Oh, patents! Isotoner® slippers – just like gloves

Copyright Françoise Herrmann

Have you ever worn slippers that felt like gloves?... There is more to this impression than just the comfort…! 
Totes Isotoner Corporation, as it is known today, actually began in 1910 as the Aris Glove Company!

 In 1970 the Aris Glove Company began manufacturing the gloves that were previously crafted out of leather using a spandex/nylon fabric with unique 4-way stretching and massaging properties. And because of these toning properties and the isomeric chemistry of the synthetic material, the company acquired a new name, Aris ISOTONER Inc., combining the terms “isomer” and “tone”.

It is probably one of those inventive steps (with no pun intended), or a stroke of genius, that shifted the production of spandex/nylon gloves to spandex/nylon slippers, although the contoured, memory foam insole of ISOTONER® slippers is yet another comfort feature that distinguishes these slippers from many others. 

Indeed, the inventors of these slippers point out that, in the prior art, comfort is all too often sacrificed for durability or visa versa. Hence the need for a slipper that is both durable and comfortable, and consequently the present invention that pairs a durable outsole with a resilient inserted sole.

Below you will find the abstract for patent EP1042967, awarded to Isotoner Inc., titled Footwear which discloses the ISOTONER® contoured resilient foam insole that cushions your feet in unparalleled ways, while still providing a durable outsole. You will also find one of the patent drawings and the picture of a marketed ISTONER spandex/nylon slipper with the memory foam insole. 

Abstract EP1042967 A slipper (10) with a durable outsole (20), and a separable resilient insert (38) placed on top of the outsole. The slipper preferably includes an insole (62) covering the separate resilient insert, and a vamp (12) attached to the outsole. When in use, the durable outsole is resistant to wear and abrasion, and the separate resilient insert provides comfort to the user's foot because the resilient insert is separate from and movable relative to the outsole when a user walks in the slipper.

As for the Totes… and the fact that Totes Isotoner Corporation is the number one umbrella supplier in the world, that’s another story of mergers and entrepreneurship! Lest your slippers should feel like umbrellas…!