GB2107169A

GB2107169A - Bootshaper

Info

Publication number: GB2107169A
Application number: GB08129753A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rex Sly
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-10-02
Filing date: 1981-10-02
Publication date: 1983-04-27
Also published as: GB2107169B

Abstract

A bootshaper for treating crease or stretch marks in legged boots, comprises an inflatable sock which is inflatable through an air inlet means and is deflatable through an air pressure relief means so that the sock can be pulled from a boot after use by a handle means, and includes an internal tie band which is pneumatically sealed across the ankle region to restrict swelling of the ankle of the shaper the tie band being attached to internal folds of the ankle region wall of the shaper.

Description

SPECIFICATION Bootshaper Field of Invention This invention relates to bootshapers and particularly inflatable bootshapers of the type described in my co-pending Application 8040053.

Background to the invention Inflatable bootshapers have been proposed to obviate the need to use the more conventional type of bootshaper which occupies a large volume, even when not in use.

ssritish Patent Specification 472881 describes a bootshaper for riding boots and the present invention is directed to improvements in the bootshaper described in my earlier Application 8040053 to ailow it to be more conveniently used with leather riding boots and the like.

I have discovered (in common with the Applicant for British Patent 472881) that when an inflatable bootshaper is used in a strong-walled boos, such as a leather riding boot, the pressure required to inflate the shaper and to stretch the boot sufficiently to remove crease marks etc, tends to cause a swelling of the boot in the region of the ankle. This arises from the fact that the material in the region of the ankle, if not initiaily weaker Than the reniaindr;r of the leather forming the bot. certainly becomes more supple and more a'eformable after use.

Cleariy is is disadvantageous if a bootshaper distorts the boot and to this end I propose incorporating within the bootshaper of the design shown in my Application 8040053, a tie band which will prevent the walls of the inflatable shaper diverging by more than the length of the tie band when the shaper is inflated. In particular it is only necessary to provide for this stretch limitation in the region of the ankle section of the boot althcugh there is no reason why the tie band should not extend over some ur all of the remainder of the length of the inflatable sock forming the shaper.

Hitherto such tie bands have extended through the walls of the bootshaper and have been bonded by welding or glueing or otherwise to the outside wall of the bootshaper. Although this method of securing ehe tie band apparently proved successful when the inflatable sock was formed from rubber, it has been found that this method of securing a tie band internally when using modern plastics materials is not satisfactory. The apertures in the walls of the sock through which the ends of the tie bands pass before they are secured externally of the sock have to be sealed to the tie band material to prevent the loss of air pressure from within the sock when inflated and it has proved very difficult and expensive to guarantee an airtight bond between the material of the tie band and the wall of the sock.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of securing a tie band within an inflatable sock bootshaper.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention, in an inflatable bootshaper comprising a closed sock of plastics material having valve means at the upper end through which air can be pumped into the sock to expand the latter and thereby expand a boot into which the sock has been inserted, a tie band is located in the region of the ankle section of the sock stretching between opposite sides of the wall of the sock so as to restrict the expansion of the sock in the region of the ankle thereof and thereby prevent excess stretching of the wall of the boot wherein the tie band is secured totally within the sock to a pair of darts formed in the sock wall by folding the wall material inwardly and heat-sealing the folded in material to form the said darts.It will be seen that by using this form of construction, the wall material of the sock need not be apertured and airtightness is maintained.

Conveniently the internal tie band is itself thermally bonded or welded to the two darts which extend internally of the sock.

The invention also provides an improved method of constructing a sock from plastics material which allows a tie band to be insecured within the sock during manufacture which comprises the steps oF forming from a single blank a sock-like structure in which the blank includes a central section which is located between two generally elongate leg sections, the central section being formed into a foot section of a sock by folding the blank about the centre of the central section so that the two leg sections overly one another and seaming or welding or otherwise bonding the peripheral regions of the overlying blank portions with the exception of the upper end of the sock so as to leave the latter open, folding the material forming the sock walls in the region of the ankle region of the sock to form two darts and thermally bonding the material to render the darts permanent, bonding or welding or otherwise joining a length of plastics material to the two darts so as to extend across one of the seams joining the blank sections together, welding or bonding or otherwise joining a generally circular cap of plastics material around the periphery of the open end, cutting the toe end of the foot of the sock and inverting the shock through the opening cut in the foot so that the sock is turned inside out and securing the edges of the cut in the foot by welding or bonding or other securing means to close the sock.

The cut in the foot region may be made after the boot has been partly assembled as previously described or, alternatively, the blank from which the sock is formed may itself have appropriate cuts in the central section of the blank so that the toe end of the foot is open until such time as it is welded during manufacture.

Preferably an air inlet valve is provided at the upper end of the sock and conveniently this is located in the end cap which is secured to the top end of the sock during manufacture.

Preferably also a loop in the form of a handle is also provided at the upper end of the sock and is conveniently welded or thermally bonded or otherwise secured to the cap.

Preferably an air release valve is also incorporated and this may be separate from the air inlet valve or may form part of the air inlet valve and comprise a normally closed flap valve which when the material forming the air inlet valve is squeezed, is itself caused to open to allow air to exit therefrom.

Claims

1. An inflatable bootshaper comprising a closed sock of plastics material having valve means at the upper end through which air can be pumped into the sock to expand the latter and thereby expand a boot into which the sock has been inserted, a tie band located in the region of the ankle section of the sock stretching between opposite side walls of the sock so as to restrict the expansion of the sock in the region of the ankle thereof and thereby prevent excess stretching of the wall of the boot, wherein the tie band is secured totally within the sock to a pair of darts formed on opposite internal surfaces of the sock wall by internally folded regions thereof.

2. An inflatable bootshaper as claimed in claim 1 wherein the darts are formed by an inward folding of the wall material to form the darts and by heat sealing the folded material.

3. An inflatable bootshaper as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the internal tie band is itself thermally bonded or welded to the two darts which extend internally of the sock.

4. An improved method of constructing a sock from plastics material which allows a tie band to be secured within the sock during manufacture which comprises the steps of forming from a blank a sock-like structure in which the blank includes a central section which is located between two generally elongate leg sections, the central section being formed into a foot section of a sock by folding the blank about the centre of the central section so that the two leg sections overly one another and seaming or welding or otherwise bonding the peripheral regions of the overlying blank portions with the exception of the upper end of the sock so as to leave the latter open, folding the material forming the sock walls in the region of the ankle region of the sock to form two darts and thermally bonding the material to render the darts permanent, bonding or welding or otherwise joining a length of plastics material to the two darts so as to extend across one of the seams joining the blank sections together, welding or bonding or otherwise joining a generally circular cap of plastics material around the periphery of the open end, cutting the toe end of the foot of the sock and inverting the sock through the opening cut in the foot so that the sock is turned inside out and securing the edges of the cut in the foot by welding or bonding or other securing means to close the sock.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the blank from which the sock is formed has appropriate cuts in the central section of the blank so that the toeend of the foot is open thereby obviating the need to cut the toe.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein an air inlet valve is provided at the upper end of the sock.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the valve is located in the end cap which is secured to the top end of the sock during manufacture.

8. A method as claimed in claim 4, 5, 6 or 7 wherein a loop in the form of a handle is provided at the upper end of the sock.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the handle is welded or thermally bonded or otherwise secured to the cap.

10. A method as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein an air release valve is incorporated separate from or forming part of the air inlet valve.

11. An inflatable bootshaper when constructed in accordance with the method of any of claims 4 to 10.

12. An inflatable bootshaper as claimed in claim 11 wherein the air release valve is a flap valve, the flap of which is normally closed but which is opened upon squeezing the valve.