Footwear

This invention relates to footwear, and especially footwear for sports use.

An existing type of sports footwear comprises a sole structure, a welted upper extending continuously around and attached to the sole structure and so shaped as to form a foot-receiving opening which includes a longitudinal slot extending forwardly and downwardly over the instep of the foot, a tongue on the upper extending under the slot to close same, and fastening means in the form of a lace or cord threaded through perforations in the upper at opposite sides of the slot.

The aforesaid type of footwear is usually heavy and hot in wear, but has important advantages for golfers or other sportsmen, as the upper gives very good support to the foot. Hitherto it has been considered unavoidable that such footwear should lack the high degree of comfort of leisure or casual footwear.

I have found that it is possible to provide footwear which combines a high degree of comfort with the practical advantages of the aforesaid prior art footwear. Thus, I provide footwear comprising a sole structure, an upper extending continuously around and connected to the sole structure and shaped to form a foot-receiving opening which with the foot inserted leaves a portion of the instep of the foot exposed to enable ventilation of the foot, and fastening means attached to opposite sides of the sole structure and extendible over the instep of the foot to secure the sole structure and the upper to the foot.

Preferably the upper has a continuous lower periphery connected to the periphery of the sole structure whereby the foot-supporting capability of the upper is in the order of that of a welted shoe.

Preferably also the upper is shaped to form a foot-receiving opening which with the foot inserted forms a longitudinal ventilating slot extending forwardly and downwardly over the instep of the foot. As the upper is no longer held constricted around the foot by a lace, it can accommodate itself to the movement of the foot while simultaneously supporting the foot.

In sum, by dispensing with the usual tongue and lace and connecting the fastening means directly to the sole structure, the upper is free to accommodate to the foot and presents a foot-ventilating opening at the instep so that the comfort of the footwear is considerably enhanced without adversely affecting its essential foot-supporting capability.

Preferably also foot-ventilating through openings are provided in the material of the upper. Since the weight of the sole structure is not now carried by the upper, it is possible to weaken the upper with ventilating openings at selected positions and thereby improve comfort without reducing essential foot support.

Preferably also the footwear is welted and the fastener is a strap-and-buckle fastener. With this arrangement highly efficient production of the footwear is possible as the strap portions of the strap-and-buckle fastener can be quickly and easily anchored to the sole structure by sandwiching the strap portions between the welt and the upper so that the same row of stitching which interconnects the welt, the upper and the insole also penetrates the strap portions to secure same.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a welted golf shoe of leather.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view in the direction of the arrow IV in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view on the line V--V of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view on the line VI--VI of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings:

A welted golf shoe of leather comprises a sole structure 1, an upper 2 connected to the sole structure, and a strap-and-buckle fastener 3 connected to the sole structure. The upper 2 is in the form of a continuous peripheral wall connected at its lower end to the sole structure 1 and composed of a front part A to extend over the front of the foot, a mid part B to extend over substantially the entire length of the instep and a rear part C to extend around the heel. The wall is formed of a single piece of material having upright edges thereof joined by a seam 4 at the heel, and the rear and mid parts C and B thereof form a top opening 5 enabling insertion of the foot. The top edge of the wall is continuous, defining the elongate, generally elliptical top opening 5, while the bottom has thereon an integral continuous extension connected throughout its entire length to the sole structure. The wall embodies toe and heel stiffeners 6 and 7. The sole structure consists of an insole 8, an outsole 9, a metal plate 10 between insole and outsole at the front of the structure and anchored on the insole by prongs 11, a stiffening plate 12 between insole and outsole at the rear of the structure, a welt 13 secured by stitching 14 to the outsole, and anti-slip devices including studs 15 on the outsole and screw-threaded stems 16 extending through the outsole and engaging in tapped openings in the plate 10. Horizontal stitching 17 penetrates the welt 13, the upper 2 and a peripheral ridge 18 on the insole 8 to secure the bottom of the upper to the sole structure.

The opposed side stretches of the peripheral edge of the top opening have wide-angled inverted-V profiles so that mid part B has a pair of laterally opposed top V portions or flaps 19 which define the front stretch of the top opening 5 and which, on being folded on to the instep of the foot, form between them a foot-ventilating slot or elongate notch 20 extending forwards and downwards along the instep, the usual tongue and lace being omitted.

The upper has formed therethrough a pair of laterally opposed foot-ventilating openings 21 and 22 which extend downwards to the insole 8 and longitudinally into the mid and rear parts B and C to provide a pair of laterally spaced top straps 23 and 24 engageable with the instep and the rear of the foot. A segmental opening 25 in the front part A of the upper substantially centrally thereof provides additional ventilation for the foot. Also the front part A of the upper has therein side-by-side series of transverse through-slits 26 which provide ventilation and also increase the flexibility of the part.

The zones of the upper containing the stiffeners 6 and 7 are imperforate to maintain the strength of the upper at these zones and thereby ensure optimal support for the foot despite the weakening of the upper caused by the ventilating openings.

The fastener 3 is in two laterally opposed parts, one consisting of a broad strap 27 with an integral apertured tongue 28 thereon and the other consisting of a strap 29 on which is a buckle 30 to receive the tongue 28, and a broad strap 31 for engagement by the strap 29 and for overlap by the strap 27 so that when the shoe is fastened the broad, overlapping straps 27 and 31 are interconnected to form a broad U-band tightened around the mid part B of the upper and thereby securing the flaps 19 and supporting substantially the entire instep portion of the foot. The broad straps 27 and 31 slope longitudinally forwards and upwards from the sole structure so that in the flap-securing position the strap tops slope widthwise substantially in conformity with the slope of the instep. A ventilating opening 32 in the strap 27 coincides with the slot 20 in the upper when the shoe is fastened, so that ventilation of the foot is assisted. Moreover, as shown the strap 27 leaves open a lower end portion of the slot 20 to further assist ventilation of the foot.

The lower ends of the straps are sandwiched between the welt 13 and the upper 2, and the stitching 17 penetrates the straps to anchor same between the welt and the upper.

It is found that the shoe in wear gives the firm foot-support required by golfers, and at the same time the degree of comfort is comparable to that experienced with a well-ventilated soft shoe or sandal. The foot does not move in the shoe under the pressures created during play, and walking is more pleasurable as there is a considerable reduction in the weight of the shoe and there is no overheating of the foot.

Modifications may be made. Thus, the upper may be of a lightweight air-pervious material instead of leather, in which event the ventilating openings in the material of the upper may be omitted.