Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Having shoe-reinforcing plate
Patent
1998-01-29
1999-11-09
Patterson, M. D.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Having shoe-reinforcing plate
36 25R, 36 30R, 36 72R, 36 77R, A43B 2300, A43B 1312
Patent
active
059790814
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the construction of a boot sole, and its critical supporting structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved safety boot sole construction to prevent puncturing of the sole by high energy and high velocity projectiles from an anti-personnel mine containing up to 60 grams of compressed compound-B high explosive thus affording greater protection to an individual's foot without over-restricting movement.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,758 to Zachman: this uses semi-elliptical sections intersecting at loops with adjacent webs of adjacent loops intersecting with flexible rods directed through the intersecting loops to minimize lateral displacement of adjacent webs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,583 to Aleven: this uses a protective layer composed of plastic and including a flexible forepart portion having an insole board bonded to its bottom surface and a fabric liner bonded to its top surface during the process of moulding the protective plastic layer. The plastic used by Aleven is molten plastic injected in the final bonding process.
German Patent DE 4214802, by ZEPF H, to SPORTARTIKELFABRIK UHL GMBH KARL: A multi-layer boot sole having a walking surface, a damping intermediate sole, and an upper insole. The base is a thermoplastic moulding, or is made of metal, ceramic or graphite, in which multi-filament organic or inorganic reinforcing fibers are embedded in the form of a mat, or woven or knitted into the structure. The elastic profiled portions are formed on the underside of the base by injection moulding or pressing. The base can contain only a single layer of woven fibers, its total thickness being approximately 0.5 mm.
Aleven achieved strength and impact resistance from a plastic plate in the sole and the use of a fabric mesh was to reinforce the plastic and not to provide impact resistance. ZEPF H, could only achieve a single layer of not more than 0.5 mm thickness of woven fibers through injection moulding or pressing. Aleven makes no disclosure of the use of metal, ceramic or graphite materials.
So far, techniques to use aramid, ceramic, or graphite fibers in the construction of a boot sole in thicknesses sufficient to prevent puncturing of the sole by high energy and high velocity projectiles have not been mentioned or made feasible due to problems in rigidity and bonding.
An earlier application by the present inventor (SG 9500037-8) for safety footwear was designed for the much smaller "scattered mines" of Soviet design. However this design would afford less protection when a large anti-personnel mine was detonated under the toes or by the side of the boot.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The boot soles described in the prior art are insufficient protection against the larger anti-personnel mines containing up to 60 grams of high explosive when it is desired to conserve toe-to-heel flexion. This is especially the case if a large anti-personnel mine is detonated in the toe area or by the side of the boot.
In a first aspect, the present invention consists in a boot having an anti-personnel mine resistant rubber boot sole comprising embedded protective material which is embedded throughout the entire sole and is composed of at least 10 woven polyaramid (Kevlar) layers, the density of each layer being less than or equal to 4 oz per square yard.
This inventor has found that a plurality of thin layers of polyaramid affords better protection than one or a small number of thicker layers of a material having the same overall thickness and density. Increasing density and additional layers of woven polyaramid fibers also increases the blast and fragment resistance.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention also includes a supporting structure comprising sandwiched protective polyaramid (Kevlar) material embedded throughout the boot-upper. The boot-upper is preferably made of leather. The protective material is composed of at least 1 woven polyaramid (Kevlar) layer, the density of each layer being less than or equal to 4 oz
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patent: 5832634 (1998-11-01), Wong
patent: 5843851 (1998-12-01), Cochran
Blasko John P.
Patterson M. D.
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