footwear for protecting a wearer's foot includes an upper an upper that defines an opening for receiving a wearer's foot and an outsole attached to the upper, the upper further including a vamp having a proximal and a distal region, an elastic instep guard positioned on an instep portion of the upper to protect a metatarsal region of the foot, the elastic instep guard extending from the distal region to the proximal region of the vamp which is attached to the toe portion of the steel toe. The instep guard has a plurality of hollow passages.
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0. 20. footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
a toe of the footwear;
a vamp of an upper extending from said toe to an instep portion;
a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;
an elastic guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner and including a plurality of hollow passages;
said elastic instep guard is in direct contact with said toe and extends from said toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot; and
wherein said toe is a steel toe.
1. footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
a vamp of an upper extending from a toe portion to an instep portion;
a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;
a steel toe positioned beneath said toe portion;
an elastic guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner and including a plurality of hollow passages; and
said elastic instep guard is in direct contact with said steel toe and extends from said steel toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot.
0. 18. footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
a toe of the footwear;
a vamp of an upper extending from said toe to an instep portion;
a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;
an elastic guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner and including a plurality of hollow passages;
said elastic instep guard is in direct contact with said toe and extends from said toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot; and
wherein at least some of the plurality of passages are defined by a first sheet and support members.
0. 11. footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
a toe of the footwear;
a vamp of an upper extending from said toe to an instep portion;
a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;
an elastic guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner and including a plurality of hollow passages;
said elastic instep guard is in direct contact with said toe and extends from said toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot; and
wherein the instep guard includes:
a first sheet; and
a plurality of support members extending from the first sheet to define the plurality of the hollow passages.
0. 19. footwear for protecting a foot, comprising:
a toe of the footwear;
a vamp of an upper extending from said toe to an instep portion;
a liner positioned beneath said instep portion;
an elastic guard positioned between said instep portion and said liner and including a plurality of hollow passages;
said elastic instep guard is in direct contact with said toe and extends from said toe toward said instep portion for providing continuous protection to the foot; and
wherein the plurality of support members define a first type of elongated passage with a first cross-section shape and a second type of elongated passage with a second cross-section shape.
2. The footwear of
a first sheet; and
a plurality of support members extending from the first sheet to define the plurality of the hollow passages.
3. The footwear of
4. The footwear of
7. The footwear of
8. The footwear of
10. The footwear of
0. 12. The footwear of
0. 13. The footwear of
0. 14. The footwear of
0. 15. The footwear of
0. 16. The footwear of
0. 17. The footwear of
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This is a Reissue patent application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,962 issued Sep. 16, 2003.
This invention relates to footwear, and more particularly to safety footwear.
In harsh and dangerous environments (e.g., construction and lumber operations), workers often wear heavy-duty work shoes or work boots to protect their feet from injury as well to provide comfort and support. Indeed, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set forth regulations for the types of work boots and work shoes to be used by workers in certain occupations including construction and mining.
Work boots and work shoes used in such environments typically have soles and uppers fabricated of heavier and durable materials. In certain environments, additional protective features may be constructed within the work boot or work shoe. For example, where there is a risk of heavy articles being dropped on the wearer's foot, steel toes, metatarsal guards, and puncture-proof covers are typically incorporated into or over the upper. Similarly, in high voltage environments, thicker and higher dielectric materials are used in fabrication of the soles of the work boots and work shoes.
In a general aspect of the invention, an instep guard for use in footwear to protect the metatarsal region of the a foot includes an elastic support having hollow passages, and a shape and size commensurate with the instep section of the footwear.
In another general aspect of the invention, footwear for protecting a foot includes an upper defining an opening for receiving a wearer's foot and an outsole attached to the upper, the upper further including an instep guard positioned at an instep portion and having the features described above.
Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The instep guard includes a sheet and a plurality of support members extending from the sheet to define the hollow passages, which are filled with air. The elastic sheet and the support members define at least some of the hollow passages. The hollow passages are elongated and at least one of the passages has a cross-section that is circular, ovoid, or triangular in shape. The support members may define two different types of hollow passages, one of which has a cross section of a first shape and the other of which has a second cross section shape. The instep guard further includes a second sheet attached to the first sheet by the support members. The instep guard may be formed of a flexible, resilient material such as rubber.
The instep guard is positioned on an underside of the instep portion of the footwear. For example, a liner is positioned beneath the instep portion of the footwear and the instep guard is then positioned on the underside of the instep portion by sewing the liner to the instep portion around the instep guard. The footwear further includes a steel toe positioned on a toe portion of the upper, and the instep guard is attached to the toe portion.
Among other advantages, the instep guard protects the metatarsal region of the foot from blows or forces that could, otherwise, injure the foot. The elastic nature of the instep guard and the air-filled channels make the footwear comfortable to the wearer. The instep guard provides sufficient protection against impacts that a wearer may be subjected to in a harsh environment.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
Referring to
Vamp 18 has an instep portion 26 that covers the metatarsal region of the wearer's foot when the shoe is worn. As will be described below in greater detail, shoe 12 includes an instep guard 40 (
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the air-filled channels may have any shape or configuration so long as they provide the necessary protection to metatarsals. For example, they need not be parallel or elongated. Similarly, the instep guard does not have the same shape as the instep portion of the shoe 12. For example, it could be larger than the instep portion so long as it provides protection to the instep portion. The instep guard may be used with a shoe that does not include a steel toe.
Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
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