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  Disposable footwear coverUSPTO Application #: 20070044343Title: Disposable footwear cover Abstract: The present invention relates to disposable protective footwear covers suitable for use in sterile environments, critically controlled environments, medical facilities, and industrial clean rooms. (end of abstract) Agent: E I Du Pont De Nemours And Company Legal Patent Records Center - Wilmington, DE, US Inventor: Rodger M. Harris USPTO Applicaton #: 20070044343 - Class: 03600710R (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070044343. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to disposable protective footwear covers suitable for use in sterile environments, critically controlled environments, medical facilities, and industrial clean rooms. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] Workers entering critically controlled areas need to don apparel to prevent substances released from the wearer's body from contaminating the environment. The apparel should not shed particles or fibers from the fabric. The apparel can further offer the worker protection from light liquid splash or dry particulates. [0005] Boot and shoe covers are important to prevent tracking particles throughout critically controlled areas. Disposable footwear covers are used in the semiconductor and life science industries to prevent product contamination and exposure of the wearer to hazardous pathogens or materials. [0006] Current footwear covers introduce additional hazards to the wearer such as slipping and tripping as a result of excess material contacting the floor. During use, current footwear covers can sag allowing material to drag on the floor creating a tripping hazard. Typical areas in which such material commonly contacts the floor and creates a hazard include the ankle area and metatarsal area. [0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,526 discloses a shoe cover of liquid impervious material with an elastic band completely encircling the ankle of the wearer. The patent does not teach the reduction of slipping and tripping hazards associated with the use of a shoe cover. [0008] What is therefore needed is a disposable footwear cover that snuggly gathers excess material away from the floor to prevent slips, trips, and falls. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] This invention relates to a disposable footwear cover having an inner surface, an outer surface, a lower leg region, an ankle region, a metatarsal region, a toe region, and a sole region the cover comprising: [0010] a flexible polymer sheet; [0011] an elastic gather in the lower leg region; [0012] an elastic gather in the metatarsal region; [0013] an elastic gather in the ankle region; and [0014] a non-slip polymer coating covering at least 25 percent of the surface area of the sole region. [0015] This invention also relates to a process for making the disposable footwear cover. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] FIG. 1 represents a side view of a footwear cover. [0017] FIGS. 2A-2F represent steps in a process for making a footwear cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0018] This invention relates to a disposable footwear cover for use in sterile environments, medical facilities, industrial clean rooms and the like that employs elastic gathers and a non-slip coating to provide the wearer additional protection against slips, trips, and falls. [0019] The disposable footwear cover of this invention is prepared from flexible sheet materials, having an inner surface toward the wearer's foot or footwear and an outer surface away from the wearer's foot or footwear, formed into the general shape of a shoe, boot, or foot. The flexible sheet materials can be woven or nonwoven. Preferably, the flexible sheet materials are nonwoven. The flexible sheet materials can optionally include a coating over part or all of the surface to provide additional functionality, such as providing barrier properties. Further, the flexible sheet materials can optionally include bicomponent fibers to provide additional functionality, such as stability to gamma radiation for sterilization purposes. The bicomponent fibers are typically made of two distinct polymers and can be combinations of polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester. However, bicomponent fibers can be made from the same polymer having different properties. The bicomponent fibers can have sheath/core or side-by-side arrangement of the polymers. The flexible sheet materials useful in the present invention are typically liquid impervious and are chosen preferably to additionally act as a barrier to protect the wearer from such hazards as blood and chemicals. [0020] Preferably, the flexible sheet material additionally acts as a barrier to the transmission of particles. More preferably, the flexible sheet material is able to prevent the transmission of greater than 85 percent of particles larger than 0.5 micrometers. Most preferably, the flexible sheet material is able to prevent the transmission of greater than 93 percent of particles larger than 0.5 micrometers. [0021] Flexible sheet materials suitable for use in the present invention include but are not limited to microporous films, polyester and polyolefins. Preferably, the flexible sheet material comprises polypropylene or polyethylene. Polyethylene is preferred, for example TYVEK.RTM., available from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, Del. Flexible sheet materials suitable for use in the present invention can be produced by methods known in the art such as hydroentangling, carded thermal bonding, spunbonding, or meltblowing. [0022] The invention as depicted in FIG. 1, is a disposable footwear cover 10 having an inner surface, an outer surface, a lower leg region 35, an ankle region 30, a metatarsal region 20, a toe region 25, and a sole region 28. The disposable footwear cover 10 includes elastic material to gather excess sheet material and provide a snug and improved fit. The term "elastic gather" as used herein refers to elastic bands, threads or the like that are attached to the flexible sheet material. Referring to FIG. 1, elastic gathers 50, 60 and 70 are typically located respectively on the inner or outer surface of the footwear cover in each of the lower leg region 35 which encompasses the region about 2 cm below the knee to about 2 cm above the ankle, the ankle region 30 which encompasses the region about 2 cm above the ankle to about 2 cm below the ankle, and the metatarsal region 20 which encompasses the region of about the balls of the feet to the heel. The elastic gather 50 located in the lower leg region is typically placed surrounding the boot cover opening. The elastic gathers are typically less than about 2 cm wide. Preferably, the elastic gathers are less than about 1 cm wide. Most preferably, the elastic gather is an elastic thread. The elastic gathers are typically made from materials such as spandex, natural rubber, polyurethanes, and combinations thereof. The elastic gathers can be attached to or incorporated into the flexible sheet material of the footwear cover. Typical means for the attachment or incorporation of the elastic gathers include stitch bonding, adhesives, sewing and tunnelization (enclosing an elastic in a strip of like flexible sheet material and sewing the strip to the footwear). [0023] The elastic gather of the lower leg region 50 typically encircles at least a portion of the leg of the wearer and can completely encircle the wearer's leg. The elastic gather of the lower leg region 50 can extend around all or a fraction of the circumference of the lower leg region. The elastic gather of the lower leg region 50 preferably encircles only a portion of the wearer's leg to allow for ease of donning. More preferably, the elastic gather of the lower leg region 50 encircles a portion of the back of the wearer's leg. Most preferably, the elastic gather of the lower leg region 50 encircles about 30 to 80 percent of the circumference of the wearer's leg at the area of contact. [0024] The elastic gather of the ankle region 60 is typically placed as to gather excess material of the footwear cover and provide a snug fit. The elastic gather of the ankle region 60 can extend around all or a portion of the circumference of the ankle region 30. Preferably, the elastic gather of the ankle region 60 extends around 25 to 80 percent of the circumference of the ankle region 30 of the footwear cover. More preferably, the elastic gather of the ankle region 60 additionally extends around the back of the ankle. Most preferably, the elastic gather of the ankle region 60 extends around 25 to 60 percent of the circumference of the ankle region 30 of the footwear cover including the back of the ankle. [0025] The elastic gather of the metatarsal region 70 is typically placed as to gather excess material of the footwear cover to reduce the possibility of tripping and provide a snug fit. The elastic gather of the metatarsal region 70 typically extends across the metatarsal region 20 from about one edge the sole to about the opposite edge of the sole. Continue reading... Full patent description for Disposable footwear cover Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Disposable footwear cover patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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