GB2501877A

GB2501877A - Footwear with a ground contactable region comprising a vapour permeable material

Info

Publication number: GB2501877A
Application number: GB201207978A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-05-08
Filing date: 2012-05-08
Publication date: 2013-11-13
Also published as: GB201207978D0

Abstract

Footwear 20 comprising a ground contactable region or sole 22 and a foot retaining region or upper 21. The ground contactable region 22 comprises or includes a vapour permeable material in the form of an elastomeric polymer. The footwear may be in the form of an overshoe (12, figure 1) adapted for drawing over a shoe (11, figure 1) of the wearer. The overshoe (12, figure 1) is adapted for demountable retention on the shoe (11, figure 1). The vapour permeable material is breathable, allowing the passage of vapour and/or gases through whilst acting as a barrier to liquid droplets such as water and solid particulates.

Description

FOOTWEAR

TECHNICAL FIELD

Footwear, including overshoes, provide for protection for the feet of the wearer. Broadly each item of foot wear provides a ground engaging region and a retaining region whereby the ground engaging region is retained, to a greater or lesser extent, on the foot of a wearer.

BACKGROUND ART

EP 0 742 305 Bi (Ferrar et al) describes the use as a building material of a laminated fabric comprising at least two layers of non-wove sheet material, the fabric comprising: a first layer of compressed melt-blown material having an average pore size diameter in the range from 1am to about 8iam and a second ayer of a material having an open porous structure wherein the second ayer of material is of an open bound structure. It is said that such materials permit the passage of vapour arid/or gases through them while acting as barriers to liquid droplets, such as water droplets and to solid particulates. Herethafter such a water vapour permeable material is referred to as being of the type described.

DIsCLosuIE OF INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided footwear comprising a ground contactable region and a retaining region whereby the ground contactable region is retained, to a greater or lesser extent, on the foot of a wearer arid the ground contactable region comprises or includes a water vapour permeable material of the type described.

According to a first preferred version of the present invention the retaining region of the footwear comprises an upper part of a shoe, boot or other relatively rigid footwear structure for shrouding the foot of the wearer arid the groin-id contactable region is integrated with or is bounded by the retaining region.

According to a second aspect of the present invention the footwear comprises an overshoe adapted for drawing over a shoe of the wearer the overshoe being adapted for demouritable retention on the shoe with the ground engaging region of the overshoe located beneath a sole of the shoe of the wearer.

Water vapour permeable materials are known in the constmction industry for various protective applications. There particular use is at locations where it is desired that air should be able to pass through the material but not liquid water. To this end a typical material has three layers of which the central one contains pores of a first size and the outer two layers contain pores of a second size which differs from the first size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a side view of a shoe equipped with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; arid Figure 2 is a side view of a shoe with an integral sole of vapour permeable material.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows a conventional shoe 11 on which is mounted an overshoe 12 with an opening 13 which has an elasticated boundary 14. The overshoe 12 is made of a vapour permeable material in this case made up of three layers with a relatively thick inner layer arid relatively thin outer layers. In this case the mafri material used for all three layers is an elastomeric polymer (having the bade name Klober Permo Forte). Other such materials are available.

The overshoe 12 is drawn over the shoe 11 in a known manner and is demouritably retained in the position shown by means of the elasticated boundary 14. A similar overshoe is placed on the other foot of the wearer.

Underside 12A of the overshoe 12 serves to support a wearer of shoe 11 on which the overshoe 12 is retained on a surface over which the wearer passes.

In use the overshoes provide for increased trac{ion on virtually any surface over which the wearer chooses to walk. By providing increased stability it is particularly suitable for a wearer obliged to walk on a slippery surface such as one covered with fallen snow, ice or which is water laden or standing water.

The overshoe 12 further serves to keep the footwear clean and dry. Iii addition the material of the overshoe, due to its ability to allow [lie passage of vapour but to resist the passage of water, provides for the release of water vapour out from the interior of the overshoe 12 to the outside while preventing the passage of liquid into the interior. As a consequence any dampness retained within the overshoe 12 arisfrig from the sweating of a wearer's foot is kept to a minimum.

The overshoe 12 further serves to keep the footwear clean and dry.

As shown in the embodiment of Figure 1 the overshoe 12 covers most of the shoe 11. However in an alternative version the overshoe could have an extended integral ankle section extending to a greater or lesser extent up the leg of a wearer so as to provide, to a greater or lesser extent, protection for the leg of the wearer typically when walking through deep snow or water.

Figure 2 shows a shoe 20 with uppers 21 of conventional material such as leather. Underside of sole 22 of the shoe 20 is of the elastomeric polymer similar to that described in relation to the overshoe 12 of Figure 1. A similar shoe is provided for the other foot of the wearer. The sole 22 fimctions in a similar way to underside of sole 12A of the overshoe 12 of Figure 1 and so provides increased stability of movement by a wearer of the shoe 20 as against that provided by a conventional sole.

The variety of vapour permeable materials available enables a suitable material to be selected for a given application. For example there may be a call for the sole region of an overshoe to have increased tear resistance requiring a heavier gauge material or one with more than, say, three layers or some form of reinforcement.

INDUSTRIAL Ai'PucArnLrI Y The invention provides for an overshoe or shoe having a ground engaging region which comprises an air permeable layer. Such a ground engaging material provides improved stability of movement for the wearer of the shoes or overshoes.

Claims

CLAIMS1 Footwear comprising a ground contactable region and a retaining region whereby the ground contactable region is retained, to a greater or lesser exen, on the foot of a wearer wherein the ground contadable region comprises or includes a vapour permeable material.
2 Footwear as claimed fri Claim 1 wherein the footwear comprises zm overshoe adapted for drawing over a shoe of the wearer the overshoe being adapted for demountable retention on the shoe.
3 Footwear as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the retaining region of the footwear comprises an upper part of a shoe, boot or other r&atively rigid footwear structure and the ground contactable region is integrated with or is bounded by the retaining region.
4 Footwear as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.Footwear as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN MADE AS FOLLOWSCLAIMS1 Footwear comprising a ground contactable region and a retaining region whereby the ground contactable region is retained, to a greater or lesser extent, on the foot of a wearer wherein the ground contactable region comprises or includes at least three layers of vapour permeable material including at least one layer providing for reinforcement of the groundcontactable region.2 Footwear as claimed in Claim I wherein the footwear comprises an overshoe adapted for drawing over a shoe of the wearer the overshoe being adapted for demountable retention on the shoe.3 Footwear as claimed in Claim I wherein the retaining region of the footwear comprises an upper part of a shoe, boot or other relatively rigid footwear structure and the ground contactable region is integrated with or is bounded by the retaining region, 4 Footwear as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.Footwear as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.