WO1999038400A1

WO1999038400A1 - Convertible article for use as kneepad or shoe

Info

Publication number: WO1999038400A1
Application number: PCT/US1999/001662
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark Klein; Howard Lederman; Ernst Paterno
Original assignee: Hot Sauce Marketing Services, Inc.
Priority date: 1998-01-28
Filing date: 1999-01-27
Publication date: 1999-08-05

Abstract

A transformable article for use as a shoe or a kneepad. The article includes a flexible sole (11), a cushioning pad (12), a flexible mesh or flaps (13) for connecting the pad (12) to the sole (11), and a plurality of flexible straps (14, 15) for supporting the sole either on a person's foot to serve as a shoe or on a person's leg in such a manner that the pad overlies the knee of the person to serve as a knee pad. The sole (11) is molded in one piece and fabricated from thermoplastic rubber material, and its bottom surface has at least one transversely disposed elongated groove (18). The pad (12) is fabricated from any suitable foam rubber-like malleable material of sufficient shock absorption ability.

Description

CONVERTIBLE ARTICLE FOR USE AS KNEEPAD OR SHOE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to the field of knee protectors and footwear articles. More

particularly, the invention is directed to a convertible article for use as a kneepad or a shoe,

preferably in general sporting or recreational activities.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Almost everyone has at one time or another found it necessary to carry articles of

footwear from one place to another. For example, roller skaters will frequently carry a pair of

walking or running shoes while they roller-skate so as to change into them when needed, e.g.,

to enter a restaurant or shop that prohibits wearing roller skates. However, carrying such

footwear articles is rather awkward (it is hard to carry a pair of shoes individually or by their tied

shoe laces), unattractive, and unsafe (i.e., it may cause roller skaters to lose balance and thereby

inducing accidental falls).

Moreover, people frequently wear kneepads to protect the knees or the clothing in the

knee area when kneeling or falling on a surface while gardening, roller-skating or playing

volleyball. A storage bag for storing such kneepads at the end of the aforementioned activities

may not be readily available, or if available, may be awkward or inconvenient to carry.

The foregoing problems can be obviated by an interchangeable article that incorporates

both the kneepad and shoe. However, none of the conventional kneepads and shoes is made

to be interchangeable. For instance, conventional knee pads offer protection against knee

injury, but they cannot be used as footwear articles. Likewise, conventional shoes may be suited for ordinary walking or running, but they cannot be used as knee protectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to offer a convertible article that can easily be

transformed into a knee protector or a footwear article.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a convertible article that is comfortable

and durable in wearing, sufficiently protective as to the wearer's knee or foot, and high in shock-

absorbing capacity.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a convertible article that securely and

comfortably retains the article on the wearer's foot or knee.

The present invention comprises a convertible article for use as a shoe or kneepad. The

article includes a flexible sole, a cushioning pad, a flexible mesh or flaps for connecting the pad

to the sole, and a plurality of flexible straps for supporting the sole either on a person's foot to

serve as a shoe or on a person's leg in such a manner that the pad overlies the knee of the

person to serve as a knee pad. The sole is molded in one piece, fabricated from thermoplastic

rubber material such as the styrene-butadiene block copolymer or ethylene-vinyl acetate

copolymer, and has at least one elongated groove transversely disposed on its bottom surface.

The pad is fabricated from any suitable foam rubber-like malleable material of sufficient shock

absorption ability. The straps are preferably in the form of VELCRO fasteners.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reference

to the following Description of the Preferred Embodiments when read in light of the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description in

conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the convertible article for use as a shoe according to a first

embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the first embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the convertible article for use as

a knee pad according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the second embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 3 fitted

onto a leg;

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the convertible article

of Fig. 7 fitted onto a leg;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the convertible article for use as a shoe according to third

embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a top view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a front perspective view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of fig.

6; Fig. 9 is a top view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 6 for use as

a knee pad according to the invention; and Fig. 10 is a side view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 6;

Fig. 11 is a bottom view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 12 is a top view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a side view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when

employed as a shoe;

Fig. 15 is a front view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when employed

as a shoe in a shoe position;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when

employed as a knee pad;

Fig. 17 is a front view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when employed

as a knee pad in a knee pad position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, in which similar or corresponding parts are identified with

the same reference numeral, and more particularly to Figs. 1-6, a first embodiment of the

invention is illustrated showing a convertible article 10 for use as a shoe or kneepad. The

convertible article 10 includes a flexible sole 11 having top, bottom, and side surfaces, a

cushioning pad 12 with flexible flaps 13 extending therefrom, and first and second pairs of

spaced straps 14, 15 for supporting the sole 11 on a person's foot 16 (Fig. 2) or knee (similar

in position to the placement on knee 17 of a second embodiment 110 of the present invention in Fig. 4). Referring to Figs. 1 and 5, the sole 11 has a pair of elongated grooves 18 transversely

disposed at its bottom surface. By incorporating the grooves 18, the sole 11 is more flexible in

accommodating the physical movement (e.g., bending) of a wearer's knee or foot.

The sole 11 of the convertible article 10 is molded in one piece by heat and pressure and

fabricated from flexible, durable material, such as thermoplastic rubber material or any other

elastomeric materials which may be molded and configured into unit soles. Conventional

styrene-butadiene block copolymer (thermoplastic rubber), rubber, acrylonirrile-butadiene

rubber, polybutadiene, isoprene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) are examples of

the resilient material that can be used to fabricate the sole 11. A number of the sole materials

are disclosed by U.S. Patent Nos. 5,572,804 and 5,554,694 incorporated herein by reference

in their en+irety. The sole 11 is tapered on the side surfaces in a wedge-like fashion to

accommodate the shape of the person's foot 16 and knee 17. As will be appreciated the overall

structure of the sole 11, including its one-piece molding, resilient property, and tapered shape,

the sole 211 is designed to accommodate the pronated and supinated movements of a wearer's

foot and leg.

The arch portion of the shoe comprises a pad 12 and a pair of flexible laterally extending

flaps 13. The pad 12 is fabricated form any suitable foam rubber-like malleable material of

sufficient shock absorption ability such as natural or synthetic foamed rubber, e.g., resilient

compressible material such as micro-cellular filled closed cell foam such as polyurethane or ethyl

vinyl acetate. The pad 12 is supported by the pair of laterally extending flexible flaps 13 which

are sewn or otherwise suitably disposed between the front and rear portions of the sole 11. The flaps 13 taper in a wedge-like fashion and are made from any material of sufficient flexibility

(e.g., a polymer layer or a woven mesh of natural or synthetic fiber, e.g., nylon mesh). When

used as a shoe, the flaps 13 extend on the opposite sides of the wear's foot to provide lateral

support. When used as a knee protector, the flaps 13 naturally collapse underneath the pad 12

such that the pad 12 is firmly pressed against the sole 11.

The first and second pairs of the spaced straps 145 and 15 are respectively consisted of

partially opposing straps 19-22, which are made from any flexible material such as elastic. Each

opposing end of the straps 19-22 has a hook- loop fastening material such as the VELCRO hook

and loop fastener 15A affixed thereon. Of course, other suitable fasteners may be employed,

e.g., buckles. Each non-opposing end of the straps 19-22 has a mounting recess, e.g., hole (not

shown), embedded thereon for securing the straps 19-22 onto the sole 11.

More specifically, the first and second pairs of straps 14 and 15 are each pivotally

anchored to two hinges 23, which are stitched or otherwise suitable secured to the opposite

sides of the sole 11, for supporting the sole 11 either on the person's foot 16 to serve as a shoe

or on a person's leg in such a manner that the pad 12 overlies the knee 17 of the person to

serve as a knee pad. A pin-like portion 24 on each of the hinges 23 respectively engages each

of the mounting recesses to pivotally secure the straps 19-22 onto the sole 11. The first and

second spaced straps 14 and 15 are adjustable in length to accommodate different size feet and

legs. For instance, the first strap assembly 14 may have a total length that ranges from 1.8 to

2.8 times the length of the sole 11, and the second strap assembly 15 may have a total length

that ranges from 0.8 to 1.6 times the length of the sole 11. Thus, typically, the straps 19-22 are provided with sufficient VELCRO fastener to accommodate this length adjustment.

A second embodiment 110 of the convertible article in the present invention is shown

in Figs. 3-5. This article 110 has the same basic structure as the first embodiment, except for

the pad 12 and flaps 13 shown in Fig. 1, which are respectively replaced by a reclining pad 112

and a mesh 125 having a center portion and opposite side portions. The reclining pad 112,

with its two end portions disposed at an angle to one another, is stitched or otherwise suitably

secured (e..g, removably secured with VELCRO fasteners) to the center portion of the mesh

125. The side portions of the mesh 125, which taper in a wedge-like fashion, are sewn or

otherwise suitable disposed between the front and rear portions of the sole 11 (attached to or

integral with the sole 11). When used as a shoe, the mesh 125 extends on the opposite sides

of the wear's foot to provide lateral support. When used as a knee protector, the mesh 125

naturally collapse underneath the pad 112 such that the pad 112 is firmly pressed against the

sole 11. The mesh 125 may be made from any material of sufficient flexibility, for mesh 125,

typical material include polymeric materials such as nylon. Typical mesh 125 may be a film

sheet or a woven fibrous sheet.

A third embodiment 210 of the convertible article in the present invention, as shown in

Figs. 6-10 has the same basic structure as the second embodiment 110. however, in this article

210, a sole 211 without any elongated grooves is used instead of the sole 11 as shown in the

second embodiment 110. Moreover, a pad 212 similar to the cushioning pad 12 of the first

embodiment is sewn or otherwise suitably disposed underneath a one-piece arch 225. As

shown in Fig. 16, the resilient property of the sole 211 is sufficient to accommodate the pronated and supinated movements of a wearer's leg. The sole 211 is molded in one piece by

heat and pressure and fabricated from thermoplastic rubber material or any other elastomeric

materials which may be molded and configured into unit soles. Also the straps 214, 215 are

integral with the sole 211 or otherwise attached directly to the sole (e.g., by providing each strap

with a flared end, not shown, and embedding such flared ends in respective slits, not shown,

in an upper surface of the sole 12.

A fourth embodiment 310 of the convertible article in the present invention is shown by

Figs. 11-17. The fourth embodiment comprises a flexible sole 311, a first strap 320 and a

second strap 420. Sole 311 has a portion 311A, an instep portion 311B, and a heel portion

311C. First strap 320 passes through the toe portion 311A (Fig. 15) and second strap 420

passes through the heel portion 311C.

The first strap 320 has an elongate member 321, having first end 322, second end 324,

a top surface 326, and a bottom surface 328. A strap extension 330 is attached to the elongate

member 321. A first buckle 332 is attached to the first end 322, a second buckle 334 is

attached to the strap extension 330. First and second pieces of VELCRO hook and loop

fastener 336, 337 are attached to the bottom surface 328. Third and fourth pieces of VELCRO

hook and loop fastener 338, 339 are attached to the top surface 326 (Fig. 12).

The second strap 420 has an elongate member 421 having first end 422, second end

424, a top surface 426 and a bottom surface 428. A strap extension 430 is attached to the

elongate member 421. A first buckle 332 is attached to the first end 422, a second buckle 435

is attached to the strap extension 430. First and second pieces of VELCRO hook and loop

8 fastener 436, 437 are attached to the bottom surface 428. Third and fourth pieces of VELCRO

hook and loop fastener 438, 439 are attached to the top surface 426 (Fig. 12).

The elongate members 321, 421 and strap extensions 330, 430 may be made of any

conventional strap material as disclosed for the straps of the first, second and third embodiments

described above. Examples of suitable strap material include woven nylon or other polymer

fiber, polymer film, leather, or strips of cloth from natural fibers.

The buckles 332, 334, 432, 434 may be of metal, plastic or other suitable material. If

desired, buckle 334, 434 may be attached directly to the elongate member 321, 421.

The sole 311 may be made of any conventional sole material as described for the soles

of the first, second and third embodiment described above. The sole 311 may be made of a

single layer or multiple layers. Sole 311 as shown has a first layer 313 of soft foam material,

e.g., polyurethane, and a second layer 315 of a tougher material, e.g., neoprene rubber. As

shown in Figs. 11, 15 and 17, the second layer 315 may have a ribbed bottom surface. The

sole 311 may be provided with optional elongated grooves 360. These resemble grooves 18

(Fig. 1) transversely disposed at its bottom surface. The grooves are preferably located to

approximately divide the sole into its toe portion 311A, instep portion 31 IB and heel portion

311C.

The elongate members 320, 420 may typically have a length that ranges from about 3.5

to about 5 times the width "W" of the sole 311 (Fig. 13). However, it is apparent from the

present disclosure that the first, second and third embodiments may be modified to substitute

the straps 320, 420 of the fourth embodiment for the straps of the first, second and third embodiments.

It is also apparent that the fourth embodiment may be modified to have each strap 320,

420 formed of separate portions each integrally extending from, or attached to, sides of said

sole 311. For example, first strap 320 may be modified by having a relatively short first portion

having buckle 332, extend from one side of the sole and a relatively long second portion,

having buckle 334 and four strips of VELCRO hook and loop fastener 336, 337, 338, 339,

extend from the opposed side of the sole. In this modification, the total length of the first strap

separated into two portions would be about 2.5 to about 4 times the width "W" of the sole

because the strap portion through the sole is not present. Also, in this modification, the total

length of the second strap separated into two portions would be about 2.5 to about 4 times the

sole width "W".

Typically, the second buckle 334 is attached to the extension 330 and the extension 330

is attached to the first strap 320 at an attachment location 331 which, in normal use, is a

distance "A" along the first strap 320 of about 0.5 to about 1.5 inches from the sole 311 (Fig.

13). The first VELCRO hook and loop fastener 336 and third VELCRO hook and loop fastener

338 are typically a distance "B" along the first strap 320 of about 1 to about 1.5 times the width

"W" of the sole 311 from the attachment location 331. The second VELCRO hook and loop

fastener 337 and fourth VELCRO hook and loop fastener 339 are typically a distance "C" along

the first strap 320 of about 2.5 to about 3.5 times the width "W" from the attachment location

331. The fastener portions 336, 337, 338, 339 typically have a length"D" along the first strap

320 of about 1 to about 3 inches.

10 In use it can be seen that the strap 320 is placed through buckles 322, 334 and the strap

420 is placed through buckles 422, 434 as necessary. This placement is shown for strap 320

for a shoe position in Figs 14 and 15, as well as a kneepad position in Figs. 16 and 17. As

shown, the first VELCRO hook and loop fastener 336 and second VELCRO hook and loop

fastener 337 are located on said first strap to interlock when the strap is in the knee pad

position. The third VELCRO hook and loop fastener 338 and fourth VELCRO hook and loop

fastener 339 are located on the first strap to interlock when the strap is in a shoe position.

As can be understood from the above description and from the drawings, the convertible

articles 10, 110, 210 and 310 of the present invention provide a suitable kneepad to be worn

in order to prevent injury, and a suitable shoe to be worn while walking or running.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described,

it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be

made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is

intended that the appended claims cover such changes and modifications that come within the

spirit and scope of the invention.

11

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A convertible article for use as a shoe or a kneepad comprising:

a flexible body;

a cushioning pad supported by said body; and

a pair of spaced supporting means for supporting said body either on a person's foot to

serve as a shoe with said body forming a shoe sole or on a person's leg in such a manner that

said pad overlies the knee of the person to serve as a knee pad.

2. The convertible article of claim 1, wherein said body includes means enabling said

body to be moved into a position wherein three separate interconnected sections of the body

may be disposed at angles to one another.

3. The convertible article of claim 1, wherein said pair of spaced supporting means

comprises a pair of strap means, said body having opposite end portions, one of said strap

means being connected adjacent one end portion of the body, and the other of said strap

means being connected to said body adjacent the opposite end portion thereof.

4. The convertible article of claim 3, wherein each of said strap means is pivotally

connected to said body.

5. The convertible article of claim 3, wherein each of strap means is adjustable in length

to accommodate different size feet and legs.

6. A convertible article for use as a shoe or a kneepad comprising:

a flexible body having opposite sides and being adapted to form a shoe sole;

12 a knee pad having opposite sides;

flexible connector portions connecting said opposite sides of the body to said opposite

sides of the knee pad; and

a pair of spaced strap means, each of said strap means having opposite ends which are

pivotally connected to said body adjacent said opposite sides of the body, for supporting said

body either on a person's foot to serve as a shoe with said body forming a shoe sole or on a

person's leg in such a manner that said pad overlies the knee of the person to serve as a knee

pad.

7. The convertible article of claim 6, wherein said body includes means enabling said

may be disposed at angles to one another.

8. The convertible article of claim 6, wherein each of said strap means is pivotally

connected to said body.

9. The convertible article of claim 6, wherein each of said strap means is adjustable in

length to accommodate different size feet and legs.

10. The convertible article of claim 6, wherein said pair of strap means comprises a first

strap means and a second strap means, said first strap means comprising a first strap and a

second strap and said second strap means comprising a third strap and a fourth strap, said first

strap being releasably attachable to said second strap and said third strap being releasably

attachable to said fourth strap.

11. A convertible article for use as a shoe or a kneepad comprising:

13 a flexible body having opposite sides and being adapted to form a shoe sole;

a flexible connector having middle and side portions, said side portions connecting said

opposite sides of the body;

a knee pad supported by said middle portion of the connector; and

a pair of spaced strap means, each of said strap means having opposite ends which

extend from said body adjacent said opposite sides of the body for supporting said body either

on a person's foot to serve as a shoe with said body forming a shoe sole or on a person's leg

in such a manner that said pad overlies the knee of the person to serve as a knee pad.

12. The convertible article of claim 10, wherein said body includes means enabling said

may be disposed at angles to one another.

13. The convertible article of claim 10, wherein each of said strap means is pivotally

connected to said body.

14. The convertible article of claim 10, wherein each of strap means is adjustable in

length to accommodate different size feet and legs.

15. The convertible article of claim 14, wherein said pair of strap means comprises a first

attachable to said fourth strap.

16. A convertible article for use as a shoe or a kneepad comprising:

14 a sole having a toe portion, an instep portion, and a heel portion;

a first buckle functionally attached to a first portion of said sole, a first strap extending

from a second portion of said sole transversely spaced from said first portion;

said first strap comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, a second buckle

functionally attached to said first strap bottom surface, first and second portions of hook and

loop fastener attached to said first strap bottom surface, third and fourth portions of hook and

loop fastener attached to said first strap top surface, wherein said first and second fastener

portions are located on said first strap to interlock when said strap is in a knee pad position and

said third and fourth fastener portions are located on said first strap to interlock when said strap

is in a shoe position.

17. The convertible article of claim 16, further comprising:

a third buckle functionally attached to a third portion of said sole, a second strap

extending from a fourth portion of said sole transversely spaced from said third portion;

said second strap comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, a third buckle

functionally attached to said second strap bottom surface, fifth and sixth portions of hook and

loop fastener attached to said second strap bottom surface, seventh and eighth portions of hook

and loop fastener attached to said second strap top surface.

18. The convertible article of claim 16, wherein said first fastener portion is spaced along

the first elongate member a first distance from said sole, said second fastener portion is spaced

along the first elongate member a second distance from said sole which is further from said sole

than said first distance,

15 said third fastener portion is spaced a third distance along the first elongate member

from said sole, the fourth fastener is spaced a fourth distance along the first elongate member

from the sole which is further from the sole than the third distance.

19. The convertible article of claim 18, wherein the first fastener portion is located

separate from the second fastener portion along the first strap and the third fastener portion is

located separate from the fourth fastener portion along the first strap.

20. The convertible article of claim 16, wherein the first strap extends transversely

through the sole and the first buckle is attached to an end of the first strap.

21. The convertible article of Claim 17, wherein the first strap extends transversely

through the sole and the first buckle is attached to an end of the first strap; and

the second strap extends transversely through the sole and the third buckle is attached

to an end of the second strap.

22. The convertible article of Claim 21, wherein the first and second straps have a

length of about 3.5 to about 5 times the width of the sole.

23. The convertible article of Claim 23, wherein the second buckle is functionally

attached to an attachment location on the first strap about 0.5 to 1.5 inches from the sole;

wherein the first fastener portion is spaced from the attachment location a distance of

about 1 times the width of the sole to about 1.5 times the width of the sole;

wherein the second fastener portion is spaced from the attachment location a distance

of about 2.5 to about 3.5 times the width of the sole.

16