PAD FOR A SHOE TO CREATE A NEW SHOE FUNCTION WITHOUT THE NEED FOR SHOE CHANGE

Abstract

A disposable pad is constructed of materials that provide an alternate sole for the shoe, such as providing near or identical characteristics to the heel and sole of traditional bowling shoes. The pad will contain multiple layers including an adhesive layer that will allow the user to temporarily affix the pad to their own footwear. The pad may include multiple die cuts to accommodate male, female and children's footwear, for example, for ages five years old through adult. The pad may be used to transform the user's shoes, which are typically used for one purpose, to be adapted for use for a second purpose.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional patent application No. 61/446,842, filed Feb. 26, 2011, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to shoe pads, and more specifically, pads that removably attach to a bottom surface of a shoe to transform the shoe from one purpose to an alternate purpose.

On many occasions, a person may need different shoes to satisfy different purposes. For example, a specific shoe is often worn for bowling. Most recreational bowlers rent shoes from a bowling establishment. Many recreational bowlers don't bowl as much as they may wish because they do not wish to change into frequently worn rental bowling shoes. Moreover, these shoes are often not as comfortable to wear as compared to the bowler's street shoes.

Similarly, a recreational golfer may benefit from golf cleats, but, due to the cost and the potential infrequent need, these golfers may wear their street shoes or some other regularly worn shoe for golfing. The same situation may apply in, for example, soccer. Often, parents may not wish to invest in special soccer cleats for their children, especially if the child is trying out soccer for the first time.

As can be seen, there is a need for a removable attachment that attaches to a sole of a shoe that may transform a user's shoe into a shoe that can be used for an alternate purpose, without the need for a separate pair of shoes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a shoe pad comprises a first layer having an adhesive bonded to a conforming foam material, the adhesive adapted to apply the pad to a bottom of a shoe; a second layer disposed on the first layer, the second layer adapted to provide a first coefficient of friction of the shoe to a surface; and a third layer disposed on the first layer, adjacent to the second layer, the third layer adapted to provide a second coefficient of friction of the shoe to the surface.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for transforming a shoe designated for a first purpose into a shoe specially adapted for a second purpose comprises exposing an adhesive of a shoe pad, the adhesive adapted to affix the shoe pad to the shoe, wherein the shoe pad has a second layer disposed on the adhesive, the second layer adapted to provide a first coefficient of friction of the shoe to a surface, and a third layer disposed on the adhesive, adjacent to the second layer, the third layer adapted to provide a second coefficient of friction of the shoe to the surface; and applying the shoe pad to a bottom surface of the shoe.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a disposable pad adapted to transform a shoe designed for a first purpose into a shoe adapted for a second purpose comprises a first layer having an adhesive bonded to a conforming foam material, the adhesive adapted to apply the pad to a bottom of a shoe; and a second layer disposed on the first layer, the second layer adapted to provide a first coefficient of friction of the shoe to a surface.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular assembly embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a shoe pad according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the application of the shoe pad of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a top view of a shoe having the shoe pad of FIG. 1 applied thereto and the shoe pad being sized for the shoe;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a shoe having the shoe pad of FIG. 1 applied thereto;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a bowler using the shoe pad of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a shoe pad according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the application of the shoe pad of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 shows a top view of a shoe having the shoe pad of FIG. 7 applied thereto and the shoe pad being sized for the shoe;

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a shoe having the shoe pad of FIG. 7 applied thereto; and

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of a shoe having a shoe pad of another embodiment of the present invention applied thereto and the shoe pad being sized for the shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a disposable pad constructed of materials that provides an alternate sole for the shoe, such as providing near or identical characteristics to the heel and sole of traditional bowling shoes. The pad will contain multiple layers including an adhesive layer that will allow the user to temporarily affix the pad to their own footwear. The pad may include multiple die cuts to accommodate male, female and children's footwear, for example, for ages five years old through adult. The die cuts may be configured to replicate the periphery shape of common footwear. The die cuts may be constructed concentrically about the junction where the heel and the sole meet. Each successive die cut ring may increase in size outward from this common starting point to accommodate the variety and sizes of common footwear. The number of rings to be die cut may not be limited to scope or size. Typically, from there may be from 3 to 15 die cut rings. In other embodiments, the die cuts may be present only on the heel of the shoe to adjust the length of the pad.

The pad may transform the user's own shoe into a shoe suitable for another purpose. For example, the pad may be applied to the bottom of a bowler's own shoe and may provide an alternative to the potentially unsanitary established practice of renting bowling shoes. The bowler may not only have the piece of mind from not using someone else's previously worn shoe, but may also have the comfort from wearing their own, properly fitting, comfortable shoes. In other embodiments, the pad may add external features, such cleats, to the bottom of the user's shoes. In still other embodiments, the pad may provide a clean, non-marking surface for the user's shoes. In still other embodiments, the pad may provide an anti-static feature to minimize static buildup about the user as the user wears the pads and moves across a surface. Other uses and configurations may be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 6, a shoe pad 10 (also referred to as pad 10) may include a plurality of die cuts 12, for example, three die cuts 12, as shown in FIG. 1. The dotted line across the width of the pad shows an approximate location to define the heel versus the sole of the pad. In some embodiments, the sole and the heel of the pad will be of different materials. In other embodiments, the sole and heel of the pad will be of the same material. A user may remove sections 14, such as a first section 14-1 to shorten the pad 10. The user may remove the first section 14-1 along with a second section 14-2 to further shorten the pad 10. Similarly, the user may remove the first section 14-1, the second section 14-2 and a third section 14-3 to even further shorten the pad 10. The sections 14 may be removed one at a time or all at once to achieve the desired size.

In some embodiments, the pad may be available in various sizes. Typically, the number of sections 14 may correspond to the differences in the sizes that are available. For example, where only medium and extra large pads are available, there may be several sections 14 to permit the pads to fit various lengths of shoes 16. Where several sizes are offered, such as small, medium, large and extra large, the pads may only have from 2-5 sections 14. In some embodiments, the pads may be sized to match each shoe size.

The pad may consist of several layers of materials. The first layer 20 may be an adhesive bonded to a conforming foam material, allowing the pad to temporarily adhere to a vast majority of shoe sole configurations. The second layer 22 may be a material having a similar coefficient of friction to a standard bowling shoe sole. The third layer 24 may be a material designed to replicate the heel coefficient of friction of a standard bowling shoe heel.

The layers 20, 22, 24 may be bonded together and die cut into configurations that will enable users, both male and female of all ages, to simply affix the disposable bowling pad to the bottom of their shoes 16. The users may then simply remove the excess pad material along predetermined perforated sizes to provide a pad covered shoe 18. The pad 10 may accommodates virtually any shoe configuration and size.

Referring to FIGS. 7 through 11, a shoe transforming pad 70 may include a plurality of die cuts 72, for example, ten die cuts, as shown in FIG. 7. The dotted line across the width of the pad shows an approximate location to define the heel versus the sole of the pad.

Similar to the pad 10, the pad 70 may consist of several layers of materials. The first layer 20 may be an adhesive bonded to a conforming foam material, allowing the pad to temporarily adhere to a vast majority of shoe sole configurations. The second layer 22 may be a material having a similar coefficient of friction to a standard bowling shoe sole. The third layer 24 may be a material designed to replicate the heel coefficient of friction of a standard bowling shoe heel.

To use the pad 10, 70, the user, while in a seated position, for example, may rest one leg on top of the other so that the bottom of their footwear is accessible. The user then utilizes a cleaning cloth, which may be provided along with the pad, to remove any moisture and/or contaminants from the bottom of their footwear, enabling the sticky backed adhesive layer 20 to adhere properly. The user then may peel off the protective backing (not shown) and position the pad centrally to his or her footwear so that equal amounts of the pad protrude around the perimeter of their footwear (for the pad 70) or so that the pad protrudes off the heel of their footwear (for the pad 10). The user then applies a slight pressure to affix the pad to their footwear. The user then peels off the excess pad along the die cuts so that the remaining pad lines within the perimeter of the user's footwear. This excess material from pad 70 is typically removed from the front of the shoe to the back, as shown in FIG. 10. Excess material from pad 10 is typically removed from one side of the heel of the footwear to the other side. Typically, when the removal of the excess material is complete, the pad will be exactly the same size or slightly smaller than the shoe sole to which it is applied. FIGS. 5 and 11 show this configuration.

The user then repeats this process for the opposite shoe. The user then places the material removed back into the packaging for later recycling. The user then proceeds to bowl, for example, and, when finished, the user then peels off the pads and deposits them into the original packaging for disposal and recycling.

While the above embodiments describe a single disposable die-cut pad, the present invention may include a plurality of different sized pads. For example, there may be one pad for children's shoes and one for adult shoes, each having die-cuts as described above. Alternatively, there may be a pad for shoes smaller than size 10, for example, and another for shoes larger than size 10. These embodiments may reduce the amount of material removed when the user places the pads on their shoes and removes the excess.

The adhesive for attaching the pad to the shoe may be an adhesive that is readily removed, in its entirety, from the bottom of the user's shoe when the pad is removed.

While the above described pad is described for bowling, the pad may be useful for other situations. For example, if a person is wearing a shoe that may cause marks on a surface, the pads may prevent the shoe from transferring marks to the surface. The pad may be used to absorb electrostatic shock when the user is working in a shock sensitive environment.

Other uses may be contemplated within the scope of the present invention. These uses may include virtually any situation where changing the sole of a shoe may transform the shoe from out use into another use. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the pad 10 may include integral cleats formed along the bottom surface thereof. In this embodiment, a user may use the pads to transform ordinary street shoes or sneakers into cleats for use in, for example, golf or soccer.

It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed; and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to a person skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A shoe pad comprising:

a first layer having an adhesive bonded to a conforming foam material, the adhesive adapted to apply the pad to a bottom of a shoe;

a second layer disposed on the first layer, the second layer adapted to provide a first coefficient of friction of the shoe to a surface; and

a third layer disposed on the first layer, adjacent to the second layer, the third layer adapted to provide a second coefficient of friction of the shoe to the surface.

2. The shoe pad of claim 1, wherein the first coefficient of friction is different from the second coefficient of friction.

3. The shoe pad of claim 1, wherein the first coefficient of friction is the same as the second coefficient of friction.

4. The shoe pad of claim 3, wherein the second section is integral and continuous with the third section.

5. The shoe pad of claim 1, wherein the first coefficient of friction corresponds to a bowling shoe sole's coefficient of friction and the second coefficient of friction corresponds to a bowling shoe heel's coefficient of friction.

6. The shoe pad of claim 1, further comprising cleats extending from the shoe pad.

7. The shoe pad of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of die cuts in the shoe pad, the die cuts adapted to permit a user to adjust a size of the shoe pad.

8. The shoe pad of claim 7, wherein the die cuts define a plurality of sections at a heel of the shoe pad.

9. The shoe pad of claim 7, wherein the die cuts define a plurality of sections about a periphery of the shoe pad.

10. A method for transforming a shoe designated for a first purpose into a shoe specially adapted for a second purpose, the method comprising:

exposing an adhesive of a shoe pad, the adhesive adapted to affix the shoe pad to the shoe, wherein the shoe pad has a second layer disposed on the adhesive, the second layer adapted to provide a first coefficient of friction of the shoe to a surface, and a third layer disposed on the adhesive, adjacent to the second layer, the third layer adapted to provide a second coefficient of friction of the shoe to the surface; and

applying the shoe pad to a bottom surface of the shoe.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting the size of the shoe pad by tearing along one of a series of perforated and die cuts that overhang a portion of the shoe pad away from an applied portion of the shoe pad affixed to the bottom surface of the shoe.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the overhang portion surrounds the periphery of the shoe pad.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the overhang portion is at a heel end of the shoe pad.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising removing and discarding the shoe pad after use.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the shoe pad transforms the shoes into bowling shoes.

16. A disposable pad adapted to transform a shoe designed for a first purpose into a shoe adapted for a second purpose, the pad comprising:

a first layer having an adhesive bonded to a conforming foam material, the adhesive adapted to apply the pad to a bottom of a shoe; and

a second layer disposed on the first layer, the second layer adapted to provide a first coefficient of friction of the shoe to a surface.

17. The disposable pad of claim 16, further comprising a third layer disposed on the first layer, adjacent to the second layer, the third layer adapted to provide a second coefficient of friction of the shoe to the surface.

18. The disposable pad of claim 16, wherein the first coefficient of friction corresponds to a bowling shoe sole's coefficient of friction and the second coefficient of friction corresponds to a bowling shoe heel's coefficient of friction.

19. The disposable pad of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of die cuts in the shoe pad, the die cuts adapted to permit a user to adjust a size of the shoe pad.