 29, 2008.

A pedicure sock is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,156,947 to Deanne Viola et al, issued Apr. 17, 2012. The sock contains an inner layer of material for absorbing liquid conditioners and an outer waterproof layer. The conditioners are applied about the entire foot as the sock is being worn. To enhance the conditioning, after the sock is placed on a person's foot, the foot is placed in a warm water bath to further stimulate the foot.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,443 to Bob Pas et al, issued Mar. 28, 2000, a sock is disclosed wherein the lower foot enclosing portion of the sock is covered with a waterproof layer with inner portion of the sock being lined with a moisture absorbent material to drawing moisture from the skin of the foot when the sock is being worn. In Japanese Application 07-008519, of applicant Mikiko Sogabe, published Jan. 13, 1995, a therapeutic sock is disclosed having an inner absorbent material for absorbing conditioners to treat a foot of the person wearing the sock and an out waterproof layer. In Korean Publication KR20130057057 to Jin Jeong, published May 31, 2013, a pair of galoshes is disclosed having inner absorbent sock material for absorbing moisture to remove hardened skin from a person's foot.

Another medical sock is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,411 to Edward Bachert et al which issued Feb. 3, 2004, wherein both the toe portion and heel portion of the sock include a moisture absorbent material mounted between an outer waterproof material and an inner porous material so that liquids may be supplied to the inner material through injection nozzles provided at both the toe and heel portions of the sock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to adjustably mounted slippers having a toe enclosing portion adjustably connected to a heel engaging portion wherein moisture absorbent materials are provided only along an upper portion of the toe portion and along an inner portion of the heel engaging portion. Due to the limited and selected placement of moisture absorbent materials, moisture is only applied to areas of a person's toes around the toenails and cuticles and also to an area along a heel portion of the foot so that these selected areas of the foot are subjected to softening by absorbed moisture within the moisture absorbent materials without exposing the remainder of the foot to moisture. Thus, the slippers may be used to soften toenails, cuticles and calluses while maintaining the remainder of a person's foot dry and at a comfortable temperature.

The slippers of the present invention are used to enhance pedicure procedures by allowing only selected portions of a person's foot to be subjected to moisture treatment to soften toenails, cuticles and heel calluses while the remaining portions of the person's foot remain dry. The slippers include an enclosed toe portion forming a cavity for receiving a front portion of a person's foot so that all toes are completely housed with the cavity when the slippers are worn. The sole of the toe portion is constructed of a nonabsorbent closed foam neoprene material enclosed between a nylon tricot inner covering and a bottom textured rubber gripping surface material.

The upper of the toe portion is formed of a nonabsorbent closed foam neoprene material covered by an outer nylon tricot material and an inner fleece or other soft and absorbent inner material that has been treated with anti-microbial and anti-bacterial agents. The upper edge of the upper of the toe portion is seemed with a soft fleece decorative seem or cap to provide comfort across the top of a person's foot when the slipper is being worn. The upper and sole are secured along their edges by a waterproof hem that is sewn around a perimeter of the toe portion of the slipper. The hem retains the moisture within the upper absorbent material of the toe cavity.

The slippers of the invention also have a heel engaging portion or pad that is adjustably mounted relative to the toe portion by at least one adjustable elastic strap that is sewn to the upper and opposite side portions of the upper so as to be secured to the toe portion without interfering with the toe enclosing cavity. The heel engaging portion or pad includes an inner nonabsorbent neoprene closed cell foam material that is covered with a fleece material moisture absorbent inner liner that is engaged with the heel of a person's foot when the slippers are worn. This fleece material is designed to apply moisture to the area of the person's heel to soften calluses in the area of the heel. The nonabsorbent inner material of the pad may be covered with a nylon tricot material. In order to make the heel pad adjustable relative to the elastic mounting strap connecting the heel pad to the toe portion of the slippers, another outer nonabsorbent material is attached to the pad by securing along the upper, lower and side edges of the heel pad. Two pair of reinforced slits are made in spaced relationship to each other in the outer nonabsorbent material to thereby create a pair of spaced belt loops through which the mounting strap extends.

To further stabilize the heel pad to a person's foot, the heel pad has outer and upwardly oriented side or wing portions. A resilient ankle engaging strap is secured to one of the wing portions and a first hook and loop engaging material is secured to an outer end of the ankle strap. A second hook and loop engaging material is secured along an end portion of the other wing portion for cooperatively engaging with the first hook and loop material to secure the strap about the person's ankle when the slipper is being worn.

It is an object of the invention to provide a slipper for preparing a person's feet for pedicure and callus treatment wherein the slipper applies moisture to only those areas of a person's foot that are to be treated and in this respect provides moisture absorbing materials only in areas of the upper of a toe enclosing portion of the slipper which are in contact with the toenails and cuticles of the toes and with heel engaging areas of a heel engaging portion of the slipper.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide slippers for use in softening toenails, cuticles and calluses of person's feet by adjustably securing toe enclosing and heel engaging portions of the slippers to areas of a person's toes and heel.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of selectively treating only certain portions of a person's feet with moisture to facilitate a pedicure so that other portions of the person's feet are not exposed to unnecessary moisture and wherein the structure of the slipper creates a “wet suit” effect in the moisture absorbent areas of the slipper to make a temperature of the slippers in such areas more comfortable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a slipper in accordance with the invention showing a toe enclosing portion of the slipper connected to a heel engaging portion by an adjustable resilient strap;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the slipper of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the slipper of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear plan view of the slipper of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the slipper of FIG. 1; p FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the slipper of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view similar to Fig, 1 showing an adjustable ankle engaging strap opened to show hook and loop fasteners for engaging to one another to lock the ankle strap to the heel engaging portion of the slipper and also showing the adjustment members of the resilient strap for connecting the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion mounted on an opposite side of the slipper from the position shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a cross section view taken along line 8-8 through the upper of the toe enclosing portion of FIG. 1 showing the structure of the upper of the toe enclosing portion of the slipper;

FIG. 9 is a cross section view taken along line 9-9 through the sole of the toe enclosing portion of FIG. 1 showing the structure of the sole of the slipper; and

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view along lines 10-10 of FIG. 4 showing the structure of the heel engaging portion of the slipper.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With continued reference to the drawings, a slipper 10 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-6 for use to enhance pedicure procedures by only applying moisture or soaking selected portions of a person foot in preparation for treatment of the toenails and cuticles and heel calluses of the foot. The slipper includes a toe enclosing front portion 12 which is connected to a rear heel engaging portion or pad 14 by way of a at least one resilient strap 15, which may be adjustable. The toe enclosing front portion includes an opening 16, see FIGS. 1 and 4, for receiving a front portion of a person's foot from adjacent the ball of the foot to the end of the toes.

With specific reference to FIGS. 5 and 9, the structure of the slipper will be described in more specific detail. The structure is important as the object of the slipper is to only apply moisture to specific areas of the foot in preparation for a pedicure procedure. As shown, the sole portion 18 of the toe enclosing portion front portion 12 of the slipper is constructed of a cushioning material which, in the preferred embodiment, is a nonabsorbent closed foam neoprene material 20 enclosed between a nylon tricot inner covering 21 and a bottom rubber or rubber-like traction layer 22. Preferably, the bottom surface of the rubber or rubber-like layer 22 is textured to provide a non-skid gripping surface for the slipper. The sole portion is generally soft and flexible or pliable to facilitate wearer comfort and is specifically constructed so as to not absorb liquids such that the bottom of a person's foot is not exposed to moisture when the slipper is worn.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, the upper 24 of the toe enclosing front portion 12 of the slipper is formed of a cushioning material which, in the preferred embodiment, is a nonabsorbent closed foam neoprene material 25 covered by an outer and upper nylon tricot material layer 26 and an inner fleece or other soft and liquid absorbent inner material 28 that has been treated with anti-microbial and anti-bacterial agents. An upper edge of the upper of the toe enclosing front portion is provided with a soft fleece decorative seem or hem 30 to provide comfort across the top of a person's foot at the opening 16 when the slipper is being worn. The upper and sole are secured along their edges by a waterproof hem 32 that is sewn around a perimeter of the toe enclosing front portion 12 of the slipper. The hem 32 retains the moisture within the upper absorbent material of the toe cavity. When in use, water, ointments, lotions and other skin softening or medicinal liquids may be absorbed within the absorbent inner material before the slipper is applied to a person's foot so that the moisture is directed to the area of a person's toenails and cuticles. The upper 24 is generally soft and pliable and thus comfortable to a person's foot.

From the foregoing, moisture is only applied to limited areas of a person's foot to enhance pedicure treatment of in area of the toenails and cuticles and such that the sole of the person's foot is not in direct contact with any moisture and thus remains dry when the slipper is worn.

The at least one adjustable and resilient strap 15 is connected at opposite ends 33 and 34 thereof to the upper 24 just above the sole portion 18 by being secured between the soft seem 32 and two patches of covering material 35 which may be a vinyl. In the preferred embodiment shown, the ends of the straps are sewn between the other materials. The strap is resilient such that the strap provides a force to draw the heel engaging portion 14 continuously toward the toe enclosing front portion 12 of the slipper. In use, after a person place their foot with the toe enclosing front portion, they can pull the heel engaging portion away from the front portion until the heel engaging portion can be placed to the rear of the heel such that moisture carried by the heel engaging portion may be placed into contact with calluses on the heel.

To further permit additional adjustment to the strap 15 and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in some embodiments, one of the ends 33 of the strap may be connected to a slide member 37 after passing through a ring 38 formed of plastic or metal to which a secondary strap segment 39 is secured. The secondary strap segment is sewn or otherwise secured to a side of the upper just above the sole portion 18 between the soft seem 32 and the patch covering material 35. The end of the strap terminates in a closed loop about a center post 40 of the slide member 37 having parallel openings 41 therein, see FIGS. 3 and 6, through which the strap 15 extends. By sliding the slide member closer to the ring 38 the length of the strap is maximized whereas by moving the slide member toward the heel engaging portion 14 of the slipper the strap is shortened to position the heel engaging portion 14 closer to the toe enclosing front portion 12 of the slipper.

With reference to FIGS. 2-4 and 10, the heel engaging pad 14 includes a central portion 43 that includes an inner cushioning material, which in the preferred embodiment, is a nonabsorbent neoprene closed cell foam material 44 that is covered with a fleece material moisture absorbent inner layer 45 that is engaged with the heel of a person's foot when the slipper is worn. This fleece material is designed to apply moisture to the area of the person's heel to soften calluses in the area of the heel. In order to make the heel pad adjustable relative to the elastic mounting strap connecting the heel pad to the toe portion of the slipper, another outer nonabsorbent material, such as a vinyl material layer 48, is attached to theeel engaging pad 14 by securing along the upper and lower edges and side edges of the pad such as by stitching. Two pair of reinforce slits 49 are made in spaced relationship to each other in the outer nonabsorbent material to thereby create a pair of spaced belt loops 50 through which the strap 15 extends.

To further stabilize the heel pad to a person's foot, the heel engaging portion or pad 14 has outer and upwardly oriented side or wing portions 51 and 52 that extend from the central portion 43. A resilient ankle engaging strap 54 is secured to the wing portion 51 and a first hook and loop engaging material 55 is secured to an outer free end 56 of the strap, see FIG. 7. A second hook and loop engaging material 57 is secured along an outer portion of the other wing portion 52 for cooperatively engaging with the first hook and loop material to secure the ankle engaging strap 54 about the person's ankle when the slipper is being worn.

In use of the slipper 10, a liquid such as water, ointments, lotions and other skin softening or medicinal liquids is introduced into the cavity of the toe enclosing portion 12 such that the liquid is absorbed within the absorbent inner fleece material 28, without collecting or pooling within the toe enclosing portion. The liquid is also applied to the fleece layer 45 of the heeling engaging pad. After the absorbent layer have been moistened, the slipper is applied to a person's foot such that the toes and front portion of the foot enter the toe enclosing portion 12 so that the moisture is directed to the area of a person's toenails and cuticles. The upper 24 is generally soft and pliable and thus comfortable to a person's foot. Thereafter, the heel engaging pad 14 is placed around the back of the person's heel so that the moisture absorbing layer 45 contacts any calluses on the back of the heel.

is With reference to FIG. 7, the adjustment means for the strap 15′ may be placed on an opposite side of the slipper 10′. Thus the ring 38′ and slide member 37′ are provided adjacent the wing portion 52′ of the heel engaging portion or pad 14′ as opposed to the wing portion 51. Also, although not shown in the drawings, the ankle engaging strap may be mounted to the wing portion 52 of the heel engaging pad such that the free end of the strap with the hook and loop material is locked to hook and loop material provided on the other wing portion 51 of the heel engaging portion or pad. Further, the slipper may be manufactured in pairs designed to be more complementary to left and right foot configurations such that the front toe enclosing portions of the slippers are curved slightly to the left or the right, respectively.

Claims

1. A slipper for use in applying moisture to only predetermined areas of a person's foot, the slipper comprising a toe enclosing portion and a heal engaging portion that are movably connected to one another such that the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion may be moved in translation relative to one another so as to be closer or farther with respect to one another, the toe enclosing portion include a non liquid absorbing sole and an upper secured to the sole so as to define a cavity in such a manner as to define an opening through which at least a person's toes may be received into the cavity, the upper including an outer non-liquid absorbent cover layer and an inner liquid absorbent material layer, the heal engaging portion including an inner liquid absorbent material oriented toward the opening into the cavity of the toe enclosing portion and at least an outer covering layer of non liquid absorbent material whereby liquid when absorbed into the liquid absorbent materials of the toe enclosing portion and heel engaging portion will be applied to areas of the toenails and cuticles of the person's toes and to an area at the rear of the heel of the person's foot.

2. The slipper of claim 1 wherein the non-liquid absorbent sole includes a cushioning layer and a top fabric liner covering the cushioning layer.

3. The slipper of claim 2 wherein the sole also includes a lower textured surface material with the cushioning layer between the lower textured surface material and the top fabric liner.

4. The slipper of claim 3 wherein the cushioning layer is a closed cell foam neoprene material, the top fabric line is formed of a tricot material and the lower textured surface material is selected from rubber and a rubber-like material.

5. The slipper of claim 1 wherein the upper includes a cushioning layer between the outer non liquid absorbent cover and the inner liquid absorbent material layer.

6. The slipper of claim 5 wherein the inner liquid absorbent material is an anti-bacterial and anti-microbial fleece material.

7. The slipper of claim 1 wherein the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion are connected by at least one resilient strap which has opposite ends connected to opposite sides of the upper, and the heel engaging portion being carried by the at least one resilient strap.

8. The slipper of claim 7 wherein the at least one resilient strap includes a slide means for adjusting an effective length of the at least one strap between the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion.

9. The slipper of claim 7 wherein one of the ends of the at least one resilient strap is secured to one of the opposite sides of the upper and the other of the ends passes through an adjustable member, about a ring member secured to the other of the opposite sides of the upper and is secure to secured to the adjustable slide member such that an effective spacing between the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion may be changed by relative movement of the slide member and the at least one resilient strap.

10. The slipper of claim 7 wherein the heel engaging portion includes an inner cushioning material between the inner liquid absorbent material and the outer covering layer, and the heal engaging portion being adjustably mounted to the at least one resilient strap.

11. The slipper of claim 10 wherein the inner absorbent material is an anti-bacterial and anti-microbial material fleece material, the cushioning material a closed cell foam neoprene foam material and the outer cover layer a vinyl material.

12. The slipper of claim 11 wherein the heel engaging portion includes a central section from which extend opposite side projections, a resilient ankle strap connected to one of the opposite side projections and having an outer free end including a first hook and loop fastening material, another of the opposite projections having a second hook and loop material thereon such that the ankle strap may be extended about a person's ankle and thereafter locked in place by the interaction of the first and second hook and loop materials.

13. The slipper of claim 7 wherein the heel engaging portion includes a central section from which extend opposite side projections, a resilient ankle strap connected to one of the opposite side projections and having an outer free end including a first hook and loop fastening material, another of the opposite projections having a second hook and loop material thereon such that the ankle strap may be extended about a person's ankle and thereafter locked in place by the interaction of the first and second hook and loop materials.

14. The slipper of claim 3 wherein the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion are connected by at least one resilient strap which has opposite ends connected to opposite sides of the upper, and the heel engaging portion being carried by the at least one resilient strap.

15. The slipper of claim 4 wherein the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion are connected by at least one resilient strap which has opposite ends connected to opposite sides of the upper, and the heel engaging portion being carried by the at least one resilient strap.

16. The slipper of claim 5 wherein the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion are connected by at least one resilient strap which has opposite ends connected to opposite sides of the upper, and the heel engaging portion being carried by the at least one resilient strap.

17. The slipper of claim 6 wherein the toe enclosing portion and the heel engaging portion are connected by at least one resilient strap which has opposite ends connected to opposite sides of the upper, and the heel engaging portion being carried by the at least one resilient strap.

18. The slipper of claim 1 wherein the heel engaging portion includes an inner cushioning material between the inner liquid absorbent material and the outer covering layer, and the heal engaging portion being adjustably mounted to the at least one resilient strap.

19. The slipper of claim 18 wherein the inner absorbent material is an anti-bacterial and anti-microbial material fleece material, the cushioning material a closed cell foam neoprene material and the outer cover layer a vinyl material.

20. The slipper of claim 19 wherein the heel engaging portion includes a central section from which extend opposite side projections, a resilient ankle strap connected to one of the opposite side projections and having an outer free end including a first hook and loop fastening material, another of the opposite projections having a second hook and loop material thereon such that the ankle strap may be extended about a person's ankle and thereafter locked in place by the interaction of the first and second hook and loop materials.