Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
  • A43B3/26—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use adjustable as to length or size

Definitions

• the present invention provides a device for adjusting the length and possibly the width of a shoe according to the evolution of the foot for values limited to a few sizes, the invention also relates to the shoe obtained.
• the child is uncomfortable for a period longer than the period during which the shoe is perfectly adapted, which is not favorable for learning to walk, for example.
• Another problem also concerns quality and marketing. Parents who have to regularly change the child's shoes are led to turn to low-priced models. As the quality is generally proportional to the price, the holding of the foot may have to suffer from the wearing of such shoes.
• the sole includes two separate and independent parts, respectively secured to the upper and to the upper and connected by a spacer made of elastomeric material so as to make this sole monolithic.
• the wearer can thus put on this shoe by very partially compensating for small variations in length, while having to withstand the corresponding compression due to the powerful elastic element, which is impossible to envisage for children.
• a variant provides for a complete upper, but the seam is made with an elastic thread, which is at least detrimental to the good holding of the foot and to allow the production of a closed shoe.
• US-A-5 1 63 237 Also known from US-A-5 1 63 237 is a set of cleanliness firsts of various heights, combined with an internal envelope disposed sewn with at least the end of the shoe.
• This envelope includes a part which is trapped under at least one of the first.
• the interior volume can be varied according to whether the soles are all above the envelope or all below or even attached to either side of this envelope.
• the utility certificate FR-A-2 660 1 66 describes a shoe whose rear quarter is removable to allow this shoe with a low upper to be transformed into a rising shoe, in particular applicable to a sports shoe.
• the rear quarter is fixed by quick-attaching materials such as that sold commercially under the brand "Velcro”.
• a complementary tongue also secures the rear quarter to the upper, this upper covering this tongue.
• the present invention provides a device for changing a shoe, more particularly a closed shoe, by adjusting the length and possibly the width to values of one to two sizes so as to keep the shoe its quality of support for the foot, its comfort and even its aesthetics.
• the application relates more particularly to children and sizes of the order of 1 9 to 30 in French standardization.
• the device for adapting at least the length of a shoe as a function of the change in size of the wearer's foot said shoe comprising a sole, with a front part and a rear part, a first fitting , a first of cleanliness and a rod comprising an upper and a rear quarter
• the upper is integral with the front part of the sole
• the rear quarter is integral with the rear part of the sole and in that 'It comprises an elongation zone interposed between said front part and said rear part with length locking means.
• These length locking means comprise an insert integral with one of the parts and mounted adjustable in translation relative to the other part.
• the insert is a T, the transverse branch of which is integral with the front part and the longitudinal branch of which is slidably mounted in translation in a housing provided in the rear part with notch means for immobilizing this longitudinal branch in said housing.
• the elongation zone is a bellows comprising cavities, oriented transversely and filled with a cellular and compressible material, with closed cells.
• the first mounting it is secured by gluing or sewing only on its front part and on its rear part and this first mounting carries a modular area in length with transverse cutouts, arranged in staggered rows in the non-secured area.
• a widening zone formed in the front part of the sole, with a set of two rods, transverse, integral with an eccentric and provided at their ends with a distribution arc, with means blocking in the defined position.
• FIG. 2A and 2B a view of the shoe mounted according to the invention, in a first position corresponding to the initial size and in a second position corresponding to an extension of the order of one to two sizes to give an order d idea
• - Figure 3 a longitudinal sectional view showing the two length variation zones
• FIG. 4 a detailed view of the connections to be made between the different mobile and fixed elements
• Figure 1 there is shown in a simplified manner the essential elements involved in the manufacture of a shoe.
• the sole 10 made of synthetic material or leather is adapted to isolate the wearer's foot from the aggressiveness of the ground.
• the first mounting 1 2 has a shaping role during manufacture, it ensures adequate rigidity of each of the zones of the sole and it insulates the wearer's foot even more.
• the first cleanliness 14 is interior, in direct contact with the wearer's foot, it has a role of comfort and aesthetics, in particular of masking the first assembly as well as seams and other possible bonding.
• the upper 1 6 is the essential element of the shoe and at least the most apparent. It includes a number of parts determined by the desired aesthetic shape but generally there is at least one hard end 1 8, an upper 20, a rear quarter 22 and a buttress 23, integral with the rear quarter.
• the invention consists, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, of providing an elongation zone 24 in the sole, in line with the zone 26 of superposition of the upper 20 and the rear quarter 22.
• the hard tips and buttress are invisible from the outside.
• the upper 20 and the rear quarter 22 are each secured to the corresponding sole part, that is to say to the front part 28. sole for the vamp and to the rear part 30 for the rear quarter, a connection which is a seam or a weld, symbolized by a connecting wire. The usual link between the vamp and the hindquarters is removed.
• Figure 3 we show the areas in which there is provided a bonding or sewing connection or both according to the mounting methods selected between the first mounting and the sole.
• the mounting of the rod on the first mounting and the shaping are generally carried out on a form, prior to fixing to the sole.
• the first mounting 1 2 is interior and has no sealing role like the sole 1 0 proper.
• the solution adopted, FIG. 6, consists of making transverse cuts 34, over a limited area 32 and over a length less than the width of the first mounting in order to keep this first of monolithic mounting. These transverse cuts are arranged in staggered rows.
• the cutouts open to allow this variation in length and to allow the evolution of the sole to be followed. These cuts are made in a zone offset from the elongation zone 24 of the sole 10, on the rear of this elongation zone 24, this location being dictated by the architecture of the assembly according to the invention.
• the first mounting is linked by its front part 36 to the upper 20, this assembly being linked to the front part 28 of the sole, except in line with the elongation zone 24 and through its rear part 38 to the rear quarter 22, this assembly being linked to the rear part 30 of the sole.
• the first cleanliness 1 4 poses no problem in that the variation of one to two sizes does not disturb the comfort of the wearer.
• the rear quarter in a closed shoe, is tightened on the top of the kick by suitable means such as laces generally or tabs with quick fasteners such as those sold under the name Velcro.
• connection 25 which aims to secure transversely the free portions of the front end of the rear quarter in the so-called mounting area. Also when pulling on the fasteners, laces for example, the tightening is effective and the front of the quarter remains pressed against the vamp while preventing the tractiob exerted does not go up the edges of said quarter.
• an elastic band 40 is provided.
• This strip also has the role of pressing the edges of the rear quarter against the edges of the upper in the overlapping zone, thus facilitating in particular the introduction of the wearer's foot. Note that when moving the vamp forward, the volume of the shoe increases to the right of the kick and the foot is not compressed, which retains the initial quality of comfort.
• This elongation zone 24 comprises a bellows 42 with cavities 44 filled with foam of adequate density to be compressible and closed cells to seal. This bellows is linked to the front part
• Means 46 for locking in position are also provided, after the shoe has been adjusted in length. These means include a T-shaped insert 48.
• the transverse branch 50 is integral with the front part 28 and the longitudinal branch 52 is extended in a housing 54 reserved in the middle part of the rear part 30. This longitudinal branch can slide in said housing 54.
• a notch 56 is formed in the rear part 30 of the sole and the insert 48 carries notches 58 shaped to cooperate with this notch.
• the front part of the sole is made of a more flexible material than the rear part, for example by playing on the properties of the elastomers to allow the folding of this front part as well as the right of the bellows while the rear part remains more rigid as it should be. The hardness of the rear part allows notching directly to the molding.
• the insert is arranged in the middle part so as to leave free the edges of the sole which receive the returns of the rod and the first assembly.
• the assembly of the first assembly and the rod masks the bellows and the insert.
• the shoe thus produced can be adapted to the change in the length of the wearer's foot. Just grab the front part in one hand and the rear part in the other and move the two parts apart or closer to increase or decrease the length of the shoe.
• the insert 48 moves simultaneously in the housing 54 and the notches 58 cooperate with the notch 56 to maintain the retained length.
• the notches can correspond for example to half sizes.
• the bellows 42 provides water tightness as well as thermal and mechanical insulation of the wearer's foot from the ground.
• the upper simultaneously lengthens or shortens since the rear quarter recedes or advances relative to the vamp, the elastic band 40 ensuring the correct relative positioning of these two parts of the upper, moreover making it easier to put on by preventing the shoe yawns at the junction. This defect does not modify the support of the foot but it affects the aesthetics of the shoe worn.
• the elastic band 40 is disposed under the lining of the rod in order to mask it and not to cause any discomfort for the wearer.
• zone 24 modular in length, the embodiment presented being one of them but, depending on the models, it is suitable for those skilled in the art to modify this zone for the keep it efficient and make it aesthetically compatible with the shoe model in particular.
• the first assembly lengthens proportionally to the sole since the cutouts open.
• the gaps of the cutouts in the maximum extended position remain very narrow and these cutouts are in any case masked by the first cleanliness, which is not detrimental to the aesthetics, even when looking inside the shoe.
• the insert can comprise a lock arranged transversely that the person skilled in the art is able to produce.
• it is necessary to operate simultaneously with the spacing in order to ensure the unlocking of the front and rear parts, for example the transverse pressing of the heel of the shoe, which is a natural gesture.
• This ensures the position of the insert, especially for larger shoe sizes, for which the forces generated are greater.
• a variation of one to two sizes remains the maximum possible in any case, which corresponds substantially to elongation values of 6.6 to 1 3.2 millimeters. Beyond, the aesthetics of the shoe is affected and the distribution of the volumes of the shoe is offset relative to the foot of the wearer.
• one can envisage a variation of the width even if the needs are much more limited than in length.
• An insert the longitudinal branch of which is oriented transversely, is capable of locking in the required width.
• the width adjustment means comprise two rods 60, embedded in the sole, secured to an eccentric 62 rotatably mounted and accessible from below the sole. These two rods each carry at their free end a distribution arc 64.
• a notch 66 is provided, provided for locking this eccentric in rotation and immobilizing the rods and therefore the arcs in one of the positions. It is noted that in the width, the variation values are lower.
• the purpose of this invention is to allow the evolution of the foot, more particularly of a child, to be monitored in order to make quality footwear accessible to a greater number for obvious health reasons, thanks to a longer amortization period. .

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• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=9495108

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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• 1996
  • 1996-08-13 FR FR9610282A patent/FR2752369B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1997
  • 1997-08-12 US US09/242,326 patent/US6237255B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1997-08-12 WO PCT/FR1997/001479 patent/WO1998006286A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-08-12 EP EP97937618A patent/EP0959701A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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