Waterproof safety footwear

Abstract

A waterproof safety article of footwear and preferably, but not exclusively, constructed with an outer shell formed from EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) material, is described. It is comprised of an outer boot shell formed of waterproof material capable of being injection molded and an inner protective boot liner which is positioned inside the boot shell. The protective liner has a puncture proof insert, preferably a toe cap and sole plate secured thereto. The outer shell can also be molded from TPR (thermoplastic rubber) material. In order to achieve a maximum light weight safety article of footwear, the protective liner has a toe cap and a sole plate formed from composite materials and the outer shell is molded from EVA material. The method of constructing the waterproof safety article of footwear is also described.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a waterproof safety footwear and a method of fabrication of same and wherein an inner protective boot liner is removably retained inside an outer waterproof boot shell and wherein the liner has a puncture proof toe cap and sole plate secured thereto. Preferably, but not exclusively, the outer shell is formed from EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) material.BACKGROUND ART[0002]Safety footwear has been known for a very long time and such is usually used by construction workers in the form of leather boots in which is integrated a steel toe cap and sometimes, in combination, a steel sole plate. It is also known to fabricate safety protective boots made of rubber material such as thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and wherein a steel toe plate and a steel toe cap is encapsulated in the mold and molded in the rubber. A sock liner is first placed on an aluminum last before inserting the steel toe cap and steel plate. The metal pieces are retained in...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]It is a feature of the present invention to provide a waterproof safety article of footwear which provides the above desired need and wherein the article of footwear can be made of light weight EVA material or TPR material with a substantial reduction in rejects and material and labour costs associated therewith.

[0007]Another feature of the present invention is to provide a light weight waterproof safety article of footwear constructed of an outer boot shell formed of EVA material and an inner protective boot liner removably retained therein and provided with a puncture proof protective insert which may be constructed of steel or light weight composite material.

[0008]Another feature of the present invention is to provide a waterproof safety article of footwear wherein the outer boot shell is formed from TPR material and further wherein an inner protective boot liner is removably retained inside the outer boot shell and provided with a puncture proof protective insert which may be constructed from steel or light weight composite materials.

[0009]Another feature of the present invention is to provide a method of constructing a waterproof safety article of footwear formed from an outer shell and an independent inner protective boot liner which is provided with a puncture proof protective insert to protect a portion of a wearer's foot and wherein the outer boot shell may be formed of light weight EVA material or TPR material.

Problems solved by technology

There are several problems associated with such fabrication.

Some of the problems with TPR molded boots is that they are expensive to fabricate due to the high percentage of rejects and labour costs.

The molds are also expensive to produce.

Because the steel plate is retained captive along the entire sole portion of the boot, it would be too labour intensive to try and salvage the plate and it is therefore discarded.

Accordingly, there is extensive material loss involved with rejects as well as a loss in labour costs.

The production cycle in the fabrication of such boots is also slow due to the fact that the sole plate and toe cap need to be assembled on the mold and encapsulated between liners.

A further disadvantage of such rubber safety boots is that they are heavy due to the weight of the thermoplastic rubber as well as the weight of the steel toe cap and sole plate.

However, it is not possible to inject this material over a mold on which a steel sole plate and toe cap can be secured as the molding process of such articles of footwear utilizes molds which are of miniature dimension and the boot shell is formed by expansion of the injected material once the shell is removed from the mold.

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