US20010037587A1

US20010037587A1 - Method for manufacturing waterproof shoe

Info

Publication number: US20010037587A1
Application number: US09/767,600
Authority: US
Inventors: Chun Lu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-05-03
Filing date: 2001-01-22
Publication date: 2001-11-08

Abstract

A method is used for manufacturing a waterproof shoe having an enclosure to be secured or stitched to a shell, and a midsole and an outsole. The shell includes a widely opened bottom opening formed by the bottom peripheral portion of the shell for allowing the enclosure to be easily and quickly stitched to the shell. One or more flexible flaps are secured to the bottom peripheral portion of the shell. A shoe last and one or more insulating liners may also be easily engaged into the shell. The flaps may be solidly folded to engage with the shoe last or the midsole.

Description

The present invention is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 09/564,458, filed May 3, 2000, now abandoned.[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing the insulated or waterproof shoe.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,857 to Aumann discloses a typical shoe having a shoe upper secured on top of an outsole, and an insole and/or a midsole secured in the shoe upper and/or secured to the outsole. The typical shoe may not be manufactured or formed into a waterproof structure.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,740 to Merk, Sr., discloses a waterproof shoe having an insulating liner and a waterproofing liner engaged in the shoe, and one or more side panels stitched to the shoe upper. However, the stitches of the side panels to the shoe upper may not be suitably sealed or insulated.

FIG. 1 discloses a typical waterproof shoe including an

enclosure

10 having a bottom peripheral portion to be secured and stitched to a shoe upper or a shell 11, a waterproof liner 12 attached to the enclosure 11 for engaging into the shoe, and an outsole 13 to be molded onto the bottom of the shell 11. The shell 11 includes an enclosed bottom board 14 such that the stitch operation of the enclosure 10 to the shell 11 may not be conducted from the bottom of the shoe and should be operated from the upper portion of the enclosure 10. It will be difficult to stitch the bottom peripheral portion of the enclosure 10 to the shell 11 via the upper portion of the enclosure 10 that has a relatively smaller opening size.

FIGS. 2 and 3 disclose the other typical waterproof shoe also including an

enclosure

10 having a bottom peripheral portion to be secured and stitched to a shoe upper or a shell 11, a waterproof liner 12 attached to the enclosure 11 for engaging into the shoe, and an outsole 13 to be molded onto the bottom of the shell 11. The shell 11 includes a peripheral flange 16 extended inward from the outer peripheral portion thereof for defining an access opening 17 therein and for facilitating the stitching operation of the bottom peripheral portion of the enclosure 10 to the shell 11. A water proof layer may further be applied to the inner portion of the stitches for making an excellent water proof structure to the shoe. A board 14 will then be attached to the bottom of the shell 11 for forming the bottom of the shell 11. U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,227 to Chen also discloses such a typical waterproof shoe. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the peripheral flange 16 and the shell 11 are made of plastic material having a predetermined hardness that may not be easily bent or deformed. Accordingly, when the bottom peripheral portion of the shell 11 is squeezed inward of the shell before the outsole 13 is formed or attached onto the shell 11, the peripheral flange 16 may be deformed at 18 such that an uneven coupling surface may be formed between the shell 11 and the outsole 13 and such that the outsole 13 may not be solidly secured to the shell 11.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional methods for manufacturing the insulated or waterproof shoe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method for easily and quickly manufacturing the insulated or waterproof shoe.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a waterproof shoe including a shell having a bottom peripheral portion, an enclosure having a bottom peripheral portion, a midsole and an outsole, the method comprising forming an opening in a bottom portion of the shell, the opening being defined by the bottom peripheral portion of the shell, securing at least one flap to the bottom peripheral portion of the shell, securing the bottom peripheral portion of the enclosure to the shell with stitches, inserting a shoe last into the shell, engaging a midsole onto the shoe last, forcing the at least one flap inward of the shell, securing the at least one flap to the midsole, and forming the outsole onto the shell. The opening of the shell is widely opened for allowing the bottom peripheral portion of the enclosure to be easily and quickly stitched and secured to the shell with the stitches and for allowing the shoe last to be easily and quickly engaged into the shell.

One or more waterproof layers may further be applied onto the stitches to insulate the stitches. One or more insulating liners may further be applied onto an inner portion of the shell and the enclosure via the opening of the shell.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of a detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 are exploded views showing two typical waterproof shoes; [0014]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the shoe upper or the shell of the typical waterproof shoes as shown in FIG. 2; [0015]
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a waterproof to be made with a method in accordance with the present invention; [0016]
FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating the manufacturing processes of the method of the present invention; [0017]
FIG. 7 is a partial exploded view illustrating the manufacturing processes of the method of the present invention; [0018]
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the other manufacturing processes of the method of the present invention; [0019]
FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the prototype of the shoe as shown in FIG. 8; [0020]
FIG. 10 is a partial exploded view illustrating the other manufacturing processes of the method of the present invention; and [0021]
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the other manufacturing processes of the method of the present invention.[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. [0023] 4-6, a method in accordance with the present invention is provided for manufacturing a waterproof shoe which also comprises a shoe enclosure 10, a waterproof liner 12 attached to the enclosure 10, a shoe upper or a shell 30, and an outsole 13 to be attached to the bottom of the shell 30. The shell 30 is made of plastic materials or the like that have a predetermined hardness and includes an opening 31 widely opened and formed in the bottom thereof. One or more flexible flaps 32 are made of such as the leather materials, woven or non-woven materials, etc., and are secured to the bottom peripheral portion 39 of the shell 30 with such as the stitches 40 (FIGS. 5, 6). The flaps 32 may thus be easily folded and forced inward of the opening 31 of the shell 30.
As best shown in FIG. 5, because the [0024] shell 30 includes the widely opened opening 31 formed in the bottom thereof, the bottom peripheral portion of the enclosure 10 may thus be easily and quickly stitched to the shell 30 via the opening 31 of the shell 30. One or more waterproof or insulating layers 34 may also be easily and quickly applied onto the inner portions of the shell 30 and the enclosure 10 via the opening 31 of the shell 30 in order to make a further waterproof or insulating structure for the waterproof shoe. One insulating liner 36 (FIG. 6), or two insulating liners 36 (FIG. 10), or more insulating liners may further be easily and quickly applied or attached or secured onto the inner portion of the waterproof shoe via the opening 31 of the shell 30. A protective cap or the like may also be easily engaged into the inner portion of the waterproof shoe or between the shell 30 and the insulating liners 36 via the opening 31 of the shell 30.
Referring next to FIGS. 7 and 8, a shoe last [0025] 37 may be easily engaged into the shell 30 via the opening 31 of the shell 30. A shoe board or a midsole 38 may then be engaged onto the shoe last 38 (FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 9, the flaps 32 and/or the bottom peripheral portions of the insulating liners 36 may then be easily folded and forced inward of the shell 30 and secured to the midsole 38 and the shoe last 37 with fasteners or nails by a forcing machine or the like. As shown in FIGS. 10, 11, the outsole 13 may then be attached or formed onto the bottom of the shell 30 with a molding machine or the like, before or after the shoe last 37 is removed from the shoe.
It is to be noted that the formation or the provision of the widely opened opening [0026] 31 in the bottom of the shell 30 allows the enclosure 10 to be easily and quickly stitched to the shell 30, and allows the waterproof layers 34 to be easily applied onto the inner portion of the shell 30 and the enclosure 10, and allows the insulating liners 36 to be easily engaged into the inner portion of the shell 30 and the enclosure 10, and selectively allows the protective cap to be engaged into the shoe, and allows the shoe last 37 to be easily engaged into the shoe. The flaps 32 may be solidly forced inward of the shell 30 to snugly engage with the midsole 38 and the shoe last 37 with the forcing machine without deforming the shell 30; i.e., the shell 30 will not be deformed when the flaps 32 are forced inward of the shell 30. The waterproof shoe may thus be easily and quickly manufactured.
Accordingly, the method in accordance with the present invention may be used for easily and quickly manufacturing the insulated or waterproof shoe. [0027]
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. [0028]

Claims

I claim:

1. A method for manufacturing a waterproof shoe including a shell having a bottom peripheral portion, an enclosure having a bottom peripheral portion, a midsole and an outsole, said method comprising:

forming an opening in a bottom portion of said shell, said opening being defined by said bottom peripheral portion of said shell,

securing at least one flap to said bottom peripheral portion of said shell,

securing said bottom peripheral portion of said enclosure to said shell with stitches,

inserting a shoe last into said shell,

engaging a midsole onto said shoe last,

forcing said at least one flap inward of said shell,

securing said at least one flap to said midsole, and

forming said outsole onto said shell.

2. The method according to

claim 1

further comprising applying at least one waterproof layer onto said stitches to insulate said stitches.

3. The method according to

claim 1

further comprising applying at least one liner onto an inner portion of said shell and said enclosure via said opening of said shell.