Method for forming soles
US5879605A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 19, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 19, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S264/78
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The invention provides a method for preforming soles which includes compressing a foot so as to push soft fat tissue masses of the foot on its underside and inner and outer lateral arches inward toward a top of the leg; making an accurate molding of the foot thus compressed by using material for making the molding which is capable of flowing into cavities which result from the compression of the foot and which is capable of filling the cavities; removing the foot from the molding; and placing a sole blank on a bottom of the molding, the blank preferably having been treated so as to be capable of being shaped by pressure from a foot on it; and pressing the foot, which is still compressed, onto the blank so as to shape it between an inner face of the foot and the bottom of the molding. The apparatus of the invention includes at least one tube, connected to a vacuum source to be connected to an interior space of at least one bag made from airtight material into which a user's foot may be placed, with gripping means being provided for tightening an upper part of the bag around the user's lower leg and at least one airtight flexible pouch containing a granular material such as polystyre…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.