Monofilament Footwear Lining

Abstract

The invention relates to an upper assembly ( 12 ) for a waterproof, water vapor permeable footwear article ( 10 ), the upper assembly comprising a laminate ( 16 ) including a waterproof water vapor permeable functional layer ( 22 ) and an inner lining layer ( 24 ) directly attached to the functional layer ( 22 ) on an inner side of functional layer ( 22 ), the inner lining layer ( 24 ) being a knitted or woven fabric made with monofilaments.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An upper assembly for a waterproof, water vapor permeable footwear article, the upper assembly comprising a laminate including a waterproof water vapor permeable functional layer and an inner lining layer directly attached to the functional layer on an inner side of functional layer;
 characterized in that the inner lining layer is a knitted or woven fabric made with monofilaments.   
     
     
         2 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner lining layer is made up with monofilaments having a water absorption rate of less than 40% according to DIN EN 29865 ( 1991 ). 
     
     
         3 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner lining layer has a textile weight of not more than 130 g/m 2 , particularly not more than 100 g/m 2 , particularly of not more than 90 g/m 2 , particularly of 50 g/m 2  to 130 g/m 2 . 
     
     
         4 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the laminate has a weight of less than 200 g/m 2 , particularly less than 170 g/m 2 , particularly of less than 150 g/m 2 , particularly of 30 g/m 2  to 170 g/m 2 . 
     
     
         5 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising an outer shell, the laminate being attached to an inner side of the outer shell. 
     
     
         6 . The upper assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the laminate is directly attached to the outer shell using a discontinuous adhesive. 
     
     
         7 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the laminate has a dry-out time of less than one hour, particularly of less than 30 minutes, particularly of less than 20 minutes, particularly of 15 minutes to 45 minutes. 
     
     
         8 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner lining layer has a wet abrasion resistance of more than 100000 cycles Martindale (EN-ISO 20344:2004). 
     
     
         9 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner lining layer is a warp knit, particularly a three bar warp knit. 
     
     
         10 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner lining layer is a singular knitted fabric. 
     
     
         11 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the inner lining layer is made of any of the group consisting of polyamide, e.g. polyamide 6 and/or polyamide 6.6, polyester, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The upper assembly of any of  claim 1 , wherein the functional layer comprises a porous membrane made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). 
     
     
         13 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the laminate further comprises an outer textile layer attached to an outer side of the functional layer. 
     
     
         14 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the laminate extends around the upper side of the foot. 
     
     
         15 . The upper assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the laminate, at least on the side of the inner lining layer, is seam sealable without the use of a primer. 
     
     
         16 . The upper assembly of any of  claim 1 , wherein the inner layer of the laminate is the innermost layer of the upper assembly. 
     
     
         17 . A waterproof, water vapor permeable footwear article comprising an upper assembly according to  claim 1 , and a sole in communication with the upper assembly. 
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 17 , wherein the article has a whole boot moisture vapor transmission rate of 7 g/hr or greater. 
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 18 , being configured such as to not show any water penetration when subjected to 100000 flexes in a test as described in ISO 20344:2011 5.15.2 “Dynamic footwear water penetration test (Flex Test)”. 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 18 , being configured such as to not show any water penetration when subjected to 300000 flexes in a test as described in ISO 20344:2011 5.15.2 “Dynamic footwear water penetration test (Flex Test)”.