Abstract: A foot gripping device is provided which utilizes a combination of a heel cup outsole formed of a semi-rigid material that stabilizes an orthotic or orthotic insert within a shoe in order to receive the heel of the wearer during a normal gate of the individual. Pockets are created on the inner side portions of a last for the shoe within which air/foam inserts are positionable and are securable by a sheeting member which is secured by adhesives and/or stitching to the inner side portion of the shoe.

Abstract: A method for construction of footwear includes providing an upper defining a volume for receiving a wearer's foot, the upper having a peripheral lasting edge; sewing an inner liner to an inner surface of the upper; sewing a front bottom lining to a peripheral edge of a front portion only of the inner liner; lasting, along an edge of a last, the peripheral lasting edge portion of the upper over an insole tuck and front bottom lining, the insole tuck being temporarily secured to the last; and securing the outsole to the lasted upper. This dual-approach construction method combines the advantages of increased comfort at the front portion of the wearer's foot with attractiveness and good support at the rearward portion of a shoe.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing footwear, including the steps of positioning a sock portion over a mold element in which the sock portion comprises a fabric layer and a thermoplastic film layer connected to the fabric layer, such that the thermoplastic film layer is positioned between the mould element and the fabric layer, and injection-molding a thermoplastic material to the sock portion positioned over the mold element such that heated thermoplastic material flows through the fabric layer and bonds with the thermoplastic film layer and such that the thermoplastic material at least partially covers the fabric layer for forming a portion of an item of footwear.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a shoe upper formed from a blank of material. The upper has a toe portion, a pair of side portions, a heel portion, and a bottom portion. The bottom portion of the upper is formed from the blank by folding the blank about a fold area in the heel portion such that the bottom portion can be connected to the bottom of the toe portion, the bottoms of the pair of side portions, and the bottom of the heel portion. The blank has a first section which includes the toe portion, side portions and heel portion. The blank also has opposite ends. The opposite ends of the blank are connected to one another to form the toe portion, side portions and heel portion of the upper. The shoe upper may also be formed from a blank having a second section which includes the bottom portion of the upper, and further may include one or more wing portions which overlie generally the side portions of the upper.

Abstract: A shoe having a seamless exterior upper in contact with a seamless interior liner each fashioned from a single piece of material affixed to a sole and having a heel attached to the sole, the shoe being fashioned that, if an oxford type shoe is desired, the tongue and eyelet sections of the shoe being integrally formed from the single piece of material.

Abstract: For the production of a shoe upper by cutting out of the shoe upper in the form of a layout from a web of material, shaping of the shoe upper with connection of material parts of the layout with formation of seams, a process is used by which such shoe uppers can be produced in a timesaving and efficient manner despite the many individual parts present or to be made visible. For this purpose, a web of material (1) is used to produce layouts (2) by different production measures, such as different styles, yarn material, color, material thickness, single layer or multilayer type of material or the like, at the same time with the production of web of material (1), and with a sole part attached to the layout. The layout is cut from the web as a unit with the sole part and processed into a shoe part having an upper and sole part.

Abstract: A shoe for e.g. sporting activities is disclosed. The shoe has a peripheral portion including a pair of sections divided in a longitudinal direction of the shoe along a foot-arch portion thereof. The sections are configurated so that the sections are overlapped with each other at least at a portion of the foot-arch portion when cut portions of the respective sections are folded out with upper areas of the respective cut portions being placed in contact with each other. And, the sections are sewn to each other at the cut portions. Then, the peripheral portion is attached to a sole of the shoe with the foot-arch portion being recessed into interior of the shoe.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a water proof snow boot and the method of manufacturing the same. A water-proof plastic intermediate member is disposed between the outer leather covering and the inner lining of the boot to prevent water or moisture from coming into the boot through tiny pores of the leather covering by permeation, thereby causing discomfort of the wearer's foot.

Abstract: A process for applying a flocking fiber to a cloth surface of a shoe includes the step of spraying a clean dry cloth shoe with an adhesive, which adheres to the cloth substrate without excess penetration, which remains pliable, and is not water soluble when set. A short set time is desirable, and then flock fibers suitable for application are carried into a charge in an electrostatic field. A conventional flocking chamber is used, voltage is applied to the electric field, and the flock fibers are applied so that they adhere to the adhesive surface under controlled conditions. The shoe is dried in a drying oven, and then it is ready for use. The flocking process can use adhesives that are colored, flock that is colored, and the flock can be applied in any desired pattern because of the use of the adhesive for causing the flock material to adhere to the cloth surface.

Abstract: The process is defined by a cyclic succession of identical phases, through each of which the part of the skin subjected to stretching is gradually wound from one extremity to the other, and vice versa, by means of a continuous or discrete surface that exercises an adjustable pressure thereon.A device with which the process can be carried out is constituted by a netted container, hung from a support, housing spherical objects and banded circumferentially with an elastic. The bottom end of the container is hooked to a wire that defines, in the said end, an adjustable depth lip.With the said support given a top downward and vice versa movement, the bottom end of the container comes into contact with the vamp and then enshrouds this completely.Consequently to the motion given to the support, the spherical objects that protrude from the meshes in the net come, first of all, into contact with the skin of the vamp and then roll over and/or rub, under pressure, against the said skin which is gradually stretched.

Abstract: A workpiece holding device for use with automatic sewing machines includes registration and holding elements that securely hold a number of pieces of work relative to each other while allowing the same to be automatically sewn together. One of the holding elements moves from its respective holding position to a remote position as the pieces are being joined together.

Abstract: A method of sequentially manufacturing a plurality of reinforced substrates such as shoe uppers, by applying a powder through a stencil by automatic means in a rotary machine, where the powder is first applied in a three-dimensional configuration to an annular surface, which is rotated to an arcuate heating station, then to a join and cool station after the powder has fused. The fused powder has a shoe upper pressed thereagainst by a rotary transfer cube which successively applies the uppers seriatum to the fused configuration of powder as they are presented therebeneath.

Abstract: A safety shoe having a closed bottom lining is assembled by a method in which a slip last is inserted into a closed bottom lining and a net-fit upper portion is attached to the lining. The forepart of the upper portion is lasted to the lining after a steel toe sub-assembly is fastened to the lining toe portion. An outsole and heel portion are attached to the bottom surface of the upper after the upper and lining are lasted.

Abstract: In a patterned matrix for use in conjunction with the skiving of shoe parts upon a splitter machine, the pattern matrix being applied contiguous with the intended shoe part for application to the machine, the pattern matrix including along its edge a relief or raised portion that urges the aligned edges of the shoe part into a greater skiving out than any other portion of the shoe part, and another relief being of greater density, comprising a cord, arranged within the first relief or raised portion and effecting during skiving a deeper cut into the intended shoe part to assure a uniformly weakened area for forming the fold line for the shoe part when being fabricated into a shoe component. A pair of patterned matrixes may be adhered together, as through a pressure sensitive material, with the relief member therebetween, for allowing usage of the patterned matrix for forming skived edges upon shoe parts of reverse proportions, as where each may be constructed into a pair of shoes.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a shoe comprises the step of dry or moist heat setting a lasted shoe upper, with or without a protective coating as necessary, by total or partial immersion in a bath of heated liquid or fluidized solid material. The lasted shoe upper may contain a stiffener element and particularly a heel stiffener made of fibre reinforced thermoplastic or thermosetting polymeric material which becomes cured by the heat treatment.

Abstract: A seam interconnection to relatively thick material parts such as leather parts of shoes comprises parts which have edges which are aligned and have one surface such as the interiors or skin side surface of the leather which is formed with a groove extending along its height which is substantially parallel to and spaced inwardly from its associated edge. The two parts to be joined are aligned back to back with their outer or grain sides engaged and a threaded seam is made to hold the two parts together by placing the seam in the grooves of the respective parts. The parts are then formed to a desired shape, for example, are curved so as to form them into a heel and in so doing, the marginal area adjacent the edge is bent backwardly upon itself so that the overlying part extends into the groove. When a heel portion of a shoe is formed the curved configuration of each part is made so as to complement the configuration of the overlying parts resting in the groove so that an irregular surface is avoided.

Abstract: Equipment for laminating for a shoe upper and a lining through the use of an interposed adhesive layer including a form having portions of different radius of curvatures and two operating side surfaces including a heater and two pressers which sequentially engage the workpiece and shape it to correspond with the form.

Abstract: Shoes having dyed fabric uppers with elastomeric trimming bonded thereto are provided with an anti-color-migration coating on the portion of the fabric underlying the elastomeric trimming. The coating comprises a chlorinated rubber and a bleaching agent, such as sodium hypochlorite, and prevents discoloration of the elastomeric trimming due to migration of the dye from the fabric without adversely affecting the adhesion of the trimming to the fabric.

Abstract: This invention involves a pallet for use in automatic stitching machines which insures proper registration of a workpiece with respect to the stitching instruments and maintenance of such registration during machine operation. Basically, the pallet is constructed of two outer plates hinged together to form a sandwich type arrangement having openings therein to allow for access of the stitching instruments to the workpiece. These openings are generally identical and are accurately located with respect to the stitching instruments. In the interior of the pallet means are provided for removably securing the workpiece in accurate registration with the stitching instruments. The access openings may be designed to receive overlay or overlapping portions of a composite workpiece and additional outer or interior plates may be provided to accommodate a wide variety of workpieces.

Abstract: A shoe having a stretchable foot opening bounded by a normally gathered binding having a tunnel extending longitudinally therethrough and attached below the tunnel to and extending substantially around an upper edge of a shoe upper, and a stretched elastic tape free floating in and extending through the tunnel, the tape being stretched and the binding gathered by pulling on ends of the tape to pull out end portions of predetermined lengths after the binding is attached to the upper and the stretch being held by securing the end portions together.