GB2034168A - Improvements in or relating to footwear - Google Patents

Abstract

In an article of footwear, the upper (C) is connected to the sole (A) by means of one or more flanges (B) upstanding from the upper surface of the sole adjacent its edge and to one or other face of which the upper (C) is attached, e.g. by sewing, riveting, by means of eyelets, or by means of an adhesive. The or each flange (B) is preferably integral with the sole (A). The upper (C) may be attached to the outer face of the flange or flanges (B), in which case a groove (E) may be provided in the surface of the sole (A) to receive and hide the edge (D) of the upper (C); or to the inner face of the flange or flanges (B), which may in this case be provided with a decorative upper edge. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to footwear This invention relates to articles of footwear for men, women and children.

Hitherto it has usually been necessary in manufacturing footwear to support the upper on a last while the sole is being attached to it, and it is an object of the present invention to provide articles of footwear which do not require the use of a last in their manufacture, thus simplifying manufacture and reducing the cost of the footwear.

According to the invention, an article of footwear comprises a sole and an upper, a lower marginal portion of the upper being attached to one or more flanges upstanding from the upper surface of the sole adjacent to the edge thereof so as to be in contact with one face only of said flange or flanges. By the term "upper surface" is meant that surface of the sole which is uppermost in use and at which the upper is located.

Where a totality enclosed shoe or boot is in question, a single flange will normally extend round the entire periphery of the sole. Similarly where a clog-type or sling-back type of footwear is concerned with a closed toe a single flange may be used extending round that part of the periphery of the sole where the upper is to be attached.

Where, however, an open-toed type of clog or sling-back shoe is concerned, two flanges will normally be used one located on either side of the sole. While the flanges may if desired be separately manufactured and stuck or otherwise attached to the sole, preferably they are formed integrally with the sole, particularly when the latter is made of a synthetic resin material, such as a polyurethane.

The upper may be attached to the flange or flanges by any suitable method, for example by hand or machine sewing, by riveting (preferably using decorative rivets, e.g. gilded or chromiumplated), by using metallic eyelets passing through the upper and the flange, or by the use of a suitable adhesive.

The upper may be attached at either the outer or the inner face of the flange or flanges, In the former case, in order to hide the lower edge of the upper, a groove may be provided in the upper surface of the sole along the root of the outer face of the flange or flanges, in which groove the lower edge of the upper is received and thus concealed.

Where the upper is attached to the inner face of the flange or flanges, the flange or flanges will, of course, be visible in the finished footwear and may accordingly be provided with an upper edge having a decorative profile, for example, the upper edge may be scolloped, crenellated or engrailed.

While the sole may be made of a wood or leather, for example, it is preferably made of a plastics material having some degree of flexibility, for example or a relatively soft polyurethane. In this case, it may if desired, be provided with a harder surface layer at its upper and lower surfaces. The upper may be made of leather or of a flexible plastics material, such as polyvinyl chloride.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a first embodiment of the invention, showing the upper before it is attached to the sole Figure 2 is a section taken along the line Il-lI of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic side view of the embodiment of Figure 1 after the upper has been attached to the sole; Figure 4 is a section taken along the line IV--IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a schematic side view of part of a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 is a similar view to that of Figure 5 of a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 is a schematic side view of a fourth embodiment of the invention; Figure 8 is a section taken on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7;; Figure 9 is a schematic side view of a fifth embodiment of the invention; Figure 10 is a schematic side view of a sixth embodiment of the invention; and Figure 11 is part of a schematic side view of a seventh embodiment of the invention.

In the Figures, like parts are indicated by the same reference letter.

Figures 1 to 4 illustrate an open-toed sling back type of shoe having a sole A and an upper C.

The sole A, which is made of a relatively soft polyurethane, having harder upper and lower surfaces, is provided with two integral flanges B upstanding from the upper surface of the sole on either side thereof adjacent to but spaced slightly in from the edge of the sole.

As shown in Figure 2, at the root of the outer face of each of the flanges B, a groove E is formed in the upper surface of the sole A. In the manufacture of the shoe, the upper C is located on the sole A so that the inner faces of the edge portions of the upper C are in contact with the outer faces of the two flanges B whilst the opposite lower edges D of the sole are received in and consequently hidden by the grooves E. The upper C.is now attached to the flanges B in any suitable manner. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 and 4, the upper is machine stitched to the flanges B, as indicated at F.In the embodiment of Figure 5, the upper is secured to the flanges by means of rivets G which may have decorative heads, e.g. be gilded or chromium plated, while in the embodiment of Figure 6, the upper is secured to the flanges B by eyelets H which pass through the upper and the flanges.

In the embodiment of Figures 7 to 1 the upper in each case is located adjacent to the inner face of the flanges B. In this case, since the lower edge D of the upper is hidden by the flanges in the final form of the shoe, the groove E is not necessary and the flanges can be located closer to the outer edges of the sole A. Again, any convenient method of attaching the upper to the flange can be used. For example, in the embodiment of Figures 7 and 8, and of Figure 9, the upper is machine stitched to the flanges, whilst in the embodiment of Figures 10 and 11, the upper is secured to the flanges by rivets G and eyelets H respectively.

The upper C in any of these embodiments may be made of leather or of a suitable flexible plastics material, such as polyvinyl chloride.

While the invention has been specifically described with reference to a toeless sling-back shoe, it can equally be applied to other types of footwear, for example, .clogs, shoes and boots, for men, women and children.

Claims (25)

1. An article of footwear comprising a sole and an Upper, wherein a lower marginal portion of the upper is attached to one or more flanges upstanding from the upper surface of the sole adjacent to the edge thereof so as to be in contact with one face only of said flange or flanges.

2. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the or each said flange is integral with said sole.

3. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, wherein said upper is attached to said flange or flanges by sewing.

4. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, wherein said upper is attached to said.

flange or flanges by rivets.

5. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, wherein said upper is attached to said flange or flanges by means of eyelets passing through said upper and said flange or flanges.

6. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, wherein said upper is attached to said flange or flanges by means of an adhesive.

7. An article of footwear as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein said sole is made of a plastics material.

8. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said plastics material is a relatively soft polyurethane.

9. An article of footwear as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein said upper is made of leather.

10. An article of footwear as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein said upper is made of a flexible plastics material.

11. An article of footwear as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein said upper is attached to the face of the or each said flange adjacent to the edge of said sole.

12. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 11, wherein a groove is provided at the root of the or each said flange adjacent the edge of said sole to receive the lower edge of said upper.

13. An article of footwear as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims 1 to 11, wherein said upper is attached to the face of the or each said flange remote from the edge of the sole.

14. An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the top edge of the or each said flange has a decorative profile.

1 An article of footwear as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the top edge of the or each said flange is crenellated, or scolloped.

1 6. An article of footwear substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 4, or Figure 5, or Figure 6, or Figures 7 and 8, or Figure 9, or Figure 10, or Figure 11, of the drawings.

1 7. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear as claimed in Claim 1, including the steps of locating said upper with respect to said sole in such manner that said upper is in contact with one face of the or each said flange, and thereafter attaching said upper to said flange or flanges.

1 8.-A method as claimed in Claim 17, wherein said upper is sewn to said flange or flanges.

19. A method as claimed in Claim 17, wherein said upper is riveted to said flange or flanges.

20. A method as claimed in Claim 17, wherein said upper is attached to said flange or flanges by means of eyelets.

21. A method as claimed in Claim 17, wherein said upper is attached to said flange or flanges by means of an adhesive.

22. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 21, wherein said upper is attached to the face of the or each said flange adjacent the edge of the sole.

23. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 7 to 21, wherein said upper is attached to the face of the or each said flange remote from the edge of the sole.

24. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear as claimed in Claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

25. An article of footwear manufactured by a method as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 24.