Protective cover for bicycle and track and field footwear

Abstract

A protective cover for a shoe having cleats including a front end, an opposing rear end, an upper which extends from the front to the rear end, a bottom extending rearwardly from the front end, an approximate midpoint of the cover where the bottom terminates, a cavity formed into the bottom for receiving a cleat disposed on a forward part of the shoe and for receiving an insert configured to engage and contact a cleat of the shoe, where the upper extends around and over a portion of a toe area of the shoe, and where the upper extends from the midpoint rearward around a heel area of the shoe to delimit an opening in the cover adjacent to the bottom and rearward of the midpoint through which a portion of the shoe extends when the cover is worn.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 300,801, filed Feb. 2, 2010.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates to protective covers for footwear, and more particularly a protective cover for bicycle shoes with cleats and a protective cover for track and field shoes having cleats or spikes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Cleated bicycle shoes capable of being securely connected to pedals are widely used to provide a more efficient means for pedaling. These shoes include a cleat disposed at a ball of the foot of the shoe and extending below the sole, where the cleat is configured to selectively engage a retaining feature located on a pedal of a bicycle. A system of this type is desirable because it allows a user to generate force on an upstroke as well as a downstroke of the pedal cycle while pedaling the bicycle.[0004]However, once the user dismounts the bicycle, walking can be difficult and unc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]The invention provides a protective cover for a bicycle or track and field shoes having cleats or spikes in the forefoot region thereof, the protective cover comprising: a forefoot portion that has a bottom portion, perimeter side walls, and a toe cap, the forefoot portion extending rearwardly only about midway to the shoes sole so as not to cover a heel of the shoe, wherein the bottom portion further includes an anti-penetration layer to help prevent spikes and cleats of the cleated shoe from penetration through the bottom portion; and a heel retention strap that extends rearwardly from the forefoot portion which is adapted to engage with a heel of the cleated shoe, wherein the forefoot portion, and the heel retention strap are formed as a single unit from flexible and stretchable rubber and/or plastic material.

[0010]A protective cover for a shoe having cleats, comprising a body member having a forward porti

Problems solved by technology

However, once the user dismounts the bicycle, walking can be difficult and uncomfortable due to the cleat extending from the ball of the shoe.

That is, the lift in the forefoot area associated with cleated bicycle shoes can disturb the normal gait pattern.

Also, the cleat may lack traction on certain surfaces.

Furthermore, the friction and abrasion caused by walking in cleated bicycle shoes causes wear and damage to the cleat, and can significantly reduce the life of cleats and shoes.

Moreover, the cleat can scrap floor surfaces and walking with cleats can be n

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