Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRACTION DEVICE FOR FOOTWEAR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[00011 The present invention is directed to a traction device for footwear,
and
more particularly, to a removable traction device intended to be worn over a
conventional shoe or boot to improve traction for the wearer when traversing
potentially slick or slippery surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[00021 Many type of conventional footwear, including dress shoes, work boots
and
even athletic shoes, may not provide adequate traction for the wearer on
certain
types of slippery or wet surfaces. Hence, in attempting to traverse such a
slippery or
wet surface, injury may occur.
[00031 According to recent statistics, falls are the second leading cause of
unintentional injury deaths in the United States, with work related injuries
costing
over $131.2 Billion. Thus, due to the increase in slip-and-fall claims against
employers and other business establishments, the market for indoor traction
devices
in rapidly increasing. Examples of potential markets for such a traction
device
include custodial businesses, warehouses, fast food chain restaurants and car
washes,
for example. Currently on the market to meet this demand are several non-slip
footwear designs. Such traction devices intended to be worn over an article of
footwear, however, tend to be cumbersome, difficult to attach to the footwear,
and
unreliable in their ability to remain in place on the footwear. Thus, employee
compliance in wearing over the shoe traction devices, even when available, is
reduced. Rubber matting, which also serves an anti-fatigue purpose for
employees
that must do a substantial amount of standing, can also be installed over the
entire
at-risk area, but is generally cost prohibitive.
[00041 Due to the high cost and unsuccessful use of both non-slip footwear and
rubber matting, businesses are looking for cost effective alternatives that
will appeal
to employees, thereby increasing utilization of the same. It would thus be
desirable
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to provide user friendly non-slip footwear that is economical, adaptable to a
variety
of footwear, and which also addresses the issue of anti-fatigue comfort.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[00051 These and other objects are achieved by the removable traction device
of
the present invention. According to one aspect of the invention, the traction
device
includes an outer peripheral band, a forefoot pod member disposed interior of
the
outer peripheral band, a heel pod member disposed interior of the outer
peripheral
band, and a plurality of resilient connecting strands extending between the
forefoot
pod member and the outer peripheral band and between the heel pod member and
the outer peripheral band, thereby connecting the forefoot pod member and heel
pod
member to the outer peripheral band. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, at
least some of the connecting strands define a non-linear configuration.
[00061 In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a removable
traction
device is provided for wearing over an article of footwear, the article of
footwear
having a toe portion, a heel portion and opposing side portions. The traction
device
includes an outer peripheral band, a forefoot pod member disposed interior of
the
outer peripheral band, a heel pod member disposed interior of the outer
peripheral
band, and a plurality of resilient connecting strands extending between the
forefoot
pod member and the outer peripheral band and between the heel pod member and
the outer peripheral band, thereby connecting the forefoot pod member and heel
pod
member to the outer peripheral band. In a preferred embodiment, the forefoot
pod
member and heel pod member include a ground-engaging outsole surface having a
non-slip tread pattern and the forefoot pod member and heel pod member also
include an opposing footwear engaging surface having an anti-fatigue tread
configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[00071 These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present
invention
will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the
following detailed description, in conjunction with the appended drawings in
which:
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[0008] FIG. 1 is a bottom rear perspective view of a traction device for
footwear
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a bottom front perspective view of the traction device shown
in
FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a top rear perspective view of the traction device shown in
FIG.
1.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a top front perspective view of the traction device shown in
FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the traction device shown in FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the traction device shown in FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the traction device shown in FIG.
1
when worn over a conventional article of footwear.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the traction device shown in FIG. 1 when
worn over a conventional article of footwear.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Referring to FIGS. 1 - 6, a traction device for footwear in accordance
with
a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally by
reference
numeral 10. Traction device 10 is a generally planar device including an outer
peripheral band 12, a forefoot pod or portion 14, a heel pod or portion 16,
and a
plurality of resilient connecting strands 18, all of which are preferably
molded as an
integral or one-piece member. The traction device is preferably formed (e.g.,
molded) from a flexible and resilient elastomeric material, e.g., rubber, PVC,
5-10
rubber, etc., that is slip and oil resistant. As described in detail below,
the outer
peripheral band 12 can adapt to the shape of different footwear such that the
traction
device 10 can be easily stretched by a wearer into a non-planar shape for
removably
mounting the traction device over an article of footwear.
[0017] The traction device 10 includes a lower surface 20 intended to face
towards
the slick or slippery ground surface when worn and an upper surface 22
intended to
face towards the article of footwear over which the traction 10 is worn. Thus,
the
lower surfaces of both the forefoot pod 14 and the heel pod 16 have a ground
engaging outsole 24 utilizing a non-slip tread design 28 such as, preferably,
a
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plurality of cylindrical elements 32, nubs, or other projecting types of
cleats, similar
to that found on various athletic shoes, or any other type of non-slip tread
pattern or
configuration. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper surfaces
of
both the forefoot pod 14 and the heel pod 16 have a footwear engaging surface
26
including an anti-fatigue tread 30, such as a herringbone pattern 34, although
other
tread configurations for helping to reduce foot fatigue from standing are of
course
also possible. The ground engaging outsole surfaces 24 of the forefoot pod and
heel
pod 14, 16 may be constructed so that they are identical or different from the
footwear engaging surfaces 26, depending upon the desired application for the
traction device 10. Still further, the forefoot pod 14 and the heel pod 16 may
have
different tread configurations on the ground engaging outsole surface and/or
the
footwear engaging surface 26 depending on the desired type of traction to be
provided.
[00181 The outer peripheral band 12 has a planar, approximately oval shape
with a
generally rounded front or toe section 12a, a generally rounded rear or heel
section
12b, and two generally linear side sections 12c and 12d interconnecting the
toe and
heel sections 12a and 12b. The toe section 12a is preferably tapered so as to
prevent
the toe from catching and causing the wearer to trip and/or fall. The heel
section
12b preferably includes a slight extension defining a heel tab 36 to assist
the user in
donning the traction device 10 over a conventional article of footwear, as
described
further below.
[00191 The plurality of connecting strands 18 include single strand elements
38
preferably connecting the side and/or middle portions of the forefoot pod 14
and
heel pod 16 to the peripheral band 12, and compound strand elements 40
preferably
connecting the front of the forefoot pod 14 and the rear of the heel pod 16 to
the
peripheral band 12. More particularly, the forefoot pod 14 preferably includes
two
forward strand elements 38a, one connecting each lateral side of the forefoot
pod 14
to the peripheral band 12, and two rearward strand elements 38b, one
connecting
each rearmost corner of the forefoot pod 14 to the peripheral band 12. The
heel pod
16 preferably includes two forward strand elements 38c, one connecting each
forwardmost corner of the heel pod 16 to the peripheral band 12. The single
strands
38b, 38c preferably have a somewhat non-linear or serpentine configuration, as
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shown for example in FIGS. 5 and 6, so as to permit stretching between the
forefoot
pod 14 and the heel pod 16 when the traction device 10 is worn. That is, it is
preferable for the forefoot pod 14 to be disposed beneath the forefoot of the
wearer's
foot and for the heel pod 16 to be disposed beneath the heel of the wearer's
foot. In
5 order for this self-positioning to occur, the strands 38a, 38b, 38c are
specifically
dimensioned so as to allow for greater stretch, i.e., elongation, in the
longitudinal
direction between the forefoot pod and the heel pod. The traction device 10 is
dimensioned such that, coupled with the fact that the material forming the
peripheral
band is resilient, the non-linear strands enable the band 12 to be easily
stretched for
accommodating a variety of sizes of footwear, preferably anywhere from a
Woman's
size 6 to a Men's size 13.
[00201 The compound strand elements 40 preferably connect the front of the
forefoot pod 14 and the rear of the heel pod 16 to the peripheral band 12
through an
open network of serpentine, arcuate, and straight strands. More particularly,
in a
preferred embodiment of the invention, an arcuate strand 40a is disposed
intermittent a plurality of serpentine strands 40b and straight strands 40c so
as to
form a framework with a plurality of openings 42, thereby reducing production
costs
and the overall weight of the traction device 10. Other configurations for the
compound strand elements are of course also possible, as one skilled in the
art would
readily appreciate.
[00211 Referring also to FIGS. 7 and 8, traction device 10 is illustrated as
it is
intended to be worn over an article of footwear 44. As generally shown, the
outer
peripheral band 12 is stretched so as to surround the toe, side portions, and
heel of
the article of footwear 44. That is, the rounded front or toe section 12a is
stretched
over the toe portion of the footwear 44, the generally rounded rear section
12b is
stretched over the heel portion of the footwear 44, with the assistance of
heel tab 36,
and the two generally linear side sections 12c,12d extend along the sides of
the
upper of the footwear 44, thereby encircling the same. In addition, the
serpentine
single strand elements 38b, 38c become substantially straight due to the
additional
elongation required to properly position the forefoot pod 14 and heel pod 16
relative
to the forefoot and heel of the footwear 44, and thus the wearer's feet.
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[00221 While the present invention has been described with respect to a
particular
embodiment of the present invention, this is by way of illustration for
purposes of
disclosure rather than to confine the invention to any specific arrangement as
there
are various alterations, changes, deviations, eliminations, substitutions,
omissions
and departures which may be made in the particular embodiment shown and
described without departing from the scope of the present invention.
