TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to footwear and, more particularly, to the manufacture of rubber boots.

BACKGROUND

Rubber boots, such as neoprene knee boots, are known as affordable waterproof footwear. They are usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect the wearer from heavy showers. Rubber boots are soft and stretchable and can, thus, bend easily along the knees making them suitable for a wide variety of applications from gardening to fire fighting.

However, conventional rubber boots are not ideal for extensive use because the feet cannot breathe which can lead to discomfort. Also, achieving a tight fit with conventional rubber boots is difficult because the boot must have an opening large enough to permit insertion of the foot. Accordingly, the foot is somewhat loosely received in the boot. As a result, the foot is not well restrained against relative movement inside the boot while walking. This results in discomfort when used over a long period of time.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a general aspect of the present application, there is provided a method of manufacturing a rubber boot comprising: providing a shoe having a foot portion with a bottom end and a top open end for receiving a wearer's foot; providing an outer rubber boot shell having a foot portion and an upper; fitting the shoe into the foot portion of the outer rubber boot shell, the shoe and the outer rubber boot shell forming a shoe/rubber boot assembly; and separately affixing an outsole to the shoe/rubber boot assembly.

In accordance with a further aspect, there is provided a boot assembly comprising: a lace-up or slip-on shoe having a foot portion with a bottom end and a top open end for receiving a wearer's foot, the bottom end including a sole; a rubber shell having a foot portion and an upper, the shoe being accommodated within the foot portion of the rubber shell, the upper of the rubber shell projecting upwardly beyond the top open end of the shoe to surround a wearer's leg, the lace-up or slip-on shoe and the rubber shell forming a shoe/boot shell assembly; a lining sleeve attached to the top open end of the foot portion of the lace-up or slip-on shoe and extending upwardly therefrom, the lining sleeve underlying the upper of the rubber shell and being separately attached thereto, the lining sleeve being at least partly made of a breathable fabric; and an outsole separately affixed to the shoe/boot shell assembly underneath the sole of the shoe.

In accordance with a further aspect, there is provided a rubber boot assembly comprising an outer rubber shell having an upper extending upwardly from a foot portion having a sole-less open bottom, a shoe mounted in the foot portion of the outer rubber shell, the shoe having a sole closing said sole-less open bottom of the foot portion of the outer rubber shell, the outer rubber shell and the shoe forming a shoe/rubber boot assembly, and an outsole separately affixed to shoe/rubber boot assembly underneath the sole of the shoe.

In accordance with a still further aspect, there is provided a boot assembly comprising a conventional shoe having a substantially flat sole, a liner attached to the shoe and extending upwardly from a top open end thereof, a sole-less outer rubber shell having an open bottom for receiving the conventional shoe, the sole-less outer rubber shell being fitted over the conventional shoe and secured thereto to form a shoe/rubber shell assembly with the liner overlying an inner surface of an upper portion of the outer rubber shell, and an outsole separately affixed to the shoe/rubber shell assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic exploded cross-sectional side view of a rubber boot comprising a sole-less rubber shell, a conventional lace-up shoe with a lining sleeve extending upwardly therefrom, and an outsole; and Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the rubber boot illustrating the sole-less rubber shell fitted over the lace-up shoe and with the outsole separately affixed to the shoe/rubber boot shell assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 is an exploded view a rubber boot 10. The boot 10 generally comprises a conventional shoe 1 , an outer rubber boot shell 2 adapted to be installed over the shoe 1 , an outsole 3 adapted to be affixed to the shoe/rubber boot shell assembly, and a lining sleeve 4 made of a breathable fabric. The shoe 1 provides a better support with a snug fit all around the wearer's foot as compared to conventional rubber boot constructions. The lining sleeve 4 also contributes to provide additional comfort to the wearer by allowing the foot to breathe.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the shoe 1 may be of conventional construction and may include lacing system 6 to keep the shoe 1 and, thus, the boot 10 fitted properly and snugly around the wearer's foot. Alternatively, the shoe 1 could take the form of a slip-on shoe. In fact a wide variety of shoes could be used to support the feet inside the boot with a substantially all-over snug fit. The shoe can be made of leather or any other materials suitable for use in the shoe manufacturing industry.

The lace-up shoe 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has a foot portion with a bottom end and a top open end for receiving a wearer's foot. The bottom end may be provided with flat sole 7. The sole 7 extends outwardly of the foot portion to provide a peripheral ridge 8 all around the bottom end of the shoe 1.

As shown in Fig. 1, the sleeve lining 4 is attached to the top open end of the foot portion of the shoe 1. The sleeve lining 4 extends upwardly from the shoe 1 to form a tubular leg section on the inside of the boot 10. The sleeve lining 4 may be made of plurality of fabric layers and is sized to extend up to the upper margin at the mouth of the outer rubber boot shell 2 (see Fig. 2). A wide variety of breathable or air- pervious materials could be used in the fabrication of the sleeve lining 4. For instance, the sleeve lining 4 could be made of felt. One role of the lining may be to conduct humidity away from the wearer's foot. The rubber shell 2 has a foot portion 9 and an upper 11. As shown in Fig. 1, the foot portion of the rubber shell 2 may have a sole-less open bottom 12 for allowing the rubber shell 2 to be fitted over the shoe 1. The sole-less open bottom 12 has a peripheral groove 14 defined in an inner surface thereof for receiving the peripheral ridge 8 formed by the sole 7 of the shoe 1 (see Fig. 2). Eyelets 16 may be provided at the upper end of the upper 1 1 for receiving the laces 6 of the shoe 1. Padding material, such as the cushion or padding block 5 in Fig. 1, may be provided on the inside of the upper 11 of the rubber shell 2 to provide additional comfort to the wearer. In Fig. 1 , the padding is provided in a front transitional area between the foot portion 9 and upper 1 1 of the rubber shell 2. One-way vents or at least one humidity evacuation window (not shown) could be integrated in the rubber shell 2 to help evacuating humidity from the sleeve lining 4 and, thus, from the wearer's feet. The evacuation window could be provided in the form of opening defined in the rubber shell and covered with a breathable/waterproof material which is impermeable to liquids. An example of a suitable material could be GORE-TEX®. The opening can be cut or molded directly into the rubber shell. The window may be disposed in the ankle area of the shell.

The outsole 3 may be provided in the form of a convention rubber sole and is sized and configured to be mounted underneath the sole 7 of the shoe 1. The outsole may be provided with a heel counter or not.

The outer rubber boot shell 2 and the shoe 1 are separately fabricated using any suitable techniques. Then, the sleeve lining 4 is attached to the shoe 1. For instance, the sleeve lining 4 may be sewn to the top open end of the shoe 1. The shoe 1 and the sleeve lining 4 are then inserted in the outer rubber boot shell 2 through the sole-less open bottom 12 thereof. The upper end of the sleeve lining 4 is attached to the upper end of the rubber shell 2 such as by stitching. An adhesive such as glue may be applied in the bottom inner groove 14 of rubber shell 2 to adhesively secure the rubber shell to the peripheral ridge 8 of the sole 7 of the shoe 1. It is however, understood that other suitable securing methods could be used to attach the rubber shell 2 to the shoe 1. The assembly of the rubber boot 10 is completed by affixing the outsole 3 to the shoe/rubber boot shell assembly formed by the sole 1 and the rubber shell 2. The outsole 3 may be glued or otherwise secured to the undersurface of the flat sole 7 of the shoe 1.

The integration of conventional shoe in the construction of a rubber boot provides better support as compared to conventional rubber boots while still retaining the advantages offered by the latter. Furthermore, the lining 4 attached to the shoe 1 permits to better evacuate the humidity while retaining the waterproof properties of a conventional rubber boot.

It will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the Claims. For instance, the rubber shell could be provided with a closed bottom end and the shoe 1 could be inserted therein via the top open end of the rubber shell.