USRE43214EExpiredUtility

Metatarsal protector

66
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Oct 11, 2000Filed: Jan 18, 2008Granted: Feb 28, 2012
Est. expiryOct 11, 2020(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Charles E. Covatch
A43B 7/32A43B 23/087
66
PatentIndex Score
7
Cited by
33
References
22
Claims

Abstract

Footwear for protecting a wearer's foot includes an upper an upper that defines an opening for receiving a wearer's foot and an outsole attached to the upper, the upper further including a vamp having a proximal and a distal region, an elastic instep guard positioned on an instep portion of the upper to protect a metatarsal region of the foot, the elastic instep guard extending from the distal region to the proximal region of the vamp which is attached to the toe portion of the steel toe. The instep guard has a plurality of hollow passages.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
 a vamp of an upper extending from a toe portion to an instep portion;   a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;   a steel toe positioned beneath said toe portion;   an elastic guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner and including a plurality of hollow passages; and   said elastic instep guard is in direct contact with said steel toe and extends from said steel toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot.   
     
     
       2. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the instep guard includes:
 a first sheet; and   a plurality of support members extending from the first sheet to define the plurality of the hollow passages.   
     
     
       3. The footwear of  claim 2 , wherein the instep guard further comprises a second sheet connected to the first sheet by the support members. 
     
     
       4. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of holes are defined by the first sheet and support members. 
     
     
       5. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow passages are filled with air. 
     
     
       6. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow passages are elongated. 
     
     
       7. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the elongated hollow passages has cross-section that is either circular, ovoid, or triangular in shape. 
     
     
       8. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the support members define a first type of elongated passage with a first cross-section shape and a second type of elongated passage with a second cross-section shape. 
     
     
       9. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the instep guard includes a resilient material. 
     
     
       10. The footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the instep guard is positioned on an underside of the instep portion of the footwear. 
     
     
       11. Footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
 a toe of the footwear;   a vamp of an upper extending from said toe to an instep portion;   a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;   an instep guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner and including a plurality of enclosed hollow passages; and   said instep guard is in direct contact with said toe and extends from said toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot.   
     
     
       12. The footwear of claim 11, wherein said plurality of channels are generally aligned along a longitudinal axis of said guard. 
     
     
       13. The footwear of claim 12, wherein said plurality of channels are air-filled. 
     
     
       14. Footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
 a toe of the footwear;   a vamp of an upper extending from said toe to an instep portion;   a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;   an instep guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner;   wherein said instep guard comprises a sheet having a planar surface adjacent to said instep portion, a plurality of support members extending from the sheet to define a plurality of hollow passages, and a second sheet connected to the sheet having the planar surface by said plurality of support members; and   said instep guard is in direct contact with said toe and extends from said toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot.   
     
     
       15. The footwear of claim 14, wherein at least some of the plurality of hollow passages are defined by the sheet having the planar surface and the support members. 
     
     
       16. The footwear of claim 14, wherein the hollow passages are filled with air. 
     
     
       17. The footwear of claim 14, wherein the hollow passages are elongated. 
     
     
       18. The footwear of claim 14, wherein at least one of the elongated hollow passages has cross-section that is either circular, ovoid, or triangular in shape. 
     
     
       19. The footwear of claim 14, wherein the plurality of support members define a first type of elongated passage with a first cross-section shape and a second type of elongated passage with a second cross-section shape. 
     
     
       20. The footwear of claim 14, wherein the instep guard includes a resilient material. 
     
     
       21. The footwear of claim 14, wherein the instep guard is positioned on an underside of the instep portion of the footwear. 
     
     
       22. The footwear of claim 11, wherein said instep guard is an undulating sheet.

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