Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical sector concerning mutual blocking of edges of elements of an item, with specific reference to footwear, clothing and/or furniture items.

Summary of the Invention

An aim of the present invention is to provide a method for mutually blocking edges of elements of an item which enables a good coupling of the edges to be achieved.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a method for mutually blocking the edges of elements of an item which results in an item having optimal characteristics, from both the functional and the aesthetic points of view.

A still further aim of the invention is that it provides a method which apart from satisfying the preceding advantages exhibits technical-functional- aesthetic characteristics of the zone which is blocked.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a method the enactment of which does not require highly-specialised personnel.

These aims are obtained with what is set out in the claims.

Brief description of the Drawings.

The characteristics of the invention are set in the following, with particular reference to the accompanying tables of drawings, in which:

figure 1 illustrates a lateral view of the edges of two elements of an item to be mutually blocked;

figures from 2 to 5, and 5A, illustrate a succession of operating stages for mutually blocking edges of two elements of an item;

figure 6 illustrates an example of an item obtained with the method;

figure 7 is a further example of an item obtained with the method.

Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention. With reference to the figures of the drawings, A denotes an item constituted by two elements 1 , 2, respectively a first and a second element, following mutual blocking of edges thereof.

The method comprises a frontal longitudinal cutting of the edges B1 , B2 of the first and second elements 1 ,2, identifying in each of the edges B1, B2 respectively a first and a second flap 10-20, 11-21.

Following the realising of the flaps, a flap of the first element 1 is brought together with a flap of the second element 2.

In the embodiment illustrated in figures 2-5A, first the external surfaces of the first flaps 10, 20 of the first and second elements 1 , 2 are brought together, and the flaps 10, 20 are then sewn together such that they are blocked along a seam C (figure 2).

Following the blocking, glue M is applied on the opposite surfaces of the first and second flaps 10-20, 11-21 , with gluing also taking place on the heads T of the second flaps 11 , 22.

Alternatively, following the blocking of the first flaps 10, 20, the first flaps 10, 20 are cut or trimmed externally of the seam position, such as to eliminate the excess terminal portion of the first flaps 10, 20 (figure 3), and then the glue M is applied on the opposite surfaces of the first and second flaps 10- 20, 11-21, extending this application to the heads T of the second flaps 11 , 22 (figure 4).

The cutting operation of the first flaps 10, 20 can be done previously to the mutual blocking thereof: the first flaps 10, 20 are cut such as to be shorter than the corresponding second flaps 11 , 21 , and then the external surfaces of the first flaps 10, 20 are brought together and blocked by sewing to make the seam C.

As illustrated in figures 5, 5A, the opposite surfaces of the first and second flaps 10-20, 11-21 are blocked and then the heads T are also blocked, such that the second flaps 11 , 21 of the first and second elements 1 , 2 close off the sewn portion of the first flaps 10, 20 and the seam C and define the item A. In a variant of the embodiment which is not illustrated, the adhesive means M can be applied on the internal surfaces of the first and second flaps 10-11 , 20-21, following cutting thereof.

The adhesive means are then activatable, by heating to a predetermined temperature, following the sewing of the first flaps 10, 20 of the first and second elements 1 , 2, and the bringing-together of the opposite internal surfaces of the first and second flaps 10-20, 11-21 , in order to obtain mutual blocking of the surfaces, as previously described.

In further variants of the proposed method, not illustrated, the application of glue can be omitted on the opposite surfaces of the flaps of the first and second element, as following the mutual blocking of one of the flaps of the first element 1 with one of the flaps of the second element 2, and on bringing the opposite surfaces of the flaps of the first and second elements 1 , 2 together, the coupling can be stabilised by sewing, metal staples or the like. The method for mutually blocking the edges of items as described herein exhibits particularly advantageous technical-functional characteristics.

The realising of a seam C closed between the second flaps 11 , 21 of a first and second element 1 , 2 enables a quality item to be realised; this is due to the fact that the mutual blocking of the elements constituting the item is guaranteed, primarily by the fact that the elements are sewn together and secondly by the fact that the flaps of the elements are further stabilised by the adhesive means provided for finishing the mutual coupling of the edges. In a case in which the mutual coupling of the edges is realised such as to obtain, for example, a shoe (figure 6), the fact that the seam is hidden internally of the second flaps of the items making up the shoe precludes the possibility that when it rains the water can penetrate into the seam zones, as the seam C is protected by the second flaps of the elements and the adhesive means used for finishing the flaps of the elements.

In a case in which the method of the invention is used to realise, as shown in figure 7, articles of clothing, for example jackets or the like, or for realising articles of furniture, for example divans and/or the like, the fact of realising a hidden seam C is advantageous as random rubbing of some sewn portions is avoided, which in extreme cases can cause laceration of the sewing thread and consequently the decoupling of the elements constituting the item, with all the drawbacks that entails.

The proposed method enables items to be realised which not only have the advantageous technical-functional characteristics described but which also enable an item to be realised which has particularly interesting aesthetic characteristics; as illustrated in figure 6, the couplings between the elements of the vamp of a shoe are indicated by a join line G1.

Realising an item using the proposed method does not require highly- specialised personnel, as it can be obtained by a simple succession of operating stages, singly actuable, with relative ease, by an expert in the sector.

The above has been described purely by way of non-limiting example, and any eventual variations of a practical-applicational nature are understood to fall within the ambit of protection as described above and as claimed herein below, for example the mutual blocking of the flaps 10, 20 can be actuated with different means to sewing, for example by use of adhesives (gluing), mechanical means and others besides.