Skate cover

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment provides one or more improvements including inexpensive covers for providing warmth and distinctive colorations and indicia to ice skating team members. Other embodiments are adopted for use with in-line roller skates. Embodiments are constructed from a single piece of fabric. Embodiments protect the sole of the user's skate boot from contact with ice and snow.

1 . A cover for an ice skate having a shoe with attached skate blade comprising:
 the cover having an exterior and an interior surface,   the cover comprised of a body and a tongue,   the tongue having a slit along its length, the slit having a length which approximates the distance from the front and back blade stanchions,   the body having an oval shape with a front edge and a rear edge,   the tongue attached to the rear edge,   the body having a left wing and a right wing,   each wing having a forward edge and a rearward edge,   the left wing and right wing connected by a coupling link,   the body large enough to approximately enclose the upper and lower surfaces of the shoe,   closers on the rearward edges of the left and right wings capable of reversibly connecting the left and right wings together underneath the shoe when the cover is attached to a ice skate, and   the cover manufactured of flexible, elastic material.   
     
     
         2 . The cover of  claim 1  manufactured of a single piece of material. 
     
     
         3 . The cover of  claim 1  in which the material of manufacture is polymeric foam. 
     
     
         4 . The cover of  claim 1  further comprising a second layer attached to the exterior surface of the cover. 
     
     
         5 . The cover of  claim 1  in which the material of manufacture is synthetic rubber closed or open cell foam fabric of varying thicknesses with a polyester or nylon fabric fused to one or both sides. 
     
     
         6 . The cover of  claim 1  wherein the exterior surface has distinctive coloration or indicia. 
     
     
         7 . The cover of  claim 1  further comprising a connector on the front edge of the body for attachment to the a shoe. 
     
     
         8 . A cover for an in-line roller skate having a shoe with attached framework supporting the wheels comprising:
 the cover having an exterior and an interior surface,   the cover comprised of a body and a tongue,   the tongue having a slit along its length, the slit having a length which approximates the length of the framework supporting the wheels, the slit having a width which approximates the width of the framework supporting the wheels,   the body having an oval shape with a front edge and a rear edge,   the tongue attached to the rear edge of the body,   the body having a left wing and a right wing,   each wing having a forward edge and a rearward edge,   the body large enough to approximately enclose the upper and lower surfaces of the shoe,   the left wing and right wing connected by a coupling link,   closers on the rearward edges of the left and right wings capable of reversibly connecting the left and right wings together underneath the shoe when the cover is attached to an in-line roller skate skate, and   the cover manufactured of flexible, elastic material.   
     
     
         9 . The cover of  claim 8  manufactured of a single piece of material. 
     
     
         10 . The cover of  claim 8  in which the material of manufacture is polymeric foam. 
     
     
         11 . The cover of  claim 8  further comprising a second layer attached to the exterior surface of the cover. 
     
     
         12 . The cover of  claim 8  in which the material of manufacture is synthetic rubber closed or open cell foam fabric of varying thicknesses with a polyester or nylon fabric fused to one or both sides. 
     
     
         13 . The cover of  claim 8  wherein the exterior surface has distinctive coloration or indicia. 
     
     
         14 . The cover of  claim 8  further comprising a connector on the front edge of the body for attachment to a shoe. 
     
     
         15 . The method of attaching a cover to an ice skate comprising a shoe and a blade or to an in-line roller skate comprising a shoe and a framework holding rollers, comprising the steps:
 a. providing a ice skate or in-line roller skate cover comprising a cover having an exterior and an interior surface, the cover comprised of a body and a tongue, the tongue attached at one end to the body, the tongue having a slit along its length, the slit having a length which approximates the distance from the front and back blade stanchions of the ice skate blade, or the tongue having a slit along its length which approximates the length of the framework supporting the wheels of an in-line roller skate and the slit having a width which approximates the width of the framework supporting the wheels of an in-line roller skate, the body having an oval shape with a front edge and a rear edge, the tongue attached to the rear edge of the body, the body having a left wing and a right wing, the body large enough to approximately enclose the upper and lower surfaces of the shoe, the left wing and right wing connected by a coupling link, closers on the edges of the left and right wings capable of reversibly connecting the left and right wings together underneath the shoe when the cover is attached to a ice skate or to an in-line roller skate, and the cover manufactured of flexible, elastic material,   b. inserting the ice skate blade or in-line roller skate framework into the interior side of the slit with the rear of the blade or framework nearest to the distal end of the tongue,   c. pulling the front edge of the body upward and toward the shoe so the interior surface of the body is adjacent to the laces of the shoe,   d. inverting the wings and connector strap so the interior surface of the wings and coupling link extend above and are visible above the exterior surface of the body,   e. holding the exterior surface of the body against the laces of the shoe with the user's hand,   f. pulling the coupling link forward over the toe of the shoe and under the shoe back to the rear of the ice skate blade or in-line roller skate framework using the user's other hand,   g. looping the coupling link about the rear of the ice skate blade or in-line roller skate framework, thereby inverting the body so that the interior surface of the body is adjacent to the top of the shoe and the interior surfaces of the body wings are adjacent to the bottom surfaces of the shoe, and   h. attaching the closures on the rear edges of the left and right wings to each other below the shoe.