U.S. patent number 3,822,488 [Application Number 05/324,529] was granted by the patent office on 1974-07-09 for athletic shoe having upper sections of different materials and cover strip under junction between such sections.
This patent grant is currently assigned to BRS, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeffrey O. Johnson.
United States Patent |
3,822,488 |
Johnson |
July 9, 1974 |
ATHLETIC SHOE HAVING UPPER SECTIONS OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND
COVER STRIP UNDER JUNCTION BETWEEN SUCH SECTIONS
Abstract
An athletic shoe, such as for track or basketball, is described
having an upper formed of at least two upper sections made of
different material joined together and to a sole member. Preferably
the upper includes an upper section of synthetic material which
does not overlap the other upper section to which it is joined,
except at the junction along their joined edges. One of the upper
sections is a toe section made of leather and joined to a heel
upper section made of a synthetic woven fabric, such as nylon, to
give the comfort and close fit of leather, along with the strength,
reduced weight and weather resistance of synthetic fabric. However,
it is also possible to make the two upper sections of other
materials, including vinyl. In addition, a cover strip including a
layer of synthetic foam material and a backing layer of fabric,
such as nylon, is provided over the inner surface of the junction
formed by the overlapping edges of two upper sections where they
are joined together to provide greater comfort and additional
reinforcing support for the arch of the shoe.
Inventors: |
Johnson; Jeffrey O. (Beaverton,
OR) |
Assignee: |
BRS, Inc. (Beaverton,
OR)
|
Family
ID: |
23263993 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/324,529 |
Filed: |
January 17, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/129; 36/91;
D2/906; 36/100; 36/9R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
23/025 (20130101); A43B 5/06 (20130101); A43B
23/0295 (20130101); A43B 23/0215 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
23/02 (20060101); A43B 5/00 (20060101); A43B
5/06 (20060101); A43b 001/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/2.5R,2.5AM,9R,45,47,46.5 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lawson; Patrick D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Klarquist, Sparkman, Campbell,
Leigh, Hall, Whinston
Claims
I claim:
1. An athletic shoe in which the improvement comprises:
an upper shoe portion formed of a plurality of upper sections
joined together and joined to a sole portion, including two joined
upper sections being made of different material, at least one of
which is a synthetic material;
said upper section of synthetic material being positioned so that
at least the major portion thereof does not overlap the other upper
section to which it is joined.
2. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 in which the other of said two
upper sections is made of leather.
3. A shoe in accordance with claim 2 in which the leather section
forms the toe of the shoe upper while the synthetic section forms
the heel of the shoe upper.
4. A shoe in accordance with claim 2 in which the synthetic
material is a woven fabric.
5. A shoe in accordance with claim 4 in which the fabric is
nylon.
6. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 which is a track shoe having
spikes attached to the sole portion.
7. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 which also includes a cover
strip means for covering the inner surface of the junction where
said upper sections are joined together, with a strip of synthetic
foam material and a backing layer secured to said upper
sections.
8. An athletic shoe in which the improvement comprises:
an upper shoe portion formed by a plurality of upper sections
joined together to provide the inner surface of said upper portion
and joined to a sole portion, at least two of said upper sections
having their edges overlapping at a junction where they are joined;
and
cover strip means for covering the inner surface of said junction
with a strip of synthetic foam material and a backing layer secured
to said upper sections and extending partially over the inner
surfaces of said upper sections beyond their overlapping
portions.
9. A shoe in accordance with claim 8 in which the backing layer is
a woven synthetic fabric.
10. A shoe in accordance with claim 9 in which the fabric is nylon
and thread means secures the fabric and foam strip to the upper
sections.
11. A shoe in accordance with claim 9 in which said junction and
cover strip means are located at the arch region of the shoe so
that said cover strip means provides additional support for the
arch.
12. A shoe in accordance with claim 8 in which one of said two
upper sections is made of leather, and the other section is made of
synthetic fabric.
13. A shoe in accordance with claim 8 in which said two upper
sections are both made of leather.
14. A shoe in accordance with claim 8 which has two of said cover
strip means on opposite sides of the shoe.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject matter of the present invention relates generally to
improved athletic shoes for various sports, such as track and
field, football, baseball, basketball, tennis or the like, and in
particular to such athletic shoes in which the upper portion of the
shoe is formed of a plurality of upper sections made of different
materials and the inner surface of the junction between the
overlapping edges of two upper sections is covered with a strip of
synthetic foam material and a backing layer of fabric.
By providing the athletic shoe with a plurality of upper sections
made of different material, it is possible to optimize the desired
characteristics of the shoe. Thus, it is possible to provide a toe
upper section with a material giving great comfort and close fit,
and to provide a heel upper section with another material of higher
strength, lighter weight, and more weather resistance. For example,
leather can be employed for the toe section while a woven synthetic
fabric such as nylon can be employed in the heel section of the
upper. In addition, this enables the shoe to be made of several
different colored materials, such as the school colors, which
greatly increases the attractive appearance of such shoes.
Conventional shoes are made with an upper shoe portion made
entirely of the same material, such as leather, canvas or synthetic
fabric, even though occasionally reinforcing members of other
material may be provided over the outer surface of the upper. This
construction has the disadvantage that no one material has all of
the characteristics necessary for an athletic shoe of best
performance. This disadvantage has been overcome by the shoe of the
present invention, as indicated above.
When joining two upper sections made of the same or different
materials, the junction formed by their overlapping edges is of
greater thickness which can cause irritation and discomfort to the
foot and such junction may also weaken the shoe. This reduction in
strength is a particular problem in the arch region because it is
subjected to great stress. These problems have been overcome in the
present invention by employing a reinforcing cover strip including
a layer of synthetic foam material and a backing layer of fabric
over the inner surface of the junction so that such reinforcing
cover strip extends partially over the inner surface of the upper
sections beyond their overlapping portions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide an
improved athletic shoe having an upper shoe portion optimized for
more desired characteristics by forming it of a plurality of upper
sections made of different material whose major portions do not
overlap but are joined together and to the sole portion of the
shoe.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved athletic
shoe having an upper shoe portion made of a plurality of upper
sections joined together at a junction formed by the overlapping
edges of such sections, and a cover strip provided over the inner
surface of such junction for greater comfort and strength.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved track
and field shoe in which the joined upper sections include a toe
upper section made of leather and a heel upper section made of
synthetic material, such as a woven synthetic fabric, to provide a
close fit and great comfort in the toe section and to provide
greater strength, lighter weight, and better weather resistant
characteristics in the heel section.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such an
athletic shoe in which the cover strip includes a layer of
synthetic foam and a backing layer of fabric, such as a woven
synthetic fabric, which together provide greater comfort and
strength at the junction between two upper sections.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide such
an athletic shoe in which the joined upper sections are made of
different materials, different thicknesses, or different colors, to
provide such shoe with optimum performances and attractive
appearance while still being of relatively inexpensive
construction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description of certain
preferred embodiments thereof and from the attached drawings of
which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a track and field shoe in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the bottom of the shoe of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged section view taken along the line 3--3 of
FIG. 1 showing the cover strip under the junction between two
joined upper sections of different material;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged section view of a portion of the multilayered
nylon fabric used in the heel upper section of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a basketball shoe made in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
and
FIG. 6 is a section view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5 on an
enlarged scale of the cover strip under the junction of two joined
upper sections of the same material.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a track and field shoe made in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention has an
upper shoe portion 10 including a toe upper section 12 and a heel
upper section 14 made of different materials at least one of which
is a synthetic. The upper sections 12 and 14 are joined together at
two junctions 16 formed by overlapping edges of such sections in
the arch region but the major portions of such upper sections do
not overlap. The upper sections are joined together in any suitable
manner, such as by thread 17 of nylon or other high strength
material. These two upper sections 12 and 14 are also joined to a
sole portion 18 which may include a flexible plastic toe plate 20
having metal spikes 22 attached thereto in a conventional manner.
The sole 18 may also include a heel plate member 24 of synthetic
rubber having a plurality of circular projections 26 molded into
the lower surface of such heel plate, such projections being
provided with conical points for better traction.
The toe upper section 12 may be formed of leather, such as kangaroo
skin with the rough side out, while the heel upper section 14 is
formed of a synthetic material including a woven synthetic fabric,
such as nylon, or a non-woven synthetic material such as vinyl.
However, as hereafter discussed in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6,
it is also possible to form the heel upper section 14 of leather
which may be calf skin thicker than that of the toe upper section
12. Such an all leather upper formed by a plurality of joined upper
sections enables more efficient use of the entire skin, and thereby
reduces the cost of shoe construction, while at the same time
enabling the toe section and the heel section to be made of
different colored materials for a more attractive appearance.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner surface of each junction 16
between the toe section 12 and the heel section 14 is provided with
a cover strip 28. The cover strip includes a layer 30 of synthetic
foam plastic or rubber contacting the upper sections 12 and 14, and
an inner backing layer 32 of fabric including a woven synthetic
fabric, such as nylon. The cover strip 28 extends partially over
the inner surface of the toe section 12 and the heel section 14
beyond the overlapping edges of such sections forming junction 16,
so that such strip has a width several times the width of such
junction. The cover strip 28 is secured to the upper sections 12
and 14 by two thread stitchings 34 at the opposite edges of such
strip, such thread being made of nylon or other suitable high
strength thread. The junctions 16 where the edges of the upper
sections 12 and 14 overlap are positioned in the arch region and
would tend to cause discomfort due to the increased thickness at
such junctions, as well as to weaken the shoe in this critical arch
region which is subject to great stress. The cover strip 28
overcomes these problems since the foam layer 30 smoothes and
cushions the overlap of the upper sections at junction 16 and
thereby prevents any discomfort to the wearer, while the nylon
fabric layer 32 increases the strength of the shoe in the area of
such junction 16 and provides greater arch support.
As shown in FIG. 4, the heel section 14 of the upper may include a
nylon fabric in the form of a three layer "sandwich" of the type
described in pending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 284,736, filed
Aug. 30, 1972, by William J. Bowerman. This fabric includes a
synthetic foam layer 36 between two woven synthetic fabric layers
38 and 40 with the outer layer 40 being of a nylon tricot fabric.
Preferably, the foam layers 36 and 30 should be sufficiently porous
so that they "breathe" or pass air through for ventilation.
It should be noted that a side reinforcing member 42 may be
provided over the outer surface of a little toe portion of the
upper section 12 and such reinforcing member can be made of the
same material as section 12 or it can be made of a synthetic
material, such as vinyl. Similarly, heel reinforcing members 46 and
44 of leather and vinyl, respectively, may be provided over the
outer surface of the rear end portion of the heel section 14 of the
upper. Also, the vinyl member 46 has a pair of elongated ends 47
extending around the ankle opening in the top of the upper 10.
Finally, a decorative stripe 48 of vinyl of contrasting color may
be sewn over the upper sections 12 and 14, which serves as the
identifying symbol or trademark of the assignee of the present
invention. However, it is obvious that this stripe 48, as well as
the reinforcing members 42, 44 and 46 can be eliminated from the
shoe.
A basketball or tennis shoe made in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and
include an upper 10' formed by a toe upper section 12' and a heel
upper section 14' which are joined together at junction 16' and are
joined to the sole portion 18'. These elements are all similar to
the correspondingly numbered elements of the track and field shoe
previously described and for this reason will not be discussed in
detail. However, the upper sections 12' and 14' may both be made of
the same material, such as leather, for reasons of economy. As
shown in FIG. 6, a cover strip 28 including a layer of synthetic
foam material 30 and a backing layer 32 of synthetic woven fabric
is provided over the inner surface of the junction 16' formed by
the overlapping edges of upper sections 12' and 14'. As stated
previously, while both the toe portion 12' and heel portion 14' may
be made of the same materials, it is also possible to make them of
different materials, including a synthetic fabric such as a woven
nylon fabric or a non-woven vinyl fabric, like the shoe of FIGS. 1
to 4.
It will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that
many changes may be made in the details of the above-described
preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing
from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the
present invention should only be determined by the following
claims.
* * * * *