Safety strap

[0001] The present invention is related to a safety strap or lace for shoes.

[0002] Many summer shoes are slip-on shoes, and can be put on and off extremely easily.

[0003] This feature of being open on the back is in some cases meant to a better ease of use or to a greater summer comfort, while in other cases it is just a question of fashion. The result is that nowadays many shoes, both for male and female, are slip-on shoes.

[0004] While these shoes can be aesthetically beautiful or especially comfortable, they have the problem of being dangerous if worn by a vehicle driver. While driving, especially vehicles with manual gear lever, accelerator, brake and clutch have to be pushed in confidence and the feet have to move from one pedal to the other in a rapid way. This is especially important in case of brake. Also on a motorbike, the gear lever is often a pedal and sometimes also the brake; therefore, it is important that the driver wears adequate shoes. The danger of slip-on shoes is the fact that the foot can slip away from the shoe during a critical and rapid operation as the braking or pressing the clutch.

[0005] The present invention is however not limited to slip-on shoes. In fact, it is possible and sometimes convenient to apply the safety strap or lace of the present invention to any shoe.

Sometimes closed shoes do not fit tightly enough and the safety strap or lace of the present invention can provide a solution to this problem.

[0006] The aim of the present invention is therefore to create a device capable of overcoming the mentioned inconvenient.

[0007] In a first embodiment, the present invention is directed to a safety strap or lace to better connect a shoe to the foot.

[0008] In another embodiment the present invention is directed to a device that allows to drive in safety avoiding that the foot slips off the worn shoe. In a preferred embodiment the worn shoe is a slip-on shoe.

[0009] This aim is accomplished by a device whose characteristics are underlined in the claims.

[0010] The invention would be better understood with the following detailed description, given just as an example, therefore without any limiting purpose, of preferred manufacturing embodiments, illustrated in the annex figures of which:

[0011] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a slip-on shoe, provided by a first manufacturing embodiment of the safety strap or lace according to the invention.

[0012] Figure 2 shows the same shoe of the previous figure, with the safety strap or lace, object of the invention, correctly worn;

[0013] Figure 3 shows a second manufacturing embodiment with a simple ring shape.

[0014] Figure 4 shows the second manufacturing embodiment

with a tensile means;

[0015] In figure 1 and 2 the device is shown in the favourite manufacturing embodiment that includes a safety strap composed by three tracts connected together in 2 points, A and B. A first tract (2) is suitable to pass back the ankle (22) and exactly back the heels (21) tendon (20) of the person that wears the shoe. A second tract (3) is able to pass before the ankle (22), creating with the first tract (2) a first ring arranged around the ankle and preventing this first tract (2) to slip down towards the heel (21). The safety strap (1) includes furthermore a connecting mean (4), in the example a third tract, that links together the ending parts (10) of the first tract (2), and that is meant to constrain the ring created by the first (2) and second tract (3) to the shoe (5), passing under the sole (6). Such third tract (4) functions as connection mean to the shoe (5) for the safety strap (1). This third tract (4), furthermore, passing in front of the fore side of the heel (7) is retained by the heel and is therefore precluded from slipping towards the back side of the shoe (5), when worn. [0016] In the manufacturing embodiment of the figures 1 and 2, the first tract (2) and the third tract (4) constitute a unique strap and together form a second closed ring where the first tract (2) is in common with the first ring. The second tract (3) is linked to this second ring, formed by this first tract (2) and the third tract (4), fixed on one end and removable to the other, through a fastener (8) (a buckle in the example) that works also as a tensile

mean in order to regulate the length of the second tract (3). [0017] Each tract (2, 3 e 4) can be furnished with tensile means as, for example, buckles or elastic clip.

[0018] In its functioning, referring to the manufacturing embodiment of figures 1 and 2, the user that wears slip-on shoes and is going to drive a vehicle in safety for himself and for the others, wears the safety strap (1) making pass the third tract (4) under the shoe next to the front part of the heel (7), and lifting the first tract (2) behind the ankle (20). Then the user passes the second tract (3) over the ankle (22) and blocks it on the ring formed by the first tract (2) and the third tract (4) using the buckle (8).

[0019] After driving, the user frees the second tract (3) from the first tract (2), brings down the first tract (2) and removes the safety strap (1) from under the shoe (5).

[0020] In its simpler manufacturing embodiment (here indicated as second manufacturing embodiment) the safety strap (1) has the shape of a ring able to pass back the ankle (22) and under the shoe (5). This ring can also be plastically or elastically deformable in order to form an "eight" shape with two rings, one to be placed around the ankle (22) and the other to be passed under the sole (6) of the shoe (5) (Figure 3). In the case represented in the figure the safety strap (1) passes twice back the ankle (22). A clip (12) can regulate the utilized length of the ring working as a tensile mean (Figure 4).

[0021] Despite the presence of the second tract (3) (suitable to pass before the ankle) is always preferable, the safety strap (1) can also work without it. It can also include a first tract (2) and a third tract (4) that pass under the shoe (5). The presence of the first tract (2) is indeed necessary in order to avoid the unwanted take off of the foot from the shoe, with dangerous consequences for the driver of a vehicle. The second tract (3) is useful to link the safety strap to the ankle (22) in a stable way, but it is not absolutely necessary. The third tract (4) works as a connection mean to the shoe (5), but this function can be accomplished also by others connection means.

[0022] It is convenient to foresee that the first tract (2) has an adjustable length in order to link the foot to the shoe without resulting too tight or too loose in conformity with the user. Also the second tract (3) should be adjustable to better fit the ankle of the user. Tensile means can be foreseen on each tract composing the safety strap.

[0023] Of course, it is possible to foresee that the safety strap (1) can be used for other purposes than for driving a vehicle. For example, the person wearing the shoes may like not only to walk but, for example, to run or to walk on a rugged path; he or she could use the safety strap to make the shoes more tight to the feet.