Skid-resistance anti-static shoe cover

Abstract

A shoe cover for wearing over a shoe includes an upper shell, a bottom sole, and an anti-static strip, with the upper shell and the sole are attached together to form an internal space for housing the covered shoe, with the sole made of a skid-resistant material to promote enhanced traction for the wearer, and with the anti-static strip attached to the shoe cover to promote contact with the walked-upon surface to prevent static electricity build up and shocks. In example embodiments, the static strip is attached to the shoe cover along a central longitudinal portion of the sole or along a side longitudinal seam joining the upper shell and the sole together.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shoe cover for wearing over a shoe of a wearer, comprising:
 an upper shell with an ankle opening through which the wearer's shoe can be inserted to don the shoe cover;   a bottom sole made of a skid-resistant material and attached to the upper shell to form a peripheral seam and to define an internal space housing the covered shoe; and   at least one anti-static strip made of a conductive material, having a free portion extending from the shoe cover with a length selected to permit it to be tucked into the shoe or a sock of the wearer, and having an attached portion that is attached to the shoe cover and has at least an exposed portion thereof positioned adjacent the sole so that it contacts a surface walked upon by the wearer,   
       wherein the skid-resistant material of the sole provides for enhanced traction to reduce slipping by the wearer, and the anti-static strip provides a conductive pathway to reduce static electricity build up and electric shocks to the wearer. 
     
     
         2 . The shoe cover of  claim 1 , wherein the upper shell includes an elastic band surrounding the ankle opening. 
     
     
         3 . The shoe cover of  claim 1 , wherein a peripheral lip of the bottom sole and a bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together along the peripheral seam to form a bead. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe cover of  claim 3 , wherein the peripheral lip of the bottom sole and the bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together along the peripheral seam to form the bead within the internal space of the shoe cover. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe cover of  claim 1 , wherein the sole includes a central longitudinal portion and the anti-static strip is attached to the central longitudinal portion of the sole. 
     
     
         6 . The shoe cover of  claim 5 , wherein the sole further includes two opposing side longitudinal portions between which the central longitudinal portion is positioned. 
     
     
         7 . The shoe cover of  claim 5 , wherein the side longitudinal portions of the sole are positioned inward of longitudinal side portions of the peripheral seam attaching the sole to the upper shell. 
     
     
         8 . The shoe cover of  claim 5 , wherein the anti-static strip is attached to the central longitudinal portion of the sole along a central longitudinal seam. 
     
     
         9 . The shoe cover of  claim 8 , wherein the central longitudinal seam is formed by stitching the attached portion of the anti-static strip to the central longitudinal portion of the sole. 
     
     
         10 . The shoe cover of  claim 9 , wherein the stitching is configured to provide a strong and durable attachment of the anti-static strip to the sole while also maintaining a low profile to minimize possible loss of gripping contact between the sole adjacent the central longitudinal seam and the walked-upon surface and to minimize possible loss of electrical contact between the anti-static strip and the walked-upon surface. 
     
     
         11 . The shoe cover of  claim 10 , wherein the anti-static strip is stitched to the sole using a flatbed machine after the sole is attached to the upper shell. 
     
     
         12 . The shoe cover of  claim 1 , wherein the attached portion of the anti-static strip includes the exposed portion and a non-exposed portion, the non-exposed portion is attached to the shoe cover along the peripheral seam, and the exposed portion extends laterally inwardly across and adjacent the sole. 
     
     
         13 . The shoe cover of  claim 12 , wherein free longitudinal edges of the peripheral lip of the sole, the bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell, and the non-exposed attached portion of the anti-static strip are stacked in three layers, aligned together, and stitched together to attach the anti-static strip to the shoe cover. 
     
     
         14 . The shoe cover of  claim 12 , wherein the sole is made of a less flexible material than the upper shell and the anti-static strip combined so that the sole remains generally flat and thus biases the upper shell to fold back over on itself so that the exposed portion of the anti-static strip extends laterally inward to promote contact with the walked-upon surface. 
     
     
         15 . A shoe cover for wearing over a shoe of a wearer, comprising:
 an upper shell with an ankle opening through which the wearer's shoe can be inserted to don the shoe cover and with an elastic band surrounding the ankle opening provide adjustability of the ankle opening;   a bottom sole made of a skid-resistant material and attached to the upper shell to form a peripheral seam and to define an internal space housing the covered shoe, wherein a peripheral lip of the bottom sole and a bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together to form the peripheral seam, and wherein the sole includes two opposing side longitudinal portions and a central longitudinal portion positioned therebetween; and   at least one anti-static strip made of a conductive material, having a free portion extending from the shoe cover with a length selected to permit it to be tucked into the shoe or a sock of the wearer, and having an attached portion that is attached to the shoe cover and positioned adjacent the sole so that it contacts a surface walked upon by the wearer, wherein the attached portion of the anti-static strip is attached to and along the central longitudinal portion of the sole along a central longitudinal seam formed by stitching the attached portion of the anti-static strip to the central longitudinal portion of the sole,   
       wherein the skid-resistant material of the sole provides for enhanced traction to reduce slipping by the wearer, and the anti-static strip provides a conductive pathway to reduce static electricity build up and electric shocks to the wearer. 
     
     
         16 . The shoe cover of  claim 15 , wherein the peripheral lip of the bottom sole and the bottom peripheral lip of the upper shell are attached together along the peripheral seam to form the bead within the internal space of the shoe cover. 
     
     
         17 . The shoe cover of  claim 15 , wherein the side longitudinal portions of the sole are positioned inward of longitudinal side portions of the peripheral seam attaching the sole to the upper shell. 
     
     
         18 . The shoe cover of  claim 15 , wherein the stitching is configured to provide a strong and durable attachment of the anti-static strip to the sole while also maintaining a low profile to minimize possible loss of gripping contact between the sole adjacent the central longitudinal seam and the walked-upon surface and to minimize possible loss of electrical contact between the anti-static strip and the walked-upon surface. 
     
     
         19 . The shoe cover of  claim 15 , wherein the anti-static strip is stitched to the sole using a flatbed machine after the sole is attached to the upper shell.