NZ332355A

NZ332355A - Footwear comprising a laminated inner sole strobel stitched to a upper shoe

Info

Publication number: NZ332355A
Application number: NZ33235598A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Robin J Hood; Brian D Cohen; Stephen E Robinson
Original assignee: Protector Technologies Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1997-10-16
Filing date: 1998-10-16
Publication date: 1999-11-29
Also published as: AUPO985797A0

Abstract

A shoe or boot insert including at least a shoe upper, an insole and an outer sole, wherein the insole is integrally connected to a lower edge of the shoe upper by strobeling. The shoe insert includes a composite body formed by the conjunction of two layers of pre-selected insole layer materials and where the stitching integrally connects the insole and the shoe upper, penetrating all layers of the insole.

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> BACKGROUND The present invention relates to shoe construction and more particularly relates to improvements m shoes wherein the shoes have an inner sole or comfort insert integrally fixed to the shoe ana a method for effecting that shoe construction Whilst the method and apparatus aspects of the invention will be primarily described with reference to heavy duty work boots it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the methodology may be applied to othex shoe types PRIOR ART Heavy duty work boots are ngidly constructed from strong materials which are joined or boned by stitching, gluing or the like to create a strong durable boot Work boots are generally subjected to high loadings, testing the ability of such boots to resist such loads Significant lateral loads occur (due to movement of the foot of the wearer) at the junction or interface of the shoe upper and insole necessitating strong bonding between the two Work boots have in the past been made more comfortable by inserting after construction of the shoe body a padded matenal such as EVA foam formed to conform to the penpheral profile of the insole of the shoe There is also a known inner sole pad which may be removed and inserted at will but more often these padded inserts are glued in and are generally not intended to be removed The removable inserts do provide user comfort when placed properly in the shoe, but they can move, bulge or crease wUhin the shoe potentially creating regions of discomfort These removable inner soles also have a tendency to curl up at the edges largely responsive to the centrally distributed crushing weight of the user's foot They may also slide about in the shoe further compromising user comfort Furthermore, when comfort inserts are introduced hjto the shoes there is a compromise to the fit and the sizing This must be allowed for when selecting the size of the shoe last used in the manufacture of a particular size of shoe For many years shoes were constructed by stitching the wear resistant outer sole of the shoe to the shoe upper with an exposed stitch which when the shoe was complied was visible from the outside This stitching was relatively strong but was susceptibk to the effects of moistening when for instance walking m puddles which lead to weakening of the stitched bond and in extreme cases separation of the sole from the shoe upper Shoes generally comprzse a shoe upper which surrounds the foot of the wearer an insole and an outer sole It is the way m which these components are connected which differentiate older manufacturing methods from the more modem methods Another known but relatively new method of joining the shoe upper to the sole is strobehng which involves placing a helical stitch both through the (usually leather) shoe upper and the insole m the direction of the longitudinal axis of the insole prior to the fixing of the outer sole This ensures a very strong and durable connection between the insole and shoe upper The process of strobehng represented a major breakthrough in shoe constructions as it anticipated an alternative method of applying the outer shoe sole to the shoe upper body As indicated previously m describing the prior art, the stitching joining the outer sole and the shoe upper was exposed, leaving the bonding susceptible to degradation due to wetting etc The concept of strobehng whereby an insole is stitched to the shoe upper, anticipated protection of the stitching from the outside environment by means of an injection moulded shoe sole which was moulded over the sock (the structure formed by the mating of the shoe upper with an insole) The injection oyer moulding of the shoe sole ensured that the stitching was fully protected from the elements and this lead to a more durable shoe Up until now, a single layer insole has been used to form 'he sock by mating between the msole and the shoe upper However after construction of the sock is completed, there are additional steps to be earned out to satisfy comfort requirements involving insertion 33 2 3 5 (usually glued) of a layer of comfort matenal This must be taken into account when sizing the sock and therefore in selection of the last INVENTION The present invention seeks to provide an alternative arrangement for shoe construction whereby a composite laminated insole is integrally fixed to tbe shoe upper during manufacture of the shoe thereby precluding the need for any additional comfort element over the sole as was necessary m the prior art arrangements and thus the need to allow for any added comfort element in sizing of the sock In one broad form the present invention includes, a shoe or boot including at least a shoe upper, an msole, and an outer sole, wherein the insole is integrally connected to a lower edge of the shoe upper by strobehng, charactensed in that the shoe insole includes a composite body formed by the conjunction of at least two layers of preselected insole layer materials and wherein stitchmg integrally connecting the insole and shoe upper penetrates all layers of said insole In another broad form the present invention comprises, a method for producing a shoe or boot having a composite padded msole integrally fKed to the shoe upper including the steps of, a) taking a shoe upper; b) taking a composite laminated structure which forms an insole, c) presenting an upper layer of the insole to an edge of an upper of the shoe or boot such that it engages the upper, d) performing the step of strobehng so that a thread is caused to integrally secure by stitching the upper to the insole thereby forming a padded sock wherein said stitching penetrates all layers of said composite laminated structure 4 Preferably, the metcod descnbed above includes the added step of injection moulding an outer sole over the sock using a high density polyurethane having a core matenal of low density polyurethane In an alternative form of the method aspect the present invention includes, a) taking a shoe upper, b) taking a three layered composite msoie to be secured to said upper, c) holding a penpheral edge of the insole against an edge of the shoe upper which m situ will be proximate to the outer sole of a shoe, d) presenting the junction between the edge of said insole and said edge of the shoe upper to a strobehng machine such that the shoe upper and all three layers of said msole are penetrated by the stitching and are thereby integrally attached to form a sock, e) attaching a shoe sole to said sock According to a preferred embodiment, the method aspect further includes the additional step of, prior to taking the composite insole, cutting the insole matenal to a profile which will substantially conform to the peripheral shape of the sole of a selected shoe size using a known clicking process In another form, the present invention composes, a boot or shoe including; al least a shoe upper for dressing the foot of the wearer of uie boot or shoe and an insole to which said upper ts integrally connected, charactensed m that the shoe insole is integrally attached to the shoe upper by means of a stitch introduced into the insole dunng a manufacturing step such that the shoe upper is strobeled to the insole: 2 5 AUG 1399 I —Sg-CPiVEp J 33235 wherein the insole comprises a three layer composite wherein an upper comfort layer is brushed nylon, an intermediate layer EVA and a bottom layer flexboard According to a preferred embodiment, the edge of the inner sole abuts that edge of the shoe upper which attaches to the shoe sole According to a preferred embodiment the flexboard is sewn to the shoe upper BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS The present invention will now be descnbed in more detail according to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment and with reference to the accompanying illustrations wherein, Figure 1 shows an isometric view of a shoe upper and insole partially connected by means of a strobehng machine, Figure 2 shows an exploded view of a laminated composite insole according to a preferred embodiment, and Figure 3 shows a schematic layout of a shoe cross section including a laminated insole and an outer shoe sole PETAIIEP DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 shows an isometric view of an arrangement according to the present invention wherein an insole is being strobeled to a shoe upper Referring now to figure I there is shown a perspective view of an arrangement including a strobehng machine 1 including a strobehng work station 2 which engages shoe body 3 in order to effect strobehng Shoe body 3 includes a shoe upper 4 and an msole 5 which is strobeled by means of stitching 6 Insole 5 and upper 4 are stitched about the full periphery of insole 5 and this is effected by an appropnately skilled operator of the strobehng machine In order to effect strobehng an upper surface at the edge of the insole is presented to an edge of the shoe upper and 33235 squeezed together by the operator Once msole 5 has been strobeled to shoe upper 4, shoe body 3 is ready to receive a robust shoe sole (not shown) Figure 2 shows an exploded view of a typical insole including layers 7, 8 and 9 formed from brushed nylon, EVA and Biaggioli (trade mark) respectively in order to form laminated msole 10 Laminated inner sole 10 corresponds to msole 5 shown in figure 1 Upper layer 7 includes the comfort layer but overall the layered composite by its spongy nature provides comfort Figure 3 shows a schematic layout of a shoe cross section according to the present invention The figure shows the multi layer msole descnbed m figure 2 including upper layer of brushed nylon 7, intermediate layer of EVA 8 and bottom layer of flexboard 9. Figure 3 does not show the shoe upper but shows a relative relationship between the composite three layer insole construction and the shoe sole The shoe sole includes high density wear resistant polyurethane moulded around the heel of the shoe Once this step is earned out a low density polyurethane 11 is injected m casing 10 formed by the high density polyurethane in order to complete the sole The low density polyurethane has a cellular structure with shock absorbency characteristics This construction makes the cushioned insole part of the sock lasting production process, precluding the need to add in any cushioning later on m the process This effectively removes a step from the manufacture, The cushioning in the rnulti layer insole is stable and reduces twisting of the sole while retaining its flexibility to bend with the toes The cushioning transfers the shock directly to the dual density polyurethane sole which lias high shock absorbency combined with light weight In recent times, shoes or heavy duty boots have been manufactured by employment of a process known as strobehng Strobehng is a process by which a shoe upper is sewn to a shoe insole to ensure robust connection between the shoe upper and msole thereby providing strong resistance to internally applied lateral loads which are generally induced by foot movement m the shoe upper during use. Strobehng also allows completion of the shoe by overmoulding with a sole matenal thereby protecting the stitching ?3 235 Whilst strobehng provides a strong integral connection between the shoe upper and insole, the mam objective behind strobeling was its compatibility with the more modem phenomenon m shoe construction of injecting the shoe sole over the completed shoe sock This provides full protection for the stitching eliminating the potential for degradation by contact with elements such as water As part of the sole construction process, a high density polyurethane capable of high wear resistance is moulded and placed m opposition to the sock formed by the shoe upper and insole Following setting of the high density polyurethane a low density polyurethane with a cellular structure for high shock absorbency is injected above and around the high density polyurethane and thus into the space between the upper surface of the sole and the sock These are known techniques but according to the pnor art, the insole matenal was generally single layer This had the inherent problem that it lacked the necessary cushion resistance to shock each time the foot of the wearer strikes the ground In order to overcome this problem, a comfort matenal was inserted into the shoe and this possibility had to be allowed for m the choice of last used in sizing the internal cavity of the sock It became an unnecessary complication m shoe construction to have to predict the size of the last making allowances for the size of the comfort layer which would be inserted into the shoe The present invention overcomes this problem by providing a composite insole layer which enables a manufacturer to accurately select the appropriate last as there is no need to insert and therefore allow for a comfort layer m the shoe after the strobeling step Once the strobehng step is completed the size of the space inside the sock is (except for final shaping of the shoe) fixed Thus, the methodology of the present invention eliminates the need to make allowance for added comfort being introduced into the shoe during the manufactunng process reducing labour and therefore costs involved in shoe production In order to achieve this objective, the inventor considered the possibility of strobeling a pre-laminated insole to the shoe upper so that it is fixedly secured in position and becomes integral with the shoe structure and provides an integral comfort layer 8 332355 The methodology of the invention involving integral fixation of an insole to the shoe upper can be performed as follows The method aspect of the invention involves presenting the lower edge of the shoe upper, that is, that edge which will be closest to the shoe sole on completion, to an outer underside edge of an insole, and then presenting this to a strobeling machine The shoe upper and insole are then sewn (strobeled) about the periphery of the insole prior to fixation of the main sole which is then overmoulded according to the preferred sole design over and about the end of the shoe sock It will be recognised by persons skilled in the art that numerous vanations and modifications may be made to the apparatus materials and method aspects such as but not limited to vanation of the materials used m formation of the composite descnbed above without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the invention </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims">



THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS - 

1 A shoe or boot including at least a shoe urper, 

an insole, and ' 

an outer sole, 

wherein the insole is integrally connected to a lower edge of the shoe upper by strobeling, charactensed in thai the insole includes a comno^te body formed by the conjunction of at least two layeis of preselected insole layer materials and wherein stitching integrally connecting the insole and shoe upper penetrates all layers of said insole
2 The shoe or boot according to Claim I characterised in that the shoe insole is integrally attached to the shoe upper by means of a stitch introduced into the insole during a manufacturing step such that the shoe upper is strobeled to the msole, wherein the insole includes a 1 "ee layer composite wherein an upper comfort layer is brushed nylon, an intermediate layer EVA and a bottom layer flexboard
3 The shoe or boot according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the edge of the inner sole abuts that edge of the shoe upper which attaches to the shoe sole
4 The shoe or boot according to Claim 2 characterised in that the flexboard is sewn to the shoe upper 

10 

•y, ^ Z % 3 

A method for producing a shoe or boot having a composite padded insole integrally fixed to the shoe upper including the steps of a) taking a shoe upper, 

b) taking a composite laminated structure which forms an insole, 

c) presenting an upper layer of the msole to an edge of an upper of the shoe or boot such that it engages the upper, 

d) performing the step of strobehng so that a thread is caused to integrally secure by stitching the upper to the insole thereby forming a padded sock wherein i 

said stitching penetrates all layers of said composite laminated structure 

A method according to Claim 5 including the added step of injection moulding an outer sole over the sock using a high density polyurethane having a core matenal of low density polyurethane 

A method for producing a shoe or boot having a composite padded insole integrally fixed to the shoe upper including the steps of - 

a) taking a shoe upper, 

b) taking a three layered composite insole to be secured to said upper, 

c) holding a peripheral edge of the insole against an edge of the shoe upper which in situ will be proximate to the outer sole of a shoe, 

d) presenting the junction between the edge of said insole and said edge of the shoe upper to a strobeling machine such that the shoe upper and all three layers of said msole are penetrated by the stitching and are thereby integrally attached to form a sock, 

e) attaching a shoe sole to said sock 

A method according to anyone of Claims 5 to 7, including the additional step of, pnor to taking the composite insole, cutting the insole material to a profile which will substantially conform to the penpheral shape of the sole of a selected shoe size using a known clicking press / hntiLECf^f-^ - « 

OF rjz Y 

25 Al 

US fggg 

& 

10 A method for producing a shoe or boot substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the drawings 

11 A shoe or boot when produced by a method as defined in any one of Claims 5 to 8 or Claim 10 

A shoe or boot substantially as hereinbefore described the drawings 

with reference to 

Dated this 24th day of August 1999 

PIPERS Attorneys for 

Protector Technologies Pty Limited 



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