EP3797624A1

EP3797624A1 - Shoe upper with upper lining

Info

Publication number: EP3797624A1
Application number: EP20198353.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Falk ZIELISCH; Georg Trost
Original assignee: Adidas AG
Current assignee: Adidas AG
Priority date: 2019-09-27
Filing date: 2020-09-25
Publication date: 2021-03-31
Also published as: US20210093045A1; DE102019214903A1; CN112568556A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shoe upper comprising an upper lining (300). The upper lining comprises two edge sections (130) and a seam (235, 236, 335) located at a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area (120, 220, 320). The seam connects the two edge sections.

Description

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a shoe upper comprising upper lining and a method of manufacturing the shoe upper.

2. Technical Background

In the manufacture of footwear, it is currently particularly popular to have a "sock-fit" footwear. This means there is no separate tongue construction in the upper of the shoe over the instep of the wearer. Shoes of this kind are put on and taken off similar to a sock, which enables a high wearing comfort by the adaptation of the soft textile material to the foot. This is only practical if 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.
For trail running, hiking, climbing or mountaineering shoes in particular, it is further desirable to have waterproof protection in footwear. This can be achieved with coatings on the outside of the upper material. Alternatively, this can be achieved with waterproof lining materials positioned on the inner side of the upper material. The advantage of a waterproof lining is that it is subject to less abrasion over time during use, so is less likely to be damaged.
An example of a shoe with waterproof lining is prior art document US 2008/0016717 A1 , which relates to an article of footwear including an outer sole on which an outer upper is mounted, the upper including several pieces assembled together by stitching. The pieces of the upper are made of breathable-waterproof material. The upper includes a three-layered laminated material including a breathable-waterproof membrane, sandwiched between an inner lining fabric and an outer envelope fabric.
A downside of this construction is that the lining usually does not provide full coverage across the whole area of the foot. The lining might not extend all the way up to the collar of the shoe, because a padded material is being used instead. The lining might not extend under the wearer's foot because the upper is usually attached at the sides of the foot to a strobel board and does not extend across the strobel board. Areas of the shoe not covered by the waterproof lining may allow water to enter the shoe. Additionally, the stich lines where the waterproof lining is attached to other materials or where various pieces of the upper are stitched together can cause discomfort to the wearer.
A better solution for this problem would be a waterproof sock-construction to be fitted inside of a shoe. This sock-construction can be glued or stitched to the insole or strobel board of the shoe. The sock-construction provides complete coverage of the wearer's foot to prevent leaking into the shoe. One example of this sock-construction is a circular-knitted sock as for example disclosed in prior art document CN108391890 A , which relates to a making method of a three-layer seamless composite waterproof shoe. The making method sequentially includes the following steps: weaving an integral structure comprising a first sock portion and a second sock portion on a single-needle-bed hosiery machine through one-time forming; enabling a foot-shaped die to penetrate the inside of the first sock portion from a front opening of the first sock portion to sleeve into the second sock portion; sleeving a seamless sock-shaped waterproof moisture-permeable PU film outside the second sock portion; backwards turning the first sock portion, stitching the front opening of the first sock portion, and heating to set a three-layer-structure sock sleeving a shoe tree to form an integral three-layer seamless composite vamp; combining the three-layer-structure sock or the vamp with a sole.
However, this is a complex construction to achieve and therefore the sock-construction itself becomes labour intensive and thus very expensive.
It would be beneficial, to find a waterproof upper construction which on the one hand covers essentially the whole foot of the user without uncomfortable seams and on the other hand provides a cost-effective and simpler production than circular-knitted waterproof sock-constructions.
Further prior art can be found in DE 60 2004 000 251 T2 , US 2 147 416 A and US 6 367 166 B1 .
It is therefore the problem underlying the present invention to provide an improved upper lining construction so that the above outlined disadvantages of the prior art are at least partly overcome.

3. Summary of the Invention

The above-mentioned problem is at least partly 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 an embodiment, the present invention provides a shoe upper comprising an upper lining, wherein the upper lining comprises two edge sections. The upper lining further comprises a seam located at a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area, wherein the seam connects the two edge sections.
The claimed invention therefore provides an improved upper for a shoe, in which the seam to connect the two edge sections of the upper lining may not cover an area of the wearer's foot that experiences a lot of friction, as for example a central heel region of the upper. Thus, the risk of injuries like for example blisters may be significantly lowered. In addition, an improved location of the seam may contribute to an increased comfort of the wearer of the shoe.
In some embodiments, the seam may run essentially vertically along a majority of a height of the shoe upper. In this manner, by connecting the two edge sections in a straight line, the length of the seam may be reduced to a minimum. The connecting may be for example conducted by stitching, gluing or similar techniques. In addition, as the shortest distance across the height of the shoe upper is in a vertical direction, the length of the seam may be as short as possible. The term "essentially vertically" as used herein is to be understood in the sense that small variations in the order of for example 10° from a fully vertical direction are also applicable to the present invention.
In some embodiments, the seam may be spaced at least 2 cm, preferably at least 4 cm and more preferably at least 6 cm from a central back part of the heel area. It is known that a high percentage of blisters are due to friction between a wearer's foot and an upper of a shoe in a central heel region. By introducing a distance between the seam and the central back part of the heel area, the risk of blisters from a shoe according to the present invention may be significantly reduced.
In some embodiments, the seam may be spaced at least 0.5 cm, preferably at least 1.0 cm and more preferably at least 1.5 cm from a malleolus lateralis and/or a malleolus medialis. In this manner, the seam may be positioned slightly in front or slightly behind the main bone parts of an ankle of the wearer's foot, which may reduce the risk of injuries at areas of the ankle prone to high friction.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may comprise a knit or woven textile layer and a waterproof membrane layer. By combining the pleasant wearing comfort of a textile layer and a water resistance of the membrane layer, the present embodiment may provide an improved and optimized material for manufacturing a shoe upper.
Alternatively or in addition, the upper lining may comprise a top and a bottom knit or woven textile layer, wherein the waterproof membrane layer may be arranged in between the top and bottom knit or woven textile layer. In this manner, the waterproof membrane layer may be protected by the top textile layer from external factors such as for example abrasion, wear and tear or direct solar irradiation. This may prolong the lifetime of the shoe and particularly its water-resistant characteristic. Moreover, manufacturing a shoe upper with an external textile layer may expand the shape and colour design, as those options are very limited for treating the waterproof membrane. In addition, as the waterproof membrane in direct contact with a wearer's foot would most likely result in an uncomfortable experience, the bottom textile layer may provide a soft and cosy internal layer.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may be adapted to cover a sole of a wearer's foot and to extend from a sole area of the shoe upper up to a collar area of the shoe upper. It is known that attaching a waterproof upper without a sole area to a waterproof mid- or outsole, may result in a water-permeable edge at the interface. Therefore, by providing the waterproof upper lining from the sole area up until the collar area, the embodiment of the present invention may prevent water from penetrating inside the shoe upper, in particular at the interface between the upper and a sole of the shoe. Moreover, spray or splash water may be prevented from penetrating inside the upper from a side of the shoe.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may completely surround a wearer's foot. In this manner, both a comfortable cushion and a water resistance of the entire shoe may be provided by covering the whole foot of the wearer of the shoe. In addition, this waterproof construction may have a low or no risk of water penetration, as the only opening into the upper is from a top side, for the most part covered by the wearer's foot.
In some embodiments the upper lining may be stretchable. The combination of a waterproof lining material that also allows some stretch is unique. Therefore, the upper lining of the present embodiment may combine the stretch necessary for a sock-fit shoe with the waterproof properties necessary for an outdoor shoe resulting in a versatile shoe upper construction. The term "stretchable" as used within the present invention may be understood as a material property which allows the material to recover its initial dimensions after being elongated by an external force. The stretchable upper lining may provide a shoe upper sufficiently contracting around a wearer's foot after slipping into the shoe, so that additional tightening by for example shoe laces can be omitted. The contracting around a wearer's foot may not provide any discomfort to the wearer.
In some embodiments the upper lining may be formed out of a flat-sheet. This embodiment may, in contrast to a circular knit construction, provide a cost-effective and simpler solution of manufacturing a waterproof upper for a shoe.
In addition, the two edge sections maybe located on two separate flat-sheets or on the same flat-sheet. This may allow for a high level of flexibility in arranging various cutting patterns on a panel of upper lining material. As a result, a lower percentage of waste material can be achieved. Furthermore, the high level of flexibility may also provide an upper lining construction suitable for a variety of different upper models and/or different kinds of fields of application.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a shoe upper comprising an upper lining. The method comprises providing the upper lining comprising two edge sections and connecting the two edge sections with a seam, wherein the seam is located at a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area.
The various advantages of the present invention, as discussed above with regard to embodiments of a shoe upper, also apply analogously to embodiments of a method of manufacturing the shoe upper and are not repeated here for reasons of brevity.
In some embodiments, the seam may run essentially vertically along a majority of a height of the shoe upper.
In some embodiments, the seam may be spaced at least 2 cm, preferably at least 4 cm and more preferably at least 6 cm from a central back part of the heel area.
In some embodiments, the seam maybe spaced at least 0.5 cm, preferably at least 1.0 cm and more preferably at least 1.5 cm from a malleolus lateralis and/or a malleolus medialis.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may comprise a knit or woven textile layer and a waterproof membrane layer.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may comprise a top and a bottom knit or woven textile layer and the waterproof membrane layer may be arranged in between the top and bottom knit or woven textile layer.
In some embodiments, the method may further comprise the steps of adapting the upper lining to cover a sole of a wearer's foot and to extend from a sole area of the shoe upper up to a collar area of the shoe upper.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may completely surround a wearer's foot.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may be stretchable.
In some embodiments, the upper lining may be formed out of a flat-sheet. In addition, the two edge sections may be located on two separate flat-sheets or on the same flat-sheet.

4. Short Description of the Figures

Aspects of the present invention are described in more detail in the following by reference to the accompanying figures. These figures show:

Fig. 1: a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a cut pattern of upper lining for a shoe upper;
Fig. 2: a schematic illustration of another embodiment of a cut pattern of upper lining for another shoe upper; and
Fig. 3: a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an upper lining completely covering a wearer's foot.

5. Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail with reference to a shoe upper comprising an upper lining. While specific feature combinations are described in the following with respect to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to such embodiments. In particular, not all features have to be present for realizing the invention, and the embodiments may be modified by combining certain features of one embodiment with one or more features of another embodiment.
Figure 1 depicts an embodiment of a cut pattern 100 of upper lining for a shoe upper according to the present invention. A cutting pattern has been applied to a flat sheet of upper lining, which after cutting resulted in the desired cut pattern 100. The cutting may be conducted manually or by an automated process using for example a scissor, a knife, a laser or similar. The cut pattern 100 of upper lining comprises a main upper area 110 and a heel area 120. It may be noted that a cutting pattern comprising a sole area may be applied to and cut from the same or a different flat sheet of upper lining as the cutting pattern of the shoe upper (not shown). The upper lining may comprise a knit or woven textile layer and a waterproof membrane layer. In particular, the upper lining may comprise the waterproof membrane layer arranged in between a top and a bottom layer of knit or woven textile layer. As all three individual layers of the upper lining may allow for some stretch, the laminated upper lining may be stretchable.
The cut pattern 100 of upper lining comprises two edge sections 130. In the final shoe upper, the two edge sections 130 are connected by a seam to bring the flat cut pattern 100 into a three-dimensional shape, similar to a final shape of the shoe upper. In the three-dimensional shape, the seam is located in a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in the heel area 120. The seam further runs essentially vertically along a majority of a height of the shoe upper in its final shape to keep a length of the seam as short as possible. The seam needed to connect the two edge sections 130 is spaced from a central back part 125 of the heel area 120. In addition, this seam may also be spaced from a malleolus lateralis and a malleolus medialis. In this manner, the final lining in the shoe upper does not have a seam in an area of the shoe that experiences a lot of friction. Thus, the present embodiment provides a shoe upper with a lower risk of blisters in the central back part 125 of the heel area 120. The present embodiment may further provide an increased comfort to a wearer of the shoe.
The cut pattern 100 further comprises dart marks 140 in a toe area and dart marks 145 in the heel area 120. Darts at the marked positions may be beneficial for creating the curvature of the final shape of the upper. It may be noted that these darts may be predominantly covered by an insole in an assembled shoe so the wearer may not feel the seams.
The cut pattern 100 can comprise separate parts of the main upper area 110 and the heel area 120 connected at two edge sections with a seam at the interface 135 of both parts, in accordance with the claimed invention. The cut pattern 100 can also comprise only one part, wherein the main upper area 110 and the heel area 120 are not cut as separate parts from a flat sheet, thus omitting the seam at the interface 135 in accordance with the claimed invention.
Figure 2 depicts an embodiment of a cut pattern 200 of upper lining for a shoe upper according to the present invention. The upper lining and the cutting process is similar to the lining and cutting process described with respect to the cut pattern 100 of figure 1 . However, the cut pattern 200 of upper lining comprises three separate parts. The three parts comprise a first main upper area 210, a second main upper area 211 and a heel area 220. An edge section of the first main upper area 210 and an edge section of the heel area 220 is connected by a seam 235 at a medial side of the shoe upper in a heel area 220. In addition, an edge section of the second main upper area 211 and an edge section of the heel area 220 is connected by a second seam 236 at a lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area 220. The joined cut pattern 200 comprises no seam to connect two edge sections in a central back part 225 of the heel area 220. Such seam would increase the risk of rising blisters at the user's heel based on an increased amount of friction in this area compared to for example the medial or lateral side of the upper spaced from a malleolus lateralis and a malleolus medialis.
The cut pattern 200 of upper lining comprises no tongue area. In this manner, the cut pattern 200 may be applicable to a non-sock-fit shoe. The non-sock-fit shoe may comprise a tongue area from the same or a different material. Furthermore, laces or Velcro may be used, to fasten the non-sock-fit shoe in order to ensure a secure fit on the wearer's foot.
In another embodiment, the cut pattern 200 may comprise only two separate parts comprising only one side seam 235 or 236, respectively to connect two edge sections. In a further embodiment, the cut pattern 200 may comprise only one part with no side seam 235 and 236 to connect two edge sections.
Figure 3 depicts an embodiment of an assembled upper lining 300 for a shoe upper. The assembled upper lining 300 comprises a waterproof membrane layer assembled in between two knit or woven textile layers. Moreover, the assembled upper lining 300 fully covers a wearer's foot 350. This construction may provide a stretch necessary for a sock-fit shoe. This construction may further provide a waterproof property necessary for an outdoor shoe. Furthermore, this construction may provide the haptic necessary for a comfortable shoe. The assembled upper lining 300 has been formed out of a flat-sheet. Therefore, the flat-sheet has been connected by a seam 335 at two edge sections, one at a main upper area 310 and one at a heel area 320. The seam 335 connecting both upper areas is located at a lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area 320. The assembled upper 300 may further comprise a seam to connect two edge sections at a medial side of the shoe upper in a heel area 320 (not shown). However, the assembled upper lining 300 comprises no seam for connecting the edge sections in a central back part 325 of the heel area 320. In this manner, the assembled upper lining 300 provides improved comfort, in particular in the central back part 325 of the heel region 320 of the upper when compared to conventional shoes. In addition, the assembled upper lining 300 is waterproof across its complete height, preventing water from penetrating the shoe through the upper.
In the following, further embodiments are described to facilitate the understanding of the invention:

1. A shoe upper comprising an upper lining (300), wherein the upper lining comprises:
- two edge sections (130);
- a seam (235, 236, 335) located at a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area (120, 220, 320),
- wherein the seam connects the two edge sections.
2. The shoe upper according to embodiment 1, wherein the seam runs essentially vertically along a majority of a height of the shoe upper.
3. The shoe upper according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the seam is spaced at least 2 cm, preferably at least 4 cm and more preferably at least 6 cm from a central back part (125, 225, 325) of the heel area.
4. The shoe upper according to one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the seam is spaced at least 0.5 cm, preferably at least 1.0 cm and more preferably at least 1.5 cm from a malleolus lateralis and/or a malleolus medialis.
5. The shoe upper according to one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the upper lining comprises a knit or woven textile layer and a waterproof membrane layer.
6. The shoe upper according to one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the upper lining comprises a top and a bottom knit or woven textile layer; and
wherein the waterproof membrane layer is arranged in between the top and bottom knit or woven textile layer.
7. The shoe upper according to one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the upper lining is adapted to cover a sole of a wearer's foot and to extend from a sole area of the shoe upper up to a collar area of the shoe upper.
8. The shoe upper according to one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the upper lining completely surrounds a wearer's foot (350).
9. The shoe upper according to one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the upper lining is stretchable.
10. The shoe upper according to one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the upper lining is formed out of a flat-sheet.
11. The shoe upper according to embodiment 10, wherein the two edge sections are located on two separate flat-sheets or on the same flat-sheet.
12. A method of manufacturing a shoe upper comprising an upper lining (300), the method comprises:
- providing the upper lining comprising two edge sections (130);
- connecting the two edge sections with a seam (235, 236, 335),
- wherein the seam is located at a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area (120, 220, 320).
13. The method according to embodiment 12, wherein the seam runs essentially vertically along a majority of a height of the shoe upper.
14. The method according to embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the seam is spaced at least 2 cm, preferably at least 4 cm and more preferably at least 6 cm from a central back part (125, 225, 325) of the heel area.
15. The method according to one of embodiments 12 to 14, wherein the seam is spaced at least 0.5 cm, preferably at least 1.0 cm and more preferably at least 1.5 cm from a malleolus lateralis and/or a malleolus medialis.
16. The method according to one of embodiments 12 to 15, wherein the upper lining comprises a knit or woven textile layer and a waterproof membrane layer.
17. The method according to one of embodiments 12 to 16, wherein the upper lining comprises a top and a bottom knit or woven textile layer; and
wherein the waterproof membrane layer is arranged in between the top and bottom knit or woven textile layer.
18. The method according to one of embodiments 12 to 17, the method further comprising, adapting the upper lining to cover a sole of a wearer's foot (350) and to extend from a sole area of the shoe upper up to a collar area of the shoe upper.
19. The method according to one of embodiments 12 to 18, wherein the upper lining completely surrounds a wearer's foot.
20. The method according to one of embodiments 12 to 19, wherein the upper lining is stretchable.
21. The method according to one of embodiments 12 to 20, wherein the upper lining is formed out of a flat-sheet.
22. The method according to embodiment 21, wherein the two edge sections are located on two separate flat-sheets or on the same flat-sheet.

Claims

A shoe upper comprising an upper lining (300), wherein the upper lining comprises:
two edge sections (130);

a seam (235, 236, 335) located at a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area (120, 220, 320),

wherein the seam connects the two edge sections, and

wherein the upper lining comprises a knit or woven textile layer and a waterproof membrane layer.
The shoe upper according to claim 1, wherein the seam runs essentially vertically along a majority of a height of the shoe upper.
The shoe upper according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seam is spaced at least 2 cm, preferably at least 4 cm and more preferably at least 6 cm from a central back part (125, 225, 325) of the heel area.
The shoe upper according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seam is spaced at least 0.5 cm, preferably at least 1.0 cm and more preferably at least 1.5 cm from a malleolus lateralis and/or a malleolus medialis.
The shoe upper according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the upper lining comprises a top and a bottom knit or woven textile layer; and
wherein the waterproof membrane layer is arranged in between the top and bottom knit or woven textile layer.
The shoe upper according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the upper lining is adapted to cover a sole of a wearer's foot and to extend from a sole area of the shoe upper up to a collar area of the shoe upper.
The shoe upper according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the upper lining completely surrounds a wearer's foot (350).
The shoe upper according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upper lining is stretchable.
The shoe upper according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the upper lining is formed out of a flat-sheet, in particular wherein the two edge sections are located on two separate flat-sheets or on the same flat-sheet.
A method of manufacturing a shoe upper comprising an upper lining (300), the method comprises:
providing the upper lining comprising two edge sections (130);

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

wherein the seam is located at a medial and/or lateral side of the shoe upper in a heel area (120, 220, 320), and

wherein the upper lining comprises a knit or woven textile layer and a waterproof membrane layer.
The method according to claim 10, wherein the seam runs essentially vertically along a majority of a height of the shoe upper.
The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the seam is spaced at least 2 cm, preferably at least 4 cm and more preferably at least 6 cm from a central back part (125, 225, 325) of the heel area, in particular wherein the seam is spaced at least 0.5 cm, preferably at least 1.0 cm and more preferably at least 1.5 cm from a malleolus lateralis and/or a malleolus medialis.
The method according to one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the upper lining comprises a top and a bottom knit or woven textile layer; and
wherein the waterproof membrane layer is arranged in between the top and bottom knit or woven textile layer.
The method according to one of claims 10 to 13, the method further comprising, adapting the upper lining to cover a sole of a wearer's foot (350) and to extend from a sole area of the shoe upper up to a collar area of the shoe upper, in particular wherein the upper lining completely surrounds a wearer's foot.
The method according to one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the upper lining is stretchable and / or formed out of a flat-sheet, in particular wherein the two edge sections are located on two separate flat-sheets or on the same flat-sheet.