ANTI SLIPPAGE DEVICE FOR SNEAKERS

Abstract

A pair of appliances worn over a pair of shoes for exercising. Each of the appliances comprises a pocket of material having an outside surface configured to slide on a floor surface. An elastic band is coupled to an edge of the pocket that defines the pocket's interior space. First and second ends of an elastic strap are coupled to left and right sides, respectively, of the elastic band. The band is configured to be stretched open and slipped over the front portion of the shoe. The pocket is configured receive the front portion of the shoe when the elastic band is slipped on. The strap is configured to be stretched around the back of the shoe. When the elastic band and strap are released, the appliance is held onto the shoe by the contracting force of the elastic band and elastic strap.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/928,962 filed Oct. 31, 2019, the contents of which are hereby fully incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

There are many ways to exercise. Some require equipment such as barbells and dumbbells, machines with weight stacks, and the like. Often, people join a gym to use these machines, which are too expensive or take up too much room in the home. However, if a person can't get to the gym or is traveling, an alternative must be found to avoid missing a workout. One often neglected source of resistance for exercising is a person's own body weight, which is always available. Although exercise with body weight is fine for many muscle groups, such as pushups for chest and arms, kneebends for legs, and situps for abdominals, these are not adequate for some exercise goals. For example, a person may want to work the entire core muscle group together, and may want to access certain muscles from a different angle, or simply take a new approach for varying a workout. It is desirable to have a way to facilitate these goals using equipment that is compact, lightweight, and straightforward to use.

SUMMARY

A pair of appliances worn over a pair of shoes for exercising. Each of the appliances comprises a pocket of material having an outside surface configured to slide on a floor surface. An elastic band is coupled to an edge of the pocket that defines the pocket's interior space. First and second ends of an elastic strap are coupled to left and right sides, respectively, of the elastic band. The band is configured to be stretched open and slipped over the front portion of the shoe. The pocket is configured to fit over the front portion of the shoe when the elastic band is slipped on. The strap is configured to be stretched around the back of the shoe. When the elastic band and strap are released, the appliance is held onto the shoe by the contracting force of the elastic band and elastic strap. The appliances provide for exercise movements wherein the fronts of the feet slide on the floor while the subject's hands rest on the floor. The subject's body weight provides resistance to the sliding motion of the feet.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate disclosed embodiments. Together with the description, they serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is to be understood the scope of the invention is determined by the claims, and not by the drawings and description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the herein described appliance placed over a shoe.

FIG. 2 illustrates a scenario in which a subject is wearing a pair of appliances while exercising.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions provided herein may have been simplified to illustrate aspects that are relevant for a clear understanding of the herein described processes, machines, manufactures, and/or compositions of matter, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity, other aspects that may be found in typical devices, systems, and methods. Those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art may recognize that other elements and/or steps may be desirable and/or necessary to implement the devices, systems, and methods described herein. Because such elements and steps are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure, a discussion of such elements and steps may not be provided herein. However, the present disclosure is deemed to inherently include all such elements, variations, and modifications to the described aspects that would be known to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.

It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be realized in a variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of a method, apparatus, and system, as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but is merely representative of selected illustrative embodiments of the invention. The usage of the phrases “example embodiments”, “some embodiments”, or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention, and do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments.

At least one embodiment will now be described, presented to teach principles of the invention, but not to limit the scope of the invention thereto. Although specific aspects and details are presented, embodiments may be modified by changing, supplementing, or eliminating many of these details.

The herein described apparatus solves the challenges noted previously, as a means to facilitate exercise using equipment that is compact, lightweight, and straightforward to use.

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment worn over an exercise shoe. That is, it is contemplated a subject would be wearing gym shoes or the like before donning the described embodiment over their shoes before exercising with the embodiment. In FIG. 1, a material selected to slide easily on a select floor surface is shaped like a cup, 100, that fits over the toe of the shoe. For example, if the subject will be exercising on a smooth surface such as a wood or linoleum floor, the selected material may be terry cloth. Or, if exercising on a low pile carpet, the selected material may be fleece fabric. It is contemplated that embodiments made with a range of materials for use on different types of surfaces will be manufactured. In embodiments, the outside surface of the cup may present a low friction surface to the floor that slides easily on the floor, and the inside of the cup may present a higher friction surface to the shoe contained therein that promotes remaining stationary relative to the shoe.

The sliding material 100 is coupled to a wide, thick elastic band 110 that fits around the front portion of the shoe. In embodiments, the elastic band may be about 1 inch wide, and ¼ inch thick, although other dimensions may alternatively be used. In embodiments, the band may be made of rubber of other similar material. In embodiments, the material and the elastic band may be permanently coupled together, such as by sewing, stitching, gluing, or melting them together. In other embodiments, the material and elastic band may be temporarily coupled together, for example using a hook and loop fastener such as Velcro®.

The elastic band is coupled to an elastic strap 120 that extends from a left side of the elastic band around the back of the shoe to the right side of the elastic band. In embodiments, the elastic strap may have cross section dimensions similar to the elastic band, i.e., about 1 inch wide and ¼ inch thick, although other dimensions may alternatively be used. In embodiments, the strap may be made of rubber or other similar material. In embodiments, the elastic strap may be permanently coupled to the elastic band, such as by stitching, sewing, gluing, or melting them together, or manufacturing them out of a single contiguous elastic sheet. In other embodiments, at least one end of the elastic strap may be configured to be temporarily coupled to the elastic strap, for example using a hook and loop fastener such as Velcro®.

An exemplary usage scenario is illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown, a subject has prepared to exercise by donning athletic shoes, and then sliding and stretching the exercise appliance described in the foregoing onto the athletic shoes. The subject may then perform exercises in which the front part of the foot slides on a surface, such as a flat floor surface, or a floor surface covered with a low pile carpet secured in place to the floor, such as a wall-to-wall carpet for example. The subject is shown in a posture with both hands and both foot fronts on the floor. In this position the sliding material 100 is in sliding contact with the floor. From this position the subject may perform various exercises using their body weight to provide sliding resistance. For example, the subject may begin an exercise in the position shown, with one leg extended and the other bent underneath the torso. The subject may then extend and straighten the bent leg and at the same time contract the straight leg to a bent position, then back again for a single repetition (rep) of the exercise. It is contemplated the subject will perform multiple reps. For example, ten reps of an exercise may constitute a set, and the subject may perform multiple sets. An alternative movement may include sliding the feet on the floor to extend and straighten both legs together, then sliding the feet on the floor to bend and contract both legs together under the torso. Another alternative movement may include sliding the feet together with legs straight, then sliding the feet apart while keeping the legs straight. Many other movements are possible, limited only by the imagination of the subjects. Movements may also be combined in any desired order, at any desired pace.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in exemplary forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is noted that the description and illustrations have been made by way of example only. Numerous changes in the details of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and steps may be made without deviating from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, such changes are understood to be inherent in the disclosure. The invention is not limited except by the appended claims and the elements explicitly recited therein. The scope of the claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. It should also be noted that all elements of all of the claims may be combined with each other in any possible combination, even if the combinations have not been expressly claimed.

Claims

1. An appliance worn over a shoe for exercising, comprising:

a pocket of material having an inside surface and an outside surface, and an edge defining an opening into the pocket, the outside surface of the pocket configured to slide on a floor surface;

an elastic band coupled to the edge of the pocket; and

an elastic strap having first and second ends coupled to a left side and a right side of the elastic band, respectively;

wherein the pocket is configured to be slipped over the front portion of a shoe, the band is configured to be stretched open and slipped over the front portion of the shoe, and the strap is configured to be stretched around the back of the shoe, then released and held onto the shoe by the contracting force of the elastic band and elastic strap.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the pocket is made of a material that slides smoothly on a hard flat surface without scratching the surface.

3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the pocket is made of a material that slides smoothly on a carpeted surface without marring the carpet.