Abstract:
The present disclosure provides an improved welted footwear and related method of manufacture. The welted footwear and related method of manufacturing is directed to a molded foot support platform that provides a number of advantageous features.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional application No. 61/121,072 filed on Dec. 9, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure provides welted footwear and a method of manufacturing the same. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Footwear having welted constructions are well known. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 1,656,564 titled Welting and Method of Making the Same, U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,600 titled Shoe Welting, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,138 titled Cushioning System for Footwear and Related Method of Manufacture. Though traditional welted type constructions are known and have been improved upon, further improvements in welted footwear are desirable. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present disclosure provides an improved welted footwear and related method of manufacture. The welted footwear and related method of manufacturing is directed to a foot support platform that provides a number of advantageous features. Toe cap features are also provided. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an article of footwear according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the footwear of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the footwear taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the footwear taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of a foot support platform of the footwear of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the foot support platform of the footwear of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the foot support platform of the footwear of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the foot support platform taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view of the foot support platform taken along line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the foot support platform; 
           [0016]      FIG. 12  is a top view of the foot support platform of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 13  is a longitudinal sectional view of the foot support platform of  FIG. 12  at line  13 - 13 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 14  is a sectional view of a footwear including a toe cap; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 15A-B  are schematic representations of the interface between a toe cap retaining structure and a toe cap flange; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a toe cap. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    An embodiment of an article of footwear in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure is described herein with reference to the figures. In the depicted embodiment the footwear is a boot  10  having a welted construction. It should be appreciated that the article of footwear according to the principles of the present disclosure is applicable to many different types of welted footwear (e.g., dress shoes, athletic shoes, winter boots, sandals, hiking boots, etc.). 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the boot  10  includes an upper portion  12  connected to an outsole  14  via a welt  16 . The upper portion  12  of an article of footwear is configured to hold the outsole  14  to a foot. In the depicted embodiment the upper portion  12  is also configured to protect a foot and an ankle of the person wearing the boot. In the depicted embodiment the upper portion  12  is constructed of leather. Many other materials can also be used in the construction of the upper portion  12  (e.g., canvas, nylon, etc.). 
         [0023]    The outsole  14  is configured to engage the ground surface. In particular, the outsole  14  in the depicted embodiment includes a bottom surface  54  that is configured to contact the ground surface. In the depicted embodiment the bottom surface  54  includes a tread surface that provides grip. In the depicted embodiment the outsole includes a shock absorbing material (e.g., soft rubber, foam, gel, etc.) that is molded to the bottom surface  54 . In alternative embodiments, the shock absorbing material may be the same material that contacts the ground surface. Also, it should be appreciated that the outsole can also include stiff material such as wood, plastic, metal or a combination of materials to provide auxiliary support in the midfoot portion of the footwear. The construction of the outsole  14  is described in greater detail below. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 2-10 , an exploded assembly view the boot  10  is shown. The boot  10  includes a foot support platform  18  that is connected to the welt  16  and the outsole  14 . In some embodiments the foot support platform  18  supports a removable foot bed cushion  20 , which contacts the user&#39;s foot. In other embodiments the user&#39;s foot directly contacts the foot support platform  18  or non-removable (e.g., stitched and/or cemented) foot bed cushion materials are provided over the foot support platform  18 . In the depicted embodiment the foot support platform  18  includes a first surface  22  (an upper surface) and a second surface  24  (a lower surface). The foot support platform  18  includes a downwardly extending rib  26  which extends from the second surface adjacent a periphery edge  28  of the foot support platform  18 . In the depicted embodiment the rib  26  includes an outer side wall  32  that is radiused to the periphery edge  28  and an inner side wall  34  that is generally vertical. The shape of the outer side wall  32  minimizes or eliminates the gaps between the upper portion  12  and the rib  26  where they are stitched together. 
         [0025]    In the depicted embodiment the foot support platform  18  is molded and the rib  26  is integrally molded to the foot support platform  18 . In the depicted embodiment a pliable material  30  (e.g., fabric) is molded to the second surface  24  and to a portion of the rib  26 . The pliable material  30  can be any material that can make the rib  26  more tear resistance when molded thereto (e.g., a pliable material made by weaving, felting, knitting). It should be appreciated that the pliable material can be a fabric made of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. 
         [0026]    In the depicted embodiment, the pliable material  30  is molded through a portion of the rib  26  such that a portion of the lower portion of the rib  26  is on one side of the pliable material  30 , and another portion of the rib  26  is on the other side of the fabric material. In the depicted embodiment the pliable material  30  is present on both the inner side wall  34  and the outer side wall  32  of the rib  26 . The pliable material provides the rib  26  improved tear resistance. In the depicted embodiment, the pliable material  30  is placed in a mold and polymeric molten material is molded to the pliable material  30 . In the area of the rib  26  the molten material is molded through the pliable material  30 , which results in portions of the rib  26  being on either side of the pliable material  30 . It should be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, the fabric  30  is molded over the rib  26  such that the fabric covers the rib  26  rather than extending through the rib  26  as depicted. 
         [0027]    In the depicted embodiment the welt  16  is stitched to a lower periphery edge of the upper portion  12  and to the rib  26 . In the depicted embodiment the stitches  36  that connect the welt to the upper portion and rib extend through the pliable material on both an inner side wall  34  and an outer side wall  32  portion of the rib  26 . In the depicted embodiment, the stitches  36  extend through two layers of the pliable material  30  when the stitch extends through the zone  53  of the rib  26 , which is shown between the dashed lines in  FIG. 10 . This configuration prevents separation due to the rib  26  tearing away from the foot support platform  18  due to stress applied to the rib  26  via the stitches. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments the stitches do not extend through both layers of the pliable material. In some embodiments the stitches extend through only one layer of pliable material and in other embodiments the stitches extend through no layers of pliable material. 
         [0028]    In the depicted embodiment the welt  16  is molded to the outsole  14 . The connection between the welt  16  and the outsole  14  does not include stitches. However, it should be appreciated that in alternative embodiments the welt  16  can be connected to the outsole with stitches (e.g., the welt can be stitched to a midsole structure that is cemented to the outsole). In addition, in the depicted embodiment the welt  16  includes a flexible construction with a generally T-shaped cross-sectional profile. However, it should be appreciated that the welt can have many alternative configurations. For example, the welt  16  could be constructed of leather and have a generally L-shaped cross-sectional profile, the welt could include a nylon construction with a generally triangular cross-sectional profile, etc. 
         [0029]    In the depicted embodiment the foot support platform  18  includes a hindfoot zone  40 , a forefoot zone  42 , and a midfoot zone  44 . The forefoot zone  42  includes a metatarsal support area  46  and a toe support area  48 . The hindfoot zone  40  supports a person&#39;s heel, the midfoot zone  44  support a person&#39;s midfoot, the forefoot zone  42  support a person&#39;s forefoot, the metatarsal support area  46  of the forefoot zone  42  supports a person&#39;s metatarsals, and the toe support area  48  of the forefoot zone  42  supports a person&#39;s toes. 
         [0030]    In the depicted embodiment the foot support platform  18  is substantially stiffer in the midfoot zone  44  than the hindfoot zone  40 . A relatively stiff material (e.g., glass reinforced nylon) is molded into the midfoot zone  44  of the support platform  18  to provide additional support in the midfoot zone  44 . This added stiffness provides many advantages, including minimizing fatigue when the person wearing the boot  10  is standing on a ladder rung. The added stiffness in the midfoot zone  44  can avoid the need to provide a separate shank member in the outsole  14 . 
         [0031]    In the depicted embodiment the hindfoot zone  40  includes a resilient pliable construction that allows a person&#39;s heel to press into the shock absorption materials in a heel area  56  of the outsole  14 . In the depicted embodiment, the hindfoot zone  40  is pliable and conforms to the shape of the person&#39;s heel in use, thereby avoiding pressure points and hot spots in the heel area. 
         [0032]    In the depicted embodiment the toe support area  48  of the foot support platform  18  is substantially stiffer than the metatarsal support area  46 . Conversely, the metatarsal support area  46  is more flexible than the midfoot zone  44  of the support platform  18 . 
         [0033]    The relative flexibility in the metatarsal support area  46  enables the person to easily flex the shoe when walking, while the stiffness in the toe support area  48  provides a platform for support for a protective toe covering ( FIGS. 14 and 16 ). The flexibility also allows shock to be transferred to and be absorbed by the shock absorption materials in the forefoot area  58  of the outsole  14 . In the depicted embodiment, the metatarsal support area  46  is pliable and conforms to the shape of the person&#39;s foot, thereby avoiding pressure points and hot spots in the metatarsal area. In the depicted embodiment the rib  26  is notched in the metatarsal support area to provide added flexibility. 
         [0034]    The relative stiffness in the toe support area  48  provides axial support for a protective toe coverings (e.g., steel covering) common in work boots. When the protective toe covering is pressed downward, the force is transferred onto the stiffer toe support area  48 , which distributes the force down to a relatively large area of the outsole  14 . The above-described configuration prevents the toe covering from substantially sinking down into the outsole  14  when impacted, and thereby helps to maintain a relatively constant vertical space in the toe box of the boot  10  when in use. 
         [0035]    In the depicted embodiment, the material used to mold the relatively flexible hindfoot zone  40  and the metatarsal support area  46  is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), the relatively stiffer material  50  used to mold a portion of the midfoot zone  44  and toe support area  48  is glass reinforced nylon ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ). The construction of the midfoot zone  44  is at least ten percent stiffer than the construction of the hindfoot zone  40 . The toe support area  48  is at least ten percent stiffer than the construction of the metatarsal support area  46 . The toe support area  48  is at least ten percent stiffer than the construction of the hindfoot zone  40 , and the midfoot zone  44  is at least ten percent stiffer than the metatarsal support area  46 . In the depicted embodiment midfoot zone  44  is sufficiently stiff to prevent the midfoot from significant bending when a person stands on a ladder rung, the hindfoot zone  40  is sufficiently soft to conform to a person&#39;s heel, the metatarsal support area  46  is sufficiently flexible to allow the metatarsal area of the shoe to bend in use, and the toe support area  48  is sufficiently stiff to distribute the force applied from the toe covering to a larger area of the outsole  14 . In the depicted embodiment the midfoot zone  44  includes an integrally molded dog bone shaped shank member that provides stiffness. In the depicted embodiment the transition between the zones (e.g., line  84 ) is wavy rather than straight and does not have abrupt corners. This construction avoids stress concentration at the transitions as a result of the bending of the platform and results in overlap between the zones in the longitudinal direction. It should be appreciated that many alternative constructions are possible, including transition with sharp corners, straight line transition, or overlaps in the vertical direction. 
         [0036]    In the depicted embodiment the outsole  14  is a multi material type body that is directly connected to the upper  12 . The outsole  14  includes a shock absorption portion  52  that is molded into the portion that is configured to engage the ground surface  54 , otherwise referred to herein as the tread. In the depicted embodiment, the shock absorption portion  52  of the outsole  14  is molded to the pliable material  30  on the second surface of the foot support platform  18 . In the depicted embodiment the shock absorption portion  52  is delivered into the cavity defined by the tread portion  54  and the bottom surface  24  of the foot platform  18 . This step adheres the outsole  14  to the support platform  18 , and thereby also connects the outsole  14  to the upper. In the depicted embodiment softer materials are molded into the heel areas  56  and the forefoot areas  58  of the shock absorption portion  52  of the outsole  14 . In the depicted embodiment gel-like materials are molded in these areas. In some embodiments the softer materials are preformed and provided as inserts into the heel areas  56  and forefoot areas  58 . 
         [0037]    In an alternative embodiment, the tread portion of the outsole may be constructed of the same material that is used to construct the shock absorption portion. In such embodiments, the outsole  14  may still be directly connected to the upper via molding. In such an embodiment, molten outsole material would be provided in a cavity defined by a mold portion and the bottom surface  24  of the foot support platform  18 . 
         [0038]    It should be appreciated that the foot support platform  18  can also be used in construction where the outsole is indirectly attached to the upper. In such embodiments the outsole can be preformed. In such embodiments one surface of a midsole can be cemented to the bottom surface  24  of the foot support platform  18 , and another surface of the midsole can be cemented to the outsole. In such an embodiment the welt can also be stitched to the foot support platform  18 , the midsole, and the outsole. 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIGS. 11-14  an alternative embodiment of the foot support platform is shown. In the depicted embodiment the foot support platform  60  is similar to the support platform  18  as it also includes a hindfoot zone  62 , a forefoot zone  64 , and a midfoot zone  66 . Moreover, the forefoot zone  64  includes a metatarsal support area  68  that is less stiff than a toe support area  70 . 
         [0040]    The support platform  60  further includes a toe cap retaining structure  72 . In the depicted embodiment the toe cap retaining structure  72  includes a ramp  74  having a curved forward raised edge  76 . In the depicted embodiment forward raised edge  76  is configured to engage a portion of a toe cap (e.g., a flange on the toe cap). In the depicted embodiment the raised edge  76  has a height H of about 1.0 mm. It should be appreciated that the height can vary from application to application (e.g., in another embodiment H could be between 0.5 mm and 5.0 mm). The raised edge defines the front arc shape of the ramp  74 . The toe cap retaining structure  72  is configured to engage the toe cap wherein the toe cap has a different profile than the arc shape raised edge. For example, if the toe cap has a curvature that is greater than the radius of curvature of the ramp, the toe cap will engage the raised edge along the center line. See, for example,  FIG. 15A . However, if the toe cap has a curvature that is less than the radius of curvature of the front of the toe cap, the toe cap will engage the raised edge on either side of the center line. See, for example,  FIG. 15B . The configuration enables a certain size toe cap to fit with a variety of side support platforms. 
         [0041]    In the depicted embodiment the ramp has a sloped profile that transitions the plane of the toe support area upward towards the upper surface of the flange  78  of the toe cap  80 . See  FIG. 14 . In the depicted embodiment the ramp slopes upward from the upper surface of the platform in  180  degrees (both in the forward direction and towards each side). See  FIG. 11  (see arc  73  identifying the location where the ramp begins to slope upward). In the depicted embodiment a securing layer  82  is cemented over the ramp  74  and the flange  78  of the toe cap to secure the toe cap  80  down on the platform  60 . The securing layer can be, for example, a fibrous board material (e.g., Texon). It should be appreciated that the toe cap retaining structure  72  can have many different configurations. For example, alternatively, the toe cap retaining structure can be a raised rib with a squared off edge rather than a ramp shaped wedge, or the toe cap retaining structure can also be raised spaced apart posts. In addition, the toe cap retaining structure could also be a recess in the foot support platform. In the depicted embodiment the toe cap retaining structure  72  is molded integrally as part of the support platform  60 . It should be appreciated that the toe cap retaining structure can be attached in many other ways (e.g., cemented, riveted, stitched, etc.). 
         [0042]    The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.