Patent Publication Number: US-2020281325-A1

Title: Footwear and methods of manufacture

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/816,042, entitled “FOOTWEAR AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE” and filed on Mar. 8, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     Embodiments disclosed herein relate to footwear, such as slippers, and to manufacturing methods of making footwear. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Slippers are typically designed to be worn indoors and to be easily slipped onto and off of a wearer&#39;s foot. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a slipper according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the slipper of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a slipper in a tightened arrangement; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of an upper of a slipper according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a slipper according to some embodiments; and 
         FIGS. 6-14  illustrate a method of making a slipper according to embodiments disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Slippers are typically designed to be worn indoors and to be easily slipped onto and off of a wearer&#39;s foot. Sometimes, slippers may be provided as an amenity to customers at hotels and/or spas. Such hotel and spa slippers typically include a toe covering portion and a bottom. In some arrangements, the slippers are designed to be disposable. 
     The inventors have recognized that traditional hotel and spa slippers may be comfortable but do not fit well. For example, the same size slipper may be offered to all customers, with the slipper being too long for customers with smaller feet and/or too short for customers with larger feet. In some instances, the slipper may easily fall off of the wearer&#39;s foot and/or the wearer may trip while walking in the slipper. 
     The inventors have recognized that advantages may be realized by having slippers that may comfortably fit a range of sizes of feet, both of men and women. For example, advantages may be realized by having a slipper that is sizeable to allow for a comfortable fit from a US women&#39;s size 5 through a US men&#39;s size 15. Advantages also may be realized by having a slipper that is adjustable. For example, advantages may be realized by allowing a wearer to loosen or tighten the slipper around his foot to achieve a desired fit. 
     According to aspects of the present disclosure, the slipper may include an upper, a footbed, and a bottom. The inventors have recognized that advantages may be realized by making such a slipper without using a last. For example, the inventory, storage, development, and costs of using a last and that are generally considered to be fundamental to footwear assembly and fit may be reduced or even avoided. Advantages also may be realized by having the bottom of the slipper stitched to the upper. For example, the cost, hand labor, and chemical processes of cementing the bottom to the upper may be reduced or even avoided. In some embodiments, the slipper may include a die-cut EVA bottom that is stitched to a footbed attached to the upper. In such an example, the footbed may be sewn to the upper. The footbed also may be attachable to the upper via a binding. 
     The inventors have also recognized that advantages also may be realized by having an upper with button-hole stitches for a lacing system. For example, the slipper may include or more eyelets through which laces or cords may be passed. In some embodiments, this arrangement allows the slipper to be tightly secured on the wearers foot for a desired fit, without adding stiff components or materials or additional labor. 
     In view of the above, embodiments disclosed herein include a slipper having an upper, a footbed, and a bottom. In some embodiments, the upper includes an opening for receiving a wearer&#39;s foot. In some embodiments, the footbed is attached to the upper. For example, the footbed may be attached to the upper with a binding around the edge. In some embodiments, the bottom is stitched on to the upper. For example, the bottom may be stitched onto the footbed and upper. In some embodiments, the bottom is arranged to contact a surface, such as a floor. In some embodiments, the bottom includes one or more treads. 
       FIGS. 1-3  illustrate an embodiment of a slipper according to embodiments disclosed herein. As shown in these views, the slipper includes an upper  102 , a footbed  104 , and a bottom  106 . In some embodiments, as will be described, the upper includes a lateral side  108   a  and a medial side  108   b.  In such embodiments, the lateral and medial sides  108   a,    108   b  may be joined together via one or more seams. For example, a first seam  110   a  may be located in a front portion of the slipper (see  FIGS. 1 and 3 ), and a second seam may be located in a rear or heel portion of the slipper (see  FIG. 2 ). In some embodiments, the front seam is located in a central portion of the slipper, such as along a longitudinal axis of the slipper. As shown in these views, the front seam may be located on a first side of an opening  112  into which a user may insert his foot, with the second seam being located on a second, opposite side of the opening. 
     Although the upper is shown as having medial and lateral sides that are joined together, in other embodiments, the upper may be formed of a single, unitary piece. In other embodiments, the upper may be formed of three or more pieces that are attached, such as sewn, together. 
     In some embodiments the upper may include one or more eyelets  114  through which a lace  116  may be inserted for tightening the slipper. In some embodiments, the eyelets may include button holes formed in each of the lateral and medial sides of the upper. Although the upper is shown with 8 eyelets on each of the medial and lateral sides, the upper may have more or fewer eyelets. For example, the upper may have 2 or more eyelets on each of the medial and lateral sides. As will be further appreciated, the medial and lateral sides need not have the same number of eyelets. For example, the medial side may include 8 eyelets while the lateral side includes 6 eyelets. 
     In some embodiments, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the slipper is arranged to be adjustable by the wearer. For example, the wearer may pull on the laces to move the eyelets closer to one another (see the arrow labeled X in  FIG. 4 ). In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the wearer also may move a portion of the upper (see the arrow labeled Y) to insert his foot into the opening and/or to adjust the fit of the slipper on his foot prior to tightening the laces. In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 4 , when the wearer has tightened the laces, the user may tie a knot in the laces to maintain the slipper with the desired fit around the wearer&#39;s foot. In other embodiments, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the slipper may include a clip  120  arranged to hold the tightened laces together, with the slipper being held in the desired fit. In some embodiments, the lace or cord may be made of an elastic material so as to maintain even tension around the foot without causing the wearer discomfort or specific points of irritation directly under the laces. 
     In some embodiments, when the slipper is in a tightened position, one or more portions of the upper may move over or under other portions of the upper. For example, as show in  FIG. 3 , in the tightened position, a portion of each of the lateral and medial sides of the upper slipper have been rolled over one another (e.g., near the eyelets). 
     In some embodiments, to remove the slipper from the wearer&#39;s foot, the wearer may untie the laces or release the clip to loosen the upper from around the wearer&#39;s foot. The wearer may then remove his foot from the opening in the slipper. 
       FIGS. 6-13  illustrate a method of manufacturing a slipper according to aspects of the present disclosure. First, as illustrated in  FIG. 6-7 , the medial and lateral sides of the upper may be assembled. As shown in  FIG. 6 , in some embodiments, to assemble the lateral side  108   a  of the slipper, a lateral outer layer  118  and a lateral inner layer  120  are aligned and attached to one another. In such embodiments, the shape and size of the inner layer may be the same as the shape and size of the outer layer. As shown in  FIG. 7 , in some embodiments, the inner and outer layers  118 ,  120  of the lateral side  108   a  of the upper may be stitched together (see seem  122 ) around a collar area  124  that may later form a portion of the opening into which the wearer may insert his feet. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the outer layer  118  may include one or more eyelets  114  or button holes for receiving the laces, as previously described. In some embodiments, the inner layer may not include eyelets  114 , however, the inner layer may include one or more eyelets in other embodiments. 
     Next, the attached layers of the lateral side may be turned inside out, such as by moving the outer layer  118  about the collar region (see the arrow labeled Z in  FIG. 7 ). As shown in  FIG. 8 , once the attached layers of the lateral side have been turned inside out, the unfished edges  121   a,    121   b  of the outer and inner layers  118 ,  120  of the lateral side  108   a  of the slipper at the collar region  124  are no longer visible to the wearer. For example, the unfinished edges  121   a,    121   b  of the outer and inner layers may be hidden in a pocket  126  formed between the inner and outer layers. 
     In some embodiments, the previous steps may be repeated to form the medial side of the upper. For example, inner  123  and outer  125  layers of the medial side of the upper (see  FIG. 9 ) may be aligned and attached to one another at a collar region. Once attached, the inner and outer layers may be turned inside out such that the unfinished edges of the outer and inner layers of the medial side of the slipper at the collar region are no longer visible. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates the step in which the assembled lateral  108   a  and medial  108   b  sides of the upper  102  are aligned with one another other along a front center portion of the upper and a rear or heel portion of the upper. Once aligned, the lateral  108   a  and medial  108   b  sides of the upper may be attached to one another, such as via stitching. In some embodiments, a top stitch may be used to join the lateral and medial sides together, with the seams facing outwards. In some embodiments, a raw or unfinished edge of the lateral and/or medial sides may be visible along one or both of the seams. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the lateral and medial sides may be joined at a front seam  110   a  and at a rear seam. In some embodiments, the front seam is located in central portion of the front of the slipper. In some embodiments, the rear seam is located in a central region of the heel of the slipper. 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 11 , a footbed  104  may be attached to the upper. In some embodiments, the footbed is attachable to the upper via a binding that is positioned around an edge of the upper. In some embodiments, the footbed may be stitched to the upper.  FIG. 12  illustrates the footbed secured to the upper, with the binding being visible. 
     Finally, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the bottom may be attached to upper and/or footbed. For example, the bottom may be stitched on to the upper and/or footbed (see the seam  128  in  FIG. 14 ).  FIG. 1  illustrates an example of an assembled slipper. 
     As will be appreciated, the slipper may be formed of any suitable material or combination of materials. In some embodiments, each upper, footbed, and bottom may be made of different materials. For example, in some embodiments, the upper may be formed of a fabric material, such as terry cloth or fleece, while the bottom is formed of an EVA foam. Other suitable materials may be used in other embodiments. 
     Although embodiments have been shown and described for making slippers, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure may be used to make other types of footwear, such as sneakers. 
     While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only. 
     Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments. 
     Also, the invention may be embodied as a method, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments. 
     Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. 
     Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.