Stowable overshoes traction soles

Abstract

Full overshoes or overshoe slippers with traction soles are lightweight, flexible, and stretchable for easy, compact stowing and convenient mounting over the wearer's shoes. The overshoes or slippers have traction material imbedded in the soles thereof such as disperse gravel, pieces of walnut shell, etc., and may, in addition, have chains similarly imbedded for additional traction. The full overshoes have a slit leading to a shoe entry opening which has a fastener for fastening the sides of the slit together to secure the overshoes on street shoes. The overshoes or slippers are easily folded or rolled into a compact shape for stowing in a small, water proof bag which may be carried in a coat pocket, purse, etc., or glove compartment of a vehicle. The overshoes are particularly useful for anyone who may have to walk on icy sidewalks, parking lots, to and from office, home, stores, etc., or the like when encountering winter weather.

1 . A traction sole overshoe comprising: 
 an upper defining shoe entry opening;    a sole attached to said upper and having a lower surface;    disperse traction material imbedded in said sole and extending downward from said sole lower surface;    said upper being made of flexible elastic material.    
     
     
         2 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 1 , said sole being of rubber material molded to said upper, said disperse material being selected from the group comprising sand, crushed rock, metal shavings, crushed porcelain, crushed sea shells, crushed nut shells, and a combination of any of said disperse materials.  
     
     
         3 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 2 , said disperse traction material being molded within said rubber material so as to be imbedded therein, said rubber material being Latex.  
     
     
         4 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 3 , said upper being made of an elastic material selected from the group comprising spandex, rubber, elastic Nylon, and other elastic cloth.  
     
     
         5 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 4 , further comprising lateral chain segments imbedded in said lower surface of said sole.  
     
     
         6 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 4 , said sole being formed in a toe and heel configuration.  
     
     
         7 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 1 , wherein said upper is a full upper defining a selectively opening and closing slit opening said upper having a fastener mounted thereto for selectively opening and securing said slit opening, said fastener being selected from the group comprising hook and loop material, snaps, buckles, laces, and zippers.  
     
     
         8 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 7 , wherein said slit opening is an overlap slit having mating hook and loop strips therealong which are separated for shoe entry and joined for securing said full upper overshoe on said shoe for use.  
     
     
         9 . The traction overshoe of  claim 7 , wherein said slit opening is an overlap slit separating said upper into first and second sides, said first side having a lateral strap extending therefrom over said second side, said lateral strap having a strip of loop material thereon, said second side having a strip of hook material mating with said strip of loop material, said lateral strap being separable from said second side for shoe entry and securable to said second side during use upon mating of said strips of hook and loop material mating and closing said slit.  
     
     
         10 . The traction overshoe of  claim 7 , in combination with a compact storage bag, wherein said overshoe is foldable or rollable into a compact shape for stowing a pair of said overshoes therein.  
     
     
         11 . The traction overshoe of  claim 1 , wherein said upper is a slipper upper having a shoe entry opening extending around said overshoe so as to receive the lower portion of a shoe.  
     
     
         12 . The traction overshoe of  claim 11 , said upper being sufficiently flexible and elastic so as to be securely mounted on a shoe by being stretched over the toe and heel of the shoe and being dismountable from the shoe by grasping and stretching said upper and pulling downward from the heel and then forward from the toe of the shoe.  
     
     
         13 . The traction overshoe of  claim 12 , in combination with a compact storage bag, wherein said overshoe is foldable or rollable into a stowable compact shape for stowing a pair of said overshoes therein.  
     
     
         14 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 6 , wherein said upper is a full upper defining a selectively opening and closing slit said upper having a fastener mounted thereto for selectively opening and securing said slit, said fastener being selected from the group comprising hook and loop material, snaps, buckles, laces, and zippers.  
     
     
         15 . The traction sole overshoe of  claim 14 , wherein said slit opening is an overlap slit having mating hook and loop strips therealong which are separated for shoe entry and joined for securing said full upper overshoe on said shoe for use.  
     
     
         16 . The traction overshoe of  claim 14 , wherein said slit opening is an overlap slit separating said upper into first and second sides, said first side having a lateral strap extending therefrom over said second side, said lateral strap having a strip of loop material thereon, said second side having a strip of hook material mating with said strip of loop material, said lateral strap being separable from said second side for shoe entry and securable to said second side during use upon mating of said strips of hook and loop material mating and closing said slit.  
     
     
         17 . The traction overshoe of  claim 6 , wherein said upper is a slipper upper having a shoe entry opening extending around said overshoe so as to receive the lower portion of a shoe.  
     
     
         18 . The traction overshoe of  claim 17 , in combination with a compact storage bag, wherein said overshoe is foldable or rollable into a stowable compact shape for stowing a pair of said overshoes therein.  
     
     
         19 . A method of making a traction overshoe comprising: 
 spreading a disperse traction material over the surface of an overshoe sole mold;    spreading a vulcanizable rubber material over said disperse traction material;    placing an upper on said vulcanizable rubber material such as to bind therewith; and    vulcanizing said rubber material to form said traction overshoe.    
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said disperse traction material is selected from the group comprising sand, crushed rock, metal shavings, crushed porcelain, crushed sea shells, and crushed nut shells, and said vulcanizable rubber material is Latex.