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(11) | EP 0 330 974 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Two piece footwear, particularly suitable for snowy ground |
| (57) The invention concerns a footwear which is particularly suitable for severe climatic
conditions, with bad weather and low temperatures, and especially on snowy ground.
The footwear is composed of two separate parts, which can be assembled and disassembled
as desired, respectively constituted by : an outer body (1) representing the actual
shoe, made of elastomeric or plastomeric material having appropriate stiffness and
resistance characteristics, and a sock (2) which can be inserted directly on the user's
foot, is made of a soft, impermeable and thermally insulating material, can be freely
removed from the shoe or introduced therein and is provided with a reinforcing sole
(31) which enables it to be used separately from the shoe. |
[0001] The present disclosure concerns footwear,made of two separate parts which can be assembled and disassembled as desired, particularly useful in cold climate and bad weather; more specifically it refers to a footwear to be used on snowy ground, in particular for holiday and/or sport.
[0002] Footwear made of separate pieces have been known since long; apart from overshoes or galoshes to be worn on the normal shoes, which cannot be compared with the subject matter of the present invention, mention can be made of after-ski boots or of some special types of shoes for cross-country ski.
[0003] These shoes are formed by an outer body, which will be hereinafter indicated as "shoe" or "bootleg" depending on its height, into which is introduced a separate sock, which can be freely fitted in the body and removed therefrom, and is directly inserted on the user's foot.
[0004] The body has the task of protecting the inner sock and the user's foot against mechanical injuries they may suffer in use and of providing a sole having appropriate flexibility and stiffness characteristics as regards walking, whilst the sole affords adequate features of impermeability and thermal insulation to keep the user's foot dry and warm in spite of the bad atmospheric and environmental conditions.
[0005] To build up the inner sock, foamed polyurethane materials of the close cell injection type are generally used to obtain a single-piece sock.
[0006] In some portions of the sock the foam is sometimes caused to collapse so as to thicken it and to create an area of greater stiffness with respect to the other parts, in particular at the insole, to give the foot a sufficiently rigid support; however, this method gives rise to a drawback represented by the loss of thermal insulation which takes place at the thicker area.
[0007] Besides this, these polyurethane materials which - as to impermeability and thermal insulation are quite appropriate - have some defects: in particular they require the use of dangerous materials, as the isocyanates utilized to produce polyurethane, and may create toxicity problems for the user, if the polymerization chemical reaction has not been carried out properly and minimum amounts of non-reacted isocyanate remain in the product;further, they hydrolyze by themselves, so that after some time their mechanical characteristics deteriorate and this degradation is particularly significant if the material comes into contact with water or remains in an ambient at high humidity level; at last they are liable to tear and anyhow scarcely resistant to mechanical damages.
[0008] As regards this latter aspect, the problem has been solved by referring the height of the inner sock to that of the outer body and committing to the latter the protection of the inner sock against external damages. For high socks, which protect also the lower portion of the user's leg, the outer body is constituted by a boot, as for instance a conventional "trunk" of plastic material, but with a relevant increase in the footwear's weight; on the contrary, for shoes as those especially used for cross-country ski, the inner sock does not extend substantially over the shoe's edge, i.e. remains at the level of the user's malleoli.
[0009] The present invention aims to provide a two-piece footwear, particularly suitable in bad climate and/or on snowy ground, which is formed by a low outer body and of a high, inner removable sock, and is devoid of all the above indicated disadvantages.
[0010] Accordingly, the subject matter of the invention is a footwear which can be divided into two separate parts and is substantially composed of an outer protective shoe made of plastomeric or elastomeric material, having appropriate stiffness and resistance, and of an inner sock made of a soft, impermeable and thermally insulating material,which can be freely introduced and removed with respect to said outer shoe, characterized in that it comprises, in combination with each other :
- said outer shoe of substantially reduced height,intended to protect insole, sidewalls, heel and user's instep,and
- said inner sock, made of panels of foamed chloroprene polymer joined end-to-end, said panels being provided on both surfaces with a reinforcing fabric firmly secured to the foam layer, the sock comprising a foot corresponding to the outer shoe and a bootleg extending in height externally of the shoe.
[0011] The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and from the appended drawings, given only by way of non-limiting example, in which :
FIGURE 1 - illustrates the complete footwear in assembled condition,
FIGURES 2 and 3 illustrate two advantageous embodiments of the shoe constituting the outer part of the footwear according to the invention,
FIGURE 4 - illustrates in plan view a complete set of panels to be assembled to obtain the sock constituting the inner part of the footwear according to the invention,
FIGURE 5 - illustrates in straight section two panels joined end-to-end,
FIGURE 6 - illustrates in perspective view the sock obtained by assembling the various panels, and
FIGURE 7 - illustrates in perspective view the sock of FIG.6 in a particularly advantageous embodiment.
[0012] With reference to FIG.1, the footwear according to the invention is composed of a low outer body (1), hereinafter called "shoe", substantially able to protect insole, sidewalls, heel and user's instep, and of an inner sock (2), which can be freely removed and inserted with respect to said body, composed of a portion called "foot", substantially coincident with the shoe, and of a portion called "bootleg", extending outside the body over the level of the user's instep towards his knee.
[0013] The body can be made in any whichever manner, for instance by assembling separate parts made of a same or of a different material; however, in a particularly convenient embodiment, it is constituted by a monolithic unit, i.e. a single piece, obtained by moulding from elastomeric materials or plastic resins of the injection type, and comprises a sole portion (11) of appropriate thickness and an uppers portion (12) which is thinner and consequently softer and more flexible.
[0014] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, to facilitate removal and insertion of the sock, the vamp - at the instep - is provided with a cut (13) extending along the toe-heel axial direction so as to provide two skirtings (14) and (15) which might have such a width as to be partially superimposed.
[0015] To assure the shoe closure during application, one of said skirtings is provided on its outer surface with a strap (16) linked to it for instance by a boss or any other suitable means, of such a width as to cover the instep and specifically said cut.
[0016] The strap carries, mounted onto it, a fastening element (17)able to be connected to a corresponding device, as for instance a hook (18) mounted on the facing skirting, so as to obtain the shoe closure and to assure consequently - in use - a firm anchorage of the sock inside the shoe and to prevent the penetration of foreign material, as snow, mud, earth and the like through the cut provided on the shoe.
[0017] Figure 3 represents a straight axial section of the shoe : it can be noted that the sole has on its inner surface some lightening blind recesses (19).
[0018] As regards the inner surface of the sole, it has a profile able to fit preferably with the corresponding external surface of the sock's sole which is properly stiffened, as explained herebelow.
[0019] As regards the inner sock, first of all the material constituting it is a close-cell polychloroprene rubber foam, a convenient example of which is the material commonly known as "Neoprene", registered Trade Mark of Du Pont; this foam does not hydrolyze, so that it neither shows any degradation of its mechanical characteristics for this reason, nor involves any toxicity problem.
[0020] The semi-finished product used to build up the sock is a slab (21) of the above indicated foam, covered on both faces by a fabric (22), (23) of any suitable textile fiber, but more specifically of nylon, which protects the foam against external mechanical injuries, in particular abrasion, tears, strokes from sharp bodies.
[0021] The sock is formed of any whichever number of panels of proper shape, cut from the slab and joined together end-to-end; an appropriate solution is represented by the set of four panels shown in FIG.4. The jointing is performed by any suitable method, in particular by bonding with adhesive agents. This method assures the mechanical resistance of the joining and the impermeability even in the joining area.
[0022] In the illustrated embodiment (FIGS.4 and 6) the sock is obtained by joining four different panels : one (24) corresponding to the sole, one (25) joined in tubular form, corresponding to the bootleg and the heel, and two (26), (27) corresponding to the sidewalls and joined together at the instep.
[0023] For better safety, the panels are seamed along the jointing lines; however, to maintain the impermeability of the panel also at the seaming zone, seams (29) are not passing through, but connect the two panels (21), (28), in FIG.5 joined together, only at the panel's outer surface and at the median portion external with respect to the thickness of the neoprene slab.
[0024] At the inner surface, one or more of the joining lines are instead covered with a tape (30) of impermeable fabric, particularly a nylon net thermally welded to the underlying fabric.
[0025] For a greater convenience, an additional sole (31), made of elastomeric or plastomeric material and sufficiently thin but having appropriate resistance and flexibility characteristics, is bonded on the sock sole. Said sole extends in width as far as to cover the peripheral joining line which connects panel (24) with the other three panels.
[0026] Sole (31) enables the sock to be used separately from the shoe, as an independent footwear, for light uses, for instance driving a car (the driver must have a high sensitiveness on pedals) or walking on a ground free from particular obstacles or sufficiently smooth (streets and pavements, even if snowy or muddy) or indoor.
[0027] It is then clear that the sole, having a certain degree of rigidity, is not suitable for any surface of contact and therefore - not to reduce comfort - the inner surface of the sole of shoe (1) must be perfectly corresponding to it, as indicated above.
[0028] The above described sock can be further improved by other methods, anyhow in an already known manner. For instance, to facilitate wearing of the sock, the upper part of the bootleg shows - preferably in rear axial position - a cut directed from the edge towards the heel, whose contour is connected to a sheet (32) of impermeable material such as polychloroprene, of substantially triangular shape, which is connected at a vertex to the cut and has the opposite base at said edge, so as to allow an enlargement of the sock opening without in any case affecting the impermeability and thermal insulation characteristics of the same.
[0029] When the sock is worn (FIG.7), its opening is maintained closed by a strap (33) or any other appropriate element permanently secured to the sock on a portion (not illustrated) of the bootleg lying at one side of the cut, which can be removably fastened (boss or clip 34) to the bootleg portion lying on the opposite side with respect to said V-shaped cut.
[0030] Further, to make more comfortable the upper end of the sock, panel (25) forming the bootleg is turned outward and downward and the turn-down is blocked and sewn, for instance circumferentially, about the bootleg's outer surface.
[0031] The above described footwear shows many advantages over the conventional two-piece shoes. First of all, it is quite light and consequently less tiring because the heavier part of the unit, namely the outer body, is a show and not a boot, and is conveniently lightened in its sole.
[0032] The inner sock has very good and permanent impermeability and thermal insulation characteristics : also, the fact of being covered on both faces with an adequate fabric, facilitates the insertion and the removal of the sock, as well as the introduction of the user's foot and the relative unthreading. Moreover, the fabric covering the sock's outer surface protects the part of the sock outside the shoe against any external mechanical injury which may occur in use, as strokes or creeping against sharp or pointed objects which would irreparably damage the polychloroprene slab.
[0033] Further, as already said, the sock can be an independent footwear which, when worn, is highly appreciated for its lightness and comfort. At last, in spite of the fact that the sock is built up in a simple and cheap way by assembling separate panels by bonding and seaming, such methods assure the physical integrity of the sock for a long time and do not compromise in any way its impermeability characteristics.
[0034] It is evident that the present description has only an illustrative and not restrictive purpose, so that a technician skilled in this field will be able to make any modification and variation which is not expressely described but is easily deducible from the inventive principle without anyhow falling out of the scope of the present disclosure.
1. A two-piece footwear, substantially composed of an outer protective shoe (1) made
of an elastomeric or plastomeric material having appropriate stiffness and resistance,
and of an inner sock (2), made of a soft, impermeable and thermally insulating material,
which can be freely introduced and removed with respect to said outer shoe, characterized
in that it comprises, in combination with each other :
- said outer shoe of substantially reduced height, intended to protect insole, sidewalls, heel and user's instep, and
- said inner sock, made of panels (24,25,26,27) of foamed chloroprene polymer joined end-to-end, said panels being provided on both surfaces with a reinforcing fabric (22,23) firmly secured to the foam layer, the sock comprising a foot corresponding to the outer shoe and a bootleg extending in height externally of the shoe.
- said outer shoe of substantially reduced height, intended to protect insole, sidewalls, heel and user's instep, and
- said inner sock, made of panels (24,25,26,27) of foamed chloroprene polymer joined end-to-end, said panels being provided on both surfaces with a reinforcing fabric (22,23) firmly secured to the foam layer, the sock comprising a foot corresponding to the outer shoe and a bootleg extending in height externally of the shoe.
2. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the inner shoe, at the instep,
is provided with an axial cut (13) along the toe-heel direction, so as to originate
two opposite skirtings (14,15), the shoe being further provided with a band (16) of
impermeable material, sufficiently wide to cover the cut, joined to one of said skirtings
and provided with a connection element (17) which can be assembled and disassembled
with respect to a hooking device (18) fixed permanently to the opposite skirting.
3. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the sole (11) of the shoe, at its
inner surface, has at least a blind cavity (19).
4. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the sock (2) is formed by four
panels (24,25,26,27) joined together, one of which (24) corresponds to the sole, another
(25), wrapped on itself in tubular form, corresponds to the bootleg and to the heel,
and two (26,27) correspond respectively to each sidewall and to the instep interposed
between said sidewalls.
5. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the sock is provided with an additional
sole (31) of elastomeric or plastomeric material, permanently anchored on the outer
surface of said panel (24) corresponding to the sole of the sock and extending transversally
as far as to cover the peripheral line which joins the panel with the other three.
6. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that a tape (30) of waterproof textile
material is applied as a covering on the inner surface of the sock and at least one
of the lines joining the panels.
7. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the reinforcing fabric (22,23)
applied on the surface of the panels is nylon.
8. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the sock is provided with seams
(29) along the lines joining the panels, the seams concerning only the outer surface
of the panels and the external median line of their thickness.
9. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the bootleg part of the sock is
provided at its opening with a cut directed towards the heel portion, the skirtings
of the cut being connected to a sheet (32) of the same material forming the panels,
of substantially triangular shape, connected with its vertex at the cut's end and
its base at the opening, so as to allow the enlargement of the latter.
10. A footwear as in CLAIM 1, characterized in that the upper edge of the bootleg
is turned downward and outward and is sewed on the outer surface of said bootleg.