Patent Application
20240324729
The present invention relates generally to a footwear stretcher. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inflatable footwear stretcher for various components of boots, shoes, and other footwear, including but not limited to, the toe-box, the instep, the vamp, the calf area or shaft, and other areas of the footwear that are accessible from the interior of the footwear.
Shoe stretching apparatuses are devices designed to assist users in increasing the size of their shoes for the purposes of creating a better fitting shoe or to make the shoe more comfortable to the user. Additionally, shoe stretching apparatuses are useful in allowing users to avoid the various complications that occur during the “break in” period of a newly purchased pair of shoes, such as foot pain, calluses, and blisters as individuals are trying to mold the new shoe to their unique foot. In some cases, long term side effects of improperly fitting shoes are bunions and other deformities of the foot. Shoe stretching apparatuses can be used to stretch both leather and synthetic materials and are most useful to those users who have bought shoes that are slightly too tight around their foot, or for those who have foot conditions, such as bunions, that require extra space within the shoe.
Shoe stretching apparatuses, as shown in the prior art to be made of wood or a hard plastic, work by applying gradual pressure to the inside of a shoe, stretching out the material to create more space. These designs, however, stretch the shoe at the location of inflexible seams rather than at flexible areas of the shoe. Additionally, the prior art only allows users to apply pressure uniformly as these designs consist of complex seam patterns, folds, ridges, and a geometry that does not mimic the shape of a foot. Furthermore, the prior art consists of designs constructed in such a way as to split the seams of a shoe if the user is not overly careful while using the shoe stretching apparatus. The risk of permanently damaging the shoe, while using the prior art disclosed shoe stretchers, may damage the effectiveness of the shoe and compromise the structure of the shoe after using the prior art. Existing inflating apparatuses that are used within footwear only disclose a means for preventing the footwear from deforming, as is present with a shoe stay or a shoe support, however, these inventions do not disclose a means for modifying the shape of the footwear, as is the case in the present invention.
In addition to the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it need be mentioned that those existing shoe stretching apparatuses as described within the prior art do not properly stretch all types of materials such as leather, canvas, nylon, and other synthetic materials used to make shoes as known by those in the art. With the most common material used to make shoes and boots being leather, it is necessary that a shoe stretching apparatus is able to expand in such a way as to stretch the leather without compromising the structural integrity of the seams which hold the boot or shoe together. The simplicity of the design of the present invention, compared to the prior art, also inherently presents greater dependability and reliability than those existing shoe stretching apparatuses.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a means for stretching isolated areas of footwear, including but not limit to the toe-box and the calf area of the shoe and boot. The various embodiments of the present invention provide a unique shape that is able to fit into the various areas of the footwear and expand uniformly to stretch the footwear material in ways desired by a user. With one embodiment of the present invention having a shape similar to that of a toe box of a footwear, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a means for expanding the volume of the footwear around a toe area of a user. Unlike the prior art, the present invention is not exclusively limited to expanding the toe-box of a shoe but also, another objective of the present invention is to stretch the material of a calf area of a boot.
The present invention as it pertains to a footwear stretching apparatus having a bladder. The present invention allows users to stretch the material of a footwear, in various areas of said footwear. In various embodiments of the present invention, users may stretch the area of the footwear that covers the users' foot. Likewise, in some embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus can be used to stretch the material comprising the calf area of a boot. Upon being inserted into the footwear in the desired position, the present invention may then be inflated to a predetermined pressure, as determined by the user, thus interacting with, and providing an outward pressure to the interior of the footwear, stretching the material. The present invention will be made of a material that will expand without failure of the bladder (i.e. bursting) and will do so in a way as to avoid damaging the footwear it is being used in. The simplicity of design of the present invention, compared to the prior art, also inherently presents greater dependability and versatility than those existing shoe stretching apparatuses.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.
Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in the context of an inflatable footwear stretching apparatus, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.
The present invention comprises an inflatable footwear stretcher, comprising a shoe stretching embodiment 1 and a boot stretching embodiment 2. The shoe stretching embodiment 1, as shown in
The upper portion 111 of the shoe stretching embodiment 1 of the present invention comprises a front panel 112 and a rear panel 119, as shown in
As seen in
In some embodiments of the shoe stretching embodiment 1 of the present invention, the upper portion 111 of the bladder 10 further comprises a protruded shape 114, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments of the shoe stretching embodiment 1 of the present invention, the bladder 10 has an elliptical cross section as viewed from the top comprising a plurality of rounds including, a left round as observed from above 140 and a right round as observed from above 141, as shown in
The bladder 10 of the shoe stretching embodiment 1 of the present invention, as shown in
The at least one air valve 20, as shown in
Alternatively, in some embodiments, the boot stretching embodiment 2 of the present invention, as shown in
In some embodiments, the lower portion 126 of the bladder 10 of the boot stretching embodiment 2 of the present invention, comprises a flat bottom 142 with a beveled edge 143 comprising a bevel radius 144.
Additionally, as shown in
As shown in
The at least one air valve 20 allows for a fluid, including air, to be pumped into the chamber 131 of the internal volume and thus expanding the bladder 10. The at least one air valve 20 comprises an air valve passage 214. In some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one air valve 20 is located on the lower portion 126 of the bladder 10. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one air valve 20 comprises a protrusion 21, wherein said protrusion 21 comprises a recessed seat 211, an outer radius 212, an inner radius 215, a bottom face 213, an air valve passage 214, an inner wall 216, and an outer wall 217. The outer wall 217 of the protrusion 21 having an outer radius 212. The inner wall 216 of the protrusion 21 having an inner radius 215. The bottom face 213 being the bottom-most surface of the protrusion 21 wherein said surface is O-shaped. The recessed seat 211 is located within a recess, wherein said recess is extruded into the protrusion 21, engaging a needle of a pump when being filled with a fluid, including air. The air valve passage 214 is a hole through the recessed seat 211 into the interior volume 13 and chamber 131 of the bladder 10, receiving the needle of a pump when being filled with said fluid.
When inserted into the desired location of a footwear, the pressure caused from the addition of said fluid into the chamber 131 will cause the exterior surface 11 of the present invention to apply said pressure to an interior of a footwear, causing the material of said footwear to expand, or stretch.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
