Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Sandals
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-13
2001-03-06
Patterson, M. D. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Sandals
C036S045000, C036S088000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195914
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to fitting a shoe on a wearer's foot and, more particularly, to adjusting an upper of the shoe to accommodate the size of the wearer's foot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Shoes are manufactured in multiple graduated sizes to enable a wearer to select the best fit. Yet, once a shoe size is selected, the selected size is fixed, and the wearer must seek comfort in the fixed size despite the fact that the wearer's foot changes in size over time, and typically even over the course of a day.
To provide some measure of adjustability, the art has suggested the placement of removable inserts and discrete inflatable bladders within the shoe. The inserts are generally positioned outside the interior shoe lining and, due to their removability, are prone to becoming dislodged and lost. The discrete bladders are generally placed inside the upper and its lining and sometimes inside the shoe tongue. These bladders are usually inflated by a manually operated pump and, although generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, are costly to manufacture and assemble in the shoe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Objects of the Invention
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a shoe upper whose size is readily adjustable.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable upper which is integrated into the shoe.
A still further object of the present invention is to reduce the costs of manufacture and assembly of the shoe.
Features of the Invention
In keeping with these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in a shoe having a sole for supporting a bottom of a wearer's foot. The sole has opposite lateral sides and is preferably constituted of a wear-resistant material. The shoe also has an adjustable upper secured to the sole. The upper spans over a top of the wearer's foot between the sides of the sole. The upper has a pair of outer and inner layers of flexible material bounding an interior space. Preferably, the layers are constituted of a synthetic plastic, heat-fusible material.
In accordance with this invention, an inlet is mounted on the upper and is in fluid communication with the space for filling the space with a fluid and concomitantly moving at least one of the layers toward the sole to engage the top of the wearer's foot. The more fluid that is introduced into the space, the greater the movement of the one layer, and the more snug the engagement of the upper with the top of the wearer's foot. A closure, such as a plug, is operative to close the inlet to resist the escape of fluid from the space.
In order to insure a reliable, firm, non-slipping engagement between the upper and the wearer's foot, the space is subdivided into a plurality of passages arranged as follows. A forward, arch-shaped passage at a forward region of the upper and a rear, arch-shaped passage at a rear region of the upper are spaced apart, as considered lengthwise of the sole, to grip the wearer's foot at both these forward and rear regions from one side of the sole along curved, generally semi-circular paths to the other side of the sole. An intermediate, arch-shaped passage at an intermediate region of the upper between the forward and rear regions adds still another generally semi-circular gripping surface to resist slippage between the upper and the wearer's foot.
The passages further include interconnecting passages that extend between, and interconnect, the forward and rear passages. In the preferred embodiment, the inlet is centrally located on the upper at a central region, and the interconnecting passages extend outwardly from the central region in generally radial directions to the front and rear passages.
The outer and inner layers are preferably fused together at select areas. The areas that are not fused together constitute the aforementioned passages. Preferably, all the passages are in fluid communication with the inlet.
The inlet includes a plurality of tubular sections that collapse, when pressed, to a generally flattened configuration that lies against the upper. The plug is tethered to one of the sections to prevent its loss. The inlet preferably includes a self-closing, one-way valve to permit entry of fluid in an inward direction, but which prevents escape of the fluid in an outward direction. The plug is for additional sealing safety.
A pair of binding strips is folded over and connected to respective forward and rear edges of the upper. The strips are made of a soft, flexible cloth to resist scratching of the wearer's foot against the otherwise-exposed, harder plastic edges of the upper.
In use, the wearer repetitively exhales into the inlet until the passages of the upper are inflated to a desired extent. The outwardly bulging passages snugly engage the wearer's foot. The fused-together areas of the layers, that is, the areas between the bulging passages, follow more closely over the outer surface of the wearer's foot for increased comfort and fit. The extent of inflation is adjustable whenever desired.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2226110 (1940-12-01), Bass
patent: 2981010 (1961-04-01), Aaskov
patent: 3410004 (1968-11-01), Finn
patent: 3871116 (1975-03-01), Vanderlinden
patent: 4106222 (1978-08-01), Houck
patent: 4112599 (1978-09-01), Krippelz
patent: 5343638 (1994-09-01), Legassie et al.
E.S. Originals Inc.
Kirschstein et al.
Patterson M. D.
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