Patent Publication Number: US-7222443-B2

Title: Footwear with improved insole

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   There are no related applications. 
   STATEMENTS AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTION MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
   The invention disclosed and claimed herein was not made under any federally sponsored research and development program. 
   A. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to footwear and more specifically to footwear having an improved insole. 
   2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
   It is known in the prior art to produce footwear by the lasting process. In one type of lasting, referred to in the industry as flat lasting, an upper is placed on a last and the end portion of the upper is tightened around the periphery of the insole and cemented to the bottom of the insole. The insole provides a platform during this lasting process and it must be of sufficient thickness, rigidity and strength to withstand the force of the upper end portion as it is tightened around the periphery of the insole and cemented to the insole bottom. At the same time, it is desirable that the insole be light and flexible. There have been various approaches to providing improved insoles for use in such footwear lasting including, for example, the insoles disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,144,340; 2,809,450; and 5,105,564. 
   After the upper and insole are lasted, an outsole is attached to the insole by molding the outsole to the insole, or by other means, and the last is removed from the completed shoe. Other intermediate steps that may occur during the lasting process include softening the upper in a heat chamber, forming a box toe, and trimming excess cement from the bottom of the insole. 
   It is also known in the prior art to include a cushioned insert on an insole to provide cushioning for the wearer of the footwear. In one such prior art footwear sold by Georgia Boot Inc., (the predecessor of the assignee of the present invention) under the name “Comfort Core Welt”, a bottom extension on a cushioned insert was inserted into an opening in the insole. This footwear was produced by a lasting method known as the welt lasting method and the footwear included an outsole which was cemented to the footwear. 
   In the past, footwear outsoles were formed of light weight blown polyurethane material. However, no such footwear which included an insole having an opening therein included a polyurethane outsole. It is believed that the reason such otherwise desirable light weight polyurethane outsoles were not used with insoles having openings therein, was because an objectionable amount of polyurethane would enter the footwear through the openings in the insole when the polyurethane formed the outsole. 
   B. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An insole having one or more openings is provided for use with an outsole formed of blown material such as polyurethane. To prevent an objectionable amount of blown material from entering the footwear, the openings in the insole are covered with expandable material. The expandable material covering the openings expands to receive the bottom extension of a cushioned insert. For purposes of illustration, a cushioned insert such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,464 (see, insole 15) is described herein. It is expressly noted, however, that cushioned inserts having different bottom extensions than that disclosed in the aforementioned patent are within the scope of the present invention. 
   The insole of the present invention is of sufficient thickness, rigidity and strength to enable it to be used in the lasting process. The insole of the present invention is not, however, limited to its use in the lasting process and it may be used in footwear produced by processes other than by the lasting process. 
   In order to receive the bottom extension of a cushioned insert such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,464, a forepart section of the insole includes an inner portion of expandable material covering an opening in the forepart section. The expandable material is attached to a relatively rigid peripheral outer portion of the forepart section. Similarly, the backpart section of the insole also includes an inner portion of expandable material covering an opening. The expandable material of the backpart section is attached to a relatively rigid peripheral outer portion of the backpart section. The expandable material of the forepart section and the expandable material of the backpart section limit the amount of blown material that will enter the footwear during the outsole forming process to an acceptable level. 
   Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide footwear with an improved insole; and 
   It is a further object of this invention to provide footwear with an improved insole having at least one covered opening therein to limit the amount of blown material utilized to form the outsole from entering the footwear. 
   Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes more clearly understood by references to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof. 

   
     C. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the insole of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the insole of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the insole of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a left side elevational view of the insole of the present invention attached to a last for forming the upper and insole; 
       FIG. 5  is a left side elevational view of the upper; 
       FIG. 6  is a left side elevational view of the last for forming the outsole; 
       FIG. 6A  is a rear elevational view of the last for forming the outsole; 
       FIG. 7  is a left side sectional view of the last for forming the outsole, the upper and insole, the mold for forming the outsole and the outsole which has been formed; 
       FIG. 8  is a left side elevational view of the footwear produced by the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  is a left side elevational view of a cushioned insole for use in the footwear produced by the present invention; 
       FIG. 9A  is a top plan view of the cushioned insole shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 9B  is a rear elevational view of the cushioned insole shown in  FIG. 8 ; and 
       FIG. 10  is a left side sectional elevational view of the footwear produced by the present invention including the cushioned insole. 
   

   D. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing. 
   With reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  there is shown an insole  2  including a forepart section  4  and a backpart section  6 . The forepart section  4  and backpart section  6  may be secured together by rivets  8 . The forepart portion  4  includes a shaped bottom  5  (see  FIG. 3 ) and comprises a relatively rigid peripheral outer portion  10  formed of fiberboard or other firm, yet flexible, insole material. Outer portion  10  surrounds an inner portion  12  formed of expandable material, such as the stretchable fabric sold by Invista Inc., under the registered trademark “LYCRA.” The fiberboard may be the type sold by Texon International, under the trademark “TEXON.” The peripheral outer portion  10  and the inner portion  12  may be secured together by zigzag stitching  14  and/or cement. 
   The backpart portion  6 , includes a shaped bottom  7  (see  FIG. 3 ) and may be formed of relatively hard fiberboard or thermoplastic. A strip  13  of cloth material extending across and attached to the peripheral outer portion  10  by zigzag stitching, assists in preventing insole  2  from spreading apart during the lasting process. Backpart portion  6  which may be a thermoplastic urethane includes expandable material  16  in the heel area which may also be “LYCRA” stretchable fabric. The periphery  18  of expandable material  16  is secured to the backpart portion  6  by adhesive. Backpart portion  6  includes an integral stiff shank  20  for supporting the arch. 
   The manner in which the insole  2  of the present invention is utilized in a footwear lasting process is next described. With reference to  FIG. 4 , it is seen that insole  2  is secured to last  22 , which may be plastic, by known means such as tacking the backpart section  6  to the bottom of last  22  with tacks  23 , and taping the forepart portion  4  to the bottom of last  22  by tape  25 . Upper  24  shown in  FIG. 5  includes an end portion or lasting allowance  26  which is a fabric formed of strong, durable and flexible material such as nylon. Lasting allowance  26  extends below upper  24  and is attached to the inside of the upper  24  by stitching  28 . 
   Last  22 , including insole  2 , is inserted into upper  24  so that insole  2  extends through the opening at the bottom of upper  24 . If the boot is to include a box toe, upper  24  may be placed in a steamer to first soften the leather. Then the box toe may be inserted between the vamp and upper, and a toe box machine may apply heat and pressure to the toe box in known manner. 
   In the lasting process, the lasting allowance  26  of upper  24  is tightened around and beneath the periphery of insole  2  and is cemented into engagement thereto in known manner. A protective piece of foam, sponge type material may be placed on top of the upper to prevent scraping, scarring or discoloration of the leather when an upper clamp is pressed against the leather during the lasting process. Further, as is well known in the art, the sides of the lasting allowance  26  may be hand lasted to the sides of the insole  2 . Any excess glue remaining on the bottom of insole  2  after the lasting process is scraped off so that the wearer of the footwear does not feel any uncomfortable bulges when wearing the footwear. 
   Last  22  is then removed from the upper  22  and upper  22  with the insole lasted thereto is placed over a second last  30  shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . Last  30 , which may be metallic, is known in the industry as a foot form, and includes forepart extension  31  and a heel extension  32 . The upper  24  is placed over last  30  so that forepart extension  31  of last  30  is inserted into the expandable material  12  and heel extension  32  of last  30  is inserted into the expandable material  16  of insole  2 . In this manner expandable material  12  expands to the shape of forepart extension  31  and expandable material  16  expands to the shape of heel extension  32 . 
   In  FIG. 7 , the drawing is sectioned to show forepart extension  31  inserted in expandable material  12  and heel extension  32  inserted in expandable material  16 . Last  30  is seated on sole frame  36  and sole plate  38 , is moved upwardly so that the top of the sole plate  38  is in contact with the bottom of upper  24 . The material from which the outsole  34  is formed, which may, for example, be polyurethane, is injected into hollow cavity  35 , in the sole plate  38  to form the outsole  34 . 
   The forepart extension  31  of last  30  creates the corresponding forepart depression  35  in outsole  34  and the heel extension  32  of last  30  creates the heel opening  33  in outsole  34 . It will be appreciated that expandable material  12  and expandable material  16  will limit the amount of injected polyurethane that may seep into footwear  40 . When the outsole  34  is formed, the formed footwear  40  is removed from sole frame  36  and is removed from the last  30 . Expandable material  12  and expandable material  16  will remain fixed in their expanded state. 
   Footwear  40  includes cushioned insert  42  shown in  FIGS. 9 ,  9 A and  9 B which is of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,464, but, as previously noted, other cushioned inserts having other bottom extensions are also contemplated by the present invention. Cushioned insert  42  may be separately molded from polyurethane. A bottom extension  43  of cushioned insert  42  includes a front portion  44 , an intermediate portion  46  and a heel portion  48 . The bottom extension  43  is configured to fit on top of insole  2 . The upper portion  50  of cushioned insert  42  includes contoured surfaces  52  to accommodate the wearer&#39;s foot. The top surface of cushioned insert  42  includes a thin layer of fabric  54  or other suitable lining material along its entire surface, only a section of which is shown in  FIG. 9A . Holes  56  are provided in cushioned insert  42  to assist in maintaining the wearer&#39;s feet in a cool and dry condition. 
   In  FIG. 10 , it is seen that the front portion  44  of cushioned insert  42  overlies the forepart portion  4  of insole  2 , the lower intermediate portion  46  of insert  42  overlies the shank  20 , and the heel portion  48  is received within expandable material  16 , in its expanded position, and fits within heel opening  33  in outsole  34 . 
   This invention has been described above with reference to presently preferred embodiments of the invention; such description has not been presented as a catalog exhaustive of all forms which this invention may take. Accordingly, workers skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that variations, alterations or modifications in the structures, procedures, and arrangements described above may be practiced without departing from the scope of this invention. Thus, the foregoing description should not be read as limiting the scope of this invention to less than the fair scope of the invention.