WEIGHT FOR ATTACHMENT TO A PIECE OF FOOTWEAR

Abstract

A weight for attachment to a piece footwear comprises a first weighted member having a plurality of holes defined therethrough. The plurality of holes are arranged along a length of the weighted member.

Description

FIELD

The specification relates to weights, and more particularly, weights for attachment to a piece of footwear, such as a shoe or a skate.

INTRODUCTION

The following is not an admission that anything discussed below is prior art or part of the common general knowledge of persons skilled in the art.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,337 discloses a removable shoe weight for use in combination with a laced shoe. The shoe weight comprises a flexible packet consisting of a uniform material and having a longitudinal centerline aligned with the longitudinal axis of the shoe.

SUMMARY

The following introduction is provided to introduce the reader to the more detailed discussion to follow. The introduction is not intended to limit or define the claims.

A weight for attachment to a piece of footwear is described herein. The weight may comprise first and second weighted members, which may be generally elongate, and may be attached to the sides of the piece of footwear along the lace-holes of the piece of footwear using the shoelace of the piece of footwear. By attaching the first and second weighted members to the sides of the piece of footwear, an equal distribution of weight may be provided to the piece of footwear, which may provide stability and balance to the wearer's body. In addition, a user may choose to have one side of the foot carry more weight than the other side. This may be useful for people having instep or arch problems with their feet. Further, by attaching the first and second weighted members along the lace-holes of the piece of footwear, discomfort to the top of the foot may be minimized. Further, by attaching the first and second weighted members using the shoelace of the piece of footwear, the first and second weighted members may be securely, snugly, and sleekly attached to the piece of footwear.

According to one broad aspect, a weight for attachment to a piece of footwear is provided. The weight comprises a first weighted member having a plurality of holes defined therethrough. The plurality of holes are arranged along a length of the weighted member.

According to another broad aspect, a weight for attachment to a piece of footwear is provided. The piece of footwear may have a first plurality of lace-holes on an outer side of the piece of footwear, and a second plurality of lace-holes on an inner side of the piece of footwear. At least one shoelace may be threadable through the lace holes. The weight comprises a first weighted strip removably securable to the outer side of the piece of footwear. The first weighted strip has a first plurality of holes defined therethrough. The first plurality of holes are arranged along a length of the first strip, and at least some of the first plurality of holes are arranged to align with the first plurality of lace-holes. The first weighted strip is removably securable to the piece of footwear by the shoelace. The weight further comprises a second weighted strip removably securable to the inner side of the piece of footwear. The second weighted strip has a second plurality of holes defined therethrough. The second plurality of holes are arranged along a length of the second strip, and at least some of the second plurality of holes are arranged to align with the second plurality of lace-holes. The second weighted strip is removably securable to the piece of footwear by the lace.

According to another broad aspect, a method for applying a weight to a piece of footwear is provided. The piece of footwear comprises a first plurality of lace-holes on an outer side of the piece of footwear, and a second plurality of lace-holes on an inner side of the piece of footwear. The method comprises applying a first weighted member to the outer side of the piece of footwear; applying a second weighted member to the inner side of the piece of footwear; and securing the first weighted member and the second weighted member to the outer side of the piece of footwear and the inner side of the piece of footwear, respectively.

DRAWINGS

Reference is made in the description to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of an embodiment of a weight in the process of being attached to an ice-skate;

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of the weight of FIG. 1 attached to the ice-skate of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of a weighted member of the weight of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the weighted member of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the weighted member of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective illustration of a weighted portion of the weighted member of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross section taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an alternate embodiment of the cross-section shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is perspective illustration of an alternate embodiment of a weight attached to a cleated shoe; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective illustration of the weight of FIG. 9, attached to a running shoe.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments will be described below to provide an example of each claimed invention. No embodiment described below limits any claimed invention and any claimed invention may cover embodiments that are not described below. The claimed inventions are not limited to embodiments having all of the features of any one embodiment described below or to features common to multiple or all of the embodiments described below. It is possible that a feature described below is not an embodiment of any claimed invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a weight 100 is shown in combination with a piece of footwear 102. In the embodiment shown, the piece of footwear 102 is an ice-skate. In alternate embodiments, the piece of footwear may be any other type of laced footwear, including but not limited to a shoe, a boot, an inline skate, a roller skate, a ski boot, or a snowboard boot. If the footwear is a shoe, it may be, for example an athletic shoe, an orthopedic shoe, or any other type of laced shoe. Athletic shoes may include cleats (as shown in FIG. 7), such as a soccer cleat, a football cleat, a baseball cleat, or a rugby cleat; spiked shoes such as golf shoes; running shoes (as shown in FIG. 8); walking shoes; climbing shoes; court shoes such as squash shoes; or high tops such as basketball shoes. If the footwear is a boot, it may be a combat boot, a construction boot, a snow boot, or any other type of laced boot.

As shown in FIG. 1, the piece of footwear 102 includes a first plurality of lace-holes 104a on an outer side 106a thereof, and a second plurality of lace-holes 104b on an inner side 106b thereof. A longitudinal axis 107 extends between a toe end 105 of the piece of footwear 102 and a heel end 109 of the piece of footwear 102, and divides the piece of footwear into the outer side 106a and the inner side 106b. A shoelace 108 is threadable through the first plurality of lace-holes 104a and the second plurality of lace holes 104b, to secure the piece of footwear to a user's foot, as is known in the art.

In the embodiment shown, the weight 100 comprises a first weighted member 110a, and a second weighted member 110b. The weighted members 110a, 110b are removably securable to the outer 106a and inner 106b sides of footwear, respectively. By securing the weighted member 110a, 110b to the outer 106a and inner 106b sides of the footwear, a substantially equal distribution of weight is provided to the foot, which provides stability and balance to the body. Preferably, as shown, the weighted members 110a, 110b are removably securable to the outer 106a and inner 106b sides of footwear using the shoelace 108, as will be described in further detail hereinbelow. By securing the weighted members 110a, 110b using the shoelace 108, the weighted members are securely, snugly, and sleekly secured to the piece of footwear. Further, by securing the weighted members 110a and 110b using the shoelace 108, the weighted members 110a and 110b are positioned substantially equidistantly from the longitudinal axis of the piece of footwear. The may further provide a substantially equal distribution of weight to the foot.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 5, a weighted member is shown. As described hereinabove, the weight shown comprises a first weighted member 110a, and a second weighted member 110b. For simplicity, a description will presently be made of the first weighted member 110a, and reference numerals with the suffix ‘a’ will be used. It will be appreciated that the second weighted member 110b may be substantially identical to the first weighted member 110a, and like reference numerals ending with the suffix ‘b’ may be used to indicate like features on the second weighted member 110b.

In the embodiment shown, the first weighted member 110a is in the shape of a strip, and is generally elongate and has a first end 112a, a second end 114a, and a length L1 extending therebetween. The first weighted member 110a further has a first face 116a extending along the length thereof, and a second face 118a extending along the length thereof and opposed to the first face 116a. In use, the weighted member 110a is applied to the piece of footwear by positioning the second face 118a in facing relation to the outer side 106a of the piece of footwear 102.

The weighted strip 110a has a plurality of holes 120a defined therethrough, which are arranged along the length L1 of the weighted member 110a. The holes extend through the weighted member 110a from the first face 116a to the second face 118a. The holes are 120a generally arranged to align with the first plurality of lace holes 104a of the piece of footwear when the weighted member 110a is placed on the piece of footwear 102, so that the shoelace 108 may be threaded therethrough. In the embodiment shown, the holes 120a are generally arranged in a row. That is, they are aligned along a common axis 121a. In alternate embodiments, the holes may be arranged in another configuration. For example, the holes 116a may be arranged in two parallel rows. In the embodiment shown, an eyelet 117a is secured to each hole.

Preferably, the number of holes 120a in the weighted member 110a corresponds to the number of lace-holes 104a in the piece of footwear 102. For example, the ice-skate shown in FIG. 1 has 11 lace-holes, and the weighted member 110a has 11 lace holes. Accordingly, each hole 120a is alignable with one of the lace holes 104a. In alternate embodiments, however, the number of holes 120a in the weighted member 110a may not correspond to the number of lace-holes 104a in the piece of footwear 102. For example, the weighted member 110a may comprise only 5 holes, which may be staggered along the length thereof, such that every other lace hole 104a is aligned with a hole 120a. Alternately, the weighted member 110a may comprise a number of holes 120a that is less than the number of lace holes 104a on the piece of footwear 102, and the length L1 of the weighted member 110a may be sized to span only a portion of the row of lace holes 104a on the footwear. For example, the weighted member 110a may comprise only 5 holes 120a, which may alignable with the first 5 lace-holes 104a towards the toe end 105 of the ice-skate 102, and the length L1 of the weighted member 110a may be selected to span between the first five lace-holes 104a. In further alternate embodiments, only some of the holes 120a may align with a lace hole 104a. For example, the weighted member 110a may comprise 12 holes, only 11 of which align with the lace holes 104a. Preferably, the weighted member 110a comprises at least three holes 120a, to provide three points of connection between the weighted member 110a and the piece of footwear 102.

The size of the holes 120a may vary depending on the particular embodiment. For example, in embodiments in which the weighted members 110a, 110b are sold for use with a children's shoe, the holes 120a, 120b may have a relatively small diameter, to match the size of the lace-holes. In embodiments in which the weighted members 110a, 110b are sold for use with an adult skate, the holes 120a, 120b may have a relatively large diameter.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 to 8, in the embodiment shown, in order to provide the weighted member 110a with a sufficient amount of weight, the weighted member comprises a weighted portion 122a, and a cover 124a. The weighted portion 122a may comprise lead, for example, and may be in the form of a lead strip, having a first end 126a, an opposed second end 128a, a length L2 defined between the first end 126a and the second end 128a, a first face 130a, and an opposed second face 132a.

In the embodiment shown, the cover 124a comprises a first covering strip 134a, and a second covering strip 136a. The first 134a and second 136a covering strips may, for example, be made from leather, or a synthetic material such as nylon. The first covering strip 134a may be positioned adjacent the first face 130a of the weighted portion 122a, and the second covering strip 136a may be positioned adjacent the second face 132a of the weighted portion 122a. The weighted portion 122a and the first 134a and second 136a covering strips may be secured together by adhering the first 134a and second 136a covering strips to the weighted portion 122a. Alternately or in addition, as shown, the edges of the first 134a and second 136a covering strips may be secured together around the weighted portion 122a, for example by stitching.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the weighted member 110a may be provided with varying amounts of weight. For example, some weighted members 110a may be sold as a 1 lb weight, and others may be sold as a 1.5 lb weight. Preferably, the weighted members are sold as any the following: a 0.25 lb weight, a 0.5 lb weight, a 0.75 lb weight, a 1.0 lb weight, a 1.25 weight, and a 1.5 lb weight. In order to provide the desired amount of weight, the thickness of the weighted portion 122a may be altered. For example as shown in FIG. 7, one embodiment of a weighted member 110a may include a weighted portion 122a a having a thickness T1, and, as shown in FIG. 8, another embodiment of a weighted member 110a may include a weighted portion 122a having a thickness T2, which is double the value of T1.

In some embodiments, the covering strips 134a and 134b may be color coded to correspond to the weight value of the weighted portion 122a. For example, weighted portions 122a that have a weight of 1 lb may be covered with covering strips 134a, 134b that are blue, and weighted portions 122a that have a weight of 1.5 lb may be covered with covering strips 134a, 134b that are red.

Referring back to FIG. 1, wherein the piece of footwear 102 is an ice-skate, the arrangement of lace holes 104a and 104b on the ice-skate is curved upwards on ice-skate at the ankle portion of the ice-skate. As shown most clearly in FIG. 4, the first weighted member 110a is curved, in order to match the curved arrangement of the lace-holes 104a. Further, the row of holes 120a through the first weighted member 110a is curved (i.e. axis 121a is curved). Accordingly, when the second face 118a of the first weighted member 110a is applied to the outer side 106a of the ice-skate, the holes 120a on the first weighted member 110a will align with the lace holes 104a.

Additional embodiments in which the weighted member 110a is curved may include embodiments wherein the weighted member 110a is manufactured for use with boots such as combat boots or snow boots, ski-boots, and snowboard boots.

In an alternate embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, wherein like numerals are used to refer to like features, with the first digit of the numeral incremented to 9, the lace-holes 904a, 904b on the footwear 902 may be arranged in a generally straight line. In such embodiments, the weighted members 910a and 910b may be generally straight, and the row of holes 920a may be generally straight.

Although the embodiments of the weighted members 910a and 910b shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are shown attached to a shoe, in which the lace-holes 904a, 904b are arranged in a generally straight line, it will be appreciated that such embodiments may also be attached to a piece of footwear wherein the arrangement of lace holes is curved, such as an ice-skate. Particularly, although ice-skates are sold with various arrangements of lace-holes, the arrangement of first 5 or 6 lace-holes towards the toe end of the ice-skate is typically similar across most ice-skate designs, and includes a straight line of lace holes. Accordingly, weighted members 910a, 910b may be sold for use with ice-skates, may have lace-holes 920a, 920b arranged in a generally straight line, and may have a length L1 sized to span the first 5 or 6 lace-holes of the ice-skate.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the lace holes 104a and 104b further curve inwardly on the ice-skate at the ankle portion of the ice-skate. That is, the ankle portion of the ice-skate is narrower than the foot portion. Further, it will be appreciated that when the ice-skate is worn, the degree to which the lace holes 104a and 104b curve inwardly will vary, depending for example upon the diameter of the wearer's ankle, and upon how tight the skate is laced. As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, the first weighted member 110a is flexible, in so that it may conform to the contour of the side 106a of the ice-skate. More particularly, if the first end 112a of the weighted member 110a is held fixed, the second end 114a may move side to side, in a direction indicated by arrow A1 in FIG. 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lace holes 904a and 904b do not curve inwardly on the footwear. However, the lace holes 904a and 904b may not lie in a flat plane on the footwear. For example, in use, depending on the contour of the shoe, the shape of the users foot, and the tightness of the shoelaces, the lace holes 904a and 904b may not be co-planar. Accordingly, in such embodiments, by providing a flexible weighted member 110a, the weighted member may conform to the contour of the side of the shoe.

In use, in order to secure the weight 100 to the piece of footwear, the first weighted member 110a may be applied to the outer side 106a of the piece of footwear 102, the second weighted member 110b may be applied to the inner side 106b of the piece of footwear, and then the first weighted member 110a and the second weighted member 110b may be secured to the outer side 106a and inner side 106b, respectively, of the piece of footwear. More particularly, referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the shoelace 108 may first be removed from the piece of footwear 102. The first weighted member 110a may then be positioned on the outer side 106a of the piece of footwear 102 such that the holes 120a align with the lace holes 104a, and the second weighted member 110b may be positioned on the inner side 106b of the piece of footwear 102 such that the holes 120b align with the lace holes 104b. The piece of footwear may then be laced up, to secure the first 110a and second 110b weighted members to the piece of footwear 102. More particularly, the shoelace 108 may then be threaded through the first plurality of lace-holes 104a, the first plurality of holes 120a, the second plurality of lace-holes 104b, and the second plurality of holes 120b. The shoelace 108 may then be tied to removably secure the weighted members 110a, 110b to the piece of footwear.

In order to remove the weight 100 from the piece of footwear 102, the shoelace 108 may be untied and removed from the piece of footwear 102.

It will be appreciated that steps of positioning the first 110a and second 110b weighted members on the piece of footwear 102 and securing the first 110a and second 110b weighted members on the piece of footwear 102 may be carried out concurrently

In some embodiments (not shown), additional weighted members 110 may be applied to the piece of footwear 102, to increase the weight on the piece of footwear 102. More particularly, a plurality of weighted members may be stacked on the outer side 106a of the piece of footwear 102, and a plurality of weighted members may be stacked on the inner side 106b of the piece of footwear 102. For example, prior to lacing up the piece of footwear 102, a third weighted member may be applied to the outer side 106a piece of footwear 102, on top of the first weighted member 110a, and a fourth weighted member may be applied to the inner side 106b of the piece of footwear 102, on top of the second weighted member 110b. The piece of footwear 108 may then be laced up, to secure all four weighted members to the piece of footwear.

It will be appreciated that the weight 100 may be sold in separate parts. That is, weighted members 110a, 110b may be sold separately. Alternately, the weighted members 110a, 110b may be sold together.

It will be appreciated that, although in the embodiments shown, the first 110a and second 110b weighted members are manufactured as separate pieces, in some embodiments, they may be joined.

Claims

1. A weight for attachment to a piece footwear, the weight comprising:

a) a first weighted member having a plurality of holes defined therethrough, the plurality of holes arranged along a length of the weighted member.

2. The weight of claim 1, wherein the weighted member is a strip.

3. The weight of claim 2, wherein the strip comprises a cover and a weighted portion.

4. The weight of claim 3, wherein the weighted portion comprises lead.

5. The weight of claim 3, wherein the cover comprises a first covering strip adjacent to a first face of the weighted portion, and a second covering strip adjacent to a second face of the weighted portion.

6. The weight of claim 1, wherein the weighted member is flexible.

7. The weight of claim 1, wherein the weighted member is curved.

8. The weight of claim 7, wherein the plurality of holes are arranged in a row.

9. The weight of claim 8, wherein the row is curved.

10. The weight of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes comprises at least three holes.

11. The weight of claim 1, further comprising an eyelet secured to each hole.

12. The weight of claim 1, wherein the weight further comprises a second weighted member that is substantially identical to the first weighted member.

13. The weight of claim 12, wherein the piece of the footwear has an inner side and an outer side, wherein the first weighted member is removably securable to the outer side, and the second weighted member is removably securable to the inner side.

14. The weight of claim 13, wherein the piece of footwear comprises a longitudinal axis running substantially from a toe end to a heel end of the piece of footwear and dividing the piece of footwear into the inner side and the outer side, and wherein the first and second strips are removably securable to the piece of footwear and are adapted to be positioned substantially equidistantly from the longitudinal axis of the piece of footwear.

15. A weight for attachment to a piece of footwear, the piece of footwear having a first plurality of lace-holes on an outer side of the piece of footwear, a second plurality of lace-holes on an inner side of the piece of footwear, and at least one lace threadable through the lace holes, the weight comprising:

a) a first weighted strip removably securable to the outer side of the piece of footwear, the first weighted strip having a first plurality of holes defined therethrough, the first plurality of holes arranged along a length of the first strip and at least some of the first plurality of holes arranged to align with the first plurality of lace-holes to thereby be removably securable to the piece of footwear by the lace; and:

b) a second weighted strip removably securable to the inner side of the piece of footwear, the second weighted strip having a second plurality of holes defined therethrough, the second plurality of holes arranged along a length of the second strip, and at least some of the second plurality of holes arranged to align with the second plurality of lace-holes to thereby be removably securable to the piece of footwear by the laces

16. The kit of parts of claim 15, wherein:

a) each weighted strip has a first face and an opposed second face;

b) the first face of the first strip is removably securable in facing relation to the outer side of the piece of footwear; and

c) the first face of the second strip is removably securable in facing relation to the inner side of the piece of footwear.

17. The kit of parts of claim 16, wherein

a) the first weighted strip is flexible such that it is conformable to a contour of the outer side of the piece of footwear; and

b) the second weighted strip is flexible such that it is conformable to a contour of the inner side of the piece of footwear.

18. The kit of parts of claim 11, wherein each hole is alignable with one of the lace-holes.

19. A method for applying a weight to a piece of footwear, the piece of footwear comprising a first plurality of lace-holes on an outer side of the piece of footwear, and a second plurality of lace-holes on an inner side of the piece of footwear, the method comprising:

a) applying a first weighted member to the outer side of the piece of footwear;

b) applying a second weighted member to the inner side of the piece of footwear; and

c) securing the first weighted member to the outer side of the piece of footwear and securing the second weighted member to the inner side of the piece of footwear.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first weighted member comprises a first weighted strip having a first plurality of holes extending therethrough and arranged along a length of the first strip, and step (a) comprises:

i) positioning the first weighted strip on the outer side of the piece of footwear such that the first plurality of holes is aligned with the first plurality of lace-holes.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the second weighted member comprises a second weighted strip having a second plurality of holes defined therethrough and arranged along a length of the second strip, and step (b) comprises:

i) positioning the second weighted strip on the inner side of the piece of footwear such that the second plurality of holes is aligned with the second plurality of lace-holes.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein step (c) comprises lacing a shoelace through the first plurality of lace-holes, the first plurality of holes, the second plurality of lace-holes, and the second plurality of holes.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

d) applying a third weighted member to the outer side of the piece of footwear on top of the first weighted member; and

e) applying a fourth weighted member to the inner side of the piece of footwear on top of the second weighted member.