Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The present invention relates to a method of
making articles of footwear and to articles of footwear
made thereby.
Basic principles of cons-truction of articles
of footwear have remained the same for a number of years,
the only significant changes being concerned with the
replacement of skilled workers by complicated machinery.
Such machinery is not only expensive in initial cost,
but also requires a considerable amount of maintenance
with the consequent cost not only of repair but also of
lost production. Further, it is difficult to find a
sufficient number of skilled workers to carry out con-
ventional techniques of footwear manufacture.
It is therefore an object of the invention to
provide a method of making footwear which reduces the
need for complicated machinery or highly skilled
workers.
According to the invention, a method of
making an article of footwear includes providing a
preformed forward upper part and a preformed rear
upper part, each upper part having a pair of lateraily
spaced lower edge portions, attaching a first connec-t-
ing strip to the edge portions of the forward and rear
upper parts on one side thereof, attaching a second
connecting strip to the edge portions of the forward
and rear upper parts on the opposite side thereof,
providing a preformed sole unit with a recess adjacent
each side thereof and shaped to receive a respective con-
necting strip, and assembling the upper parts with the
sole unit by positioning the connecting strips in the re-
cesses by movement in a direction substantially perpendicular
-- 1 .~
(~
to the length of the connecting strips and securing the con-
necting s-trips in the recesses.
The present inven-tion thus requires the provision
of various preformed uni-ts which can be assembled to produce
articles of footwear by rela-tively unskillecl workers wi-th-
out the necessity for complicated machinery.
The p-esent invention thus also provides an
article of footwear comprising a preformed forward upper
part and a preformed rear part, each upper part having
laterally spaced lower edge portions, a first connecting strip
attached to the edge portions of the forward and rear upper
parts on one side thereof, a second connecting strip attached
to the edge portions of the forward and rear upper parts on
the opposite side thereof, and a preformed sole unit having
a recess adjacent each side thereof in which a respective
connecting strip has been secured and has been positioned
by movement of the connecting strip into the recess in a
direction substantially perpendicular to the length of the
connecting strip, the first and second connecting strips
2~ being on opposite sides of the sole unit to position the
forward and rear upper parts thereon.
The sole unit may have recesses laterally inwardly
spaced from each side thereof. Alternatively, each recess
is open at the side of the sole unit.
The connecting strips may have recesses in their
outer side edges receiving the forward and rear upper parts
to render the upper parts flush with the side edges of the
connecting strips. Alternatively, or additionally, the
connecting strips may have recesses on an upper or lower
surface adjacent the outer side edges receiving the forward
~65~
and rear upper parts to render the upper parts flush with
said surfaces.
The embodiments of the invention will now be des-
cribed, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which:
Figure 1 is a side view of preformed forward
and rear upper parts with connec-ting
strips attached thereto in accordance
with one embodiment,
Figure 2 is a side view of a sole unit attach-
able to the connecting strips of Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a plan view of the sole unit,
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the sole unit
taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3,
Figure 5 is a bottom view of the sole unit,
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a heel unit
attachable to the sole unit,
Figure 7 is an exploded view showing the manner
in which the heel is attachable to the
sole unit,
Figure 8 is a side view of a completed shoe,
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the completed
shoe,
Figure 10 is an enlarged view, partly broken
away of the forward end of the completed
shoe,
Figure 11 is a side view of preformed forward
and rear upper parts with connecting
strips attached thereto in accordance
with a further embodiment,
6~D8
Figure 12 is a side view, partly broken aw~y,
of part of Figure 11,
Figure 13 is a side view of a preformed sole uni-t,
Figure 14 is a sectional view of the sole unit
along the line 14-14 of Figure 13,
Fiyure 15 is a side view of the completed shoe,
Figure 16 is a side view, partly broken away,
of part of Figure 15,
Figure 17 is a side view of a sole unit in accord-
ance with another embodiment,
Figure 18 is a sectional view along the line 18-18
of Figure 17,
Figure 19 is a side view of a completed shoe in-
c].uding the sole unit of Figures 17 and
18,
Figure 20 is a side view, partly broken away, of
part of Figure 19,
Figure 21 is a plane view of a pair of connecting
strips in accordance with a further
embodiment,
Figure 22 is a bottom view of the strips of
Figure 21,
Figure 23 is a side view of preformed forward
and rear upper parts with the connect-
ing strips of Figure 21 attached thereto,
and
Figure 24 is a side view, partly broken away
of part of Figure 23.
Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 to 10 show
an embodiment of the invention which is especially useful
-- 4 --
with ladies' high heel dress or casual sandals or open toe
or open heel shoes. In this embodiment, a shoe has a pre-
formed forward upper part 112 and a preformed rearward upper
part 114, these upper parts being of ]ea-ther or suitable
man-made material. In use, the forward upper part 112
extends across the forward upper part of the foot rearwardly
of the toes, an~ the rear upper part 114 is in the form of
a strap 116 with buckle 118 which extends across the rear
part of the foot and a strap 120 which extends around the
heel from one side to the other.
Two connecting strips 122, 124 of, for example,
thermoplastic rubber each have a profiled section forming a
projecting extension 126, 128 respectively. The first con-
necting strip 122 is connected by sewing to the lower edges
of the forward upper part 112 and rear upper part 114 on one
side thereof, and the second connecting strip 124 is similarly
connected on the opposite side, such that the rear upper part
114 is rearwardly spaced from the forward upper part 112.
A preformed sole unit 130 in the form of a platform
member is made of a rigid molded plastic material such as
styrene. The sole unit 130 has a peripheral wall 132 extend-
ing completely around its upper surface. and longitudinally
extending recesses 134, 136 at the junction of the peripheral
wall 132 and the upper surface of the sole unit on opposite
sides thereof, the recesses 134, 136 extending from a position
near the front end of the sole unit to a position near
the rear end thereof. Recesses 134 and 136 are shaped to
enable the projecting extensions 126, 128 of the connecting
strips 122, 124 respectively to be snapped into engagement
therewith.
-- 5 --
The underside of the front end of the sole unit 130
has a recess 138, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, into which a
preformed sole pad insert 139 is secured by sui-table adhesive
at this stage, the sole insert 139 being shown in Figures
8, 9 and 10.
The connectiny strips 122, 124 can be readily be
snapped into engagement with the recesses 134, 136 in the
sole unit 130, as indicated in Figures 8, 9 and 10, by move-
ment of the connecting strips 122, 124 into the recesses
134, 136 in a direction perpendicular to the length, and the
engaging surfaces may be previously treated with adhesive
to form a more secure connection if desired.
The sole unit 130 has a longitudinal preformed steel
reinforcing spine 140 positioned therein during manufacture,
the spine 140 extending over the rear part of the sole unit
130 as shown in Figures 3 and 8. Near its rear end, the shank
140 has an aperture 142 which is aligned with a vertical bore
144 in the sole unit 130. The underside of the rear end part
of the sole unit 130 has an integral tenon portion 146 of a
mortice and tenon joint, with the bore 144 extending there-
through. A preformed heel 148 of rigid molded plastic material
such as styrene, shown in Figure 6, has an upper surface with
the mortice portion 150 of the joint and a bore 152 extending
therethrough from the upper surface to the bottom surface of
the heel 148.
The heel 148 is assembled with the sole unit 130
by sliding the mortice portion 150 of the heel 148 forwardly
into engagement with the tenon portion 146 on the sole unit.
A bolt 154 with a head 156 is passed upwardly through the
heel 148 so that the head 156 sits in a correspondingly shaped
6S~
recess 158 in the bottom of the heel 148. A nut 160 is thenscrewed onto the threaded end of the bolt 154, whose length is
such that the nut 160 is positioned in the upper end of the
bore 144 in the sole unit, the upper end being countersunk
for this purpose. A heel top-lift 161 is then secured to the
bottom of the heel 14~ in the usual way.
Finally, a light insole 162 is secured by adhesive
to the upper surface of the sole unit 130 within the peripheral
wall 132, as indicated in Figures 9 and 10. The insole 162
preferably comprises foam cushion material with a covering
of leather or suitable man-made material.
Figures 11 to 16 show another embodiment in which
a lady's shoe has a preformed forward upper part 212 and
a preformed rear upper part 214 similar to the forward and
rear upper parts 112 and 114 of the previous embodiment. The
forward upper part 212 in this case is in two portions con-
nected by a buckle 213 and the rear upper part 214 comprises
a first strap 216 with buckle 218 and a second strap 220.
In this embodiment however, the connecting strips
20 222, 224 are flat strips of flexible material with rectangular
section, for example thermoplastic rubber or polyurethane
strip. The first connecting strip 222 is connected by stitch-
ing to the inwardly turned lower edges of the forward upper
part 212 and rear upper part 214 on one side thereof, and the
second connecting strip 224 is similarly connected on the
opposite side, such that the rear upper part 214 is rearwardly
spaced along the length of the connecting strips 222, 224 on
the forward upper part 212.
The preformed sole unit 230 has a peripheral wall
232 extending completely around its upper surface, and has
longitudinally extending recesses 234, 236 at the junction
of the peripheral wall 232 and the upper sur:Eace of the sole
unit on opposite sides thereof, the recesses 234, 236 extend-
ing from a position near the front end of the sole uni-t to
a position near the rear end thereof. The recesses 234, 236
are of rectangular section corresponding to that of the con-
necting strips 222, 224.
The forward and rear upper portions 212, 214 are
readily assembled with the preformed sole unit 230 by apply-
ing a suitable adhesive to the lower surfaces of the connect-
ing strips 222, 224 and/or the bottom surfaces of the recesses
234, 236 and fitting the connecting strips 222, 224 into the
recesses 234, 236 by downward movement of the connecting
strips into the recesses in a direction substantially perpen-
dicular to the length. The depth of the recesses 234, 236
is the same as the thickness of the connecting strips 222,
234 so that the connecting strips are a flush fit in the
recesses.
Finally, a light insole 262 is secured to the upper
surface of the sole unit 230 within the peripheral wall 232r
as shown in Figures 15 and 16. As in the previous embodi-
ment, the insole 262 preferably comprises foam cushion
material with a covering of leather or suitable man-made
material.
. In a further embodiment shown in Figures 17 to 20,
a sole unit~32. is provided which does not have the peripheral
wall of the previous embodiment, so that the recesses 334,
336 are open at the sides of the sole unit 332. Forward
upper part 212, rear upper part 214 and connecting strips
222, 224 are the same as in the previous embodiment. The
light insole 262 may also be included in this embodiment.
~65~
Figures 21 to 24 show a further embodiment in which
connecting strips 422, 424 have recesses 426, 428 and 430,
432 respectively in their outer side edges to receive the
preformed forward and rear upper parts 212, 214. The con-
necting strips 422, 424 also have recesses 434, 436 and
438, 440 respectively in their bot-tom surfaces adjacent the
side edges fur the same purpose. Thus, as shown in Figures
23, 24, the forward and rear upper parts 212, 214 are flush
with both side edges and bottom surfaces of the connecting
strip 442, 424. Recesses 434, 436 and 438, 440 may of
course alternatively be provided in the upper surfaces of
the connecting strips.
Other embodiments within the scope of the invention
will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art,
the scope of the invention being defined in the appended
claims.
g
