Method for maintaining the appearance and integrity of kilties that adorn men's and women's dress shoes

Abstract

Men's and Women's shoes are sometimes adorn with kilties. A kiltie is a long slashed tongue on boots and shoes; kitties are generally made of leather. Due to wear and aging the kiltie tends to curl up, this device will restore the kiltie to its original appearance applying pressure from the top due to the hinging mechanism, also restoring the tassels to their original appearance. This invention can be attached to existing plastic or cedar shoetrees during manufacturing or by the consumer. This invention is to be used during shoe storage.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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:

	Patent Number	Issue Date	Patentee
	5,575,016	Nov. 19, 1996	Bailey
	5,867,925	Feb. 9, 1999	Fattori
	6,055,714	May 2, 2000	Sproul
	6,470,542 (B1)	Oct. 29, 2002	Giannini

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.

OBJECTS AND BENEFITS

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.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

The Kiltie Saver is show in FIG. 1. This figure shows four of the main components of the device.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device attached to a standard shoetree.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the device attached to a standard shoetree.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the device, which shows the soft cushion that lines the bottom of the Kiltie Shaper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1:

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.

FIG. 2:

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.

FIG. 3:

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.

FIG. 4:

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.

FIG. 5:

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:

• • 10 Shoe
  • 11 Kiltie
  • 12 Kiltie Shaper
  • 13 Tassels Holder
  • 14 Shoetree Handle
  • 15 Adjustable Slide
  • 16 Soft Cushion
  • 17 Shoetree
  • 18 Hinging Mechanism

Claims

1. A device to prevent curling of kilties on men's and women's shoes, comprising:

a. A pre-shaped device known as the “Kiltie Shaper” that clamps down upon and covers the top of the kitties.

b. Said Kiltie Shaper is attached to a hinging mechanism to maintain appropriate pressure on the kitties during shoe storage.

c. Said hinging mechanism attaches to a pre-shaped handle via an adjustable slide mechanism.

d. Said handle attaches to standard commercial shoetrees.

2. The invention described in claim 1 wherein:

a. Said pre-shaped Kiltie Shaper is formed from plastic

3. The invention as described in claim 1 wherein:

a. Said pre-shaped Kiltie Shaper is formed from leather or fabric

4. The invention as described in claim 1, wherein:

a. Said pre-shaped handle attaches to wooden shoetrees.

5. The invention as described in claim 1, wherein:

a. Said pre-shaped handle attaches to plastic shoetrees.

6. The invention as described in claims 1-5 with a tassels holder attached above the Kiltie Shaper device.

7. A method to prevent curling of kitties on men's and women's shoes, comprising the following steps;

a. Attaching the Kiltie Saver device to a standard wooden or plastic shoe tree, and

b. Placing the shoetree with the device attached inside the shoe during storage, and

c. Working the hinging mechanism in a manner that brings the Kiltie Shaper down on top of the kiltie, and

d. Storing the shoe in an area conducive to shoe preservation and maintenance.

8. A method to restore kitties on men's and women's shoes to their original shape, comprising the following steps:

a. Attaching the Kiltie Saver device to a standard wooden or plastic shoe tree, and

b. Placing the shoetree with the device attached inside the shoe during storage, and

c. Working the hinging mechanism in a manner that brings the Kiltie Shaper down on top of the kiltie, and

d. Storing the shoe in an area conducive to shoe preservation and maintenance.