SKID-RESISTANCE ANTI-STATIC SHOE COVER

Abstract

A shoe cover for wearing over a shoe includes an upper shell, a bottom sole, and an anti-static strip, with the upper shell and the sole are attached together to form an internal space for housing the covered shoe, with the sole made of a skid-resistant material to promote enhanced traction for the wearer, and with the anti-static strip attached to the shoe cover to promote contact with the walked-upon surface to prevent static electricity build up and shocks. In example embodiments, the static strip is attached to the shoe cover along a central longitudinal portion of the sole or along a side longitudinal seam joining the upper shell and the sole together.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/212,111 filed Aug. 31, 2015, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to protective clothing articles for persons such as service technicians and other workers, and particularly to disposable covers for shoes.

BACKGROUND

Shoe covers are commonly worn over shoes by service providers (e.g., technicians and other workers) in service industries such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical wiring, manufacturing, etc. to protect customers' floors against debris such as dirt, mud, grime, etc. that can be tracked in by the workers. Shoe covers are also commonly worn over shoes by workers in manufacturing, agriculture, and other industries. Typically, such shoe covers are disposable and intended for a single use.

Some shoe covers include rubberized soles for traction to help reduce the likelihood of skidding/slipping on relatively slicker flooring such a hardwood and wet tile floors. But such shoe covers are not so well suited for use in environments that tend to generate static electricity build-up that can cause small electrical shocks (which can be hurtful to people and equipment). Other shoe covers include anti-static strips that can be pulled up and tucked into the wearer's socks to maintain bodily contact and thus prevent static electricity build-up, but they're not as well suited for use on slicker flooring because they do not provide as good traction resulting in falls, injuries, and workers compensation claims.

Accordingly, it can be seen that needs exist for improvements in shoe covers to provide for enhanced functionality on a wider range of flooring surfaces. It is to the provision of solutions to these and other problems that the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY

Generally described, the present invention relates to skid-resistant anti-static shoes cover for wearing over shoes. The shoe covers include an upper shell, a bottom sole, and an anti-static strip. The upper shell and the sole are attached together to form an internal space for housing the covered shoe being worn. The sole includes a skid-resistant material to promote enhanced traction for the wearer. And the anti-static strip is attached to the shoe cover to promote contact with the walked-upon surface to avoid static electricity build up and shocks.

In a first example embodiment, the anti-static strip is attached to the shoe cover along a central longitudinal portion of the sole. In a second example embodiment the anti-static strip is attached to the shoe cover along a side longitudinal seam joining the upper shell and the sole together. The anti-static strip can be attached to the shoe cover for example by stitching or other conventional attachments. In other embodiments, the anti-static strip is attached to the shoe cover in other locations and/or by other attachments in order to provide the anti-static functionality described herein without sacrificing the skid-resistant functionality described herein.

The specific techniques and structures employed to improve over the drawbacks of the prior devices and accomplish the advantages described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments and the appended drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a shoe cover according to a first example embodiment of the present invention, shown beside a shoe it can be worn over.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the shoe cover of FIG. 1, showing a main body of the shoe cover and a portion of an anti-static strip extending therefrom.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another portion of the shoe cover of FIG. 1, showing the antistatic strip and the shoe-cover main body from which it extends.

FIG. 4 shows the shoe cover portion of FIG. 3 with the anti-static strip shown pulled taut.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the shoe cover portion of FIG. 2, showing the attachment of the anti-static strip to the shoe-cover main body.

FIG. 6 is a detail view of the shoe cover portion of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of a front portion of the shoe cover of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a rear portion of the shoe cover of FIG. 5, showing the inside of the shoe-cover main body where the anti-static strip is attached.

FIG. 9 shows the shoe cover portion of FIG. 8 with the anti-static strip attachment bead displaced from a neutral position.

FIG. 10 is a cross-section view of a portion of the shoe cover taken at line 8-8 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 shows the shoe-cover portion of FIG. 8 in use with a wearer's foot compressing portions of the anti-static strip and the sole into contact with a walked-upon surface.

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the shoe cover of FIG. 1 being worn over a shoe with the anti-static strip tucked into the wearer's sock.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a shoe cover according to a second example embodiment of the present invention, shown beside a shoe it can be worn over.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the shoe cover of FIG. 13, showing a main body of the shoe cover and an anti-static strip extending therefrom.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a portion of the shoe cover of FIG. 13, showing the inside of the shoe-cover main body.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to shoe covers for wearing over shoes (e.g., work boots or work sneakers) by service providers for protection, for example, to protect customers' floors against debris that can be tracked in and about by the workers. The shoe covers can be disposable for example for use in clean rooms. The shoe covers include features to help prevent slippage when walking on hardwood, wet tile, and other slicker floors to provide good traction and also to help avoid static electricity build-up to help prevent static-electricity shocks.

FIGS. 1-12 show a shoe cover 10 according to a first example embodiment of the present invention. The shoe cover 10 includes an upper shell 12 and a bottom sole 14 together forming a main body that defines an internal space that encloses a worker's shoe. The upper shell 12 defines an ankle opening 16 surrounded by an elastic band 18 for adjustability. The ankle opening 16 is sized large enough in diameter to permit the foot of a larger-than-typical user (i.e., a large-footed adult male human being) to fit through to put on the shoe cover 10. And the elastic band 18 is attached to the upper shell 12 around the lip of the ankle opening 16 in a neutral state with the upper shell crimped down to a smaller diameter to permit the shoe cover 10 to stay on the foot of a smaller-than-typical user while still permitting the opening to be expanded to put on the shoe cover.

The elastic band 18 can each be attached to the upper shell 12 for example by non-elastic stitching (as depicted), elastic stitching, an adhesive, or another conventional attachment. The sole 14 can each be attached to the upper shell 12 for example by stitching (as depicted), an adhesive, or another conventional attachment. The upper shell 12 can be made of a sheet of a polypropylene material or another conventional material, the sole 14 can be made of a sheet of a PVC, rubber, or polypropylene material, or of another conventional material for providing good traction on hardwood, wet tile, and other slicker floors. And the elastic band 18 can be made of a natural or synthetic rubber material or another conventional elastomeric material.

These components and features of the shoe cover 10 are conventional and commercially available for example under the brand DURA-SOLE from SHUBEE, INC. (Macon, Ga.). As such, additional details of the structure, configuration, and assembly of these components are not included herein for brevity.

In addition, the shoe cover 10 includes an anti-static strip 20 attached to and extending from it. The anti-static strip 20 can be made of a conventional conductive material such as polyethylene, a cloth/fabric material, a combination thereof, or another conductive material known. The generalities of such anti-static strips are known, so additional details of the structure, configuration, and manufacture of this component are not included herein for brevity.

The anti-static strip 20 has a free portion 20a with a free length (extending from the shoe cover 10) that is long enough that it can be pulled up and tucked into the wearer's socks to maintain bodily/skin contact to prevent static electricity build-up (see FIG. 12). Typically, the anti-static strip 20 has a free length (extending from the shoe cover 10) of about 10.0 to about 20.0 inches (e.g., depending on whether intended for use with work shoes, work boots, or both), for example in the depicted embodiment the strip has a free length of about 16.5 inches. And the anti-static strip 20 has an attached portion 20b with an attached exposed portion having an exposed area (exposed length extending along to the shoe cover 10 and exposed width extending laterally from the shoe cover) that is large enough that it provides good contact with the ground when the wearer walks across flooring such as carpeting. Typically, the anti-static strip 20 has an attached exposed area of about 7.0 to about 18.0 inches long (e.g., depending on the shoe and shoe-cover size) by about 0.5 to about 1.0 inches wide, for example in the depicted embodiment the strip has an attached exposed area of about 9.5 inches long by about 0.5 inch wide. In embodiments in which the anti-static strip 20 is stitched or otherwise attached to the shoe cover 10 along the peripheral seam 22 (such as that depicted), the strip can have a uniform width of for example about 0.75 inch, with the free and attached portions each having that full 0.75-inch width, and with the attached sewn-in portion having a smaller width for example about 0.25 inches and the attached exposed portion having a smaller width for example about 0.5 inches.

In this way, the skid-resistant material of the sole 14 provides for enhanced traction to reduce slipping by the wearer. And the anti-static strip 120 provides a conductive pathway around the wearer's shoes to reduce static electricity build up and electric shocks to the wearer.

The attached portion 20b of the anti-static strip 20 can be attached to the shoe cover 10 along a peripheral seam 22 defined by the joint between the upper shell 12 and the sole 14. In the depicted embodiment, for example, the sole 14 is attached to the upper shell 12 by stitching around and forming the peripheral seam 22, with the stitching being internal (within the internal space) so that the resulting stitching bead 24 is also internal. And the attached portion 20b of the anti-static strip 20 is internal and sewn into the peripheral seam 22 with its non-exposed portion positioned between the peripheral lip of the sole 14 and the peripheral lip of the upper shell 12 and thus forming a three-layer internal bead 24. This keeps the stitching and resulting bead 24 internal so it is less likely to be abraded and fail during heavy-wear usage conditions.

In addition, the sole 14 is sized and shaped to function as an extension of the worker's shoe by covering the entire bottom surface of the sole of the covered shoe for enhanced skid-resistance. As such, the seam 22 is formed around the periphery of the sole 14, and the anti-static strip 20 is attached to the shoe cover 10 along a longitudinal side edge/portion 22a of the peripheral seam 22. The attached portion 20b of the anti-static strip 20 can be attached to the shoe cover 10 along the side portion 22a of the peripheral seam 22 so that its exposed portion tends to extend laterally inward across the sole 14 into a more centrally located position (see FIGS. 10-11). For example, the sole 14 (or at least the peripheral portion including the lip that partially forms the internal bead 24) can be made of a less flexible material than the upper shell 12 and the anti-static strip 20 combined so that the upper shell lip folds over onto the sole lip (instead of vice versa), as depicted. Thus, the sole 14 remains generally flat while the upper shell folds back over on itself so that the exposed portion of the anti-static strip 20 extends laterally inward across the sole. In this way, the anti-static strip 20 maintains better contact with the ground during walking to avoid static electricity build-up. Also, the anti-static strip 20 extends from the rear of the sole 14 at one of the sides/edges of the shoe cover 10 (instead of at its center) with this lateral offset providing for somewhat easier use (e.g., somewhat easier to see and reach to grasp and tuck into the wear wear's socks, somewhat less risk of the wearer stepping on the strip with the other foot and tripping before it's tucked in and/or if it becomes untucked during use for example when the left shoe cover is worn with its strip on the left side and the right shoe cover is worn with its strip on the right side).

In other embodiments, to promote contact of the exposed attached portion of the anti-static strip with the walked-upon surface, the sole of the shoe cover is laterally undersized (i.e., with a narrower width so that the two side longitudinal portions of the peripheral seam are beneath the wearer's shoe). Thus, the shoe covers can be provided in multiple sizes to provide for good contact between the exposed portion of the anti-static strip and the floor/ground, for example medium/M (11 cm wide), large/L (13 cm wide), and extra-large/XL (15 cm wide). And in still other embodiments, to promote contact of the exposed attached portion of the anti-static strip with the ground, the exposed attached portion has an increased width so that it extends laterally farther across the shoe-cover sole, with the entire anti-static strip still having a uniform width or the attached portion being wider than the free portion.

FIGS. 13-15 show a shoe cover 110 according to a second example embodiment of the present invention. The shoe cover 110 is similar to that of the first example embodiment, for example it includes an upper shell 112 and a bottom sole 114 together forming a main body that defines an internal space that encloses a worker's shoe, with the sole providing skid-resistant functionality, and with an anti-static strip 120 attached to the shoe-cover main body to provide electric-shock-resistant functionality. As such, the general structure, configuration, and partial assembly of these components is as described above and thus will not be repeated for brevity.

In this embodiment, the anti-static strip 120 is attached in a different location to the shoe-cover main body. In particular, the anti-static strip 120 is positioned longitudinally along and attached to the sole 114 along its central longitudinal portion 126 to promote contact with the walked-upon surface. For example, the attached portion 120b of the anti-static strip 120 can be attached to the central longitudinal portion 126 of the sole 114 by stitching to form a central longitudinal seam 128, as depicted. The stitching material and pattern is typically selected to provide a strong and durable attachment of the anti-static strip 120 to the sole 114 while also maintaining a low profile to minimize possible loss of gripping contact by the sole adjacent the central longitudinal seam 128 and possible loss of electrical contact by the anti-static strip to the walked-upon surface (which loss of gripping and electrical contact could occur with a thicker attachment). In addition, the anti-static strip attached portion 120 be can attached along the true longitudinal centerline of the shoe-cover sole 114, or anywhere else within/along the central longitudinal portion 126, which is defined as about the central/middle 1/3 of the sole (between opposing side longitudinal portions positioned laterally inward from the longitudinal sides of the peripheral seam 122). Also, the central longitudinal seam 128 typically does not extend all the way to/between the front and rear portions of peripheral seam 122 (where the upper 112 and the sole 114 are attached), for example the front ends of the anti-static strip 120 and the central longitudinal seam can begin about 0.5 cm from the front portion of the peripheral seam.

In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing the shoe covers. For example, the shoe cover 10 of the first example embodiment can be manufactured by providing the upper shell 12, the bottom sole 14, and the anti-static strip 20, then attaching the bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell, the peripheral lip of the sole, and the anti-static strip together into a peripheral seam 22. In typical embodiments, for example, this three-layered peripheral seam 22 is formed by internal stitching to form a stitching bead 24 within the internal space of the resulting shoe cover 10. Free longitudinal edges of the peripheral lip of the sole 14 and of the peripheral lip of the upper shell 12 can be stacked and aligned with a free longitudinal edge of the anti-static strip 20, and the sole can made of a flexible material having a greater stiffness than the flexible materials of the upper shell 12 and/or the anti-static strip combined so that the attached exposed portion 20b of the anti-static strip extends laterally inward across the sole to promote contact with the walked-upon surface.

As another example, the shoe cover 110 of the second example embodiment can be manufactured by providing the upper shell 112, the bottom sole 114, and the anti-static strip 120, then attaching the bottom peripheral lip of the upper and the peripheral lip of the sole together into the peripheral seam 122. In typical embodiments, for example, this two-layered peripheral seam 122 is formed by internal stitching to form a stitching bead within the internal space of the resulting shoe cover 110. And the anti-static strip 120 can then be attached to the sole 114 along the central longitudinal portion 126 of the sole to promote contact with the walked-upon surface. For example, the attached portion 120b of the anti-static strip 120 can be attached to the central longitudinal portion 126 of the sole 114 by stitching, such as by using a conventional flatbed machine, to form the central longitudinal seam 128.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “one” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.

While the invention has been shown and described in exemplary forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A shoe cover for wearing over a shoe of a wearer, comprising: wherein the skid-resistant material of the sole provides for enhanced traction to reduce slipping by the wearer, and the anti-static strip provides a conductive pathway to reduce static electricity build up and electric shocks to the wearer.

an upper shell with an ankle opening through which the wearer's shoe can be inserted to don the shoe cover;

a bottom sole made of a skid-resistant material and attached to the upper shell to form a peripheral seam and to define an internal space housing the covered shoe; and

at least one anti-static strip made of a conductive material, having a free portion extending from the shoe cover with a length selected to permit it to be tucked into the shoe or a sock of the wearer, and having an attached portion that is attached to the shoe cover and has at least an exposed portion thereof positioned adjacent the sole so that it contacts a surface walked upon by the wearer,

2. The shoe cover of claim 1, wherein the upper shell includes an elastic band surrounding the ankle opening.

3. The shoe cover of claim 1, wherein a peripheral lip of the bottom sole and a bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together along the peripheral seam to form a bead.

4. The shoe cover of claim 3, wherein the peripheral lip of the bottom sole and the bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together along the peripheral seam to form the bead within the internal space of the shoe cover.

5. The shoe cover of claim 1, wherein the sole includes a central longitudinal portion and the anti-static strip is attached to the central longitudinal portion of the sole.

6. The shoe cover of claim 5, wherein the sole further includes two opposing side longitudinal portions between which the central longitudinal portion is positioned.

7. The shoe cover of claim 5, wherein the side longitudinal portions of the sole are positioned inward of longitudinal side portions of the peripheral seam attaching the sole to the upper shell.

8. The shoe cover of claim 5, wherein the anti-static strip is attached to the central longitudinal portion of the sole along a central longitudinal seam.

9. The shoe cover of claim 8, wherein the central longitudinal seam is formed by stitching the attached portion of the anti-static strip to the central longitudinal portion of the sole.

10. The shoe cover of claim 9, wherein the stitching is configured to provide a strong and durable attachment of the anti-static strip to the sole while also maintaining a low profile to minimize possible loss of gripping contact between the sole adjacent the central longitudinal seam and the walked-upon surface and to minimize possible loss of electrical contact between the anti-static strip and the walked-upon surface.

11. The shoe cover of claim 10, wherein the anti-static strip is stitched to the sole using a flatbed machine after the sole is attached to the upper shell.

12. The shoe cover of claim 1, wherein the attached portion of the anti-static strip includes the exposed portion and a non-exposed portion, the non-exposed portion is attached to the shoe cover along the peripheral seam, and the exposed portion extends laterally inwardly across and adjacent the sole.

13. The shoe cover of claim 12, wherein free longitudinal edges of the peripheral lip of the sole, the bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell, and the non-exposed attached portion of the anti-static strip are stacked in three layers, aligned together, and stitched together to attach the anti-static strip to the shoe cover.

14. The shoe cover of claim 12, wherein the sole is made of a less flexible material than the upper shell and the anti-static strip combined so that the sole remains generally flat and thus biases the upper shell to fold back over on itself so that the exposed portion of the anti-static strip extends laterally inward to promote contact with the walked-upon surface.

15. A shoe cover for wearing over a shoe of a wearer, comprising: wherein the skid-resistant material of the sole provides for enhanced traction to reduce slipping by the wearer, and the anti-static strip provides a conductive pathway to reduce static electricity build up and electric shocks to the wearer.

an upper shell with an ankle opening through which the wearer's shoe can be inserted to don the shoe cover and with an elastic band surrounding the ankle opening provide adjustability of the ankle opening;

a bottom sole made of a skid-resistant material and attached to the upper shell to form a peripheral seam and to define an internal space housing the covered shoe, wherein a peripheral lip of the bottom sole and a bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together to form the peripheral seam, and wherein the sole includes two opposing side longitudinal portions and a central longitudinal portion positioned therebetween; and

at least one anti-static strip made of a conductive material, having a free portion extending from the shoe cover with a length selected to permit it to be tucked into the shoe or a sock of the wearer, and having an attached portion that is attached to the shoe cover and positioned adjacent the sole so that it contacts a surface walked upon by the wearer, wherein the attached portion of the anti-static strip is attached to and along the central longitudinal portion of the sole along a central longitudinal seam formed by stitching the attached portion of the anti-static strip to the central longitudinal portion of the sole,

16. The shoe cover of claim 15, wherein the peripheral lip of the bottom sole and the bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together along the peripheral seam to form the bead within the internal space of the shoe cover.

17. The shoe cover of claim 15, wherein the side longitudinal portions of the sole are positioned inward of longitudinal side portions of the peripheral seam attaching the sole to the upper shell.

18. The shoe cover of claim 15, wherein the stitching is configured to provide a strong and durable attachment of the anti-static strip to the sole while also maintaining a low profile to minimize possible loss of gripping contact between the sole adjacent the central longitudinal seam and the walked-upon surface and to minimize possible loss of electrical contact between the anti-static strip and the walked-upon surface.

19. The shoe cover of claim 15, wherein the anti-static strip is stitched to the sole using a flatbed machine after the sole is attached to the upper shell.