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EP-4736698-A1 - PRODUCTION PROCESS OF A FOOTWEAR WITH ELASTICALLY EXPANDABLE INLET

EP4736698A1EP 4736698 A1EP4736698 A1EP 4736698A1EP-4736698-A1

Abstract

Production process of a brogue-style footwear comprising an upper provided with an inlet for the foot that is suitable for being elastically expanded during the insertion or extraction of the user's foot due to the provision of an elastic fabric insert that is assembled in correspondence of the foot inlet and covered by a leather flap.

Inventors

  • SANTONI, Giuseppe

Assignees

  • Santoni Societa' Per Azioni

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251013

Claims (5)

  1. Production process of a footwear (C) comprising an upper (T) provided with an elastically expandable inlet, wherein said process comprises the following operating steps: A) fabrication of the structural parts of the innovative upper (T) suitable for being mounted on the footwear (C), wherein said parts consist of: - a leather vamp (1) that comprises a toe cap (1a) and a concave antero-superior edge (1b) and is devoid of the typical central tongue; - a leather quarter (2) suitable for being mounted on said vamp (1) during use; wherein said quarter (2) is provided at the anterior end of its symmetrical lateral sections (2a, 2b) with two divergent rounded edges (2a', 2b') suitable for being maintained at a considerable mutual distance and also capable of being exactly joined with said antero-superior edge (1b) of said vamp when said quarter (2) is attached to said vamp (1) to generate a substantially U-shaped window (3) suitable for being arranged on the upper (T) substantially at the height of the instep of the user's foot; - an elastic fabric insert (4) comprising two rounded, symmetrical lateral edges (4a, 4b) joined by a transverse rounded edge (4c), so as to have a U-shaped profile suitable for occupying the window (3) of said upper (T); wherein said insert (4) has a greater surface area than that of said window (3), so that its perimeter edge (4a) extends to a more external position with respect to the perimeter edge of said window (3) during use; - a leather flap (6) with a U-shaped profile compatible with that of the window (3) of the upper (T) that extends between two rounded lateral edges (6a, 6b) joined by a rounded transverse edge (6c); wherein said flap (6) is suitable for being exactly mounted inside said window (3) above said insert (4) during use; B) assembly of said elastic fabric insert (4) on said quarter (2) from the inside of the upper (T), in a position comprised between said symmetrical lateral sections (2a, 2b) of said quarter (2); wherein said assembly is performed by means of two first stitch lines (L1) that are symmetrical to each other and are used to attach the lateral edges (4a, 4b) of said insert (4) to said divergent rounded edges (2a', 2b') of the edges (2a, 2b) of said quarter (2); C) firm coupling of the quarter (2) with the vamp (1) by means of a second stitch line (L2) that is also used to sew the rounded transverse edge (4c) of said insert (4) to the antero-superior edge (1c) of the vamp (1); F) assembly of said leather flap (6) above said elastic fabric insert (4) from the outside of the upper (T); wherein said flap (6) is sewn to said elastic fabric insert (4) by means of a fourth stitch line (L4) made at its lateral edges (6a, 6b) and transverse edge (6c); G) assembly of said upper (T) on a respective sole (S).
  2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said process comprises the following additional steps between step C and step F: A1) provision of a lining (5) suitable for being mounted inside said upper (T), wherein said lining (5) is provided with a cutout (5a) suitable for being exactly aligned with said window (3) of said upper (T) during use; wherein said cutout (5a) is circumscribed by a perimeter edge (5b) that is disposed inside said window (3) during use; D) assembly of said lining (5) inside said upper (T); wherein said assembly provides for making a third stitch line (L3) used to sew the edge (5b) of the cutout (5a) of said lining (5) with said elastic fabric insert (4); E) trimming of said edge (5b) circumscribing the cutout (5a) of the lining (5) for the part that protrudes inside the window (3) of the upper (T), downstream of said third stitch line (L3).
  3. The process according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said flap (6) is provided towards the top with a substantially V-shaped incision (6d).
  4. The process according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said flap (6) comprises a set of laces.
  5. Footwear (C) comprising an upper (T) with an elastically expandable inlet, wherein said footwear (C) is produced according to the process of the preceding claims.

Description

The present invention relates to a production process of a footwear, such as a brogue or derby-style shoe, which is provided with an elastically expandable inlet, as well as to the footwear obtained with such a process. Firstly, it is necessary to describe the traditional characteristics of a brogue or derby-style footwear, with specific reference to the respective upper. The upper comprises: a vamp, which forms the front part of the upper, also including the toe cap;a quarter formed of two symmetrical lateral sections that are joined at the heel area and extend towards the vamp from opposite sides, in such a way that the respective front edges are in closed position at the instep of the foot, substantially defining the opening through which the foot is inserted or removed from the footwear. The front edges of the quarter have respective sets of holes for the laces, which allow the opening to be alternately narrowed or widened. The borders of the vamp surmount said two symmetrical sections of the quarter. It is precisely because of this last feature that a brogue-style footwear differs from a derby-style footwear, since, while featuring a vamp and a quarter, the latter is characterized by the fact that the two symmetrical sections of the quarter surmount the borders of the vamp. The process according to the invention is suitable for being implemented both in the production of a brogue-style footwear and in the production of a derby-style footwear, including a no-lace version. As mentioned, just like a typical derby-style footwear, a typical brogue-style footwear is characterized by the fact that it is a laced shoe, and it is precisely the presence of laces that is currently considered a weak point for two reasons: firstly, the laces need to be tied and untied every time (to wear and take off such a shoe, respectively) and, secondly, it gives the shoe a rather classic look, which may not be in line with the preferences of a young clientele who love an informal style. US1921177A describes a classic shoe with laces. A careful consideration of the prior art led to the conception of the new process according to the invention, the purpose of which is to realize a footwear that is visually similar to a brogue or derby-style shoe, but which has no laces and is instead provided with an elastically expandable inlet for a quick and easy insertion and removal of the foot. In order to give such an elastic capacity to the inlet of the new footwear according to the invention, the shape of the upper has been modified with respect to the prior art, and more precisely, the shape of the quarter provided in said upper. In particular, with respect to the traditional technology, the length of the two symmetrical lateral parts of the quarter has been reduced, so that, rather than being disposed in an extremely close position on the front of the upper - as in the case of the typical laced shoes - the front edges are kept at a considerable distance from each other, so as to generate a central window in the upper, which is essentially disposed at the height of the instep of the user's foot. In order not to obstruct the central window, the traditional tongue associated with the vamp has been eliminated from the vamp, where, according to the prior art, the edges of the quarter provided with holes for the laces are overlapped. The two distant opposite edges of the quarter are joined by an elastic fabric insert mounted at the window. Said insert guarantees the elastic deformability of the inlet of the new footwear when the user's foot is inserted and extracted from the footwear and, more specifically, due to the interference with the user's instep suffered by said insert during the aforementioned operations. The elastic fabric insert forms the base for sewing a conforming piece of leather, known as "flap," which is suitable for exactly occupying the central window of the upper as long as the inlet of the footwear is not subject to the deforming stress imposed by the user's foot. While the flap does not prevent the extension and subsequent recovery of the fibers of the underlying elastic fabric insert, the flap is advantageously capable of concealing said insert during the normal use of the footwear. In fact, such an elastic fabric insert can be seen from the outside of the new footwear in question only when the forced spreading of the inlet occurs and the extension of the fibers of the elastic fabric effectively lifts the flap, temporarily detaching the edges of the flap from the corresponding borders of the window of the upper. The elastic fabric in the very narrow space (of the order of a few millimeters) generated between the borders of the window and the edges of the corresponding flap attached to the elastic fabric insert is in any case visible. Although it has been stated so far that the footwear obtained with the new process in question practically consists in a footwear devoid of laces, nothing prevents the footwear from being p