Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Overshoes
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-22
2001-02-13
Patterson, M. D. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Overshoes
C036S002600, C036S00900A
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185845
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a thermal foot cover that can be worn over a shoe-encased or a boot-encased foot, or can be worn in place of a shoe or a boot to protect the wearer's foot from the effects of cold temperatures.
The cooling of the extremities, particularly the feet, has long been recognized as a serious deterrent to performing activities in cold temperatures and various proposals have been advanced for dealing with this problem. Most previous footwear, which has been designed for use in cold weather, has utilized hard and heavy materials on the sole and sometimes on the uppers as well. For instance, hard rubber soles are most commonly used for winter boots and overboots. Since such footwear is generally constructed with rigid sole structures, carrying and storing the footwear can be difficult.
Also, previous footwear, designed for use in cold weather, has utilized conventional insulating materials, such as goose down, stiff insulating foam or synthetic fibers, to reduce the loss of heat from the wearer's foot. While these insulating materials attempt to minimize the heat loss from the wearer's foot, none of these insulating materials reflect the wearer's body heat back inside the footwear. Also, these insulating materials are not readily washable. Another disadvantage of these insulating materials is that they increase the bulk of the footwear, which makes the footwear more difficult to carry and store.
A foot cover that is easy to manufacture, is easy to use, is lightweight, is easy to carry, is easy to store, is washable and is highly effective at keeping the wearer's feet warm would be of considerable value.
SUMMARY
Instead of using conventional insulating materials to slow the loss of body heat that occurs when the wearer's feet are exposed to a cold temperature, the invention provides an insulation system that reflects the wearer's body heat back inside the thermal foot cover to keep the wearer's feet warm for extended periods, even when the temperature on the outside of the thermal foot cover is very cold. The invention is flexible, lightweight, easy to carry, easy to store and readily washable due to the material used in the construction of the thermal foot cover.
In one embodiment of the invention, a thermal foot cover comprises an upper cover portion, a bottom panel, a cavity enlargement means and a means for fastening the cavity enlargement means. In the preferred embodiment, the upper cover portion comprises a radiant barrier sandwiched between an outer covering and an inner covering. The outer covering and the inner covering used in the upper cover portion is a thin sheet of material made from textiles, flexible polymeric material, animal skins or a combination of these materials in a variety of colors. The radiant barrier can be made from a variety of materials such as metal foil, metallized textiles or metallized flexible polymeric material. The preferred radiant barrier comprises two thin sheets of aluminum foil, extruded polymer, and a reinforcing scrim. The extruded polymer and the reinforcing scrim are sandwiched between the two sheets of aluminum foil to form the radiant barrier. The radiant barrier provides an insulation system that is flexible, lightweight, water-resistant and washable. The radiant barrier reflects the heat from the wearer's foot back inside the thermal foot cover to keep the wearer's foot warm even when temperatures on the outside of the thermal foot cover are very cold.
The bottom panel is attached to the upper cover portion to form the bottom of the thermal foot cover. The combination of the upper cover portion and the bottom panel define a cavity for receiving a shoe-encased or boot-encased foot or only the wearer's foot inside the thermal foot cover. In the preferred embodiment, the bottom panel comprises a radiant bubble barrier sandwiched between an outer covering and an inner covering. The outer covering and the inner covering used in the bottom panel is a thin sheet of material made from textiles, flexible polymeric material, animal skins or a combination of these materials in a variety of colors. The radiant bubble barrier can be made from a variety of materials such as metal foil, metallized textiles or metallized flexible polymeric material combined with a sheet of bubble-pack type material. The preferred radiant bubble barrier comprises two thin sheets of aluminum foil and two sheets of polymeric material with a plurality of air-bubbles between the polymeric sheets. The two polymeric sheets with the plurality of air bubbles between the polymeric sheets are sandwiched between the two sheets of aluminum foil. The air trapped between the two sheets of polymeric material and the two sheets of aluminum foil in the radiant bubble barrier, used in the bottom panel, enhance the insulating effectiveness of the bottom panel. The radiant bubble barrier also provides padding to the bottom panel to increase the comfort of wearing the thermal foot cover. The radiant bubble barrier provides an insulation system that is flexible, lightweight, water-resistant and washable.
The cavity enlargement means and the means for fastening the cavity enlargement means are attached to the upper cover portion such that they cooperate with the upper cover portion to provide a larger opening for receiving a shoe-encased or boot-encased foot, or only the wearer's foot inside the thermal foot cover and to close up the opening, once the shoe-encased or boot-encased foot or the wearer's foot is received inside the cavity of the thermal foot cover, to prevent the wearer's body heat from escaping from the thermal foot cover.
It is the object of the invention to provide a thermal foot cover that reflects the wearer's body heat back inside the thermal foot cover to increase the effectiveness of keeping the wearer's feet warm when encased by the thermal foot cover. Reflecting the wearer's heat back into the thermal foot cover is accomplished in a novel way by using a radiant barrier or a combination of a radiant barrier and a radiant bubble barrier instead of using normal insulating materials.
It is the object of the invention to provide a thermal foot cover that is easy to manufacture and can be manufactured at a low cost.
It is another object of the invention to provide a thermal foot cover that is of a one piece design that is effective and is simple to use.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a thermal foot cover that is lightweight and can be stored in a small space and is easy to carry.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a thermal foot cover that accommodates a wide range of footwear sizes and arrangements.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a thermal foot cover that has a bottom panel exterior coating that provides a non-slip surface on the bottom of the thermal foot cover.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a thermal foot cover that has a separate sole attached to the bottom panel, to the lower part of the first side panel and to the lower part of the second side panel to allow the wearer to walk over varied terrain without damaging the thermal foot cover.
Still yet, another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved thermal foot cover which provides some of the advantages found in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2398510 (1946-04-01), Wilson
patent: 3373512 (1968-03-01), Jacobson
patent: 3875687 (1975-04-01), Henderson
patent: 4099341 (1978-07-01), Gibson
patent: 4301603 (1981-11-01), Scott
patent: 4376344 (1983-03-01), Kimsey
patent: 4516336 (1985-05-01), Nissenbaum
patent: 4538368 (1985-09-01), Mugford
patent: 4788780 (1988-12-01), Boggs
patent: 4896437 (1990-01-01), Johnson
patent: 4896438 (1990-01-01), DeBease
patent: 5150536 (1992-09-01), Strong
ArcticShield, Inc.
Head Johnson & Kachigian
Patterson M. D.
LandOfFree
Thermal foot cover does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Thermal foot cover, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Thermal foot cover will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2586499