AU5953400A - Boot or shoe with moulded sole extending to upper - Google Patents

Description

WO 01/05261 PCT/AUOO/00871 Boot or shoe with moulded sole extending to upper FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a boot or shoe and has been devised particularly, though not solely, to provide comfortable waterproof footwear in adverse conditions. 5 There are many applications where it is desirable to provide footwear that is substantially waterproof while remaining comfortable to wear. Such applications might include wet environments such as are encountered in some industries and, for example in mining or military applications. Other examples include situations where it is necessary to provide footwear that is resistant to degradation by chemicals such as acids or other 10 corrosive industrial chemicals. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the past, footwear for use in such situations has typically comprised rubber boots or booties, or rubber overshoes such as galoshes, but rubber footwear of this type is not comfortable over long periods of use due to the lack of ventilation resulting in 15 perspiration and internal dampness. Furthermore, rubber boots and overshoes are inherently elastic in nature and do not mould to the shape of the users foot and are therefore typically uncomfortable to wear. For these reasons, it is often preferred to use leather based footwear in adverse environments but it is extremely difficult to make leather footwear moisture resistant, 20 even when treated with waterproofing substances. Even where it is possible to make the leather itself inherently waterproof, there is generally leakage through seams and stitching etc. When leather based footwear is used in high moisture and arduous environments such as in military applications, mining, and in the chemical industry, they WO 01/05261 PCT/AUOO/00871 -2 have not proven to be completely satisfactory due to ultimate water and chemical penetration leading to rot and breakdown, and furthermore, it is difficult to provide leather footwear with adequate grip and scuff resistant properties. It is desirable to provide a leather waterproof breathable boot that will meet the 5 comfort/thermal and health requirements (absorption/desorption of foot moisture) of more conventional high quality leather footwear whilst remaining waterproof and rendering a very high degree of wear resistance in the natural severe rugged elements of outdoor conditions. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 10 The present invention therefore provides a boot or shoe including an upper of leather or other known equivalent materials and a one piece polymeric moulding forming at least an outer sole portion and extending upwardly over at least the lower portion of the upper so as to form an over galosh. Preferably, the upper has toe, vamp, waist, back quarter and heel counter portions, 15 and the polymeric moulding extends upwardly from the sole over at least a significant portion of the toe, vamp, waist, back quarters and heel counter. Preferably, the upper is attached to an insole with the polymeric moulding formed over both the insole and the lower portion of the upper. Preferably, the polymeric moulding is a synthetic material, or natural rubber 20 material that is vulcanised. Where the polymeric material is vulcanised during the moulding process, the leather of the upper is specially tanned to be heat resistant.

WO 01/05261 PCT/AU00/00871 -3 Preferably, the upper, in the vicinity of the upper edge of the polymeric moulding, is provided with a plurality of cavities or apertures which are filled with polymeric material during the moulding process to enhance bonding between the polymeric material and leather or other material. 5 In one form of the invention, the upper is provided with a waterproof membrane lining extending at least over the portions of the upper adjacent to but not covered by the polymeric moulding, and wherein a waterproof seal is provided between the upper and the waterproof membrane lining, extending around the upper adjacent the upper edge of the over galosh. 10 In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of making a boot or shoe including the steps of, 1) fabricating an upper from leather or other known equivalent materials, 2) providing a mould adapted to receive the lower part of the upper and formed to the desired shape of the sole and lower portion of the upper, 15 3) placing the upper within the mould, and 4) moulding a polymeric material around the upper, forming the sole of the boot or shoe and extending in one piece over at least the lower portion of the upper so as to form an over galosh. Preferably the method includes the step of tanning the leather to be heat resistant 20 before fabricating the leather upper.

WO 01/05261 PCT/AUOO/00871 -4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope, one preferred form of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 5 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a boot made according to the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section through the vamp area of one form of boot construction according to the invention; and Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2 showing an alternative construction. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 10 In the preferred form of the invention, a boot is manufactured as follows, although it will be appreciated that the invention may also be applied to a shoe or other similar forms of footwear. The boot is formed from a leather upper 1 typically comprising a toe portion 2, a vamp portion 3, waist portions 4, back quarters 5, and a heel counter portion 6. 15 Although the upper is referred to throughout this specification as being formed of leather, it will be appreciated that other known equivalent materials could be used. For example, boots or shoes are often fabricated from combinations of synthetic materials such as nylon and breathable synthetics such as GoretexTM which could be substituted for leather. 20 The leather upper is also provided with lacing eyelets 7, a tongue 8 and cuff 9 around the upper portion of the boot as is well known in boot construction. The boot is also preferably provided with a leather insole (not shown) attached to the leather upper in the manner which is well known in leather boot construction.

WO 01/05261 PCT/AUOO/00871 -5 The boot is provided with a moulded polymeric sole 10 which is formed as part of a one piece polymeric moulding 13 which extends upwardly from the sole over the lower portion of the upper to a rim 11 so as to form an over galosh over the lower part of the upper. As shown in the accompanying illustration, the one piece polymeric moulding 5 covers not only the sole, but also the toe portion 2 the vamp portion 3, the waist portions 4 and a significant part of the back quarters 5 and heel counter 6. According to the intended use of the boot or shoe, the rim may be positioned at higher or lower placements than that shown in Figure 1. The boot is typically manufactured by providing a mould adapted to receive the 10 lower part of the leather upper, formed to the desired shape of the sole and the lower portion of the upper. The leather upper is then fabricated according to conventional boot manufacturing techniques, either with or without a leather insole. The upper is then placed within the mould and the polymeric material moulded around the upper forming the sole of the boot and extending in one piece over the lower portion of the upper to the 15 rim 11 as shown. The polymeric material may be of any suitable synthetic or natural material, and the moulding may take place by any known process. It is, however, anticipated that in many applications, the polymeric material will be vulcanised in the mould, to mould the polymeric material closely against the leather upper to provide the desired end result. 20 Where the polymeric material is applied with a vulcanising process, it is necessary that the leather be specially tanned to be heat resistant, otherwise the leather will shrink and harden.

WO 01/05261 PCT/AUOO/00871 -6 In order to enhance the bond between the polymeric moulding and the leather upper, the leather upper may be provided with holes, slots or cavities of any shape made into or through the leather lining. Such holes, diagrammatically shown at 12 in the accompanying drawing, are filled with the polymeric material during the moulding 5 process to enhance the 'key' between the polymeric material and the leather in order to resist delamination during wear. The toe portion 2 may either be formed of leather or may be provided as a metallic toe cap located inside the leather upper or, alternatively, outside the leather upper, subsequently covered by the polymeric moulding. 10 In alternative forms of the invention, the boot or shoe maybe provided with a part liner of a breathable synthetic material such as Goretex in order to enhance the waterproof nature and breathability of the leather upper. In such constructions, it maybe possible to lower the position of the rim 12 from that shown in Figure 1 so as to leave the upper part of the vamp portion 3 uncovered by the polymeric moulding. 15 In the embodiments shown in Figure 2, the upper, and in particular the vamp portion 3 is formed of leather as previously described with the moulded polymeric sole and upper galosh 10. A waterproof breathable membrane lining 14 is provided, attached to the vamp portion 3 or other adjacent upper portions, and a lower lining 15 of leather or other suitable material is provided sewn to the lower edge of the waterproof 20 breathable membrane lining 14 at 16. The composite liner so formed, is sewn to an insole 17 which maybe of leather or other suitable material at seams 18 to form the complete upper, over which the polymeric moulding is formed as previously described.

WO 01/05261 PCT/AUOO/00871 -7 Inserted between the outside upper material 3 and the waterproof lining material 14 is a seal 19 which is adhered to both materials in order to create a waterproof seal at this point completely around the upper edge of the over galosh. This join line is known as the mould "nip-line" 20. The seal, which can be made from rubber or any other suitable 5 material, is operable to eliminate any entry of water or other liquid which may form between the outside leather 3 and the lining 14 from moving downwardly past this point and entering the region inside the over galosh 13. A variation of this embodiment is shown in Figure 3 where the outside upper leather 3 is sewn to the insole 17 at 18 as is the waterproof membrane lining 14 which 10 extends right down to the seam 18, rather than being joined to a further leather lining member 15 as previously described with reference to Figure 2. As before, a seal 19 is provided in the locality of the nip line 20 in order to prevent moisture from running down between the upper leather 3 and the waterproof membrane lining 14, where it would otherwise be able to seep into the inside of the boot or shoe 15 through the seam 18. Although two possible variations of the use of waterproof membrane linings have been shown with reference to Figures 2 and 3, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other variations maybe possible while remaining within the scope of the invention. 20 By providing the polymeric moulding directly around the leather upper, a waterproof and robust boot or shoe is provided with the advantages of both leather and rubber boots and shoes. Because there is no stitching through the polymeric moulding WO 01/05261 PCT/AUOO/00871 -8 which is provided in one piece, the lower portion of the boot is completely waterproof with all the advantages of one piece moulded boots or shoes. In addition, the boot has a leather upper with all the normal advantages of a leather boot including the capacity to mould to the shape of the wearer's foot and the ability to 5 absorb perspiration during use which can be allowed to dry out when the boot is not being used. In this manner, the boot provides the normal comfort, moulded interface, breathing characteristics etc of a normal leather boot.

Claims (7)

1. A boot or shoe including an upper of leather or other known equivalent materials and a one piece polymeric moulding forming at least an outer sole portion and extending upwardly over at least the lower portion of the upper so as to form an over galosh. 5

2. A boot or shoe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper has toe, vamp, waist, back quarter and heel counter portions, and the polymeric moulding extends upwardly from the sole over at least a significant portion of the toe, vamp, waist, back quarters and heel counter.

3. A boot or shoe as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the upper, in the 10 vicinity of the upper edge of the polymeric moulding, is provided with a plurality of cavities or apertures which are filled with polymeric material during the moulding process to enhance bonding between the polymeric material and the upper.

4. A boot or shoe as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the upper is provided with a waterproof membrane lining extending at least over the portions of the 15 upper adjacent to but not covered by the polymeric moulding, and wherein a waterproof seal is provided between the upper and the waterproof membrane lining, extending around the upper adjacent the upper edge of the over galosh.

5. A boot or shoe as claimed in claim 4 when provided with an insole sewn to the lower edge of the upper, and wherein the waterproof membrane lining extends 20 downwardly to, and is sewn into, the seam so formed between the insole and the lower edge of the upper. WO 01/05261 PCT/AUO0/00871 - 10

6. A boot or shoe as claimed in claim 4 wherein the lower edge of the waterproof membrane lining is sewn to a leather lining at a point below the waterproof seal, the leather lining in turn being sewn to an insole.

7. A boot or shoe as claimed in claim 6 wherein the lower edge of the leather upper 5 terminates within the over galosh portion of the polymeric moulding.