US20130047464A1

US20130047464A1 - Toe traction device

Info

Publication number: US20130047464A1
Application number: US13/537,343
Authority: US
Inventors: Tara Shuler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-08-24
Filing date: 2012-06-29
Publication date: 2013-02-28

Abstract

A toe traction device for preventing foot slippage within high heeled shoes includes a generally oval shaped main body having a cushion liner disposed between a top surface and a bottom surface, a plurality of retention straps for securing the device to the foot of a user and a plurality of grippers for interacting with the insole of a shoe.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/526,720 filed on Aug. 24, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to a toe traction device for use with high heel shoes that is capable of absorbing foot sweat and preventing foot movement within the shoe.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In the never ending battle between fashion and comfort, many women across the globe sacrifice comfort for the sake of fashion. This is particularly true with respect to high-heeled shoes, which assist in creating a long silhouette that can accentuate the body of the wearer. Although presenting an enticing visual look, the simple fact is that wearing high heeled shoes such as peep toes and pumps, for example, hurts.
When wearing high heeled shoes, the foot is at an unnatural and angled position in which the toes can be compressed against the front portion of the shoe. Moreover, when the foot of the wearer is sweaty, the moisture acts as a lubricant which slides the foot toward the end of the shoe and causes an excessive amount of pressure to be exerted onto the toes that are jammed tightly into the toebox.
Owing to the above, many women have experienced pain, and in some cases have needed to seek medical treatments for foot related pain caused from prolonged wearing of high heeled shoes.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a device for use with high heeled shoes that can overcome the problems described above without affecting the look or appearance of the shoe itself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a toe traction device for preventing foot slippage within high heeled shoes. One embodiment of the present invention can include a generally oval shaped main body having a cushion liner disposed between a top surface and a bottom surface. The device also includes a plurality of retention straps for securing the device to the foot of a user and a plurality of grippers for interacting with the insole of a shoe to prevent foot movement when walking or standing.
Another embodiment of the present invention can include a liner configured to absorb sweat.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention can include a liner having a gel insert.
This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a toe traction device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a back view of a toe traction device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toe traction device in operation, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a toe traction device in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate one embodiment of a toe traction device that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown, the toe traction device 10 can include a main body 11 a pair of retention straps 13 and a liner 20.
The main body 11 can preferably include a substantially oval shape having a top surface 11 a and a bottom surface 11 b. Top and bottom surfaces can include substantially oval pieces of cloth or other such material that are joined together via a seam connector 12, such as sewed stitches, for example, along the outer periphery of the body.
In one preferred embodiment, the main body 11 will preferably be constructed from a soft and moisture absorbent material such as a spandex/nylon blend, for example, which is a widely accepted material for use in direct contact with human skin. Of course any number of other fabrics and/or materials such as cotton, wool, polyester and rayon, among many others, for example can also be utilized herein. Moreover, although described above as utilizing stitches, other types of seam connectors such as hem tape, liquid seams, adhesives and the like can be utilized.
A pair of retention loops 13 can act to securely position the main body 11 onto the foot of a user. In one preferred embodiment, the retention loops 13 can be constructed from thin strands of elastic material such as rubber or latex, for example, which can be sewn to the outermost periphery of the top surface 11 a. These loops can be the same size, or can include different sizes to accommodate the different sizes of the toes to which they will be secured.
Although described above as including specific materials and locations, those of skill in the art will recognize that the loops can be constructed from any number of different materials, and can be positioned so as to interact with any of the user's toes. Although not illustrated, alternate embodiments, can include additional loops for mating with other toes of the user's feet. Additionally, it is noted that the loop material can include any number of different colors capable of blending with the skin tone of the wearer, so as to disguise the existence of the device.
As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom surface 11 b can include a plurality of grippers 15 having a high coefficient of friction. As such, the grippers are configured to interact with the insole of a shoe, in order to prevent the device, and hence the foot of the user wearing the device, from moving or sliding forward within the shoe. In one preferred embodiment, each of the grippers can include small, thin pieces of rubber that are permanently secured to the bottom surface of the main body 11 b via a permanent method such as glue, for example. Of course, any number of other objects having a high coefficient of friction capable of preventing the device 10 from sliding along the bottom of the shoe can be utilized herein. Several non-limiting examples include fabric paint, conventional traction strips having an integrated adhesive strip, and the like.
A liner 20 can be positioned within the area/pocket formed by the top surface 11 a, the bottom surface 11 b, and the outer periphery bounded by the seam connector 12. In one preferred embodiment, the liner 20 can include a malleable but impact resistant material such as, for example, neoprene or polyethylene in order to provide a cushion when stepped on by a user. Of course, any number of other materials such as cotton, fabric or foam/fabric compositions, for example, may also be utilized. To this end, in another embodiment, the liner 20 can be constructed from a composite blend of wood pulp and a super absorbent material such as a plurality of polyacrylate crystals, for example, that are blended together and deposited within the main body. Such a liner can act to absorb moisture in a similar manner to that of a conventional diaper, in order to actively pull moisture from the main body surfaces 11 a and 11 b without allowing moisture absorbed from one side (i.e., 11 a) to bleed through to the other side of the device (11 b). To this end, when utilizing such a liner, the product will be capable of a single use before discarding.
Although dimensions are not critical, in one preferred embodiment, the toe traction device 10 can include a width (left to right in FIG. 1) of approximately 3 inches and a length (top to bottom in FIG. 1) of approximately 2.5 inches. Such a dimension approximates the average size of the ball of an adult's foot. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the exact dimensions of the device 10 may vary from these amounts without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the device 10 in operation. As shown, the toe traction device is worn by inserting the big toe 5 a and the little toe 5 b within the retention loops 13. When so positioned, the top surface 11 a of the main body will be secured against the bottom of the users foot 5, and the bottom surface 11 b of the main body containing the grippers 15 can be in direct contact with the shoe 6 itself. To this end, the device 10 can act to simultaneously absorb sweat from the user's feet and prevent movement of the feet within the shoe. In particular, the device will prevent the user's feet from sliding forward and crushing the user's toes against the front portion of the shoe.
Additionally, by providing a pair of retention loops that are located on opposite edges of the main body, the device can be worn by a user without fear of the main body rotating, and hence not being positioned directly the ball of the users foot when in operation.
Although described above as including a generally oval shaped main body and a padded liner, other embodiments are also contemplated. For example, FIG. 4 illustrate an alternate embodiment of a toe traction device 10 wherein the main body 11 includes a shape having a plurality of protrusions and grooves 41 and 42, respectively arranged along the end of the main body. As shown, the grooves and protrusions can be positioned so as to be aligned with the toes of a user in order to provide additional traction and sweat removal from the user's toes. To this end, a single protrusion can be aligned beneath each of the user's toes, and the grooves can be located in the space between each of the toes. Such a feature can allow the protrusions to capture sweat while providing traction to the toes, and the grooves can provide spacing for allowing air to reach the toes, thus acting to better cool the toes, thereby preventing additional sweat.
Additionally, the alternate embodiment can further include a gel insert 45 that is interposed between the front and bottom surfaces of the main body. The gel insert can act instead of, or in addition to the padding 20, described above, in order to provide additional comfort to the user. Gel inserts for use with shoes are extremely well known in the art, therefore no additional description will be provided.
As described herein, one or more elements of the toe traction device 10 can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, stitching, adhesive tape and the like. Moreover, although the above embodiments have been described as including separate individual elements, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more individual elements such as the main body 11 and the retention loops 13, for example, may be formed together as one continuous element through known manufacturing processes.
As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. A toe traction device for preventing foot slippage within high heeled shoes, said traction device comprising:

a generally oval shaped main body having a top surface and a bottom surface that are joined together via a seam connector along an outside periphery thereof,

said main body being constructed from a moisture absorbing material that is configured to remove sweat from a users foot;

a liner interposed between the top surface and the bottom surface, said liner being configured to cushion the users foot;

a plurality of retention straps disposed along the top surface of the main body, each of said retention straps including a shape for engaging a toe,

said retention straps being configured to act in unison to position the main body at a location directly beneath a ball of a users foot; and

a plurality of grippers disposed along the bottom surface of the main body, each of said grippers being constructed from a material having a high coefficient of friction and configured to engage a shoe insole to prevent a sliding motion of the users foot.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the liner is constructed from a padded moisture absorbing material configured to prevent a transfer of moisture between the front surface and the rear surface of the main body.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the liner is constructed from at least one of neoprene and polyethylene, said materials being configured to allow the device to be utilized multiple times.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said liner is constructed from a blend of wood pulp and polyacrylate crystals, said liner being configured to allow the device to be used a single time.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the main body includes a length of approximately three inches and a width of approximately 2.5 inches, said length and width being configured to approximate a size of the ball of the users foot.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said grippers are constructed from thin strips of rubber that are permanently secured to the bottom surface of the main body.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said grippers are constructed from at least one of a fabric paint and adhesive traction strips.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first retainer having a loop configured to engage a users big toe; and

a second retainer having a loop configured to engage a users little toe.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said main body is constructed from a soft absorbent cloth material.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the seam connector includes at least one of a plurality of stitches, liquid seams, and hem tape.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said retention straps are elastic.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of retention straps forms a loop having an identical sized dimension to each other.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein each of the pair of retention straps forms a loop having a different sized dimension than each other.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein said liner includes a gel insert.

15. A toe traction device for preventing foot slippage within high heeled shoes, said traction device comprising:

a main body having a top surface, a bottom surface and a shape that includes a plurality of protrusions and grooves arranged on a first side,

each of said protrusions being arranged so as to be aligned directly beneath a single toe of a users foot, and said grooves being arranged so as to be aligned in a space directly beneath and between each of the toes, and

a first retention strap disposed on one of the plurality of protrusions, said first retention strap including a loop having a dimension configured to engage a big toe of the user;

a second retention strap disposed on another one of the plurality of protrusions, said second retention strap including a loop having a dimension configured to engage a little toe, each of said first and second retention straps being secured to the top surface of the main body and configured to act in unison to position the main body at a location directly beneath a ball of the users foot; and