Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
  • A43B5/04—Ski or like boots
  • A43B5/0405—Linings, paddings or insertions; Inner boots

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the comfort fittings arranged inside the shoes, and in particular sports shoes with rigid external upper such as the shells of ski or skate shoes, and relates to the use of an element of foam cushioning with thermopiastic qualities and intended to adjust and / or adapt, after it has been heated to its thermoforming temperature, to the specific volume of the user's foot.
• the initial boot volume that is to say before adjustment by thermoforming, is, for a given size, is smaller than the standard. of this size, either significantly larger, or still undefined.
• such shoes are described in patents EP 004,829, FR 2,460,118, JP 2-270519, and in patent application WO 94/09663.
• none of the interior fittings fitted to these shoes are preformed to a standard footwear volume for a given size, and therefore cannot be used for skiing without prior thermoforming.
• thermocompression requires providing a cavity, or footwear volume, significantly larger than the volume of the foot to be held because the constituent materials of the walls of the interior linings being previously thermocompressed have lost much of their flexibility. , and it is impossible to possibly readjust them to a larger volume simply by the pressure of the foot.
• thermocompression Such interior linings preformed by thermocompression therefore have, for a given size, a significantly greater footwear volume, and their walls in the thermocompressed state have a high density making them unsuitable for ensuring acceptable comfort for the foot if they are not heated to relax, and thus restore flexibility.
• thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene, the ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer, and polypropylene for example, because their thermoplastic nature does not require the addition of a resin.
• thermopiastic nature one relates to their flexibility and compressibility which are relatively less good than those of polyurethane, which is detrimental to comfort, and the other, their waterproof structure which does not allow good diffusion of the heat in their mass during the heating operation to bring them to the temperature making them plastic, therefore thermoformable.
• the present invention aims to remedy these various drawbacks of the known interior linings obtained from thermoplastic foam, and proposes an interior lining preformed to a standard initial fitting volume for a given size suitable for being able to be used as it is to hold the foot in the shoe. , ensuring comfort and support similar to those of a conventional interior trim, and able to be adapted specifically to the shape of at least part of the foot by reheating to a given temperature and then cooling.
• the interior comfort lining for shoes according to the invention is obtained preformed to a standard initial fitting volume for a given size, and comprises at least one wedging element of thermoplastic foam preformed by thermocompression. It is characterized by the fact that the wedging element obtained in thermoplastic foam is micro-perforated for:
• the thermoplastic foam is a foam of polyethylene, of ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer, or of polypropylene, for example, but can of course result from the combination of several thermoplastic materials.
• the wedging element is interposed between a flexible or semi-flexible outer wall of the interior lining and a comfort fabric constituting the interior wall of the latter, and the shape of the imprint given to it. by thermocompression is such that the volume of the footwear at this leveling element corresponds to the standard footwear volume of the given size considered.
• the wedging element is not included or interposed in the wall of the interior lining but is attached, in the manner of an independently designed element, on the wall of said lining, to the outside and or inside the latter.
• Figure 1 shows, seen in perspective, an inner lining in the form of a boot opening with the front having a rod and a tongue provided with thermocompressed wedging elements preformed and micro-perforated according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view along ll-ll of the boot of Figure 1.
• FIG. 3 represents, seen in flat, the wedging element which is inserted into the upper of the bootie of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 4 shows a rod of an inner lining in the form of a boot with a rear opening provided with a wedging element in the area extending from the instep / fold of flexion to the malleoli.
• FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the rear comfort wedge of the boot with rear opening of FIG. 4 which wedge is provided with a wedging element in the zone corresponding substantially to that of the heel.
• Figures 6 and 7 show inner linings in the form of slippers provided with a wedging element according to the invention which is located, Figure 6, on the outside of the liner, and Figure 7, inside the liner.
• the inner lining in the form of a bootie 1, illustrated in FIG. 1, has a rod 2 with a front opening 3 and a tongue 4 intended to close said opening 3 in the tightening and holding position of the user's foot.
• This liner 1 is preformed to a standard initial fitting volume for a given size and is provided, in this construction example, with two wedging elements 5 and 6 which are produced in the form of foam from a thermoplastic material, l element 5 being arranged on the zone corresponding to the malleoli 7 and the heel 8, and element 6 on the zone corresponding to the flexion fold instep 9 of the user. These elements are preformed by thermocompression and have an initial imprint of shape substantially corresponding to that of the area of the foot that they cover.
• thermocompression elements which are preformed by thermocompression are adaptable and adjustable specifically to the shape of a "non-standard" foot simply by heating up to the temperature which makes them plastic, which allows them to relax to a volume close to that which they had before thermocompression.
• the user's foot is then forcefully inserted into the boot, that is to say it at least partially recompresses said wedging elements, which thus take exactly the shape of its imprint.
• the liner being kept on the foot inside the shoe in the tightening position until the wedging elements 5, 6 cool, these stabilize while keeping the imprint imposed by the foot.
• these elements 5, 6, which are most often obtained in polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer or polypropylene, and therefore waterproof, are micro-perforated in their thickness.
• These micro-perforations 10, shown in Figures 2 and 3, make them more flexible and improve their compressibility even in the thermocompressed state. Also, they acquire a certain permeability greatly improving the comfort and hygiene of the foot thanks to the possible evacuation of perspiration. Still, these micro-perforations allow a faster and deeper diffusion of heat when the elements are warmed up for an impression. This advantage is not negligible because it is thus possible to operate with weaker heat sources therefore less likely to damage or destroy the "skin" of the surface of said elements 5 and 6 which is exposed to said heat sources.
• the elements 5 and 6 are interposed between its outer 11 and lower 12 walls, and cooperate with the other padding and comfort elements of the booties which are placed at their periphery like that of 13, which may be of simply compressible foam. It goes without saying that ordinary padding elements can also be arranged on one and / or the other of the side faces of said wedging elements 5 and 6 made of micro-perforated thermoplastic foam.
• the liner 20 has a rod 22 produced with a rear opening 23 and a wedging element 25 which substantially covers the zones corresponding to the malleoli 7 and the instep / flexion fold 9. As before, the wedging element 25 is interposed between the outer 11 and inner 12 walls of the liner.
• a wedge 24 can obviously be equipped, for example in the area of the heel 8, with a wedging element 26 obtained in high-performance thermoplastic foam and micro-perforated according to the invention.
• the wedging elements in preformed and micro-perforated thermoplastic foam can be designed as independent elements and / or additional to a comfort liner.
• the wedging element 36 made of preformed and micro-perforated thermoplastic foam 10 is fitted on the outer wall 11 of the liner 30, and extends substantially over the zone corresponding to the malleoli 7 and instep / flexion 9.
• a liner 40 can have one or more ordinary padding elements 13 in zones that are not very sensitive to the foot, and a reserved space intended to receive a preformed and micro-perforated thermoplastic wedging element 5 designed independently.
• this wedging element can be put in place at the last moment in the liner, for example when the impression is taken on the foot, after reheating outside the liner.
• thermoplastic wedging element may constitute the interior lining itself or extend over its entire surface.
• the invention applies equally to removable interior linings such as those used in ski or skate boots, as to fixed linings such as used in sports shoes such as tennis, basketball, or normal shoes, whether these shoes have a flexible or more or less rigid upper.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
• Sealing Devices (AREA)
• Diaphragms And Bellows (AREA)
• Axle Suspensions And Sidecars For Cycles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9468860

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications Before (1)

Country Status (10)

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Family Cites Families (21)

• 1994
  • 1994-11-10 FR FR9413735A patent/FR2726743B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1995
  • 1995-10-04 DE DE69509857T patent/DE69509857T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-10-04 AT AT95115599T patent/ATE180393T1/de active
  • 1995-10-04 EP EP95115599A patent/EP0711515B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-11-08 AU AU41793/96A patent/AU689675B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1995-11-08 WO PCT/FR1995/001476 patent/WO1996014769A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1995-11-08 JP JP7289526A patent/JPH08224102A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 1995-11-08 DE DE69508606T patent/DE69508606T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-11-08 US US08/817,882 patent/US5924218A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-11-08 CA CA002204646A patent/CA2204646A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1995-11-08 US US08/554,240 patent/US5746015A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-11-08 ES ES95940292T patent/ES2131874T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1995-11-08 AT AT95940292T patent/ATE177916T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1995-11-08 EP EP95940292A patent/EP0790788B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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