Apparel – Nether garments – Stockings
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-17
2003-12-23
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Nether garments
Stockings
Reexamination Certificate
active
06665883
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oversock designed to be worn over a conventional sock. More particularly, the present invention relates to a waterproof oversock with sufficient durability to allow the wearer to walk, without shoes, in a damp, or wet environment, without exposing the underlying sock to moisture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Often, a person may wish to remove their outer footwear, e.g., shoes or boots and wear only socks. In some cases, the environment is not conducive to wearing only socks, as the floors may be wet or dirty. One such environment is a ski lodge.
The sport of skiing requires specialized clothing and equipment designed to protect a skier in the harsh, winter environment. Such equipment includes ski boots designed to protect the skier's foot and ankle. Ski boots generally include a shell formed from rigid plastic and an inner liner. The ski boot is provided with several buckles to secure the skier's foot within the boot. The boot includes a foot portion and a leg portion, the leg portion being angled slightly toward the toe end of the foot portion making walking in the boots difficult.
During a day of skiing, it is common to go into the ski lodge to eat, warm up, or simply relax. 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. To allow for such a change into shoes, a skier must initially bring outer footwear, e.g., shoes or conventional boots into the lodge and store the footwear in a locker. When changing, the skier must retrieve the footwear from the locker, change, and either carry their ski boots or leave them outside of the unaccommodating locker. When the skier returns to the locker to change back into ski boots and replace the alternative footwear, e.g., shoes or boots in the locker, he typically must again pay to lock the locker. 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.
What is needed in the art is a covering for socks that is dirt and waterproof, lightweight, comfortable, and compact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a compact and lightweight waterproof covering for a conventional sock so that outer footwear, e.g., shoes or boots may be removed and, with the covering of the present invention in place, the conventional sock will be protected from dirt and/or moisture. The oversock of the present invention is, in one exemplary embodiment, formed from an elastic material, stretchable to fit over a conventional sock. The oversock of the current invention is flexible and foldable into a small package to be carried in a pant or coat pocket, for example. The material of the oversock is durable so that the oversock will not tear when worn and may be reused if necessary. The oversock of the present invention may be formed of inexpensive materials to facilitate marketing, thereof, as a single use, i.e., disposable item. In one exemplary embodiment, the oversock includes a non-slip, texturized surface on the sole thereof.
The oversock of the present invention includes a foot portion and, in certain embodiments, a leg portion extending upwardly from the foot portion. In one exemplary embodiment, the foot portion and leg portion are constructed from a stretchable and durable material having a lamellar thickness in a range of 1-40 mils. In one exemplary embodiment, the sole of the oversock of the present invention will be formed from a material having a lamellar thickness of 1-40 mils, with the remainder of the oversock being formed from a material having a lamellar thickness in the range of 1-20 mils. In a further exemplary embodiment, the entire oversock is formed of a material having a lamellar thickness in the range of 2-10 mils, with the sole possibly having an increased thickness. Importantly, the oversock of the present invention is constructed of waterproof material of sufficient thickness and flexibility to allow the oversock to be easily carried in a standard pocket, e.g., a pant pocket, or jacket pocket. Generally, the oversock of the present invention is formed from a stretchable and durable material such as, e.g., latex, rubber, vinyl, synthetic nitrile, or polytetrafluoroethylene.
The present invention 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.
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Cabela's Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Gear, Master Catalog Fall 1998, p. 255, Cabela's Gore-Tex stretch socks.*
RedHead, Hunting Specialists Catalog, Fall 2001, Bass pro shops, p. 112, Rocky Gore-Tex Socks.
Baker & Daniels
Calvert John J.
Hoey Alissa L.
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