A high-strength Cu based alloy, consists of:. Ni: 0.5 to 2.0%; PA1 Sn: 1.2 to 2.5%; PA1 Si: 0.04 to 0.1%; PA1 Zn: 0.1 to 1%; PA1 Mg: 0.0001 to 0.02%; PA1 Mn: 0.0001 to 0.1%; PA1 P: 0.0001 to 0.02%; and PA1 Cu and inevitable impurities: the balance,. wherein the total content of Mg, Mn and P is 0.001 to 0.12%. The Cu based alloy is suitable for use as a material of electrical and electronic parts, and free from smutting during pretreatment for plating thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a copper based alloy having high strength, for use as a material of electrical and electronic parts, which is free from smutting during pretreatment for plating thereof.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, as copper based alloys for use in the manufacture of electrical and electronic parts, such as terminals, connectors, and lead frames of semiconductor devices, there have been proposed a copper base alloy which consists essentially, by weight % (hereinafter referred to as "%"), of 1.24% nickel (Ni), 1.80% tin (Sn), 0.052% silicon (Si), 0.55% zinc (Zn), 0.0052% calcium (Ca), 0.0245% magnesium (Mg), 0.0058% lead (Pb), and the balance of copper and inevitable impurities, by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 1-272733, and a copper base alloy which consists essentially of 0.05-3.0% Ni, 0.01-1.0% Si, 0.001-0.05% P, and the balance of Cu and inevitable impurities, and which may preferably contain 0.001-3.0% one or more of Zn, Sn, As, Cr, Mg, Mn, Sb, Fe, Co, Al, Ti, Zr, Be, Ag, Pg, B and lanthanide elements, as secondary components, by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-122039 (hereinafter referred to as "the conventional Cu based alloys")
The percentage used throughout the present specification is percent by weight.
The conventional Cu based alloys are generally rolled into a sheet, and the sheet is then subjected to working, such as blanking and bending, to be formed into electrical or electronic parts with a predetermined shape, followed by plating the thus formed electrical or electronic parts, to thereby obtain final products. To plate the thus formed electrical or electronic parts, e.g. to plate the outer surfaces of leads for a semiconductor device with a solder, the leads for the semiconductor device are subjected to a pretreatment consisting of steps of alkaline electrolytic cleaning, water washing, etching, water washing, smut removing, and water washing. Then, the thus pretreated leads are subjected to plating consisting of steps of pre-dipping, solder plating, water washing, neutralization, water washing, water bathing, blowing, and drying.
Electrical and electronic parts are always demanded to be manufactured at lower costs, and to meet the demand, it is required that electrical and electronic parts should be manufactured by more efficient steps. However, electrical and electronic parts formed from the conventional Cu based alloy undergo smutting during the above-mentioned pretreatment for plating, particularly during the etching step. Since the conventional Cu based alloys contain Ni and Si as mentioned above, a chemical compound mainly composed of Ni.sub.2 Si can precipitate on the surface of the Cu based alloy. A Cu based alloy of this kind is usually subjected to pretreatment and then to plating into a final product. During the pretreatment, the chemical compound mainly composed of Ni.sub.2 Si on the surface of the alloy is not washed off the alloy surface but remains thereon in the form of a smut. To remove the smut, a great deal of time period is required, which unfavorably impedes an improvement in the productivity.

High-strength copper based alloy free from smutting during pretreatment for plating


According to an embodiment, an article posture changing device includes: a first end effector configured to grasp a projected tag of an article by adsorption; an arm unit configured to support the first end effector and move the first end effector along at least a vertical direction; and a controller configured to control the arm unit and the first end effector to grasp the tag, lift the article upward, separate the article from a placement surface, change an angle of the article by weight thereof, move the article downward, place the article on the placement surface, and release the grasp of the tag.

Because of labor shortage, labor saving is required in convenience stores and supermarkets. In particular, sales floor management such as merchandise display is said to account for about 20% of store working and thus its automation is desired. In the sales floor management, therefore, it is required to recognize a large variety of articles placed in various postures and rearrange (face up) them in proper posture.

Article posture changing device and article posture changing method


The present invention provides a machine tool capable of suppressing cost increase of a cover even when a long workpiece is machined. A machining unit 3 by which the spindle 2 is supported to be movable in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions relative to the machining table 5; and a shielding mechanism 100 provided in said machining unit 3 to prevent chips and coolant from scattering out of a machining area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine tool in which a spindle with a tool attached thereto is supported to be relatively movable in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and more particularly, to a structure of a machine tool capable of machining a wide and long workpiece efficiently.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a gantry-type machining center for machining a relatively long workpiece, there is one described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-219325 (patent document 1) or Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 8-150534 (patent document 2). The one described in the patent document 1 is structured such that a gate-shaped column 7 is disposed on a long bed 2 to be movable in an X-axis direction, a saddle 25 is disposed on a front face of a cross rail 7c of a column 7 to be movable in a Y-axis direction, a ram 30 is disposed on the saddle 25 to be movable in a Z-axis direction, and a spindle 31 with a tool 32 attached thereto is disposed on the ram 30.
In a machining center of this type, a relatively long workpiece W is placed on the bed 2, and then the column 7, the saddle 25, and the ram 30 are relatively moved in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions respectively, and whereby the spindle 31 applies predetermined machining to the workpiece W.


Described is an electronics system having an individually replaceable electronics module installed therein. The individually replaceable electronics module includes a component, a light-emitting device (LED) disposed near the component, a processor module for performing diagnostics on the component and producing a message based on results of the diagnostics, and a microcontroller in communication with the processor module to receive the message produced by the processor module. The microcontroller determines whether the component is faulting based on the message. A DC power source is coupled to supply power to the microcontroller after the individually replaceable electronics module is electrically disconnected from the electronics system so that the microcontroller can illuminate the LED if the received message indicates that the component is faulting.

Many electronics systems employ self-test diagnostics (i.e., tests that check the correct operation of hardware or software). An important aspect of such testing is to alert a technician upon detection of a fault. Industry-accepted mechanisms for providing instantaneous visibility of a fault include light-emitting devices or diodes (LEDs) and panel displays. Commonly, an LED is placed near a particular module or component within an electronics system to produce an intuitive association between the two. Illuminating the LED thus operates to point directly to the actual faulting component.
Often, a faulting component is part of a sub-assembly housed within a larger electronics assembly. As a result, the illuminated LED is often hidden from view of the technician. Thus, to alert the technician of the faulting component within the sub-assembly, an exposed panel or bulkhead of the electronics assembly has an exposed visible indicator to notify the technician. Although this exposed indicator can direct the technician to the sub-assembly that is experiencing a fault, the technician cannot determine which particular component within the sub-assembly is at fault without uninstalling the sub-assembly from the larger electronics assembly.
Uninstalling the sub-assembly, however, often electrically disconnects the sub-assembly from the larger electronics assembly and, thus, from its source of power. Consequently, any LEDs within the sub-assembly that were lit while the sub-assembly was installed are no longer lit after the sub-assembly is removed. Without electrical power, the LEDs are unable to serve their purpose identifying faulting components.


A communication system includes: a plurality of nodes each of which requests a processing rule for processing a received packet; and a control apparatus that determines in response the request a processing rule corresponding to the received packet and notifies the determined processing rule to at least one of the plurality of nodes. One of the plurality of nodes forwards to the control apparatus a first packet for acquiring a destination address for a predetermined communication. The control apparatus in response to determination of the destination address determines a processing rule for processing a second packet to be transmitted to the destination address and notifies the determined processing rule to at least one of the plurality of nodes.

When apparatuses connected through a network mutually perform packet transmission and reception, an apparatus of a transmission source (hereinafter referred to as "source apparatus") may acquire an address of an apparatus of a transmission destination (hereinafter referred to as "destination apparatus") prior to transmission of the packet with data stored therein (hereinafter referred to as "data packet").
Patent Literature (PTL) 1 discloses acquiring of a MAC address of a destination apparatus by a source apparatus using an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol). In Patent Literature 1, the source apparatus that does not know the MAC address of the destination apparatus transmits a broadcast packet including an IP address of the destination apparatus. The apparatus to which the IP address included in the broadcast packet is assigned transmits a response packet including the MAC address of its own apparatus to the source apparatus. With this arrangement, the source apparatus can acquire the MAC address of the destination apparatus.
On the other hand, there is provided a centralized control type network path control method where control over a packet forwarding path using a plurality of nodes is concentratedly performed by a control apparatus. As an example of the technology of such a centralized control type, there is provided an OpenFlow (OpenFlow) technology.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a path control method of the centralized control type using the OpenFlow technology. In the OpenFlow technology described in Patent Literature 2, communication is regarded as an end-to-end flow, and path control, load distribution, and path optimization are performed on a per-flow basis.
Referring to Patent Literature 2, a switch that functions as a forwarding node includes a secure channel for communication with a control apparatus (also termed as "controller") that calculates a packet path, and operates according to a flow table set by the control apparatus. In the flow table, a set of a matching rule to be matched against packet header information and an action defining processing content to be applied to a packet that matches the matching rule is defined. The action includes processing such as forwarding the packet to a specific interface.
When the switch described in Patent Literature 2 receives a packet from a terminal, the switch searches the flow table for a processing rule (flow entry) having a matching rule that matches header information of the received packet. When the processing rule (flow entry) that matches the received packet is found as a result of the search, the switch executes processing content forwarding the received packet to a specific interface) described in the action field of the flow entry.
On the other hand, when the flow entry that matches the packet is not found as a result of the search, the switch requests the control apparatus to set the flow entry for the received packet. The control apparatus calculates a path for the received packet and notifies the flow entry for implementing forwarding using the path to the switch related to the calculated path, in response to the request. The switch that has received the notification of the flow entry updates the flow table, and executes the processing content described in the flow entry in the updated flow entry, or executes forwarding of the received packet.

Communication system, control apparatus, control method and program


An image display apparatus includes an image display element configured to modulate incident light from a light source, a polarization splitting element that has characteristics of transmitting first polarized light and reflecting second polarized light different from the first polarized light and that is configured to synthesize image light from the image display element to be introduced into a projection optical system, and a phase difference plate that is disposed at a side of the projection optical system relative to the polarization splitting element. The phase difference plate has an optic axis in a direction different from a surface normal direction and an in-plane direction of the phase difference plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus, and more particularly to a projection image display apparatus that displays a three-dimensional image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a liquid crystal projector (a projection image display apparatus) that displays a three-dimensional image using polarized lights orthogonal to each other is proposed. This liquid crystal projector simultaneously projects images for the right and left eyes on the same screen in polarization states different from each other. A user observes the images so as to enter the respective eyes using an analyzer such as a polarization plate or a circular polarization plate to be able to observe the three-dimensional image.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-122430 discloses a liquid crystal projector that displays a three-dimensional image by disposing image display elements for the right and left eyes in one liquid crystal projector to illuminate these image display elements using polarized lights different from each other to synthesize and projects each image light by a polarization splitting element.
However, in the liquid crystal projector disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-122430, an analyzing axis of a polarization plate and a polarizing axis of the image may be shifted from each other. The polarizing axis means a direction of vibration of linear polarized light or a direction of an elliptical long axis of elliptical polarized light. When the analyzing axis of the polarization plate and the polarizing axis of the image are shifted from each other, a phenomenon in which a certain image for the right eye enters the left eye and a certain image for the left eye enters the right eye, which is called crosstalk, is generated. As a result, the quality of the three-dimensional image is deteriorated and therefore it is difficult for the user to obtain a three-dimensional appearance. Particularly in a liquid crystal projector using a prism-type polarization splitting element, the crosstalk is generated depending on intensity or an incidence azimuth of a light beam that enters the polarization splitting element and therefore the quality of a display image may be significantly deteriorated.

Image display apparatus for displaying three-dimensional image and having a phase difference plate


A power amplifier pre-distorter is formed by a FIR filter structure that includes an individual look-up table for each filter tap, where each look-up table represents a sampled polynomial in a variable representing signal amplitude. An absolute value block selects, from each filter tap look-up table, a filter coefficient that depends on the amplitude of a corresponding complex signal value to be multiplied by the filter tap. This structure can pre-distort both for amplitude distortion and memory effects in the power amplifier.

Power amplifiers are known to distort the signal they are designed to amplify. The reason for this is that a power amplifier has a non-linear input-output signal characteristic. This shows up as a broadened spectrum around the desired amplified signal, and as an unwanted inband component of the signal. As a counter-measure to decrease the effects of non-linearity, it is known to pre-distort the signal at the input of the amplifier as to give an un-distorted amplified signal at the output of the amplifier. This technique is called pre-distortion. Pre-distortion as implemented today normally uses a look-up table that is used to multiply the signal. The entry into the table is the magnitude of the signal at every time sample.
A variation of the single look-up table approach for handling non-linearity is described in [1]. Here a FIR filter is used to handle both non-linearity and inter-symbol interference. Instead of performing the filter coefficient multiplication at each filter tap explicitly, look-up tables are used to perform this task.
Memory effects is another problem related to power amplifiers. Memory effects typically show up as a non-symmetrical spectrum around the carrier at the output of a power amplifier. That is, although the carrier (desired signal) spectrum is perfectly symmetrical, the spurious spectrum coming from the distortion may be non-symmetrical with respect to the center of the carrier.
The methods used to handle non-linearity do not take into account memory effects of the power amplifier. As the term "memory effects" indicates, there is a dependence not only on the present sample but also on previous samples of the signal. Thus, the previously used single table approach cannot take care of memory effects, but can only handle non-linearity.
Reference [2] suggests handling memory effects by using an envelope filter, which considers both the current and previous sample amplitudes in calculating a weighted multiplication coefficient that is intended to account for memory effects.
Lei Ding et. al. [3] inspired by work done by Kim and Konstantinou [4] have derived a pre-distortion method based on what they call "Memory Polynomials" that very well model memory effects. However, this method has the drawback that it requires recalculation of the memory polynomials for each new input signal amplitude, which can be computationally costly, especially if many polynomials of high order are used.


An electrification system for removable vehicle seats, includes electrical contacts located on the vehicle and electrical contacts located on the removable seat. Coupling members are provided for selectively installing the seat to the vehicle and for removing the seat to provide additional cargo space. In the preferred embodiment, the electrical contacts are arranged so that when the seat is installed, the contacts engage one another to provide power to the rear seat which in turn can be used with a variety of electrical devices, including seat heaters, seat ventilation devices, computers, entertainment or educational systems, illumination devices, and the like. In this embodiment, the electrical contacts on the vehicle are provided in the wells into which the seat coupling components fit and the contacts on the seat are located near the seat coupling members. The seat is hooked over rods within the well and rotated to its installed position. In such position, the seat is powered. There is no need to plug and unplug connectors. Alternately, the electrical contacts can be located remotely from the coupling components, as long as they come into engagement when the seat is in its installed position, or plugs which require coupling by the operator can be used.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of motor vehicle seating and more particularly to seats which are powered for various purposes such as heating, ventilation, lighting and many other applications. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to providing power to removable seats without using plug connectors or other wiring systems which can become damaged if the seat is inadvertently removed without uncoupling them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It would be desirable to provide power to removable seats for such vehicles as SUVs and vans. One way we believe it can be done is by using electrical connectors which are coupled by the operator for the power to flow to the rear seat. To remove the seat, using any of large variety of known removable seat coupling techniques, it would then be necessary to uncouple the electrical connectors. If the operator forgets to disconnect them, damage would result to the wiring system, and power could not flow to the seat until a repair is conducted.
Power in removable seats can be used for a variety of purposes, including providing power ports on the seats, courtesy or task lighting, seat belt indicators, heating the seats, ventilating the seats, powering seat mounted video or speakers, providing lumbar support or massage capabilities, occupant detection, powering an integrated cooler, powering of adjustment mechanisms (such as those which change seat height, tilt and horizontal positioning), the powering of seat back utility modules, powering seat belt pretentioners, and supplying power to communication systems. It would be most desirable to provide power for such applications using an electrification system which does not require coupling and uncoupling of electrical connectors each time the seat is removed. An electrification system having this capability would represent a significant advance in this art.
One feature of the present invention is to provide power to removable vehicle seats.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an electrification system for a removable vehicle seat which does not require the operator to plug and unplug electrical connectors.
A different feature of the present invention is to provide an electrification system for a removable vehicle seat which is automatically connected when the seat is properly installed to the vehicle.
A different feature of the present invention is to provide an electrification system for a removable vehicle seat wherein electrical connection is made in the vicinity of the coupling members used to join the removable seat to the vehicle.
Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide an electrification system for a removable vehicle seat in which the electrical connection is made during the process of installing the seat to the vehicle.
A further feature of the present invention is to provide an electrification system for a removable vehicle seat in which an indicator is provided to alert the operator if the seat is not properly installed to the vehicle and electrification is not present at the seat.
How the foregoing and other features of the invention are accomplished will be described in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken generally with the FIGURES. Generally, however, they are provided by an electrification system which includes electrical contacts mounted to the vehicle and electrical contacts located on the vehicle seat. The respective contacts are arranged in such a manner that they come into electrical engagement with one another when the seat is moved from a disconnected to a fully installed position. In one illustrated embodiment, the vehicle electrical contacts are conductive strips located within the floor wells of the seat coupling members, and the electrical contacts for the seat comprise cylindrical conductive rods which are spring loaded so that a wiping action occurs between the rod tip and the strip as the seat is installed. Alternately, the electrical contacts can be located remotely from the seat coupling members but are still arranged so that contact is made at the time the seat is installed. In either embodiment, covers may be provided for the electrical contacts of the vehicle and/or the seat when the seat is being stored, to prevent contamination of the contacts. In a further embodiment of the invention, an indicator, such as an RF transmitter, can be provided to indicate either the presence or the absence of power in the removable seat. The present specification further identifies a number of electrical devices that may be coupled to the electrical contacts of the vehicle seat to provide enhanced functionality at the rear seat. Other ways in which the features of the invention are accomplished will become apparent to those skilled in the art after they have read the detailed description of the invention which follows. Such other ways are deemed to fall within the scope of the invention if they fall within the scope of the claims which follow.

Electrification system for removable vehicle seats


A hand-held, portable inhalator device is disclosed. The device has a mouthpiece with a chamber operatively coupled to a medication inlet and a fluid outlet. A valve is disposed about the fluid outlet and is configured to open when subjected to a first threshold level of positive pressure permitting egress of fluid from the chamber. A trigger is configured to dispense medication from a medication source through the medication inlet and into the chamber after a second threshold level of positive pressure is achieved within the chamber of the mouthpiece and maintained for a threshold period of time.

Patients who suffer from respiratory ailments including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, or other disorder or condition that causes respiratory distress, often self-administer medication to treat symptoms for those ailments.
Presently, many patients attempt delivery of medications to the respiratory system through hand-held metered dose inhalers (MDI) and dry powder inhalers (DPI). Small volume nebulizers (SVN) may also be used. An MDI is a device that helps deliver a specific amount of medication to the lungs, usually by supplying a short burst of aerosolized medicine that is inhaled by the patient. A typical MDI consists of a canister and an actuator (or mouthpiece). The canister itself consists of a metering dose valve with an actuating stem. The medication typically resides within the canister and is made up of the drug, a liquefied gas propellant and, in many cases, stabilizing excipient. Once assembled, the patient then uses the inhaler by pressing down on the top of the canister, with their thumb supporting the lower portion of the actuator. Actuation of the device releases a single metered dose of liquid propellant that contains the medication. Breakup of the volatile propellant into droplets, followed by rapid evaporation of these droplets, results in an aerosol consisting of micrometer-sized medication particles that are then breathed into the lungs. Other MDI's are configured to be charged by twisting a cylinder that charges the device. A button on a side of the cylinder is depressed by the user which results in a timed release of nebulized or aerosolized medication for inhalation by the patient.
DPI's involve micronized powder often packaged in single dose quantities in blisters or gel capsules containing the powdered medication to be drawn into the lungs by the user's own breath. These systems tend to be more expensive than the MDI, and patients with severely compromised lung function, such as occurs during an asthma attack, may find it difficult to generate enough airflow for satisfactory performance.
While used widely for the treatment of respiratory distress, treatment protocols using MDI's and DPI's ignore the physiological state of patients suffering from respiratory distress. That is, generally speaking, many patients presenting symptoms related to respiratory distress suffer from closed or inflamed alveoli. It is the inflammation of the airways within the lungs of the patient that causes discomfort and other symptoms related to their respiratory distress. Unfortunately, common treatment techniques related to MDI and DPI use, deliver medication to inflamed and non-inflamed airways alike. The desired physiological response to the administered medications (i.e., the opening or reduced inflammation of the airways, etc.) is delayed as the medication is absorbed into the bloodstream and thereafter delivered to the closed or inflamed airways. Moreover, use of MDI's or DPI's can be difficult to administer to very young or very old patients or others with decreased or low dexterity. For example, a patient suffering from an acute asthmatic attack may have a difficult time taking a deep enough breath to move an aerosol from an MDI down through the patients airway. A need exists, therefore, for improved systems and methods for lung recruitment and more efficient delivery of medication to the lung.


U-shaped cushions, also known as shanks or spring members, resiliently support a gang of disks on the frame of a disk harrow. The agricultural disk cushion is manufactured from a round section of raw material which is lighter and more resistant to torsion related failure than traditional rectangular section shanks. Two leg portions are each tapered to have flat surfaces on opposite sides for flush fitting with mounting elements, while a central portion connecting them remains circular in cross section. The round cross section in this critical area can withstand severe omni-directional loading, as its resistance is equal in all directions The spring rate the leg portions of the disk cushion can be tailored individually to meet the requirements of the application.

Disk gangs of harrows are often resiliently supported on the harrow frame so that each gang can independently yield to obstructions met by the disks in the farmland being harrowed. This reduces the impact forces transmitted to the frame and the potential damage to the disk gang caused by engagement with obstructions such as rocks, stumps or roots.
Existing resilient mounting arrangements often include U-shaped spring members mounted between a cross member on the frame and the shaft on which the disks are mounted. These U-shanks or disk cushions are typically manufactured from square or rectangular cross-section material, formed to shape and heat-treated. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,066,132 and 4,407,372 disclose U-shaped spring members having rectangular cross sections. In some cases these disk cushions may have one or two tapered legs, where the thickness of the leg is variable along its length. This is done to provide exactly the right spring rate to meet the application requirements.
Disk cushions undergo loading in many planes, often resulting in a torsional load being applied to the part, concentrated at the central portion of the U-shaped member between the leg portions. This applied torsion tends to be a repeated and cyclic load that often leads to failure of the part. The square shape of the part is not the optimum shape to resist this form of torsional fatigue. Therefore, there is a desire for a cushion with an improved resistance to torsional loads applied during use of the disk harrow.

Disk harrow with U-shaped cushions of tapered round section


The present invention relates to a compression arrangement for use in an x-ray imaging apparatus, the arrangement comprising a compression paddle and an actuator for displacing said compression paddle in a distance, said paddle having an extension direction substantially transverse to an object insertion direction. The actuator is operatively arranged to incline said paddle along said extension direction.

In mediolateral oblique view (MLO) the image is taken from an oblique or angled view. During routine screening mammography, the MLO view is preferred over a lateral 90-degree projection because more of the breast tissue can be imaged in the upper outer quadrant of the breast and the axilla (armpit).
The present invention introduces a new compression apparatus and compression paddle to obtain better leveling of the breast tissue in MLOs, and fully taking advantage of the image field in tomosynthesis, which is three-dimensional x-ray imaging.
In x-ray imaging, in particular tomosynthesis, the image field is not shaped as a box. A typical shape is rather a section of a cone with a rectangular cross-section. One problem for the compression paddle edge path with respect to the x-ray field is that the compression paddle is normally wider than the ray field. The width of the field from the x-ray source increases with respect to its height with increasing base section, because the x-ray source scans from one side to the other side.
If the object (breast) is thick, the paddle must be higher up in the x-ray field, where the field is wider. Consequently, the paddle must be wider than the widest field boundary to avoid intersecting of the image. If the object is thin, the paddle will extend outside the object board when it is lowered close to the board.
This is not a problem in CC-positioning, i.e. the patient is standing and the table is horizontal. The problem occurs when positioning with angled examination table, MLO, which may have an angle of 45-60 degrees, to be able to imagine pectoral muscles.
US 2006/0262899 discloses a compression paddle comprising a paddle base, a paddle wall comprising a first side-wall, and a second side-wall. The first side-wall and/or the second side-wall are disposed upon the paddle base and inclined with respect to the paddle base at an angle that is effective to permit an x-ray beam uninterrupted access to an object of interest located on an opposing side of the paddle base from an x-ray source when an angle between a central axis of the x-ray beam and a vertical taken at an inner surface of the first side-wall and/or the inner surface of the second side-wall is about 15 degrees to about 75 degrees. Although the breast compression paddles are for use in mammography systems, including standard and tomosynthesis mammography systems, the invention does not solve all the problems, especially related to MLO, in particular for tomosynthesis.


A shoe upper, having an upper outer material (13) with a lower outer material end region (19) located in a lower upper end region, an upper lining material, which is arranged on the inner side of the upper outer material (13), incorporates a waterproof functional layer and has a lower lining material end region (21), the lining material end region (21) having a lining edge that is not covered by the upper outer material (13), and a connecting band (17), which extends in the peripheral direction of the upper end region and is joined on a first longitudinal side (23) to the outer material end region (19) but not to the end region (21) of the lining material, and is joined on a second longitudinal side to the end region (21) of the lining material but not to the end region (19) of the outer material, wherein at points of curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region the connecting band (17) extends in an arc corresponding to the local radius of curvature, with the two longitudinal sides of the connecting band having different degrees of curvature, , in such a way that, for an arc sector lying in the respective curvature, with a predetermined unitary sector angle, the arc lengths of the two longitudinal sides of the connecting band sides belonging to this arc sector differ from each other the more the greater the curvature of the respective arc sector is, the arc length of the first longitudinal side of the connecting band being longer than the arc length of the second longitudinal side of the connecting band at points with convex curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region, corresponding to the different curvatures and arc lengths of the outer material end region and the lining material end region.

An example of footwear of this type is shown by the applicant's EP 0 298 360 B1, an upper outer material being lined with an upper lining material having a waterproof functional layer. The upper outer material is cut shorter on the sole sided end than the upper lining material, so that an overhang of the upper lining material beyond the upper outer material is obtained. The overhang is bridged by a net band, one longitudinal side of which is sewn to the sole sided end of the upper outer material, but not to the upper lining material, and the other longitudinal side of which is sewn to the sole sided end of the upper lining material but not to the upper outer material. The net band, preferably comprising monofilament fibers, interrupts a water bridge for water passing from the upper outer material that has become wet to the sole region. If the sole sided edge of the upper outer material were to reach down as far as the sole sided edge of the upper lining material, water creeping down the upper could reach the sole sided edge of the functional layer and from there get to the inside of the lining, which could lead to the inside of the shoe becoming wet. This footwear is provided with a molded-on outsole, having such a height at the lower end of the upper that it embeds the net band and the seam connecting it to the upper outer material. The net band has pores dimensioned such that the outsole material, which is liquid when it is being molded, can penetrate through the net band and force its way to the overhang of the upper lining material and thereby seal the part of the functional layer that is located in the region of the overhang. To maintain the breathability of this footwear, its functional layer is not only waterproof but also water-vapor-permeable. This known construction has proven to be very successful for the production of footwear which is not only breathable but also extremely and reliably waterproof.
Footwear with a similar net band solution is shown by the applicant's DE 199 38 139 A1, in which however the region of the functional layer that is bridged by the net band is not sealed by means of outsole material, but by means of a reactive hot-melt adhesive which is applied in the non-reacted state to the outer side of the net band and leads to waterproofness in the fully reacted state.
One of the problems with these solutions is that the upper has a tendency to become folded and distorted in the region of the net band, in particular at those points at which the sole contour of the footwear has a narrow radius of curvature, such as in particular in the region of the toes and heel, which applies most particularly to children's shoes. If the net band extends with its transverse dimension approximately perpendicularly in relation to the outsole, formation of folds occurs, because upper end region the lower upper end region does not rise up perpendicularly from the outsole at most points of its periphery, but with an inclination, which applies in particular to the toe region of shoes with a soft outer material. If the net band is located in a part of the lower upper end region that is turned back parallel to the outsole, formation of folds occurs due to different degrees of curvature of the edges of the outer material end region and the lining material end region.
In the case of footwear known from DE 195 03 405 C1, it has been attempted to counter the problem of formation of folds by using the same technique as in the previously considered examples of known footwear, in that the lower end of the outer material is joined to the insole by means of a net band, but with a lining laminate incorporating the functional layer ending at a distance from the insole just like the outer material and being joined to the latter only by means of outsole material, with the result that, before the outsole is molded on, the lower end of the lining laminate can flap freely, which makes shoe production more difficult, and this sole construction is suitable only for shoes with a molded-on outsole.
The object of the invention is to remedy this and to avoid formation of folds, even if the lower end of the functional layer extends as far as the net band edge remote from the upper outer material.
To achieve this object, the invention provides a shoe upper of the type specified in claim 1 and footwear of the type specified in claim 25. The invention also provides a process for producing a shoe upper of the type specified in claim 36 and a process for producing footwear of the type specified in claim 55. With regard to developments, reference is made to the dependent claims.
A shoe upper according to the invention comprises an upper outer material with a lower outer material end region located in a lower upper end region, an upper lining material, which is arranged on the inner side of the upper outer material, incorporates a waterproof functional layer and has a lower lining material end region, the lining material end region having a lining edge that is not covered by the upper outer material, and a connecting band, which extends around the periphery of the upper end region and is joined on a first longitudinal side to the outer material end region but not to the lining material end region, and is joined on a second longitudinal side to the lining material end region but not to the outer material end region, wherein at points of curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region the connecting band extends in an arc corresponding to the local radius of curvature, with the two longitudinal sides of the connecting band having different degrees of curvature, in such a way that, for an arc sector lying in the respective curvature, with a predetermined unitary sector angle, the arc lengths of the two longitudinal connecting band sides belonging to this arc sector differ from each other the more, the greater the curvature of the respective arc sector is, the arc length of the first longitudinal side of the connecting band being longer than the arc length of the second longitudinal side of the connecting band at points with convex curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region, corresponding to the differing curvatures and arc lengths of the outer material end and the lining material end region.
For the purpose of this invention, convex and concave mean that the peripheral contour of the lower upper end region corresponding to the peripheral contour of the sole, that is to be attached at a later stage, is pre-curved outward or drawn-in inward, viewed from the middle of the later sole surface.
The terms arc sector, arc lengths and unitary sector angle are explained in more detail at a later point with the aid of FIG. 12.
Footwear according to the invention comprises a shoe upper of this type and a sealing material which seals the lining material end region in a waterproof manner in a sealing material zone that is located in the region of the connecting band and extends in the peripheral direction of the upper end region.
In the case of known footwear of the type mentioned at the beginning, formation of folds of the upper has been caused in the region of the net band because it has not been taken into account that the curved edge of the outer material end region and the curved edge of the lining material end region have different arc lengths at points at which the lower periphery of the upper end region has a curvature, which applies in particular in the region of the toes and in the region of the heel, the difference in arc length depending on the degree of local curvature. If, as was the case up to now, use is made of a net band which is not adapted, or is not adaptable, to the different curvatures of the periphery of the upper end region, fold-like distortions inevitably occur due to the different curvatures and curvature arc lengths on the two longitudinal sides of the net band, and these distortions can also be transferred to the material that is sewn onto the net band, in particular the lining material, which is generally softer than the outer material. Such formation of folds of the net band may have the effect that sealing material which is intended to penetrate through the net band as far as the functional layer of the lining no longer forces its way adequately or adequately uniformly through to the functional layer at the points of the folds, and sealing of the region of the functional layer adjacent to the net band is no longer achieved in a satisfactory way. Folds in the lining material and/or in the outer material require thicker layers of adhesive for the cement-lasting in the case of a lasted upper and/or for the cementing on of an outsole, and consequently a higher sole construction than would be required without the folds. This also applies to molded-on outsoles, the sole side edge of which must be molded higher up in the case of formation of folds formation.
It has already been attempted to reduce the problem of formation of folds by using a conical net band whose upper longitudinal side net band forms a circle with a smaller diameter than the lower longitudinal side when the band is bent to form a circle. A net band of this type, which is produced by a weaving operation and is relatively rigid, is on the one hand complex to produce and on the other hand can only be adapted to a quite specific curvature of the upper end region periphery. At points of different curvature, the problem of formation of folds remains, however, and at points at which the direction of curvature is opposed to that for which the conical net band is designed, the problem of formation of folds is intensified in comparison to a neutral net band of a conventional type. Normally, the conical net band is designed for curvatures in the region of the toes or heel of the shoe. However, on the inner side of the middle region of the foot, the shoe usually has an opposed direction of curvature. There, the conical net band exacerbates the problems instead of reducing them.
This is avoided in the case of footwear with an upper according to the invention by the use of a connecting band which is adapted or adaptable to different curvatures along the periphery of the upper end region. Connecting band adapted to different curvatures is provided at the time of production with a curvature that is adapted to a specific shoe model, in that it is for example punched out or injection-molded with a suitable shape of curvature. An elastically or plastically expandable band is suitable as an adaptable connecting band, the adaptation to different curvatures being achievable by choosing a longitudinal tensile pre-stress during connection to the lining material end region and/or the outer material end region.
An elastically expandable connecting band is particularly preferred, because it is adaptable to the different curvature conditions particularly easily and without being designed for a specific shoe model.
In order to obtain the desired effect, that is the avoidance of formation of folds, the longitudinal side of the elastic connecting band that is joined to the lining material end region must be elastically expandable and joined to the lining material end region subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress. The longitudinal side of the elastic connecting band that is joined to the upper outer material end region does not have to be, but may be, elastically expandable and does not have to be, but may be, joined to the upper outer material end region subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress. If both longitudinal sides of the elastic connecting band are joined subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress, it is recommendable, but not absolutely necessary, to subject the longitudinal side that is joined to the lining material end region to the same longitudinal tensile pre-stress as the longitudinal side that is joined to the upper outer material end region.
The fact that this elastic connecting band is joined to the upper lining material while being subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress on the longitudinal side that is joined to the upper lining material and attempts to contract back into its non-extended state means that the longitudinal side of the elastic connecting band that is to be joined to the upper lining material is shortened in comparison with the other longitudinal side, thereby preventing formation of folds.
It is advantageous to subject the elastic connecting band to a longitudinal tensile pre-stress also as it is being sewn onto the upper outer material. This achieves the effect that the elastic connecting band on the longitudinal side that is joined to the lining material contracts particularly intensively during bending and, as a result, formation of folds is prevented particularly well. After sewing the connecting band subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress onto the upper outer material, it is also easier to sew the lining material securely to the connecting band subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress, since the upper outer material with the elastic connecting band subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress sewn onto it contracts, and consequently the sewing of the lining material onto the connecting band without renewed exertion of a longitudinal tensile pre-stress may involve difficulties, in particular if the lining material and the outer material cannot extend to the same degree in the peripheral direction of the upper end region.
When the upper is being stretched onto a last, the elastic connecting band makes it possible in a very simple way for the connecting band to be pulled under the sole sided edge of the last. Due to the longitudinal tensile pre-stress, the elastic connecting band flips into a position parallel to the outsole to be applied later, which may facilitate subsequent processing steps. The connecting band remains free of folds, which is important in particular in the case of shoes with a narrow radius of curvature of the peripheral contour of the sole, most particularly in the case of pointed shoes and small shoes, for example children's shoes and smaller ladies' sizes. The fact that there are no longer any folds means that, when the connecting band is formed as a net band, the subsequently applied sealing material can penetrate well through the net band at all points, so that a particularly high-quality and durable waterproofness of the finished footwear is obtained. Since folds no longer occur, thinner soles can be used. This has a particularly positive effect in the case of shoes in which the lower upper end region including the connecting band is turned back around the lower edge of the last and remains in this position, and the outsole does not need to have a edge rising up to the upper in order to cover a connecting band, which extends with its transverse dimension approximately perpendicularly in relation to the outsole. As the connecting band disappears under the lower edge of the last without any problem and free from folds, it is no longer necessary to make the edge of the sole particularly high on the upper. As a result, when a water-vapor-permeable and consequently breathable functional layer and a molded-on or cemented-on outsole are used, an unnecessarily great amount of lining material having this functional layer is not covered by non-breathable outsole plastic and blocked with respect to breathability. The connecting band used according to the invention consequently contributes to the increase in the overall breathability of the footwear.
In the case of the process according to the invention for producing a shoe upper, which is constructed with an upper outer material and a lining material which is arranged on the inner side of the upper outer material and has a waterproof functional layer, an upper outer material piece cut in the shape of the upper is provided, a lining material piece cut in the shape of the upper is provided, the latter piece being cut in such a way that a lower lining material end region piece has a lining edge that is not covered by the upper outer material after the lining material piece has been arranged in the correct position on the inner side of the upper outer material piece, the lower edge of the upper outer material piece is joined along its entire periphery to a first longitudinal side of a connecting band and a lower end of the lining edge is joined along its entire periphery to a second longitudinal side of the connecting band, wherein at points of curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region the connecting band is provided with in an arcuate shape corresponding to the local radius of curvature, with the two longitudinal sides of the connecting band being provided with different degrees of curvature, in such a way that, for an arc sector lying in the respective curvature, with a predetermined unitary sector angle, the arc lengths of the two longitudinal connecting band sides belonging to this arc sector differ from each other the more, the greater the curvature in the respective arc sector is, the arc length of the first longitudinal side of the connecting band being made longer than the arc length of the second longitudinal side of the connecting band at points with convex curvature of the lower periphery of the upper end region, corresponding to the differing curvatures and arc lengths of the outer material end and the lining material end region.
In one embodiment of the invention, the lining edge that is not covered by the upper outer material is formed by an overhang of the lining material end region with respect to the outer material end region.
In one embodiment of the invention, the connecting band is non-porous.
In a first variation of this embodiment, the non-porous connecting band or part thereof serves as sealing material, which is activated, for example by means of thermal energy, high-frequency energy, infrared energy or UV energy, and thereby temporarily brought into a liquid and adhesive state, in which it develops its adhesive effect. For example, the connecting band has an elastic textile band as a backing, which is coated with a sealing compound.
In a second variation of this embodiment, in which an intermediate sole or outsole is molded onto the footwear, a material which can be melted by the hot-liquid sole material during the molding-on of the sole is used for the connecting band. Since the footwear in this case is kept in shape on the sole side by the molded-on sole, the stability of the footwear is still ensured even if the connecting band completely melts away during the molding-on of the sole.
A polyurethane band is suitable for example for the non-porous connecting band.
In another embodiment of the invention, the connecting band is porous or permeable and preferably has the form of a net band, with such porosity or permeability that it can be penetrated by liquid sealing material. The liquid sealing material is either sole material that is liquid during the molding-on of a sole or, in particular if the footwear is provided with a cemented-on outsole, a sealing adhesive that leads to waterproofness in the cured state, preferably in the form of reactive hot-melt adhesive that leads to waterproofness in the fully reacted state. In this case, the sealing adhesive is essentially only applied to the porous connecting band and seals the functional layer in that region of the upper lining material which is located opposite to the porous connecting band.
It is important that the connecting band is elastic at least on the longitudinal side to be joined to the lining material, while the other longitudinal side of the connecting band may be at least expandable or likewise elastic.
In one embodiment of the invention, the porous or permeable elastic net band has the shape of a ladder, wherein two longitudinal webs that form the two longitudinal sides of the net band are joined by transverse webs uniformly spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the net band. In this case, at least the longitudinal web to be joined to the lining material is elastic, while the transverse webs are preferably rigid or non-elastic. In one embodiment of the net band, the longitudinal webs consist of unvulcanized rubber, vulcanized rubber, latex or an elastomer, for example Elastan, while the transverse webs preferably consist of polyamide, polyester or a similar non-elastic material.
With regard to an elastic net band formed in such a way, there are several variations, which are suitable for the purpose according to the invention, for example:                both longitudinal webs are 100% plastically deformable by in such a way that formation of folds does not occur at the points of curvature of the periphery of the upper end region;        both longitudinal webs are 100% elastically deformable by in such a way that formation of folds does not occur at the points of curvature of the periphery of the upper end region;        both longitudinal webs are each partially elastically as well as plastically deformable in such a way that formation of folds does not occur at the points of curvature of the upper end region periphery;        one of the two longitudinal webs is partially elastically as well as plastically deformable and the other longitudinal web is 100% plastically deformable in such a way that formation of folds does not occur at the points of curvature of the upper end region periphery;        one of the two longitudinal webs is partially elastically as well as plastically deformable and the other longitudinal web is 100% elastically deformable in such a way that formation of folds does not occur at the points of curvature of the upper end region periphery.
In an embodiment of the invention using an elastic net band, the net band is produced by a weaving operation, the longitudinal webs being formed by longitudinal or warp threads which are woven with transverse or weft threads. Longitudinal threads are provided only in the region of the longitudinal webs. In the central region between the longitudinal webs, remaining free of longitudinal threads, the transverse threads form the transverse webs. In this case, the transverse webs are arranged at such a distance from one another that the net band has adequate permeability for sealing material. To obtain the elasticity, the elastic threads forming the longitudinal threads are subjected to tensile stress during the weaving operation, at least those threads belonging to the longitudinal web that is to be joined to the lining material. The elastic net band can be formed in different ways, according to specific requirements. The possibilities are for only one longitudinal web to be elastic, for both longitudinal webs to be elastic, for the two longitudinal webs to have different elasticity and also for the net band to have zones of different elasticity along its length, in order for example to provide a greater elasticity in the region of the toes and heel of the footwear and a lesser elasticity in the side foot regions of the footwear.
The use of a net band with constant elasticity along the entire periphery of the shoe upper is preferred, wherein the net band may be sewn to the upper outer material while being subjected to a greater longitudinal tensile pre-stress at locations with a smaller radius of curvature, that is in the region of the toes and heel, than in the region of the longitudinal sides of the foot.
The solution according to the invention is suitable both for footwear with an insole and for footwear without an insole.
In the case of footwear without an insole, the upper end region on the sole side is lashed together by a lashing string (also known by the term "string lasting"). In the case of footwear with an insole, the upper material is joined to the insole either by sealing by a Strobel seam, i.e. by means of a Strobel seam connecting the upper material and the insole, or by cement-lasting of a lasting allowance belonging to the lower upper end region to the underside of the insole by means of lasting cement. The use of both fastening methods in combination on one and the same footwear is also possible, with for example the lining material end region being joined to the insole by means of a Strobel seam and the outer material end region being joined to the insole by means of cement-lasting. There is also footwear with a part-insole, which only extends over part of the length of the footwear, the lower end of the upper being lashed together by means of a lashing string over that part of the length of the shoe that has no insole and cement-lasted over that part of the length of the shoe that has the part-insole. In a corresponding way, the elastic connecting band is joined to the peripheral edge of the insole by means of the Strobel seam or the longitudinal side of the connecting band that is not joined to the upper outer material is fastened to the edge of the lasting allowance.
The use of an elastic connecting band has the effect that, after the connection of one longitudinal side of the connecting band to the upper outer material while being subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress, the part of the connecting band that is not joined to the upper outer material flips inward in such a way that this part of the connecting band extends approximately perpendicularly away from the inner side of the upper end region on the sole side and extends approximately parallel to the outsole still to be attached. This is advantageous to the extent that the lateral edge of the molded-on or cemented-on outsole does not need to be as high as in the case where the connecting band is perpendicular to the outsole and/or has folds.
Suitable in particular for sole constructions which have neither a waterproof insole nor a waterproof intermediate sole nor a waterproof outsole is an embodiment of the invention in which there is provided a sheet-like waterproof sealing layer which is applied to the underside of a turned-back upper end region such that it extends parallel to the still to be applied outsole in such a way that a lower opening of the upper is sealed as far as the sealing material zone. The sealing layer is preferably a sealing sheet (also known to those skilled in the art as a gasket), which is cemented onto the underside of the insole or, if it is an insole-free construction with a lashing string, onto the underside of the turned-back, lashed-together upper end region. In one embodiment, the sealing sheet is waterproof and preferably also water-vapor-permeable. It may be constructed with a laminate which has a backing material layer and a waterproof, preferably also water-vapor-permeable functional layer.
Depending on the specific construction of the sole, the sealing layer may also be an intermediate sole or an outsole or else a layer of sealing material, for example in the form of a sealing adhesive applied to the inner side of the outsole or sealing adhesive applied only to the connecting band formed as a net band, in particular in the form of reactive hot-melt adhesive.
In the case of one embodiment of the invention, the functional layer of the upper lining material and/or the sealing sheet has a layer of expanded microporous polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE).
For sealing the functional layer by means of the connecting band (if the latter contains sealing material itself) or through the connecting band (if the latter is formed as a porous or permeable net band), any material leading to waterproofness is suitable. In the case of the use of adhesive, having sealing properties, as the sealing material, preference is given to reactive hot-melt adhesive, which seals the sole construction of footwear particularly well. Reactive hot-melt adhesive has, on the one hand, can creep particularly well in the liquid state before fully reacting and, on the other hand, leads particularly high and durable waterproofness in the fully reacted state. The reactive hot-melt adhesive can be applied very simply, it can for example be brushed on, sprayed on or applied in the form of a band of adhesive or a bead of adhesive, the reactive hot-melt adhesive being made tacky by heating and, as a result, being able to be affixed in the region of the connecting band before the full reacting process and accompanying durable adhesive bonding to the functional layer begins.
The adhesive bonding of the reactive hot-melt adhesive or other sealing material to the functional layer is particularly intimate if the reactive hot-melt adhesive or the other sealing material is mechanically pressed against the functional layer after being applied to the connecting band. Preferably suitable for this purpose is a pressing device, for example in the form of a pressing pad, with a smooth material surface which cannot be wetted by the reactive hot-melt adhesive or other sealing material and therefore cannot bond with the reactive hot-melt adhesive or the other sealing material, made for example of non-porous polytetrafluoroethylene (also known by the trade name Teflon), silicone or PE (polyethylene). A pressing pad is preferably used for this purpose is, for example in the form of a rubber pad or air cushion, whose surface is covered with a film of one of the said materials, for example non-porous polytetrafluoroethylene, or such a film is arranged between the sole construction provided with the reactive hot-melt adhesive or the other sealing material and the pressing pad before the pressing operation.
Preferably, a reactive hot-melt adhesive is used which can be cured by means of moisture, which adhesive is applied to the region to be adhesively bonded and exposed to moisture to make it fully react. In one embodiment of the invention, a reactive hot-melt adhesive which can be thermally activated and can be cured by means of moisture is used, which adhesive is thermally activated, applied to the region to be adhesively bonded and exposed to moisture to make it fully react.
Reactive hot-melt adhesives refer to adhesives which, before their activation, comprise relatively short molecular chains with an average molecular weight in the range from approximately 3000 to approximately 5000 g/mol, are non-adhesive and are brought into a state of reaction, possibly by thermal activation, in which the relatively short molecular chains are crosslinked to form longer molecular chains and thereby cure, doing so predominantly in a moist atmosphere. During the reaction or curing time, they are capable of adhesive bonding. After the crosslinking curing, they cannot be re-activated. When they fully react, three-dimensional crosslinking of molecular chains occurs. The three-dimensional crosslinking leads to particularly high protection against water ingress into the adhesive.
Suitable for example for the purpose according to the invention are polyurethane reactive hot-melt adhesives, resins, aromatic hydrocarbon resins, aliphatic hydrocarbon resins and condensation resins, for example in the form of epoxy resin.
Particularly preferred are polyurethane reactive hot-melt adhesives, referred to hereafter as PU reactive hot-melt adhesives.
In one practical embodiment of footwear according to the invention, a PU reactive hot-melt adhesive that is obtainable under the name IPATHERM S 14/242 from the company H. P. Fuller of Wells, Austria, is used. In another embodiment of the invention, a PU reactive hot-melt adhesive, which is obtainable under the name Macroplast QR 6202 from the company Henkel AG, Dusseldorf, Germany, is used.
A functional layer, which is not only water-impermeable but also water-vapor-permeable, is particularly preferred. This makes it possible to produce waterproof shoes, which remain breathable in spite of being waterproof.
A functional layer is regarded as "waterproof", if appropriate including the seams provided of the functional layer, if it ensures a water ingress pressure of at least 1×104 Pa. The material of the functional layer preferably ensures a water ingress pressure of over 1×105 Pa. The water ingress pressure is measured here by a test method in which distilled water is applied at 20±2° C. with increasing pressure to a 100 cm2 sample of the functional layer. The pressure increase is 60±3 cm of water column per minute. The water ingress pressure then corresponds to the pressure at which water appears for the first time on the other side of the sample. Details of the procedure are described in ISO Standard 0811 from the year 1981.
A functional layer is regarded as "water-vapor-permeable" if it has a water-vapor permeability coefficient Ret of less than 150 m2×Pa×W−1. The water-vapor permeability is tested by the Hohenstein skin model. This test method is described in DIN EN 31092 (February 1994) or ISO 11092 (1993).
Whether a shoe is waterproof can be tested for example by a centrifuge arrangement of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,807.
Suitable materials for the waterproof, water-vapor-permeable functional layer are, in particular, polyurethane, polypropylene and polyester, including polyether esters and their laminates, as described in the publications U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,418 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,870. Particularly preferred, however, is expanded microporous polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), as described for example in the publications U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,566 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,390, and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene which is provided with hydrophilic impregnating agents and/or hydrophilic layers; see for example the publication U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,041. A microporous functional layer is understood to mean a functional layer whose average pore size lies between approximately 0.2 μm and approximately 0.3 μm.
The pore size can be measured with the Coulter Porometer (trade name), which is produced by Coulter Electronics, Inc., Hialeath, Fla., USA.
If ePTFE is used as the functional layer, the reactive hot-melt adhesive can penetrate into the pores of this functional layer during the cementing operation, which leads to a mechanical anchoring of the reactive hot-melt adhesive in this functional layer. The functional layer consisting of ePTFE may be provided with a thin polyurethane layer on the side with which it comes into contact with the reactive hot-melt adhesive during the cementing operation. If PU reactive hot-melt adhesive is used in conjunction with such a functional layer, there occurs not only the mechanical bond but also a chemical bond between the PU reactive hot-melt adhesive and the PU layer on the functional layer. This leads to a particularly intimate adhesive bonding between the functional layer and the reactive hot-melt adhesive, so that particularly durable waterproofness is ensured.
Leather or textile fabrics are suitable for example as the upper outer material. The textile fabrics may be, for example, woven or knitted fabrics, nonwovens, a fleece or felt. These textile fabrics may be produced from natural fibers, for example from cotton or viscose, from synthetic fibers, for example from polyesters, polyamides, polypropylenes or polyolefins, or from blends of at least two such materials.
When a functional layer is used, a lining material is normally arranged on the inner side. The same materials as are specified above for the upper outer material are suitable as lining material, which is often combined with the functional layer to form a functional-layer laminate. The functional-layer laminate may also have more than two layers, it being possible for a textile backing to be located on the side of the functional layer remote from the lining layer.
The outsole of footwear according to the invention may consist of waterproof material, such as for example rubber or plastic, for example polyurethane, or of non-waterproof, but breathable material, such as in particular leather, leather provided with rubber or plastic intarsias or rubber or plastic provided with leather intarsias. In the case of non-waterproof outsole material, the outsole can be made waterproof, while maintaining breathability, by being provided with a waterproof, water-vapor-permeable functional layer at least at points at which the sole construction has not already been made waterproof by other measures.
The insole of footwear according to the invention may consist of viscose, a nonwoven, for example polyester nonwoven, to which fusible fibers may be added, leather or adhesively bonded leather fibers. An insole is obtainable under the name Texon Brandsohle from Texon Mockmuhl GmbH of Mockmuhl, Germany. Insoles of such materials are water-permeable. An insole of such material or other material can be made waterproof by arranging a layer of waterproof material on one of its surfaces or inside it. For this purpose, for example, a film with Kappenstoff V25 from the company Rhenoflex of Ludwigshafen, Germany, may be ironed on. If the insole is to be not only waterproof but also water-vapor-permeable, it is provided with a waterproof, water-vapor-permeable functional layer, which is preferably constructed with ePTFE (expanded, microporous polytetrafluoroethylene). Suitable for this for example is a laminate, which contains a waterproof, water-vapor-permeable functional layer and is obtainable under the trade name TOP DRY from W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH, Putzbrunn, Germany.
A further possibility is to adhesively attach such a laminate (TOP DRY) from beneath onto the insole and at least onto the lasted overhang of the lining, whereby the upper is made waterproof before an outsole is cemented on.
The invention is now explained in more detail on the basis of embodiments.
In the text which follows, terms such as top and lower refer to footwear that is in the normal position, that is with the outsole facing downward, even if the drawings show shoes in the inverted position.
FIG. 1 shows an upper 11 with an upper outer material 13, an upper lining material 15 and an elastic net band 17, by means of which an outer material end region 19 and a lining material end region 21 are joined to each other.
The net band 17, shown enlarged in FIG. 2, comprises a first longitudinal web 23 and a second longitudinal web 25, which are joined to each other by means of transverse webs 27. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the first longitudinal web 23 is joined to the end region 19 of the outer material by means of a first seam 29 and the second longitudinal web 25 is joined to the end region 21 of the lining material by means of a second seam 31.
At least the second longitudinal web 25 consists of elastic material and is sewn to the end region 21 of the lining material while being subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress. The first longitudinal web 23 may, but does not have to, be elastic. The transverse webs 27 may be elastic, but are preferably non-elastic.
In one embodiment of the elastic net band 17, the two longitudinal webs 23 and 25 consist of latex rubber or some other (rubber-like) material with elastic behavior (for example Lycra, etc.) and the transverse webs 27 consist of polyamide, polyester or a similar material. The length of the transverse webs 27 and their spacing from one another are chosen such that the waterproof, water-vapor-permeable functional layer that is present in the lining material 15 of the upper can be wetted adequately by sealing material passing through the net band 17.
An embodiment of a currently preferred elastic net band has a width of approximately 10 mm, of which the two longitudinal webs 23 and 25 each take up approximately 3.5 mm and the clearance, that is the length of the free transverse webs 27, takes up approximately 3 mm. In this case, the transverse webs 27 have a spacing of approximately 0.25 mm. In general, the choice of the spacing of the transverse webs is to be based on the specific application, account having to be taken in particular of the viscosity of the sealing material by which the net band is intended to be penetrable.
In another embodiment for ski boots, the net band 17 has a width of approximately 15 mm.
In an embodiment of the net band with the above dimensions, it is a woven, elastic band with warp or longitudinal threads of natural rubber and textured polyamide threads, a material composition of 40% natural rubber, 40% monofilament polyamide and 20% textured polyamide being preferred.
Such a net band is preferably produced by a weaving operation. In this case, warp or longitudinal threads are located only in the region of the two longitudinal webs 23 and 25, so that the transverse or weft threads lie free in the region between the two longitudinal webs 23 and 25 and can consequently form the transverse webs 27. Elastic longitudinal threads, preferably made of rubber, and non-elastic longitudinal threads, preferably made of polyamide, are used as longitudinal threads for the longitudinal webs 23 and 25, only non-elastic threads, preferably likewise made of polyamide, are used for the transverse webs. During the operation of weaving the elastic net band 17, the elastic longitudinal threads are stretched by a predetermined degree and the non-elastic longitudinal threads are arranged parallel to the stretched elastic longitudinal threads. In this state, the longitudinal threads are woven with the transverse threads. After the weaving operation, the elastic longitudinal threads contract and the net band 17 relaxes correspondingly.
In the production of this net band, different elasticity values can be produced for the two longitudinal webs 23 and 25, either by using differently expandable bands for the two longitudinal webs 23 and 25 or by stretching the two longitudinal webs 23 and 25 to different extents during the operation of weaving them with the transverse webs 27.
During the sewing of the net band 17 to the upper 11, firstly the first longitudinal web 23 is sewn to the end region 19 of the outer material, while being subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress. After securely sewing the first longitudinal web 23 to the end region 19 of the outer material, the remaining part of the net band with the second longitudinal web 25 and the transverse webs 27 flips inward, as shown in FIG. 1 in the heel region of the upper. This flipping over is a consequence of the sewing of the first longitudinal web 23 to the end region 19 of the outer material while being subjected to longitudinal tensile pre-stress. The flipping over has the effect that the net band 17 assumes a position in which it extends substantially parallel to the outsole to be applied later. This flipping over also takes place in the toe region of the upper 11, which in most cases will then lead to the flipping over of the net band 17 over its entire length. In FIG. 1, the flipping over of the net band 17 is shown only in the heel region of the upper 11, in order to allow the connection of the lining material 15 of the upper to the net band 17 in the front foot region to be represented better.
The following figures show various embodiments of footwear according to the invention in a later stage of production than FIG. 1, each in a perspective plan view of the underside, partly in sectional view, and a part-cross-sectional view. The embodiments represented in FIGS. 3–11 differ from one another with regard to the sealing material and/or the sole construction.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show an embodiment of footwear according to the invention, which has been stretched onto a last 43, and has an insole attached by a Strobel seam and an adhesively attached outsole.
On the basis of the upper 11 shown in FIG. 1, with a net band 17, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an insole 33 is joined to the second longitudinal web 25 of the elastic net band 17 by means of a Strobel seam 35. In this case, the net band 17 extends in the plane of the insole 33.
In a width which corresponds approximately to the width of the net band 17, a sealing material, in the form for example of sealing adhesive 37, is applied to the net band 17 forming a closed sealing material zone which extends in the peripheral direction of the upper end region, wherein the sealing adhesive 37, penetrating through the net band 17, forces its way as far as the functional layer of the upper lining material 15, and seals it in a waterproof manner.
For the case in which neither the insole 33 nor an intermediate sole or outsole 41 still to be applied is waterproof, the underside of the insole facing the outsole 41 is covered by a sealing sheet 39 (a gasket), which has a waterproof functional layer, which is preferably likewise water-vapor-permeable, in order to maintain breathability also in the sole region of the shoe in spite of waterproofness. The sealing sheet 39 need not—as represented in FIG. 3—extend as far as the outer edge of the net band 17. It is sufficient for it to extend by an amount, which covers the insole, 33 and the Strobel seam 35, the sealing sheet 39 overlapping with the sealing adhesive 37 in order to achieve secure sealing of the sole construction.
Due to its good ability to creep in the liquid, non-reacted state and its good and durable waterproofness in the fully reacted state, reactive hot-melt adhesive, in particular polyurethane reactive hot-melt adhesive, is preferably used as the sealing adhesive 37. Due to its ability t creep in the liquid, non-reacted state, the reactive hot-melt adhesive has the ability to penetrate the elastic net band 17 to a particularly high degree, to force its way as far as the functional layer of the lining material 15 of the upper and wet the latter, the reactive hot-melt adhesive getting under the transverse webs of the net band 17 and consequently making it possible for the functional layer to be wetted with the reactive hot-melt adhesive across its full surface area, and consequently the adhesive has the ability to prevent the water which has forced its way via the upper outer material 13 as far as the net band 17 from getting inside the lining material 15 of the upper and consequently to the inside of the shoe.
In the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the turned-back part of the upper end region on the sole side is fastened to the insole 33 by cement-lasting. The cement-lasting takes place by means of lasting cement 45, which can be seen in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 6.
Also in this embodiment, on the lower side of the net band 17 (facing the outsole 41) there is a sealing adhesive 37, preferably in the form of reactive hot-melt adhesive, as already explained in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.
Also in this embodiment, a sealing sheet 39 or a continuous layer of reactive hot-melt adhesive applied across the entire surface area may be provided for the case where the outsole 41 is not waterproof.
FIGS. 7–9 show an embodiment of a shoe without an insole, in which the upper end region on the sole side extending parallel to the outsole 41 is stretched or lashed together by means of a lashing string 49. The lashing string 49 is guided in a string-lasting tunnel 47, which is for example attached to the second longitudinal web 25 of the elastic net band 17 in the way shown in FIG. 9. As FIG. 7 shows, the string-lasting tunnel 47 is open at two points of the periphery of the shoe which are located between the heel region and the toe region, in order to allow the lashing string 49 to be gripped, tautened and knotted here.
Also in this embodiment, sealing adhesive 37, preferably again in the form of reactive hot-melt adhesive, is applied to the net band 17, reference being made here to the explanations in connection with FIG. 3 with regard to details.
While FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which the string-lasting tunnel 47 is attached directly to the net band 17, FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which an initially separate string-lasting tunnel 47 with a lashing string 49 located in it is securely sewn by means of the second seam 31 between the second longitudinal web 25 of the net band 17 and the end region 21 of the lining material.
The shoe construction corresponding to FIGS. 7 to 9 may be modified by molding onto the underside of the upper end region a sole made of waterproof material, which may be an intermediate sole or an outsole, by means of which sealing of the sole structure is brought about. In this case, neither a gasket nor a layer of sealing material or reactive hot-melt adhesive layer is required.
FIGS. 10 and 11 show an embodiment in which the sealing material is formed by sole material of a sole, which may be for example an intermediate sole or the outsole 41. In this embodiment, all the production steps up to the fastening of the insole to the net band 17 by means of a Strobel seam 35 proceed in the way shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and explained there or by means of a lashing string as explained in connection with FIGS. 7 to 9. In contrast to the embodiment in FIGS. 3 and 4, no sealing adhesive 37 and no gasket is applied in the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 and 11. In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 and 11, the shoe has a molded-on sole 41. The sole material, which is liquid when the sole 41 is molded on, penetrates through the net band 17, wets the functional layer of the upper lining material 15 in the region of the net band 17 and brings about sealing of the functional layer in this region. The sealing function, which in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 7 is undertaken by separately applied sealing adhesive 37, is performed in the embodiment according to FIG. 10 by the sole adhesive.
A sealing sheet 39, as shown in the previous embodiments, is not required in the embodiment according to FIG. 10, because the molded-on outsole 41 seals the entire region of the sole structure.
While the embodiment according to FIG. 10 is suitable only for shoes with a molded-on sole, the embodiments according to FIGS. 5 and 7 can be used for soles which are not molded on, that is to say for soles which are adhesively attached, which may be plastic soles and consequently waterproof soles, so that the sealing sheet 39 is not required, or water-permeable soles, for example made of leather, in which case the sealing sheet 39 is recommended to make the sole construction waterproof, the sealing sheet preferably being not only waterproof but also water-vapor-permeable.
FIG. 12 shows a partial sectional view of a cement-lasted shoe construction with a molded-on sole 41, which may be an intermediate sole or an outsole. During the molding on of the sole 41, liquid sole material penetrates through the net band 17, forces its way as far as the functional layer of the lining material 15 and seals the functional layer. A gasket or a layer of sealing material is therefore not required. Otherwise, the construction in FIG. 12 corresponds to the construction shown in FIG. 6.
On the basis of FIG. 13, the terms used above, arc sector, arc lengths and unitary sector angle, are now also explained. FIG. 13 shows two elliptical arcs, an outer elliptical arc and an inner elliptical arc, which are intended respectively to represent the longitudinal side of the connecting band that is joined to the outer material end region and the longitudinal side of the connecting band that is joined to the lining material end region. At a point of strong elliptical curvature and at a point of weak elliptical curvature, an arc sector S1 and an arc sector S2 are respectively formed by means of the two lines of an angle. Both arc sectors S1 and S2 have the same angle w, which is referred to here as the unitary sector angle. The lines of the angle of the arc sector S1 form the borders of an outer arc length BO1 of the outer ellipse and an inner arc length BF1 of the inner ellipse. In this case, BO represents the arc length of the outer material and BF represents the arc length of the lining material. The lines of the angle of the arc sector S2 form the borders of an outer arc length BO2 of the outer ellipse and an inner arc length BF2 of the inner ellipse. The arc lengths BO1 and BO2 are duplicated and offset as thick lines close to the arc length BF1 and BF2, respectively, in order to show the differences in length between BO1 and BF1 on the one hand and between BO2 and BF2 on the other hand. It can be seen on the one hand that there are differences in length between the outer arc lengths and the inner arc lengths of the respective sector and on the other hand that this difference in length is much greater at the point of stronger elliptical curvature than at the point of weaker elliptical curvature.
When using a conventional net band, which cannot compensate for these differences in length, formation of folds is caused. When using a connecting band according to the invention, by means of which such differences in length can be compensated, formation of folds is avoided. The fact that the differences between outer and inner arc lengths are different at points with different degrees of elliptical curvature shows on the one hand that the conical connecting band conventionally used cannot avoid formation of folds and shows on the other hand that an elastic net band with which an arc length compensation can be produced without problems and simply, even in the case of differences of differing magnitude between the outer arc length and the inner arc length, is to be particularly preferred.
In the case of use of an elastic connecting band, it should have a minimum elasticity, that is to say minimum extendibility before reaching plastic deformation, in order to achieve the adaptation to the different arc lengths at the peripheral edges of the outer material end region and the lining material end region, and consequently at the two longitudinal sides of the elastic connecting band, even at points of strong curvature of the periphery of the upper end region. The elastic extendibility should be enough for the elastic connecting band to be able to be sewn onto the upper outer material with adequate longitudinal tensile pre-stress to prevent formation of folds in the connecting band and the upper lining material that is sewn to it. The elastic restoring force of the elastic connecting band should be enough to provide the connecting band with the pre-stressing force required for arc length compensation. General values or limits for the elasticity, the longitudinal tensile pre-stress and the elastic restoring force cannot be given, since they depend on the specific form of shoe and the associated maximum curvatures of the periphery of the upper end region. However, it should be an easy matter for a person skilled in the relevant art to determine and select the elasticity parameters of the connecting band that are suitable for a specific shoe.
Suitable in particular as elastic material for the elastic longitudinal web or the elastic longitudinal webs of the elastic connecting band are unvulcanized rubber, vulcanized rubber, elastic plastics, such as synthetic rubber, PVC, silicone, PU for example, and textile materials in which rubber filaments and/or filaments of such materials are incorporated.
The elastic connecting band has an extendibility of at least approximately 20%. The connecting band preferably has an extendibility of at least approximately 30%, with particular preference of at least approximately 40% and most particular preference of at least approximately 50%. These extendibility values have in this case an elastic elongation component of at least 40%. The elastic elongation component is preferably 100%. In particular, at least the longitudinal web of the elastic connecting band that is to be joined to the lining material end region has an elastic extendibility that is as high as possible, in order to achieve the desired freedom from folds at the points of the lower periphery of the upper end region having a strong curvature.
In a practical example of an elastic net band used for the invention, with the dimensions already mentioned (net band width 10 mm, longitudinal web widths each approximately 3.5 mm, transverse web length approximately 3 mm, transverse web spacings approximately 0.25 mm) and the already mentioned materials (longitudinal webs: woven, elastic band with warp or longitudinal threads made of natural rubber and textured polyamide threads with a material composition of 40% natural rubber, 40% monofilament polyamide and 20% textured polyamide; transverse webs: polyester), the following rounded average values have been obtained from the measurements of several samples:                elongation of 66% while being subjected to a stretching force of 50 N        elongation of 85% while being subjected to a stretching force of 100 N        elongation of 100% while being subjected to a stretching force of 150 N        elongation at breakage of 124% while being subjected to a stretching force of 206 N
In comparison with this, a net band as used in conventional footwear and having a width of likewise 10 mm has the following values, likewise averaged from three samples:                elongation of 4% while being subjected to a stretching force of 50 N        elongation of 10% while being subjected to a stretching force of 100 N        elongation of 15% while being subjected to a stretching force of 150 N        elongation at breakage of 30% while being subjected to a stretching force of 360 N
Values for the elasticity and restoring force are determined by tensile test measurements on the basis of European Standard EN ISO 13934-1 of April 1999 using an Instron test device (where Instron is the name of a manufacturer).
With regard to elongation and elasticity, the following definitions devised for the textile sector have been adopted for the present application.
Elongation:
Tensile loading of a material causes an elongation—with respect to its original length. A distinction is drawn between elongation at breakage, elastic elongation and permanent elongation. In the case of elongation at breakage, the lengthening at the time of breakage is determined. Loading below the breaking limit leads to an elongation that is reversed when the material is relieved of loading (elastic elongation), by contrast with irreversible permanent elongation, which leads to a change in shape of the material.
Elasticity:
Ability of a material to reverse the change in shape caused by the action of a force (bending, pressure, tension, etc.) when the effect of the force subsides.

Shoe upper and footwear constructed therewith and process for its production


A sprayer with a changeable volume includes a container, a pump, a first pipe, a second pipe and a nozzle. The container includes an upper wall and a lower wall. The upper wall can be compressed while not containing water and extensible for containing water. The lower wall is connected to the upper wall. The pump is positioned in a space defined in the lower wall. The first pipe is directed to the pump from a space defined in the upper wall. The second pipe is directed to the exterior of the container from the pump. The nozzle is connected to the second pipe.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a sprayer and, more particularly, to a sprayer with a changeable volume.
2. Related Prior Art
Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a conventional sprayer includes a container 60 formed with a handle 63. The container 60 includes a first space 61, a second space 62 in communication with the first space 61, and a port 621 in communication with the second space 62. Water can be filled in and poured from the second space 62 through the port 621. The port 621 can be closed by a cap 90. A pump 70 is positioned in the first space 61. A pipe is directed into the second space 62 from the pump 70. An outlet device 80 includes a pipe 81 connected to the pump 70, a nozzle 83 connected to the pipe 81 and a handle 82 operatively connected to the nozzle 83. In use, water is filled in the container 60 and then sprayed from the nozzle 83. After use, water is poured from the container 60. Being made of a thermosetting plastic, the container 60 occupies a large space even when the second space 62 is empty. This causes inconvenience for storage and shipment. This entails a high cost in shipment.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in the prior art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.