AU8933798A - Integrally fixed shoe insert - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act I %\i COMPLET. SPECIFIC('yrIO' FOR A STANDA RD PA-TN'T 0 RIG[N"A

L

Name or Applicant: Actual Inventors: PROTECT-OR TECHNOLOGI ES FTY

LIMITED

Rob in J. Hood, Biian D. Cohen and Stephen E.Robinscii H.R. HODGKINSON

CO:

Patent &K Trade Mark Attorneys Level 3,20 Alfred Street MILSONS POINT NSW 2061 INTEGRALLY FIXED SHOE INSERT Address for Service: lilt Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Applications: No. PO 9857 The'following statement is a full description Of this-inventioicuigtebs method of performing it know ton us:uig h bs INTEGRIALtEY FIXED SHOE INSERT' liACKCiRQJ.LfD 'llie p~resent invenition relates ic- shoe constructiohn rd more paMticulaly reles to inir'rovefletts ill siioes- Vkhereiith shoes have- an Liue coeom orfort isn~etintegrally fixed to'the shot and a miethod for cffectina that shoe constrction. Whilst the miethod and apparatlus aspects of the iniventioniwill be'priniaritv described w.Nith teferenice'to heavy duty- -work! boots it will be appreciatcd by those Aklled in the. art that the niethodolozV- may bec appl, to other shoe types.

I PRIOR ART Heavy dutyv work boots are riaidly constructed from strong materials which are joined or boned stitching, gluing or the like to create a sirong durable boot. Work boots aiegenerally subjected to high loadings testing the ability of such boots to resist such loads.

Sionificant lateral loads occur (due to movement of the foot of the wearer) at the junction or :-inierface of the shoe upper and insole necessitating, strong bonding between the two. Work boots have in the past been made more comfortable by inserting after construction of the shoe body a padded material such as EVA foam formed to conform to the peripheral profile q of the insole of the shoe.

There is also a known inner sole pad which may be removed and inserted at will but more often these padded inserts are glued in and ame geinerailly not intended to be removed.Th removable inserts do provide user comfort when placed properly in the shoe, but they can move. bulg-e or crease within the- shoe potentially creating regions of discomfort. These reoable inner soles also have a tendenc to curl up at the edges largely responsive to the centrally distributed crushing weight of the user's foot. The, may also slide about in the shoe further compromising user comfort. Furthermore. when comfort inserts are introduced I into the shoes there is a compromise to the fit and the sizing This must be allowed for when selecting the size of the shoe last used in the manufaciure of a particular size of shoe.

SFor many years shoes were constructed by stitching the wear resistant outer sole of the shoe to the shoe upper with an exposed stitch wch h when hen shoe huwas completed was visible I from the outside. This stitching was relatively strong but was susceptible to the effects of moistening when for instance walking in puddles which lead to weakening of the stitched bond and in extreme cases separation of the sole from the shoe upper. Shoes generally comprise a shoe upper which surrounds the foot of the wearer an insole and an outer sole. II is the way in which these components are connected which differentiate older manufacturing methods from the more modem methods.

Another known but relatively new method of joining the shoe upper to the sole is strobeling which involves placing a helical stitch both through the (usually leather) shoe upper and the insole in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the insole prior to the fixing of the outer sole. This ensures a very strong and durable connection between the insole and shoe upper.

The process of strobeling represented a major breakthrough in shoe constructions as it anticipated an alternative method of applying the outer shoe sole to the shoe upper body. As indicated previously in describing the prior art, the stitching joining the outer sole and the shoe upper was exposed, leaving the bonding susceptible to degradation due to wetting etc.

The concept of strobeling whereby an insole is stitched to the shoe upper, anticipated protection of the stitching from the outside environment by means of an injection moulded shoe sole which was moulded over the sock (the structure formed by the mating of the shoe upper with an insole). The injection over moulding of the shoe sole ensured that the stitching was fully protected from the elements and this lead to a more durable shoe. Up until now, a single layer insole has been used to form the sock by mating between the insole and the shoe upper. However after construction of the sock is completed, there are additional steps to be carried out to satisfy comfort requirements involving insertioni 7 i; (usually glued) of a !aycr of comfort material. This must be taken into account when sizing the sock and therefore in selection of the last.

INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide an alternative arrangement for shoe construction whereby a composite laminated insole is integrally fixed to the shoe upper during manufacture of the shoe thereby precluding the need for any additional comfort element over the insole as was necessary in the prior art arrangements and thus the need to allow for •L any added comfort element in sizing of the sock. According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a shoe having its inner sole integrally fixed to the shoe upper, and S. including materials laminated together and a method for producing a shoe having the shoe upper integrally fixed to said insole by strobeling to the upper wherein the insole is a three layered composite of materials laminated together with is prepared prior to the strobeling step.

In one broad form the present invention includes; a shoe or boot including at least a shoe upper; an insole; and an outer sole; 'll wherein the insole is integrally connected to a lower edge of the shoe upper by strobeling; characterised in that the shoe insole includes a composite body formed by the conjunction of at least two layers of preselected insole layer materials and wherein stitching integrally connecting the insole and shoe upper penetrates all layers of said insole.

In another broad form the present invention comprises; a method for producing a shoe or boot having a composite padded insole integrally fixed to the shoe upper including the steps of; a) taking a shoe upper; b) taking a composite laminated structure which forms an insole; c; presenting an upper layer of the insole to an edge of an upper of the shoe or boot such that it engages the upper: d) perfomling the step of strobeling so that a thread is caused to integrallv secure by stitching the upper to the insole thereby forming a padded sock wherein said stitching penetrates all layers of said composite laninated structure.

Preferably. the method described above includes the added step of injection moulding an outer sole over the sock using a high density polyurethane having a core material of low density polyurethane.

In an alternative forn of the method aspect the present invention includes: taking a shoe upper: b) taking a three layered composile iisole to be secured to said upper: c) holding a peripheral edge of the insole against an edge of the shoe upper which in situ will be proximate the outer sole of a shoe: K d) presenting the junction between the edge of said insole and said edge of the shoe upper to a strobeling machine such that the shoe upper and insole are integrally attached to form a sock, e) attaching a shoe sole to said sock.

According to a preferred embodiment, the method aspect further includes the additional step of, prioro o taking the composite insole, cutting the insole material to a profile which will substantially conform to the peripheral shape of the sole of a selected shoe size using a known clicking process.

In another form, the present invention comprises; a boot or shoe including; at least a shoe upper for dressing the foot of the wearer of the boot or shoe and an insole to which said upper is integrally connected; characterised in that the shoe insole is integrally attached to the shoe upper by means of a stitch introduced into the insole during a Smanufacturing step such that the shoe upper is strobeled to the insole; wherein the insole Lomnsi aI tho asrcmoit hrjnupr comfort lerIS Ibushe.d nylon, an intermediate laver EVA and a bottomi iax er flexboard.

According to a preferred embodiment. the edge of the inner sole aIbuIS that1 edge Of the shoe0 tipper wvhichl attaches to the shoe sole. According it) a preferred embodimnt the flexboard is sewn to the shoe upper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGLs The present invention wvill now. Lie described inl more detail according it) a, preferred biut nonlimtin emodientand with reference to the accompany ing illuistratiotns whcreii *Figure 1: showvs anl isomnetric view of a shoe tipper and insole partially connected by mecans of a strobelingz machine: Figure 2: shows an exploded view of a laminated composite insole according to a preferred embodiment: and Figure 3: shows a schematic lavout of a shoe cross section including a laminated insole and an outer shoe sole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTON GETHE PREFERRED

EMBODIMENTS

Figure I shows an isometric v iew of an arrangement according to the present invention wherein an insole is being strobeled. to a shoe upper. Referring now to figure 1 there is shown a perspective view of an arrangemenit including a strobeling machine 1 including, a strobelina work station"2 which enages shoe body 3 in order to effect strobeling. Shoe body 3 includes a shoe upper 4 and an insole 5 wvhich is strobeled by means of stitching 6.

Insole 5 and upper 4 are stitched about the full periphery of insole 5 and this is effected by an appropriately skilled operator of the strobelimg machine. In ord er .to effect strobeling an

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upper surface atthe dgofheiseispsntd to an edge of the shoe upper and Squeezed tog)'etC b\ the operditor. On1ce insol has been! SITobeled to- ,hoe upper s hoe hody 3 is ready' to rCceiv'e a roust shoe sole (not Nhowot. Figure 2 1hos a exPloded 'Nie of aj typical insole jlumlars7. 8 and 9 forrmed fr Om brFush~d11 nlon. EVA and Biaggioli (trade miark) respectively in order to fOT-ni lamiin-Ad insol,)e Iti. Larimnated inner sole 101 corre -Ponds to inlsole S sh )wn In iucI Upper layer 7 incIludes thle comCor 1ive hut overall the layered comiposite by is spongy nature prO\ide- cnort.

Figure 3 shows a schematic lay Out of a 10 'hecrs sectio a1cc rdin to1 thppreen invention. 'File tipurc shows the multi laver insole descr I inl t -1 rc 2 includin pe laver of brushed nylion 7.intermediate la\-er of EVA 8 and h0oto11 IaVcr Of flexhOard 9.

Fioure 3 does not show thle shoe upper but show.S a relative relationship betw.eenl tile composite thtree layer isole: constructi, an th so csl. The shoe sole includes 1i gh density wear resistant polyurethane Moulded around the heel of thre shoe. Once this slep is carried out a low density polyurethanle I I is injected in casing 10 formied by ithe high density polyurrethanre in order to complete tile sole. The low density polyurethane has a cellular structure with shock absorbency characteistICS.

This construction makes the cushioned insole part of the sock lasting production process, precluding the need to add in any cushioning later on In thre process. This effctlively removes a step from the manufacture. The cushioning in the multi layer insole is stIable aiid reduces twisting of the sole while retaining its flexibility to bend with the toes. The cushioning transfers the shock directly to the dual density polyurethiane so le which has high shock. absorbency combined with light weight.

In recent times, shoes or heavy dutv boots, have been manufactured by employment of at process known as strobeling. Strobeling is a process by which a shoe upper is sewn to a shoe insole to ensure robust coninection between the shoe upper and insole thereby providing strong resistance to internally applied lateral loads which are generadlly induced by foot movement in the shoe upper during use. Strobeling also allows completion of the shoe by overmoulding with a sole mate Irial thereby protecting the stitchinrg.

thc nriIInc b-c tt: hindP~ r i'A 1 n .v i- 1t' 11, i v ith h e i r'i *U1hi!" prno idc-, ful ploueclon for -hz 't-ch u the pot.eni~d, tot degradation b\ colitact w ith c.lcnic.n! s Uch a>s wi lr. A\ panr of il., cklsrtto tess. a h-ih1 densitv' poiJ. Urcthat L c ipalfIc o! hie-h vzear r Li-.tatc onould- J nd placed Mi 0*pO~it to 11eL sock torid b the: sho: upp-e-~ i11NsOle -lilo-.% iniC -,mmI! of the-- high dni' poutethane a 1l-w idcwWt~, ur1 hne0kt -a11L elulrtrcr tor igh shock absorl"line is -nctdabove tn 'rund thcK-h dci p-ok urcthainc And illu, into the Npaice hvete the upper surface of the ,tile andl the! N>ek. th' rC known! !~jji~U bichlque nhut acc idi the *prior an., the inolc niaterial xas ocncerAll singleC laiN er. i11s1ha the 1CInhere loble il that it lacked tile nceCssarycuFlo reIstnc to A tck ahlie tile tool o1 thie %x eaer sI ikes *-*the ground In order 1o o~ ercoi this proilem. I- conitori material v 11'C seed int1o thle *shoe and this posbil it h.ad to be alloxcd for inl [he choice of last used in s).izi dihe Interl 1 cav itv of the sock. It bccame, a.n u-nnecc, ,a r% compjlicat ;0In It "h1CW eolt"'trcti(n to haVe Lo -predict the siac of the last niaking aloane Or the sizc of thi7 ctni1fori laver whidic kwuld be Inserted into thle s;hoe.

The present invention overcomecs this problem by providing i conipw'ie insole lainer Which enables a manufacturer to accuratel" select the appropriate last as there iv no need it) in"cri alld therefore allow for a comfor, laver in the shoe after the szrolbelingr siep- Once the stRobehing step is completed the sizc of the space inside the sock is (except for final shaping! of the shoe) ixed. Thus. the methodology of the present invention eliminates the need to make allowance for added comfort be'n2 Introduced into. the shoe during the manufacturing process reducing labour and therefore costs inv-oived in shoe produetion In order to achieve this objective, the invetntor conisidered the possibiliy of strobehing a prelaminated insole to the shoe upper so that it is fixedly secured in poition anlil bCcomes *Integral with the shoe structure and provides an inteiuai comfort laver.

The methodology of the invention involving integral fixation of an insole to the shoe upper can be performed as follows: The method aspect of the invention involves presenting the lower edge of the shoe upper, that is, that edge which will be closest to the shoe sole on completion, to an outer underside edge of an insole, and then presenting this to a strobeling machine. The shoe upper and insole are then sewn (strobeled) about the periphery of the insole prior to fixation of the main sole which is then overmoulded according to the preferred sole design over and about the end of the shoe sock.

It will be recognised by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the apparatus materials and method aspects such as but not limited to variation of the materials used in formation of the composite described above without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

1. 2. A shoe or boot including at least a shoe upper; an insole; and an outer sole; wherein the insole is integrally connected to a lower edge of the shoe upper by strobeling; characterised in that the shoe insole includes a composite body formed by the conjunction of at least two layers of preselected insole layer materials and wherein stitching integrally connecting the insole and shoe upper penetrates all layers of said insole.
2. 3. The shoe or boot according to claim 2, characterised in that the shoe insole is integrally attached to the shoe upper by means of a stitch introduced into the insole during a manufacturing step such that the shoe upper is strobeled to the insole; wherein the insole includes a three layer composite wherein an upper comfort layer is brushed nylon, an intermediate layer EVA and a bottom layer flexboard.
3. 4. The shoe or boot according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the edge of the inner sole abuts that edge of the shoe upper which attaches to the shoe sole. The shoe or boot according to Claim 3, characterised in that the flexboard is sewn to the shoe upper. r
4. 6. A method for producing a shoe or boot having a composite padded insole integrally fixed to the shoe upper including the steps of: a) taking a shoe upper; b) taking a composite laminated structure which forms an insole; c) presenting an upper layer of the insole to an edge of an upper of the shoe or boot such that it engages the upper; d) performing the step of strobeling so that a thread is caused to integrally secure by stitching the upper to the insole thereby forming a padded sock wherein said stitching penetrates all layers of said composite laminated structure.
5. 7. A method according to Claim 6 including the added step of injection moulding an outer sole over the sock using a high density polyurethane having a core material of low density polyurethane.
6. 8. A method for producing a shoe or boot having a composite padded insole integrally fixed to the shoe upper including the steps of:- a) taking a shoe upper; b) taking a three layered composite insole to be secured to said upper; c) holding a peripheral edge of the insole against an edge of the shoe upper which in situ will be proximate the outer sole of a shoe; d) presenting the junction between the edge of said insole and said edge of the shoe upper to a strobeling machine such that the shoe upper and insole are integrally attached to form a sock; e) attaching a shoe sole to said sock.
7. 9. A method according to any of Claims 6 to 8, including the additional step of, prior to taking he composite insole, cutting the insole material to a profile which will substantially conform to the peripheral shape of the sole of a selected shoe size using a known clicking press. .7 A shoe or boot substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the drawings.
8. 11. A method for producing a shoe or boot substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the drawings.
9. 12. A shoe or boot when produced by a method as defined in any one of Claims 6 to 9 or Claim 11. DATED this 15 'h day of October 1998 ~c" r i~ BY: PROTECTOR TECHNOLOGIES PTY LIMITED '4i-- Patent Attorney for the Applicant H.R. HODGKINSON CO t i i; i:i C;~L_-LLr: