FOOTWEAR CARRIER

Abstract

A carrier for carrying footwear is presented. The carrier has a figure, the figure having a first hook, a second hook and a to. The first hook and the second hook are for coupling to the footwear. The carrier has a base for coupling to the figure. The base has a rotator, the rotator may be changed in position to afford the person wearing the carrier to be more comfortable. The base is coupled to the figure either directly or by a connecting rod. The rotator may be coupled to either the connecting rod or the figure to be more secure. The carrier further has a clip. The clip is useful for coupling the carrier to an article such as a belt, a waist band, a bag, a stroller, etc.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to footwear. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus to carry footwear.

BACKGROUND

Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which originally serves to purpose of protection against adversities of the environment, usually regarding ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves the purpose to ease the locomotion and prevent injuries. Secondly footwear can also be used for fashion and adornment as well as to indicate the status or rank of the person within a social structure. Socks and other hosiery are typically worn additionally between the feet and other footwear for further comfort and relief.

Cultures have different customs regarding footwear. These include not using any in some situations, usually bearing a symbolic meaning.

Footwear has been in use since the earliest human history, archeological finds of complete shoes date back to the copper age (ca. 5.000 BCE). Some ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and Greece however saw no practical need for footwear due to convenient climatic and landscape situations and used shoes primarily as ornaments and insignia of power.

The Romans saw clothing and footwear as unmistakable signs of power and status in society, and most Romans wore footwear, while slaves and peasants remained barefoot. The Middle Ages saw the rise of high-heeled shoes, also associated with power, and the desire to look larger than life, and artwork from that period often depicts bare feet as a symbol of poverty. Depictions of captives such as prisoners or slaves from the same period well into the 18th century show the individuals barefooted almost exclusively, at this contrasting the prevailing partakers of the scene. Officials like prosecutors, judges but also slave owners or passive bystanders were usually portrayed wearing shoes.

In some cultures, people remove their shoes before entering a home. Bare feet are also seen as a sign of humility and respect, and adherents of many religions worship or mourn while barefoot. Some religious communities explicitly require people to remove shoes before they enter holy buildings, such as temples.

In several cultures people remove their shoes as a sign of respect towards someone of higher standing. In a similar context deliberately forcing other people to go barefoot while being shod oneself has been used to clearly showcase and convey one's superiority within a setting of power disparity.

Practitioners of the craft of shoemaking are called shoemakers, cobblers, or cordwainers.

When a person's foot hurts after walking in footwear or there is a desire to no longer have footwear on such as on the beach, these people may desire to carry their footwear. When carrying their footwear, it takes either one or both hands to carry the footwear which prevents these people from using their hands for other, more desirous things. Therefore, there is a need to have an apparatus that a person can carry their footwear without preventing them from using their hands for other uses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an illustrated view of an exemplary footwear carrier.

FIG. 1B is an illustrated view of a second figure for the exemplary footwear carrier of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1C is an illustrated view of third figure for the exemplary footwear carrier of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1D is an illustrated view of a fourth figure for the exemplary footwear carrier of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is an illustrated view of the exemplary footwear carrier of FIG. 1 in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list.

“Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise.

Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary footwear carrier 100 for carrying footwear is presented. The footwear carrier 100 is useful for when at the beach, at a swimming pool and other locations and a person desires to have their footwear off. The footwear carrier 100 is useful for providing a way to carry the footwear without having to not have the person's hands available for other activity or needs.

The footwear carrier 100 may carry footwear. The footwear may preferably be sandals, but may be any type of footwear such as tennis shoes, boots, dress shoes, etc. The footwear carrier 100 is preferably made of a plastic material, but may be made of other materials such as PVC, cloth, aluminum, steel, etc.

The footwear carrier 100 has a FIG. 102, a rotator 104, a base 106 and a clip 108.

The FIG. 102 has a first hook 110, a second hook 112 and a top 114. The first hook 110 of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 is useful for providing a holding area for coupled to a first connecting area (described in FIG. 2) of a first footwear. The first connecting area is preferably a strap, but may be any connecting area such as shoelaces, Velcro strip, etc. The FIG. 102 of FIG. 1A is shown as an anchor, but in FIG. 1B a star fish is shown, FIG. 1C shows the FIG. 102 to be an octopus, FIG. 1D shows a shark as the FIG. 102, any other shapes may be used whether ocean specific or otherwise.

The second hook 112 of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 is useful for providing a holding area for coupled to a second connecting area (described in FIG. 2) of a second footwear. The second connecting area is preferably a strap, but may be any connecting area such as shoelaces, Velcro strip, etc.

The top 114 of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 may be coupled to a base 106. The base 106 is preferably rectangular in shape, but may be other shapes such as triangular, round, square, etc. The base 106 is preferably made of a plastic material, but may be made of other materials such as aluminum, steel, etc.

Optionally and or additionally, the top of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 may be coupled to a connecting rod 116. The connecting rod 116 is preferably cylindrical in shape, but may be made of other shapes such as rectangular, oblong, etc.

The optional connecting rod 116 may be coupled to the base 106 of the footwear carrier 100. The connecting rod 116 may further be coupled to the rotator 104.

The rotator 104 is preferably coupled to substantially near a center 118 of the base 106 of the footwear carrier 100. The rotator 104 is useful for positioning the footwear carrier 100 in a different position if the footwear carrier 100 is uncomfortable.

The base 106 further has a back 120. A clip 108 is coupled to the back 120 of the base 106 of the footwear carrier 100. The clip 108 is useful for coupling to an article, such as a belt, waist band, bag, stroller, etc. The clip 108 is preferably a u-clip, but may be a string, an s-clip, etc.

Moving now to FIG. 2, the footwear carrier 100 of FIG. 1A is shown in use with a footwear 200. The footwear 200 may preferably be sandals, but may be any type of footwear such as tennis shoes, boots, dress shoes, etc.

The footwear 200 has a right footwear 202 and a left footwear 204. The right footwear 202 has a first strap 206 and a second strap 208. In other types of footwear 200 instead of a first strap 206 and second strap 208, the footwear 200 may have shoestrings, Velcro, etc.

The left footwear 204 has a first strap 210 and a second strap 212. The first hook 110 of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 is coupled around the first strap 206 of the right footwear 202. The first hook 110 of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 is further coupled around the second strap 206 of the right footwear 202.

The second hook 112 of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 is coupled around the first strap 210 of the left footwear 204. The second hook 112 of the FIG. 102 of the footwear carrier 100 is further coupled around the second strap 212 of the left footwear 204.

Although not shown, the base 106 is coupled to a belt of a pair of shorts worn by a person. The base 106 is coupled to the belt by the clip 108. The rotator 104 may be repositioned to help make the footwear carrier 100 more comfortable.

In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.

The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A carrier for carrying footwear, the carrier comprising:

a figure, the figure having a first hook, a second hook and a top, wherein the first hook being coupled to a first connecting area of the footwear and the second hook being coupled to a second connecting area of the footwear;

a base, the base for coupling to the figure, wherein the base has a rotator;

the rotator being for repositioning of the carrier; and

a clip, the clip being coupled to the base, wherein the clip for coupling to an article.

2. The carrier of claim 1, further comprising a connecting rod, wherein the connecting rod being coupled to the top of the figure and coupled to the base.

3. The carrier of claim 2, wherein the connecting rod having a cylindrical shape.

4. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the base being made of a plastic material.

5. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier being made of a plastic material.

6. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the base having a triangular shape.

7. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the carrier having a rectangular shape.

8. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the figure being a sea creature.

9. The carrier of claim 8, wherein the sea creature being an octopus.

10. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the figure being an anchor.

11. The carrier of claim 8, wherein the sea creature being a star fish.

12. The carrier of claim 8, wherein the sea creature being a shark.