Outsole

Abstract

An outsole is provided with a protection flange projecting outwardly from the outer peripheral surface of the outsole and substantially flush with a top side of the outsole. An upper has a bottom end portion which includes a connection part extending laterally and outwardly from the bottom end portion thereof and attached to the protection flange and the top side of the outsole. Preferably, the connection part is an outwardly turned part of the upper or a welt. With the protection flange, the connection part is permitted to be ground so as to be flush with the protection flange without harming the outer peripheral surface of the outsole.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to an improvement relating to an outsole of a shoe.

2. Description of the Related Art

Primary components of shoes generally include uppers and outsoles. In order to improve the appearance of shoes, various designs have been provided for connections between outsoles and uppers. There are shoes which have an outsole attached to an upper with an outwardly turned end portion or an outwardly turned welt member. In making such shoes, since it is difficult to make a connecting part of the upper flush with a connecting part of the outsole, a grinding process is usually employed to grind the connecting parts so as to provide a neat and tidy connection between the outsole and the upper.

However, due to the grinding process which can remove some part of the material from the marginal part of the outsole, the outsole is practically preformed with a size larger than that originally designed for the outsole, thereby wasting the material and increasing the manufacturing cost. In addition, although a neat and tidy connection between the outsole and the upper can be accomplished through a grinding process, it is impossible to provide a pleasing outer appearance for the outer peripheral surface of the outsole due to the grinding process. This is because the grinding process can damage or remove any decorative pattern formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outsole when grinding the connection between the outsole and the upper which is very close to the outer peripheral surface of the outsole. Therefore, there is a need for further improvement that can provide a neat and trimmed connection between an upper and an outsole without adversely affecting the outer peripheral surface of the outsole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a shoe with an outsole which has an arrangement for protecting the outer peripheral surface of the outsole so that any finishing treatment for the connection of the outsole with an upper will not harm the outer peripheral surface of the outsole.

According to the present invention, a shoe comprises: an outsole having a top side, a bottom side, an outer peripheral surface interconnecting the top and bottom sides, and a protection flange projecting outwardly from the outer peripheral surface and substantially flush with the top side; and an upper having a bottom end portion which includes a connection part extending laterally and outwardly from the bottom end portion and attached to the protection flange and the top side of the outsole, the protection flange having an edge flush with the connection part. As a result, the connection part is permitted to be ground so as to be flush with the edge of the protection flange without affecting the outer peripheral surface of the outsole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is the same view as FIG. 1 but with the connection between a projection flange and an upper being trimmed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that same reference numerals have been used to denote like elements throughout the specification.

Referring to FIG. 1, a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to include a shoe 10 which has an outsole 11 and an upper 12. The outsole 11 may be made of rubber or any other conventionally used suitable material and includes a top side 111, a bottom side 112 and an outer peripheral surface 113 interconnecting the top and bottom sides 111 and 112. The outer peripheral surface 113 of the outsole 11 is provided with a protection flange 114 which projects from the outer peripheral surface 113 and is flush with the top side 111. Due to the presence of the protection flange 114, the outsole 11 has a large cross-section in a portion where the protection flange 114 is provided, and a small cross-section in the remaining portion where the protection flange 114 is not provided. Preferably, the outer peripheral surface 113 may be formed with a decorative relief pattern below the protection flange 114.

The upper 12 may be made of leather, fabric or any other suitable material and includes a bottom end portion 121 having a connection part 122 which extends laterally and outwardly from the bottom end portion 121 for attachment to the outsole 11. In this embodiment, the connection part 122 is an end part of the bottom end portion 121 that is turned outward from the bottom end portion 121.

In assembly, the outwardly turned connection part 122 of the upper 12 is sewn to the protection flange 114 of the outsole 11. Afterwards, a grinding process is performed to grind the edges of the connection part 122 and the protection flange 114 until the edges are flush with each other, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to realize a neat and trimmed connection between the upper 12 and the outsole

According to the present invention, the protection flange 114 is provided to prevent the outer peripheral surface 113 of the outsole 11 from being damaged by any tool used in the grinding process. As the grinding action is performed on the protection flange 114 that projects away from the outer peripheral surface 113, the grinding tool cannot reach the outer peripheral surface 113 during the grinding process so that protection of the outer peripheral surface 113 can be assuredly realized.

The protection flange 114 according to the present invention may be used in different types of shoes. Referring to FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the present invention includes a shoe 20 which has the outsole 11 and an upper 22. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that an insole 221 is adhered or attached to the top side 111 of the outsole 11 and the top side of the protection flange 114, and a welt 222 of substantially T-shaped cross section is adhered to the insole 221. In addition, the connection part 224 of the bottom end portion 223 of the upper 22 is sewn to the insole 221 and the welt 222, rather than to the protection flange 114 of the outsole 11. During the grinding process, the edges of the protection flange 114 and the connection part 224, together with the welt 222 and the insole 221, are ground and trimmed by a grinding tool.

Referring to FIG. 4, a third preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a shoe 30 which has the outsole 11 and an upper 32. The third preferred embodiment differs from the second preferred embodiment in that the third preferred embodiment does not include any component corresponding to the welt 222 of the second embodiment. The connection part 323 of the bottom end portion 322 of the upper 32 is sewn to an insole 321 which is attached to the top side 111 of the outsole 11 and the top side of the protection flange 114 which projects from the outer peripheral surface 113 of the outsole 11.

Referring to FIG. 5, a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a shoe 40 which comprises the outsole 11 and an upper 42. This embodiment differs from the third embodiment in that the upper 42 has a bottom end portion 423 which is not turned outward but includes a welt 422 of substantially L-shaped cross-section that is turned outward from the bottom end portion 423. The welt 422 has an upper end sewn to the bottom end portion 423 and a lower end sewn to an insole 421 which is attached to the protection flange 114 and the top side 111 of the outsole 11.

Referring to FIG. 6, a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a shoe 50 which comprises the outsole 11 and an upper 52 with a bottom end portion 521 turned inward and connected to a sole member 522. The bottom end portion 521 of the upper 52 incorporates a welt 523 of substantially L-shaped cross-section which is turned outward from the bottom end portion 521 and is attached to the protection flange 114 and the top side 111 of the outsole 11.

While the protection flange 114 as described hereinbefore extends continuously along the periphery of the outsole 11, the configuration thereof should not be limited only thereto. The protection flange 114 according to the present invention may be arranged such that it projects from parts of the periphery of the outsole 11 in a discontinuous manner. Furthermore, the construction of the outsole in the present invention should not be limited only to one protection flange for grinding.

In addition, while the welt 422 or 523 exemplified in the fourth and fifth preferred embodiments has an L-shaped cross-section, the present invention may be used together with other welts having different configurations.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A shoe comprising:

an outsole having a top side, a bottom side, an outer peripheral surface interconnecting said top and bottom sides, and a protection flange projecting outwardly from said outer peripheral surface and substantially flush with said top side; and

an upper having a bottom end portion which includes a connection part extending laterally and outwardly from said bottom end portion and attached to said protection flange and said top side of said outsole, said protection flange having an edge flush with said connection part, whereby said connection part is permitted to be ground so as to be flush with said edge of said protection flange without affecting said outer peripheral surface of said outsole.

2. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outsole has a large cross-section in a portion where said protection flange is provided, and a small cross-section in the remaining portion where said protection flange is not provided.

3. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connection part is a part of said bottom end portion of said upper which is turned outward and attached to said protection flange.

4. The shoe as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an insole attached to said protection flange and said top side of said outsole, said connection part being connected to said protection flange through said insole.

5. The shoe as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a welt disposed between said insole and said connection part.

6. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom end portion of said upper includes a welt which is turned outward from said bottom end portion, said welt being attached to said protection flange and said top side of said outsole.

7. A shoe comprising:

an outsole having a top side, a bottom side, an outer peripheral surface interconnecting said top and bottom sides, and a protection flange projecting outwardly from said outer peripheral surface and substantially flush with said top side, said outsole having a large cross-section in a portion where said protection flange is provided, and a small cross-section in the remaining portion where said protection flange is not provided; and

an upper having a bottom end portion which includes a connection part extending laterally and outwardly from said bottom end portion and attached to said protection flange and said top side of said outsole, said protection flange having an edge flush with said connection part, whereby said connection part is permitted to be ground flush with said edge of said protection flange without affecting said outer peripheral surface of said outsole.