claim: 1. An arti6le of @'ootwear comprising pliable and flexible inner and outer spaced-apart generally-parallel wall mem70 bers of a size and shape to constitute the sole portion @and the foot and upper portion of said article and to provide an opening for the entra-@ice and exit of the foot of a wearer, each of the wafl members being mo isture-impervious throughout its entire extent, the wall members 76 being her@lietically scaled one to the other in a joinder

5 extending completely around the upper portion of said article to provide an air-tight chamber between the spacedapart wall members below said joinder, and flexible sheet heat-insulating filler means compiising solid material substantially filling said airtight chamber for substantially 5 eliminating transfer of hcat through said airtight chamber and for keeping the walls of said airtight chamber spaced apart except at the said joinder, the spaced-apart walls of said airtight chamber being capable of independent flexing movements with respect to each other in - intermediate 10 regions of said foot and upper portion under stresses developed during walking and running. 2. The combination recited in claim I wherein the filler means for eliminating transfer of heat by convection comprises two layers of flexible heat-insulating material, one 15 layer being attached to the inner surface of the said inner wall member and the other layer being attached to the inner surface of the said outer wall member. 3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the filler means for eliminating transfer of heat by convection in the 20 foot and upper portion of the article comprises pile fabric@ the relatively smooth backing surface of which is contiguous the inside surface of a wall member and the piles of which project into said airtight space. 4. The combination recited in claim I wherein the ftlier 25 means for eliminating transfer of heat by convectign in the foot and upper portion of the article comprises two layers of pile fabric, the relatively smooth surface of one layer being attached to the inner wall of one wall member and the relatively smooth surface of the other la@er being 30 attached to the inner wall of the other wall member, the piles of each layer projecting into the airtight space. 5. In an article of footwear capable of protecting a foot of a wearer from chills and frostbite in sub-zero wet environments over extended periods of time, in combina. 35 tion, moisture-impervious inner and outer - spaced-apart generally-parallel flexible rubber wall members of a size and shape to constitute the sole portion and the foot and upper portion to above ankle height of said article and to provide an opening for the entrance and exit of the 40 foot of a wearer, the wall members being hermeticary sealed one to the other around the entire extent of said opening to provide an airtight chamber between said spaced-apart wall members, each of said wall members being pliable and independently flexible in the - intermediate 4,5 regions of said foot and upper portion under - wall-flexing stresses developed during walking and running, and pliable heat-insulating material positioned within the said airtight chamber and substantially coextensive in size and shape with the chamber for rainiinizing transfer of heat from 50 one wall to the other and for keeping the two wall members a substantial distance apart except where sealed one to the other, said heat-insulating material in the intermediate regions of said foot and upper portion compris'mg two layers of pliable heat-insulating material, each layer 55 comprising a relatively thin sbeet material having relatively closely spaced piles protruding from one side of said sheet, the other side of said sheet being relatively smooth, one of said layers having its relatively smooth side attached to the inner surface of one wall member and being spaced eo from the inner surface of the other wall member, the other of said layers having its relatively smooth side attached to the inner surface of the said other wall member and being spaced from the inner surface of the said one wall member, the said layers being opposed to each other in 65 face-to-face relationship whffe permitting the said wail members in the said intermediate regions to flex independently one from the other. 6. An article of footwear compfising an outsole, a 6 flexible upper member comprising a plurality of soft flexible heat-insulating layers opposing one another in face-to-face relationship, a ativ incompress atinsulating midsole having ts marginal zones diverging from said outsole and interposed between said heatinstilating layers, a relatively incompressible heat-insulating welt extending along the entire lower margin of said upper member, the upper margin of said welt extending to about mid-vamp height along a zone gener parallel to said outsole and the lower margin of said welt extending to said midsole. 7. An article of footwear comprising an outsole, a flexible upper member comprising a plurality of soft flexible heat-insulating layers opposing one another in faceto-face relationship, a relatively incompressible beat-insulating midsole having its marginal zones diverging from said outsole and interposed between said heat-insulating layers, and a relatively incompressible heat-insulating welt extending along the entire lower margin of said upper member, the upper margin of said welt extending to about mid-vamp height along a zone generally parallel to said outsole and the lower margin of said welt extending to said midsole and secured thereto. 8. An article of footwear comprising an outsole, a flexible upper member comprising a plurality of soft flexible heat-insulating layers opposing one another in faceto-face relationship, a relatively incompressible heat-insulating midsole having its marginal zones diverging from said outsole and interposed between said heat-insulating layers, a relatively incompressible heat-insulating welt extending along the entire lower margin of said upper member, the upper margin of said welt extending to about midvamp height along a zone generally parallel to said outsole and the lower margin of said welt extending to said midsole, and a flexible resifient rubber-like member encasing said midsole, said welt and said insulating layers. 9. An article of footwear comprising an outsole, a flexible upper member comprising a plurality of soft flexible heat-insulating layers opposing one another in face-to-face relationship, a relatively incompressible heat-insulating midsole having its marginal zones diverg. ing from said outsole and interposed between said heatinsulating layers, a relatively incompressible heatinsulating welt extending along the entire lower margin of said upper member' the upper margin of said welt extending to about the top of the phalanges of the foot along a zone generally parallel to said outsole and the lower margin of said welt extending to said midsole and secured thereto, a flexible resilient rubber-like barrier disposed over the outer faces of said welt, said heat-insulating layers and said niidsole, and a second flexible resflient rubberlike barrier disposed over the inner faces of said welt, said heatinsulating layers and said midsole, the peripheries of the first said barrier and said second barrier being secured together to form a water-impervious covering about said welt, said heat-insulating layers and said midsole. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,418,188 Jacobs --------------- May 30, 1922 1,469,291 Bojtos ----------------- Oct 2, 1923 11585,040 McDonald ------------ May'18, 1926 1,924,716 Ferrettie --------------- Aug. 29, 1933 2,329,209 Mansoii et al - --------- Sept. 14, 1943 2,433,834 Bazett ---------------- Jan. 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 101,323 Great Britain ----------- Sept. 7, 1916 385,060 Great Britain ----------- Dec. 22, 1932

Uni'ted St.,qtes Patent Office 29728,999 2,728,999 FOOTWEAR AND THE L1470 Leslie H. Ulloilier, Newton, rvlas&, pssi@"nor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New Ynrk, N. Y., a of New York Application August 16, 1950, Serial No. 179,934 9 Claims. (Cl. 36-41) This invention relates to footwear and pertains i-nore particularly to waterproof footwear, such as boots and the like, particularly adapted to be worn outdoors in wet and/or cold weather. It is an object of this inv,-ntion to i)roviee an ,irtiCie of footwear which substantially prevents the body heat of the wearer from being dissipated throi-i@-,h the walls of the footwear to the siirrotindirg atmosphere. Ano'ther object of this invention is to provide an article of footwear which insulates the foot of the wearer from teniperatures of the surrounding Yr@edium. It is also an object of this invention to prov;de an article of footwear which is in-ipervious to moisture and water. It is a further object of this inventioii to provide an article of footwear v@hich may be readily pulled on or removed from the foot. Still another object of this inventioii is to provide.an article of footwear which is comfortable when worn on the foot. Other objects of this invention will be apparent fron the description and drawings which follow. Becai.ise of the rapid advances in aviation enabling aircraft to transcer@d the relatively warm layers of atmosph--re surrouliding the earth aid becaus-. of expalidiii-. i-ilterest in the frigid regions of the earth, footnvear capable of protecting the wearer's feet from the extreme cold and moisture of siich regions has been demanded. Conver.tiopal types of fool@wear h@gve proven uilsatisfactorv in that they do not substantially insulate the wear's feet for sust,,iined periods of time ftom moisture, wind and temperatures below the temperature of the body of the wearer. Conventional types of insi-ilated footwear do not provide means for protecting the insulating layer of the footwear from moisture evaporated from the body of ' the wearer, thereby permitting the insulatin.- layer to become damp which conseqiiently destroys the insulatingproperties of this layer. Furthermore, along the areas of an insulated boot of cor@ventional construction at which insulated upper members of the boot are joined to the sole, the insulation is necessarily compressed to a relatively thin layer providing insufficient insulation from the cold at these areas, permitting heat given off by the wearer to diffuse to the atmosphere. I have found that the various disadvantages inherent iii footwear of conventional construction may be eliminated by protecting the insulating layer of the footwear from moisture given off by the body of the wearer with a moisture-proof layer interposed beween the sulating layer and the body of the wearer and by providing additional insulating means along those areas of the footwear at wbich the upper members of the footwear are@joined to the sole. For a clearer understandin-, of this invention, specific reference will be made heileeforth to a boot, however, it will be understood that I c<)ntemplate the use of this invention in other articles of footwear, such as galoshes, Patented Jan. 3, 1956 2 overshoes and the like, in which substantially the same problenis arise. fri the drawings: Fig. I is a view in elevation partly broken away and in section of a boot embodying 'Lhis invention; Fig. 2 is an eniar-ed section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an cilar@ged section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. 10 A boot made in accordance with my invention as shown in Fig. I comprises a flexible leg-enclosing upper meniber 1,0 which extends generally to the knee of the wearer, the calf of the ieg. TJpper 10 is a laiistrLic@'@ir@, compvsin,- a ,Icxible resilieit water15 iinpervious rubber-like outer barrier 11, a soft flexible oiiter insiilat,'@ii-, mernber 1.2, a soft fl@,-xible i,.iiier iiistilati@19 member 13, a flerible resilient water-impervious rubber-like inner barrier 14, and a flexible collar 15 of fabric coated v,,ith rubber-like material secured along the upper 20 oliter mar,@in of outer barrier 11. 0-ater insulating member 12 extends a short distance under midsole 17 and upwardly from midsole 17 to any desired height and may be constructed of any soft flexible heat-insulating material, such as deep pile fabric, 25 shearling, spun glass, cotton, rabbit hair, spun nylon, and the like. Outer insulating member 12 is formed by joiiiin.- together two pieces ofinsulating material formin.- a b,,itt seam 18 exteridin.- from the toe portion of midsole 17 upwardly along the front of upper 10 and a 30 butt seam 19 extend:kng from the heel portion of midsole 17 Lipv,,ardly along the back of upper 10. Rei-@iforcing strips 20, 20 disposed over s,-ams 18, 19 and interposed between insulating member 12 and outer barrier 11 which is disposed over the entire outer face of in35 sulating member 12 provide additional reinforcement for scams 18, 19. i'@-iner insulating member 13 extends from midsole 17 upwardly to any desired height and has disposed over its entire inner face inner barrier 14. Inner insulating 4.( Piember 13 comprises two pieces of heat-insulating material, such as deep pile fabric, shearling, cotton, splin glass, and the life, jgined together along opposing margins forming butt seams 21, 22; seam 21 extendin.upwardly from the hee.1 portion of niidsole 17 and seam 4,5 22 extending upwardly from the toe portion of midsole 17. Reinforcing strips 23, 23 disposed over seams 21, 22 and i-i'cerpc@sed b,@tv@,cer@ insulat,.ng wer-nbe.- 13 ani barrier 14 provide reinforcement for seams 21, 22. Fabric member 24 coated with a water-impervious riib50 ber-like material on its outer face is sectired al@-ilg its lower inner marginal zone to the outer face of the tipper marginal area of insulating member 12, and fabric member 25 coated with a water-impervioas rubb.-r-like material on its inner surface is secured along its lower (,uter 55 marginal zone to the inner face of the upper rflargiial, area of insulating member 13. Fabric members 24, @@5 are secured together along their opposing upper margirial zones, as shown in Fig. 3, providing a water- and a,'Ztight enclosure 26 around insulating member 12 and in60 sulating member 13. Collar 15 is preferably a knitted flexible fabric, such as light net, coated on both of its faces with a water-impervious r-ubber-like material, and is secured ator.- its lower marginal area to the outer face of reinfc)rcing 65 member 24 and the upper marginal area of member 12. The relatively flexible collar 15 may be folded downwardly over the outer insulatir@E iiienibe:- @2 wben the wearer does not desire the boot to con-i@]e@-,Iy cover the calf of the leg. 70 Midsole 17 is constructed of a beat-insulating niaerial which is firm and relatively incompressible, sucii Ps wool felt, and its marginal zones 27, 27 extend upward!y

3 a short distance, as shown in Fig. 2, preferably from 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch, between outer insulating member 12 and inner insulating member 13 providing additional insulation along this area of the boot. A flexible heat-insulating welt 28 of firm and relativel@y incoinpressible material, such as wool felt, interposed L@--tween outer insulating member 12 and inner inslilatiig member 13 extends about the entire lower marginal zor@c of upper 10. As shown in Fig. 2, welt 28 is lap seai-jled to marginal zones 27, 27 of midsole 17 and extei3ds upwardly to about the top of the phalanges of the foot wlac,2 the boot is being worn or to approximately -nidvar,7p height; preferably welt 28 extends upwardly for appro,-,;. mately 1/4 to 2 inches. Welt 28 provides additional i@isulation along the area of jtincture of upper 10 wit@i outsole 29. A relatively flexible fabric liner 30 is disp--sed ovcr and adhered to the upper face of midsole jl,7 as with a rubbery cement and the upper face of Iiiier 3n@ is aclhered to the bottom face of barrier 14. Disposed over the lower face of midsole 17 and adhered therela as wil@h a rubbery cement is a relatively flexible fabric liiier 31 whose bo+ltom face is adhered to barrier 11. As shown in Fig. 2, barrier 14 provides a wateriripervious layer of rubber-like material about the entire inner surface -of the insulating assembly which preveiits moisiure evaporated froir. the body of the wearer from diffusi@ig intr, the insulatin.- members di,.Tiinishing their ins-alating properties, and barrier 11 provides a water-impervio@ds layer of rubber-like material over the entire outer si:@rface o,' the insulating assembly preventing moisture froi-@i dffusing into the insulating members from the atmospher.-. A heel counter 32 of woven fabric reitiforcing i-naterial coated on its outer face with a rubber-Iii@-,e riiaterial extends over the heel portion of upper 10 aiid is adhered thereto. A foxing strip 33 of woven fabric reii-iforci@-ig in,-torial coated oii its outer face with a rubber-like material is adhered to the lower marg;.nal i)ort-lon of upper 10 extending froin the quarter portion of the boot oi one side forwardly around the toe of the boc)t to the quarter portion of the boot on the other side and overlying the forward portion of heel counter 32. A flexible fabric he@-l-reinforeing strip 34 extend@'ng from midsole 17 upwardly along the inner rear face of tioper 10 and adhered thereto and a flexible fabric toereinforcing strip 35 extending upwardly froin rnidsole 17 along the inner front face of upper 10 and adhered thereto permit the boot to be easily pulled on and removecl from the foot of the wearer. A soft flexible heat-insulating insole 36, preferably constructed of a niatcrial similar to that of midsole 17, is disposed over barrier 14 and adhered thereto, if desir.-d, to provide additional insulation for the botto@n porion of the boot and a soft foundation upon which the Niearer's foot may rest. A preferred method of constructing the boot is to drape inner insulating member 13, which has previously been formed into the desired contour and has had i-nember 25 adhered to the upper margin thereof, over a last with the free ends of the insulating material against the last and to adhere, by cementing, reinforcing strips 23, 23 over seams 21, 22. Liner 30 is disposed over the last and the marginal areas of liner 30 are adhered to inner insulating member 13. The exposed surfaces of the assembly are coated with a waier-impervious ri-ibber-lik-e material, such as by dipping the assembly in rubber la,ex to form barrier 14, and, if it is desrable, the coiting Of Tubber-like material is dried. Heel-reinforcing st.-ip 34 and toe-reiiiforcing strip 35 are lastcd to the coated assembly. Insole 36 is adhered to barrier 14 and the assembly is removed from the last and turned inside-out. The reversed assembly is again drawn over a last with the coated surfaces facing inwardly. Midsole 17 is lasted and adhered as with a rubbery 2,728,999 4 cement to liner 31 and the marginal zones 27, 27 of midsole 17 are urged around the foot portion of the last. Heat-insulating welt 28 is lasted over marginal zones 27, 27 of midsole 17 and is secured thereto by cementing. Outer insulating member 12 which has previously been formed into the desired contour is assembled over welt 28 and inner insulating member 13. Reinforcing strips 20, 20 are lasted over seams IS and 19. Member 24 is secured to the upper margin of insulating member 12, 10 a@,id the opposing upper margins of member 24 and ir@ember 25 are adhered together forming seam 26 leaving, however, a small unsealed opening 38 for allowing the air trapped between insulating layers 12 and 13 to escape durin.- the vtilcanization of the boot. 15 The exposed surfaces of the assembly are coated with a water-impervious rubber4ike material such as by dipping the assembly in rubber latex to forin barrier It which extends to approxiniately the bottom edge of niember 24, and the coatin.- created by this process is allowed 20 to dry. If desired, calendered sheet rubber niay be used for the outer covering. I-'teel counter 32 is lasted over upper 10 and foxing strip 33 is lasted over upper 10 and the forward portions of heel counter 32. OLitsole 29 is lasted over the lower mar25 @inal areas of heel counter 32 and foxing strip 33. ColT@)r 15 is adhered to the outer face of member 21 and the upper outer riiarginal zone of barrier 11, and the assenibly is vulcanized in the usual manner to produce an i-qtegral unit. Opening 38 is then scaled after the vul30 canized assembly has been allowed to cool to room temperature to provide an airand water-tight insulating chamber in the boot. My invention provides an article of footwear which insulates the f-oot of the wearer froin teniperatures below the @15 '.ody ternperature of the wearer. It is comi-nonly known that ihe human body maintains a specific body temperature by radiatin,@ heat and evaporating moisture to the surroundingatrposphere. Thehea,radiatedfromthefoot of the wearer is prevcnted from diffusing to the surround40 -liag atmosoliere by providin.- an insulating corstruction entirely around the foot of the wearer. The water-imp,-rvious rubber-like coating on the inner -,iid outer surfaces of a boot within the purview of this invention prevents nioisture and water from -dampenin- the 45 i@isulating layers of the boot preventing the destruction of the insulating properties of the insulating layers. Footwear made in accordance with this invention and providing an additional layer ol' relatively incompressible insula'Ling niaterial along those areas of the footwear at 50 which the upper members are lasted to the sole eliminates the faulty constructig@i inherent in boots of conventional constructioii in which the insulation is compressed to a thin relatively poor insulatting layer along the juncture of the upper members of the boot wilh the sole, while at the 55 same time making it possible to retain the superior heatinsulatin@.- properties of the more highly coi-npressible materials, such as pile fabric or shearling, throughout most of the extent of the upper. The term "rubber shoe" as used in the appended clafms 60 includes boots, shoes, gaiters, overshoes, slippers or socks to be worn inside an outer boot or shoe, and the like, made of natural or synthetic rtibber or rubber-like plastic materials. It is clear that obvious variations and modifications may 65 be rnade without dcparting from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims. I