Patent Application
20180049512
The present invention generally relates to a waterproof boot and more specifically to a manufacturing process and design for the waterproof boot.
The desire for waterproof boots has long been felt. Outdoors people, such as hikers and hunters, are frequently caught in the rain, have to cross through or stand in snow, pools of water and/or streams during their outdoor activities. Such activities often result in the undesirable situation of the feet of the wearer of the boots becoming wet.
Prior art methods have used waterproof materials in designing boots and this has helped to reduce the amount of water that enters the boot. However, applicants have noticed that water often still enters the boot through seams in the material of the boot or over the top of the boot. Thus, applicants desired to create a manufacturing process and a design for a waterproof boot that reduces the amount of water that enters into the boot, particularly the water that enters through the seams in the boot or over the top of the boot.
The present invention provides a manufacturing process and a design for a waterproof boot. The waterproof boot may have a bootie, which may comprise, as a non-limiting example, a hiking boot, and a boot upper which may comprise a hollow cylindrical tube of varying diameter made of waterproof material. The boot upper may have a bottom opening that during the manufacturing processes is sealed against the bottom of the bootie. In preferred embodiments, the bottom opening of the boot upper is sealed between an outer gasket and an inner gasket both affixed to the bootie. The boot upper may also have a top opening that allows a wearer to insert a leg through the boot upper and into the bootie. The boot upper may extend more than three inches and most preferably between three and eight inches over the top of the bootie. This configuration uses the top portion of the boot upper to provide an extended waterproof shield over the bootie that prevents water from entering into the top of the bootie. The boot upper may include a gusset and a zipper to enlarge (or contract) the top opening of the boot upper to allow the wearer to more easily pull the boot upper over a calf of the wearer. The boot upper may also include a horizontal Velcro strip and a Velcro receiving area near the top of the boot upper to allow the wearer to adjust the size of the top opening of the boot upper to thereby improve the fit and comfort of the boot upper around the leg of the wearer of the waterproof boot.
During the manufacturing process, a bonding agent, such as waterproof cement, may be applied along a continuous outside bottom portion of the bootie upper of the bootie and along a continuous inside bottom portion of a boot upper. The boot upper may be placed over the bootie and the outside bottom portion of the bootie upper may be attached to the inside bottom portion of the boot upper using the bonding agent. In preferred embodiments, the bonding agent that is applied to both the outside bottom portion of the bootie upper and the inside bottom portion of the boot upper is five to 50 millimeters wide and most preferably is 30 to 35 millimeters wide.
An edge of the bottom portion of the bootie upper may be stitched to an edge of the bottom portion of the boot upper. While the bootie upper and the boot upper may be attached by only using the bonding agent or by only stitching, in preferred embodiments the bootie upper and the boot upper are glued and stitched together thereby providing two attachment means of the bottom portion of the bootie upper and the bottom portion of the boot upper. In some embodiments, the bootie upper and boot upper are only fixedly or permanently connected by the bonding agent and/or the stitching. This allows an upper portion of the boot upper to be pulled up or down on the leg of the wearer independent of the movement of the bootie.
In preferred embodiments, the attaching of the bottom portion of the bootie upper and the bottom portion of the boot upper using the bonding agent and stitching is done in such a manner as to produce a staggered edge where the bottom portion of the bootie upper extends lower by two to seven millimeters and most preferably by four to five millimeters than the bottom portion of the boot upper. The staggered edge improves the lasting process.
The lasting process may produce a lasting allowance against an inner gasket fixed to the bootie using a hot base pressing pad. The lasting allowance may comprise the edge of the bottom portion of the bootie upper and the edge of the bottom portion of the boot upper. The lasting allowance is the part that is pulled under the bootie.
An outer gasket may be attached over the inner gasket using the hot base pressing pad. The outer gasket may overlap by at least five millimeters a peripheral edge of the lasting allowance, thereby sandwiching an edge of the lasting allowance between the inner gasket and the outer gasket on the bottom of the bootie.
A sole may be attached over the outer gasket, the lasting allowance, the edge of the bottom portion of the bootie upper and the edge of the bottom portion of the boot upper, thereby providing another waterproof barrier that prevents water from entering the bottom opening of the boot upper.
The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present inventions will now be discussed in detail with regard to the attached drawing figures that were briefly described above. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth illustrating the Applicant's best mode for practicing the invention and enabling one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without many of these specific details. In other instances, well-known machines, structures, and method steps have not been described in particular detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Unless otherwise indicated, like parts and method steps are referred to with like reference numerals.
A waterproof boot may comprise a bootie 100. With reference to
The waterproof boot may also comprise a boot upper 200. With reference to
As illustrated in
The lower edge or bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 may be attached to the lower edge or bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 by any desired means. As non-limiting examples, the edge or bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 may be attached to the lower edge or bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 using a bonding agent 130 or an adhesive, such as waterproof cement. The edge or bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 may also be attached to the lower edge or bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 by stitching the two pieces together.
In a preferred embodiment, the lower edge or bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 extends at least several millimeters lower than the lower edge or bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 when attached. In a preferred embodiment, the lower edge of the bootie upper 110 extends four to five millimeters below the lower edge of the boot upper 200 when attached. This staggered edge improves the lasting process.
An inner gasket 400 attached to the bottom of the bootie 100 is illustrated in
This design results in the entire edge of the lasting allowance 500 comprising the edge or bottom portion of the boot upper 200 and the edge or bottom portion of the bootie upper 110 to pulled under the bootie 100 and the entire edge of the lasting allowance 500 to be sandwiched between the inner gasket 400 and an outer gasket 600 illustrated in
The boot upper 200 may extend vertically up the leg of the user and preferably extends at least six inches above a top of the bootie upper 110. The boot upper 200 may thus be used to prevent water from entering a top of the bootie upper 110 when water is encountered that is deeper than the height of the bootie 100.
The boot upper 200 may also comprise a waterproof gusset 230 with a vertical zipper 240. The gusset 230 may be configured to enlarge a top portion of the boot upper 200 thereby allowing a user to pull the boot upper 200 over a calf of the wearer of the waterproof boot when the vertical zipper 240 is unzipped. The gusset 230 may be configured to narrow the top portion of the boot upper 200 thereby causing the boot upper 200 to remain vertical around lightly pull against the wearer's leg when the vertical zipper 240 is zipped.
The boot upper 200 may also comprise a horizontal Velcro strap 250 and a horizontal Velcro receiving area 260 both attached near the top of the boot upper 200. The horizontal Velcro strap 250 and the horizontal Velcro receiving area 260 may be configured to narrow the top portion of the boot upper 200 above the calf of the wearer of the waterproof boot when the Velcro strap 250 is connected to the Velcro receiving area 260. The wearer of the waterproof boot may use the horizontal Velcro strap 250 and the horizontal Velcro receiving area 260 to narrow the top of the boot upper 200 around the leg of the user so that the boot upper 200 remains vertically around the leg of the wearer and prevents the boot upper 200 from sliding down the leg of the wearer during use.
The horizontal Velcro strap 250 and horizontal Velcro receiving area 260 may also be disconnected thereby enlarging the top portion of the boot upper 200. An enlarged top portion of the boot upper 200 allows the user to either pull the boot upper 200 over the calf of the wearer of the waterproof boot when putting the waterproof boot on or allows the user to pull the boot upper 200 down over the calf of the wearer of the waterproof boot when removing the waterproof boot.
An inner gasket 400 may be attached to the bottom of the bootie 100. A padded insole may be added over the inner gasket 400 to improve fit and comfort for the wearer of the waterproof boots. The inner gasket 400 may be generally shaped like a slightly smaller version of the sole of the waterproof boot. During the lasting process, the lasting allowance 500 may extend over the edge and be attached to the inner gasket 400. In preferred embodiments, the lasting allowance 500 extends over the edge of the inner gasket 400 by at least ten millimeters. The lasting allowance 500 may comprise an edge of the bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 and an edge of the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200. The lasting allowance 500 preferably completely covers a peripheral edge of the inner gasket 400 by at least 10 millimeters and thus has the lasting allowance 500 has a width of at least 10 millimeters.
An outer gasket 600 may also be generally shaped like a slightly smaller version of the sole of the waterproof boot. The outer gasket 600 may be attached to a part of the inner gasket 400 and preferably overlaps all of the edge of the lasting allowance 500. As a non-limiting example, the outer gasket 600 may overlap the entire peripheral edge of the lasting allowance 500 by at least six millimeters and most preferably by eight to 10 millimeters. In other words the entire peripheral edge of the lasting allowance 500 may be sandwiched or trapped between the inner gasket 400 and the outer gasket 600 to prevent water from entering the boot through a bottom opening 280 of the boot upper 200. The bottom opening 280 of the boot upper 200 is completely sealed between the inner gasket 400 and the outer gasket 600.
A waterproof sole may be attached to the bottom of the bootie 100 completely covering the outer gasket 600, the lasting allowance 500 and the inner gasket 400. This configuration provides another waterproof barrier to prevent water from entering the waterproof boot through the bottom opening 280 of the boot upper 200.
In a preferred embodiment, a lower portion 210, including the bottom opening 280, of the boot upper 200 is sealed in a waterproof manner and permanently attached to the bootie 100. The remainder of the boot upper 200 forms an outer water barrier for the bootie 100, but the remainder of the boot upper 200, while they may be touching, is not attached, permanently or otherwise, to the bootie 100. This allows the boot upper 200 to be easily adjusted by sliding the boot upper 200 up and down the leg of the wearer of the waterproof boot independent of the bootie 100.
A process for manufacturing the above described waterproof boot will now be described. A bonding agent 130 may be applied along a continuous outside bottom portion 120 of a bootie upper 110. The width of the bootie upper 110 with the bonding agent 130 may be any desired width, but as a non-limiting example, may be between 30 to 35 millimeters.
The bonding agent 130 may also be applied along a continuous inside bottom portion 210 of a boot upper 200. The width of the boot upper 200 with the bonding agent 130 may be any desire width, but is preferably about the same width of bonding agent 130 used on the bootie upper 110. As an example, if the width of the bonding agent 130 on the bootie upper 110 is 35 millimeters then the preferred width of the bonding agent 130 on the boot upper 200 is also 35 millimeters. The bonding agent 130 applied to the bootie upper 110 and the boot upper 200 may comprise any desired adhesive, but is preferably, as a non-limiting example, waterproof cement.
A waterproof gusset 230 with a vertical zipper 240 may be attached to the boot upper 200. The gusset 230 and vertical zipper 240 may be configured to enlarge the top portion or the top opening 270 of the boot upper 200 when the vertical zipper 240 is unzipped and to narrow the top opening 270 or top portion of the boot upper 200 when the vertical zipper 240 is zipped. An enlarged top opening 270 makes it easier for the wearer to pull the boot upper 200 over the calf of the wearer when putting the waterproof boot on the leg of the wearer. A narrower top opening 270 assists in holding the boot upper 200 to the leg over the calf of the wearer thereby making it less likely the boot upper 200 will slide down the leg of the wearer allowing water to enter over and into the top opening 270 of the boot upper 200.
A horizontal Velcro strap 250 and a horizontal Velcro receiving area 260 may be attached to the boot upper 200. The horizontal Velcro strap 250 and Velcro receiving area 260 may be configured to narrow the top portion of the boot upper 200 above the calf of the wearer of the waterproof boot. The horizontal Velcro strap 250 and the horizontal Velcro receiving area 260 may be configured to allow the wearer to adjust the diameter of the top opening 270 of the boot upper 200 to improve the fit and comfort of the boot upper 200 around the leg of the wearer of the waterproof boot.
The outside bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 may be attached to the inside bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 using the bonding agent 130. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 extends below the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 by at least two millimeters and most preferably by between four and five millimeters. This staggered edge of the bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 and the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 may improve the lasting process.
An edge of the bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 may be stitched to an edge of the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200. In preferred embodiments, the stitching is done to retain a staggered edge of the bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 extending lower or beyond the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 by more than two millimeters and preferably between four and five millimeters.
A lasting process may be performed or executed to flatten a lasting allowance 500 against an inner gasket 400 attached or fixed to the bootie 100. In preferred embodiments, a hot base pressing pad may be used to execute the lasting process. The lasting allowance 500 comprises the edge and a part of the bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 and the edge and a part of the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200. Thus, at this point the bottom opening 280 or the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200 is flattened against an inner gasket 400 on the bottom of the bootie 100.
An outer gasket 600 may be attached over the inner gasket 400. In preferred embodiments, a hot base pressing pad may be used. The outer gasket 600 may overlap by at least five millimeters, and most preferably by eight to 10 millimeters, all of a peripheral edge of the lasting allowance 500 comprising the edge and a part of the bottom portion 120 of the bootie upper 110 and the edge and a part of the bottom portion 210 of the boot upper 200. This process preferably results in the lower edge, i.e., bottom opening 280, of the boot upper 200 being sandwiched between the inner gasket 400 and the outer gasket 600.
Other embodiments and uses of the above inventions will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It should be understood that features listed and described in one embodiment may be used in other embodiments unless specifically stated otherwise. The specification and examples given should be considered exemplary only, and it is contemplated that the appended claims will cover any other such embodiments or modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention.
