Pocket slipper

Abstract

A foot covering in the form of a pocket or lodge slipper that allows outer footwear, e.g., shoes or boots to be removed and, with the covering in place, the conventional sock and / or foot will be protected from dirt, moisture, and other elements of nature such as thorns, rocks, splinters, etc. The slipper may be formed at least in part from elastic material which is stretchable to fit over a conventional sock. The slipper may also be formed at least in part from a rubberized material. The slipper may be flexible and foldable into a small package to be carried in a pant or coat pocket, for example. Alternatively, the slipper may be tightly rolled and carried in a small package such as a pouch or nylon bag.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit under Title 35, U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 645,265, entitled Pocket Slipper, filed Jan. 19, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. This application also hereby expressly incorporates by reference herein the entire disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,665,883, entitled Oversock, issued Dec. 23, 2003.BACKGROUND [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a pocket or lodge slipper. More particularly, the present invention relates to a waterproof slipper with sufficient durability to allow the wearer to walk, without shoes, in a damp or wet environment, without exposing the underlying sock or foot to moisture or other elements of nature. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Often, a person may wish to remove their outer footwear, e.g., shoes or boots and wear only socks or go barefo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] The slipper may include a body with a waterproof sole attached thereto. In one embodiment, a mesh portion is connected to the body and advantageously allows breathability and comfort to the wearer's foot. Alternatively, the mesh portion can be replaced with a non-porous material to retain warmth within the slipper. In yet another alternative embodiment, the slipper may have a flap which may be selectively placed to cover the mesh material with a warmth-retaining material. The material of the waterproof sole is durable to prevent tearing and enhance reusability. In one exemplary embodiment, the slipper includes a non-slip, texturized surface on the sole thereof. The waterproof sole may extend a distance up the side of the body to facilitate protection of a wearer's foot and / or sock from various elements, such as deep water puddles. The waterproof sole may be formed of rubber with a thickness greater on the bottom surface thereof than the thickness of the waterproof material on the sides of the body.

[0013] The slipper advantageously allows for removal of outer footwear, without fear that a wet and / or dirty floor, e.g., a ski lodge floor, will foul the underlying socks or feet, while simultaneously providing a comfortable slipper which is easily transported.

[0014] The slipper also advantageously allows for removal of outer footwear without fear that a dangerous environment, for example, an environment containing stones and thorns, will harm the feet, while simultaneously providing a comfortable slipper which is easily transported.

Problems solved by technology

In some cases, the environment is not conducive to wearing only socks or going barefoot, as the floor may be wet or dirty.

The boot includes a foot portion and a leg portion, the leg portion angled slightly toward the toe end of the foot portion making walking in the boots difficult.

At this time, skiers may prefer to remove their ski boots; however, in most ski lodges removing a skier's boots is not practical.

The floor of the lodge is usually wet and dirty as other skiers walk into the lodge wearing snow-covered boots and outer clothing.

Typically, it is impractical to remove ski boots in a ski lodge and put on a different pair of shoes or boots, as ski lodges are not typically equipped with lockers of sufficient size to accommodate ski boots, and, moreover, changing into shoes once inside the ski lodge is time consuming and cumbersome.

Not only is the process of changing from ski boots into, e.g., shoes or boots cumbersome and time consuming, but also shoes or boots may not provide the desired level of comfort.

Moreover, bringing shoes to a ski lodge can prove to be problematic, as ski lodges are typically located on the summit of the mountain or hill being skied and, therefore, shoes brought to the lodge must, undesirably, be carried on the ski lift.

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