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(11) | EP 1 306 024 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Method for manufacturing an intermediate component for making footwear, such as shoes or the like, with high flexibility in the sole region, and intermediate component obtained with the method |
| (57) A method for manufacturing an intermediate component for making footwear, such as
shoes or the like, with high flexibility in the sole region, and to an intermediate
component obtained with the method comprising a step for positioning an insole (1)
on the lower face (2) of a last (3). The insole has a contour that has smaller dimensions
than the lower face of the last, so that the perimeter of the insole is spaced internally
with respect to the perimeter of the contour of the lower face of the last. The insole
is provided with a peripheral edge (4, 4a) that is or can be folded under the plane
of arrangement of the insole rested on the lower face of the last. An upper is fitted
on the last, placing the lower flap of the upper so that it faces laterally the peripheral
edge of the insole. A welt is joined to the outer side of the peripheral edge of the
insole, with the lower flap of the upper interposed. |
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an intermediate component for making footwear, such as shoes or the like, with high flexibility in the sole region, and to an intermediate component obtained with the method.
[0002] In particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an intermediate component to be used to make footwear, such as shoes or the like, that is currently obtained by using insoles of the Goodyear type.
[0003] Intermediate components of this kind are manufactured by fitting and fixing the upper on a last and by placing the insole on the lower face of the last; the dimensions of the insoles are substantially equal to those of the lower face of the last, so that the perimeter of the insole is flush with the perimeter of the lower face of the last.
[0004] The Goodyear-type insole has, on its lower face, a protruding edge that is spaced inward with respect to the perimeter of the insole. This protruding edge can be obtained by cutting, by virtue of a cut that affects only part of the thickness of the insole, a portion of said insole which is then folded under the plane of arrangement of the insole, or by gluing a reinforced tape to the lower face of the insole in a region that is spaced inward with respect to its perimeter.
[0005] The lower flap of the upper, fitted on the last, and a strip, generally made of leather and known as welt, are then fixed by stitching to the outer side of the protruding edge of the insole, so that the lower flap of the upper lies between the protruding edge and the welt.
[0006] During stitching, the welt and the lower flap of the upper are externally laterally adjacent to the protruding edge of the insole, substantially at right angles to the plane of arrangement of the insole.
[0007] The welt is then folded toward the lower side of the insole, so as to place it substantially on the plane of arrangement of the insole and so as to protrude around the lower region of the upper in order to be assembled, usually by stitching, to the sole in a subsequent step of the production of the item of footwear.
[0008] Footwear obtained with this method has the drawback of being rigid, very often excessively so, in the sole region.
[0010] If the protruding edge in the Goodyear-type insole is obtained by cutting and folding a portion of the insole, the insole must in fact be very thick and accordingly have limited flexibility.
[0011] Likewise, even if the protruding edge of the Goodyear-type insole is constituted by a reinforced tape, the insole must have an adequate thickness, and therefore a reduced flexibility, to prevent the application of the reinforced tape from producing unacceptable deformations in the insole.
[0012] The arrangement of the protruding edge, which is recessed with respect to the perimeter of the insole, also increases considerably the rigidity of the insole.
[0013] The aim of the present invention is to solve the problems described above, by providing a method for manufacturing an intermediate component that allows to produce footwear, such as shoes or the like, whose quality aesthetics is similar to that of footwear obtained with insoles of the Goodyear type but with a greater flexibility in the sole region.
[0014] Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a method that allows to produce highly comfortable footwear.
[0015] Another object of the invention is to provide a method that allows to produce footwear with competitive costs.
[0016] This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a method for manufacturing an intermediate component for making footwear, such as shoes or the like, characterized in that it consists in:
-- positioning an insole on the lower face of a last, said insole having a contour that has smaller dimensions than the lower face of said last, so that the perimeter of said insole is spaced internally with respect to the perimeter of the contour of the lower face of the last, said insole being provided with a peripheral edge that is or can be folded under the plane of arrangement of the insole rested on the lower face of the last;
-- fitting an upper on the last, placing the lower flap of the upper so that it faces laterally the peripheral edge of the insole;
-- joining a welt to the outer side of said peripheral edge of the insole, with the lower flap of said upper interposed.
[0017] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the method according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figures 1 to 5 are schematic views of some steps of the method according to the invention, and more particularly:
Figure 1 is an exploded view of a last with a facing insole;
Figure 2 is a view of the lower face of a last with an insole positioned thereon;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a last with an insole positioned on its lower face;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a last with an upper fitted thereon, said upper being assembled to the insole and to the welt;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the intermediate component obtained with the method according to the invention;
Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of an insole for performing the method according to the present invention;
Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view of another type of insole for performing the method according to the invention.
[0018] With reference to the figures, the method according to the present invention comprises a step for positioning an insole 1 on the lower face 2 of a last 3.
[0019] The last 3 can be a last of the conventional type used to assemble intermediate components for making footwear.
[0020] The insole 1 has a contour whose dimensions are smaller than the dimensions of the lower face 2 of the last 3, so that once the insole 1 has been positioned correctly on the lower face 2 of the last 3 the perimeter of the insole 1 is spaced internally with respect to the perimeter of the lower face 2 of the last 3.
[0021] The insole 1 is further provided with a peripheral edge 4, 4a, which is or can be folded below the plane of arrangement of the insole 1 when said insole rests on the lower face 2 of the last 3.
[0022] The insole 1 can be made of leather, hide, textile material and/or composite material, according to the requirements.
[0023] It should be noted that the peripheral edge 4 can be formed monolithically with the remaining part of the insole 1 and can be constituted simply by a downward fold of the peripheral portion of the insole 1, as shown in particular in Figure 6.
[0024] As an alternative, as shown in Figure 7, the peripheral edge, designated by the reference numeral 4a in said figure, can be formed separately from the body of the insole 1 and be applied thereto, for example by gluing, at the perimetric edge of the body of the insole 1.
[0025] Because of the fact that the peripheral edge 4 is the result of a simple folding of the peripheral portion of the insole 1 or of an element 4a that is connected to the body of the insole 1 at its perimeter, the insole 1 need not be particularly rigid. In this manner, the insole 1 can have a reduced thickness and/or high flexibility.
[0026] As shown in Figure 4, an upper 5 is fitted in a per se known manner onto the last 3, and the lower edge 5a of the upper is moved so as to face externally the peripheral edge 4, 4a of the insole 1.
[0027] A welt 6 is then applied, preferably by stitching, to the peripheral edge 4, 4a of the insole 1 and to the lower flap 5a of the upper 5, so that the lower flap 5a of the upper 5 lies between the peripheral edge 4, 4a of the insole 1 and the welt 6.
[0028] The welt 6 can be constituted, in a per se known manner, by a strip of leather or hide, or other materials, according to the requirements.
[0029] The stitched seam that joins the welt 6 to the lower flap 5a of the upper 5 and to the peripheral edge 4, 4a of the insole 1 is performed while these elements are arranged side by side and substantially at right angles to the plane of arrangement of the insole 1, i.e., of the lower face 2 of the last 3.
[0030] Once the welt 6 has been joined to the lower flap 5a of the upper 5 and to the peripheral edge 4, 4a of the insole 1, the welt 6 is folded toward the lower side of the insole 1 so as to place it substantially on the plane of arrangement of the insole 1, as shown in Figure 5. The intermediate component obtained with this operation, generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and shown in Figure 5, is ready to be used to produce the item of footwear, which is completed by assembling to the intermediate component the other components of the shoe, in a per se known manner, in particular by applying under the intermediate component 10 the sole, which is joined to the welt 6 generally by gluing and/or stitching.
[0031] Because the insole 1 that is used in the method according to the invention can have a reduced thickness and/or high flexibility, the item of footwear obtained with the intermediate component produced with the present method is highly flexible in the region of the sole and is particularly comfortable.
[0032] It should also be noted that the insole 1, since it does not necessarily require cutting and folding in order to form the peripheral edge 4, 4a, particularly when it is formed monolithically with the insole, has distinctly lower production costs than those required by Goodyear-type insoles of the conventional type.
[0033] In practice it has been found that the method and the intermediate component according to the invention fully achieve the intended aim, since they allow to provide footwear that is highly flexible in the region of the sole and is therefore more comfortable.
[0034] The method and the intermediate component thus conceived are susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
[0035] In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.
[0036] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2001A002086 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
[0037] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.
1. A method for manufacturing an intermediate component for making footwear, such as
shoes or the like, characterized in that it consists in:
-- positioning an insole (1) on the lower face (2) of a last (3), said insole (1) having a contour that has smaller dimensions than the lower face (2) of said last (3), so that the perimeter of said insole (1) is spaced internally with respect to the perimeter of the contour of the lower face (2) of the last (3), said insole (1) being provided with a peripheral edge (4, 4a) that is or can be folded under the plane of arrangement of the insole (1) rested on the lower face (2) of the last (3);
-- fitting an upper (5) on the last (3), placing the lower flap (5a) of the upper (5) so that it faces laterally the peripheral edge of the insole (1);
-- joining a welt (6) to the outer side of said peripheral edge of the insole (1), with the lower flap (5a) of said upper (5) interposed.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said welt (6), said lower flap (5a) of the upper (5) and said peripheral edge (4,
4a) of the insole (1) are mutually joined by stitching.
3. An insole (1) for performing the method according to one or more of the preceding
claims, characterized in that it has a contour whose dimensions are smaller than the contour of the lower face
(2) of the last (3) on which it is to be positioned, and in that it has a peripheral edge that is or can be folded under the plane of arrangement
of the insole (1) and is meant to be joined to the lower flap (5a) of the upper (5)
and to a welt (6).
4. The insole (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said peripheral edge of the insole (1) is provided monolithically with the body of
the insole.
5. The insole according to claim 3, characterized in that said peripheral edge (4, 4a) of the insole (1) is provided separately from the body
of the insole and is applied to the body of the insole at the perimetric edge of the
body of the insole.
6. An intermediate component for manufacturing footwear, comprising an upper (5), an
insole (1) and a welt (6), characterized in that said insole (1) has a peripheral edge (4, 4a) that is folded downward and is joined
to said welt (6) with the interposition of the lower flap (5a) of the upper (5).
7. A shoe, characterized in that it is obtained by means of an intermediate component and by means of a method according
to one or more of the preceding claims.
8. The method for producing an intermediate component for making footwear, such as shoes
or the like, and an intermediate component obtained with the method, characterized in that they comprise one or more of the described and/or illustrated characteristics.