Patent Publication Number: US-2005115112-A1

Title: Adjustable shoe and method of manufacturing same

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      This invention concerns footwear manufacture and, more specifically, the manufacture of shoes that are adaptable to the shape of the foot.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      It is known that all models of footwear are produced on the basis of a form, which to a large extent determines the comfort of the fit.  
      Since the shape of the foot varies considerably among different people and even in the same person at different times or for specific reasons (overheating, problems of circulation, local pathologies), the same model of shoe is unlikely to be perfectly comfortable for most of the wearers, who may experience a feeling of discomfort and sometimes even pain.  
      To overcome this problem, elasticized uppers are used, but this has obvious limitations in the forms on which they can be used and thus in the types of models that can be produced.  
      There is also some use of footwear models equipped with one or more elastic bands joining slits made in the upper. These bands, that generally replace closing laces and zippers, have the specific function of facilitating the insertion of the foot into the shoe. During assembly of the shoe, these bands have to be blocked with tapes that are then removed. This limits the use of elastic bands to those parts of the shoe that are readily accessible for the removal of the blocking tapes.  
      Lastly, many solutions have been suggested for producing a shoe that is adaptable to the different shapes of the feet of the wearers (see in particular EP 458881, the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,402 and the other patents mentioned in them). These solutions are, however, extremely complex and therefore not readily and economically applicable on an industrial scale.  
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION  
      The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a type of footwear that adapts to the different shapes of the feet of the wearers, overcoming the limitations of the known solutions.  
      In particular, the object of this invention is to provide an adaptable shoe which can be produced in a wide range of models, and which is easy and economical to manufacture. These and other objects are achieved with a shoe in which parts of the upper, bonded by stitching or folding, are joined by elastic means.  
      More specifically, in a shoe made according to the invention, at least one border or joint is provided on the visible part of the upper and at least one strip of elasticized fabric or elastic tape is provided, on the inside of the shoe, joining opposite parts of the upper with respect to the border or joint.  
      Advantageously, borders or joints aligned substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the shoe permit, by effect of the stretching of the elasticized fabric or elastic tapes, a variation of the transversal dimension of the shoe thereby achieving ideal adaptation to the shape of the foot.  
      Among the objects of the invention is also that of providing a method for the manufacture of a shoe which adapts to the different shapes of the feet of the wearers.  
      This objects is achieved with a method of manufacture consisting of arranging one or more borders or joints in the upper, temporarily stabilizing said borders or joints, applying an elasticized fabric or tape underneath said borders or joints so as to connect parts of the upper opposite them, completing the upper, assembling the shoe and removing the temporary stabilization of the borders or joints.  
      This temporary stabilization of the borders or joints, which can be achieved, in practice, by stitching, serves to facilitate assembly of the shoe, which would not be possible otherwise because the presence of the elasticized fabric or tape would cause distortion of the upper at the point where the borders or joints are located.  
      Many advantages are offered by a shoe made according to the invention. In the first place the shoe, being permanently adaptable to the shape of the foot, ensures a high degree of comfort no matter what the morphologic condition of the foot. In the second place the shoe can be made of any suitable material, such as leather, imitation leather, fabric and plastic, and in an almost unlimited number of models, the esthetics of which are practically unaffected by the alterations undergone by the upper to adapt to the foot. Furthermore, the manufacture of the shoe is simple and does not involve substantial increases over the usual costs.  
      These and other advantages, along with the technical features of this invention, will be made clear by the detailed description that follows of a few examples, without limitation, of its implementation. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
      In the drawings:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic side view of a first model of shoe according to the invention, in which the upper is provided with a border, in the final stage of manufacture;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-section according to II-II of the shoe shown in  FIG. 1  after completing manufacture and in the configuration it has when not worn (that is, with the foot outside the shoe);  
       FIG. 3  illustrates an enlargement of the border, circled in  FIG. 2 , provided in the shoe upper;  
       FIG. 4  illustrates the border shown in  FIG. 3  temporarily fastened by stitching;  
       FIG. 5  illustrates the border shown in  FIG. 3  in the configuration it has when a foot is inside the shoe causing an enlargement of it;  
       FIG. 6  illustrates a schematic side view in perspective of a second model of shoe according to the invention, in which the upper is provided with a joint, in the final stage of manufacture;  
       FIG. 7  illustrates an enlarged cross-section of the portion of the joint, marked VII in  FIG. 6  and the shape it acquires when the finished shoe is not worn;  
       FIG. 8  illustrates enlarged cross-section of the portion of the joint, marked VIII in  FIG. 6 ;  
       FIG. 9  illustrates the joint in  FIG. 7  and the shape it acquires when the finished shoe is worn by a foot that causes an enlargement of it;  
       FIG. 10  illustrates enlarged cross-section of another joint fastened temporarily by a stitching, in a preferred embodiment of the invention;  
      FIGS.  11  to  14  illustrate an plan view from above and from below of an upper in four sequential steps of the method of manufacture of a shoe according to the invention;  
       FIG. 15  is similar to  FIG. 2  and illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention;  
       FIGS. 16 and 17  illustrate two variations in the method of manufacture of a shoe. 
    
    
     MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
       FIGS. 1-5  illustrate a laced model of shoe  10  produced in conformity with a first embodiment of the invention.  
      The shoe  10  comprises a flexible upper  12 , in leather, imitation leather, fabric or other suitable material, and a sole  14 . The upper  12  is provided with a border  16  obtained by folding the upper. Underneath this border  16  is an elasticized tape  18  which is fastened to the upper by two rows of stitching  20 , 22  located on opposite sides of the border  16  (as shown in detail in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 ). Since the tape  18  is elastically yielding in a crosswise direction with respect to the border  16 , the parts of the upper  12  fastened to the tape  18  can spread apart and increase the width of the shoe.  FIG. 5  illustrates the conformation of the border  16  when the shoe  10  is worn on a foot that causes an increase of its width.  
      Advantageously, to prevent irritation to the foot, the elasticized tape  18  is placed between the upper  12  and a lining  26 , also in a fabric which is elasticized at least on the area occupied by the tape  18 .  
       FIGS. 6-9  illustrate a model of moccasin  30  also made according to the invention. The upper  32  of the moccasin  30  includes a vamp  34  sewn with a thread  35  to the rest of the upper  32  to form a joint  36  in which the ends are folded over each other.  
      Like the case described above, under the joint  36  is a tape  38 —which stretches elastically in a crosswise direction with respect to the joint—the edges of which are fastened to the upper  32 , by two rows  40 , 42  of stitching, on the parts opposite the joint  36  (as shown in detail in  FIG. 7 ).  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , when the moccasin  30  is worn, the edges of the vamp  34  and the upper  32  fastened to the tape  38  can spread apart so that the upper widens to adapt to the anatomy of the foot.  
      It is obvious that different types of borders and joints, made as described above, can be provided in the upper, lying parallel or not to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. For example, in the moccasin  30  illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a second joint  37  is shown in the side of the shoe. Also, under the borders or joints, several elasticized tapes can be provided.  FIG. 10  illustrates another joint  60  obtained by sewing with a thread  62  the lower facing ends of two parts  60   a , 60   b  of the upper. Another row  64  of removable stitching is also shown for the purposes indicated below. Also, in the embodiment of the invention shown in the figure, underneath the joint  60  there is a lining  66  in elasticized fabric fastened to the upper, by two rows  40 ′, 42 ′ of stitching, on the sides opposite the joint  60 .  FIG. 15  illustrates the cross section of the shoe shown in  FIG. 1  produced according to the preferred embodiment of the invention described above.  
      For the manufacture of a shoe that is adaptable to the foot, in conformity with this invention, it is essential to stabilize the borders or joints temporarily so that the shoe can be assembled.  
      In particular, a first method of manufacture consists of: 
          a) forming one or more borders or joints in an upper and securing them with temporary means, preferably an easily removable type of stitching made with a Strobel or similar machine: by way of example,  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  illustrate a plan view, from above and below, of an upper  50  folded to form a border  52 , which has been temporarily secured by a row  54  of stitching;         b) applying one or more elasticized tapes on the underside of the upper so as to connect parts of the upper opposite each other with respect to the borders or joints temporarily stitched:  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14  show a plan view, from above and below, of the upper  50  with an elasticized tape  56  applied to the underside with two rows  58 , 59  of stitching along the border  52 ;     c) completing the upper, by applying a lining which is elasticized at least in the zone occupied by the tapes;     d) assembling the shoe in the usual way to obtain the model desired, with the borders or joints secured temporarily, as shown in  FIGS. 4, 8  and  10 ;     e) removing the temporary stitching;  FIGS. 1 and 6  show the removal of the rows  24 , 44  of stitching used to secure the border  16  and the joint  36  temporarily.    

       FIG. 16  illustrates a plan view from below of an upper  50 ′ in a first effective variation of the method described above. In this case two elasticized tapes  56 ′, 56 ″ are provided, sewn to a lining  68  of any kind (even in non-elasticized fabric) and applied to the upper  50 ′ by stitching  58 ′, 59 ′, 58 ″, 59 ″, along two borders or joints.  
      In a second preferred variation, illustrated in  FIG. 17  (as well as in  FIG. 10  and in  FIG. 15 ), the opposite sides of the borders or joints formed in an upper  70  are connected directly by a lining  72  in an elasticized fabric fastened to the upper by two rows  74 , 76  of stitching.  
      The invention thus conceived may be subject to numerous modifications and variations, all falling within the scope of the inventive concept. Furthermore, all the details can be replaced with technically equivalent elements.