This invention relates to footwear that incorporates gaiters and is directed to a gaiter-containing pouch that can be affixed to any of a number of different types of boots or shoes without specifically designing or adapting the boots or shoes for inclusion of a collapsible gaiter.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide a boot designed with an integrated sleeve or gaiter. However, most of these designs suffer from one or more drawbacks. Many of these designs require that the boot be specifically designed in order to accommodate the integrated sleeve or gaiter. These require expensive modifications be made to the manufacturing equipment and more complicated manufacturing processes to be used. Also, many of such designs compromise a possibly desired waterproof nature of the boot by reason of a typical means of securing the sleeve or gaiter to the boot, i.e. by stitching a lower end of the sleeve or gaiter to the wall of the boot. Stitching is a preferred means of strongly securing the sleeve or gaiter to the boot, but such stitching punctures the wall of the shoe or boot and, even if waterproofing material such as tape or glue is used in or under/over the stitching holes and/or stitching, there is a significant risk of leakage into the inside of the boot over time when the boot is used in damp conditions. An additional problem with these designs is that given the nature of the attachment of the sleeves or gaiters and the specific design required for the boots it can be difficult if not impossible to replace the gaiters on the boot or shoe in the event that they are damaged.

The Applicant has invented a gaiter-containing pouch that can be readily affixed to any of a number of different types of boots without the need for the boot to be specifically modified. The gaiter-containing pouch can also provide a highly secure connection of the lower end of a sleeve or gaiter without puncturing the wall of the boot and thereby preserve the waterproof nature of the boot. The gaiter- containing pouch is also capable of being later removed without damaging the underlying boot, which allows for the gaiter to be easily replaced if damaged. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the invention provides a gaiter-containing pouch for affixing to a piece of footwear. The pouch comprises: an outer wall, an inner wall, a gaiter releasably stored between the inner wall and outer wall, and enclosure means to open or close the pouch. The inner wall comprises a back surface having at least one footwear-fixation surface, and a lower edge of the gaiter is secured between the inner and outer walls.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a piece of footwear with the aforementioned gaiter-containing pouch affixed to the piece of footwear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 is a cut-away side view of a gaiter-containing pouch according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a cut-away side view of the gaiter-containing pouch of Figure 1 shown in relation to a boot upper.

Figure 3 is a front view of a gaiter-containing pouch affixed around the circumference of a boot upper.

Figure 4 is a cut-away top view of a gaiter-containing pouch affixed around the circumference of a boot upper.

Figure 5 is a front view of a gaiter-containing pouch attached around the circumference of a boot upper with a front zipper partially open.

Figure 6 is a front view of a gaiter-containing pouch attached around the circumference of a boot upper with the zipper fully open.

Figure 7 is a front view of a gaiter-containing pouch attached around the circumference of a boot upper with the outer wall folded down over the upper of the boot and the gaiter or sleeve extended up the leg of the user.

Figure 8 is a front view of a gaiter-containing pouch attached around the circumference of a boot upper with the gaiter or sleeve extended up the leg of the user and the outer wall folded back up and the zipper closed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the term "footwear" includes boots and shoes. Non-limiting examples include rubber boots, hiking boots, hiking shoes, "duck" boots or "duckies", winter boots, winter shoes, and other boots and shoes that are capable of providing a surface suitable for affixing the gaiter-containing pouch of the present invention, as would be well understood by one skilled in the art. All references to boots herein are deemed to include "shoes" unless stated otherwise. Reference to a "gaiter" herein is intended to describe a flexible covering of a user's ankle and/or leg and/or hips area which is secured at a lower end to the boot and may be stored on the boot when not in use, then when released from storage and in use, is substantially above the upper end of the boot. Reference to a sleeve, or cuff, herein is intended to describe a flexible covering of an upper portion of a boot and such may (typically) extend above such upper portion at least a short distance which is sufficient to permit the top of the sleeve to be selectively gathered or tightened, e.g. by operating an integrated draw cord, around the ankle or leg of the user. A sleeve may be used, for example, to provide waterproof cover for an upper section of a winter boot that may otherwise provide insulation, but is not waterproof.

The present invention is directed to a gaiter-containing pouch which can be attached to a boot or shoe which does not require the boot be modified to receive the pouch. As shown in the preferred embodiment of Figure 1 , the pouch 1 00 is comprised of three main pieces: an outer wall 101 , an inner wall 102, and a collapsible gaiter or sleeve 103. The inner wall 102 has a lower edge and an upper edge and has one or more fixation surfaces 104 disposed on an external back face of the inner wall 102. The outer wall 101 has a lower edge and an upper edge. The outer wall 101 has one or more enclosure means 105 disposed along the upper edge of the outer wall 101 . The gaiter or sleeve 103 has an upper edge and a lower edge and is disposed between the inner wall 102 and the outer wall 101 . The gaiter or sleeve 1 03 is made of a collapsible material that allows for the gaiter or sleeve 103 to fit between the outer wall 101 and inner wall 102 when the pouch 100 is in a storage position. The outer wall 101 and inner wall 1 02 are joined to one another at their respective lower edges to form the pouch 101 . As shown in Figure 1 the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 may also be joined between the lower edges of the inner wall 102 and outer wall 101 at a common join 106. However, the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 may be also joined to either the outer wall 101 or inner wall 102 inside the pouch 100 at a different point. The common join 106 shown in the preferred embodiment depicted in Figure 1 also provides for the pouch 100 to have a tapered lower profile which provides an esthetically pleasing smooth surface when the pouch 1 00 is affixed to the boot upper 107.

When in the closed or storage position, as shown in Figure 1 , the enclosure means 105 releasably connect the top edge of the outer wall 101 at or near the top edge of the inner wall 102. When the enclosure means 105 are released the outer wall 101 can be pulled down the pouch 100, thereby allowing the gaiter or sleeve 103 to be accessed and rolled up the user's legs. In preferred embodiments, the enclosure means 105 may comprise hook and loop fasteners (including but not limited to Velcro™), Ziploc™, zippers, snapping fasteners, elastic or non-elastic drawstrings or pull ties, buttons or other releasable enclosure means that would be familiar to one skilled in the art and allow for the upper edge of the outer wall 101 to be releasably attached to the inner wall 102.

The inner wall 1 02 and the outer wall 101 may be made of rubber (natural, synthetic or other substitute), textile or cloth made of natural or synthetic fibers or substrates such as nylon, polyester, vinyl and blends thereof, preferably waterproof, or other materials that would be apparent to one skilled in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the fixation surfaces 104 on inner wall 102 comprise rubber surfaces. The fixation surface 104 may cover the entire back surface of the inner wall 102 that contacts the boot upper 107 or may be disposed as in strips along the edges of the inner wall 102 that contact the boot upper 107. The fixation surfaces 104 that are disposed on the back of the inner wall 102 of the pouch 100 provide a surface onto which the pouch 1 00 is to be attached to the outside surface of a boot 107. While in preferred embodiments this attachment is accomplished through the use of adhesives, rubber welding, or other means of attaching the pouch 100 which do not require puncturing the boot, stitching or other similar means could also be used, although use of such means may risk negatively impacting the water impermeability of the boot. This attachment arrangement further allows for the pouch 100 to be cut away from the boot upper 107 if the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 is damaged, allowing for a replacement pouch 1 00 to be attached to the boot upper 107. This invention allows for the pouch 1 00 to be designed to fit many different boot uppers 107 based on the size of boot upper 107 and the desired length of the gaiter or sleeve 103. The pouch 100 is preferably designed for placement at or near the upper rim 1 10 of the boot upper 1 07. Given that the pouch 100 is designed to be used for multiple different styles or types of boots the pouch 100 can also be modified to match the aesthetics and design features of a specific manufacturer's boot or shoe. In the preferred embodiments shown in Figures 3 through 8, the pouch 100 extends around the entire upper rim 1 10 of the boot upper 107. However, the pouch 100 may also be disposed around only a portion of the upper rim 1 10.

The gaiter or sleeve 103 is comprised of a flexible material which is capable of being folded or compressed to fit between the inner wall 102 and outer wall 1 01 when the enclosure means 105 are closed and the pouch is in the closed or storage position. In a preferred embodiment the gaiter or sleeve 103 is comprised of a waterproof material, a breathable material, a tear resistant material, or a material with one or more of these properties. One preferred material is eVent ^tm fabric. The gaiter or sleeve 103 may be provided in a number of lengths to extend up to below the user's knee, above the user's knee, a hip-wader length, or other lengths that would be known to one skilled in the art. The gaiter or sleeve 103 may also comprise an elastic band at an upper edge. The elastic band can serve to help keep the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 in a raised or use position by holding the top edge of the gaiter against the leg of the user. The elastic band can also be used to help roll down or bunch the gaiter or sleeve 103 when returning the gaiter or sleeve 103 to the closed or storage position. The gaiter or sleeve 103 may further include one or more additional fastening means for holding the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 up along the leg of the user when the gaiter or sleeve 103 is extended in a use position such as Velcro™, straps, hooks, pull ties, or other means for securing the gaiter or sleeve 103 in the use position that would be known to one skilled in the art. When the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 is provided at a hip-wader length the gaiter or sleeve 103 may include a zipper or other fastening means to attach one gaiter or sleeve 1 03 to another similar gaiter or sleeve 103 on the other boot to create hip waders.

When the pouch 100 extends around the entire upper rim 1 10, the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 may be taped or otherwise sealed to itself to provide a waterproof seam extending from the upper edge to the lower edge of the gaiter or sleeve 103. If the pouch 100 does not extend around the entire upper rim 1 10, the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 will also provide sealing means, such as a zipper or other means known to one skilled in the art, extending from the upper edge to the lower edge of the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 for use when the gaiter or sleeve 103 is in the use position.

In the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 3, the outer wall 101 may incorporate a secondary releasable enclosure means 1 08 (shown preferentially as a zipper in Figures 3 and 5-8) that extends from the upper edge to or adjacent the lower edge of outer wall 101 . The secondary releasable enclosure means 108 can facilitate an easier release of the releasable enclosure means 1 05 from the top of the outer wall 101 . Figure 3 shows a front view of a pouch 100, that is affixed around the upper rim 1 10 of the boot upper 1 07, which is in the closed or storage position. Figure 4 similarly shows a top view of a pouch 100, affixed around the upper rim 1 10 of the boot upper 107, which is in the closed or storage position. Figures 5 and 6 show the pouch of Figure 3 with the secondary releasable enclosure means 108 being opened. When the secondary releasable enclosure means 108 is fully open it allows for the releasable enclosure means 1 05 to be more easily opened to allow access to the gaiter or sleeve 103. As shown in Figure 7, once the releasable enclosure means 105 and optional secondary releasable enclosure means 108 are opened, the outer wall 101 can be folded down over the boot upper 107 to allow for the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 to be fully accessed and readily extended up the user's leg. Folding down the outer wall 1 01 can also allow for the pouch 100 to be cleaned of any debris or dirt that may have gotten into the pouch 100. As shown in Figure 8, once the gaiter or sleeve 103 has been extended up the user's leg, the outer wall 101 can be moved back up the boot outer 107, such that the releasable enclosure means 105 and optional secondary releasable enclosure means 1 08, can be closed to provide a better aesthetic look. In a preferred embodiment, the gaiter or sleeve 103 may incorporate features to releasably engage and hold to the enclosure means 105 when the gaiter or sleeve 103 is in the use position and the outer wall 101 has been moved back up the boot outer and closed.

The pouch 100 may also be sold as a kit incorporating patches and materials for repairing damage to the gaiter or sleeve 103. The patches may be used to repair the gaiter or sleeve 1 03 without requiring that the entire pouch 100 be removed and replaced. While the foregoing describes most preferred embodiments of the subject invention, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that variations of such embodiments will be feasible and still be within the scope of the teachings herein. Thus, the substitution of different materials for those specifically indicated may be expected to occur to such person, and variations in shapes and configurations of the different components involved may be made while sustaining the functions of components actually shown herein, such all being within the intended scope of the present invention.