Abstract:
Breathable and flexible footwear for infants and young children include an upper, a sole, and a thread. The upper having upper-holes around the upper peripheral. The sole having a lip portion on the sole peripheral, wherein the lip portion having sole-holes around the sole peripheral. The thread attaching the upper and the sole through the upper-holes and the sole-holes, and forming a set of stitches, wherein at least one ripple is formed between two sets of stitches, and wherein the thread is embedded in the lip portion and between the ripples. The set of stitches comprising the thread coming though a first upper-hole and entering the sole-hole of the lip portion, such that the thread forms an angled stitch on the lip portion, and wherein the thread then goes through a second upper-hole and exits from a third upper-hole, such that the thread forms a horizontal stitch on the inside of the footwear.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to footwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to a stitching method for infants and young children footwear. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The main function of shoes is to protect our feet. More specifically, the primary function of modern footwear is to provide feet with protection from hard and rough surfaces, as well as climate and environmental exposure. Nowadays, shoes come in all shapes and styles to accommodate different purposes, activities, or functions. However, in order for shoes to serve their intended purpose, the proper shoes must be chosen for the right situation. 
     In particular, the proper shoes must be chosen for infants and children who are in their early development of their feet. In the past, the sole of infants&#39; shoes are made to be stiff and hard because it was generally believed that a stiff and hard-sole provide support for the children&#39;s feet. However, because the feet of young children are soft and pliable, pressure from the wrong type of shoes can be detrimental to the development of their feet. Therefore, it is important to provide a footwear for infants and young children that provide protection from hard and rough surfaces, at the same time allow their soft and pliable feet to develop. 
     Efforts were made to over come this problem and footwear with soft-sole were introduced to the market. These soft-sole shoes are typically sewed together by machine. The problem with this type of soft-sole shoes is that the shoes do not provide ventilation for the infants&#39; and young children&#39;s feet. Therefore, it is important to provide a soft-sole footwear that are breathable. 
     Furthermore, it is important to provide a footwear that can endure extended contact on surfaces. During early development, young children often crawl on the ground and, therefore, the toe and surrounding portions of the shoes are dragged and rubbed on the ground. Thus, it is important to provide a footwear with special stitching that can withstand such contact with rough surfaces. 
     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide footwear for infants and young children that allow their young feet to develop and endure contact with rough surfaces without falling apart and the method of making the same. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments includes breathable footwear with a soft-sole that provide embedded stitches that avoid direct contact with rough surfaces. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a footwear is provided, and includes an upper, a sole, and a thread. The upper having upper-holes around an upper peripheral. The sole having a lip portion on the sole peripheral; wherein the lip portion having sole-holes around the sole peripheral. The thread attaching the upper and the sole through the upper-holes and the sole-holes, and forming a set of stitches, wherein at least one ripple is formed between two set of stitches, and wherein the thread is embedded in the lip portion and between the ripples. The thread forms angled stitches on the lip portion of the outside of the footwear and horizontal stitches on the inside of the footwear. The set of stitches including the thread coming though a first upper-hole and entering the sole-hole of the lip portion, such that the thread forms an angled stitch on the lip portion, and wherein the thread then goes through a second upper-hole and exits from a third upper-hole, such that the thread forms a horizontal stitch on the inside of the footwear. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing footwear is presented, which includes providing an upper having upper-holes along an upper peripheral, providing a sole having a lip portion on a sole peripheral, wherein the lip portion having sole-holes along the sole peripheral, and stitching the upper and the sole using a thread that forms a set of stitches, wherein at least one ripple is formed between the two set of stitches, and wherein the thread is embedded in the lip portion and between the ripples. The stitching includes pulling the thread through a first upper-hole from the inside of the upper, sending the thread through a sole-hole from the outer side of the lip portion, thereby forming an angled stitch on the lip portion of the sole, pushing the thread through a second upper-hole from the outside of the upper, and pulling the thread through a third upper-hole from the inside of the upper, thereby forming a horizontal stitch on the inside portion of the upper. The method further includes providing a strap on the upper having one side of a two-sided fastener and providing the second side of the two-sided fastener to the upper. 
     In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a stitching method for a shoe including: pulling a thread through a first upper-hole from the inside to the outside of an upper; sending the thread through a sole-hole from the outside of a lip portion of a sole, thereby forming an angled stitch on the lip portion of the sole; pushing the thread through a second upper-hole from the outside to the inside of the upper; and pulling the thread through a third upper-hole from the inside of the upper, thereby forming a horizontal stitch on the inside portion of the upper, wherein at least one ripple is formed between two angled stitches, and wherein the angled stitches are embedded between two ripples. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating the footwear according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the footwear according to the present invention showing various sub-parts of the footwear. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating the removeability of the strap according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the inside of the footwear showing the inside stitches in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the  5 - 5  in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the  6 - 6  in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a partially stitched footwear showing the stitching method in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 8A  is a detailed view of the stitches of the footwear when the stitch is not pulled tight. 
         FIG. 8B  is a detailed view of the stitches of the footwear when the thread is pulled tight. 
         FIG. 9  is another detailed view of the footwear demonstrating the relationship between the ripples and the stitches. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides breathable footwear with a soft-sole that provides embedded stitches that avoid direct contact with rough surfaces. 
     An embodiment of the present inventive apparatus is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , which is a perspective view of an outer layer  16  of a footwear  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The footwear  10  can include an upper  12  and a sole  14 . The upper  12  and the sole  14  are sewed together by a thread  13 . 
     The upper  12  can also include a vamp portion  20 , a heel portion  22 , and a strap  18 . The strap  18  can be optionally connected to the vamp portion  20  through a loop on the vamp portion  20 . In another embodiment, the strap  18  is not connected to the vamp portion  20 . In addition, a tag  52  can be at the end of the strap  18  and can contain information such as logo bearing the brand name or the trademark of the shoes. For example, for Pediped Footwear, the tag  18  includes a bear. 
     The upper can be made of materials such as patent leather, genuine leather, leather raw hide, napa leather, polyester urethane material, suede, polyester fabric, cotton fabric, synthetic fabric, and other suitable materials. 
     The sole  14  can include an outsole  24 . The outsole  24  is a bottom  48  of the footwear  10  that directly contacts the ground or surfaces on which the wearer is walking or crawling. The outsole  24  can include a lip portion  46  that extends from the bottom of the shoe. The lip portion  46  can be connected to the upper  12  via the thread  13 . When joining the upper  12  and the lip portion  46 , the thread  13  creates ripples  42  and angled outside stitches  40 . 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the footwear according to the present invention showing various sub-parts of the footwear. The upper  12  can include a series of holes  32  along its peripheral  52 . In addition, the upper  12  can also include an inside layer (not shown) that is made from different materials than the outer layer  16 . Furthermore, additional padding materials may be added between the outer layer  16  and the inside layer to add comfort or support to the footwear. 
     The sole  14  can include the outsole  24 , an insole  28 , and middle layer  26 . The outsole  24  is slightly larger in area than the insole  28  and the middle layer  26 , thus providing the lip  46  around the outsole  24 . In addition, the lip  46  has a series of holes  30  along its peripheral  54 . The sole-holes  30  are half as numerous as the upper-holes  32 . 
     The outsole  24  can be made of materials such as patent leather, genuine leather, leather raw hide, napa leather, polyester urethane material, suede, and other suitable leather type materials. In addition, the outsole  24  can be stamped with a napa print or can be smooth. 
     The insole  28  can be made of materials such as pigskin, synthetic pigskin, polyester urethane, and other suitable materials. The middle layer  26  can be a foam cushion made with materials such as closed cell foam, ethylene vinyl acetate, or other suitable materials. 
     The materials for the sole are selected such that a soft, light weight, and flexible footwear is provided to accommodate the growing feet of infants and young children. Furthermore, the footwear  10  can be bended, folded, and rolled up with out causing damage to the footwear. 
     The materials are also selected such that they can provide appropriate protection for the feet of infants and young children. Furthermore, leather is used because of its breathability nature. In addition, non-toxic leathers or materials are chosen for the footwear because infants and young children often like to put foreign objects into their mouths. Furthermore, the length of the footwear is between 3 inches and 9 inches. The length of the footwear can also be between 4 inches and 7 inches. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating the removeability of the strap according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the footwear  100  is without a vamp portion. Nonetheless, the strap  18  is the same as the one in footwear  10 . One end of the strap  18  is connected to the upper  12  and the other end of the strap  18  is provided with one side  34  of a two-sided fastener, the second side  36  of the two sided fastener is attached to the upper  12  of the footwear  100 . One example of a two-sided fastener is Velcro®, but other types of fastener with similar suitability can also be used. The use of a two-sided fastener allows a caretaker to easily put on and take off the footwear. Furthermore, the footwear is secure on the children&#39;s feet regardless if the wearer is crawling or walking. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the inside  38  of the footwear  10  showing the inside stitches in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The footwear  10  is turned inside-out in order to demonstrate the inside stitches  44  of the footwear  10 . The inside stitches  44  are horizontal stitches along the peripheral  52  of the upper  12 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the  5 - 5  in  FIG. 3 . The upper  12  can include the outer layer  16  and the inside layer  38 . The sole  14  can include the outsole  24 , the middle layer  26 , and the insole  28 . The outsole  24  is larger in area than the middle layer  26  and the insole  28 , therefore, the lip  46  extends upward and overlaps with the upper  12  upon stitching the two layers together. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the  6 - 6  in  FIG. 4 . The outsole  24  is connected to the upper  12  via stitches at the lip  46 . The insole  28  can be stitched along with the outsole  24  to the upper  12  via stitch  40 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a partially stitched footwear showing the stitching method in accordance to the present invention. This stitching method produce footwear that provide ventilation for the infants&#39; and young children&#39;s feet. The method of stitching the upper  12  and the outsole  24  can start by first sending the thread  13  through an upper-hole  32  from the inside  38  of the upper  12 ; and entering a sole-hole  30  from the outside  17  of the outsole  24 , thereby forming a first angled outside stitch  40  on the lip portion  46 . Next, the thread  13  enters a second upper-hole  32  from the outside  16  of the upper  12 , thus securing the upper  12  and the outsole  24  with the angled outside stitch  40 . Then, the thread  13  exits from a third upper-hole  32  from the inside  38  of the upper  12 , thereby forming a horizontal stitch  44  on the inside  38  of the footwear  10 . This stitch method is continued until the upper  12  and the outsole  24  is completely stitched together. Furthermore, the stitches are manually sewed. 
       FIG. 8A  is a detailed view of the stitches of the footwear  10  when the stitch is not pulled tight in order to illustrate the horizontal stitches  44  of the inside layer  38  and the angled stitches  40  of the outside layer  16  of the footwear. (For the purpose of better illustrating the stitches, the portion of the upper  12  above the stitches is removed.) As shown, lip  46  of the sole  14  is stitched together with the upper  12  by the thread  13 . The thread  13  passes through the first upper-hole  32   a  from the inside  38  of the upper  12 , enters a sole-hole  30  (not shown here) from the outside  17  of the outsole  24  and forms an angled stitch  40 . The thread  13  then enters a second upper-hole  32   b  from the outside  16  of the upper  12 , exits though a third upper-hole  32   c  from the inside  38  of the upper  12 , and forms the horizontal stitch  44 . 
       FIG. 8B  is a detailed view of the stitches of the footwear when the thread is pulled tight to illustrate the ripples and the embedded angled stitch  40  according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is noted that the angled stiches  40  may also be considered as diagonal stitches. When the thread  13  is pulled tight, ripples  42  are formed between every two angled stitches  40 . As a result of the tight pulling of the thread  13 , the angled or diagonal stitches  40  further pull the upper-holes  32  and the sole-holes  30  out of alignment. Hence, each angled stitch  40  is embedded between two ripples  42  and the thread is disposed relatively below the ripples  42 . This stitching method provides a footwear where it can withstand continuous rubbing or contact with rough surfaces without causing damage to the thread  13  because the threaded is embedded between the ripples  42  of the lip portion  46  of the footwear  10 . 
       FIG. 9  is another detailed view of the footwear demonstrating the relationship between the ripples  42  and the stitches  40 . As discussed previously and as shown here, the ripples  42  are created by the stitches  40  and in turn, the stitches  40  are embedded between the ripples. 
     The thread is made of materials such as fish line, nylon, polypropylene, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, braided fused line, cofilament fused line, thermally fused lines, a combination thereof, or other suitable materials. An example of fish line that can be used as thread is the PowerPro line of product manufactured by Innovative Textiles, Inc. 
     The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.