GB2367477A

GB2367477A - Shoe with overlapping upper portions

Info

Publication number: GB2367477A
Application number: GB0024102A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sheila Elizabeth Casey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-10-03
Filing date: 2000-10-03
Publication date: 2002-04-10
Also published as: GB0024102D0

Abstract

A shoe for a child comprises a textile upper bonded to a flexible sole 1, wherein the upper comprises separate and overlapping front and rear portions 3, 4 secured, in use, by releasable fasteners 6. The fasteners may be press studs or may comprise a hook and loop material. An external tongue 8 may be further provided, which is preferably integral with the front portion. The shoe may also incorporate a leg portion (14, Fig. 4) attachable to the front portion by additional fasteners. The leg portion may be formed from a single piece of fabric and may have fasteners (16, 17, Fig. 3) on opposing edges thereof as well as a draw cord (19, Fig. 4). The leg portion may overlap all of the rear portion and at least some of the front portion.

Description

CHILD'S SHOE

This invention relates to a child's shoe, in particular to a soft shoe for babies and very young children. Although babies may not begin independent walking until an age of about 12 months, or even 18 months or later, there is nevertheless a need for pre-walking and"first step"shoes for younger babies. Babies as young as 3-4 months may begin to stand or take supported steps and it may therefore be desirable to provide shoes that permit the baby to stand or take steps on a variety of surfaces, including outdoor surfaces. The shoes should also protect the baby against cold and wet weather.

Many prior proposals have been made for pre-walking shoes. They suffer from a variety of drawbacks. Shoes with hard soles or hard uppers are difficult to keep on the baby's feet and tend to inhibit the growth of developing feet. Shoes with cotton or thin leather soles or uppers, or shoes with rubber-studded cotton soles, have the further disadvantages of not being waterproof and being hard to keep clean. Shoes with waterproof plastic uppers have the disadvantage of not being breathable such that the child's feet become moist and uncomfortable. Traditional gumboots and wellington boots are especially unsuitable for the young age group, in being fairly rigid, unsupportive and not breathable, and also in involving much manipulation and much protest from the wearer in putting them on and off.

Another problem of shoes for young children is how to keep the shoe in place on an active, wriggling foot. Conventional straps or elasticated

bands across the instep have the disadvantage of digging into the foot, causing discomfort and at worst misshaping of the foot.

The invention has among its objectives the provision of a child's soft shoe which is comfortable to put on and wear and which reliably protects the foot for a wide range of surfaces and climates.

According to the invention there is provided a child's shoe comprising a flexible sole and an upper bonded thereto, characterised in that the upper is formed in a textile fabric and comprises separate and overlapping front portion and rear portions, the said portions being secured in use by releasable fasteners.

The use of releasable fasteners on separate overlapping upper portions has the advantage compared with prior proposals of permitting much improved access to fit or remove the shoe. To fit the shoe the sole can be bent downwards to give a clear path for inserting the child's toes into the front portion. With the toes in position the rear portion is moved upwards around the child's heel and the two portions are brought into their overlapping configuration to permit the fasteners to be applied. Once attached the fasteners hold the shoe securely in position across the child's instep, but without digging into the instep.

As viewed externally the front portion of the upper preferably overlaps the rear portion. This ensures that rain striking and running off the front portion passes on to the rear portion without entering the inside of the shoe.

The sole must be flexible but need not be breathable and indeed from the viewpoint of keeping it clean is preferably of an impermeable elastomeric material, for example rubber, synthetic rubber or suitable plastic material. These materials are readily maintained in a clean condition.

The sole preferably has a non-slip lower surface so as to guard against slippage by feet which are not yet fully controlled.

The use of a textile fabric for the upper ensures breathability and thus enhances the comfort of the wearer. Preferably the fabric is a breathable water-resistant material. It should also desirably be durable, snag-proof and quick drying. It may be a multi-layer material, and indeed this may be beneficial in giving extra protection to the foot. One suitable multilayer materials is available under the trade name AQUATEX TRILAMTM.

This is a three-layered fabric with an outer layer of polyester, an intermediate layer of a microporous oleophobic membrane and an inner layer of nylon.

The upper preferably has a fabric lining in both its front and rear portions. This assists in making the shoe comfortable to wear but does not remove its breathable qualities. Suitable lining materials include polyesters, preferably an unproofed material such is available under the trade name PERTE. For further comfort and protection it is desirable to dispose padding material between the upper and its lining. A particularly suitable material for this purpose is polyester fibre wadding.

In one convenient embodiment of the invention the front portion of the upper incorporates an external tongue. This not only assists in providing coverage of the child's foot but can be made in a shape with aesthetic appeal and can carry decorative features such as images, logos or appropriate wording.

Preferably the tongue extends rearwards beyond the remainder of the upper front portion, thereby providing weather protection for the foot towards the ankle. The tongue is preferably integral with the upper front portion.

The fasteners to attach together the front and rear portions are preferably snap fasteners, i. e. a ball unit and a socket unit attached to the respective portions. A single snap fastener is often sufficient, although more than one may be included to provide for adjustment in the relative disposition of the attached portions. Alternatively the fasteners may be fibrous hook and loop fasteners, for example those available under the trade name VELCRO.

The upper rear portion when in use fits around the child's heel. It can optionally contain elasticated material, for example in a band from the fastener on one side and around the rear portion at a height above the heel to the fastener on the other side. This assists in keeping the shoe on the foot without markedly restricting the foot's growth or movement.

In a further convenient embodiment of the invention the shoe further comprises a separate leg section which is capable of being attached to the shoe. This provides additional protection for the child against the elements and is particularly helpful for protection against the rain when the child is in a pushchair. Like the upper, the leg section is best formed of a breathable water-resistant material and indeed is preferably formed of the same material as the upper, again preferably including the same padding and breathable lining.

Conveniently the leg section is formed of a single piece of textile fabric.

It can be held in position around a wearer's leg by the use of cooperating elements of suitable fastening means on its opposing edges. Suitable examples of fastening means for this purpose are zip, snap and fibrous hook and loop fasteners. In a further embodiment of the invention the leg section has a draw cord around its upper end to ensure its secure attachment to the wearer's leg.

The leg section is preferably shaped so that it overlaps some of the upper front portion and all of the upper rear portion. This ensures good weather protection for the shoe by adding an extra heat-retaining layer to most of the area of the upper and by assisting run off of rain without directly contacting most of the upper.

The leg section is preferably attached to the upper front portion, by fastening means selected from snap fasteners and fibrous hook and loop fasteners. While if desired it can additionally be secured to the upper rear portion, in general using the front attachment alone provides a more flexible construction and allows the child to move its feet more freely.

In one particularly convenient arrangement the tongue is provided with a hinged flap, preferably of the same material as the tongue, carrying one element of a fibrous hook and loop fastening, the other element of which is secured to the tongue as such. The leg section carries corresponding hook and loop elements secured and disposed on its inner surface in a position to engage with the respective loop and hook elements of the tongue. In the absence of the leg section the hinged flap is located with the two elements secured to each other, the flap presenting its outer surface in an upward direction. To secure the leg section to the tongue the flap is pulled away from the tongue and the respective hook and loop elements of the flap and tongue are attached to the corresponding loop and hook elements on the leg section.

Particular advantages of children's shoes according to the invention are that they provide excellent protection against wet and cold weather, do not readily fall off and they allow the child to stand or take initial steps on hard or unclean surfaces with minimum risk or discomfort. Thay are also easy to fit and take off, they are soft and comfortable and they are easy to keep clean.

As with any other shoe, the shoes according to the invention can be made in a range of sizes to cope with different foot sizes.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a child's soft shoe according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the shoe shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of a leg section for the shoe shown in Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 4 is a side view of the shoe shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the leg section of Figure 3 in position.

The shoe comprises a sole 1 of flexible rubber with a patterned non-slip lower surface 2. It further comprises an upper having front portion 3 and a rear portion 4, both attached to the sole 1. Both the upper portions 3 and 4 are formed of a three-layered material having a breathable waterresistant fabric (AQUATEX TRILAMTM) as the outer layer, a polyester lining 5 (PERTE) and polyester fibre wadding between the outer layer and a lining 5. The front portion 3 overlaps the rear portion 4 and in use is attached to it by press studs 6 (indicated by a broken circle in Figure 1), one on either side of the shoe, the socket part being stitched to the rear portion 4 and the ball part being stitched to the front portion 3, such that they are hidden from view.

The front portion 3 has an integral tongue 8 which extends towards the ankle. The upper surface of the tongue 8 carries a hinged flap 9, in the same material as the outer surface of the tongue 8. The underside of the flap 9 and the area of the tongue 8 immediately beneath the flap 9 carry complementary elements of a VELCRO hook and loop fastener. The lower element, in this case the hook element, is indicated by the reference numeral 11 in Figure 1, which shows the flap 9 in a partially open position.

An elasticated band 7 (shown as a dotted line in Figure 1) extends within the rear portion 4 from one of the fasteners 6 to the other around the rear of the shoe, thereby assisting in keeping the shoe in position and in allowing a degree of variation in the size of the foot to be protected.

Figure 3 shows the rear side of a leg section 14 which can be attached to the shoe and wrapped and secured around the child's leg to provide additional protection. The leg section 14 is formed of a three-layered material as the same type as the upper portions 3 and 4. Its lower edge 15 is shaped to match the instep of a child's foot. One side edge (at the left hand side as viewed in Figure 3) carries a strip 16 of the loop element of a VELCRO hook and loop fastening, the complementary hook element being carried as a strip 17 on the opposite side edge.

The upper edge of the leg section 14 is folded backwards and stitched to the remainder to create a channel 18 to receive a draw cord 19.

The rear of the leg section 14 also carries, at a position complementary to the tongue flap 9, hook and loop elements 21 and 22 corresponding to the loop element 11 and the hook element on the underside of the flap 9.

To place the shoe on a child's foot, the press studs 6 are opened and the sole 1 is bent downwards to permit the toes and ball of the child's foot to be inserted into the front portion 3. The sole is then moved upwards to bring the rear portion 4 around the child's heel and the press studs 6 are secured. If it is required to use the leg section 14 the flap 9 is opened to reveal its hook and loop elements, the complementary elements 21 and 22 are secured to them. The leg section 14 is then wrapped around the child's leg and the hook and loop strips 16 and 17 are secured together at the rear to form a protruding seam extending away from the leg. Finally the draw cord 19 is pulled together and fastened.

The invention thus provides a soft shoe which offers excellent climate protection, can be used on a variety of surfaces while being easy to put on and take off and, very importantly, not inhibiting growth of the child's

r

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A child's shoe comprising a flexible sole and an upper bonded thereto, characterised in that the upper is formed in a textile fabric and comprises separate and overlapping front portion and rear portions, the said portions being secured in use by releasable fasteners.
2. A shoe as claimed in claim 1, in which the sole is formed of an impermeable elastomeric material.
3. A shoe as claimed in claim 2, in which the impermeable elastomeric material is selected from rubber, synthetic rubber and plastic material.
4. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the sole has a non-slip lower surface.
5. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the upper is formed of a breathable water-resistant material.
6. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the front portion of the upper incorporates an external tongue.
7. A shoe as claimed in claim 6, in which the tongue extends rearwards beyond the remainder of the upper front portion.
8. A shoe as claimed in claim 6 or 7, in which the tongue is integral with the upper front portion.
9. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the fasteners are snap fasteners.
10. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the fasteners are fibrous hook and loop fasteners.
11. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the upper has a fabric lining.
12. A shoe as claimed in claim 11, in which padding material is disposed between the upper and its lining.
13. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, in which an elasticated band is located within the upper, running from a fastener of one side of the upper rear portion to a fastener on the other side.
14. A shoe as claimed in any preceding claim, which further comprises a separate leg section.
15. A shoe as claimed in claim 14, in which the leg section is formed of a breathable water-resistant material.
16. A shoe as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, in which the leg section is formed of a single piece of textile fabric.
17. A shoe as claimed in claim 16, in which the leg section has on opposing edges cooperating elements of a fastening means so as to hold the leg section in position around a wearer's leg.
18. A shoe as claimed in claim 16, in which the fastening means is selected from zip, snap and fibrous hook and loop fasteners.
19. A shoe as claimed in any of claims 14 to 18, in which the leg section is attachable to the upper front portion by fastening means selected from snap fasteners and fibrous hook and loop fasteners.
20. A shoe as claimed in any of claims 14 to 19, in which the leg section has a draw cord around its upper end so as to secure it in position around a wearer's leg.
21. A shoe as claimed in any of claims 14 to 20, in which the leg section overlaps some of the upper front portion and all of the upper rear portion.