BACKGROUND
Shoes may be scuffed, damaged or discolored at the locations with the most contact with other materials. For long pants, the cuff of a pant leg typically rubs against the top of the shoe as the person moves about. The pants are also vulnerable to premature wear caused by rubbing the top of the person's shoes. The useful life of shoes and pants may be extended by accounting for such wear.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
FIG. 1 is a graphical representation of an example of a pant cuff liner 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 3 are pictures illustrating examples of a cuff liner of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are pictures illustrating the removal of a cuff liner of FIG. 1 from backing paper in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, and 8C are pictures illustrating the application of a cuff liner of FIG. 1 to a pant leg in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a picture illustrating the coordination of a cuff liner of FIG. 1 with other apparel in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Disclosed herein are various embodiments related to a protective cuff liner for pants. The cuff liner can protect shoes from dye transfer from jeans caused by the constant movement or friction of jeans or other pants rubbing on the shoes. Dye from jeans and friction can ruin shoes. The cuff liner protects the shoe and thereby extends the lifecycle of the shoe. It can also be worn in a manner that will also protect pants from fraying where they contact the ground or the shoe. It is designed to be an appealing protective fashion accessory to coordinate with clothing. Reference will now be made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings, wherein like reference numbers indicate like parts throughout the several views.
Referring to FIG. 1, shown is a graphical representation of an example of a pant cuff liner 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The cuff liner 100 is a detachable, reusable, protective liner that may be applied to pants and denim (or jeans) to protect shoes from becoming scuffed, damaged, or discolored by jeans or pants and extending the life of the shoe. As shown in FIG. 1, the cuff liner 100 is a substantially rectangular piece of the durable fabric material 103 having a height (H) and width (W). The cuff liner 100 includes a durable fabric material 103 with an outer face 106 and an inner face 109. Adhesive glue 112 on inner face 109 of the material 103 allows the cuff liner 100 to be affixed to a piece of cloth such as, e.g., the inside of a pant leg. The outer face 106 may include a logo 115 and/or other emblem. The outer face 106 may also include patterns, graphic designs, colors, and/or pictures printed on the material 103.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, shown are pictures illustrating examples of a cuff liner 100. The cuff liner 100 is made from a durable fabric material that adheres to a pair of pants such as, e.g., jeans and denim pants and which can be removed and/or replaced or repositioned on another pair of pants. Cuff liners 100 may be produced with different width and height dimensions to allow for adjustment to different pants sizes and designs. For example, FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of two cuff liners 100a and 100b, which illustrates the difference in height (H1>H2) of the two liners 100a and 100b. The cuff liner 100 may include logos, emblems, patterns, designs, colors, and pictures printed on the material 103 such as, e.g., logo 115.
The cuff liner may include one or more logo(s) and/or design(s). The logo 115 may be positioned close to an edge of the cuff liner 100 to allow for exposure when the pant leg is folded back or cuffed. While FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the logo 115 being offset toward one end of the cuff liner 100, the logo 115 may be located anywhere along an edge or at any point on the cuff liner 100. The designs and logos printed on the cuff liner 100 may be paired with shirts, hats, and other clothing items bearing the same (or similar) designs, logos, emblems, etc. for outfitting/fashion purposes. Custom patterns and graphic designs can be sewn, printed, or embossed at any location on the cuff liner 100. The patterns or designs may also come in a variety of colors. The cuff liner 100 may be worn with the logo 115 or design visible or inconspicuously so the cuff liner 100 is not visible.
FIG. 3 is a picture illustrating the size of the cuff liners 100 with respect to a pant leg 303. The width (W) of the cuff liner 100 should be sufficient to encircle the inside of the pant leg 303 with the ends of the cuff liner 100 overlapping to provide continuous coverage. Different sizes in width and height are available. For example, one size, among others, is about 23 inches in width by about 3 inches in height. The height of the cuff liner 100 can range in size to accommodate any type of shoe including thigh-high and knee high boots, which can be about 28″ or more in height. The width may also vary in range to accommodate variations in the circumference of different pant leg sizes. Custom sizes can also be produced as needed or requested. In some cases, the width and/or height of the cuff liner 100 may be adjusted by remove (e.g., cut away) a portion of the material 103 from an edge of the cuff liner 100 to reduce the width and/or height.
The cuff liner can be manufactured from different materials 103 that adhere to the fabric of pants and can protect shoes from damage and/or be worn as a fashion accessory. For example, the material may be nylon, vinyl, polyester, cotton, plastic, paper, leather, wool, exotic skins, precious metals, jewels, organic fibers etc., or a combination thereof. In some cases, the material is resistant to water and weather. Adhesive glue on one face of the material 103 allows the cuff to be affixed to a piece of cloth such as, e.g., the inside of a pant leg. The adhesive glue will not damage the clothing article and will adhere to the material sufficiently to stay in place through normal daily activity.
Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, shown are pictures of a cuff liner 100 illustrating the fabric material 103 being separated from a sheet of backing paper 403. The backing paper 403 provides support for the cuff liner 100 during shipping and handling by the user. The adhesive glue 112 allows the material 103 to be detachably secured to the backing paper 403. The backing paper 403 may be treated to allow the backing paper 403 to be easily separated from the material 103 of the cuff liner 100 for application to the pant leg 303 (FIG. 3).
In general, the cuff liner 100 is designed to attach and align with the inner bottom edge of a pant leg 303, which is often folded to make a cuff. It may however be positioned in anyway needed to protect shoes from directly coming in contact with the pants or jeans. For example, if it is desired that the cuff liner 100 not be visible on the cuffed pant leg, the cuff liner 100 may be attached to align with the bottom edge of the folded portion of the pant leg 303 (or cuff) to protect the shoes. Initially, a pant cuff liner 100 is obtained. A bottom inside portion of a pant leg 303 may then be accessed by, e.g., folding the bottom of the pant leg 303 up or inside out to expose the bottom inside portion of the pant leg 303 or turning the entire pants inside out including the pant legs 303. The backing paper 403 is removed to expose the adhesive glue 112 as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The cuff liner 100 may then be applied to the inner bottom portion of the pant leg 303. FIG. 5A is a picture showing a cuff liner 100 being affixed to the inside of the pant leg 303. For example, the cuff liner 100 is substantially aligned with the bottom edge of the pant leg 303 and pressure is applied to secure the cuff liner 100 to the material of the pant leg 303. Alignment of the logo 115 and/or other design on the cuff liner 100 with respect to the pant leg 303 may also be considered. FIG. 5B is a picture showing the cuff liner 100 affixed to the bottom inside portion of the pant leg 303. In FIG. 5B, the cuff liner 100 is affixed to the pant leg 303 so that the logo 115 is centered on the front of the pant leg 303. The ends of the pant cuff liner 100 in FIG. 5B also overlap (section 503) when affixed around the circumference of the pant leg 303.
Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, shown is the pant leg 303 folded down with the cuff liner 100 inconspicuously affixed around the full circumference of the pant leg 303. The cuff liner 100 can be seen to be substantially aligned with the bottom edge of the pant leg 303. The pants may be worn with the pant leg 303 folded down and the cuff liner 100 not visible when worn. FIGS. 7A and 7B show the pant leg folded up with the cuff liner 100 visible. The cuff liner 100 includes a logo design 115 applied around the full circumference to the edge of the inner bottom cuff of the pant leg. The bottom of the pant leg has been folded up to allow the cuff liner 100 and its logo 115 to be visible when worn.
FIGS. 8A-8C show different angles of the cuff liner 100 worn to protect shoes from damage and discoloration. The cuff liner 100 is applied around the full circumference of and substantially aligned with the bottom edge of the pant leg 303. The pant leg 303 has been folded back to expose at least a portion of the cuff liner 100 and allow the logo 115 to be visible when the pants are worn. As seen in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the cuff liner 100 protects the top of the shoe. FIG. 8C illustrates how the cuff liner 100 can protect the rear portion of the pant leg 303 from wear and fraying caused by contact with the ground. The cuff liner 100 may also include a pattern, color, and/or other graphic design that may coordinate with or match a pattern, color, and/or other graphic design of another piece of attire. The piece of attire may include, e.g., a shirt, a belt, a pair of shoes, or combinations thereof. FIG. 9 is a picture illustrating a cuff liner 100 with a visible logo design being outfitted with a shirt including a matching logo design. Also, colors of the cuff liner 100 and logo 115 may be coordinated with the shirt, belt, shoes, and/or hat. A variety of patterns, designs, and/or logos that match or coordinate with other attire may be available for the cuff liner 100. The pant cuff liner 100 may be removed from the pant leg 303 after use or for replacement.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims. The term “about” can include traditional rounding according to significant figures of numerical values.
Patent Application
20130086727
