Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF T~IE INVENTION
This invention relates to an overshoe
adapted to be worn over the footwear of a participant
of the game of curling. More particularly the inven-
tion relates to a curling overshoe adapted to be worn
over footwear of a variety of shapes and sizes.
In the game of curling, common use is made
of overshoes which fit over shoes, galoshes or other
footwear. These overshoes may take the form of so-
called sliders which are provided with soles having
lower surfaces cf relatively low coefficient of
friction. Alternatively curling overshoes may take the
form of so-called grippers the soles of which having
lower surfaces of relatively high coefricient of fric-tion.
Sliders are intended to facilitate sliding
along the curling rink during the delivery of a curling
stone and at the same time, to assist the participant to slide
in a straight line while delivering the stone. Grippers
by contrast do not slide readily on ice and are intended
to stabilize the participant while standing or walking
on a curling rink.
Conventional overshoes for curling consist
of a sole and an upper but lack a heel. The sole is
wornberea-ththe front portion of the wearer's footwear
while the upper extends upwardly beside the toe portion
27 and the two front side portions of the footwear. The
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overshoe is held in position by means of a strap which
is connected to the upper and which extends around
the upper heel portion of the footwear.
As with conventional overshoes such as
rubbers or galoshes, the shape of a conventional
curling overshoe is related to size of the shoe or
other footwear over which the overshoe fits. The
conventional overshoe can be worn over footwear of a
very limited range of sizes. Thus a participant who
doe~ not always wear the same shoes or overshoes when
he is curling must usually have separate pairs of
curling overshoes for each pair of shoes or overshoes
that he wears when curling.
SUMMARY 0~ THE INVEN'[ION
The principal objec-t of the present invention
is -to provide an overshoe for curling having adjustment
means for permitting the overshoe to be worn over foot-
wear of a wide variety of sizes.
Another object Gf the invention is to provide
a curling overshoe which adjusts automatically to the
size of the footwear over which it is worn without
the need for manual adjustment.
A further object of the invention is to
provide an overshoe which may be readily placed for
use over footwear and which is simple and relatively
inexpensive of manufacture.
These and other objects may be accomplished
by a curling overshoe which comprises: a sole having
forward and rearward ends and having at least two
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longitudinally extending segrnents which are separable
in the region of the rearward end; first resilient means
for biasing the longitudinal segments -toward each o-ther
to a side-by-side relationship whereby the sole at
i-ts rearward end is free to seleC-tively increase and
decrease in width to fit over footwear of a variety
of different sizes; an upper affixed to the sole and
adapted to contact the forward portion of the foot-
~ear; and means for removably securing the overshoe
on the footwear.
DESCRIPTION OF TH:E DR~WINGS
The invention is explained with reference to
the accompanying drawings which illustrate a
preferred embodiment~of the curling overshoe of the
invention. In the drawing:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment
of the curling overshoe of the invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the sole
of the overshoe illustrated in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of
Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second
embodiment of the curling overshoe of the invention.
Like reference characters refer to like parts
. throughout the description of the drawing.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to Figures 1 to 39 the illustrated
29 curling overshoe is indicated generally by the
numeral 10 and is adapted to be worn over an
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., ~
article of footwear ~no-t illustrated) such as a shoe,
rubber or galosh. The curling overshoe comprises
a sole 12, an upper 14 and a band or strap 16. The
sole 12 consists of a lower, ice-contacting layer 18
and an upper footwear-contacting layer 20. Ihe
upper layer may be composed o-f leather or plastic while
the lower layer may be composed of material which has
a low coefficient of friction and which provides
little resistance to sliding on ice where the o~ershoe
is used as a slider. Alternatively the lower layer
may have a high coefficient of friction where the
overshoe is used as a gripper.
In accordance with the invention, the
upper and lower layers of sole 12 are cu-t into
segments 22a, b, c by elonga-ted incisions 24_,24_.
Each incision commences at the rearward end 26 of
the sole, extends longitudinally and terminates short
of the forward end 28 thereof. The number of incisions
24 can vary from one to three or more but two inci-
sions are preferred.
First resilient means in the form of an elastic
band 30 is attached to the upper layer of the sole
adjacent its rearward end 26. The band extends -trans-
versely of the sole and interconnects -the various
segments 22. The band serves tc bias -the segments
toward each other to a close side-by-side relationship
as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The band rnust
28 however permit the segments to separate readily from
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one another so that footwear of a variety of widths
can be accommodated in the space between the two
side walls 14a,14b of the upper.
The material of the sole must be sufficiently
resilient or flexib]e to permi-t free and unhindered
movement of the segments away from and toward each
other. The choice of material will also depend on
whether the overshoe is used as a slider or a gripper.
Material identified by the trademark Teflon is a
particularly suitable material for the lower layer
where the overshoe is used as a slider.
The upper 14 is of a conventional form such
as illustrated in Canadian Patent No. 674708 to
Alexander and Canadian Patent No. 969758 to Thompson.
The upper grips the toe portion of the wearer's
footwear and may be affixed to the upper layer 20
of the so]e in any convenient manner well known in
the shoe-making art. The upper may be composed of
any suitable material but is preferably composed of
plastic as is the upper layer 20 of the sole and is
molded to the upper layer as a single unit.
Strap 16 extends rearwardly of upper 14
and its two ends are connec-ted -to the upper in any
convenient manner. The band is composed of elastic
material and is adapted to grip the upward portion of
26 the heel of the wearer's foo-twear.
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With reference to }igure 4, the il].ustrated
overc,hoe :indicated ~n~ercl]ly 30 comprise~; 1 sole 3?
which is dlsposed beneath the forward portion of
root~lear, a hee~ 34 which ls disposeti b~rleath the heel.
of footwear, an upper 36 and a band or strap 38. The
sole, upper and strap are of the same cons-truction as
like-named cornponents of the overshoe illus-trated
in ~igures 1 to 3.
The heel 34 is composed of lower and upper
layers in the same way as is sole 12 and is provided
wi.th a rear upper 40 of the same constr~ction as
upper 14. Like sole 12 the heel is provided with i~
el.ongated incisi.ons 42_, 42b. Incisions 42 commence
at the forward end 44 of the heel,extend rearwardly
ancl terminate short of the rearward end 46 of the heel.
Second resilient means, 48, such as an elastic
band biases the segments of heel 34 toward each other
in the same way as does band 30. Third resilient means
50, such as two elastic bandsl interconnect the heel
and sole but permit them to separate from one another
to accornmodate footwear of a variety of different sizes.
It will be understood of course that modif-
ications can be made in the preferred ernbodi.ments o:f
the invention described and illustrated herein without
departing from the scope and purview of the following
27 claims.
