Shoe surface and heel repair/protective device

Abstract

A heel repair/protective kit carried in a women's purse or handbag contains one or more cup members designed to be slipped onto the heel stem tip of a high-heel shoe. The cup member is composed of elastic material that fits snugly over the heel stem tip, covering a chipped or broken tip surface. The cup members may extend partway up the heel stem, and may contain decorative elements such as gems, rhinestones, studs and the like. The kit may additionally contain one or more sheets having a plurality of peel-and-stick patches of various sizes, colors, and shapes. These peel-and-stick patches may be applied to the heel stem and the sides or front of the shoe sole to cover up scuffs and scratches, and provide a decorative appearance that protects the sides, front or heel stem from further damage. The patches are composed of cloth, polymeric sheets or metallic foils having a stretch-release adhesive backing. The heel protection kit fixes high-heel shoe damages in an efficient, reliable manner. On-the-fly repair is readily effected, affording continuous usage without need for tools or shoe repair personnel.

1 . A stem heel repair/protective kit for women's high-heeled shoes, comprising:
 a. at least one small sized cup member adapted for repairing a damaged heel stem tip of a high-heeled shoe, said cup member fitting snuggly around said damaged tip of said heel stem and extending a part way up said stem when slipped thereon to enable said cup member to remain in place;   whereby the high-heel shoe can be repaired on-the-fly from kit components carried in a purse or handbag reducing chance of injury and improving wearability of said high-heel shoe.   
     
     
         2 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said cup member is made of an elastic material and holds said cup member on the heel stem by elastic stretch force and friction. 
     
     
         3 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said cup member extends 1.5 to 3 times the cross sectional length of the cup member covering the heel stem of the high heel shoe. 
     
     
         4 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said cup member has a cylindrical cross section designed to fit a cylindrical heel stem. 
     
     
         5 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said cup member has a rectangular cross section designed to fit a rectangular heel stem. 
     
     
         6 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said cup member has a hexagonal cross section designed to fit a hexagonal heel stem. 
     
     
         7 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said cup member has a thin side wall for easy insertion of said cup member into said heel stem, and said ground contacting portion of said cup member has increased thickness providing increased wear resistance and ground friction. 
     
     
         8 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , wherein cement, glue or other chemical or mechanical fastening means is provided for use when affixing said cup-member to said bottom of said heel stem. 
     
     
         9 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 1 , further comprising a flat sheet having plurality of peel and stick patches adapted for covering scratches and scuff marks and preventing further damage to the sides and back of said heel stem. 
     
     
         10 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 9 , wherein said plurality of peel and stick patches are fabricated from a group consisting of cloth, polymeric sheets, and metallic foil, with an adhesive layer at the bottom for securing said patches to cover a scratch or a scuff on the external surface of the high-heel shoe or heel stem. 
     
     
         11 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 10 , wherein polymeric sheet is a vinyl sheet, acrylic sheet, oriented PET Mylar sheet, polyester sheet, and said metallic foil is composed of gold, copper, silver and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 10 , wherein said plurality of peel and stick patches are decoratively printed or appropriately colored or embedded with gems or rhinestones, studs, and base-relief designs. 
     
     
         13 . A stem heel repair/protective kit as recited by  claim 9 , wherein said plurality of peel and stick patches comprise a series of wide patch strips having varying widths for covering wide scuffed or scratched areas, and a series of narrow patch strips, present in a variety of narrow widths, for covering narrow scuffed or scratched areas at the front or sides of a shoe sole. 
     
     
         14 . A stem heel sheath kit for women's high-heeled shoes, comprising:
 a. a sheath that snuggly surrounds a bottom portion of a high-heel shoe stem and extends partway up a side of said stem;   b. said sheath being a cylindrical member having a show surface, and being held in place on said stem by elastic and frictional forces.   
     
     
         15 . A stem heel sheath kit for women's high-heeled shoes as recited by  claim 14 , wherein said sheath is formed from a peel-away patch resident on a backing sheet. 
     
     
         16 . A stem heel sheath device as recited by  claim 15 , wherein said sheath is composed of vinyl, rubber, metal or the like. 
     
     
         17 . A stem heel sheath device as recited by  claim 15 , wherein said show surface of said sheath includes a decorative design. 
     
     
         18 . A stem heel sheath device as recited by  claim 15 , wherein said sheath is transparent. 
     
     
         19 . A stem heel sheath device as recited by  claim 15 , wherein said sheath has embedded therein a plurality of gem stones, rhinestones, or studs. 
     
     
         20 . In a method for fixing a broken stem of a high-heel shoe, the improvement comprising:
 covering said broken heel stem with a cup member that includes a thick disk-like member adapted to fit snuggly around a bottom of said high-heel shoe stem and extend partway up said heel stem, said cup-shaped member being slipped onto said stem and remaining in place thereon to effectuate an on-the-fly shoe repair.