Breathable Footwear, in Particular for Applications to Ski Boots and/or Sports Shoes, and Related Production Method

Abstract

Breathable footwear comprising a waterproofing and breathable portion, at least partially closed so as to identify a containment volume for a foot, wherein the waterproofing and breathable portion is shaped to allow the escape of water or vapour to the outside of the footwear and of the containment volume and to prevent the entry of water or vapour coming from the outside, an upper arranged to cover said waterproofing and breathable portion, wherein the upper is at least partially perforated to facilitate the escape of water or vapour from the waterproofing and breathable portion. The waterproofing and breathable portion is mechanically connected to the upper by means of at least one tape, comprising at least a first flap attached to the waterproofing and breathable portion by means of gluing or heat welding, and comprising at least a second flap fixed to the upper by means of gluing, thermo-forming or sewing.

1 . Breathable footwear, in particular for applications to ski boots, off-track ski boots, telemark, snow board as well as sports shoes in general, comprising:
 a waterproofing and breathable portion, at least partially closed so as to identify a containment volume for a foot of a user, wherein the waterproofing and breathable portion is shaped so as to allow the escape of water or vapour to the outside of the footwear and the containment volume and so as to prevent the entry of water or vapour coming from the outside of the footwear inside said containment volume,   an upper positioned so to cover said waterproofing and breathable portion, wherein the upper is at least partially perforated to facilitate the escape of water or vapour from the waterproofing and breathable portion, characterised in that   the waterproofing and breathable portion is mechanically connected to the upper by means of at least one tape, comprising at least a first flap attached to the waterproofing and breathable portion by means of gluing or heat welding, and comprising at least a second flap fixed to the upper by means of gluing, thermoforming or sewing.   
     
     
         2 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper is water-repellent, so as to prevent the entry of water or vapour which would stagnate in the gap between the waterproofing and breathable portion and said upper. 
     
     
         3 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the tape is shaped so as to permit a clearance or gap between the waterproofing and breathable portion and the upper. 
     
     
         4 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the tape is shaped so that the connection between the waterproofing and breathable portion and the upper is of a slack type, allowing a mutual movement of the connected parts. 
     
     
         5 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the tape is at least positioned at one side edge of the waterproofing and breathable portion, arranged parallel to a main direction of longitudinal extension (X-X) of the footwear. 
     
     
         6 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the tape is made of thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         7 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the tape is provided with a plurality of holes. 
     
     
         8 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the waterproofing and breathable portion is shaped so as to be folded and closed like a bag, having a front access portion so as to cover a user's foot associable at least to the height of an ankle of said foot. 
     
     
         9 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein said waterproofing and breathable portion is folded and closed by means of seams and wherein said seams are waterproofed. 
     
     
         10 . The breathable footwear of  claim 9 , wherein said seams are waterproofed by overlapping of the waterproof thermal adhesive tape. 
     
     
         11 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein said waterproofing and breathable portion comprises a membrane, for example, of the GORE-TEX® type. 
     
     
         12 . The breathable footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises a plurality of overlapping and breathable components, suitable to form portions of footwear having different thicknesses, materials and/or stiffnesses. 
     
     
         13 . The breathable footwear of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of said overlapping and breathable layers is made of a thermo-formable material. 
     
     
         14 . A ski boot comprising at least a breathable footwear according to  claim 1 , said footwear being housed inside a compartment of the ski boot delimited by an inner wall of the ski boot so as to make an outer layer of the footwear face said inner wall of the ski boot. 
     
     
         15 . A method of making breathable footwear comprising the steps of:
 providing a waterproofing and breathable portion divided into at least two separate parts,   closing said separate parts together by joining together counter-shaped flaps, so as to identify a containment volume for a foot of a user,   waterproofing the joins of said counter-shaped flaps,   providing an upper arranged so as to cover said waterproofing and breathable portion, wherein the upper is at least partially perforated to facilitate the escape of water or vapour from the waterproofing and breathable portion,   mechanically connecting to the upper the waterproofing and breathable portion by means of at least one tape, wherein at least a first flap of the tape is attached to the waterproofing and breathable portion by means of gluing or heat welding, and at least a second flap of the tape is attached to the upper by means of gluing, thermoforming or sewing.   
     
     
         16 . A method of making breathable footwear comprising the steps of:
 providing a waterproofing and breathable portion divided into at least two separate parts,   closing said separate parts together by joining together counter-shaped flaps, so as to identify a containment volume for a foot of a user,   waterproofing the joins of said counter-shaped flaps,   providing an upper arranged so as to cover said waterproofing and breathable portion, wherein the upper is at least partially perforated to facilitate the escape of water or vapour from the waterproofing and breathable portion,   mechanically connecting to the upper the waterproofing and breathable portion by means of at least one tape, wherein at least a first flap of the tape is attached to the waterproofing and breathable portion by means of gluing or heat welding, and at least a second flap of the tape is attached to the upper by means of gluing, thermoforming or sewing, and   making the footwear according to  claim 1 .