EA044533B1 - SHOES UPPER AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SHOES UPPER - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a shoe upper and a method for manufacturing a shoe upper.

Shoes, especially sports shoes, in which the upper is knitted, are known on an industrial scale.

In fact, it has been observed that by making the shoe uppers knitted, it is possible to produce shoes with a sufficiently low production cost and with the possibility of changing said shoe upper in a simple and inexpensive manner both in color and in the type of material used.

Methods used to produce knitted uppers lead to the use of knitting machines designed to produce straight material, in which case a subsequent step is required to close by joining the sides in the areas of the sole, heel and/or insole, or lead to the use of circular knitting machines , on which tubular elements can be produced, which, in some cases, are subsequently closed in the toe area and heat-set to obtain a suitable shape.

WO 2015068108 describes, for example, a method for producing footwear by using circular knitting machines on which a traditional sock structure is produced, onto which a sole is then applied.

WO 2014096561 relates to a shoe comprising a first shell extending in a longitudinal direction from a rear end to a front end, in a transverse direction between a side edge and a central border, and in a vertical direction from a base to an upper end.

In particular, the first shell contains threads interconnected mechanically, at least a portion of said threads containing at least one heat-set thread, which are distributed throughout the first shell so that the shape of the first shell is determined according to the heat-fixation of the heat-set thread.

Typically, regardless of how a knitted upper is made, it is necessary to provide the upper, in the area intended for tying, with loops or holes for the laces to pass through.

Some known solutions involve providing said loops or holes by knitting, but in this case it has been observed that said loops, when tension is applied to them by the laces, transfer force to adjacent stitches, causing them to break or become somewhat deformed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shoe upper and a method for making a shoe upper suitable for improving upon existing technology in one or more of the aspects set forth above.

Within the framework of this objective, it is an object of the invention to provide a shoe upper and a method for producing a shoe upper that allows for the creation of hooking elements for laces that are durable and practical to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe upper and a method for producing shoe uppers, which would make it possible to produce shoes that are more comfortable to wear and also capable of obtaining a more rigid structure, thanks to which it would be possible to effectively use the upper also for shoes, subjected to significant loads.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe upper and a method for making a shoe upper that is highly reliable, relatively easy to manufacture and competitively priced.

This object, as well as these and other objects that will become more apparent later, is achieved by using a shoe upper and a method of making a shoe upper according to the independent claims provided (optionally) by one or more characteristics of the dependent claims.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of certain preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of a shoe upper and a method of making a shoe upper according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting examples in the accompanying drawings, in which:

in fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a shoe obtained according to a first embodiment of a semi-finished product according to the invention;

in fig. 2 is a schematic side view of a boot produced by a second embodiment of the semi-finished product according to the invention;

in fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a boot produced by a third embodiment of a semi-finished product according to the invention;

in fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale of a part of a semi-finished knitted material according to the invention, in which a longitudinal channel connected to the lace has been produced;

in fig. 5 is a view of a structural variant of the part shown in FIG. 4;

in fig. 6 is a schematic view of a first example of a semi-finished product according to the invention;

in fig. 7 is a schematic view of a second example of a semi-finished product according to the invention.

The semi-finished product according to the invention (see drawings), generally designated by the reference numeral 1, contains a semi-finished product 1 for producing a knitted upper 10.

- 1 044533

Semi-finished product 1 contains a smooth weave 21 and an elastic weave 22.

According to the present invention, the semi-finished product 1 contains at least one longitudinally extending channel 30 formed in the weave between the plane formed by the smooth weave 21 and the plane formed by the ribbed weave 22.

For convenience, the direction along which said or each longitudinally extending channel 30 extends substantially transversely to the weave direction (the latter indicated by reference numeral 200 in FIGS. 4 and 5).

In practice, the longitudinally extending channels 30 run parallel to the weave rows.

More specifically, said or each longitudinally extending channel 30 may mate with an elongated mating element 31, which is a lace 40 or a reinforcing element 50 provided for mating with the lace 40.

Preferably, said or each longitudinal channel 30 extends in the direction of the length of the rows for at least one stitch.

In this regard, it has been observed that it is advantageous to provide conditions under which the longitudinally extending channel or channels 30 extend, in the direction of the length of the row, at least 3 consecutive weave stitches, especially if it is desired to obtain a longitudinally extending channel 30 , which would have good structural properties.

With reference to the weave patterns shown in FIG. 4 and 5, it should be noted that the extent in the direction of the rows of elastic stitches, even the rows near the longitudinally extending channels 30, is constant, while the presence, again along the direction of the extension of the rows, of a plurality of flat stitches for each corresponding eraser stitch creates a three-dimensional the extent of the corresponding longitudinally extending channel 30 towards the outer side of the weave, relative to the smooth side.

However, it is also possible to create longitudinally extending channels 30 by providing individual stitches mutually spaced along a direction transverse to the knitting direction, and creating, between the plane formed by the plain weave 21 and the plane formed by the ribbed weave 22, a corresponding portion of the channel.

Next to the longitudinally extending channels 30, both along the rows and along the weave columns, it is possible to provide different types of weave patterns, for example in hosiery knitting or when using flat knitting technology.

For convenience, semi-finished product 1 contains a tubular element.

The semi-finished product 1 may be of the single-layer type, as shown in FIG. 6, or double layer type as shown in FIG. 7.

According to a preferred practical embodiment, the semi-finished product 1 includes a fastening area 10a of the top 10.

In one possible embodiment, the semi-finished product 1 comprises at least one first longitudinal channel 30 and at least one second longitudinal channel 30 located on opposite sides relative to the securing area 10a of the top 10.

For convenience, the channel 30 or each channel 30 extends along a direction of extension 100 that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of the securing region 10a of the top 10.

With specific reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcing element 50 is connected to a mating loop 51 for the lace 40.

The present invention also relates to a method for producing a semi-finished product 1 for producing a knitted shoe upper 10.

The method includes the step of providing a semi-finished product 1 containing a smooth weave 21 and an elastic weave 22.

The step of creating the semi-finished product 1 according to the present invention includes the step of creating at least one longitudinal channel 30 formed in the knitted material between the plane formed by the plain weave 21 and the plane formed by the ribbed weave 22.

For convenience, the longitudinally extending channels 30 run parallel to the weave rows.

In practice, the step of creating at least one channel 30 includes the step of holding rib stitches on a portion of the respective needles and simultaneously providing, using plain weave needles, a predetermined number of rows to produce a channel having a predetermined cross-section in the transverse direction.

A return to knitting step is then performed using needles designed to hold the rib stitches to continue producing the weave.

In practice, it has been found that when using the invention, the set goal is achieved and problems are solved, providing a semi-finished product and a method for producing a semi-finished product for shoe uppers with built-in mating elements for laces that are durable and practical to use.

-

Claims (8)

In addition, thanks to the production of the semi-finished product 1 according to the invention, it is possible to produce an upper for shoes which, while maintaining the usual comfort of an upper provided by knitting, has greater structural rigidity, thanks to the presence of longitudinal channels 30, where said rigidity ensures their effective use even in such sectors as sports shoes or shoes for so-called cross-country running. The invention thus presented is susceptible to a number of modifications and variations, all of which come within the scope of protection of the appended claims; all parts can, in addition, be replaced by other technically equivalent elements. Thus, for example, if a straight-line machine is used, a longitudinally extending channel or channels 30 may be provided between the plain weave plane and the ruffle weave plane provided respectively by the use of the first and second needle patterns. In practice, the materials used, as long as they are compatible with the specific use and the shapes and sizes of the contingent, can be anything according to the requirements and state of the art. The inventions disclosed in Italian Patent Application No. 102019000007821, the priority of which is claimed by this application, are incorporated herein by reference. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by a reference numeral, such reference numeral is included for the sole purpose of enhancing the understanding of the claims and, accordingly, such reference numerals do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each the element identified by the example expressed by such reference number. CLAIM 1. Semi-finished product (1) for the manufacture of a knitted shoe upper (10), characterized in that it contains a smooth weave (21) and an elastic weave (22), with at least one longitudinal channel (30) formed in said weave between the plane formed by said smooth weave (21) and a plane formed by said ribbed weave (22), wherein said at least one longitudinally extending channel (30) is configured to mate with an elongated mating element (31) that forms the lace ( 40) or a reinforcing element (50) designed to mate with the lace. 2. Semi-finished product (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one longitudinal channel runs along at least one weave stitch. 3. Semi-finished product (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that said at least one longitudinally extending channel (30) runs substantially parallel to the weave rows. 4. Semi-finished product (1) according to one or more of the previous paragraphs, characterized in that it is made in the form of a tubular element. 5. Semi-finished product (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that said semi-finished product (1) forms an area (10a) for securing said upper (10) of a shoe, and said semi-finished product (1) contains at least one first longitudinal channel (30) and at least one second channel (30) located on opposite sides relative to said fastening area (10a). 6. Semi-finished product (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that said at least one longitudinal channel (30) runs along a direction of extension (100) that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of extension of said fastening region (10a). 7. Semi-finished product (1) according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that said reinforcing element (50) is associated with an engaging loop (51) for the lace (40). 8. A method for manufacturing a semi-finished product (1) for making a knitted shoe upper (10), characterized in that it includes the step of manufacturing a semi-finished product (1) having a smooth weave (21) and an elastic weave (22), and the step of providing at least one a longitudinal channel (30) formed inside the knitted material between a plane formed by said smooth weave (21) and a plane formed by said ribbed weave (22), wherein said longitudinal channel (30) is configured to mate with an elongated mating element (31) , which forms a lace (40) or a reinforcing element (50) designed to mate with the lace. -