Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD OF MAKING A SHOE HAVING A FOAMED INSOLE
WITH PERIPHERAL PATTERN
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of making a shoe,
more particularly, to a method of making a shoe in which a
foamed insole blank is formed into a finished and patterned
insole during the course of assembly of the insole blank and
other shoe components, such as an upper and an outsole.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to produce shoes having insoles made of
resilient foamed materials, such as EVA foams, which
possesses good softness to provide comfortable feeling and
which has good resiliency to absorb shock. Such insoles may
be fabricated by forming a foamable EVA composition
introduced into a mold, or by forming in a mold an insole
blank cut from a preformed EVA casting. The insoles as formed
are usually bonded to uppers and outsoles by gluing processes .
In the manufacture of many sport shoes, foamed insoles are
provided with relief-like patterns at the peripheries
thereof before they are glued to uppers and outsoles.
For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,843,352 owned by the
applicant of this application discloses a method of producing
EVA insoles having ornamental peripheral borders. This
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method employs the steps of separately forming of an insole
and a blank strip, forming the blank strip into a desired
shape with an embossed pattern, and attaching the embossed
strip to the periphery of the insole by adhesive bonding.
R.O.C. Patent No. 287091 to Jih et al discloses a method
forming a foamed EVA insole, wherein an insole blank cut from
a cast EVA sheet is foamed in a heated mold and formed into
a finished insole which has an upwardly projecting peripheral
flange for attachment of an ornamental strip by gluing. The
presence of the peripheral flange on the insole facilitates
attachment of the ornamental strip.
U.S. Patent No. 5,560,877 to Yung et al discloses a
process for manufacturing an EVA sole, wherein an unfoamed
EVA blank sheet is placed in a first mold unit to form a foamed
insole blank which in turn is placed in a heated second mold
to form an embossed finished insole.
All of the processes disclosed in the aforesaid patents
require the first step of forming an insole blank and the
second step of embossing or ornamenting the insole blank to
form a finished insole structure. These patents merely
disclose or teach how an insole is made and patterned before
attachment of the insole to other components of a shoe, such
as an upper and an outsole.
U.S. Patent No. 5,463,824 to Barns et al suggests a
process for manufacturing an arch support system for a shoe.
The teachings therein are directed to the bonding of a foamed
layer for a shoe component to other materially different
layers of shoe components by applying heat and pressure in
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a mold. The process disclosed in this patent is related
solely to a bonding method and is totally irrelevant to the
patterning or embossing of a foamed Layer.
Likewise, U.S. Patent No. 4,231,169 to Toyama et al
~ discloses a bonding method which is independent from the
pattern-forming of a shoe component. In the method
disclosed therein, a shank comprising a fiber-reinforced
resin sheet is placed on an insole element and is adhered
thereto under heat and pressure.
While the prior art suggests many processes available
for bonding and patterning shoe components, bonding and
patterning of shoe components are usually carried out in
separate operational steps which are laborious and time-
consuming.~ It is desirable that bonding and patterning of
shoe components can be performed simultaneously in order to
facilitate and speed up the production of shoes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an
improved and simplified method of making a shoe having a
foamed insole formed with ornamented peripheral patterns
around the bottom of an upper.
Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide
an improved method of making a shoe wherein ornamentation
of an insole blank is carried out simultaneously with the
bonding of the insole blank to an upper and/or an out sole.
According to the present invention, there is
provided a making a shoe comprising: preparing an insole
blank having top and bottom surfaces and an upwardly
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extending peripheral flange extending upward from said
top surface:
applying an adhesive to the top of an outsole;
applying an adhesive to the bottom of an upper:
positioning the adhesive-applied outsole in a mold
assembly which includes a top mold part, a bottom mold
part, and two opposite side mold parts having forming
patterns, wherein said outsole is mounted on said bottom
mold part; mounting said upper, which has said adhesive
applied thereto, on said top mold part:
placing said insole blank in said mold assembly
between said outsole and said upper and positioning said
upwardly extending peripheral flange of said insole blank
around a lateral outer surface of said upper, wherein
said insole blank is softened by heat to a plastic state
prior to placement in the mold assembly;
closing said mold assembly to press said outsole;
said insole blank and said upper against each other while
said insole blank is in the plastic state; and
pressing said upwardly extending peripheral flange
of said insole blank in said plastic state against said
lateral outer surface of said upper and patterning said
upwardly extending peripheral flange of said insole blank
via said side mold parts, wherein said insole blank in
said plastic state is patterned by said forming pattern
of said side mold parts, and wherein the bonding
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of said insole blank to said upper and to said outsole
and the patterning of said upwardly extending peripheral
flange of said insole blank are carried out
simultaneously by closing said mold assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent in the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiment with reference to
the accompanying drawings, of which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an insole
blank and an outsole which are to be assembled in a first
embodiment of the method according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a mold
assembly used in the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the insole
blank and the outsole assembled according to the first
embodiment of the present invention;
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Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating assembly of
an upper and an insole blank in a mold assembly according
to the method of a second embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an ornamental strip
to be attached to the upper and the insole blank in the second
embodiment;
Figure 6 as a cross-sectional view showing the ornamental
strip, the upper and the insole blank assembled according
the second embodiment;
Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating assembly of
an upper, an insole blank and an outsole in a mold assembly
according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the mold assembly
of the third embodiment in a closed position;
Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the
manufacturing of a sandal via a mold assembly according a
fourth embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 10 is a schematic view of the sandal assembled in
the fourth embodiment when the mold assembly is closed;
Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an
alternative mold assembly for manufacturing a sandal; and
Figure 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view
illust:ratinc~ assembly of an outsole and an insole blank
enclosing an air cushion pocket in accordance with a fifth
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a first preferred
embodiment of the method of making a shoe according to the
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present invention is directed to the assembly of a foamed
insole blank 11 and an outsole 12. The foamed insole blank
11 is prepared from an EVA polymer in a conventional manner,
such as by forming a foamable EVA composition into the shape
of an insole in a suitable mold, or by tailoring a preformed
EVA foam. The foamed insole blank 11 is substantially flat
and has top and bottom surfaces surrounded by a peripheral
portion 110. The dimensions of the top and bottom surfaces
of the foamed insole blank 11 are slightly greater than the
dimensions of the top surface of the outsole 12. A mold
assembly 1 used in this embodiment includes a bottom mold
part 101 for positioning the outsole 12, two opposite side
mold parts 102 and 103, and a top mold part 144 having a last.
The side mold parts 102, 103 are provided with forming
patterns 102', 103' for forming the peripheral portion of
the insole blank 11.
In operation, an adhesive, such as a heat-fusible
adhesive, is applied to the top surface of the outsole 12,
and the outsole 12 coated with the adhesive is positioned
on the bottom mo:Ld part 101 . The insole blank 11 is softened
by heat to a plastic state and is placed in the mold assembly
1, while in the plastic state, with the bottom surface of
the insole blank 11 in contact with the top surface of the
outsole 12. The peripheral portion of the insole blank 11
projects outwardly of the periphery of the outsole 12.
Ornamental pieces 111 having different colors are placed in
the side mold parts 102, 103. The ornamental pieces 111 may
be made of the same material as the insole blank 11 or a
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different material. In this embodiment, the ornamental
pieces 111 are of the same material as the insole blank 11
and are preferably heated to a plastic state prior to
placement in the side mold parts 102, 103. When the mold
assembly 1 is closed at the plastic state of the insole blank
11, the insole blank 11 is pressed against and bonded to the
outsole 12. At the same time, the peripheral portion of the
insole blank 11 is pressed to project upward and patterned
by the side mold parts 102' , 103' , and the ornamental pieces
11:L positioned on the side mold parts 102, 103 are bonded
to the peripheral portion of the insole blank 11, as shown
in Figure 3 . Due to the forming patterns 102' , 103' of the
side mold parts 102, 103, a relief-like pattern is produced
on the peripheral portion of the insole blank 11.
Alternatively, the two side mold parts 102, 103 of the
mold 1 may be replaced with a single one-piece mold part which
has a mold cavity opening at both of the top and bottom sides
thereof. In this case, the bottom mold part 101 is fitted
in the bottom side of the single one-piece mold part.
Referring to Figure 4, in a second embodiment of the
method of making a shoe according to the present invention,
a foamed insole blank 21 and an upper 22 are assembled by
using a mold assembly 2. The foamed insole blank 21 differs
from the insole blank 11 in that the peripheral portion of
the insole b:Lank 21 has a peripheral upward flange 211 . The
mold assembly 2 includes a top mold part 201, a pair of clamp
parts 202, 203, two opposite side mold parts 204, 205, and
a bottom mold part 206. The inner surfaces of the side mold
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parts 204, 205 are provided with forming patterns for
patterning the peripheral upward flange 211 of the insole
blank 21. The upper 22 is positioned to the top mold part
201 after an adhesive is applied to the bottom of the upper
S 22. 'rhe insole blank 21 is heated to a plastic state and
is placed in the mold assembly 2 with the top surface thereof
in contact with the bottom of the upper 22. The peripheral
upward flange 211 of the insole blank 21 extends around the
bottom of the upper 22. Referring to Figures 5 and 6 in
combination with Figure 4, an ornamental strip 23 is
positioned around the peripheral upward flange 211 of the
insole blank 21 by means of fastening elements or strings
231 which tie the ornamental strip 23 and the insole blank
21 together. The ornamental strip 23 is of the same material
as the insole blank 21 and is heated to a plastic state prior
to placement in the mold assembly 2.
When the mold assembly 2 is closed, the insole blank 21
and the ornamental strip 23, which are in the plastic state,
are pressed and embossed and are bonded to the bottom of the
upper 22. The peripheral upward flange 211 of the insole
blank 21 is therefore patterned and ornamented by the
ornamental strip 23.
Referring to Figure 7, a third embodiment of the method
of making a shoe according to the present invention is
purposed to assemble an upper 32, an insole blank 31, and
an outsole 33. In this embodiment, the insole blank 31 in
the plastic state is placed in a mold assembly 3 together
with the upper 32 and the out sole 33 coated with an adhesive .
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The mold assembly 3 includes a bottom mold part 301, a top
mold part 302, left and right clamping parts 303, 304, and
a pair of side mold parts 305, 306 with inner surfaces
provided with forming patterns 305", 306". When the mold
3 is closed, the upper 32, the insole blank 31 and the out sole
33 are assembled integrally together. At the same time, the
insole blank 31 is formed into a final desired shape with
the peripheral upward flange 311 thereof being embossed and
patterned.
Note that the mold assembly 3 is provided with fence
plates 307, 308 adjacent the top end of the side mold parts
305, 306. 'rhe fence plates 307, 308 are configured as
elongated strips which are curved to conform to the contour
of the upper 32. When the mold 3 is closed, the bottom ends
of the fence plates 307, 308 abut against the top of the
peripheral upward flange 311 of the insole blank 31, as shown
in Figure 8, so that the flash produced from the insole blank
31 is blocked from flowing upward and is diverted to flow
outwardly of the fence plates 307, 308. As such, no brow
formation will occur around the insole blank 31 after
assembly. The flash formed outwardly of the fence plates
307, 308 can be removed easily.
Referring again to Figure 7, during the forming operation
in the mold assembly 3, front and rear stop plates 331, 332,
which are disposed at the front and rear ends of the outsole
33 at locations corresponding to the front and rear seams
of the two side mold parts 305, 306, are bonded to the front
and rear ends of the upper 32 and the insole 31. The seams
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formed on the stop plates 331, 332 due to the front and rear
searns of the side mold parts 305, 306 may be removed, if
desired, by pressing and embossing the seams with a heated
embossing tool.
Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a fourth embodiment of the
method of making a sandal. In this embodiment, an insole
blan~C 31' is provided with through-holes 311' at the margin
thereof . The upper 32' includes a plurality of sandal straps
321' attached with fastening elements 322'. After the
straps 321' pass through the through-holes 311' in the insole
blank 31' which has been heated, the fastening elements 322'
are connected to each other, thus bringing together the upper
32' and the insole 31'. The upper 32' and the insole 31'
are then placed within a top mold part or last 302' and left
and right clamping parts 303' , 304' , as shown in Figure 10.
When the mold assembly 3' is closed by bringing together the
top mold part 302' , the left and right clamping parts 303' ,
304', side mold parts, 305', 306', and a bottom mold part
301' , the upper 32' and the insole 31' are united integrally
together with an outsole 33'
Referring to Figure 11, in place of the aforesaid mold
assembly 3' , another_mold which has mother and daughter mold
members may be used for making a sandal. A mold part 4 is
provided with a cavity 401 opening at one side of the mold
part 4. After a.daughter mold member 402 is inserted into
an upper 32" , the daughter mold member 402 together with the
upper 32" is placed in the cavity 401. An insole 31" and
an outsole 33" are then placed on the upper 32". The mold
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part 4 is closed by a mold cover 403 to assemble the insole
31", the out~sole 33" and the upper 32".
Referring to Figure 12, in a fifth embodiment of the
present invention, an air cushion pocket 54 is attached to
an insole blank 51 during assembly of the insole blank 51
and an outsole 53 in a mold assembly 5. The outsole 53 is
first positioned in a top mold 504, and the insole blank 51,
which is heated to a plastic state, is placed onto the outsole
53 . The air cushion pocket 54 is further placed on the insole
blank 51 and covered by a cover plate 52 which is made of
the same material as the insole blank 51. When the mold
assembly 5 is closed by moving side mold parts 502, 503 and
a bottom mold part 501 toward the top mold part 504 , the cover
plate 52 is bonded to the insole blank 51, enclosing the air
cushion pocket 54 therebetween, and the insole 51 and the
outsole 53 are united together. As the air cushion pocket
54 is inflated by injecting air through an air passage 56
after the mold assembly 5 is closed, the insole blank 51 and
the cover plate 52 are pressurized to abut against the inner
surface of the side mold parts 502, 503 . As a result, a clear
embossed pattern is formed on the peripheral portion of the
insole blank 51 . The product as formed possesses good shock
absorbing characteristics due to the presence of the air
cushion pocket 54.
Shoes having shock absorbing properties may be
fabricated by incorporating a PU foam into an insole in place
of the air cushion pocket 54. In manufacturing, a liquid
PU foam material is introduced into a mold between an outsole
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and an insole. Prior to introduction of the PU foam material
into the mold, air is blown into the mold between the outsole
and the insole to create a space therebetween. At the same
time, the peripheral portion of the insole blank in the
plastic state is pressurized to abut against the inner
surface of the mold. The PU foam material is introduced into
the space as soon as the blowing of the air is stopped . A
clear embossed pattern can be formed on the peripheral
portion of the insole blank.
While the present invention has been described in
connection with what is considered the most practical and
preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention
is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended
to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and
scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all
such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
