FOR MANUFACTURING A SLIPPER

Cross-Reference to Related Application

The present application is an International Patent Application claiming the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/117,257, filed February 17, 2015 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an insole, a slipper and a method for manufacturing slipper.

Background

The footwear industry is an old and crowded art. The industry is constantly attempting to design new products with aesthetic appeal, as well as being comfortable and having ease of construction.

Various designs of slippers have been available for a number of years. See U.S. Patent No. 5,392,532 {Bray, Jr. et al.) and U.S. Patent No. 6,226,894 (Bray, Jr. et al ). In general, slippers are a type of footwear having a generally soft construction and are generally washable in a conventional clothes washing machine. Slippers are typically not manufactured using a last, which is often a necessary device when manufacturing a shoe, including a hard sole and a leather upper.

Slipper insoles are manufactured according to a variety of methods. Typically, insoles can be cut from a fabric and placed or glued over a foam layer. In such cases, to foam layer is typically pre-cut to fit the slipper into which it is inserted prior to be joined to the fabric covering. In some cases, insoles can be made from a molded foam (e.g., a foam-type ethyl vinyl acetate, or EVA), with an optional fabric layer attached to a top surface of that molded foam. Such insoles are typically compression molded from a relatively low-density foam having substantial thickness, resulting in a foam of relatively higher density and reduced thickness. The molded foam can receive a mold pattern which applies a textured pattern to a top surface, such that the resulting insole can include areas of relatively higher and lower density.

In traditional insole manufacturing processes, the insole is typically molded individually to fit into a slipper into which it is intended, or molded after being pre-cut to a desired size. In other words, different slipper sizes are typically required to have a different insole size, which is cut before the molding process. This adds complexity and requires higher manufacturing costs. Furthermore, such insoles are typically simply inserted into a slipper after they are molded, and are not removable.

Summary

An insole, a slipper and a method for manufacturing a slipper are disclosed. In general, the slipper includes a molded insole that includes a fabric top layer molded onto a foam cushioning layer that is cut to an intended size after a molding process forms the insole.

In one example aspect, a slipper includes an outsole, an upper, and an insole cut from a compression molded sheet to a size that fits within a pocket formed by the outsole. The insole includes a fabric layer and a foam layer comprising an ethyl vinyl acetate foam, the insole including a molded pattern including at least one higher density foam area and at least one lower density foam area to produce an insole cushioning pattern.

In a second example aspect, an insole includes a fabric layer and a foam layer formed from an ethyl vinyl acetate foam. The insole is cut from a compression molded sheet to a size that fits within a pocket formed by an outsole of a slipper, the insole including a molded pattern including at least one higher density foam area and at least one lower density foam area to produce an insole cushioning pattern.

In a third example aspect, a method for manufacturing a slipper that includes an upper attached to an outsole includes providing the upper comprising an outsole attachment area and a foot covering area. The method further includes stitching a sock to the upper along the outsole attachment area of the upper, and attaching the outsole attachment area of the upper to the outsole to provide an insole receiving area between the outsole and the foot covering area, the insole receiving area corresponding to a location of the sock. The method also includes compression molding a sheet comprising a fabric layer having a first fabric side and a second fabric side and a foam layer having a first foam side and a second foam side, wherein the second fabric side is attached to the first foam side, to form a pattern including at least one higher density foam area and at least one lower density foam area. The method includes cutting an insole from the sheet, the insole comprising a higher density foam area and a lower density foam area, and affixing the insole to the sock within the insole receiving area using an adhesive.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a slipper construction according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a side view of the slipper construction of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a lengthwise side cross-sectional view of the slipper construction of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a schematic view of compression molding a sheet to form an insole useable in the slipper construction of Figure 1.

Detailed Description

Referring to Figures 1-4, a slipper according to the present disclosure is shown at reference numeral 10. The slipper 10 includes an outsole 12, an upper 14, and an insole 16. The slipper 10 can be characterized as having a generally soft construction while providing support for a wearer's foot.

In the embodiment shown, the outsole 12 has a top surface 20 and a bottom surface 22. The top surface 20 includes a perimeter wall 24 extending upward from a footbed 26. In the embodiment shown, the bottom surface 22 has a tread pattern molded thereon. In alternative embodiments, the bottom surface 22 may be smooth or textured, for example to provide traction for a wearer. An outer side surface 28 of the outsole 12 extends along a perimeter of the outsole and upward from the bottom surface 22. The perimeter wall 24 extending upward from the footbed 26 is located opposed to an upper portion of the outer side surface 28. The perimeter wall 24 and top surface 20 form a receiving tray 25, which receives cushioning, the insole 16, and at least an outsole attachment area 36 of the upper 14. In example embodiments, the outsole 12 can be constructed from a thermoplastic rubber; in alternative embodiments, other materials could be used as well.

The upper 14 is generally a soft fabric or other material designed to conform to a wearer's foot. The upper 14 can take any of a variety of forms. In the example embodiment shown in Figs. 1-3, the upper 14 has a cloth or wool construction and a clog style" appearance. In the embodiment shown, the upper 14 has a woolen appearance. The upper 14 includes an opening 30 sized to receive a wearer's foot and exposing the insole 16, as well as a vamp 31. The upper 14 further includes a perimeter portion 32 around the opening 30, generally located at a topline of the slipper. The perimeter portion 32 can include a decorative feature 33, such as a woolen or clipped fur or shearling appearance wrapped around a foam collar.

The vamp 31 can be, in various embodiments, of a closed toe or open toe design. In the example shown, the vamp 31 is a closed toe design. In the example shown, the upper 14 also has an open-back construction, having a closed toe construction and an open or lowered heel portion, allowing a user to easily put on or take off the slipper. However, in alternative constructions, the upper 14 can have a closed-back construction or a partially open-back construction, in which a heel portion of the upper is present and at a predetermined height, allowing a wearer's foot to be more easily retained within the slipper.

In the embodiment shown, the upper 14 is stitched to the outsole 12 along a perimeter portion, referred to herein as an outsole attachment area 36, via a side stitch 15. In the embodiment shown, because the upper 14 has a closed-toe construction, the upper is affixed to the outsole 12 along substantially the entire perimeter of the outsole, approaching or contacting the top surface 20 and within the perimeter wall 24. The upper 14 is also stitched to a sock 34 along the outsole attachment area 36. The sock 34 is a fabric layer that, when stitched to the upper 12, forms an insole receiving area 38. In arrangements in which the upper has a closed toe and closed back construction, the sock 34 is stitched to the upper 14 along the entire perimeter of the insole. In alternative embodiments, the sock 34 is stitched to the upper at portions of the upper that are intended to also be attached to the outsole. The stitching forms a flange portion 42 that represents a portion of the insole 16 and the upper 14 that are joined together along at least a perimeter of the insole 16. In still further embodiments, the upper 14 and sock 34 can be adhered to the outsole via an adhesive.

Referring to Fig. 3, the insole 16 is formed from a fabric layer 40 compression molded to a foam layer 42. The insole 16 generally includes a top pattern 44 including one or more areas of higher density foam 46 (e.g., where the compression molding results in greater compression, or a relatively thinner foam) and one or more areas of lower density foam 47 (e.g., where the compression molding results in lower compression, or a relatively thicker foam). In the embodiment shown, a wave pattern 50 is molded onto the insole 16; however, in alternative embodiments, other patterns could be applied as well.

In constructing the insole 16, it is noted that the compression molding of the insole 16 occurs generally by compression molding a fabric sheet 17 and a foam sheet 18, as seen in Fig. 4. The fabric sheet 17 has a top side and a bottom side, with a bottom side placed on a top side of the foam sheet 18, and laminated thereto prior to compression molding. The foam sheet 18 and fabric sheet 17 can then be compression molded to form a sheet including a top pattern analogous to top pattern 44, including areas of higher density foam 46 and areas of lower density foam 47.

The foam sheet 18 can be prepared from any foam material that exhibits the desired level of support and resiliency that is appropriate for use as an insole. An exemplary foam material that can be used includes ethylene vinyl acetate. A particular form of ethylene vinyl acetate that can be used is sponge ethylene vinyl acetate. The density of the foam layer should be sufficient to provide the desired level of support to a wearer's foot. If the foam density is too low, it is expected that insufficient support will be provided. If the foam density is too high, it is expected that the foam will be too rigid. A desirable foam density range can be between about 4 lb/ft ² and about 10 lb/ft ² . Other foam densities can be used as well.

After compression molding, a resulting molded sheet 19 can be cut such that a plurality of insoles may be formed from a single sheet in desired sizes to fit within the receiving tray 25. In example embodiments, two or more insoles may be cut from a sheet in a desired size. In this way, the manufacturing of insoles can be simplified, since different sized insoles need not be molded; rather, a single insole sheet can be compression molded, and the desired sizes of insoles can be cut from such a sheet (two of the same size, or various insoles of different sizes, as shown in the outlines of Fig. 4).

After the insole 16 is cut to a desired size, the insole 16 is inserted into the insole receiving area 38 and affixed to the sock 34, for example by an adhesive. This prevents the insole 16 from being removed from the slipper 10.

Referring back to Fig. 3, in some embodiments, a further foam layer 52 can be placed on the receiving tray 25 prior to attaching the upper 14 and sock 34 to the outsole 12. The foam layer 46 is positioned below the insole 16 and sock 34, and provides additional cushioning to a wearer of the slipper 10. In some additional embodiments, a third foam layer 54 can be placed on the receiving tray 25 below the foam layer 52, and located in a heel region of the slipper. The third foam layer 54 provides additional cushioning in the heel region, and raises a heel portion of the insole 16 relative to a toe portion of the insole. The foam layers 52, 54 can be made from a sponge ethylene vinyl acetate as well, but which is either not compression molded or molded such that it has a lower density than the insole 16.

In addition to the foam layers 52, 54, a shoe board layer 56 can be placed on the receiving tray 25 prior to attaching the upper 14 and sock 34 to the outsole 12. The shoe board layer 56 provides additional rigidity to the slipper to prevent deformation of the slipper. In the embodiment shown in which the shoe board layer 56 is included with the foam layers 52, 54, the foam layers 52, 54 are placed above the shoe board layer 56, such that the shoe board layer 56 is adjacent to the top surface 20 of the outsole 12, while the foam layers 52, 54 are positioned between the shoe board layer 56 and the sock 34, below the insole 16.

Additionally, in embodiments in which the receiving tray 25 may include gaps or ridges in the top surface 20 (e.g., ridged openings 57, which provide a raised heel without requiring solid-molded TPR in the heel area), the shoe board layer 56 may be included to prevent the foam layers 52, 54, or sock 34 to be depressed into such recesses, exposing a wearer's foot to a ridged- feeling surface and resulting discomfort. In embodiments where the top surface 20 of the outsole 12 is either flat or contoured to a shape of an intended wearer's foot, the shoe board layer 56 may be excluded entirely.

Although in the embodiment shown a clog-style slipper is shown, it is recognized that in alternative embodiments, other constructions of slippers could be used as well. For example, an A-line, ballet, moccasin, or other type of slipper style could be used in connection with the construction methodology and resulting slipper and insole described here.

The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.