Field of the Invention

This invention relates to overshoes.

Overshoes are used for a variety of purposes, for example, when entering a clean room from a relatively dirty environment.

However, despite the perceived advantages of using overshoes, the designs of the overshoes currently available are such that the overshoes are either unattractive in appearance or inconvenient to use. As a result, the use of overshoes is minimal.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved design of overshoe.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided an overshoe formed of a resiliently deformable plastic material and including an upwardly open chamber of such configuration that, when a user places his or her footwear in the chamber, the material forming the overshoe exerts a resilient gripping action on the inserted footwear to hold the overshoe in position on the footwear, said chamber being defined by a flat base and an upwardly extending wall of substantially constant height and of substantially uniform thickness, said wall including an inwardly projecting portion which is displaced resiliently outwardly upon insertion of the footwear into the chamber so as to provide said resilient gripping action.

In use, it is not necessary for the user to remove his or her footwear before putting on the overshoe. He or she merely places his or her shoe within the upwardly open chamber.

The resiliently deformable plastic material is preferably a foamed plastic material. The preferred material is foamed polyethylene.

The inwardly projecting portion of the wall is preferably in the form of an inwardly projecting rib which extends around the chamber at a position such that the height of the lower edge of the rib is about half the height of the chamber. The

inwardly projecting rib may be interrupted at a plurality of positions by stiffening formations.

There is preferably a projecting lip extending around the upper edge of the upwardly extending wall and this lip is preferably inclined or flared so as to facilitate insertion of an item of footwear into the chamber.

The overshoe preferably has a longitudinal axis of symmetry so that one overshoe can be used for both right and left feet.

The overshoe preferably includes a tab or flap portion projecting from the heel of the overshoe, which tab or flap portion facilitates putting on and taking off the overshoe.

The overshoe is preferably of unitary construction and produced by vacuum-forming or moulding.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a side view of an overshoe.

Figure 2 is an end view of the overshoe in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the overshoe, and

Figure 4 is a section through the overshoe along the line 4 - 4 of Figure 3.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

The overshoe 10 shown in the drawings is produced by vacuum-forming from foamed polyethylene, the preferred material being that known by the designation 90 kilo density polyethylene.

The overshoe 10 includes an upwardly open chamber 11 which is of such size that a user's shoe can fit in the chamber 11. The chamber 11 is defined by a flat base 12 and an upwardly extending wall 13 of substantially constant height and of substantially uniform thickness, which may be slightly less than the thickness of the base 12. As the shoe enters the chamber 11, it will displace the wall 13 outwardly and the overshoe 10 will exert a resilient gripping action on the shoe.

The gripping action exerted by the overshoe 10 is obtained by the formation of an inwardly projecting rib 14 which extends around the wall 13 and, as shown, has its lower edge located at a position whose height is about half the total height of the wall 13. The inwardly projecting rib 14 is interrupted at a number of spaced positions by stiffening formations 15 which, as shown, are of arcuate form in plan view.

The use of an inwardly projecting rib to provide the gripping action enables the overshoe to be used in conjunction with many different kinds of footwear, e.g. for shoes, boots, trainers or Wellingtons, since the grip which is exerted on the inserted footwear is not dependent on any particular characteristics of the footwear.

Alternative methods of providing the required gripping action include forming a series of spaced indentations in the wall of the overshoe. The wall of the overshoe may also be tapered or inclined along one or both sides of the overshoe.

The overshoe 10 is provided with a tab 16 which extends outwardly from the heel of the overshoe 10. The tab 16 is in the form of a horizontal flap and, in use, facilitates putting on and taking off the overshoe.

There is an outwardly extending lip 17 (see Figure 4) around the upper edge of the wall 13 and this lip 17 is inclined or flared outwardly so as to provide a lead-in which facilitates insertion of the inserted footwear into the chamber 11. Very little time is thus taken to put on the overshoe 10.

By forming the overshoe 10 from a resiliently deformable material and by providing an inward projection 14 extending around the overshoe 10 (or equivalent formations as mentioned above), a particular size of overshoe can fit a number of shoe

sizes. The number of sizes of overshoe which will be required will thus be reduced, with consequent savings in tooling costs.

It is to be noted that the overshoe 10 shown in the drawings is longitudinally symmetrical so that the same design of overshoe can be used for right and left feet. Tooling costs are thus further reduced and matching of the overshoes into pairs is not required. Reduction of tooling costs is of particular importance if, instead of vacuum-forming the overshoe, it ±≤ produced by injection moulding. It is also to be noted that the uniform height of the wall 13 simplifies tooling and enables the moulding procedure to be carried out more efficiently.

By producing the overshoe from a low-cost material, such as foamed polyethylene, particularly if the polyethylene is at least partially recycled, the overshoe can be disposable, i.e. used just once or used for a limited number of times.

Particular applications of the overshoe include use by maintenance men and engineers, for example, gas fitters, telephone engineers and electrical installers. The overshoe can also be used in laboratories and other situations in which it is important that no sparks should be generated or in which dust contamination has to be minimised. There are also sporting applications, for example, for indoor or outdoor bowling.