Inner Shoe For Footwear

Abstract

An inner shoe comprising a non-woven structure based on paper for fitting within footwear such as a ski boot to absorb perspiration. The inner shoe can be formed of one piece only by folding and joining the edges of the folded portions, or from two molded half-shells.

Description

The present invention relates to an inner shoe for footwear.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The expression "boots" is generally understood to mean weatherproof footwear which is required to prevent, in particular, penetration by moisture. In order to protect the foot of a wearer of a boot of this kind against the cold, it is already known to use "inner shoes" made from knitted and partly lined textile materials. It is true that such "inner shoes" can, like stockings, be washed, and therefore used again and again, but they are relatively costly and, if they are to be changed frequently, they involve considerable purchasing expenses. In this connection, it must be remembered that the foot is subjected, in such weatherproof boots, which are not very air-permeable, and can even be completely impermeable, in particular in the case of rubber and plastics boots, to increased perspiration, so that the inner shoe requires in many cases, even after being worn only once, to be changed and washed.

This applies particularly to sports boots, such as ski boots, which are often continuously in use throughout a holiday. For these purposes, it is necessary that several pairs of textile inner shoes should be available and that they should be frequently washed. That is, however, inconvenient, and in many cases it is only possible to a limited extent.

As a result of perspiration absorption, textile inner shoes should be regarded as personal underclothing, and, for hygienic reasons, are unsuitable for commercial hiring. However, hiring of clothing is a commercial activity which at the present day frequently extends to ski boots.

With the invention, it is intended to provide a thermally insulating inner shoe which has a special capacity for the absorption of moisture and is capable of being manufactured so inexpensively that it may be thrown away, in the manner of a disposable article, after soiling or after being used on one occasion only. According to the invention, this is achieved by manufacturing the inner shoe from a non-woven material based on paper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an inner shoe for footwear, said inner shoe comprising a structure made from a non-woven material based on paper.

Non-woven materials based on paper have the properties of good thermal insulation and moisture absorption capacity. They are inexpensive and may be manufactured so as to have a degree of strength adequate to withstand the stressing to which an inner shoe is normally subjected in use.

A pasty basic mass for producing a non-woven paper structure is itself capable of being pressed-out in suitable molds, so that an inner shoe may be manufactured by assembling two pre-shaped "half shells." Preferably, however, the inner shoe is manufactured from non-woven elements cut or punched from larger webs of non-woven material. Depending on the cut and/or ability to undergo curvature of the non-woven structure, the inner shoe may be assembled from one or more such non-woven structural elements. The non-woven structural element or elements is or are assembled in the shape of the inner shoe, the seams preferably being adhesively secured together. In order to compact the non-woven materials, to prevent the penetration of moisture and/or merely to achieve less expensive and simpler assembly at the seams, the fibers of the non-woven structure may be coated with a plastics coating on the outwardly facing upper surface, such a plastics coating permitting the plastics welding of the elements of the non-woven structure at the seams. The plastics coating may be produced by the spraying on of a plastics dispersion or solution.

The inner shoe may consist for example of a one-piece non-woven paper structure designed to be continuous (seamless) in the bottom zone of the shoe and joined together by means of two seams, one of which extends from the toe, via the instep, as far as the opening for insertion of the foot of the wearer, whereas the other extends along the rear apex line of the shoe. The non-woven paper structure may, however, also be designed to be continuous in the zone of the Achilles tendon of the wearer, and joined together in the bottom, toe and instep zones. When the shoe is manufactured from two separate non-woven structural elements, the latter preferably have the same shape and are joined together along a seam extending in the longitudinal direction of the shoe.

Depending on the thickness of the material of the non-woven structure, it may be expedient to reinforce the inner shoe in its bottom zone by designing the element or elements of the non-woven structure requiring to be joined together in this zone to overlap there.

The non-woven paper structures used may themselves have the ability to undergo curvature, or a resilience such that the inner shoe (within a specific size range) adapts itself to the shape of the foot of the user. In order to facilitate introduction of the foot into the shoe having regard to the capacity for curvature of the non-woven paper structure used, it may be expedient to provide the shoe, preferably in the instep zone, with a slot extending from the shoe opening, those portions of the shoe upper which constitute the slot edging preferably being designed to overlap over the slot in use of the shoe.

Owing to the inexpensive starting material and simple manner of manufacture, the inner shoe according to the invention, which may be manufactured as a mass-produced article, can without difficulty be produced so inexpensively that, from the economic viewpoint, even if it is used only once it readily holds its own with the known inner shoes made from knitted textile materials. Indeed, it is very much more convenient to handle, owing to the elimination of washing and drying, as is so in the case of any disposable article.

By the use of the inexpensive inner shoe according to the invention, the commercial lending of ski boots may be given a considerable stimulus, since it becomes possible to offer for hire a boot which is entirely satisfactory from the viewpoint of hygiene and which has not contact with the foot perspiration of user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Two embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the one embodiment of inner shoe according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section through a ski boot having inserted therein an inner shoe according to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the both parts which compose the other embodiment of the inner shoe according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The "inner shoe" shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured from a one-piece non-woven paper structure 1 designed to be continuous in the zone of the Achilles tendon of a wearer, and having two edges joined together by an adhesively connected seam 2 in the bottom, heel and instep zones. The foot introduction opening 3 in the ankle zone may be widened by leaving unattached a portion of the seam 2 extending in the zone of the instep.

The longitudinal section through a ski boot shown in FIG. 2 does not show any kind of padding or the like. Vulcanized-on to the upper 4 of the ski boot is a sole 5 on the side of which facing the interior of the shoe there is arranged an insole 6. Inserted in the interior of the ski boot is the inner shoe 1 according to FIG. 1 (also shown in section). The seams 2 are omitted from FIG. 2, for clarity.

The "inner shoe" according to the invention can also be manufactured from two pieces of non-woven paper structure. These pieces 1', which are shown in FIG. 3, are, for instance, dish-like shaped (e.g. by pressing of the paper structure) and joined together by an adhesively seam extending near the longitudinal central plane of the "inner shoe" and the edges 2' of the both pieces.

Claims

I claim:

1. A single usage type inexpensive inner shoe for footwear, said inner shoe comprising a structure made from a single ply of non-woven paper base material.

2. An inner shoe as specified in claim 1, wherein said structure is of one piece unitary construction and includes at least one joining seam joining two engaging edges of said structure.

3. An inner shoe as specified in claim 1, wherein said structure further comprises two individual non-woven structural elements and at least one joining seam attaching said elements together.

4. An inner shoe as specified in claim 1, wherein said structure further includes at least one joining seam comprising juxtaposed edges of said structure and adhesive means securing said edges to each other.

5. An inner shoe as specified in claim 1, wherein said structure further includes a plastic coating on the outwardly facing upper surface thereof.

6. An inner shoe as specified in claim 5, wherein said structure further includes at least one joining seam comprising juxtaposed edges of said structure and a plastic weld securing said edges to each other.

7. An inner shoe as specified in claim 1, wherein said structure further includes at least one joining seam extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the shoe.

8. An inner shoe as specified in claim 1, wherein said structure further comprises bottom edges thereof in mutually overlapping relation.

9. An inner shoe as specified in claim 1, wherein said structure includes an instep zone having an opening in the top thereof for insertion of a wearer's foot, and a cut away portion extending from said opening, facilitating entry of said foot into said structure.