WO2018167497A1

WO2018167497A1 - A safety boot

Info

Publication number: WO2018167497A1
Application number: PCT/GB2018/050667
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marcus ALDRED
Original assignee: Zennar Limited
Priority date: 2017-03-15
Filing date: 2018-03-15
Publication date: 2018-09-20
Also published as: GB201704077D0; GB2560541A

Abstract

Safety boots are well known in the construction industry and other industrial settings, as providing protection to workers' feet and lower legs, and in particular to their toes. Design of such safety boots has hitherto been restricted to protecting the wearer from harm after an accident has occurred. However, the present invention seeks to prevent such accidents from occurring, thereby increasing protection of the wearer far beyond what has been achievable up to now. Traditionally safety boots are monochromatic: often black, green, brown or tan, to reflect the fact that these boots are often used in environments where they may become soiled. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a safety boot, comprising: a sole (1); a substantially waterproof upper having a toe region (3); and protective reinforcement substantially adjacent to the toe region (3); wherein the upper comprises a fluorescent material (7). In this way visibility of the wearer can be enhanced, preventing accidental impacts/contact occurring with the wearer and/or their feet.

Description

A SAFETY BOOT

The present invention relates generally to safety boots and finds particular, although not exclusive, utility in professional workwear.

Safety boots are well known in the construction industry and other industrial settings, as providing protection to workers' feet and lower legs, and in particular to their toes. Design of such safety boots has hitherto been restricted to protecting the wearer from harm after an accident has occurred. However, the present invention seeks to prevent such accidents from occurring, thereby increasing protection of the wearer far beyond what has been achievable up to now.

Traditionally safety boots are monochromatic: often black, green, brown or tan, to reflect the fact that these boots are often used in environments where they may become soiled.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a safety boot, comprising: a sole; a substantially waterproof upper having a toe region; and protective reinforcement substantially adjacent to the toe region; wherein the upper comprises a fluorescent material.

In this way visibility of the wearer can be enhanced, preventing accidental impacts/contact occurring with the wearer and/or their feet.

The safety boot may be substantially waterproof, for instance in that water ingress through the upper, and/or between the upper and the sole, may be substantially inhibited.

The upper may comprise a vamp. The upper may further have an ankle region and/or a calf region extending therefrom. The calf region may terminate in an opening into which the foot/leg of a wearer may be inserted/removed.

The protective reinforcement may comprise a toe cap.

The protective reinforcement may comprise steel, a composite material such as fibreglass, carbon fibre and/or Kevlar (RTM), a plastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), aluminium, or some other suitable material.

Substantially adjacent to the toe region may comprise being inside and/or outside the toe region (for instance cladding the toe region of the upper), and/or the toe region of the upper may comprise the protective reinforcement (e.g. integrally formed therewith).

The protective reinforcement may be configured to protect against a basic impact of at least 100J, in particular at least 200J, for instance including compression of 15,000N.

The safety boot may be compliant with safety footwear standard EN ISO 20346:2004 and/or EN ISO 201344:11. However, preferably the safety boot may be compliant with safety footwear standard EN ISO 20345:2011, in particular EN ISO 20345:2011.S5.

The protective reinforcement may comprise a metatarsal sheath. Alternatively, the safety boot may comprise a metatarsal sheath in addition to the protective reinforcement.

The safety boot may comprise ankle protection, for instance to protect the ankle (in particular a rear of the ankle) of a wearer of the safety boot. The safety boot may comprise heel protection, for instance protecting the heel of a wearer of the safety boot. The metatarsal sheath, the ankle protection and/or the heel protection may be configured to protect against a basic impact of at least 20J. The metatarsal sheath, the ankle protection and/or the heel protection may comprise a dilatant non-Newtonian fluid, such as Polyborodimethylsiloxane for absorbing impact energy.

The sole may be integrally formed with the upper and/or vamp, or may be connected thereto during manufacture. The sole may comprise a heel region, an arch region and/or a ball region. The sole may comprise an outsole, an insole and/or a midsole.

The safety boot may be formed with a cleated heel and outsole unit.

The midsole may be formed of composite material. In this way, improved strength may be achieved with lighter and more flexible components.

Alternatively or additionally the sole may comprise a midsole plate and/or shank, to protect against punctures. The midsole plate may be formed of steel, a composite material such as fibreglass, carbon fibre and/or Kevlar (RTM), a plastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), aluminium, or some other suitable material. The midsole plate may be configured to resist penetration by a force of at least 1100N. In the absence of metal, the boot may be suitable for use in airports and/or security check points.

The outsole may be configured to be slip resistant.

The safety boot may be configured to be electrically resistant, for instance having a resistance of at least 100kΩ.

The safety boot may be configured to have antistatic properties, for instance in the range of 100 kΩ to 1000 MΩ.

The safety boot may be compliant with other safety footwear standards, for instance EN ISO 20347:2004.

The fluorescent material may extend over at least 20% of the outer surface of the upper, in particular at least 30%, more particularly at least 50%. The fluorescent material may extend over substantially the entire calf region of the upper, for instance at least 60% of the outer surface of the calf region of the upper, in particular at least 70%, more particularly at least 80%. The fluorescent material may extend over at least part of the toe region, heel region and/or ankle region of the upper, and/or over at least part of the sole.

The fluorescent material may be any material that emits electromagnetic radiation at visible wavelengths longer than those absorbed.

The fluorescent material may comprise coloured fluorescent material, in particular high visibility colours, for instance fluorescent yellow, fluorescent green, fluorescent pink, fluorescent orange-red and/or fluorescent red, such as those colours as defined in EN ISO 20471:2013, EN 1150:1999 and/or GO/RT 3279 Rail Industry Standard.

The upper may comprise a retroreflective material. For instance, the retro-reflective material may comprise 3M (RTM) retro-reflective tape and/or 3M (RTM) segmented retro-reflective tape. The retroreflective material may be as defined in EN ISO 20471:2013.

The retroreflective material may be located on a front of the safety boot (in particular on a front of the ankle portion of the upper), on a rear of the safety boot, on a medial side of the safety boot and/or a lateral side of the safety boot.

The retroreflective material may pass around the safety boot; that is, the retroreflective material may be visible from any horizontal direction around the safety boot. In particular, the retroreflective material may be located adjacent to (e.g. around a perimeter of) an upper opening of the safety boot.

In some arrangements, a brand name and/or logo may be displayed in retro-reflective material on, for instance the lateral side of the upper of, the safety boot.

The safety boot may be provided with an adjustable rear gusset for ease of insertion or removal of a calf of a wearer.

The safety boot may be formed from rubber, synthetic rubber, polyvinyl chloride ethylene-vinyl acetate, and/or any other suitable material. In particular, the vamp may comprise such materials. The safety boot may be configured to be abrasion resistant.

The safety boot may comprise neoprene. For instance, the safety boot may include a neoprene outer, and may be bonded to an airmesh fibre network or some other suitable breathable and/or wicking material. The neoprene may comprise 5mm thick neoprene and may comprise the fluorescent material. The neoprene may comrpise breathable neoprene such as Ventiprene. The neoprene may incorporate nanotechnology to ensure water resistance, as is commonly understood in the art, such that water is caused to bead up and roll off the neoprene. The neoprene may be waterproof to at least a hydrostatic head of 500mm, 1000mm, 2000mm and/or 4000mm. The airmesh fibre network may comprise a 2mm airmesh fibre network. Alternatively, the safety boot may include a neoprene lining, for example a 5mm neoprene lining. The safety boot may further comprise a waterproof laminate over the neoprene, for instance over a leg portion of the safety boot excluding the vamp. The waterproof laminate may be substantially breathable, and/or may be in the form of a coating and/or a membrane, for example a polyurethane coating/membrane. The laminate may be wipe-clean and/or may comprise the fluorescent material. The laminate may be substantially windproof, low noise, stretchable, tear resistant, resistant to oil derivatives, such as diesel & grease, and/or may have a smooth outer surface, such that it may be easily wiped clean to retain the high conspicuousness of the fabric.

In preferred arrangements, the safety boot would be suitable for pressure washing.

The safety boot may be configured to be substantially resistant to fuel oil. The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is perspective view of a safety boot.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a medial side of a safety boot.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a front of a safety boot.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a rear of a safety boot.

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certain circumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features of the invention. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching of the invention, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Figure 1 is perspective view of a safety boot comprising a sole 1, a reinforced toe portion 3 of an upper, an ankle portion 5 of the upper and a calf portion 7 of the upper. A metatarsal sheath 9 is provided within the upper over where a wearer's feet would reside within the safety boot.

The calf portion 7 is formed from a high-visibility polymer material to provide for both flexibility and visibility. The ankle portion 5 and toe portion 3 are formed from synthetic rubber. The sole 1 is formed from ethylene-vinyl acetate, and includes two regions 11 of high-visibility material thereon. The two regions 11 may or may not be formed of the same material as the calf portion 7; in particular, the two regions 11 may be formed from a colour-matched form of ethylene-vinyl acetate.

Three regions of retroreflective material are shown in figure 1, the first being a retroreflective strip of tape 13 on a front of the calf portion, running vertically downward. The second is a substantially annular ring of segmented (i.e. striped) retroreflective tape 15 substantially bounding an upper opening of the boot at an upper end of the calf portion 7. The third is a retroreflective brand name / logo 17 affixed to the side of the calf portion 7.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a medial side of a safety boot, with corresponding features marked using the same reference signs. In addition to figure 2 shows a buckle 18 for adjusting a rear gusset 19 in the calf portion 7.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a front of a safety boot, and figure 4 is a plan view of a rear of a safety boot, again, with corresponding features marked using the same reference signs. In figure 4, a further retroreflective strip of tape 21 on the rear of the ankle portion may be seen running vertically downward to the heel of the boot.

Claims

A safety boot, comprising:
a sole;
a substantially waterproof upper having a toe region; and
protective reinforcement substantially adjacent to the toe region;
wherein the upper comprises a fluorescent material.
The safety boot of claim 1, in which the sole comprises a midsole formed of composite material.
The safety boot of claim 1 or claim 2, in which the sole comprises a midsole plate configured to provide protection against punctures.
The safety boot of any preceding claim, in which the fluorescent material extends over at least 60% of an outer surface of a calf region of the upper.
The safety boot of any preceding claim, in which the fluorescent material comprises coloured fluorescent material.
The safety boot of any preceding claim, in which the upper comprises retroreflective material.