PROTECTIVE COVER FOR BICYCLE AND TRACK AND FIELD FOOTWEAR
A protective cover for a shoe having cleats including a front end, an opposing rear end, an upper which extends from the front to the rear end, a bottom extending rearwardly from the front end, an approximate midpoint of the cover where the bottom terminates, a cavity formed into the bottom for receiving a cleat disposed on a forward part of the shoe and for receiving an insert configured to engage and contact a cleat of the shoe, where the upper extends around and over a portion of a toe area of the shoe, and where the upper extends from the midpoint rearward around a heel area of the shoe to delimit an opening in the cover adjacent to the bottom and rearward of the midpoint through which a portion of the shoe extends when the cover is worn.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/300,801, filed Feb. 2, 2010.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to protective covers for footwear, and more particularly a protective cover for bicycle shoes with cleats and a protective cover for track and field shoes having cleats or spikes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONCleated bicycle shoes capable of being securely connected to pedals are widely used to provide a more efficient means for pedaling. These shoes include a cleat disposed at a ball of the foot of the shoe and extending below the sole, where the cleat is configured to selectively engage a retaining feature located on a pedal of a bicycle. A system of this type is desirable because it allows a user to generate force on an upstroke as well as a downstroke of the pedal cycle while pedaling the bicycle.
However, once the user dismounts the bicycle, walking can be difficult and uncomfortable due to the cleat extending from the ball of the shoe. That is, the lift in the forefoot area associated with cleated bicycle shoes can disturb the normal gait pattern. Also, the cleat may lack traction on certain surfaces. Furthermore, the friction and abrasion caused by walking in cleated bicycle shoes causes wear and damage to the cleat, and can significantly reduce the life of cleats and shoes. Moreover, the cleat can scrap floor surfaces and walking with cleats can be noisy. Many cyclists also have bicycles custom aligned after each new cleat purchase, thus adding to replacement costs.
In the area of footwear designed for track and field sports, such footwear typically includes several cleats or spikes disposed at a forefoot portion of the footwear, typically in a ball area of the footwear. Cleated track shoes or track spikes permit runners to gain the necessary traction to make a quick sprint start and maintain good traction during training and races around a track. Unlike cleated shoes for other sports, cleated track shoes have cleats just on the ball area of the shoe and are relative flat in the mid-sole and in the heel area of the shoe. Often, track and field footwear includes threaded holes formed at the forward part of the sole with which the cleats are threadingly engaged by a spike wrench or the like. The cleats on track and field footwear are constantly exposed and thus can be damaged during normal walking. Moreover, on certain surfaces (smooth, wet, etc.), the spikes can result in a loss of traction to the user.
Bicyclists and participants in track and field events have addressed the various disadvantages discussed above by carrying a pair of normal street shoes for use when the bicycle is dismounted or the track and field shoes are not to be worn, even though it is cumbersome to maintain an extra pair of shoes while cycling or participating in track and filed sports. After finishing a race or a training session with cleated track shoes, or between heats, runners will often remove the track spikes in order to protect the shoes and the ground surface. While this can consume valuable time, not doing so can damage the spikes or floor surfaces. In the case of bicycle shoes, there also exist snap on cleat covers which are snapped over the cleats on the bottom of the shoe and used to protect the cleats. However, these snap on cleat covers may fall off and to the inventor's knowledge, are not adapted for use with track and field cleated shoes.
Thus, a device is needed that enhances the traction of cleated bicycling and track and field shoes having cleats or spikes which protects the cleats of the shoes, thereby improving the ease of walking and extending the life of the shoes and their cleats or spikes, all while remaining lightweight and easily transportable.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention provides a protective cover for a footwear that has cleats or spikes in the forefoot region thereof, the protective cover comprising: a forefoot portion that has a bottom portion and perimeter side walls, wherein the forefoot portion does not have its bottom portion extend rearwardly to cover a heel of a track shoe; and a heel retention strap that extends rearwardly from the forefoot portion and is adapted to engage with a heel of a track shoe.
The invention provides a protective cover for a bicycle or track and field shoes having cleats or spikes in the forefoot region thereof, the protective cover comprising: a forefoot portion that has a bottom portion, perimeter side walls, and a toe cap, the forefoot portion extending rearwardly only about midway to the shoes sole so as not to cover a heel of the shoe, wherein the bottom portion further includes an anti-penetration layer to help prevent spikes and cleats of the cleated shoe from penetration through the bottom portion; and a heel retention strap that extends rearwardly from the forefoot portion which is adapted to engage with a heel of the cleated shoe, wherein the forefoot portion, and the heel retention strap are formed as a single unit from flexible and stretchable rubber and/or plastic material.
A protective cover for a shoe having cleats, comprising a body member having a forward portion configured to encase a ball of the foot area of the shoe and at least a portion of a toe area of the shoe, the forward portion including an engagement area disposed at an interior of the forward portion of the body member configured to receive and retain a cleat extending from the shoe such that the cleat is covered by at least one of the engagement area and the body member; and a heel portion which extends from the forward portion along a lateral side of the shoe and along a medial side of the shoe and is secured at a heel area at a rear of the shoe, wherein the heel portion delimits an opening in the protective cover which extends through the protective cover at a bottom of the protective cover at a rear of the shoe opposite from the front portion, and wherein the body member is configured to be disposed on the shoe in a position of engagement in which the cleat is received and retained at the engagement area.
The invention further provides a protective cover for a shoe having cleats, the protective cover including a front end, an opposing rear end, an upper which extends from the front towards the rear end, a bottom extending rearwardly from the front end, an approximate midpoint of the cover where the bottom terminates, a cavity formed into the bottom for receiving a cleat disposed on a forward part of the shoe and for receiving an insert configured to engage and contact a cleat of the shoe, where the upper extends around and over a portion of a toe area of the shoe, and where the upper extends from the midpoint rearward around a heel area of the shoe to delimit an opening in the cover adjacent to the bottom and rearward of the midpoint through which the heel of the shoe extends when the protective cover is worn over the cleated shoe.
The bottom portion 16 and particularly the interior inside lower surface 20 of the bottom portion 16, may include contouring 28 to facilitate receipt and retention of the cleat system, e.g., cleats or spikes, at the bottom of the respective cleated track shoe or cleated bicycle shoe S. For example, the contouring 28 may comprise a series of raised and lowered areas, such as a waffle pattern (such as shown in
The heel retention strap 14 which extends to the rear end 50 does not fully encase the heel H of the shoe S. That is, the heel retention strap 14 preferably comprises of continuous strip of material extending rearwardly from the upper portion 22, along the lateral side of the foot, around the back of the high-heel/Achilles area, and then forward along the medial side where it rejoins the upper portion 22. In this way, the heel H of the shoe S and most regions of the footwear behind the approximate midpoint 30 of the bottom portion 16 of the protective cover 10 remain uncovered when the protective cover 10 is worn. That is, the heel retention strap 14 which extends around the heel area delimits an opening 36 which generally extends from the approximate midpoint 30 of the bottom portion 16 to the rear end 50. When the protective cover 10 is worn, the heel of the shoe extends into and through this opening 36 so as to contact the ground during walking.
As shown in
The bottom portion 116 and particularly the interior of the bottom portion 116, may include a cavity 154 to facilitate receipt and retention of the cleat system, e.g., cleats or spikes, at the bottom of the respective shoe. In addition, as best shown in
The heel retention strap 114 which extends to the rear end 152 does not fully encase the heel H of the shoe S. That is, the heel retention strap 114 preferably comprises of continuous strip of material extending rearwardly from the upper portion 122, along the lateral side of the foot, around the back of the high-heel/Achilles area, and then forward along the medial side where it rejoins the upper portion 122. In this way, the heel H of the shoe S and most regions of the footwear behind the approximate midpoint 130 of the bottom portion 116 of the protective cover 100 remain uncovered when the protective cover 100 is worn. That is, the heel retention strap 114 which extends around the heel area delimits an opening 136 which generally extends from the approximate midpoint 130 of the bottom portion 116 to the rear end 152. When the protective cover 100 is worn, the heel of the shoe extends into and through this opening 136 so as to contact the ground during walking.
As shown in
As shown in
In the cleat protectors 10 and 100, the heel retention straps 14 and 114, respectively, are shown as a continuous strap that is connected to the forefoot portion 12 and 112. In lieu of being continuous, however, the heel retention straps 14 and 114 can comprise two straps that detachably attach together (not shown), e.g., with hook and loop fasteners, clips, buckles, snaps, etc., or any other attachment means.
A protective cover for a footwear with cleats.
The heel strap 230 which extends to the rear end 214 does not fully encase the heel of the shoe. That is, the heel strap 230 preferably comprises of continuous strip of material extending rearwardly from the upper portion 218, along the lateral side of the foot, around the back of the high-heel/Achilles area, and then forward along the medial side where it rejoins the upper portion 18. In this way, the heel of the shoe and most regions of the footwear behind the approximate midpoint 220 of the bottom portion 216 of the footwear cover 200 remain uncovered when the protective cover 200 is worn. That is, the heel strap 230 which extends around the heel area delimits an opening 224 which generally extends from the approximate midpoint 220 of the bottom portion 216 to the rear end 214. When the protective cover 10 is worn, the heel of the shoe extends into and through this opening 224 so as to contact the ground during walking.
In use, the front end 212 and toe cap portion 232 of the upper portion 218 is pulled over the toe area of the corresponding shoe and then the heel strap 230 is stretched and extended rearwardly into a secure position over the high-heel/Achilles area of the foot. The protector 200 is removed simply by disengaging either the front end 212 or the heel strap 230 and then sliding the remaining end off of the shoe.
As shown in
When the insert 226 is disposed in the cavity 228, the protective cover is suitable for use with a shoe having smaller or mid-sized cleats, such as a track and field shoe 250 as shown in
The protective cover 200, as applied to the track and field shoe 250 of
In another configuration, the insert 26 is configured to be removed from the bottom 16 of the protective cover 200 and the cavity 28 is exposed to receive larger cleats of certain shoes. For example, the cavity 228 is configured to receive the large cleat of a bicyclist shoe (not shown). As discussed, this type of bicyclist shoe includes one or more pronounced cleats extending from a forward portion of a sole of the bicycle shoe near an area which would correspond to a ball of the foot of a wearer. The cavity 228 is formed into the bottom 216 of the protective cover 200 and is open to an interior of the protective cover 200 such that when the forward end of the bicyclist shoe is inserted into the interior of the protective cover 200 proximate to the forward end 212, the cleat extending from the bottom of the shoe is inserted into and received within the cavity 228. The cleat may simply be received within the cavity 228 or, alternatively, the cleat may be received in the cavity 228 and releasably retained therein. This releasable retention may be effected by the cavity 228 being sized slightly smaller than the cleat such that the areas of the bottom portion 216 of the protective cover 200 which delimit the cavity 228 are required to stretch over and around the cleat when the protective cover 200 is worn, or the bottom portion 216 of the protective cover 200 may include a snap feature for engaging edges or other features of the bicyclist cleat.
In one embodiment, the cavity 228 extends less than all of a length of the bottom 216 of the protective cover 200. As such, the bottom portion 216 has a first thickness 216A in the area of the cavity 228 and a second thickness 216B in an area outside of the cavity 228, where the second thickness 216B is greater than the first thickness 216A. See
The insert 226 is composed of any desired material suitable for a particular application. For example, the insert 226 may be formed of poly paraphenylene terephthalamide (i.e., Kevlar®) or a hard density ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). In another embodiment, the insert 226 may be formed of a natural material, such as a tanned leather. The insert 226 may be formed homogenously of a particular material, or may be formed as a composite of multiple materials.
The remaining portions of the protective cover 200, including the front end 212, retention strap 230, bottom portion 216, and the upper portion 218, may also be composed of any material sufficient for a particular application. For example, these portions of the protective cover 200 may be formed of a thermoset and/or thermoplastic elastomer and/or a polymeric material, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, the protective cover 200 is constructed of an elastic material, or at least the retention strap 230 which extends from the midpoint 220 around the heel area is elastic and flexible, to facilitate donning and removing the protective cover 200 from the shoe.
The protective covers 10, 100, and 200 discussed herein can be constructed in various thicknesses and of any desired material capable of producing the stated results. The protective covers 10, 100, and 200 need not be made of a single type of material. The protective covers 10, 100, and 200 may comprise a plurality of different materials. For example, the front end may be composed of a neoprene material and the rear end may be composed of a rubber. The protective covers 10, 100, and 200 need not be one integral piece but can be composed of multiple pieces adhered or bonded together. The protective covers 10, 100, and 200 could comprise any number of pieces and configurations allowing the device as a whole to function as intended.
Moreover, the protective covers 10, 100, and 200 discussed herein may have the puncture resistant insert located in the bottom of the protective cover with the material forming the sole molded around the puncture resistant insert. In such case, the protective covers can have a cleat retention layer positioned on the material of the protective cover (e.g., flexible rubber or plastic) above the puncture resistant insert.
The illustrated exemplary embodiments have been directed thus far toward cyclist cleated shoes having a large dominant cleat on the bottom of the shoe toward the forefoot area and track and field shoes have one or more smaller cleats located at a forward portion of the shoe. Of course, the broad scope of the invention contemplates applying the disclosed cleat protector to other types of cleated shoes such as, for example, football cleats, baseball cleats, golf shoes, etc.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, while exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and variations can be made to the present apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the various embodiments have been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
Claims
1. A protective cover for a footwear that has cleats or spikes in the forefoot region thereof, the protective cover comprising:
- a forefoot portion that has a bottom portion and perimeter side walls, wherein the forefoot portion does not have its bottom portion extend rearwardly to cover a heel of a shoe; and
- a heel retention strap that extends rearwardly from the forefoot portion and is adapted to engage with a heel of the shoe.
2. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 1, wherein the forefoot portion further comprises a toe cap at a front thereof.
3. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 1, wherein the bottom portion further comprises anti-penetration material to help prevent spikes and cleats of the shoe from penetration through the bottom portion.
4. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 3, wherein the anti-penetration material is at least one of fibrous mesh formed of spun glass, synthetic fibers, rubber, plastic, leather, and metal.
5. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 1, wherein the bottom portion further comprises cleat/spike retention material to help stabilize the position of the shoes in the forefoot portion of the protective cover.
6. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 1, wherein the bottom portion further comprises a layer of spike/cleat retention material and a layer of anti-penetration material below a layer of spike/cleat retention material which is located above a lower layer of the bottom portion.
7. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 3, wherein the anti-penetration material is molded into a sole of the forefoot portion.
8. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 1, wherein the forefoot portion, and the heel retention strap is formed as a single unit from flexible and stretchable rubber and/or plastic material.
9. A protective cover for a bicycle or track and field shoes having cleats or spikes in the forefoot region thereof, the protective cover comprising:
- a forefoot portion that has a bottom portion, perimeter side walls, and a toe cap, the forefoot portion extending rearwardly only about midway to the shoes sole so as not to cover a heel of the shoe, wherein the bottom portion further includes an anti-penetration layer to help prevent spikes and cleats of the cleated shoe from penetration through the bottom portion; and
- a heel retention strap that extends rearwardly from the forefoot portion which is adapted to engage with a heel of the cleated shoe, wherein the forefoot portion, and the heel retention strap are formed as a single unit from flexible and stretchable rubber and/or plastic material.
10. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 9, wherein the anti-penetration layer comprises fibrous mesh formed of at least one of spun glass, synthetic fibers, rubber, plastic, leather, and metal.
11. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 10, wherein the bottom portion further comprises a layer of cleat/spike retention material positioned above the anti-penetration layer to help stabilize the position of the track shoes in the forefoot portion of the protective cover.
12. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 10, wherein the anti-penetration material is molded into a sole of the forefoot portion.
13. A protective cover for a shoe having cleats, comprising:
- a body member having a forward portion configured to encase a ball of the foot area of the shoe and at least a portion of a toe area of the shoe, the forward portion including an engagement area disposed at an interior of the forward portion of the body member configured to receive and retain a cleat extending from the shoe such that the cleat is covered by at least one of the engagement area and the body member; and
- a heel portion which extends from the forward portion along a lateral side of the shoe and along a medial side of the shoe and is secured at a heel area at a rear of the shoe, wherein the heel portion delimits an opening in the protective cover which extends through the protective cover at a bottom of the protective cover at a rear of the shoe opposite from the front portion, and wherein the body member is configured to be disposed on the shoe in a position of engagement in which the cleat is received and retained at the engagement area.
14. The protective cover of claim 13, wherein the body member includes a bottom which extends continuously from a front of the body member to a midpoint of the protective cover.
15. The protective cover of claim 13, further comprising contouring disposed at the engagement area on the bottom at the interior configured to receive and retain the cleat.
16. The protective cover of claim 15, wherein the engagement area comprises a cavity formed into the bottom of the cover that is open to the interior of the cover.
17. A protective cover for a shoe having cleats, comprising:
- a front end;
- an opposing rear end;
- an upper which extends from the front to the rear end;
- a bottom extending rearwardly from the front end;
- an approximate midpoint of the cover where the bottom terminates;
- a cavity formed into the bottom for receiving a cleat disposed on a forward part of the shoe and for receiving an insert configured to engage and contact a cleat of the shoe;
- wherein the upper extends around and over a portion of a toe area of the shoe; and
- wherein the upper extends from the midpoint rearward around a heel area of the shoe to delimit an opening in the cover adjacent to the bottom and rearward of the midpoint through which a portion of the shoe extends when the cover is worn.
18. The protective cover for a shoe having cleats of claim 17, wherein the insert comprises anti-penetration material to help prevent spikes and cleats of the shoe from penetration through the bottom portion.
19. The protective cover for a shoe having cleats of 18, wherein the anti-penetration material is at least one of fibrous mesh formed of spun glass, synthetic fibers, rubber, plastic, leather, and metal.
20. The protective cover for footwear that has cleats or spikes of claim 17, wherein the bottom portion further comprises cleat/spike retention material to help stabilize the position of the shoes in the forefoot portion of the protective cover.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 2, 2011
Publication Date: Aug 4, 2011
Inventors: Jimmy Tsen (Needham, MA), Stephen Opie (Arlington, MA), Marianne Kay (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)
Application Number: 13/019,964
International Classification: A43B 5/18 (20060101); A43B 5/00 (20060101);