WO2015198241A1

WO2015198241A1 - Safety lining for safety footwear

Info

Publication number: WO2015198241A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/054738
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roberto Xodo
Original assignee: "Erredue" Di Xodo Roberto
Priority date: 2014-06-24
Filing date: 2015-06-24
Publication date: 2015-12-30
Also published as: EP3160282A1

Abstract

A safety lining (10) for safety footwear (11), of the type provided with an insert (12) for protecting the region comprised between the tibia and the toes, closed in a pocket (14). The insert (12) has a sandwich-like structure that comprises in succession: - at least one cut-resistant external layer (19), which is preset to cause the slipping and slowing of a toothed chain of a chainsaw that is penetrating the safety footwear (11), - at least one internal layer (20) for blocking the movement of the chain.

Description

SAFETY LINING FOR SAFETY FOOTWEAR

The present invention relates to a safety lining for safety footwear.

Safety footwear are part of the personal protection devices used by people who need to use equipment that can cause severe physical injury, such as portable chainsaws.

During the use of such devices, dangerous situations can occur which are due substantially to the accidental excessive approach of the blades of the toothed chain to the body of the operator. One of the body parts that is most exposed to this risk is the region of the leg that extends from the tibia to the tarsus or even the toes.

Among professional protection products, vulcanized rubber boots are widespread which are provided with an insert made of a material in the form of wide-mesh fabric, which during vulcanization is arranged on the boot, at the region at risk, and is intended to wrap around the teeth of the chain with its fibers, said chain entraining them toward the pinion and blocking the chainsaw.

These boots suffer some safety problems.

First of all, they are manufactured with a manual process, due to which the final product can have defects caused by human errors in the assembly of the various parts. These defects cause protection to be no longer assured.

Moreover, the protection offered by these boots consists in blocking the motion of the toothed chain without however preventing its blades from penetrating the boot before the fibers, by wrapping around the teeth of the chain, block it completely.

The problems described have been solved substantially by way of a solution that uses an insert with a sandwich-like structure that comprises in succession from the outside a layer for blocking the motion of the toothed chain of a chainsaw that is penetrating the footwear and a cut-resistant layer intended to cause the slippage of the chainsaw chain. The blocking layer consists of one or more sheets of fabric that is resistant to cutting and tearing and the fibers of which are preset to wrap around the teeth of the chain that entrains them toward the pinion, blocking the chainsaw.

The internal layer is instead constituted by one or more sheets of fabric or nonwoven fabric that are sewn in a pocket at the perimeter and contrast the crossing of the chain, causing it to slip thereon.

In case of accident, when the fibers of the outer layer wrap around the teeth of the chain, said chain would be able to penetrate with the blades inside the lining if the cut-resistant internal layer did not cause them to slip on its own surface.

The solution just described allows to obtain a boot, or in general a footwear, that is capable of ensuring a higher level of protection for the operator than the other types of boot; however, it is not free from aspects that can be improved.

First of all, in order to achieve the halting of the chain in a short time it is necessary to use an insert provided with a large number of sheets of fabric and/or nonwoven fabric and therefore of relatively high thickness, which entails high costs and the need to design the mold as a function of the thickness of the insert, upon each modification thereof, for the injection- molding of the outer covering of the boot on the lining.

Moreover, in both solutions, in the region of the toes, which precedes the toe cap, the fibers of the insert, preset to wrap around the teeth of the chainsaw, are shorter than the intermediate ones as in the ankle region and therefore, if the chainsaw cuts the boot, the same degree of safety as the other regions is not ensured.

The aim of the present invention is to devise a safety lining for safety footwear, such as boots for lumberjacks, capable of preventing complete penetration of the footwear by the teeth of the chainsaw with an insert that is thinner than the one required with known solutions. Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a lining that is capable of ensuring protection for the toes, in the region that precedes the toe cap, that is equal to that offered in the other regions over which the insert is extended.

This aim, as well as these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a safety lining for safety footwear, of the type provided with an insert for protection of the region comprised between the tibia and the toes, closed in a pocket, said lining being characterized in that said insert has a sandwich-like structure that comprises in succession:

- at least one cut-resistant outer layer, which is preset to cause the slipping and slowing of a toothed chain of a chainsaw that is penetrating said safety footwear and to slow its advancement,

- at least one internal layer for blocking the movement of said chain. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the lining according to the invention, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the lining according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of part of the lining according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a view of an item of footwear provided with the lining according to the invention;

Figure 4 is a side elevation view of a part of the lining according to the invention in a constructive variation thereof.

With reference to the figures, the lining according to the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 in Figure 1.

It is studied for safety footwear 1 1 , such as the boot shown in Figure The lining 10 is provided with a protective insert 12 that is extended over the region comprised between the tibia and the toes up to the tip 13, which is excluded.

The insert 12 is shown partially in an exploded view in Figure 2 and is closed within a pocket 14 shown in Figure 1.

The lining 10 is intended to be covered appropriately with an outer covering 15, which defines the final shape of the safety footwear 1 1.

The safety footwear 1 1 is shown with an opening, on the outer covering 15, that is designed specifically to allow to view the lining 10 with the pocket 14 in which the insert 12 is present.

The lining 10 can be provided conveniently with an internal covering made of wool or of other appropriate materials that are better suited for the season of use of the safety footwear 1 1.

In particular, Figure 1 shows that the lining 10 comprises an external cover 16 that covers its surface except for the region where the insert 12 is arranged. Here the lining 1 1 can be conveniently constituted, from the inside outward, by a mesh, a padding layer made of Moitopren, and a film of plastic material, preferably polyurethane, of which the external cover 16 is made.

It is possible to inject plastic material, preferably polyurethane with a thickness of a few millimeters, on the external cover 16 in order to obtain the outer covering 15 that defines the final shape of the safety footwear 1 1. The external cover 16 can be constituted by other material that conveniently ensures adhesion to the plastic material to be overmolded.

The pocket 14 that contains the insert 12 is defined by an external covering sheet 17, shown in Figure 1 , which is similar to the preceding external cover 16 and is sewn and sealed to the remaining part of the lining 10 at the perimeter 18 of the pocket 14. The external sheet 17 can be sealed for example with a spreadable sealant or with a heat-sealing process performed at the seam. As shown in Figure 2, the insert 12 has a sandwich-like structure that comprises in succession:

- at least one cut-resistant external layer 19 that is intended to cause the slipping and slowing of a toothed chain of a chainsaw that is penetrating the safety footwear 1 1 ,

- at least one internal layer 20 for blocking the movement of the chain.

These layers are interposed between the external sheet 17 and a portion of a structural layer of the upper of the safety footwear 1 1 , which consists preferably of an element made of jersey that is shaped by springing.

The jersey element reproduces the shape of the lining 1 1 in the region of the pocket 14 and is conveniently sewn perimetrically to the rest of the lining 10.

Figure 2 shows in a partially exploded view the insert 12, not the external sheet 17, which is instead present in Figure 1 , and the above cited portion of structural layer of the upper, i.e., the jersey element, also is not visible since it is covered with a sheet of fabric 21 (described hereinafter) that is glued onto it on the side directed toward the insert 12. In other versions of the same lining 10 according to the invention, the sheet of fabric 21 might not be present.

The cut-resistant external layer 19 comprises three laminas 22 (so that the lining 10 follows the motion of the foot of the operator while walking), made of metallic material, of which an upper lamina 22a in the region that corresponds to the tibia, an intermediate lamina 22b in the region that corresponds to the tarsus, and a lower lamina 22c in the region that corresponds to the metatarsus and the toes.

The upper lamina 22a is joined to the intermediate lamina 22b and the latter is joined to the lower lamina 22c by means of a respective joint 23 that is arranged at the articulation of the ankle.

Each lamina 22 is preferably made of steel with a thickness comprised between approximately 0.25 mm and 0.30 mm.

The cut-resistant external layer 19 is obtained by joining the three laminas 22, but as an alternative it can be constituted by two laminas, of which an upper lamina in the region that corresponds to the tibia and a lower lamina in the region that extends from the tarsus to the toes, as in the preceding case joined conveniently by means of a joint at the ankle articulation.

Another constructive variation of the lining 10 is shown in Figure 4. This variation is shown without an outer sheet in order to show the cut- resistant external layer 19.

According to this variation, the cut-resistant external layer 19 comprises a first lamina 22d in the tibial region and a plurality of second laminas 22e which are mutually articulated in the region that spans substantially from the instep to the toes.

The internal blocking layer 20 comprises, in the illustrated example, two sheets of fabric 21 , similar to the one cited earlier, which are shown in exploded view in Figure 2 but are sewn substantially at the perimeter 18 of the pocket 14 in the assembled product. The sheets of fabric 21 have cut- and tear-resistance characteristics and their fibers are adapted to wrap around the teeth of the chain that entrains them toward the pinion and is blocked.

The internal blocking layer 20 also comprises another sheet of fabric 21 , the one cited previously, which is glued onto the portion of structural layer of the upper.

Some fabrics that are well-suited to block the chain in the described manner can be woven with filaments made of metallic material and can comprise aramid or polyurethane fibers or mixed materials of satin and Kevlar or satin and polyethylene fiber, and the number of blocking layers can be modified as a function of the level of protection that one wishes to offer. On the lining 10, the pocket 14 of which is sewn and sealed along the perimeter 18 to the remaining part of the lining, it is possible to inject polyurethane or another thermoplastic material so as to define the outer covering 15 of the safety footwear 1 1 without running the risk that the injected material might penetrate through the seam.

By observing Figure 1 it is possible to notice that the pocket 14 is not sewn along a portion of its lower side, from which a portion 24 of the lower lamina 22c, also shown in Figure 2, protrudes. Said portion is intended to overlap a steel toe cap of the footwear, creating continuity between the latter and the insert 12.

Operation of the lining according to the invention is as follows.

Should an excessive approach of the chainsaw to the lower limb of the operator occur, in particular to the region comprised between the tibia and the toes, the insert 12 stops the motion of the chain and its advancement toward the inside of the safety footwear 1 1.

In particular, when the chain cuts the outer covering 15, it encounters the cut-resistant external layer 19, the purpose of which is to cause the slippage of the chain that is penetrating the safety footwear 1 1 and slow its advancement. If the chainsaw is able to cut a lamina 22, it encounters the sheets of fabric 21 of the internal blocking layer 20 that lies below, the fabric fibers of which wrap around the teeth of the chain, which entrains them toward the pinion of the chainsaw, blocking it.

By means of tests performed on an item of safety footwear 1 1 , provided with the lining 10 according to the invention, the stopping of a chain of a chainsaw moving at a speed equal to 28 m/s was verified.

Moreover, it was also verified that the stopping time of the chain moving at the speed of 28 m/s by means of an item of safety footwear 1 1 provided with the lining 10 according to the invention is shorter than the stopping time of a chain moving at the speed of 24 m/s obtained by using an item of safety footwear 10 provided with the same lining 10. In particular, in the case of a chain moving at the speed of 24 m/s, stopping occurs as a consequence of the slippage of its teeth on the lamina 22 of the cut-resistant external layer 19, which also causes its slowing. When instead the speed of the chain is equal to 28 m/s, it is capable of penetrating the cut-resistant external layer 19, reaching the internal blocking layer 20. In this case the slowing caused by the lamina 22 and the blocking caused by the fibers of the sheets of fabric 21 cause the motion of the chain to stop in a shorter time than in the preceding case.

Despite containing the number of sheets of fabric 21 it is therefore possible to achieve stopping of the chain even in conditions of higher speed of motion thereof.

Furthermore, the presence of the cut-resistant external layer 19 of steel lamina 22 ensures, for the part of the foot that corresponds to the toes, substantially in the region comprised between the tarsus and the tip 13 covered by the toe cap of the footwear, the same level of protection offered in the other regions over which the insert is extended.

In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, by providing a safety lining for safety footwear that is capable of stopping the advancement of a toothed chain of a chainsaw that is penetrating the footwear in a limited time despite using an insert of limited thickness, and also of ensuring the same level of protection over the entire region exposed to the risk of injury.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application no. PD2014A000164, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A safety lining (10) for safety footwear (1 1), of the type provided with an insert ( 12) for protecting the region comprised between the tibia and the toes, closed in a pocket ( 14), said lining (10) being characterized in that said insert ( 12) has a sandwich-like structure that comprises in succession:

- at least one cut-resistant external layer (19), which is preset to cause the slipping and slowing of a toothed chain of a chainsaw that is penetrating said safety footwear ( 1 1),

- at least one internal layer (20) for blocking the movement of said chain.

2. The lining according to claim 1 , characterized in that said at least one cut-resistant external layer ( 19) comprises at least one lamina (22) made of metallic material.

3. The lining according to claim 2, characterized in that said cut- resistant external layer ( 19) comprises:

- an upper lamina (22a) in the region that corresponds to the tibia,

- an intermediate lamina (22b) in the region that corresponds to the tarsus of the foot,

- a lower lamina (22c) in the region that corresponds to the metatarsus and the toes.

4. The lining according to claim 2, characterized in that said cut- resistant external layer (19) comprises an upper lamina in the region that corresponds to the tibia and a lower lamina in the region that lies between the tarsus and the toes.

5. The lining according to claim 1 , characterized in that said at least one internal blocking layer (20) comprises at least one sheet of fabric (21 ) with cut- and tear-resistance characteristics, sewn to said pocket ( 14) substantially at its perimeter and the fibers of which are adapted to wrap around the teeth of the chainsaw chain.

6. The lining according to claim 5, characterized in that said internal blocking layer (20) comprises another said sheet of fabric (21 ) that is glued onto a portion of a structural layer of the upper of said safety footwear (1 1).

7. The lining according to claim 1 , characterized in that said pocket ( 14) is defined by an external covering sheet (17), which is sewn and sealed at its perimeter (18) to the remaining part of said lining (10).

8. The lining according to claim 2, characterized in that said cut- resistant external layer (19) comprises a first lamina (22d) in the tibial region and a plurality of second laminas (22e) that are mutually articulated in the region that lies substantially between the instep and the toes.