Currently, shoes that are available tend to comprise a series of distinct, interconnected components. Even the very simplest of shoes includes a foot-bed, shoe upper components, a sole and a heel, attached by some securing means such as gluing and/or stitching.

A shoe concept comprising a series of interconnected components is disclosed in PCT Patent WO 01/49141. Indeed, the assembly disclosed in that patent's specification comprises a plurality of components, even though they relate to an assembly for only the upper section of a shoe. In terms of materials, and also of construction, this option is evidently a more complicated one than the integral concept of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to solve, or at least to mitigate, the problems and complications associated with the prior art in this field.

According to a first aspect of the invention, iZere is provided a shoe formed from a shoe blank having first and second surfaces, wherein one end of the shoe blank is twisted with respect to the opposite end and the first surface of each end is connected together in face contacting arrangement so as to provide a shoe with a one-sided continuous surface.

Preferably the shoe blank is applied to a shoe former to maintain the shoe in a set up condition. Optionally, the shoe blank is an integral one-piece construction.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a shoe formed from a plurality of distinct interconnected components, to provide a heel, a foot bed section and a front section, each component having first and second surfaces, arranged to provide a shoe with a one sided continuous surface.

Preferably the distinct components are a heel part, a foot part comprising the instep and nose portions, and one or more sole components.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the heel region comprises an open loop. Preferably, the heel region comprises a solid support within the loop. More preferably, the solid support is so constructed and arranged as to fill the cavity of the heel loop.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a shoe comprising a heel section, a foot bed section and a front strap for retaining a user's foot, wherein the heel section is an open loop. In one class of embodiments, the open loop is adapted to flex in a resilient manner to absorb a degree of impact during use.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the heel region further comprises a solid support within said loop.

Preferably, the solid support is so constructed and arranged as to fill the cavity of the said heel loop. More preferably, the solid support is manufactured from a flexible plastics material or foam.

According to an optional feature of any preceding aspect of the invention, the shoe is formed from a shoe blank constructed of a plastics material; leather; rubber; or any combination of the aforesaid materials. Optionally, the plastics material is fibre-reinforced plastics material; a polyurethane; a combination of polyurethanes; foam; or any combination of the aforesaid materials.

According to an optional feature of any preceding aspect of the invention there further comprises a steel shank to improve rigidity of the shoe.

The shoe and/or former, as the case may be, is a solid polyurethane unit. Alternatively, the shoe and/or former is formed from Kevlar or carbon-fibre.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of forming a shoe from a shoe blank comprising a plurality of components including a heel part, a front portion and a sole, wherein the heel part and the front part are first connected to one another and fixed by securing means, this combination of these two components subsequently having finishing means applied thereto, before the addition of the sole, which sole is fixed to the finished combination of the heel part and the front part by securing means.

Preferably the finishing means comprises a leather coverage.

According to an optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the finishinvmeans comprises a flexible coating of plastics material, and a layer of leather, which layer of leather is applied to each of those parts of the resultant shoes which is to come into contact with the user's foot.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method for forming a shoe from a one piece shoe blank having first and second surfaces comprising the steps of (i) twisting a first end of the shoe blank; (ii) folding the first end under a middle part of the blank to form a heel; (iii) folding said first end over the opposed end and into abutment with the opposed end to form a foot bed section; (iv) securing the first surface of said opposed ends in face contacting arrangement to form a shoe with a one-sided continuous face.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a shoe to accommodate a foot, formed from a shoe blank folded into a three-dimensional shape by twisting one end of the said shoe blank through an angle of 180° and attaching said end to the opposite end of the blank in such a way that the resultant three-dimensional shape has only one continuous face.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter. be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of a shoe former 2 used with a shoe blank 10 to form a shoe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the shoe former as shown in FIGURE 1 ; FIGURES 3A to 3J show how a shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention may be folded and constructed from a one-piece integral shoe-blank 10;

FIGURE 4 and FIGURE 5 are respectively a side view of the outside face of a shoe, and a rear perspective three-quarter view of a shoe 20, both according to the first embodiment of the present invention ; FIGURE 6 and FIGURE 7 are respectively a perspective view and a plan view of the shoe shown in FIGURE 4 ; FIGURE 8 is a perspective view from the front of the shoe shown in FIGURE 4; FIGURE 9 is a plan view of such the shoe, viewed from below and showing the sole region of the shoe of FIGURE 4; FIGURE 10 and FIGURE 11 are perspective views of alternative embodiments of the present invention; FIGURE 12 is a cross section of a central section of the shoe formed from the parts shown in FIGURE 13; and.

FIGURE 13 is an exploded view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein a shoe is formed from four parts.

In Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a shoe former 2, used in conjunction with a shoe blank 10, to form a shoe 20. The shoe former can be supplied as a single unit similar to that shown in Figure 2, or a multi-part unit, as illustrated in Figure 1. In Figure 1, the shoe former 2 is formed as a two-part unit with a front part 4 and a rear part 6. The rear part 6 has a foot bed section 7, a heel 8 and a base 9, which are connected to form a loop. The front and rear parts

4 and 6 are secured together by suitable securing means, for example glue or mechanical fixings along overlapping surface (s) 3,5 so as to construct the shoe former shown in Figure 2.

The shoe former 2 is, in this embodiment, made from suitable plastics material, for example nylon resin or polyurethane. Alternatively, it can be manufactured from one or more materials outlined below.

Preferably, the rear part 6 and more preferably, the heel section 8 of the loop is adapted to flex in a resilient manner thereby to allow absorption of the impact with the ground, during use, thereby to improve comfort. Additionally, or alternatively, the foot bed section 7 is constructed to flex between its ends in like manner.

Turning to the construction of the shoe blank, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a shoe blank 10 (Figure 3) preferably comprises a front section 12, a foot- bed portion 14 and a securing portion 16. Each one of these sectors of the shoe blank 10 is clearly shown by Figures 3 and 4 viewed in combination ; Figure 3 shows the different sectors of the blank 10 more clearly whilst Figure 4 shows each of these parts in the assembled shoe 20.

The configuration of the shoe blank 10 comprising these components is illustrated in Figure 3.

The front section 12 is connected to the foot-bed portion 14, which is in turn connected to the securing portion 16. It will be recognised that these'connections'need not be specifically connections of a foldable, hinged or frangible nature. Indeed, according to this preferred embodiment of the present invention, they are not connections between distinct or separate components at all. In this embodiment, the shoe blank 10 is an integral unit comprising these three different component sections 12,14, 16.

One method of construction of a shoe 20 from the one-piece shoe blank 10 shall now be described with reference to Figures 3A to 3J; of course, other methods are envisaged without departing from the scope of invention.

The front section 12 is first folded into a position lower than, but substantially parallel to, the rest of the shoe blank 10. This stage of the process is shown in Figures 3A and 3B.

Subsequently, the securing portion 16 and the rear section of the foot-bed portion 14 are folded under the shoe blank 10 in such a way as to form a looped heel section 18. This folding arrangement is illustrated in Figures 3C to 3H, Figure 3H being the first to show the assembled looped heel section 18. The securing portion 16 is then folded in the direction X, in order that it may be brought into abutment with one side of the front section 12, as is shown in Figure 3I. The securing portion 16 and the remainder of the foot-bed portion 14 are brought over the front section 12 in such a way as to form an instep loop 22 to accommodate the front part of the user's foot. This instep loop 22 is most clearly shown in Figure 6, and in Figures 31 and 3J. In some embodiments, the loop 22 extends forward to cover the front of the shoe, thereby to provide an enclosed portion.

It is during this last stage of the process that the twist takes place to form a strip, which gives a three-dimensional shape that has a single, continuous face (or surface). This shape is most clearly represented in Figures 3J, 7 and 9. Further to the technical advantages of such a configuration, the appearance of this shape is a distinctive and important aesthetic aspect of the present invention.

The application of securing means, for example adhesive or other mechanical fixing, to secure the securing portion 16 to the underside of the front section 12, completes the construction of the shoe 20 from the shoe blank 10, as according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The appearance of the underside or sole portion of the resulting shoe 20 is illustrated in Figure 9.

The formation of the continuous face shown in Figure 3 is carried out by moulds and conventional equipment so that it can be constructed by hand or automated machinery.

In one class of embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the shoe former 2 is used in conjunction with the blank 10 to facilitate construction of the shoe. The forming process is identical or substantially similar to that outlined above with reference to Figure 3, but the formation of the loop 18 is assisted by wrapping the rear section of the foot bed portion 14 around the heel and base 8, 9 of the shoe former 2. In one class of embodiments, the foot bed portion 14 is secured to one or more faces of sections 7,8 and/or 9 of the shoe former. In some embodiments, the front portion 12 is secured to the front section 4 of the former.

To complete construction of the shoe, the securing portion 16 is secured to the front portion 12 of the blank, which in turn is secured to the front section 4. Alternatively, the securing portion 16 is secured to the underside of the former 2 to form a multi-ply structure, with the front section 4 of the former 2 intermediate the opposite ends 12,16 of the blank 10, and secured thereto.

The aforementioned embodiment of shoe 20 is also illustrated in Figures 6,7, 8 and 9 in which the front portion 12, the foot bed portion 14, the heel portion 18 and instep loop 22 are illustrated.

One advantage of the present invention is that it provides a further benefit to the manufacturer and/or designer in its versatility. It is versatile in that it may further be varied to produce shoes 20 of varying heights, styles and configurations. Indeed, to produce a different shoe 20 all that needs to be changed is the shape or length of the original shoe-blank 10 and/or former 2 from which the shoe 20 may be formed.

A further advantage to the integral one-piece assembly is in its durability. By reducing the number of the joins between separate components that characterise the prior art in this field, the potential for breakages at such joins is reduced It is envisaged that further embodiments of the present invention, including heel sections 118, 218, of different heights, may be constructed by a similar method. These second and third embodiments of the shoe 120,220, both retain the same reference numerals as the preferred embodiment hereinbefore described, but each numeral is preceded by a prefix number of'1' for the second embodiment,'2'for the third, and are illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 respectively.

In each of the aforementioned embodiments, there is shown a shoe comprising a heel section, a foot bed section and a front strap for retaining a user's foot. The heel section is an open loop 19 (Figures 4 and 6), which, in some embodiments, can be adapted to flex in a resilient manner to thereby to absorb a degree of impact during use.

Optionally, the loop is provided with an internal support, which fills, at least in part the cavity between the base and foot bed portion 14. The support is manufactured from suitable plastics material and can be fitted after the shoe has been formed or is formed integrally with the shoe

former 2. In those embodiments with a loop that flexes, the support is provided by a flexible plastics material or a foam based composition.

Alternative methods of construction are envisaged, for example in a fourth embodiment of the present invention, represented in Figures 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings, a shoe may be constructed from a plurality of components.

Preferably, there are four individual interconnected components are employed which means that, the relative simplicity of construction is retained and the advantages hereinbefore described still apply.

A degree of durability is retained by the shoe 350, due to the use of a small number of components. The versatility of the design is equal or greater; a modification needs only to be made to one component of the shoe 350 to produce a shoe 350 with a different configuration.

In this fourth embodiment of Figure 12, a shoe 350 preferably comprises a heel part 354, an instep-and-nose part 352, a first sole component 356 and a second sole component 358. The way in which the shoe 350 is configured by the connection of these four individual components is shown in Figure 13 of the accompanying drawings.

Optionally, the heel part 354 is constructed of injection-moulded hard fibre reinforced plastics material. Preferably, the instep-and-nose part 352 is constructed either of soft polyurethane, or of a combination of leather and foam. The first sole component 356 and the second sole component 358 are preferably constructed of rubber or of leather.

In one class of preferred embodiment the shoe is moulded from a solid polyurethane unit with a steel shank in the mould to keep the heel loop solid and to improve rigidity of the shoe.

In carrying out the manufacture of the shoe 350 as according to this fourth embodiment of the present invention, the heel part 354 is first connected by securing means, for example adhesive, to the instep-and-nose part 352. Before adding either the first sole component 356 or the second sole component 358, the combination of the heel part 354 and the instep-and- nose part 352 is finished with a suitable layer for example a fully leather coverage or a flexible coating of plastics material. If the flexible coating of plastics material is applied, then a leather slab will need to be applied to both the foot bed and the inside surface of the instep band-loop 360.

To complete the formation of a shoe 350, the first sole component 356 and the second sole component 358 are added to the part assembled shoe and secured by suitable securing means, such as adhesive, to the finished combination of the heel part 354 and the instep-and-nose part 352. In assembling such a shoe, the components 352,354 and 356 are interconnected in such a way as shown in Figure 12. Thus a shoe is formed which has an appearance substantially the same as a shoe constructed as according to any preceding embodiment of the present invention, as described hereinbefore.

It is further envisaged that the shoe, shoe blank and/or shoe former, formed as according to any one of the embodiments hereinbefore described, may be constructed from leather; rubber; plastics material such as fibre-reinforced plastics material; a polyurethane or combination of polyurethanes ; foam; or any combination of these materials. Other suitable materials for the shoe and/or shoe former include Kevlar, nylon, carbon-fibre, wood or a suitably rigid metal.

It will be understood that terms of orientation or function used to identify different components of the present invention such as"front","rear","foot-bed portion"and the like, do not limit their relevant components to these orientations or functions. Indeed, they serve simply to identify such components from one another. It is envisaged that the invention can be applied to a variety of footwear and is not limited to those of the type hereinabove described. Further or alternatively, the footwear may be adapted without departing from the scope of the invention.