CN112568556A

CN112568556A - Shoe upper with upper lining

Info

Publication number: CN112568556A
Application number: CN202011014542.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 格奥尔格·特罗斯特; 福尔克·兹利时
Original assignee: Adidas AG
Current assignee: Adidas AG
Priority date: 2019-09-27
Filing date: 2020-09-24
Publication date: 2021-03-30
Also published as: US20210093045A1; EP3797624A1; DE102019214903A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an upper comprising an upper liner (300). The upper liner includes two edge sections (130) and seams (235, 236, 335) that are located medial and/or lateral to the upper in the heel region (120, 220, 320). A seam connects the two edge sections.

Description

Shoe upper with upper lining

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an upper including an upper liner and a method of manufacturing the upper.

Background

Particularly popular in the manufacture of footwear is currently footwear with a "sock-fit". This means that there is no separate tongue structure in the upper of the shoe above the instep of the wearer. Such shoes are put on and taken off similarly to socks, which achieves a high wearing comfort by the soft textile material matching the foot. This is only practical in the following cases: the material of the upper allows some stretch so that the user can pull it over their foot and still have some compression for support during use.

In particular for off-road running, hiking, climbing or mountain climbing shoes, it is further desirable to have waterproof protection in the footwear. This may be achieved by a coating on the outside of the upper material. Alternatively, this may be achieved by a waterproof lining material located on the inside of the upper material. An advantage of the waterproof liner is that it is less subject to wear over time during use and is therefore less likely to be damaged.

One example of a shoe with a waterproof lining is the prior art document US 2008/0016717a1, which relates to an article of footwear comprising an outsole on which an outer upper is mounted, the upper comprising a plurality of pieces assembled together by stitching. The sheets of the shoe upper are made of breathable waterproof material. The upper comprises a three-layer laminate material including a breathable waterproof membrane sandwiched between a lining fabric and an outer covering fabric.

A downside to this structure is that the liner generally does not provide complete coverage of the entire area of the foot. Due to the use of padded material, the lining may not extend all the way to the collar of the shoe. Since the upper is typically attached to and does not extend over a midsole (strobel board) at the sides of the foot, the liner may not extend under the wearer's foot. The areas of the shoe not covered by the waterproof lining may allow water to enter the shoe. In addition, the stitching where the waterproof liner is attached to the location of other materials or where the various pieces of the upper are stitched together may cause discomfort to the wearer.

A better solution to this problem is to fit a waterproof sock structure inside the shoe. The sock structure may be glued or stitched to the insole or midsole plate of the shoe. The sock structure provides complete coverage of the wearer's foot to prevent leakage into the footwear. An example of such a sock structure is the circular knitted sock as disclosed in prior art document CN108391890A, which relates to a method of making a three-layer seamless composite waterproof shoe. The manufacturing method sequentially comprises the following steps: the integrated structure comprising the first sock part and the second sock part is formed and woven on the single needle bed hosiery machine in one step; the foot-shaped mould penetrates through the first sock part from the front opening of the first sock part and is sleeved into the second sock part; the seamless sock-shaped waterproof moisture permeable PU film is sleeved outside the second sock part; turning the first sock part backwards, sewing the front opening of the first sock part, and heating to set the sock with the three-layer structure into the covering shoe tree, so as to form the integrated three-layer seamless composite vamp; the sock or the vamp with the three-layer structure is combined with the sole.

However, this is a complicated structure to implement, and therefore the sock structure itself becomes labor intensive and therefore very expensive.

It would be advantageous to find a waterproof upper structure that, on the one hand, covers substantially the entire foot of the user without uncomfortable seams, and, on the other hand, provides a more cost-effective and simpler to produce structure than circular knit waterproof socks.

The problem underlying the present invention is therefore to provide an improved lining structure for an upper, which at least partially overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

The above problems are at least partially solved by the subject matter of the independent claims of the present invention. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an upper comprising an upper liner, wherein the upper liner comprises two edge sections. The upper liner also includes a seam located at the medial and/or lateral side of the upper in the heel region, wherein the seam connects the two edge sections.

Accordingly, the claimed invention provides an improved upper for a shoe in which a seam joining two edge sections of the upper liner may not cover an area of the wearer's foot that is subject to significant friction, such as the central heel area of the upper. Thus, the risk of damage, such as blisters, may be significantly reduced. In addition, the improved location of the seams may help to increase the comfort of the wearer of the footwear.

In some embodiments, the seam may extend substantially vertically along a majority of the height of the upper. In this way, by connecting the two edge sections in a straight line, the length of the seam can be minimized. The connection may be made, for example, by sewing, gluing or similar techniques. Furthermore, since the shortest distance across the height of the upper is in the vertical direction, the length of the seam may be as short as possible. The term "substantially vertical" as used herein should be understood to mean that small variations, for example of the order of 10 from a purely vertical direction, are also applicable to the present invention.

In some embodiments, the seam may be spaced at least 2cm, preferably at least 4cm, more preferably at least 6cm from the central posterior portion of the heel region. It is known that the majority of blisters are due to friction between the wearer's foot and the shoe upper in the medial heel region. By introducing a distance between the seam and the central rear portion of the heel area, the risk of blisters due to the shoe according to the invention can be significantly reduced.

In some embodiments, the seam may be spaced at least 0.5cm, preferably at least 1.0cm, more preferably at least 1.5cm from the lateral malleolus and/or medial malleolus. In this way, the seam may be positioned slightly forward or slightly rearward of the main bony portion of the ankle of the wearer's foot, which may reduce the risk of injury at areas of the ankle that are prone to high friction.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may include a knitted or woven fabric layer and a waterproof film layer. By combining the comfortable wearing comfort of the fabric layer and the water resistance of the film layer, this embodiment may provide an improved and optimized material for manufacturing the upper.

Alternatively or additionally, the upper liner may include top and bottom knitted or woven fabric layers, wherein the waterproof membrane layer may be disposed between the top and bottom knitted or woven fabric layers. In this way, the waterproof membrane layer may be protected by the top fabric layer from external factors such as abrasion, abrasion and tearing or direct solar radiation. This may extend the life of the shoe, particularly its waterproof properties. Furthermore, manufacturing an upper with an outer textile layer may expand shape and color designs, as these options are very limited for treating the waterproof membrane. Furthermore, the bottom fabric layer may provide a soft and comfortable inner layer, as a waterproof membrane in direct contact with the wearer's foot will likely result in an uncomfortable experience.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may be adapted to cover the sole of a foot of a wearer and extend from a sole area of the upper to a collar area of the upper. It is known to attach a waterproof upper without a sole region to a waterproof midsole or outsole, which may create a water-permeable edge at the interface. Thus, by providing a waterproof upper liner from the sole region through to the collar region, embodiments of the present invention may prevent water from penetrating into the interior of the upper, particularly at the interface between the upper and the sole. In addition, water that is sprayed or splashed may be prevented from penetrating from the sides of the shoe to the interior of the upper.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may completely surround the foot of the wearer. In this way, by covering the entire foot of the wearer of the shoe, comfortable cushioning and waterproofness of the entire shoe may be provided. Furthermore, such waterproof structures may have low or no risk of water penetration, as the only opening into the upper is from the top side, largely covered by the wearer's foot.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may be stretchable. It also allows some combinations of stretched waterproof liner materials to be unique. The vamp liner of this embodiment thus combines the stretch required for sock-fitting shoes with the waterproof characteristics required for outdoor shoes, resulting in a versatile vamp construction. The term "stretchable" as used herein is to be understood as a property of a material that allows the material to recover its original dimensions after being stretched by an external force. A stretchable upper liner may provide an upper that contracts sufficiently around a wearer's foot after sliding into a shoe, such that additional tightening of, for example, a lace may be omitted. The contraction around the wearer's foot does not cause any discomfort to the wearer.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may be formed from a flat sheet of material. This embodiment may provide a cost effective and simpler solution to manufacturing a waterproof upper for a shoe, compared to a circular knitted structure.

Furthermore, the two edge sections may be located on two separate flat sheets or on the same flat sheet. This may allow a high level of flexibility in arranging various cutting patterns on the panels of upper lining material. As a result, a lower percentage of scrap can be achieved. In addition, the high level of flexibility may also provide an upper liner structure that is suitable for a variety of different upper sizes and/or different types of applications.

In another aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method of manufacturing an upper that includes an upper liner. The method includes providing an upper liner including two edge sections and joining the two edge sections with a seam, wherein the seam is located on a medial side and/or a lateral side of the upper in a heel region.

As discussed above with respect to embodiments of the upper, the various advantages of the present invention are similarly applicable to embodiments of the method of manufacturing the upper, and are not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

In some embodiments, the seam may extend substantially vertically along a majority of the height of the upper.

In some embodiments, the seam may be spaced at least 2cm, preferably at least 4cm, more preferably at least 6cm from the central posterior portion of the heel region.

In some embodiments, the seam may be spaced at least 0.5cm, preferably at least 1.0cm, more preferably at least 1.5cm from the lateral malleolus and/or medial malleolus.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may include a knitted or woven fabric layer and a waterproof film layer.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may include top and bottom knitted or woven fabric layers, and a waterproof film layer may be disposed between the top and bottom knitted or woven fabric layers.

In some embodiments, the method may further include the step of adapting the upper liner to cover a sole (sole) of a foot of a wearer and extend from a sole area of the upper to a collar area of the upper.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may completely surround the foot of the wearer.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may be stretchable.

In some embodiments, the upper liner may be formed from a flat sheet of material. Furthermore, the two edge sections may be located on two separate flat sheets or on the same flat sheet.

Drawings

Aspects of the present invention are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These figures show:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a cut pattern for an upper liner of an upper;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of a cut pattern for an upper liner of another upper; and

fig. 3 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an upper liner that completely covers a foot of a wearer.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below with reference to an upper that includes an upper liner. Although specific combinations of features are described below with respect to exemplary embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. In particular, not all features may be required to implement the present invention and an embodiment may be modified by combining certain features of one embodiment with one or more features of another embodiment.

Fig. 1 depicts an embodiment of a cut pattern 100 for an upper liner for an upper according to the present invention. The cut pattern has been applied to a flat sheet of upper liner which, after cutting, produces the desired cut pattern 100. The cutting may be performed manually or by an automated process using, for example, scissors, a knife, a laser, or the like. The cut pattern 100 of the upper liner includes a main upper region 110 and a heel region 120. It may be noted that the cut pattern including the sole region may be applied to and cut from the same or different planar sheets of the upper liner as the cut pattern of the upper (not shown). The upper liner may include a knitted or woven (woven) fabric layer and a waterproof film layer. In particular, the upper liner may include a waterproof membrane layer disposed between top and bottom layers of a knitted or woven fabric layer. The laminated upper liner may be stretchable in that all three separate layers of the upper liner may allow some stretching.

The cut pattern 100 of the upper liner includes two edge sections 130. In the final upper, the two edge sections 130 are joined by seams to form the flat cut pattern 100 into a three-dimensional shape, similar to the final shape of the upper. In the three-dimensional shape, the seam is located in the medial and/or lateral side of the upper in heel region 120. The seam also extends substantially vertically along a majority of the height of the upper in its final shape to keep the length of the seam as short as possible. The seam required to connect the two edge sections 130 is spaced from the central rear portion 125 of the heel region 120. In addition, the seam may be spaced from the lateral and medial malleoli. In this manner, the final liner in the upper has no seams in the areas of the shoe that experience significant friction. Accordingly, the present embodiment provides an upper with a lower risk of blisters in the central rear portion 125 of the heel region 120. This embodiment may also provide increased comfort to the wearer of the shoe.

The cutting pattern 100 also includes dart mark 140 in the toe region and dart mark 145 in the heel region 120. Darts at the marked locations may be advantageous to produce a bend in the final shape of the upper. It will be noted that in the assembled shoe, these darts may be covered primarily by the insole, and therefore the seams may not be felt by the wearer.

In accordance with the claimed invention, the cutting pattern 100 may include separate portions of the upper region 110 and heel region 120 that are joined at two edge sections with a seam at the interface 135 of the two portions. Cutting pattern 100 may also include only one portion where major upper region 110 and heel region 120 are not cut as separate portions from a flat sheet of material, thus omitting seams at interface 135 in accordance with the claimed invention.

Fig. 2 depicts an embodiment of a cut pattern 200 for an upper liner of an upper according to the present invention. The upper lining and cutting process is similar to the lining and cutting process described with respect to cutting pattern 100 of fig. 1. However, the cut pattern 200 of the upper liner includes three separate portions. These three portions include a first major upper region 210, a second major upper region 211, and a heel region 220. The edge section of first major upper region 210 and the edge section of heel region 220 are connected at the medial side of the upper in heel region 220 by seam 235. Furthermore, an edge section of second major upper region 211 and an edge section of heel region 220 are connected at the lateral side of the upper in heel region 220 by a second seam 236. The joined cut pattern 200 does not include a seam connecting two edge sections in the central posterior portion 225 of the heel region 220. Such a seam would increase the risk of blistering at the heel of the user based on the increase in the amount of friction in this area (as compared to, for example, the medial or lateral side of the upper spaced from the lateral and medial malleoli).

The cut pattern 200 of the upper liner does not include a tongue region. In this manner, the cut pattern 200 may be applied to non-sock-fit (non-sock-fit) footwear. The non-sock-fitting footwear may include a tongue region made of the same or different materials. In addition, laces or Velcro (Velcro) may be used to tighten the non-sock fitting shoe to ensure a secure fit on the wearer's foot.

In another embodiment, the cutting pattern 200 may include only two separate portions including only one

side seam

235 or 236, respectively, for connecting two edge segments. In yet another embodiment, the cutting pattern 200 may include only one portion, without the side seams 235 and 236 connecting the two edge segments.

Fig. 3 depicts an embodiment of an assembled upper liner 300 for an upper. The assembled upper liner 300 includes a waterproof membrane layer assembled between two knitted or woven fabric layers. In addition, the assembled upper liner 300 completely covers the foot 350 of the wearer. This configuration may provide the stretch required for the sock to fit the shoe. This construction also provides the waterproof properties required for outdoor footwear. In addition, this configuration may provide the desired tactile feel for comfortable footwear. The assembled upper liner 300 is formed from a flat sheet of material. Thus, the flat sheets are connected by seam 335 at two edge sections, one at main shoe face region 310 and one at heel region 320. Seam 335 connecting the two upper regions is located on the lateral side of the upper in heel region 320. Assembled upper 300 may further include a seam to connect two edge sections (not shown) at the medial side of the upper in heel region 320. However, the assembled upper liner 300 does not include seams for joining edge sections in the central rear portion 325 of the heel region 320. In this manner, the assembled upper liner 300 provides improved comfort as compared to conventional footwear, particularly at the central rear portion 325 of the heel region 320 of the upper. In addition, the assembled upper liner 300 is waterproof throughout its height, preventing water from penetrating into the shoe through the upper.

Claims

1. An upper comprising an upper liner (300), wherein the upper liner comprises:

two edge sections (130);

seams (235, 236, 335) located on the medial and/or lateral sides of the upper in the heel region (120, 220, 320),

wherein the seam connects the two edge sections, an

Wherein the upper liner comprises a knitted or woven fabric layer and a waterproof membrane layer.

2. The upper of claim 1, wherein the seam extends substantially vertically along a majority of a height of the upper.

3. An upper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seam is spaced from a central rear portion (125, 225, 325) of the heel region by at least 2cm, preferably at least 4cm, and more preferably at least 6 cm.

4. An upper according to any of claims 1 through 3, wherein the seam is spaced apart from the lateral and/or medial malleolus by at least 0.5cm, preferably at least 1.0cm, and more preferably at least 1.5 cm.

5. An upper according to any one of claims 1 through 4, wherein the upper liner includes a top knitted or woven fabric layer and a bottom knitted or woven fabric layer; and

wherein the waterproof film layer is disposed between the top and bottom knitted or woven fabric layers.

6. An upper according to any one of claims 1 through 5, wherein the upper liner is adapted to cover a sole of a foot of a wearer and extend from a sole region of the upper through to a collar region of the upper.

7. An upper according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the upper liner completely surrounds a foot (350) of a wearer.

8. An upper according to any one of claims 1 through 7, wherein the upper liner is stretchable.

9. An upper according to any one of claims 1 through 8, wherein the upper liner is formed from a flat sheet.

10. The upper of claim 9, wherein the two edge sections are located on two separate flat sheets or on the same flat sheet.

11. A method of manufacturing an upper including an upper liner (300), the method comprising:

providing the upper liner comprising two edge sections (130);

connecting the two edge sections with a seam (235, 236, 335),

wherein the seam is located medial and/or lateral to the upper in a heel region (120, 220, 320).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the seam extends substantially vertically along a majority of a height of the upper.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the seam is spaced apart from a central posterior portion (125, 225, 325) of the heel region by at least 2cm, preferably at least 4cm, and more preferably at least 6 cm.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the seam is spaced apart from the lateral and/or medial malleolus by at least 0.5cm, preferably at least 1.0cm, and more preferably at least 1.5 cm.

15. The method of any of claims 11-14, wherein the upper liner comprises a knitted or woven fabric layer and a waterproof film layer.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the upper liner includes a top knitted or woven fabric layer and a bottom knitted or woven fabric layer; and

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, further comprising adapting the upper liner to cover a sole of a foot (350) of a wearer and extend from a sole region of the upper up to a collar region of the upper.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11-17, wherein the upper liner completely surrounds the foot of the wearer.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the upper liner is stretchable.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the upper liner is formed from a flat sheet.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the two edge sections are located on two separate flat sheets or on the same flat sheet.