Patent Application
20140259803
The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to a device and method for using an accessory to a shoe heel. More particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to a high heel tip covering device and related method.
Stiletto heels are commonly worn as a fashion statement to accessorize any and all types of outfits. Typically, stiletto heels are worn on terrains that are fairly solid, stable and even due to the extraordinary balance and ankle strength needed by wearers of such a shoe. Accordingly, the large amount of force concentrated onto the small surface area of the stiletto heel tip renders stiletto heels impractical when worn in uneven and less stable terrains. The resultant pressure under the stiletto heel can be very large, which can cause the heel to sink into softer ground (such as grass, sand, mud, etc.) or can cause balancing issues when worn in surfaces that are uneven. Various injuries can result from wearing a stiletto heel in these circumstances, including pain, fatigue, sprained ankles, etc. Thus, walking in uneven and less stable terrains in a stiletto heel can be challenging and inconvenient, which prevents most wearers of stilettos from wearing their heels in many situations.
Additionally, most stiletto heels have a replaceable heel tip that wears away after regular use. As the heel tip begins to wear away, the nail head or other attachment means for attaching the replaceable heel tip to the stiletto heel will become exposed. Not only is the nail head unsightly, it can also cause damage the environment where the heel is worn. In some instances, the exposed nail head can even cause an embarrassing “clicking” sound when worn on hard surfaces (linoleum, wood, etc.).
Therefore, a need exists for a high heel tip covering device that will allow the stiletto heel wearer to easily and quickly navigate multiple types of terrain and to protect the high heel tip before/after it is worn to the point of exposing the nail head.
In accordance with this disclosure, a high heel tip covering device and related method is provided. The use of a high heel tip covering device and related method can provide advantageous and unexpected results including, for example, decreasing amount of pressure exerted onto the ground, increasing stability and traction on surfaces where stiletto heels are traditionally worn, protecting the heel tip from wear and tear, covering exposed nail heads in stiletto heels that have a worn heel tip, eliminating damage from surfaces where the heels are worn, increasing ability to walk through uneven or less stable surfaces/terrains, and adding more dimension and flare to stiletto heels.
These and other objects of the present disclosure as can become apparent from the disclosure herein are achieved, at least in whole or in part, by the subject matter disclosed herein.
The features and advantages of the present subject matter will be more readily understood from the following detailed description which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that are given merely by way of explanatory and non-limiting example, and in which:
The present subject matter provides and/or includes a high heel tip covering device and related method. In some aspects, the present subject matter discloses a high heel tip covering device that can comprise a body having an upper surface, a lower surface, and exterior lateral side surfaces disposed between the upper and lower surfaces, where a distance between the upper and lower surfaces can comprise a height of the body. The device can further comprise an aperture provided within the upper surface of the body, which can be substantially centrally disposed between the exterior lateral side surfaces and can elastically conform to external contours of a high heel tip when the high heel tip is inserted within the aperture.
In other aspects, the present subject matter discloses a method of using a high heel tip covering device. The method can comprise providing a high heel tip covering device, where the high heel tip covering device can comprise a body having an upper surface, a lower surface, and exterior lateral side surfaces disposed between the upper and lower surfaces, and an aperture provided within the upper surface of the body. The aperture of the high heel tip covering device can be substantially centrally disposed between the exterior lateral side surfaces. The method can further comprise inserting a high heel tip into the aperture, whereby the aperture can elastically conform to external contours of the high heel tip.
As used herein, the terms “stiletto”, “stiletto shoe”, “stiletto heel”, and “high heel shoe” refer to a shoe comprising a long, thin heel, whereas “heel” and “high heel” refer to the long, thin heel of the stiletto shoe.
Aspects of the present subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some aspects of the present subject matter are shown. This present subject matter may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
As illustrated in the various figures, some sizes of structures or portions are exaggerated relative to other structures or portions for illustrative purposes and, thus, are provided to illustrate the general structures of the present subject matter. Furthermore, various aspects of the present subject matter are described with reference to a structure or a portion being formed on other structures, portions, or both. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, references to a structure being formed “on” or “above” another structure or portion contemplates that additional structure, portion, or both may intervene. References to a structure or a portion being formed “on” another structure or portion without an intervening structure or portion are described herein as being formed “directly on” the structure or portion. Similarly, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached”, or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected, attached, or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached”, or “directly coupled” to another element, no intervening elements are present.
Furthermore, relative terms such as “on”, “above”, “upper”, “top”, “lower”, or “bottom” are used herein to describe one structure's or portion's relationship to another structure or portion as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that relative terms such as “on”, “above”, “upper”, “top”, “lower” or “bottom” are intended to encompass different orientations of the package or component in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the package or component in the figures is turned over, structure or portion described as “above” other structures or portions would now be oriented “below” the other structures or portions. Likewise, if the package or component in the figures are rotated along an axis, structure or portion described as “above”, other structures or portions would be oriented “next to” or “left of the other structures or portions.
Unless the absence of one or more elements is specifically recited, the terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” as used herein should be interpreted as open-ended terms that do not preclude the presence of one or more elements.
In one aspect, a high heel tip covering device and related method for using the high heel tip covering device for use in a stiletto shoe are disclosed. The presently disclosed subject matter can also be used in other heel-type shoes, other than those shoes classified as stilettos. Presently, there are no widely recognized length and width/diameter requirements needed for a shoe to be classified as a “stiletto”. However, it is generally accepted that a “stiletto” heel has a minimum height of 2 inches (50.8 millimeters) and a diameter or width of no more than 1 inch (25.4 millimeters) at the point of contact with the ground. Within such parameters, many different stiletto heel lengths, widths/diameters, and shapes are possible. One such shape is a D-shaped high heel, where the heel is rounded at a back surface of the heel and has a flat front surface. The eponymous D-shaped heel is aptly named for the D-shape of the bottom surface of the high heel tip.
As shown in
High heel tip 14 can be made of durable and resilient materials such as plastic, rubber, etc. that can protect the nail/rod attaching tip 14 to high heel 12. However, after continual use of stilettos 10, heel tip 14 can erode to the point that the nail/rod can eventually become exposed. This can lead to multiple problems. On one hand, if, in a pair of stilettos, one heel tip 14 wears out quicker than the other heel tip 14, thus exposing the nail/rod, the wearer of the shoes will be slightly imbalanced due to the difference in contact surfaces at the bottom surface of heel tip 14. Additionally, the exposed nail/rod can scratch any softer surfaces, such as wood and tile floors. Furthermore, the exposed nail/rod can make a distinctive “clicking” sound when walking on some surfaces, causing embarrassment and disruption.
In
Regarding device 20,
Upper surface 32 can be a substantially planar surface shaped similarly to the shape of heel tip 14. For example, where heel 12 is a D-shaped heel, upper surface 32 can be similarly shaped with a D-shape having a radius of curvature similar to that in heel 12. Upper surface 32 can be sized with a width W1 and a length L1 that is the same as or slightly larger than a length LA and a width WA of aperture 40. Lower surface 34 can also be a substantially planar surface, with a length L2 and a width W2. Generally, length L2 and width W2 can be larger than both length LA and width WA of aperture 40 and width W1 and length L1 of upper surface 32, giving body 30 a trapezoidal prism shape. In some instances, length L2 and width W2 can be the same measurement, such that lower surface 34 is a square surface. However, lower surface 34 can be circular, rectangular, etc. As someone skilled in the art will recognize, different shapes of lower surface 34 will change the overall surface area of device 20, which can change the way pressure from heel tip 14 is disbursed. Furthermore, upper surface 32 and lower surface 34 do not have to be of the same shape. For example,
Platform 38 can be disposed around a circumference of lower surface 34 and can be a substantially planar surface that orthogonally extends from lower surface 34 towards upper surface 32. Platform 38 can have a height less than the overall height Hb of body 30. Exterior lateral side surfaces 36 can be inclined from platform 38 towards upper surface 32 at angles A. Angles A can be angles of inclination measured between exterior lateral side surfaces 36 and platform 38, measured from the horizontal. In some aspects, there can be four exterior lateral side surfaces 36 each inclined at angles A from platform 38 to upper surface 32. All or some of angles A can be the same angle, while in other aspects angles A can all be different angles. For example, angles A can be 60 degrees (°) or 80°. Exterior lateral side surfaces 36 can intersect with upper surface 32 at angles that will generally be greater than angles A. Where device 20 is configured with a trapezoidal cross-section having four exterior lateral side surfaces 36, all angles in each side of exterior lateral side surfaces 36 must measure 360°. In such a configuration, the sides can either have two congruent pairs of angles or the sides can have different angles. In order for the exterior lateral side surfaces 36 to each have two congruent pairs of angles the lower surface 34 and upper surface 32 must be square, such that both length L1 and width W1 of upper surface 32 and length L2, and width W2 of lower surface 34 are respectively equal measurements. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand that increasing or decreasing the sizes of upper surface 32 and/or lower surface 34 can change the measurements of angles A. In other aspects, body 30 can comprise one single and continuous exterior lateral side surface that extends between upper surface 32 and lower surface 34 at a constant angle A.
Device 20 can be inserted into heel tip 14 such that heel tip 14 is recessed within aperture 40. Aperture 40 can comprise inner walls 44 and bottom surface 46. Inserting heel tip 14 into aperture 40 can cause an outer surface of heel tip 14 to come into direct contact with inner walls 44 and a bottom surface of heel tip 14 to rest against bottom surface 46 of aperture 40, which acts as a stopper. Inner walls 44 can orthogonally extend from upper surface 32 to depth DA and can conform to the shape of aperture 40. Bottom surface 46 can be parallel or substantially parallel to upper surface 32 and lower surface 34. Bottom surface 46 can be approximately the same size and shape as aperture 40 and can have a smooth or textured surface. Additionally disposed on bottom surface 46 can be notch/cutout 42 sized to receive exposed nail/rod 16. For example, notch/cutout 42 can be 0.4 centimeters (0.16 inches), 0.48 centimeters (0.19 inches), etc.
In order to secure heel tip 14 within aperture 40, aperture 40 can be sized such that it has a width WA that is slightly smaller than heel tip width WH. The snug fit of heel tip 14 can cause inner walls 44 to elastically deform and conform to the specific external contours/shape of heel tip 14 and create a custom friction fit of device 20. Device 20 can only be removed from heel tip 14 by exerting a sufficient downward force onto device 20. Device 20 may additionally need to be rotated during pressure application in order to remove device 20 from heel tip 14. Aperture 40 can have a depth DA that can be similar in measurement to height HT of heel tip 14, such that device 20 can be configured to receive only height HT of heel tip 14 and not more than a substantial portion of height HH of heel 12. For example, where heel tip 14 is inserted within aperture 40, depth DA can be deep enough so that height HT of heel tip 14 is fully or substantially nested within aperture 40 and rests against bottom surface 46. Length LA of aperture 40 can be similarly sized to length (not shown) of heel 12. Since there are no standard measures in heel length, width and height, aperture 40 of device 20 can be manufactured in multiple size configurations to accommodate a plethora of sizes of heel 12. Analogously, as the dimensions of the aperture 40 increase the dimensions of the upper surface 32 and lower surface 34 can similarly increase to accommodate the larger aperture size.
Based on the quantity of force that is generally exerted on heel tip 14, device 20 can be configured to decrease the quantity of force. As a result, surfaces 32, 34 and 36 can all be configured relative to one another in different sizes and geometries based on the desired effect of device 20. When heel tip 14 is inserted within an aperture 40 of device 20, the force exerted by a wearer of stiletto 10 is transferred from heel tip 14 to device 20. Thus, the shape and geometry of device 20 is extremely important. Based on the mathematical principle (shown below in Equation 1) that the amount of pressure exerted underneath heel tip 14 is dependent on both the force and the area, it follows that increasing the surface area of heel tip 14 will decrease the pressure exerted onto heel tip 14.
pressure=force/area, where force=mass×gravity [Equation 1]
Specifically, changing the contact area of lower surface 34, will impact the pressure exerted by heel tip 14. The distribution of pressure increases the stiletto 10 wearer's ability to traverse uneven terrain by permitting heel tip 14 from remaining on a top surface of the terrain rather than sinking into it. Thus, increasing the surface area of device 20, specifically increasing the contact area of lower surface 34, will lower the pressure exerted onto heel tip 14. Lowering the pressure can result in increased comfort, as well as increased mobility.
For example (see Example 1), where lower surface 34 is formed as a square surface, with an area of 0.0001 meters squared (m2) (0.004 in2) the pressure the average American woman weighing 72.5 kilograms (kg) (160 pounds) will exert on the heel tip 14 is 7.10×106 Pascals (Pa).
However, by increasing the contact area of lower surface 34 merely 0.000248 m2 more, the pressure exerted is less than a third of the above pressure, at 2.04×106 Pa. (see Example 2).
In one aspect and as illustrated in
Therefore, the relationship between biasing element 50 and the force absorbed by biasing element can be illustrated as shown below in Equation 2:
force=spring constant * change in compression length, where force=mass×gravity [Equation 2]
Thus, a spring with a higher spring constant and/or a greater change in compression length can absorb a larger force. Further, where the geometry of body 30 changes, device 20 will have an overall different surface area, and thus pressure exerted, as discussed above.
The method can also have an inserting step 120. For example, inserting step 120 can comprise inserting high heel tip 14 into aperture 40 of high heel tip covering device 20. In this configuration, aperture 40 can elastically conform to an external shape of high heel tip 14.
While the present subject matter has been has been described herein in reference to specific aspects, features, and illustrative embodiments, it will be appreciated that the utility of the invention is not thus limited, but rather extends to and encompasses numerous other variations, modifications and alternative embodiments, as will suggest themselves to those of ordinary skill in the field of the present subject matter, based on the disclosure herein. Various combinations and sub-combinations of the structures and features described herein are contemplated and will be apparent to a skilled person having knowledge of this disclosure. Any of the various features and elements as disclosed herein may be combined with one or more other disclosed features and elements unless indicated to the contrary herein. Correspondingly, the subject matter as hereinafter claimed is intended to be broadly construed and interpreted, as including all such variations, aspects, modifications and alternative embodiments, within its scope and including equivalents of the claims.
This non-provisional patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/788,119, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61788119 | Mar 2013 | US |
