Patent Application
20210112910
Embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to a footwear accessory and more particularly to a cover for the upper portion of a cowboy boot providing the appearance that the cover is actually part of the cowboy boot based on the cover's shape, design, material, and look.
The style of footwear known as cowboy boots refers to a specific style of footwear which is typically made of leather for the bottom portion (the lower part of the cowboy boot) and that has an upper part which extends up the leg and over the calf muscle. The length which the cowboy boot extends up the leg varies as per the specific style of the boot. Other parts of the cowboy boot may also vary such as the shape of the toe portion of the boot (which can be “squared”, “rounded”, or more pointed), the height of the heal lift part, and/or the decorative design presented on the upper portion and the lower portion of the cowboy boot.
Cowboy boots and similar footwear are often revered by their owners for their comfort and utility. Yet the decorative designs of the upper portion of the boot are not necessarily appropriate or desired for all situations. In other instances, a different design or fashion statement is desired. A need therefore exists to modify the outward appearance of the upper portion of a cowboy boot that does not affect its fit or feel and is temporary/removable. These and other inadequacies of the prior art are addressed by one or more embodiments of the present invention.
Additional advantages and novel features of this invention shall be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following specification or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, combinations, compositions, and methods particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The present invention relates to a cover for the upper portion of a cowboy boot while providing the appearance that the cover is actually part of the cowboy boot because of its shape, design, material, and look.
The footwear accessory of the present invention provide its wearer with the opportunity to change the look and design of the wearer's cowboy boots without having to purchase a new pair of cowboy boots. The present invention mimics the shape and look of the top portion (shaft) of a cowboy boot while providing the wearer with different design options without the expense associated with purchasing a new pair of cowboy boots. The shape, material, design, and look of the present invention makes it look as though it is actually part of the cowboy boot especially when viewed from the front. The invention is nominally made of leather or some other material that resembles leather in appearance. In one embodiment the footwear accessory has a cord around its perimeter, pull-up handles at the top of each side, and side seam/piping on each side running from top to bottom. The footwear accessory fits around the top portion of a cowboy boot and is held in place, in one version, by gravity and a method of coupling conjoining parts on the rear portion of the accessor. In one embodiment laces with various forms of eyelets form the coupling mechanism while in other instances a hook and loop conjoining mechanism is used. Buttons, a zipper, or the like of fastening methodology is contemplated by the present invention. The footwear accessory can also be designed so that it is permanently connected in the back and therefore no such connection system is needed.
The features and advantages described in this disclosure and in the following detailed description are not all-inclusive. Many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims hereof. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter; reference to the claims is necessary to determine such inventive subject matter.
The aforementioned and other features and objects of the present invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood, by reference to the following description of one or more embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The Figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.
The present invention provides a footwear accessory that overlays and mimics the upper part of the cowboy boot to alter the look of the boot as if the wearer is wearing a boot with a different design and presentation (via the designs & colors and other aspects) than the actual boot being worn. In addition to providing different decorative designs and colors and logos the invention is shaped and designed to mimic the upper portion of the underlying cowboy boot and not be an obvious overlay.
The present invention allows its wearer to give the impression that he/she has more pairs of cowboy boots than what he/she actually owns. And since cowboy boots and similar footwear can be expensive when compared to the cost of the present invention, the wearer can cost effectively expand their apparent boot collection without having to purchase several different pairs of cowboy boots.
The invention's ability to mimic the upper part of a cowboy boot allows its wearer to adorn his/her boots with differing designs (and at a cost of much less than the cost of a new pair of cowboy boots) and provides the wearer the opportunity to support his/her favorite organization or sports team by having the organization's (or team's) logo on the invention.
Embodiments of the present invention are hereafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying Figures. Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
By the term “substantially” it is meant that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide.
The term “emulate” is used to describe how the footwear accessory of the present invention closely matches mimics or mirrors the underlying cowboy boot in shape and thereby only alters the outward appearance of the shaft of the boot.
The “shaft” of a cowboy boot refers to upper portion of the boot that covers a wearer's leg and calf. The top is wide enough to accommodate the calf of a wearer and tappers to a smaller circumference near the ankle.
The term “scallop” refers to top of the shaft of the cowboy boot. Normally a cowboy boot includes a “V” shaped scallop however the depth of the V varies from design to design.
The “vamp” is the complete forepart of the cowboy boot upper which is attached to the insole and welting. It is the portion of the cowboy boot most visible from the front of the boot as it rises toward the ankle.
Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the sizes of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.
As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
It will be also understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,” “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, “affixed”, “mounted” etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on,” “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under,” “below,” “lower,” “over,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of a device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of “over” and “under”. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly,” “downwardly,” “vertical,” “horizontal” and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Included in the description are flowcharts depicting examples of the methodology which may be used to make or have made a footwear accessory as described herein. In the following description, it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by manual operations or computer program instructions, or similar means. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a machine such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed in the computer or on the other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
Turning attention to the figures included herein and more specifically to
The rendition of the footwear accessory shown in
The seam 130 on each side of the footwear accessory extends the length of the boot shaft 135/footwear accessory and emulates the seam 140 present on the underlying cowboy boot 110. Similarly the accessory of the present invention includes, in one embodiment, pull tabs 150 or straps located on the top of the accessory to match those present on the boot.
The top of the footwear accessory or shaft includes a front and rear scallop 160. In the rendition shown in
The footwear accessory of the present invention, and as illustrated in
The rear view of the footwear accessory illustrates a lacing coupling mechanism 210 to join the first side portion with the second side portion. The present embodiment shows a plurality of eyelets 220 and laces 225 with the lower eyelet offset. One or reasonable skill in the relevant art will appreciate that the configuration of the eyelets on each side portion may vary to accommodate different cowboy boot designs.
Upon coupling the first side portion to, or proximate with, the second side portion, the footwear accessory fits snuggly over the cowboy boot. The interior surface of the footwear accessory is, in one embodiment, comprised of soft grade leather that, when in contact with the shaft and upper of the underlying cowboy boot, will not harm the boot. In addition the soft grade leather provides an adhering quality to minimize movement of the footwear accessory in relation to the boot. In other embodiments the interior surface of the footwear accessory can include a soft rubber or synthetic ribbon or patch to deter movement of the footwear accessory relative to the boot once the accessory is fit around the boot. Other embodiments of the present invention include a strap or cord which can extend under the sole or instep of the boot to secure the footwear accessory to the cowboy boot.
As will be appreciated by one of reasonable skill in the relevant art, the coupling mechanism can take many forms.
The rendition of the footwear accessory shown in
The embodiment of the footwear accessory of the present invention shown in
The footwear accessory modifies the appearance of the shaft of a cowboy boot. While secondary, the accessory of the present invention further protects the shaft from abrasions, cuts and the like. To make a foot wear accessory the process begins 1905 by emulating 1910 a cowboy boot scallop on the upper portion of the footwear accessory. Secondly, a cut out 1910 in the lower front portion of the footwear accessory emulates the vamp of the cowboy boot.
The first side portion is attached 1940 to the front portion forming the first seam along the length of the shaft. A second seam is formed by attaching 1960 the second side portion to the front portion, again along the entirety of the shaft length. In alternative embodiments piping is interposed between the respective side portion and the front portion to emulate piping found on the underlying cowboy boot. Similarly, pull tabs or straps or loops are added to the juncture of each side portion and front portion at the top of the footwear accessory.
Affixing 1980 a coupling mechanism completes 1995 the manufacturing process. As discussed herein, there are numerous options by which to detachably couple the side portions together to form the footwear accessory of the present invention. Depending on user preference and the emulation of the target underlying boot, the coupling mechanism may include laces, hook and loop straps, buttons or even be permanently sewn together to form a sleeve.
Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
While there have been described above the principles of the present invention in conjunction with a footwear accessory for a cowboy boot, it is to be clearly understood that the foregoing description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention. Particularly, it is recognized that the teachings of the foregoing disclosure will suggest other modifications to those persons skilled in the relevant art. Such modifications may involve other features that are already known per se and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein. Although claims have been formulated in this application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure herein also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed either explicitly or implicitly or any generalization or modification thereof which would be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art, whether or not such relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as confronted by the present invention. The Applicant hereby reserves the right to formulate new claims to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom.
The present application is a divisional application of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/248,924 filed 16 Jan. 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/617,697 filed 16 Jan. 2018 which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62617697 | Jan 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16248924 | Jan 2019 | US |
| Child | 17136506 | US |
