Flat, topless socks

Abstract

The flat, topless sock is are re-usable, machine washable/dryable, sock/stocking alternative that is inserted into a shoe or sandal, adhering to the shoe's insole so it can be worn in place of traditional socks to give the wearer the “no-sock” look while providing the benefits of wearing a sock. The preferred embodiment of the flat, topless sock consists of a soft, durable, absorbent surface in contact with the skin on the bottom of the foot and an adhesive/anti-slip surface on the opposite side which is in contact with/adheres to the insole of the shoe or sandal. Optional features may include but are not limited to: the addition of extra layer(s) for added comfort, shock and/or sweat absorption; the addition of an anti-microbial agent; a design modification to allow for use in a thong sandal; and an unlimited variety of decorative material designs, colors, textures, stitching patterns or appliqués.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of provisional application No. 61/472,845 filed on Apr. 7, 2011.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the technical field of footwear. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of socks.

In warmer climates conventional socks and stockings don't provide the comfort and ventilation desired for the foot to breath, nor do they lend themselves to the preferred “sockless” or bare leg/bare foot look dictated by fashion. People often wish to forego socks or stockings when wearing sandals or when dressing in hot weather to keep cool and to look fashionable, but have had to trade off the comfort and hygiene benefits of wearing socks or stockings in doing so.

People have tried to use existing “no-show” socks, peds and shoe inserts as a way to solve this problem, but these technologies fall short as they either fail to be truly “no-show,” as in the case of the peds or low profile socks (which still come up over at least part of the top of the foot), or in the case of traditional shoe inserts, once adhered to the insoles they can't be used, removed and machine washed/dried for reuse over and over—leaving them either stuck in the shoe along with the bacteria they harbor or making them disposable after a single use.

The flat, topless sock solves both of these problems and provides an affordable sock, stocking or shoe insert alternative that provides a true no-sock look with the benefits of comfort and style along with better hygiene and extended use because of their ability to be machine washed/dried and re-used after each use for an extended period of time.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is the flat, topless sock, which is a re-usable, machine washable and dryable sock/stocking or shoe insert alternative that is inserted into a shoe or sandal (in the same manner as a shoe insert), sticking to the insoles, that can be worn in place of traditional socks or stockings, and allows for a bare leg/bare foot look while providing the comfort and hygiene benefits of wearing socks or stockings. The flat, topless sock has a soft, durable, absorbent surface in contact with the skin on the bottom of the foot and an adhesive/anti-slip surface on the opposite side which is in contact with the insole of the shoe or sandal that retains its adhesive properties after machine washing and drying, thus enabling re-use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flat, topless sock of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a flat, topless sock of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a flat, topless sock of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a flat, topless sock of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an alternate bottom view of a flat, topless sock of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a split view of a flat, topless sock of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an alternate side view of a flat, topless sock of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a split view of an alternative multi-layer design of a flat, topless sock of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a top view of an alternative design of the flat, topless sock of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a top view of an alternative design of the flat, topless sock of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the invention in more detail, in FIGS. 1 through 10 there are shown various views and variations of the flat, topless sock which is a re-usable, machine washable/dryable sock, stocking or shoe insert alternative that is inserted into a shoe or sandal (in the same manner as a shoe insert) and may be worn in place of traditional socks or stockings, having a soft, durable, absorbent surface in contact with the skin on the bottom of the foot and an adhesive/anti-slip surface on the opposite side which is in contact with and adheres to the insole of the shoe or sandal until removed.

In further detail, still referring to the invention of FIGS. 1 through 10, the flat, topless sock is sufficiently wide and long enough to fit any size foot comfortably and is offered in a variety of sizes to fit all standard or non-standard shoe sizes (though for the purpose of this application the drawings are in one size that is meant to be representative of any flat, topless sock size).

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the flat, topless sock including 1 (top) and 3 (side) of the present invention to give an overall picture of the general shape, proportion and thin (non-bulky), low profile of the flat, topless sock.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the present invention with 1 (top) being the material on the top side of the flat, topless sock that is in contact with the bottom of the foot and consists of a washable woven or non-woven material that provides the comforts and benefits of wearing socks or stockings including, but not limited to, added cushion, sweat absorption, moisture wicking, and odor protection and with 2 being optional stitch fastening for an optional additional layer/application.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the present invention of the flat, topless sock.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the present invention of the flat, topless sock with 4 being the under or bottom side of the flat, topless sock that is in contact with the insole of the shoe or sandal, which consists of 5 a machine washable/dryable adhesive/anti-slip coating, application (or other washable woven or non-woven material with adhesive/anti-slip properties) that sticks to the insole and minimizes slippage once placed into the shoe or sandal and allows for repeated easy removal (for washing and shoe changing) and re-use while retaining its adhesive/anti-slip properties due to the inherent nature/make-up of the material/products used in manufacturing the flat, topless sock and how they are applied.

FIG. 5 shows an alternate bottom view of the present invention of the flat, topless sock with 4 being the under or bottom side of the flat, topless sock that is in contact with the insole of the shoe or sandal, which consists of 6 an alternative washable adhesive/anti-slip application or other washable woven or non-woven material with adhesive/anti-slip properties that sticks to the insole and minimizes slippage once placed into the shoe or sandal and allows for repeated easy removal (for washing and shoe changing) and re-use while retaining its adhesive/anti-slip properties.

FIG. 6 shows a split view of optional two layer construction of the present invention of the flat, topless sock with 1 top side and 4 bottom side which can be joined together by an unlimited variety of mechanical or non-mechanical means.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of FIG. 6 of the present invention of the flat, topless sock.

FIG. 8 shows a split view of optional three layer construction of the present invention of the flat, topless sock with 1 top side and 4 bottom side and 7 middle comfort layer that can be joined together by an unlimited variety of mechanical or non-mechanical means.

FIG. 9 shows a top view of the present invention of the flat, topless sock that depicts an alternate design for a thong shoe or sandal with 1 topside and 8 a split detail to allow for use of the flat, topless sock in a thong shoe or sandal.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of the present invention of the flat, topless sock that depicts another alternate design for a thong shoe or sandal with 1 topside and 9 detail of a ¾ length design to allow for use of the flat, topless sock in a thong shoe or sandal.

The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, that it provides an economical and attractive means to have the “no-sock” or bare leg/bare foot look while still providing the benefits of clean, dry, non-slippery feet and minimized odor/bacteria that socks provide, thereby helping maintain good foot hygiene, comfort and extending life of shoes/sandals.

Optional features may include but are not limited to: the addition of an extra layer(s) of woven or non-woven washable/dryable material or substance to provide added benefits such as more cushion, comfort, shock absorption, or moisture wicking that could be attached by any mechanical or non-mechanical means to any part of, or to the entirety of, the flat, topless sock; the addition of an anti-microbial agent; a design modification(s) to allow for use in a thong sandal; and an unlimited variety of fabrics, decorative fabric/material designs, colors, textures, stitching patterns or appliqués.

The flat, topless sock is unlike any other sock because it is completely flat and covers only the bottom of the foot, whereas other types of socks and foot coverings come up over the toes and cover the foot in varying degrees. Unlike peds, ankle socks and other “no-show” socks, the flat, topless sock sticks to the shoe's insole and does not cover any part of the foot beyond that which is in contact with the insole of the shoe or sandal. The flat, topless sock is also unlike any shoe insert that may be used in place of socks or in conjunction with socks/stockings because of its unique ability to both stick to the insoles and be machine washed/dried and used over and over again while still retaining its adhesive properties due to the make-up of the materials/products used and the manner in which they are incorporated/applied to make the flat, topless sock.

Unlike the flat, topless sock, shoe inserts are designed to either sit in the shoe with out adhering to the insole, or are designed to adhere to the insole but lose adhesive properties once removed and/or washed and dried (rendering them single use and/or disposable).

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A flat, topless sock that is inserted into a shoe, sandal or thong sandal and sticks to the insoles so it can be worn in place of traditional socks, stockings or shoe inserts to provide a “no-sock” bare leg/bare foot look while providing the comfort and hygiene benefits of wearing socks or stockings.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock covers only the insole or part of the insole of the shoe, sandal or thong sandal, thereby allowing it to be worn only under the foot and not resting on any part of the foot above the sole (bottom) of the foot.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock can be machine washed and dried and still retain its full functionality, including adhesive properties, which enables repeated re-use and encourages better foot/shoe hygiene.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock has a soft, durable, absorbent surface in contact with the skin on the bottom of the foot and an adhesive/anti-slip surface on the opposite side which is in contact with the insole or part of the insole of the shoe, sandal or thong sandal.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock can be constructed of either a single layer of woven or non-woven material or multiple layers of woven or non-woven materials/products.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein the adhesive/anti-slip material/product is either inherently built into the layer(s) of woven/non-woven materials comprising the flat, topless sock, or it is attached/applied/secured to the layer(s) of the flat, topless sock by any mechanical or non-mechanical means including, but not limited to: stitching, gluing, fusing, velcro, snapping, interlocking, and magnetizing.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock can be manufactured by any combination of mechanical or non-mechanical means including, but not limited to: stitching, gluing, fusing, velcro, snapping, interlocking, molding, and magnetizing.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock can be manufactured using any existing, new or future technologies and/or products and materials in any combination including, but not limited to: cotton, wool, polyester, velcro, silicone gel, polyurethane gel, glue, molding and tape.

9. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock may have one or more optional features/designs added that include but are not limited to the following (in any combination): the addition of an extra-cushion layer of a woven or non-woven material or substance to provide added comfort/shock absorption; the addition of an anti-microbial agent; the addition of a moisture wicking material; and an unlimited variety of decorative fabric, material, designs, prints, colors, textures, stitching patterns or appliqués.

10. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock may have an unlimited amount of design modifications to allow for use in any and all existing and/or future types of shoes, high heels, sandals, flats, boots, thong sandals and foot coverings for men, women, children and animals.

11. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock may be modified in an unlimited variety of ways to allow changes in functionality including, but not limited to, allowing it to adhere to the bottom of the foot instead of the insole of the shoe or sandal.

12. The invention of claim 1 wherein the flat, topless sock may be modified in an unlimited variety of ways to allow changes in functionality including, but not limited to, allowing it to adhere to both the bottom of the foot and the insole of the shoe or sandal.