CA1041295A - Article of footwear - Google Patents

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The present invention relates to footwear and most part-icularly to a lightweight boot for use in cold weather such as a snow boot.
Many different kinds of lightweight footwear are available at the present time for use in cold weather such as snow boots.
These are typically formed with a thick rubber sole, a leather or nylon fabric upper and some form of heavy fleeced lining sewn into the boot, such a boot being disclosed, for example, in U.S.
Patent No. 2,820,308, issued January 21, 1958 to Highstand.
Such a boot is formed on a last in conventional shoe making equipment so that the foot encompassing portion is quite stiff and depends on a relatively exact size for fitting the boot.
In Canadian Patent No. 892,873, issued February 15, 1972 to Perno et al there is disclosed an improved very lightweight and inexpensive soft boot which patent asserts provides excellent protection from the cold and can be used for apres-ski, snowmobile ~ and other outdoor uses.
`` The article of footwear disclosed in the Canadian patent is in the form of a boot assembl~ having an inner boot and an outer shell. The inner boot has a substantially flat sole and calf high upper formed from a relatively thick layer of soft pliable foam plastic material and has sufficient dimensional rigidity to maintain an erect boot shape i.e., at least a half ; inch and preferably 1 inch. By calf high is meant, ~n upper which extends up sufficiently high to cover at least part of the calf portion of the wearer's leg, i.e. about mid-calf. The foam plastic inner boot fits snugly within an outer shell of soft flaccid material which has a sole portion and an upper portion, the sole portion being of a traction material of a wear resistant surface and being peripherally joined to an upper portion of thin pliable material, e.g. nylon fabric. The outer shell portion is thus formed as a separate boot to fit snugly aro~md the inner form boot and is made from very thin flaccid material such as nylon fabric, and is little more than a thin sheet which surrounds and protects the foam inner boot. In particular, as set forth in the drawings of the Canadian patent, the outer shell preferably has a panel adjacent the sole made from vinyl coated nylon fabric with a narrow portion serving as a side wall for the forward portion of the foot merging into a wide portion serving as a side wall for the heel and ankle. The upper edge of the thin foot embracing section is joined by a seam to nylon fabric which covers the instep and surrounds the leg portion of the boot. The the crepe rubber sole is sewn by a peripheral seam to a vinyl coated nylon fabric foot enclosing portion which wraps around the heel and is joined at the toe by means of a further sewn seam. The foot enclosing portion has a narrow portion with an upper edge which embraces the forward portion of the foot and this merges upwardly to a wide portion with an upper edge which embraces the heel and ankle. The upper edges of the foot embracing portion are sewn by a seam to a nylon fabric, which covers the instep and surrounds the leg of the wearer. This nylon fabric has a central seam ~;~ extending from the toe up to the top of the boot and also a .
lateral instep seam. The provision of such seams in the boot involving sewing inhere~tly means that the boot is not waterproof and thus while it protects the wearer's foot from the cold and is thus highly useful as a snow boot, it is not waterproof in that holes necessary for the sewing leak water. The usefulness of the boot is thus somewhat limited.
The present invention provides an article of footwear in the form of a boot of the above type which is waterproof and does not require the seam sewing for its manufacture as does the boot of the aforesaid Canadian patent.
It has now been found that by integrally molding the substantially flat sole portion of the outer shell of the boot and a lower part of the calf high upper portion of the outer shell of the boot to form a single foo~t and ankle enveloping portion, the aforesaid stitching between the pllable sheet material and the sole of the outer shell of the boot is eliminated and stitching only occurs where the lower part of the calf high upper portion of the outer shell of the boot joins the upper part of the calf high upper portion oE the outer shell of the boot and this is above the ankle, desirably at least an inch above the ankle and preferably at least two inches above the ankle.
According to the present invention there is provided an article of footwear in the form of a boot comprising an inner boot and an outer shell, said inner boot having a substantially flat sole and a calf high upper formed of soft pliable material having sufficient dimensional rigidity to maintain in itself an erect boot shape, said outer shell having a substantially flat sole portion and a calf high upper portion, the.sole portion and the lower part of the upper portion extending to a height above the ankle of the wearer being integrally molded of a wear-resistant plastics material whereby to render said lower part of the upper portion of the boot waterproof, the lower part of the upper portion being . peripherally joined to an upper part of thin pliable sheet material, said inner boot fitting snugly within the outer shell to form an erect boot assembly with the upper part of the upper portion ofthe outer shell assuming the shape of the inner boot.
In a particularly desirable embodiment of the present invention the sole portion and the lower part of the upper portion of the outer shell are integrally molded by means of a slush molding technique using the plastics material, such as polyvinyl chloride, by the method disclosed in my Canadian Patent No. 594,564 issued March 15, 1960 and my Canadian Patent No. 758,752 issued ~ay 16, 1967. As aforesaid, the lower part of the upper portion of the outer shell of the boot extends above the ankle of the wearer of the boot and is desirably at least an inch above the ankle and desirably between 1 1/2 and 2 inches above the ankle of the wearer of the boot. 3, "

The lower part of the upper portion of the outer shell of the boot is peripherally joined, e.g~, by stitching, to an upper part of the upper portion of the outer shell of the boot which is formed of a thin flaccid sheet material such as nylon fabric. A draw string may be provided at the top edge of the upper part of the upper portion of the outer shell to pull the boot very snugly around the leg of the wearer so that no snow can accidently fall down inside the boot. Further, in the conventional boot such as disclosed in Canadian Patent 892,873 to provide some adjustment to the tightness on the wearer, a series of rings mounted on the seam joining the two portions of the outer shell upper in the region of the instep and tie laces may then be looped across the instep between the rings to pull the boot up snugly on the foot of the wearer. With regard to the boot of the present invention, which has an integrally molded lower part of the . .
; upper portion of the outer shell of the boot, these strings and tie rings may be simulated in the molded portion but of course they do not have any utility. They are present for the purpose of the visual appearance of the boot.
-~ 20 The inner boot may be made of any soft pliable material such as felt, and may conveniently be made of soft polyurethane foam and can be either directly molded as a unitary article or from panels cut from fl~t sheets of polyurethane foam and joined together. The inner boot has sufficient dimensional rigidity to maintain its boot shape and may typically be about at least 1/4 ; inch thick. The soft foam molds very easily around the foot and because of its softness is snugly retained on the feet of a variety of different sizes. If desired, the sole portion of the inner boot can be somewhat harder than the upper portion to provide some extra cushioning for the soles of the feet.
The present invention will be further illustrated by way of the accompanying drawings, in whicho .2~
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a boot in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention and Figure 2 is a side elevation similar to that of Figure 1 partially broken away.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the boot comprises an inner boot 1 and an outer shell 2. The inner boot 1 is calf high and formed from a sheet of soft pliable foam material in particular a polyurethane foam of about 1/4 inch in thickness and is turned over and stitched at its upper edge and stitched to a flat sole lQ portion 3 of similar foam material. The inner boot 1 is a self supporting structure.
The outer shell 2 comprises a slush molded sole portion 4 and lower part 5 of a calf high upper portion suitably of polyvinyl chloride. In slush molding the sole portion 4 and the lower part 5 of the upper portion simulated rings stitching and laces 9 are formed on the lower part 5. An upper part 10 of the upper portion 6 is formed of a p:liahle sheet material in particular nylon and is stitched to the upper edge of the lower part 5 o~ the upper portion by stitches 6. The upper part 10 is turned over at its upper edge and stitched to accommodate a drawing string 11. -On assembly of the boot inner soles 12 are glued to the sole portion 4 of theouter shell and the sole portion 3 of the inner boot 1 is glued to the inner soles 12 the upper portion of the inner boot 1 providing support for the nylon upper part 10 of the upper portion of the outer shell 2. The joint between the lower part 5 and the upper part 10 of the upper portion of the outer shell 2 is about one inch above the ankle of the wearer.

1. An article of footwear in the form of a boot com-prising an inner boot and an outer shell, said inner boot having a substantially flat sole and a calf high upper formed of soft, pliable material having sufficient dimensional rigidity to maintain an erect boot shape, said outer shell having a substantially flat sole portion and a calf high upper portion the sole portion and a lower part of the upper portion extending to a height above the ankle of the wearer of the boot, being integrally molded of a wear-resistant plastics material, whereby to render said lower part of the upper portion of the boot waterproof, the lower part of the upper portion of the boot being peripherally joined to an upper part of thin pliable sheet material, said inner boot fitting snugly within the outer shell to form an erect boot assembly with the upper part of the upper portion of the outer shell assuming the shape of the inner boot.

2. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 1 in which the sole portion and the lower part of the upper portion of the boot are slush molded.

3. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 2 in which the sole portion and the lower part of the upper portion of the boot are formed from polyvinyl chloride.

4. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the pliable sheet material is nylon.

5. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the pliable sheet material is stitched to the lower part of the upper portion of the boot.

6. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the inner boot is formed from a pliable foam plastics material.

7. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the inner boot is formed of a soft pliable foam plastics material and has a thickness of at least a quarter of an inch.

8. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the lower part of the upper portion extends to a height at least an inch above the ankle of the wearer of the boot.

9. An article of footwear as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the lower part of the upper portion extends to a height of 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the ankle of the wearer of the boot.