Sports shoe cover

Abstract

A cover for a lace-up football boot has a continuous, elastically expandable sleeve ( 1 ). The sleeve is, in use, stretched around the boot so that the latter extends through the sleeve with the toe of the boot protruding from the end of the sleeve, and that the underside of the sleeve engages the portion of the underside of the boot in a region between the heal and the toe (i.e. under the arch of the foot). This engagement between the sleeve and the boot is sufficient to hold the sleeve in position on the boot in use, the sleeve also covering the bootlaces to prevent the latter from untying. At least part of the cover may also be transparent so as to reveal ornamental features or indicia on the boot.

1 - 18 . (canceled)  
     
     
         19 . A cover for a lace-up boot, the cover comprising solely a continuous elastically expandable sleeve in the form of a single band of one piece construction for stretching around the boot so that the boot is extendable through the sleeve with the toe of the boot protruding from an end of the sleeve, an underside of the sleeve being engageable with a portion of a sole of the boot in a region between the heel and toe of the boot, the sleeve being arranged to grip the boot upper and said portion of the sole so as to hold the sleeve in position on the boot, the sleeve being dimensioned to cover laces of the boot to prevent the latter untying, and the sleeve having a varying axial dimension around its circumference from a top of the sleeve to the bottom of the sleeve when located on a boot with the top of the sleeve being longer than the sleeve bottom.  
     
     
         20 . A cover according to claim  1 , in which the cover is so configured that it is arranged to be held on a boot solely by the engagement of the sleeve, which said sleeve is made of elastomeric material.  
     
     
         21 . A cover according to claim  1 , in which the sleeve is constituted by one of moulded latex, silicone rubber, and transparent material.  
     
     
         22 . A cover according to claim  1 , in which the exterior of the top of the sleeve includes at least one roughened zone on an outer surface of the sleeve, wherein, when a ball is being kicked using the boot with the cover fitted, the rough surface is engageable with the ball to assist in control of the later.  
     
     
         23 . A cover according to claim  4 , in which the at least one roughened zone is formed by a plurality of embossed ribs arranged in a herringbone pattern.  
     
     
         24 . A cover according to claim  4 , in which a first zone is provided substantially in the centre of the top of the sleeve so that, in use it overlies the laces of a boot on which the sleeve is fitted.  
     
     
         25 . A cover according to claim  1  wherein the varying axial dimension is continuously variable.  
     
     
         26 . A cover according to claim  7  in which the first zone is one of three such zones, the other two further zones respectively flanking the first zone.  
     
     
         27 . A cover according to claim  1 , in which the sleeve includes fastening means for releaseably holding a tongue of the boot.  
     
     
         28 . A cover according to claim  9 , in which the fastening means comprises one of a patch of filamentary hooks or eyes for engaging a complimentary material on the tongue to provide a touch and close fastening between the cover and the tongue, and a plurality of filamentary headed protuberances.  
     
     
         29 . A cover as claimed in claim  1 , in combination with a sports shoe such as a football boot.