Sports Shoes

Abstract

A sports shoe including cushioning for the foot of the wearer in which the cushioning is formed by a sheath of weldable plastics film material, the space within the sheath, which may be filled with a foam, being externally closed by at least one weld applied at the edge of the sheath.

Description

The present invention relates to a sports shoe. In many sports shoes cushioning is provided and is preferably located where a wearer's foot is subjected to particularly strong pressure influences. These are, above all, the areas where the influence of the means of doing-up the shoe are felt, and, in the case of shoes for the long jump and the hop, step and jump, also the heel area.

The cushioning generally consists of a foam which is sewn into a sheath. In order to achieve a good cushioning effect, the cushion must be made relatively thick because a reserve of springiness should remain even under extreme pressure stress. This explains why a relatively thick cushioning is built into the tongues of sports shoes, especially ski boots. This results in the disadvantage that the tongues press relatively heavily onto the foot. Corresponding disadvantages are found in the sports shoes with heel cushioning, such as is provided in shoes for the long jump and the hop, step and jump. If such a thick cushion is subsequently placed in the shoe, the foot is lifted too far out of the upper. This has been taken into account by making the upper correspondingly taller, but this results in an increase in manufacturing costs and also in the weight of the shoe. If a thick heel cushion is incorporated into the base of the shoe, such a severe bulge is produced on the outsole side, that the heel of the foot no longer occupies the desired position relative to the front part of the foot.

Finally, the incorporation of the known cushioning is relatively labour-intensive because of the sewing work required. Additionally it should be borne in mind that in shoe manufacture the stitching department is in general always overloaded.

According to the present invention there is now provided a sports shoe comprising a sole, an upper and a tongue secured to the upper, and including cushioning consisting of a weldable material formed as a sheath, the interior space of which is externally closed by applying at least one weld at the edge of the sheath. The invention thus provides for the inclusion of an air cushion into the parts of the shoe which effect the cushioning. If, as is in itself known, a foam material is additionally incorporated into the cushioning this material can then no longer be as easily compressed as in the case of the known cushionings in which the air was able, on compression of the foam, to escape outwards through the stitching holding the sheath together. When using the invention, the thickness of the foam layer used for the cushioning can thus be kept thinner. A further advantage is that the manufacture of the cushioning is very much easier to carry out, because all stiching work for holding the sheath together is dispensed with. The sheath can be manufactured and closed on a combined automatic punching and welding machine. In doing so, the sheath is conveniently formed from two superposed layers.

The invention is particularly useful in the manufacture of shoe tongues and of heel cushioning. When manufacturing the shoe tongues, welds extending over the length of the tongue can at the same time be provided, and as a result of these the tongue fits the foot more easily. Longitudinal welds can thus divide the shoe tongue into a middle section and two side sections which are constructed as flaps which can easily be bent away from the middle section.

Parts of the shoe upper can also be involved in forming the sheath for the cushioning according to the invention, provided these parts consist of a weldable material. In such a case, a weldable material is also advantageously chosen for the shoe lining, so that as a result of welding the lining to the upper a closed space which is externally air-tight is created between these, in which a foam can be accommodated. The formation of such a cushioning for example proves advantageous when the pressure influence caused by the means of doing-up the shoe is not restricted to the back of the foot but extends laterally beyond the area of the back of the foot to the vicinity of the shoe sole.

The sheaths can be formed in a simple manner as a welded and punched article. As a result of the air-tight closure of the sheath, which preferably consists of an air-impermeable material, the air included when manufacturing the shoe or the cushioning cannot escape from the cushioning .

In order that the invention be more fully understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of light athletics shoe, according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken along the line II--II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the heel cushion,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the shoe tongue, and

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section taken along the line V--V of FIG. 4.

The sheath of the heel shown in FIG. 3 is formed by two pieces of film 11 and 12 of weldable material, preferably plastic welded to form a sheath. The pieces of film enclose a foam layer 13 between them. The space enclosed by the sheath 11, 12 is externally closed, so as to be airtight, by a peripheral weld 14.

In the embodiment shown, the heel cushion is built into the base of the shoe between the insole 15 and the outsole 16. However, instead of this the heel cushion formed in accordance with the invention can also be provided on the foot side of the insole 15; and in this case a wedge-shaped construction of the cushion proves appropriate.

The sheath of the shoe tongue represented in FIGS. 4 and 5 is also formed by two superposed layers of film 21, 22 of a weldable material. The layers of film enclose between them layers of foam 23, 24, 25 arranged next to one another. The space enclosed by the sheath 11, 12 is externally closed, so as to be airtight, by a peripheral weld 26. As a result of the welds 27, 28 running in the longitudinal direction of the tongue, the tongue is divided into a middle section and two edge sections, and because of the abovementioned welds the latter can be relatively easily bent away from the middle section, so that the tongue as a whole can fit the foot well.

Claims

I claim

1. A sports shoe comprising a sole; an upper; a toe and heel portion affixed to said sole and said upper; a tongue secured to said upper; and cushioning means comprising a sheath including a foam material enclosed therein said sheath being a weldable material, said sheath having edges and being externally closed by at least one weld at an edge thereof.

2. A sports shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheath consists of an air impermeable material.

3. A sports shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cushioning forms part of said tongue, and comprises two superposed layers of weldable film welded to one another.

4. A sports shoe as claimed in claim 3, wherein said tongue is divided, by longitudinally extending welds, into a middle part and edge parts which can be folded relative thereto.

5. A sports shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheath is located at said heel part to form a heel cushion and comprises layers of film welded to one another.

6. A sports shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheath and enclosed foam material are formed as a welded and punched article subsequently added to the shoe.

7. A sports shoe according to claim 1 wherein the sheath is comprised of portions of the shoe upper and wherein said portions of the shoe upper are comprised of a weldable material.

8. A sports shoe according to claim 1 wherein said shoe upper further comprises a lining, portions of said lining being weldable, and wherein the sheath is formed conjointly with said weldable portions of said shoe lining.

9. A sports shoe according to claim 8, wherein the sheath is formed by welding a portion of said lining to a portion of said shoe upper.