WO1990008487A1

WO1990008487A1 - Last for boots or shoes

Info

Publication number: WO1990008487A1
Application number: PCT/CH1989/000041
Authority: WO
Inventors: Petru Stiop
Original assignee: Petru Stiop
Priority date: 1989-01-30
Filing date: 1989-03-08
Publication date: 1990-08-09
Also published as: CH677065A5

Abstract

A last for boots or shoes comprises a mould (1) consisting essentially of a sealed membrane (3, 4) impermeable to air. The mould (1) constitutes a balloon-like body the shape of which corresponds approximately to the interior of the boot or shoe to be stretched. This body comprises a closable opening (2) for inflating the mould (1) after it has been inserted in the boot or shoe to be stretched. The closable opening (2) is provided on the top of the mould (1) in a depression obtained by special shaping of the membrane (3).

Description

BOOT OR SHOE TENSIONER

The present invention relates to a boot or shoe tree that contains a last element to be inserted into the boot or shoe to be tensioned.

To date, numerous different types have been invented and used in the field of boot and shoe trees. All of them have roughly the same objective, namely a careful preservation of the footwear that is not currently required, while preserving the shape and size. This is particularly useful when it comes to shoes made of very soft materials that are particularly susceptible to undesirable and unsightly deformation and boots with a long shaft, especially in the vicinity of the transition from the foot part to the shaft. But also wearing hard and inextensible footwear, especially under the influence of moisture, is mostly highly undesirable, because this makes it difficult to put on and painful pressure points can arise when walking.

Starting with the simple stuffing of the footwear with paper, wood wool or the like, over the simple tensioner consisting of an elongated leaf spring with two end bodies, over the lasts made of resilient steel sheet or plastic to the sophisticated last constructions made of wood or light metal With mutually movable shaped elements and with clamping devices, the selection of aids and processes is quite large today.

These known stuffing methods and tensioners all have certain disadvantages; either their effectiveness in preventing shrinkage while maintaining their shape is insufficient, or they are very difficult to use and therefore not applicable to long-shaft boots, or they are extremely expensive and prone to failure, often only fit and fit for very specific shapes and sizes a very significant place when not in use. The objectives of the present invention are therefore to provide an effective and reliable boot or shoe tree, which is easy to handle and at the same time simple and inexpensive to manufacture, which takes up little space when not in use and which conforms to the internal shape and the size of the footwear adapts independently within relatively wide limits.

According to the invention, these objectives are achieved in that the last element consists of a closed, airtight membrane forming a cavity. This last, in a sense similar to a balloon, is first brought into the boot or into the shoe and then inflated or inflated to the desired size and the appropriate pressure.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It shows:

Fig. 1, the last element of a pneumatic tensioner for high shaft boots, according to the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is an analog, the shape and size of a shoe correspondingly dimensioned last element.

As already mentioned in the introduction, the last element 1 shown in the drawings essentially consists of a closed, airtight membrane 3, 4, a balloon-like structure which is inflated or inflated to tension the boot after it is not in the is inflated into the boot or shoe.

This strip element 1 preferably consists of vulcanized rubber or a sufficiently elastic plastic. The material used can largely be used to manufacture air tubes for bicycle or car tires used materials to be similar.

In the outer shape and dimensioning, the last element 1 only needs to be roughly adapted to the shape and size of the matching boot. The length of the leg section does not have to match the height of the boot exactly. In practice, a last element according to the present invention will fit all boots of a user; a certain last element will also be used for both the right and the left boot.

The shape of the strip element 1 has a special feature on its upper side. A bead is provided there on the outside, as illustrated by the membrane 3 shown in sections in the longitudinal section. In the inflated state, the ring-shaped bead that forms in the manner of a trough in the upper side of the last element 1 results from the formation.

In this depression, protected by the surrounding bead, there is a closable opening 2 required for inflating the last element 1. In the illustrated exemplary embodiments, the valve of a bicycle or car tire air tube is used as the closure element. The aforementioned depression in the top of the last element 1 is designed to be sufficiently deep so that the pneumatic valve used does not protrude over the bead edge.

The choice of the wall thickness of the membrane used is not particularly critical. It is chosen to be somewhat thinner where the last element 1 is more likely to adapt to the footwear in shape and size; where the boot should be stretched less and in the vicinity of the closable opening 2, it is chosen to be somewhat thicker. In the exemplary embodiments shown, the wall thickness of the membrane 3 in the bead and in the vicinity thereof and in the valve 2 is approximately 3 mm, while rend the membrane 4 is now everywhere about 1 strong now. The choice of the optimal wall thickness must be made taking into account the material properties and the type of footwear.

As far as the airtight connection of the pneumatic valve with the membrane is concerned, a detailed description is not necessary here, since this technique is well known and has proven itself many times in air tubes for tires. It goes without saying that valve elements other than those mentioned here as closable opening 2 can also be used, such as the simple inflatable connections found in air mattresses with a closing pin or the like.

If the boot or shoe tree is to be removed from the footwear again, the air is simply let out of the last element 1 by opening the closable opening 2, after which the last element 1 can be pulled out of the boot or shoe without any effort and without effort . Its space requirement when not in use is extremely small, since it is completely flat in the air-free state and can be rolled up if necessary.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Boot or shoe tree containing a last element (1) to be inserted into the interior of the boot or shoe to be tensioned, characterized in that the

Last element (1) consists essentially of a closed, airtight membrane (3, 4) forming a cavity.

2. boot or shoe tree according to claim 1, characterized ge indicates that the cavity surrounded by the membrane (3, 4) is connected via a closable opening (2) to the outside atmosphere.

3. boot or shoe tree according to claim 2, characterized in that the closable opening (2) is arranged at a freely accessible location on the top of the last element inserted into the boot or shoe (1).

4. boot or shoe tree according to claim 3, characterized ge indicates that the last element (1) has a trough-shaped depression on its upper side, and that the closable opening (2) in the bottom of this trough-shaped depression in the last element (1) is arranged and is surrounded by an annular bulge formed by the membrane (3).

5. boot or shoe tree according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the closable opening (2) is formed by a screwable bicycle valve, the sleeve-shaped base part is firmly connected to the membrane (3).

6. boot or shoe tree according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the wall thickness of the membrane (4) in the area of the foot part and the shaft of the last element (1) is 0.5 mm to 2 mm, and that the membrane C3) in the area of the top of the strip element (1), in which

Bead and in the vicinity of the closable opening (2), 2 mm to 4 mm thick.

7. boot or shoe tree according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the last element (1) forming membrane (3, 4) consists of a flexible and elastic material.

8. boot or shoe tree according to claim 7, characterized- the material is rubber.

9. boot or shoe tree according to claim 7, characterized ge indicates that the material is a plastic.

10. boot or shoe tree according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the last element (1) in size and shape is approximately dimensioned corresponding to the interior of the boot or shoe to be tensioned.