Systems and methods for enhancing boot comfort and style

Abstract

Boot shafts can be designed for comfort by providing expansion in the shaft of a boot. Portions of a shaft can be replaced, augmented, or associated with a more deformable and elastically resilient material or materials. When effectively associated or integrated, the elastic material can allow for temporary expansion of the shaft to ease passage of the heel and foot through the shaft and into the shoe box. A long thin resilient feature can provide expansion and ease of passage of a foot down the boot shaft while also potentially minimizing conspicuous departure from conventional stylings. Such features can also be physically obscured with straps (which may rotate, for example). Such features may be curved or angled to visually in fit with and even be camouflaged by surrounding decorative ornamentation on the shaft of such a boot.

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         10 . A method of providing and disguising comfort features in a western-style boot, the method comprising providing at least two of the following:
 an elongate opening in a shaft of the boot that extends down from a top thereof, spanned by a resilient material that is configured to allow the boot shaft to expand to accommodate entry or exit of a foot through the shaft and to return to a non-expanded state after entry or exit, the elongate opening sized, shaped, and/or positioned to blend into design lines visible on an outside of the shaft;   an additional elongate opening in the shaft of the boot that extends from the top thereof, spanned by a resilient material that is configured to allow the boot shaft to expand to accommodate entry or exit of a foot and return to a non-expanded state after entry or exit;   at least one pull strap sized and configured to cover at least a portion of one or more of the elongate openings at the top of said opening where it terminates at the top of the shaft;   at least one color and shape feature incorporated into at least one of the elongate openings and configured to match other decorative color and shape features to camouflage the elongate opening;   at least one color feature incorporated into the resilient material such that the resilient material has a similar color to other decorative features and blends in therewith, even where an elongate opening is wide enough to reveal an underlying resilient material;   at least one opening in the material forming the shaft of the boot that does not extend from the top thereof, spanned by a resilient material that is configured to allow at least a portion of the boot shaft to expand to accommodate entry or exit of a foot and return to a non-expanded state after entry or exit; and   at least one opening in the material forming the shaft of the boot that does not extend from the top thereof, said opening spanned by an air-permeable material configured to allow air circulation such as escape of air heated by a wearer's leg and ingress of outside air during use of the boot.   
     
     
         11 . A method of providing and disguising comfort features in a boot, the method comprising providing the following:
 an opening in a shaft of the boot that extends from a top thereof at least half-way down towards a shoe box of the boot, the opening spanned by a resilient material that is configured to allow the boot shaft to expand in response to pressure to accommodate entry or exit of a foot through the boot shaft and to return to a non-expanded state after said entry or exit, the opening comprising an upper vertical portion and a lower curved portion, wherein the two portions are connected to one another and wherein a transition from the upper vertical portion to the lower curved portion includes a turn of approximately 90 degree in the shape of the opening.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the opening is further shaped and positioned to blend into design lines visible on an outside of the shaft of the boot. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a pull tab at the top of the boot shaft, including an inner and an outer portion which extend down inside and outside of the boot shaft respectively, the pull tab positioned and sized to hang over and hide the top vertical portion of the opening and the approximately 90 degree turn in the transition of the opening, the inner and outer portions of the pull tab securely attached to the boot shaft below the approximately 90 degree turn in the transition of the opening.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the pull tab is pivotably attached to the boot shaft, allowing a wearer of the boot to pull on the pull tab in a direction other than generally parallel to the upper vertical portion of the opening. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising an elongate resilient feature configured to provide greater stretch near a doffing point where a heel presses against a back of a boot shaft, the elongate resilient feature including an intermediate material configured to provide a manufacturing template for relative positioning between materials of the boot shaft. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising at least one pull tab wrapping around and extending over a top rim of the boot shaft and positioned to obscure and generally enclose a top portion of the resilient feature. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the resilient feature spans an opening in an outward-facing portion of the boot shaft and a corresponding resilient feature is positioned within a lining of the boot shaft such that it spans a corresponding opening in the lining of the boot shaft, and the pull tab obscures both of these resilient features near the top rim of the boot shaft. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the pull tab is leather and is configured to rotate forward and back around an axis of rotation formed by a rivet that passes through the pull tab and the shaft of the boot. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising a dual shank system comprising a generally straight and elongate shank and a separate closed U-shaped shank located in a cushion midsole of the boot. 
     
     
         20 . A method of manufacturing a boot having resilient features, the method comprising:
 providing durable and resilient materials for a boot shaft;   cutting out rear and front portions of durable material for the boot shaft;   cutting out medial and lateral resilient materials for the boot shaft;   molding a moldable material onto each of the medial and lateral resilient materials using a mold template such that the moldable material protrudes from a surface of the resilient material to establish an edge configured to seat against a corresponding edge in the durable material;   using the edge of the moldable material to position the resilient material with respect to a medial or lateral opening prior to seam stitching; and   stitching a seam along the edge of the durable material while the moldable material is helping to hold the position of the resilient material with respect to the durable material.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 molding the moldable material such that it forms a flatter, less protruding portion along a full edge of the resilient portion to provide a flatter ledge portion configured to receive the edges of the durable material;   positioning durable material on the ledge portion; and   sewing a robust seam through the durable material and through the moldable material and through the resilient material, thereby further securing all three materials together along a seam at the edge of the medial and lateral openings.