GLOW IN DARK ACCESSORY FOR SLIPPERS

Abstract

This invention is an improvement in conventional slippers, especially designed to be attached to the upper front sides of conventional slippers to make them easy to find in complete darkness. The glow in dark accessory for slipper comprises a small piece, around one square cent meter of glow in dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic in button forms on its own or in other decorative art forms integrated with other types of materials or fabrics for visual interest. The glow in dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic can contain phosphors such as Zinc Sulfide and Strontium Aluminate or other types of phosphors.

Claims

1. A Glow in the Dark Accessory for Slippers comprising: one small piece of glow in the dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic which contains phosphor in button form on its own or in other decorative form integrated with other types of materials or fabrics on the upper side of the slippers, visible to the users.

Description

(3) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is perspective view of conventional slippers with glow in dark silicon button and fabric flora pattern as accessory.

[0009] FIG. 2 is perspective view of conventional slippers with glow in dark silicon button as accessory

(4) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] As we know, all glow in dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic contain phosphors. Phosphors radiate visible light after being exposed to light for a while, and then slowly release their stored energy over time. As they release the energy, they emit small amounts of light, which is seen as an object glowing.

[0011] Two types of phosphors that are commonly used in consumer products are Zinc Sulfide and Strontium Aluminate. Strontium Aluminate is newer and has much brighter glow and much longer persistence than Zinc Sulfide does. The glow in dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic accessories that are made with Zinc Sulfide phosphor provide softer green luminescence, are probably preferred by many users who do not need to see bright green light in darkness. On the other hand, it is possible for some users stronger glow is preferred, due to eyesight issues. So in this case Strontium Aluminate should be used as phosphor.

[0012] The glow in dark accessory for slippers can take various shapes and sizes. The silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic can be on its own as accessories or be incorporated into the overall design to form visually interesting accessories that look fun and stylish at day time and provide luminescence at night time. The preferred size for the glow in dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic piece could be around one square cent meter, although bigger or smaller sizes also work well. The shapes can be round, square, rectangle or any other shapes. And it can be made into button or rivet for easy attachment to slippers. The buttons can have stainless steel, plastic or other material rims if it fits the overall design.

[0013] Quite likely some designer may use the glow in the dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic piece together with other types of decorative materials or fabrics to create interesting and fashionable accessories for slippers. It is not hard to see that the design for the appearance of the overall accessories can be endless. The shapes, sizes, colors and styles of these accessories can vary dramatically to meet variety of aesthetic preferences of different users. Also the styles of the accessories for men's slippers should definitely differ from the styles of the accessories for women's slippers.

[0014] In majority of the cases, the upper front sides of the slippers should be the logical places where the accessories could be attached. However some people prefer to have the accessory placed on the upper back side of the slippers, so the accessory will not make strong visual statement during the day time. It does not matter where the luminescent accessories are placed on the slippers, as long as it provides the much needed luminescence in darkness.

[0015] With all the options, the preferred embodiment of this invention is simply to have the glow in dark silicon or silicon rubber piece incorporated into the floral pattern accessory, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Also along the same line, the accessory can take the paw print design pattern which is very popular with consumer for many years. Except the glow in dark silicon piece, the rest of the accessory can be made with the same fabric as the slippers such as wool felt or other similar fabrics. The accessories can be sewed to the upper front side of the slippers. Also it is possible that the accessories can be on their own, and then consumer can purchase them separately and bin or clip onto the slippers later on. Definitely all the above discussed styles of the accessories are women's styles.

[0016] It is also possible that the glow in dark silicon or silicon rubber or rubber or plastic piece forms an accessory on its own in some sort of button form. The size, shape and color of these buttons can vary depending on the design criteria; the buttons can have stainless steel, plastic or other material rims or no rim at all. In these cases, buttons are the whole accessories. Definitely these buttons can be viewed as another embodiment of the invention, even though they are completely function-oriented and work well for both men and women, and possibly preferred by men for its simple visual appearance.

[0017] In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations.