1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to footwear and, more specifically, to a shoe/foot electrostatic-slipper covering that when worn by a user within a structure having a floor electrostatically attracts particles from the floor to the slipper(s) and therein reduce the amount of airborne particles that can irritate allergies.
Furthermore, the types of particles that would be attracted are not easily swept up and are more inclined to become airborne such as lint, pollen and dust. Therefore, the present invention provides means for reducing the amount of airborne particles on a structure's floor by simply wearing the foot covering of the present invention that will electrostatically bind floor particles thereto.
The invention is in the form of a cover for a shoe or a foot which, when worn indoors on a smooth floor surface, will clean the floor by attracting lint, dust, hair and small debris.
The invention is a shoe covering comprised of a body made of any material that is capable of being appropriately formed to surround a shoe or foot with preference to non-woven fabric. The sole of the shoe cover will be made of material with properties, which will enable it to pick up dust and other small debris. An example of such material would be an electrostatic charged fabric or microfiber. The shoe covering can be used indoors so that when the user walks into a house or building, will slip it on by inserting the foot into the elastic opening at the top of the shoe cover. Once the shoes or feet are covered by the shoe cover, the wearer can go about normal indoor activities and while walking around the house or building, the shoe cover acts as a floor cleaning instrument. This enables the user to keep the floor free of dust and small debris without having to take any extra time to do it.
The invention can be used indoors where cleanliness is desired with the purpose of keeping tile, wood, laminate and vinyl floors free of dust and small dirt debris without having to take any extra time to do it. The shoe covering could also be used for the dual purpose of keeping floors (including carpeted floors) from getting dirty from soiled shoes. The shoe covering is made of non-woven porous materials such as spunbound polypropylene or non-woven laminates, such as spunbound/meltblown/spunbound laminates. It includes an opening that enable the shoe cover to be slipped over the foot or shoes of the wearer. The opening can optionally include a stretchable or resilient material such as rubber or elastomer to maintain the shoe cover on the foot of the wearer. The bottom (sole) of the shoe cover is made of any material that is capable of attracting dust and small debris, but preferably, electrostatic charged fabric or microfiber. The sole also has a print or sprayed on traction adhesive, making the shoe covers slip resistant.
The invention is a shoe/foot cover comprising a body that configures to surround the shoe or foot of the wearer with a bottom portion of the body designed to contact the ground when the cover is worn. The shoe cover is made of non-woven porous material such as spunbond polypropylene or non-woven laminates, such as spunbond, meltblown or spunbond laminates. It includes an opening that enables the shoe cover to be slipped over the foot or shoes of the wearer. The opening can optionally include a stretchable or resilient material such as rubber or elastomer to maintain the shoe cover on the foot of the wearer. The bottom (sole) of the shoe cover is made of a material such as, electrostatic charged fabric or microfiber, with properties for attracting dust or small dirt particles.
Furthermore, the footwear has particular application in research and manufacturing facilities where cleanroom technology is used to control environmental contaminents, such as lint, dust, dirt and pollen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other cleaning devices worn over shoes. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,813 issued to Puskas on Jul. 8, 1997.