Claims
- 1. An article of waterproof footwear which comprises:
- (a) an upper comprised of a water-permeable layer and having a proximal opening for receiving a wearer's foot, a proximal edge surrounding the proximal opening, a distal opening, a distal edge surrounding the distal opening, and inside and outside surfaces;
- (b) a polymeric binding adhered to and encapsulating the distal edge of the upper and covering a portion of the inside and outside surfaces of the upper adjacent to the distal edge, wherein an inner surface of the polymeric binding is formed;
- (c) a separate waterproof insole having a top surface for supporting the wearer's foot and a bottom surface adhesively bonded without stitching to the inner surface of the polymeric binding; and
- (d) an outer sole attached to the bottom surface of the waterproof insole and polymeric binding of the upper.
- 2. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is in the form of a solid material.
- 3. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is in the form of a foamed material.
- 4. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim I wherein the polymeric binding is polyurethane.
- 5. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is natural latex rubber.
- 6. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is nitrile rubber.
- 7. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is silicone rubber.
- 8. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is butyl rubber.
- 9. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is fluorinated rubber.
- 10. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is polyester.
- 11. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is copolyether polyester.
- 12. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is ethylene vinyl acetate.
- 13. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is polyamide.
- 14. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is a material having a hardness value less than or equal to 55 D Durometer and greater than or equal to 5 D Durometer.
- 15. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the polymeric binding is a material having a hardness value less than or equal to 45 D Durometer and greater than or equal to 30 D Durometer.
- 16. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the water impermeable layer is comprised of a layer of a polymeric material.
- 17. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 16 wherein the polymeric material is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinyl chloride, natural rubber, synthetic rubbers, polyester, polyamide, polyurethane, polyethylene and polypropylene.
- 18. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the water-impermeable layer is selected from a group consisting of waterproof leather, waterproof artificial leathers and waterproof fabrics.
- 19. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the water-impermeable layer is a breathable polymeric membrane.
- 20. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 19 wherein the breathable polymeric membrane is selected from a group consisting of polyurethane, polyester, polyethers, polyamides, polyacrylates, copolyether esters and copolyether amides.
- 21. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 19 wherein the breathable polymeric membrane is microporous polytetrafluoroethylene.
- 22. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 21 wherein the microporous polytetrafluoroethylene is expanded microporous polytetrafluoroethylene.
- 23. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 further comprising an upper shell attached to the outer sole.
- 24. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 23 wherein the upper shell is leather.
- 25. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 23 wherein the upper shell is fabric.
- 26. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 23 wherein the upper shell is artificial leather.
- 27. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the upper further comprises an outside surface material.
- 28. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 27 wherein the outside surface material is leather.
- 29. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 27 wherein the outside surface material is artificial leather.
- 30. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 27 wherein the outside surface material is fabric.
- 31. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 27 wherein the outside surface material is laminated to the water-impermeable layer.
- 32. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 27 wherein the outside surface material is attached to the water-impermeable layer at seams contained in the upper.
- 33. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 1 wherein the upper further comprises an inside surface material.
- 34. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 33 wherein the inside surface material is leather.
- 35. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 33 wherein the inside surface material is artificial leather.
- 36. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 33 wherein the inside surface material is fabric.
- 37. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 33 wherein the inside surface material is laminated to the water-impermeable layer.
- 38. An article of waterproof footwear as defined in claim 33 wherein the inside surface material is attached to the water-impermeable layer at seams contained in the upper.
- 39. A method for producing an article of waterproof footwear which comprises the steps of:
- (a) forming an upper having a proximal opening for receiving a wearer's foot, a proximal edge surrounding the proximal opening, a distal opening, a distal edge surrounding the distal opening, and inside and outside surfaces;
- (b) adhering a polymeric binding to encapsulate the distal edge of the upper and covering a portion to the inside and outside surfaces of the upper adjacent to the distal edge, forming an inner surface of the polymeric binding;
- (c) adhesively bonding without stitching a waterproof insole at its bottom surface to the inner surface of the polymeric binding; and
- (d) attaching an outer sole to the waterproof insole board and polymeric binding of the upper.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 07/729,504 filed Jul. 12, 1991, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
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0284638 |
Oct 1988 |
EPX |
8914377 |
Apr 1990 |
DEX |
1133363 |
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FRX |
488491 |
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ITX |
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WOX |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
729504 |
Jul 1991 |
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