Field of the Invention

The invention relates to footwear. Background to the Invention

Many types of footwear are known, such as boots, shoes, sports shoes, plimsolls and sandals. Different types of footwear are suited to different environments and circumstances and there are many instances in which a person will require more than one type of footwear due to weather conditions or dress requirements, or for comfort. For example, it is known that some footwear, such as high heeled shoes, can become uncomfortable if worn for prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, some footwear is not suitable for certain weather conditions, such as rain or snow. A person may choose to alleviate these problems by carrying alternative footwear with them. However, carrying alternative footwear can be a problem since footwear is generally heavy and cumbersome. Therefore, a relatively large bag will usually be required in order to carry the alternative footwear. Furthermore, when switching to alternative footwear a person may be faced with carrying previously worn footwear that is wet or covered in mud and so may damage the contents of the bag. An additional protective bag, such as a plastic bag, can be used to protect the carrying bag and its contents. However, it is easy to forget or mislay an additional bag. Summary of the Invention

The invention provides footwear comprising a main body able to receive a wearer's foot and a storage pouch in which said main body can be stored, the storage pouch being attached to said main body and having an opening and the main body being provided with an aperture through which the storage pouch can be withdrawn from a stored position within the main body to permit the main body to be inserted into said storage pouch through said opening while remaining attached to said storage pouch. The invention also includes a method of storing footwear that comprises a main body in which a wearer's foot can be received and a storage pouch attached to said main body, said method comprising;

withdrawing said storage pouch from a stored position in said main body through an aperture provided in said main body; and

inserting said main body through an opening of said storage pouch while said storage pouch remains attached to said main body.

The invention also includes footwear comprising a main body able to receive a wearer's foot and a storage pouch in which said main body can be stored, said storage pouch having an opening through which said main body is received in said storage pouch and said main body defining a receiving space for said storage pouch in which said storage pouch can be stored when a wearers' foot is received in said main body and having an aperture through which said storage pouch can be withdrawn from said receiving space and a fastener system for fastening said aperture, said fastener system being operable to fasten said opening of said storage pouch when said main body is stored therein.

The invention also includes an article of footwear comprising a main body able to receive a wearer's foot and a storage pouch attached to the main body and configurable to receive the main body so that the main body can be stored in the storage pouch when the article of footwear is not being worn.

The storage pouch may be integrally formed with the main body. The main body may be deformable so that it can be manipulated between a wearablecondition and a storable position, in which the main body is folded or flattened.

The main body may comprise an upper portion with an aperture formed therein, wherein the storage pouch is insertable through the aperture so that it is received in the main body. The rim of the storage pouch opening may extends along and is attached to an edge of the aperture.

The main body may further comprise a fastener, for example a zip fastener, to open and close the aperture.

The fastener may be configured to open and close the opening to the storage pouch when the main body is received therein. The rim of the opening to the storage pouch may be disposed adjacent to the fastener.

The aperture may be elongate and extend along the main body.

The main body may comprise an upper and a sole and the storage pouch may be attached to the upper. The upper may comprises an outer layer and a lining. Thee aperture may formed through the outer layer to access a pouch receiving space is defined between the outer layer and the lining.

The storage pouch may be formed from a lightweight nylon material. The invention also includes a method of storing footwear comprising a main body and a storage pouch attached to the main body, the method comprising deforming the main body and inserting the main body into the storage pouch.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an article of footwear;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the article of footwear of Figure 1 with a pouch thereof withdrawn;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the article of footwear of Figure 1 with the main body of the article of footwear contained in the pouch; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the article of footwear shown in Figure 1 with the pouch in a closed condition.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments

Figures 1 to 4s show an article of footwear in the form of a boot 10. It is to be understood that while the illustrated embodiment is a boot, the invention is not limited to boots and can be applied to other types of footwear, for example shoes, plimsolls and other sports shoes or sandals. The boot 10 comprises a main body 12 in which a wearer's foot is received and a storage pouch 14 (Figure 2) in which the main body 12 can be stored when the boot is not in use.

The main body 12 comprises a flexible, deformable upper 16 and a resiliently deformable sole 18. The upper 16 is formed integrally with or is secured to the sole 18 to define a foot receiving space 20. The upper 16 is made from a deformable, flexible material(s), such as a hydrophobic synthetic material. The sole 18 is made of a flexible, resilient material, such as thermo polyurethane, which is lightweight and has high abrasion resistance. Although not essential, in the illustrated embodiment the sole 18 is generally planar. The underside of the sole 18 has a gripping surface 22 that contacts the ground when a wearer is walking. As is known in the art, the gripping surface 22 may be provided with a variety of formations, such as ribs or dimples, to improve the grip provided. In the illustrated embodiment the upper 16 and sole 18 define a completely enclosed foot receiving space 20. The upper 16 is provided with an opening 24 at an end remote from the sole 18. The opening 24 provides access to the foot receiving space 20. The upper 14 comprises an outer layer 26 and an inner layer, or lining, 28, which lie adjacent each other such that the lining is disposed against an inner face of the outer layer. The outer layer 26 is folded back on itself around the opening 24 to define a circumferentially extending passage that houses a resiliently deformable cord 30. The cord 30 may be used to tighten the main body at the opening against the wearer's calf. An elongate aperture 32 is defined in the upper 16 through the outer layer 26 In the illustrated embodiment the elongate aperture 32 is a longitudinally extending slit provided in the part of the upper 16 that when worn surrounds the wearer's calf and is arranged so as to extend in the lengthways direction of the calf.. A fastener, such a zip fastener 34, is provided on the main body 12 to secure the aperture 32 in a closed condition. The two halves of the zip fastener 34 are secured to the upper 16 along the two opposed sides of the elongate aperture 32.

Referring to Figures 2 to 4, the storage pouch 14 has sidewalls 36 and an opening 38 (Figure 3). Although not essential, in the illustrated embodiment the sidewalls are generally planar and rectangular in outline. The rectangular outline sidewalls 36 are joined along three edges 39 and open at the fourth to provide the opening 38. A main body receiving space is defined between the sidewalls 36 and accessed via the opening 38. The storage pouch 14 is formed from a thin nylon material or silk.

The storage pouch 14 is attached to the upper 16 such that the sides of the storage pouch opening 38 are disposed alongside the sides of the elongate aperture 32. The sides of the storage pouch opening 22 are joined to the inner side of the outer layer 26 adjacent the fastener 34. Therefore, when the elongate aperture 32 is fastened in a closed condition by the fastener 34 closed, the storage pouch 14 is secured in a storage pouch receiving space defined between the outer layer 26 and lining 28. Therefore, the storage pouch 14 can be hidden from view when the boot 10 is being worn. In the illustrated embodiment the fastener 34 is a double-sided zip fastener positioned such that its slider 42 can be operated from each side of the zip. Therefore, the zip fastener is usable to open and close the elongate aperture 32 when the article of footwear is in a wearable condition with the storage pouch stored within the upper and to open and close the opening 38 of the storage pouch 14 when the main body 12 is stored in the storage pouch. Double-sided zip fasteners will be known to those skilled in the art and so will not be described in detail herein.

Use of the boot 10 will now be described, starting from the wearable condition shown in Figure 1. In its wearable condition the main body 2 of the boot 10 is in an expanded condition. The fastener 34 is in a closed condition in which it draws the opposing sides of the elongate aperture 32 are drawn together. The storage pouch 14 is received in the storage pouch receiving space defined between the outer layer 26 and lining 28 of the upper 16. An advantage of storing the storage pouch 14 being received between the outer layer 26 and lining 28 is that the storage pouch is spaced from the wearer's skin and does not touch the user's leg, which may be uncomfortable. It will be appreciated that when the storage pouch 14 is made from a thin and lightweight material it will not require a significant storage volume and so that will not press against the wearer's leg when the boot 10 is being worn. In order to put the boot 10 on, the wearer releases the fastener 34 by moving it from the closed position shown in Figure 1 to the open position shown in Figure 2. This releases the opposing sides of the aperture 32 so that they can move apart. In this way the effective diameter of the part of the upper 16 that surrounds the wearer's lower leg when the boot is being worn is increased. This makes it easier for the wearer's foot to be slid through the opening 24 and fully into the foot receiving space 20. The lining 28 is a resilient material, or is loose, so that the wearer's foot is not restricted by the lining while it is inserted into the foot receiving space. Once the wearer's foot is fully inserted the fastener 34 can be returned to the closed position shown in Figure 1. This draws the opposing sides of the aperture 32 together so that the upper 16 fits snugly against the wearer's leg. To remove the boot 10 from the wearer's foot the fastener 34 is moved to, or part way to, the open position shown in Figure 2 to provide additional space and flexibility to allow easy removal. If the wearer wishes to store the main body 12 in the storage pouch 1 , the fastener should be moved to the fully open position shown in Figure 2. It is then possible to reach through the elongate aperture 32 and withdraw the storage pouch from its stored position within the main body 12 so that it extends from the main body as shown in Figure 2.

When in the fully withdrawn position shown in Figure 2, the storage pouch 14 remains attached to the main body 12 and the opening 38 of the storage pouch is disposed within the main body and faces into the main body. As shown in Figure 3, the main body 2 is then folded in on itself and gradually fed through the opening 38 into the receiving space of the storage pouch. By progressive manipulation the main body 12 can be compacted and fully inserted into the storage pouch 14 as shown in Figure 4. The upper 16 and sole 18 are flexible and deformable so that the main body 12 can be easily fed into the storage pouch 14. Once the main body 12 is fully received in the storage pouch 14, the fastener 34 can be operated to close opening 38 and fasten it in a closed condition shown in Figure 4.

With the boot 10 retained in a compact condition by the storage pouch 14, it can be easily inserted into a purse, small bag or the like. Furthermore, the main body 12 is enclosed in the storage pouch 14 and so the water and dirt are retained in the storage pouch if the boot is wet or dirty when stored.

In the illustrated embodiment the main body compacted by folding it into the storage pouch. It will be appreciated that the main body may be compacted by deforming it in other ways. For, the main body 12 may compacted by crumpling, folding, rolling or collapsing.

When the boot 10 is to be worn again, the fastener 34 is moved from the closed condition shown in Figure 4 to provide access to the boot. The main body 12 in then drawn through the storage pouch opening 38 until the main body is fully removed therefrom and the boot is in a condition similar to that shown in Figure 2. The storage pouch 14 can then be fed through the elongate aperture 32 to its stored position in the storage pouch receiving space defined between the outer layer 26 and lining 28 of the upper.

In the illustrated embodiment the fastener 34 can be operated to facilitate the process of inserting the wearer's foot into the foot receiving space 20 and then used to draw opposing sides of the elongate aperture 32 together so that the upper 16 fits snugly against the wearer's leg. For this purpose, the elongate aperture extends in a lengthways direction of the generally tubular portion of the upper 16 that surrounds the wearer's lower leg and is preferably orientated such that when the boot 10 is being worn it will extend in the lengthways direction of the leg. However, this is not an essential feature. It will be appreciated that upper 16 may be configured such that that the user does not have to operate the fastener in order to insert their foot into the main body. This may be achieved, for example by making the upper of a suitable elastic material, providing elasticated gussets or providing additional opening that can be opened and closed by a fastener. . In the illustrated embodiment the fastener is a zip fastener. However, other fastener systems may be used and the use of a double-sided zip fastener as shown is not considered essential. The elongate aperture may, for example be secured by a draw string fastening system. In the illustrated embodiment the upper 16 comprises an outer layer 26 and a lining 28 and the storage pouch can be stored in a storage pouch receiving space defined between them. This is not essential. The upper may simply comprise one layer so that the storage pouch 14 is received in the foot receiving space 20. Alternatively, the elongate aperture may extend through both the outer layer and the lining so that, again, the storage pouch is received in the foot receiving space 20. Typically the upper and sole of the main body will be made deformable by making them of suitable flexible materials. It may also prove advantageous to make the structures forming the main body relatively thin. Often the sole will be the stiffest and thickest portion of the main body. To make it easier to deform the main body so that it can be more readily fed into the storage pouch it may be desirable to form fold lines, or lines of weakness in the sole to facilitate folding. Thus, for example, as shown in Figure 3 fold lines 50 may be defined in the gripping surface 22 of the sole 18. The fold lines 50 may take the form of grooves defined in the gripping surface and extending in a widthways direction of the sole. The fold lines may extend transverse to an imaginary line extending from the toe end of the sole to the heel end of the sole and extend from the instep side of the sole to the opposite side of the sole. It may be desirable to have some of the fold lines that extend from the instep side to the opposite side of the sole and are inclined towards the toe end of the heel and some that extend from the instep side to the opposite side of the sole and are inclined towards the heel end as shown in Figure 3.

In the illustrated embodiment the elongate aperture extends along a rear part of upper. It will be appreciated that this is not essential and that the aperture may be provided, for example, in a front or side part of the upper or in the sole.

In some embodiments the storage pouch may be configured to store two articles of footwear of a pair. It will be appreciated that the storage pouch may be provided with side gussets to allow it to be readily compacted when in its stored position within the main body.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing description is given by way of example only, and that modifications may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.