Tapeless waterproof footwear

Abstract

Described herein are devices and techniques for solving the problems associated with the assembly of standard waterproof footwear such as the increased labor and cost of purchasing a taping machine and individually taping each seam of a waterproof article of footwear. Waterproof footwear described herein is made by laminating a waterproof membrane over substantially the entire exterior surface, including the seams, of a footwear liner, thereby producing a tapeless waterproof footwear article.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tapeless waterproof footwear article comprising:
 a footwear liner comprising an exterior surface and at least one seam, wherein the footwear liner is substantially free of any waterproof membrane; and   one or more layers of waterproof membrane laminated with substantially the entire exterior surface of the footwear liner and associated seams, wherein none of the one or more layers of waterproof membrane are seam-specific.   
     
     
         2 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the footwear liner is constructed from one or more textile layers. 
     
     
         3 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more textile layers are constructed from at least one of a woven textile, non-woven textile, tricot, knit textile, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, cotton, wool, or leather. 
     
     
         4 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seam is positioned so that the footwear liner lies flat when empty. 
     
     
         5 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seam is positioned so that the footwear liner retains a three-dimensional shape when empty. 
     
     
         6 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the footwear liner further comprises a substantially foot-shaped base. 
     
     
         7 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 6 , wherein the substantially foot-shaped base further comprises at least one of a Strobel board, a cushioning layer, or a footbed. 
     
     
         8 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seam is at least one of sewn, stitched, needle-punched, welded, and/or glued. 
     
     
         9 . The tapeless waterproof footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more layers of waterproof membrane are constructed from at least one of fluoropolymers, polyurethanes, polyesters, polyethers, polyamides, polyacrylates, coplyether esters, copolyether amides, Teflon, microporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), expanded PTFE, the membrane known under the trademark “GORE-TEX”, or the membrane known under the trademark “SYMPATEX.” 
     
     
         10 . A system for producing tapeless waterproof footwear comprising:
 a closeable press including a first heatable plate and a second heatable plate, wherein the second heatable plate is substantially parallel to the first heatable plate in a closed position of the press; and   a pressurizing mechanism for closing the closeable press to apply pressure externally of a waterproof membrane, wherein applying pressure externally of the waterproof membrane laminates the waterproof membrane with substantially an entire exterior surface of a footwear liner and at least one seam of the footwear liner.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the pressurizing mechanism is at least one of an electric drive, a hydraulic drive, a hydraulic piston drive, a winch, a lever, or a clamp. 
     
     
         12 . A system for producing tapeless waterproof footwear comprising:
 a footwear last;   a closeable mold including at least two heatable shells, the at least two heatable shells being shaped to receive the footwear last, wherein closing the closeable mold causes the at least two shells to close about the footwear last and apply pressure externally of a waterproof membrane, wherein applying pressure externally of the waterproof membrane laminates the waterproof membrane with substantially an entire exterior surface of a footwear liner and at least one seam of the footwear liner.   
     
     
         13 . A method for producing tapeless waterproof footwear comprising:
 providing a footwear liner comprising an exterior surface and at least one seam, wherein the footwear liner is substantially free of any waterproof membrane;   providing one or more layers of waterproof membrane; and   laminating substantially the entire exterior surface of the footwear liner and associated seams with the one or more layers of waterproof membrane.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising fitting the footwear liner around a footwear last. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising positioning the one or more layers of waterproof membrane in at least two heatable shells of a closeable mold. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising closing the closeable mold to compress a footwear last having the footwear liner fitted thereon between the at least two heatable shells. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising positioning the one or more layers of waterproof membrane on at least one heatable plate of a closeable press, wherein the footwear liner is positioned between at least two of the one or more layers of waterproof membrane. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising closing the closeable press to compress the footwear liner positioned between the at least two of the one or more layers of waterproof membrane between the at least one heatable plate and at least one additional heatable plate. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of laminating is performed using at least one of an epoxy, heat-activated adhesives, water-based adhesives, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)-based adhesives, polyurethane-based adhesives, solvent-based glue, flame lamination, or heat-pressing.