Patent Application
20050172423
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to devices for maintaining the shape, appearance, and position of kitties on men's and women's dress shoes, and specifically to devices, which are designed to apply pressure to the top of the kitties during shoe storage. The device is known as the “Kiltie Saver”.
2. Related Art
A kiltie is a long slashed tongue on a boot or shoe, which either covers the lacing or extends from beneath the lacing over the vamp or upper part of the shoe. The front end of a kiltie is generally serrated or scalloped. Sometimes the term “kiltie” is used to refer to the entire shoe having such a slashed tongue adornment. As used herein, the term refers only to the tongue itself.
Kilties are generally made of leather. The problem to be solved is maintaining and/or restoring the shape of the kiltie, and especially preventing the front end of the kiltie from curling up and becoming unsightly or restoring the kiltie after said curling has occurred.
In the related art, the following patents are known to the Applicant, here listed for consideration of the examiner:
Bailey discloses a weight for attaching to kitties on boots and shoes to prevent the kiltie end from curling upward due to exposure to weather or from aging. Made from a strip of malleable metal or other material, the weight attaches under the serrated edge of the kiltie and is intended to remain there; the forward edge of he weight is serrated to match the kiltie edge. Fattori discloses a shoe tassel retainer intended to be used with lace-up shoes during storage. The device serves to protect and maintain the new appearance of the shoe as it pertains to the flaps that consist of shoe lace holes and laces, and which cover the tongue of the shoe. Sproul discloses a method for “renewing” decorative leather tassels on boots and shoes after they have become unsightly from wear and tear. Giannini discloses an apparatus for protecting and maintaining decorative leather tassels during storage of boots and shoes.
The related art discussed above indicates that others have recognized the need to preserve the appearance of articles used to adorn dress shoes. These articles include kitties, tassels, and laces, among others. The predominate method in the related art is to provide shoe owners with the capacity to maintain or restore their shoes while they are in storage, i.e., between uses. Currently, there is no such solution offered explicitly for the maintenance/repair of shoe kitties. The invention described by Bailey (U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,016), for example, is designed to be applied while the shoe is being worn. For many people who have spent a lot of money on their shoes, it is not an option to include a restorative/maintenance device into the daily wearing of the shoes.
The current invention provides an economical and effective solution to the problem of kiltie deformation due to normal dress shoe usage. The current invention is to be used during shoe storage. It is designed to maintain the shape of the kiltie by applying an appropriate pressure directly on the kitties from above. It can also be used restore the original shape of kilties on shoes that have not been subject to the ongoing maintenance application. As an added feature, the Kiltie Saver device includes a tassels holder for dress shoe tassels that serves to maintain and/or restore their original appearance.
This invention provides a device that attaches to standard shoetrees, and includes a form-fitting cover, called the “Kiltie Shaper” that clamps down on top of the kiltie during shoe storage. The device is designed to incorporate into the manufacture of standard shoetrees, or it may be distributed directly to consumers as an aftermarket device that easily attaches to commercially available shoetrees. The hinging mechanism of the device ensures that the appropriate pressure is maintained on the kiltie to maintain and/or restore its original appearance during shoe storage.
Given the above, it is an object of this invention to provide a clamping device that may be attached to standard cedar or plastic shoetrees either during manufacturing or by the consumer, and which will prevent curling and deformation of shoe kitties by applying a constant, appropriate pressure upon the top of the kiltie during storage. It is also an object of this invention to restore the original shape of shoe kitties that have been deformed due to wear.
It is a further object to provide a hinging mechanism that applies the appropriate amount of constant pressure to the top of shoe kitties during shoe storage.
It is another object to provide a an inverted U-shaped component of the device, called the “Kiltie Shaper,” to conform to the shape of the vamp portion of men's and women's shoes.
It is another object to provide a soft cushion to the underside of the Kiltie Shaper to gently maintain or repair the original look of the shoe kitties.
Finally, it is another object to provide a device that holds and maintains and/or restores the original appearance of dress shoe tassels. The device is located on top of the Kiltie Shaper.
The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects, uses, and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, the different views of which are not necessarily scale drawings.
The Kiltie Saver is show in
This figure shows the Kiltie Saver and four of its five elements: the Kiltie Shaper, the Tassels Holder, the Shoetree Attachment, and the Adjustable Slide. This view is not able to show the fifth main component, the Soft Cushion that attaches to the bottom side of the Kiltie Shaper.
This figure shows the Kiltie Saver attached to a standard shoetree, with four of the five main elements of the Kiltie Saver shown in context. The Shoetree Attachment screws into the heel end of the standard shoetree.
This figure is a top view of the Kiltie Saver attached to a standard shoetree, again showing four of the five main elements of the Kiltie Saver.
This figure is a front view of the Kiltie Saver in application with a shoe, showing two of the main elements of the device: the Kiltie Shaper and the Soft Cushion.
This figure is a view of the Kiltie Saver in application to a sample dress shoe.
CATALOG OF THE ELEMENTS
To aid in the correlation of the elements of the invention to the exemplary of the drawing, the following catalog of the elements is provided:
