U.S. patent application number 13/271462 was filed with the patent office on 2013-04-18 for safety slipper.
This patent application is currently assigned to ALBAHEALTH LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Mary H. Frank. Invention is credited to Mary H. Frank.
Application Number | 20130091741 13/271462 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48084992 |
Filed Date | 2013-04-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130091741 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Frank; Mary H. |
April 18, 2013 |
SAFETY SLIPPER
Abstract
A safety slipper (10) includes a stretchable fabric material
upper portion (12) and a porous anti-skid lower portion. The upper
portion has a foot opening (16) and a profile heel pocket (17). The
lower portion (13) is made from a scrim cloth type material having
a knit of polyester threads (21) coated with a soft poly-vinyl
chloride outer layer (22). The lower portion provides for a
cris-crossing pattern or matrix of interconnected nodes (23) with
spaces (24) therebetween.
Inventors: |
Frank; Mary H.; (Cookeville,
TN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Frank; Mary H. |
Cookeville |
TN |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
ALBAHEALTH LLC
Rockwood
TN
|
Family ID: |
48084992 |
Appl. No.: |
13/271462 |
Filed: |
October 12, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/59R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 1/04 20130101; A43B
5/08 20130101; A43B 13/026 20130101; A43B 23/025 20130101; A43B
3/101 20130101; A43C 15/00 20130101; A43B 23/0215 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/59.R |
International
Class: |
A43C 15/00 20060101
A43C015/00 |
Claims
1. A safety slipper comprising: a stretchable fabric material
forming an upper portion having a foot opening therein; and a
non-skid tread coupled to said upper portion, said non-skid tread
having a matrix of holes therethrough which are sized to allow the
passage of water through said non-skid tread.
2. The safety slipper of claim 1 wherein said non-skid tread is
scrim material of poly-vinyl chloride material.
3. The safety slipper of claim 2 wherein said non-skip tread is a
knit of fibers coated with a poly-vinyl chloride layer.
4. The safety slipper of claim 1 wherein said safety slipper has a
heal seam extending from said non-skid tread to said foot opening,
and wherein said heal seam is oriented at an inward angle from said
non-skid tread to said foot opening.
5. The safety slipper of claim 4 wherein said heal seam is formed
from two aft ends of said stretchable fabric material and wherein
said two aft ends are joined together in an outwardly facing
fashion.
6. The safety slipper of claim 1 wherein said upper portion is
coupled to said lower portion with the peripheral edges of both
said upper portion and said lower portion facing outwardly.
7. The safety slipper of claim 6 wherein said upper portion is sewn
to said lower portion.
8. A safety slipper comprising, an upper portion, a lower portion
coupled to said upper portion, said lower portion having a matrix
of interconnected non-skid material nodes which are separated from
each other to form spaces therebetween, whereby water may pass
through the spaces between adjacent nodes.
9. The safety slipper of claim 8 wherein said upper portion is made
of a stretchable material.
10. The safety slipper of claim 8 wherein said lower portion is a
scrim material of a poly-vinyl chloride material.
11. The safety slipper of claim 10 wherein said scrim material is a
knit of fibers coated with a poly-vinyl chloride layer.
12. The safety slipper of claim 8 wherein said safety slipper upper
portion has a heal seam extending from said lower portion to a foot
opening within said upper portion, and wherein said heal seam is
oriented at an inward angle from said lower portion to said foot
opening.
13. The safety slipper of claim 12 wherein said heal seam is formed
from two aft ends of said upper portion and wherein said two aft
ends are joined together in an outwardly facing fashion.
14. The safety slipper of claim 8 wherein said upper portion is
coupled to said lower portion with the peripheral edges of both
said upper portion and said lower portion facing outwardly.
15. The safety slipper of claim 14 wherein said upper portion is
sewn to said lower portion.
16. A safety slipper comprising, an upper portion, a lower portion
coupled to said upper portion, said lower portion being a mesh of
poly-vinyl chloride material, said mesh being configured to allow
the passage of water therethrough.
17. The safety slipper of claim 16 wherein said mesh is a knit of
fibers coated with a poly-vinyl chloride layer.
18. The safety slipper of claim 16 wherein said upper portion is
coupled to said lower portion with the peripheral edges of both
said upper portion and said lower portion facing outwardly.
19. The safety slipper of claim 18 wherein said upper portion is
sewn to said lower portion.
20. The safety slipper of claim 16 wherein said safety slipper
upper portion has a heal seam extending from said lower portion to
a foot opening within said upper portion, and wherein said heal
seam is oriented at an inward angle from said lower portion to said
foot opening.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates generally to slippers and more
specifically to non-slip safety slippers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Heretofore, safety footwear have been designed in the form
of a sock which includes a pattern of flexible material applied to
the bottom side of the sock. The purpose of the flexible material
is to restrict slippage as the wearer stands or walks upon a floor.
These types of socks may be used by medical patients, yoga
participants, or people relaxing at home.
[0003] While the patterned, flexible material provides increased
traction, such may still result in foot slippage upon the
underlying floor. Furthermore, these types of stockings are not
designed to be worn in a shower or other type of wet
environment.
[0004] Accordingly, it is seen that a need remains for safety foot
wear that provides a better slip resistance and that may be worn in
a wet environment. It is to the provision of such therefore that
the present invention is primarily directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In a preferred form of the invention a safety slipper
comprises a stretchable fabric material forming an upper portion
having a foot opening therein and a non-skid tread coupled to the
upper portion. The non-skid tread has a matrix of holes
therethrough which are sized to allow the passage of water through
the non-skid tread.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the
safety slipper.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the safety slipper of FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of the lower
portion of the safety slipper of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] With reference next to the drawings, there is shown a safety
slipper or footwear 10 in a preferred form of the invention. The
slipper 10 has an elastic, stretchable fabric material upper
portion 12 and a porous anti-skid lower portion, sole, or tread 13
joined to the upper portion 12 along their outwardly turned mutual
peripheral edges by a side seam 14. The upper portion 12 is
configured to fit closely about the foot of a wearer. The slipper
may, of course, be produced in any number of overall sizes to fit
people of different foot sizes.
[0010] The upper portion 12 has a top or foot opening 16 and a
profile heel pocket 17 formed by an anterior heel seam 18 set at an
angle from the anterior end 19 of the slipper 10. The heel seam 18
is formed by the aft ends of the stretchable fabric material being
joined together with the fabric edges facing outwardly so as not to
rub against the skin of the wearer. The upper portion 12 is formed
from a material having stretch properties such as a warp or weft
knit material comprised of 90 percent nylon fibers and 10 percent
elastane fibers (also known under the tradename Spandex). The
anterior heel seam 18 is set approximately 15 degrees inwardly from
vertical to help prevent the upper portion from repositioning
during the patient's gait or other movement. The heel seem 18 is
formed by sewing a gore seam with the material edges facing
outwardly, similarly to the joinder of the upper and lower
portions, so that the raw edges do not rub against and thereby
cause irritation to the skin of the wearer.
[0011] The lower portion 13 is generally symmetrical along a
longitudinal axis LA so that the slipper may be worn on either
foot, i.e., the slipper is not formed to fit a particular foot but
may be worn on either the right or left foot. The lower portion 13
is made from a scrim cloth type material having a knit of polyester
threads 21 coated with a soft poly-vinyl chloride outer layer 22,
as best shown in FIG. 3 which shows a top portion of the outer
layer 22 removed to clearly depict the internal threads 21. The
outer layer 22 is preferably made of a poly-vinyl chlorine material
having an approximately 35 to 45 durometer reading, which will
provide a coefficient of friction of greater than 1.
[0012] The scrim cloth type material of the lower portion provides
for a cris-crossing pattern or matrix of interconnected nodes,
lines, bumps, bulges, etc. 23 with spaces, holes, or pores 24
therebetween. This may also be thought of as a poly-vinyl material
having a cris-crossing pattern or matrix of spaces, holes or pores
24 therethrough. For example purposes only, the lower portion 13
may have a select spacing in a first direction of 1/16 of an inch
between adjacent pairs of threads 21, designated as S1, and 1/8 of
an inch spacing between the adjacent pairs, designated as S2, and a
select spacing in a second direction of 3/16 of an inch, designated
as S3.
[0013] In use, a person may don the slipper by simply sliding a
foot through the foot opening 16 and into position within the
slipper 10. The high friction coefficient of the slipper diminishes
the risk associated with a person wearing such in a wet, slippery
or high risk area. The slipper may also be worn by a person during
bathing or showering or when walking across a variety of wet floor
conditions, as water is allowed to pass through the "sole" of the
slipper by passing between the matrix of nodes 23 and through the
matrix of spaces 24. This free flow through the slipper also
prevents the accumulation of water within the slipper and resulting
weighting of the slipper.
[0014] The porous nature of the lower portion 13 allows moisture to
flow freely to and from the surface of the underlying floor, thus
reducing the hydroplaning effect which may occur in other types of
footwear. The goal of reducing slippage is extremely desirous to
healthcare, home care, and hospital facilities and the like as such
may result in great bodily harm to the weak or elderly, or where
normal gait has been affected and may result in greater liability
to the medical facility. The poly-vinyl chloride material also
possesses a high tensile strength to help reduce the chance of
shearing in the sole portion of the slipper and is resistant to
many chemical fluids, thus resisting the breaking down when exposed
to such.
[0015] It should be understood that as used herein the term weave
or knit may be used interchangeably.
[0016] It should be understood that the nodes 23 may be joined
together in linear fashion so as to form elongated lines or strings
of non-skid material, rather than individual nodes, with spaces
between adjacent lines of material to allow the passage of water
therethrough. As such, the term node may be used herein to describe
an elongated formation of material.
[0017] It thus is seen that a safety slipper is now provided that
provides greater non-skid capabilities. Although the slipper has
been illustrated and described in its preferred form, it should be
understood that many modifications, additions and deletions may be
made to that specific form without departure from the spirit and
scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
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