Footwear Bag With Attached Mitten

Abstract

This application describes a footwear storage bag having a fabric bag body and an attached fabric mitten for cleaning, shining, or polishing footwear. The mitten may be attached to the bag body or to a means for closing the bag. The bag body and mitten may have a variety of shapes.

Claims

1. A footwear bag comprising: a) a flexible fabric body having a single opening positioned at the top of the fabric body, thereby defining an internal chamber; b) a bag closure; and c) a flexible fabric mitten configured for receiving a hand and attached to an interior side of the fabric body and extendable from the fabric body through the opening, the mitten comprising a closed end and an opposing open end, the open end without a closure and, wherein the mitten is not accessible by the hand through a side of the bag.

2. The footwear bag of claim 1, wherein the mitten open end is positioned substantially adjacent to the opening.

3. The footwear bag of claim 1 wherein the bag closure is one or more than one selected from the group consisting of a drawstring, a hook and loop fastener, a zipper, a snap, and a magnet.

4. The footwear bag of claim 1 wherein, when the mitten is positioned inside the fabric body and the opening is secured in a closed position, the mitten open end is not accessible by the hand.

5. The footwear bag of claim 1, wherein the mitten comprises a first section for receiving a thumb and a second section for receiving fingers.

6. The footwear bag of claim 5, wherein the first and second sections are essentially equal in size.

7. The footwear bag of claim 5, wherein the thumb-receiving first section is smaller than the fingers-receiving second section.

8. The footwear bag of claim 1, wherein the mitten is fixedly attached to the fabric body.

9. The footwear bag of claim 8, wherein the mitten is attached by one or more than one stitch.

10. The footwear bag of claim 1, wherein the mitten is removably attached to the fabric body.

11. The footwear bag of claim 10 wherein the mitten is attached by one or more than one selected from the group consisting of a hook and loop fastener, a snap, a closing hook, and a button.

12. A footwear bag comprising: a) a flexible fabric body having a single opening positioned at the top of the fabric body, thereby defining an internal chamber; b) a means for securing the bag in a closed position; and c) a flexible fabric mitten configured for receiving a hand and attached to an interior side of the fabric body, the mitten being extendable from the fabric body through the opening and comprising a closed end and an opposing open end, the open end without a closure, wherein the mitten is not accessible by the hand through a side of the bag.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a footwear bag of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a footwear bag of the invention depicting a generally rectangular shaped mitten with a rounded end.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a footwear bag of the invention depicting an aspect of the invention wherein the mitten has separate sections for receiving a thumb and fingers.

[0017] FIG. 4 is an image depicting an aspect of the invention wherein the mitten has separate sections for receiving a thumb and fingers.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a footwear bag of the invention showing the mitten extended to a position outside of the flexible body and ready for use.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a top portion of a footwear bag depicting the attachment of the mitten portion of the bag to a drawstring closure means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a footwear bag 100 of the invention. The bag comprises a flexible body 101 having a bag opening 102 at the top. As such, the bag defines an internal chamber 103. In addition, the bag comprises a means 104 for holding the bag in a closed position. In this exemplary embodiment, the closure means 104 is depicted as a drawstring assembly. The footwear bag also comprises a fabric mitten 105 having a closed end 106 and an opposing open end 107. Mitten 105 may be removably or fixedly attached to the bag by any of a variety of attachment means 108. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, mitten 105 is attached to an interior side of flexible body 101 adjacent to internal chamber 103 and near opening 102 of bag 100 and having stitching as attachment means 108. It is to be noted that mitten 105 is not configured for closing and as such lacks a mean for closure.

[0021] Bag 100 may be any size that is appropriate for holding footwear and may be sized to hold one or more shoe, boot, or other type of footwear, but is typically sized for holding two pieces of footwear, such as a pair of shoes or boots. In some embodiments, flexible body 101 has a generally rectangular shape. The generally rectangular shape may have one or more rounded corner. Other non-limiting, exemplary shapes useful for flexible body 101 include rectangular, square, circular, egg shape, oval, and elliptical. However, flexible body 101 may be any shape that is suitable for inserting, removing, and holding footwear.

[0022] Flexible body 101 is constructed from fabric. Many fabrics are suitable for construction, including by way of example only, flannel, silk, faux silk, cotton, polyester, voile, microfiber fabrics, synthetic fabrics, and fabric blends. However, any flexible fabric is suitable for use in making flexible body 101. In some embodiments of the invention, the fabric is a water-resistant or waterproof fabric or may be treated so as to render flexible body 101 water-resistant or waterproof. Flexible body 101 may be made by any method suitable for making flexible fabric bags and in some embodiments, further comprises an internal fabric lining. By way of example only, flexible body 101 may be made from a single piece of fabric, folded and sewn together at the edges, leaving one side unsewn to form opening 102. In another example, flexible body 101 may be made from different panels, and optionally a bottom panel, stitched together to form a body with an opening at the top. In some embodiments, material at or near the bottom and/or sides may be folded inward and secured or sewn in such a position. Numerous methods for making flexible bags are known to those of skill in the art.

[0023] In embodiments of the invention, bag 100 comprises a means for closure or a closure means 104 for securing the bag in a closed position and for retaining footwear in the bag. In embodiments of the invention, closure means 104 may comprise any means useful for holding a fabric bag in a closed position. Exemplary closure means 104 include single-string or double-string drawstring cords. By way of example only, double-string drawstring cords are shown in the accompanying FIGURES. Other exemplary closure means include hook and loop fasteners (e.g., VELCRO), zippers, snaps, magnets, and combinations thereof. Typically closure means 104 are affixed to bag 100 at locations adjacent to bag opening 102.

[0024] Mitten 105 is configured and sized for receiving at least the thumb and fingers of a human hand and is of a size and shape that allows for insertion of the hand through mitten opening 107. Mitten 105 is made from a fabric that is suitable for cleaning, shining, and and/or polishing of footwear, including by way of example only, flannel, silk, faux silk, cotton, microfiber fabrics, synthetic fabrics, and fabric blends. Mitten 105 may be made by any of a variety of suitable methods for use with fabrics. By way of example only, mitten 105 may be made from a single piece of fabric, folded and sewn at the edges, leaving an opening 107 for insertion of a hand. Mitten 105 may also be made from different panels and stitched together leaving an opening 107 for insertion of a hand.

[0025] Exemplary shapes for mitten 105 that are useful in embodiments of the invention include rectangular as shown in FIG. 1, generally rectangular with a rounded closed end 106 as depicted in FIG. 2, square or generally square with or without rounded corners or a rounded closed end, circular, oval, and the like. In some specific embodiments of the invention, mitten 105 has a generally rectangular shape or a generally square shape.

[0026] In other specific embodiments, such as the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, mitten 105 comprises a thumb-receiving section 300 and a fingers-receiving section 301. In some aspects of the invention, thumb-receiving section 300 and fingers-receiving section 301 have essentially equal sizes, while in other aspects of the invention, sections 300 and 301 are of different sizes, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, such that thumb-receiving section 300 is smaller than fingers-receiving section 301.

[0027] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, mitten 105 is shown in a position that is ready for performing footwear maintenance, such as cleaning or polishing shoes, typically after removal of footwear from bag 100. Here, bag opening 102 is shown as widened, allowing for the passage and extension of mitten 105 through bag opening 102 to a position outside of flexible body 101. Mitten 105 is shown as extending from flexible body 101 to the outside of the bag body. Mitten closed end 106 extends outward from internal chamber 103. For use in this embodiment, a hand is inserted into mitten 105 through mitten opening 107. A thumb is positioned in thumb-receiving section 300 and typically two or more fingers are inserted in fingers-receiving section 301. The mittened or gloved hand can then be used for removing dirt or other soiling on footwear or to shine, polish, dust, or otherwise clean the footwear. Users may obviously choose how many fingers will be inserted into fingers-receiving section 301. For purposes of the invention, a mitten that is extendable from, extending from, or extends from flexible body 101 refers to a mitten that can be positioned or moved to a position essentially outside of internal chamber 103, such that the user can insert a hand into the mitten and use the mitten to clean footwear without flexible body 101 interfering with or hampering the cleaning process.

[0028] In some embodiments of the invention, mitten 105 is attached such that mitten open end 107 is positioned substantially adjacent to bag opening 102. FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 show a mitten attached to an interior side of flexible fabric body 101 and having mitten open end 107 substantially adjacent to bag opening 102. This positioning allows for easy removal from and extension of mitten 105 from flexible body 101 and for easy insertion of a hand into the mitten. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, mitten 105 is attached to the drawstring cord closure means 104 at a position on mitten 105 near mitten open end 107, and mitten open end 107 is substantially adjacent to bag opening 102. For purposes of the invention, when mitten 105 is attached to closure means 104, mitten open end 107 is considered to be substantially adjacent to bag opening 102.

[0029] In some embodiments, mitten 105 is fixedly or removably attached by a means of attachment or attachment means 108 to flexible body 101. In other embodiments, mitten 105 is fixedly or removably attached to bag closure means 104, such as depicted in FIG. 6. In embodiments having mitten 105 attached to bag closure means 104, bag closure means 104 also serves as attachment means 108. In some embodiments, mitten 105 is attached to an interior side of flexible body 101 adjacent to internal chamber 103. In some aspects of the invention where mitten 105 is fixedly attached to an interior side of flexible body 101, attachment means 108 is one or more stitch affixed to secure a portion of mitten 105 to flexible body 101, at a position adjacent to bag opening 102. However, in other aspects of the invention, mitten 105 is removably attached to an interior side of flexible body 101. Means for removably attaching mitten 105 include, by way of example only, hook and loop fasteners (e.g., VELCRO brand hook and loop fasteners), snaps, buttons, and closing hooks. Mitten 105 may also be attached to flexible body 101 with a cord or string, wherein the cord or string is fixedly attached or removably attached to flexible body 101 or mitten 105. As can be appreciated, in embodiments of the invention wherein mitten 105 is attached to flexible body 101 by a cord or string and in embodiments having mitten 105 attached to a closure means 104, for example a drawstring closure, mitten 105 is also extendable from flexible body 101.