Air Pedipad

Abstract

The invention provides a foot covering to protect one's feet from the surface contamination of public floors. The Air Pedipad is a one size fits all adhesive pad which adheres to one's skin or sock. The Air Pedipad is composed of recycled paper and a light adhesive to attach to the barefoot or sock. The Air Pedipad possesses an antimicrobial material that inhibits fatty acid synthesis in bacteria and prevents makes pathogen growth impossible.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application claims priority under 35 USC 119 (e) (1) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/520,186 filed Jun. 6, 2011, of common inventorship herewith entitled, “Air Pedi Pad.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of antibacterial products, and more specifically to the field of protective foot soles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art has put forth several designs for foot soles. Among these are:

U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,054 to Tammy S. Milner and Curtis L. Milner describes a disposable and protective sole to place in a shoe or wear on the user's foot. The sole includes a multilayer composite with opposing inside and outside major surfaces. The outside major surface is textured to resist slippage on an underlying surface. The inside major surface has a pressure-sensitive adhesive for removably attaching the sole to the foot or shoe of the user.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,442 to Camellia Joan Parker and John Vernon Glenn describes a disposable protective foot pad, composite, and its method of manufacture. This foot pad includes a resilient planar foam base with an adhesive layer on one side of the base, carried by a film layer. This film layer has another adhesive layer attached to it. Both adhesive layers have protective sheets which can be removed for attaching the sole to shoes or feet.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,465 to Marjorie S. Burgess describes a foot protector with a resilient sheet member that has a foot contact surface. A tack adhesive layer is provided on a portion of the foot contact surface, so the lightweight foot protector is readily removable and disposable. One embodiment has a thin foam layer to achieve a comfortable walk on rough and hard surfaces.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,734 to Chan-Chou Ou describes an adjustable and disposable foot care article which includes a toe cover and an elongated insole bonded together to form a toe pocket at a front section. The insole is a pliable composite laminate comprising an upper layer, an absorbent middle layer, and a bottom layer of air and fluid permeable nonwoven fabrics or materials. The insole has side flaps which extend back around the heel and have Velcro™ attachments for correct sizing.

None of these prior art references describe the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an adhesive and antibacterial foot sole for airports and other public facilities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the present invention, showing its foot shape and the insole separating from its adhesive strip.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the convenient pouch for carrying numerous pairs of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a zoom perspective view of a peel off strip and a top view of an insole with a mild non residue adhesive and an anti bacterial material.

FIG. 4 is a working illustrative view of the present invention adhered to a bare or stocking foot.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the pad of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As a result of terrorist threat levels rising for the aviation sector worldwide, it is a requirement to remove one's shoes before entering the metal detector. Many types of footwear are used for carrying prohibited items. Passengers who protest or refuse to remove their shoes will not be permitted to board their flight. So travelers now begrudgingly remove their shoes, place them on the screening belt, and walk through the metal detector. Removing one's shoes is inconvenient, but more unpleasant is the notion that one is walking shoeless on a floor that has held thousands of other feet throughout the day. Whether one is wearing socks or barefoot, one's feet have been contaminated by the public floor surface. Foot diseases also can be contracted in public places such as locker rooms, swimming pools, nursing homes, public rest rooms, nail manicure and pedicure facilities, hospitals, recreational facilities, and hotels.

Numerous pathogenic illnesses are contracted through one's feet. Fungi of many variations including Athlete's foot, Plantar's warts, and HPV or human papillomavirus are easily contracted through the feet. Onychomycosis, another common foot fungus, disfigures the nails, can cause physical pain and impair the ability to work. Some ailments do not vanish after one treatment or a round of antibiotics. A foot fungus can last a long while, sometimes coming and going for years before it finally curing it. People have gone to some severe extremes to rid themselves of this pesky fungus including drowning their feet in kerosene, and bleach. Other pathogenic threats to one's feet include Staphylococcus, Strep A, and Streptococcal which are bacteria spread through skin-to-skin contact. Many of these afflictions take years to get rid of, and often require several rounds of antibiotics to treat them.

The present invention, hereinafter referred to as the Air Pedipad, protects one's feet from the surface contamination of public floors. The Air Pedipad is a one size fits all adhesive pad which adheres to one's skin or sock. The Air Pedipad is composed of recycled paper and a light adhesive 14 to attach to the barefoot or sock. The Air Pedipad possesses an antimicrobial material 16 that inhibits fatty acid synthesis in bacteria and prevents makes pathogen growth impossible. The Air Pedipad measures approximately twelve inches in length, one of one hundredth inch in depth and three to four inches in width.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, two adhesive strips 18 run vertically down the length of the foot, with three mini strips 20 centered between them. The thin antibacterial plastic film coating ensures that the Air Pedipad works the dampest of locations without threat of contamination.

Using the Air Pedipad is simple and straightforward. The user purchases a small package of approximately twelve disposable Air Pedipads. The user peels off the peel off strip 22, shown in FIG. 3, and attaches the pad to the bottom of their bare foot or sock. When the user puts their shoes back on, they simply peel off the pad and dispose of it in a waste can. Whether in the airport, at a water park or in a gym locker room, the Air Pedipad comes in a compact, easy to open, resealable carry pouch 24, shown in FIG. 2. Once the consumer knows they will be in an environment that requires shoe removal, they can carry the pouch with them to use at their discretion.

Air Pedipads are an easy to use, affordable accessory that athletes, kids, travelers, and hospital workers can readily use and embrace.

Although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

Claims

1. An adhesive, antibacterial and disposable covering for the sole of the foot, comprising: recycled paper and a light adhesive to attach the covering to a bare foot or sock.

2. The foot covering of claim 1 further comprising an antimicrobial material that inhibits fatty acid synthesis in bacteria and prevents makes pathogen growth impossible.

3. The foot covering of claim 1, which measures approximately twelve inches in length, one of one hundredth inch in depth and three to four inches in width.

4. The foot covering of claim 1, comprising two adhesive strips that run vertically down the length of the foot, and three mini strips centered between the two strips that run vertically down the length of the foot.

5. The foot covering of claim 1 further comprising a thin antibacterial plastic film coating to ensure that the covering works in the dampest of locations without threat of contamination.

6. The foot covering of claim 1 further comprising a peel off strip to expose the adhesive to adhere the covering to the sole of the foot or sock.

7. The foot covering of claim 1 further comprising a compact, easy to open, resealable carry pouch.