Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02219711 1997-10-29
SHOE AND BOOT TRANSPORTATION DEVICE
The present invention relates to a personal
carrier device, and more particularly, to an elastic
belt for carrying shoes or the like on a person's body.
The sport of in-line roller skating has
experienced a great deal of popularity in recent years.
Casual enthusiasts of this sport prefer practicing the
sport as a mode of transportation in the same manner as
a bicycle may be used. In other words, the in-line
skate enthusiast will travel to a given destination on
their skates and then replace their skates by regular
walking shoes for walking in buildings and other public
spaces. It is customary, therefore, to carry one's
shoes or light boots in a back pack or other cumbersome
bag.
There are many ski boot carriers that can be
found, but such carriers are usually based on shoulder
strap concepts and are not suitable for carrying shoes
or light boots especially when one is moving rapidly
with a skating rhythm. In such a case, the shoes would
be swinging like pendulums at the end of such straps.
It is an aim of the present invention to
provide a simple carrier for securely carrying loose
items.
It is also an aim of the present invention
to provide a shoe or light boot carrier that is
unobtrusive and can comfortably carry shoes or light
boots while the person is conducting energetic
activities, such as skating.
30It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide a simple carrier that can be easily stored
when not in use.
A construction in accordance with the
present invention comprises a carrier having an
elongated strap member and complementary fastening
means at the ends thereof, the strap having at least a
portion thereof that is elastic and at least a footwear
CA 02219711 1997-10-29
receiving opening defined in the elastic portion of the
strap, the carrier having a length suitable for wearing
around a person's waist with a slight tension whereby
footwear can be carried by the carrier when the carrier
is worn about the person's waist.
In a more specific embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a carrier in the form of a
waist belt having a flexible strap having an elastic
portion and a pair of spaced-apart openings defined in
the elastic portion of the strap, each opening having
dimensions suitable for receiving a piece of footwear
under tension from the elastic energy of the elastic
portion of the strap, fastening means at respective
ends of the strap for securing the strap about the
waist of a person such that the pieces of footwear can
be carried by the belt when the belt is secured under
tension about the waist of the person.
In another aspect of the present invention,
a carrier is provided comprising a strap having opposed
ends and an elastic portion, complementary fastening
means on the respective opposed ends of the strap and
at least one opening formed in the elastic portion,
such that items having cross-sectional dimensions
slightly larger than the corresponding ~imen~ions of
the opening can be accommodated in the opening under
tension and the strap can be secured to a substrate
under tension in order to carry the item.
Having thus generally described the nature
of the invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration,
a preferred em~bodiment thereof, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier
belt in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rear of
the carrier belt with a pair of shoes and mounted about
the waist of a person shown in dotted lines; and
CA 02219711 1997-10-29
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier
belt being worn over the shoulder by a person with a
pair of in-line roller skates being carried at the ends
of the belt strap.
Referring now to the drawings and
particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a carrier
belt 10, including a strap 12. The strap 12 is made of
an elastic material, such as rubber. Other elastomers
having suitable elastic properties could also be used.
A pair of slots 14 and 16 are cut out in the strap 12.
Each slot, such as slot 14, is provided with slightly
enlarged, rounded ends 14a and 14b in order to avoid
splitting of the elastomeric material when the material
surrounding the so-formed openings is being stretched.
As shown in the present embodiment, an
enlarged disc-like portion is formed in the belt
between the slots 14 and 16. A commercial logo could
be placed on this disc-like portion 18.
A pair of buckles 20 and 22 having hooks 24,
26 respectively are mounted to the ends of the belt 12
and are adapted to be fastened together. Any type of
conventional belt buckle would be suitable. However,
it is preferred that a hook or clasp-like buckle be
used.
The slot openings 14 and 16 are meant to
receive a pair of shoes or light boots. Thus, when it
is required to carry a pair of shoes, the openings
formed by the slots 14 and 16 are stretched to
accommodate a shoe, such as shown in Fig. 2, and then
the belt 10 is placed around the person's waist. The
belt 12 should be placed on the person's waist under
tension so that the shoes being carried by the belt are
held snugly against the small of the back of the
person. This allows the person to conduct vigorous
exercises without the shoes flopping against the
person's body but will be held tight against the
person.
CA 02219711 1997-10-29
The area defined by each slot 14 and 16
must, therefore, be smaller than the shoe S1, S2, or
the object to be carried. Typically, for an adult
shoe, the slot would have a length of 4-1/2 inches and
the width of the slot would vary between 1/8 inch and
5/8 inch, with a typical opening being 3/16 inch in
width.
If the buckles 20 and 22 are hook-type
clasps, they can also be adapted to carry in-line
roller skates B1, B2, as seen in Fig. 3, for instance.
In that case, the strap 12 would be carried over the
shoulder, and the hooks 24, 26 would be used to fasten
to each of the skates for easy transport.
It is understood that other items could be
carried by such a carrier belt 10. These could be
wallets, purses, etc. A smaller version of the belt is
contemplated whereby the slot would be used for keys or
other items, and the strap would be carried as a wrist
band. Likewise, the belt 10 could be of a size to be
mounted to a pack sack or bicycle for carrying water
bottles and other such items.
