DE202017104239U1 - Sports shoe with ornament - Google Patents

Abstract

Sports shoe comprising a part having a wall of hard plastic material, said wall comprising an ornament (8), characterized in that the ornament (8) comprises a nanostructuring of the surface of said wall.

Description

The invention relates to a sports shoe or parts thereof, comprising an ornament, and is particularly directed to shoes for gliding boards and ski, cross-country ski, snowboard or cross country boots. It also relates to the manufacturing process of such a shoe.

Shoes for gliding sports require a good compromise between the requirements of comfort and strength. The latter is necessary to allow the user to precisely guide the glider and sense the response of the device to its impact. The shoes generally consist of a shell made of hard plastic material. The decoration of such shoes is often simple and is done by hot stamping on the outer surface of the hard shell. Such a decorating process has limitations because it adds a lengthy and costly step to the sports shoe manufacturing process. In addition, this does not achieve a very attractive, aesthetic effect.

Alternatively, a simplified ornament is to simply stick a label to the surface of the shoe to be decorated. Such a decorative label may possibly be integrated into the shaping of the shoe. Such a method is very simple and has fewer limitations, but still does not allow to achieve a particularly attractive, aesthetic effect. There is also a risk that the label will be torn off while the sport is being played.

• – der Schuh ist für eine abrasive Umgebung bestimmt und für einen sportlichen Gebrauch, der strukturbedingt eine hohe Belastung verursacht;
• – außerdem weist der Schuh eine komplexe, nicht ebene Oberfläche auf, was seine Verzierung nicht vereinfacht;
• – zudem hat der Schuh eine komplexe und kostspielige Struktur bedingt durch mechanische und Komfortanforderungen und es ist wirtschaftlich nicht vertretbar, die Kosten für eine zusätzliche ästhetische Anforderung signifikant zu erhöhen. Es ist ebenso wenig vertretbar, die Festigkeit und/oder den Komfort des Schuhs zu verringern, um Verzierungslösungen zu entwickeln;
• – auch muss der Schuh ein minimales Gewicht aufweisen, damit seine Leistung und seine Kosten optimiert sind. Verzierungslösungen, die eine Erhöhung des Gewichts des Schuhs mit sich zögen, wären daher schlecht geeignet.

In general, the prior art embellishment methods for hardshell sports shoes are unsatisfactory, which is explained by the interplay of a variety of constraints, including:

• - The shoe is intended for an abrasive environment and for a sporting use, which causes structural high stress;
• In addition, the shoe has a complex, non-planar surface, which does not simplify its decoration;
• In addition, the shoe has a complex and costly structure due to mechanical and comfort requirements, and it is economically unreasonable to significantly increase the cost of an additional aesthetic requirement. It is also unreasonable to reduce the strength and / or comfort of the shoe to develop decorative solutions;
• - Also, the shoe must have a minimum weight, so its performance and its cost are optimized. Decorating solutions that entail an increase in the weight of the shoe would therefore be poorly suited.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe comprising an ornament, the latter possibly being adapted to a large size, shape and complex shape of the surface of the shoe.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe with an ornament, whose manufacturing process is simple and its additional cost is negligible.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a sports shoe with an ornament whose weight remains minimal.

According to the invention, the sports shoe comprises a part having a wall of hard plastic material, said wall comprising an ornament comprising a nanostructuring of the surface of said wall. Advantageously, this nanostructuring is formed by adjacent reliefs. Advantageously, this nanostructuring has a certain property of reflection / diffraction of the visible light to produce a hologram-like effect.

To this end, the invention resides in a sports shoe comprising a part having a wall of hard plastics material, said wall comprising an ornament, characterized in that the ornament comprises a nanostructuring of the surface of said wall.

The decoration may include reliefs having a height of 0.1 μm to 0.8 μm inclusive, in particular 0.4 μm to 0.6 μm inclusive.

The decoration may comprise reliefs having a width of 0.1 μm to 0.8 μm inclusive, in particular from 0.4 μm to 0.6 μm inclusive.

The ornament may include a plurality of juxtaposed reliefs to form a structure having light reflection / diffraction properties, producing a visual, hologram-like effect.

The reliefs may include adjacent grooves along substantially parallel lines or curves.

The adjacent reliefs may have at least a distance from one another of from 0.1 μm to 0.8 μm inclusive, in particular from 0.4 μm to 0.6 μm inclusive.

The wall of the part of the sports shoe comprising the ornament may be formed of molded plastic material having a hardness equivalent to that of Polyurethane with a hardness higher than or equal to 30 shD, or between 30 and 90 shD.

The ornament may be arranged on a visible surface of the wall of the sports shoe or on a non-visible surface.

The athletic shoe may be a ski boot and the ornament may be disposed on the shell bottom and / or the shaft.

The ornament may be arranged on a sole, a buckle, a belt and / or at least one reinforcement on the sports shoe.

The invention also relates to a manufacturing method for a sports shoe as described above, characterized in that it comprises a step of injecting plastic material into a manufacturing mold, the mold having a nano-structured surface for forming an ornament on the surface of the sports shoe ,

The method may include a step of disposing an insert comprising a nanostructured surface in a manufacturing mold to form the ornament.

These objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in detail in the following description by way of example and not by way of limitation, together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 is a perspective view of a sports shoe according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a side view of a shell base of the sports shoe according to the embodiment of the invention.

3 is the side view of a cross country boot according to an embodiment of the invention.

The embodiment described below relates to a ski boot 1 , Nevertheless, the invention could be applicable to all other sports shoes comprising a solid or semi-solid part, in particular a hard shell. It relates in particular and advantageously to a sports shoe whose at least one part is made of injection-molded plastic material.

1 in particular, makes a ski boot 1 on which the invention by an ornament of the shell lower part, as in 2 represented, is realized. This ski boot 1 includes a hard shell, which consists essentially of a shaft 10 that exists with a shell base 2 via a connection axis 3 connected is. The shell base 2 extends in a vertical direction from the sole 4 to the joint and connection axis 3 with the shaft 10 , A comfort inner stocking 5 is embedded in the hard shell. The sole 4 is extended beyond its front and rear ends by webs 6 , whose format is adapted to cooperate with the jaws of a fastening device of the ski boot, which the support of the shell base 2 ensure on the ski while the shaft 10 remains movable around its connecting axis, which is substantially transverse to the shell base 2 is arranged.

According to the embodiment, the shell lower part, which in particular in 2 shown is an ornament 8th , This decoration is formed by a nanostructuring of the outer visible surface of the wall of the shell base. By nano-structuring we mean that the decoration includes reliefs with a height of 0.1 μm up to and including 0.8 μm. The height of the reliefs is preferably between 0.4 μm and 0.6 μm. Advantageously, these reliefs are through into the visible surface of the shell base 2 incorporated grooves formed. Alternatively, these grooves are on a non-visible surface, in particular hidden surface of the shell base 2 formed, for example, on the inner surface, which is directed towards the foot of the user. Such an ornament would thus have a second function of marking the shoe to more easily distinguish a real shoe from a replica.

On the other hand, the ornament points 8th Advantageously, a plurality of adjacent reliefs, which lie very close to each other to form a particular structure. Such structuring of the shoe's visible surface gives it surprising light reflection / diffraction properties, creating a visual hologram-like effect. In fact, the decoration changes as a function of the incidence of light on the object and shows several color states from the visible to the human eye color spectrum, the wavelength in vacuo between 380 nanometers, perceived as violet, and 780 nm, the red varies accordingly ,

The various reliefs created by the structuring of the surface of the shell base 2 Thus, they have a height which, as already explained above, measured in the direction of the shell thickness, has very small dimensions and is also very close to one another. Advantageously, a plurality of adjacent reliefs at least partially or very very close to each other with a distance of 0.1 microns to inclusive 0.8 μm, in particular from 0.4 μm to 0.8 μm inclusive. They can be formed by grooves or ribs, tips or cones etc. These grooves or ribs or reliefs may be arranged on parallel lines or curves. In addition, a relief advantageously comprises a width, measured at the level of the surface of the wall of the shoe transversely to the length of the relief, of a small extent, in particular from 0.1 .mu.m up to and including 0.8 .mu.m, in particular from 0.4 .mu.m up to and including 0, 6 μm.

Advantageously, the ornament according to the invention can be integrated into any three-dimensional surface. The decoration makes it possible to reproduce any color on a curved or inclined surface. The colors depend on the size of the nanostructures formed on the wall. According to the embodiment, the ornament is 8th applied on a non-planar, curved surface of the shoe. According to the embodiment, the ornament was 8th on the back of the shell base 2 the ski boot applied. However, it could also be on another surface of the shell base 2 or on the shaft 10 be upset. In a modification, the decoration is on a substantially flat surface of the shoe, for example on the sole 4 of the shoe, applied.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the shape of the ornament 8th in itself, as shown. This ornament may comprise any general shape, occupy a small surface of the shell bottom, as well as a significant area. It can form any kind of pattern, any motif, in particular alphanumeric characters to write messages.

• – Einfügen eines Einsatzstückes in eine Herstellungsform des Schalenunterteils, wobei das Einsatzstück auf seiner Oberfläche ein nanostrukturiertes Motiv umfasst;
• – Einspritzen eines oder mehrerer Kunststoffmaterialien in die Form zur Formung des Schalenunterteils 2, dessen äußere Oberfläche das nanostrukturierten Motiv des Einsatzstückes wiedergibt.

The invention also relates to a manufacturing method for the ski boot 1 and in particular for the shell base 2 which is obtained through the following essential steps:

• - Inserting an insert into a manufacturing mold of the shell base, wherein the insert comprises on its surface a nanostructured motif;
• - Injecting one or more plastic materials into the mold to form the shell base 2 whose outer surface reflects the nanostructured motif of the insert.

The motif of the insert may be formed by a pre-set step of nano-processing the surface of the insert. Also, the insert itself may have light reflection properties.

According to a first embodiment, the nanostructured motif could be formed directly into the inner wall of the manufacturing mold by injection, without the need to use a separate insert for the mold.

According to a second embodiment, the nanostructured motif could be produced directly by nano-processing in the wall of the shell base 2 formed after it has been produced by injection molding.

The invention therefore relates in particular to parts of sports shoes which have been produced by plastic injection molding. It therefore relates in particular to parts of shoes, in particular a shell base and a shaft whose wall comprises hard or partially cured plastic material. The injection molding material may be polyurethane, for example polyurethane, whose hardness is greater than or equal to 30 shD, in particular between 30 and 90 shD inclusive, or any other plastic material commonly used to make a part of a shoe and an equivalent degree of hardness to that mentioned above Polyurethane, such as a polyamide, a Polyetherblockamid or still another plastic material such as a polyolefin. Alternatively, the injection molding material may be a short fiber reinforced plastic. The invention also relates to parts of shoes made of carbon fiber or vitreous fiber material coated with a thermoplastic resin. We therefore understand hard plastic to mean any plastic material as defined above, including composite materials comprising reinforcements of non-plastic material.

As mentioned above, the invention is not limited to an ornament of a shoe for alpine skiing. Alternatively, it can also be in the heel counter 12 a cross country boot, as in 3 represented, or on his shaft 10 , or on his sole. Alternatively, the invention is also applicable to accessories of a sports shoe, such as shoe buckles made of injection-molded plastic or on straps that include plastic parts, as well as on all mounted reinforcements.

The decorating method of the present invention may be combined with conventional prior art decorating methods based on embellishments of the outer surface of the shoe walls. The inventive embellishment may be used in conjunction, for example by overlaying or juxtaposing with other types of prior art embellishments optionally made by printing processes.

• – da die Verzierung einfach mit Hilfe eines Einsatzstückes, welches in eine Herstellungsform eingesetzt wird, hergestellt werden kann, lässt sie sich auf jegliche Form und Größe anpassen. Da sie sehr einfach verwirklicht werden kann, erlaubt das Herstellungsverfahren für den Schuh, Herstellungskosten einzusparen und eignet sich für kleinere Serien, insbesondere indem die Durchführung eines Verzierungsschritts nach dem Guss des Schuhs erspart bleibt;
• – da die Verzierung durch eine Nanostrukturierung der Oberfläche des Sportschuhs erreicht wird, hat sie keinen Einfluss auf die von der Schuhwand bereitgestellte Steifigkeit und Leistungsfähigkeit. Erfindungsgemäß bedarf es keiner wesentlichen Änderung der Wand im Bereich der Verzierung;
• – da die Verzierung durch eine Nanostrukturierung der Oberfläche des Sportschuhs erreicht wird, ist sie direkt in die Wandstärke des Schuhs integriert und kann nicht einfach abreißen;
• – im Hinblick auf die vorangegangenen Erklärungen sind die Veränderungen des Gewichts und der Kosten des erfindungsgemäßen Schuhs im Vergleich zu einem identischen Schuh ohne Verzierung vernachlässigbar;
• – die Verwendung eines Einsatzstückes in der Form bewirkt, dass keine neuen Formen angeschafft werden müssen oder weitgehende Veränderungen an bestehenden Formen vorgenommen werden müssen, um die Verzierungen in Schuhe einzuarbeiten, und stellt somit einen wirtschaftlichen Vorteil dar;
• – die Lösung benötigt keine Nachbehandlung der Verzierung nach dem Spritzgussverfahren, sowie Etikettierung oder Druck und benötigt keine weiteren Zusatzmittel. Somit ist es ein umweltfreundliches Verfahren;
• – der Einsatz kann in der Form einfach gewechselt werden, um die Verzierung der Schuhe zu verändern, so dass verschiedene Schuhmodelle einfach abgewandelt werden können.

Ultimately, the solution satisfies these requirements well, by making it possible to easily obtain a surprising aesthetic effect by producing a hologram-like effect and having the following advantages:

• - because the decoration can be easily made with the help of an insert, which is used in a manufacturing mold, it can be adapted to any shape and size. Since it can be realized very easily, the manufacturing process for the shoe allows to save on manufacturing costs and lends itself to smaller series, in particular by avoiding the implementation of a decorating step after the shoe has been cast;
• - since the decoration is achieved by a nanostructuring of the surface of the sports shoe, it has no effect on the stiffness and performance provided by the shoe wall. According to the invention, there is no need for any significant change in the wall in the region of the decoration;
• - Since the decoration is achieved by a nanostructuring of the surface of the sports shoe, it is directly integrated into the wall thickness of the shoe and can not easily tear off;
• In view of the preceding explanations, the changes in weight and cost of the shoe according to the invention are negligible compared to an identical shoe without decoration;
• The use of an insert in the mold means that no new molds need to be purchased or extensive modifications to existing molds have to be made to incorporate the ornaments in shoes, and thus represents an economic advantage;
• - The solution requires no post-treatment of the ornament after the injection molding process, as well as labeling or printing and requires no additional additives. Thus, it is an environmentally friendly process;
• - The insert can be easily changed in shape to change the decoration of the shoes, so that different shoe models can be easily modified.

Claims (10)

Sports shoe comprising a part having a wall of hard plastic material, said wall forming an ornament ( 8th ), characterized in that the ornament ( 8th ) comprises a nanostructuring of the surface of said wall. Sport shoe according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the decoration ( 8th ) Comprises reliefs with a height of 0.1 μm to 0.8 μm inclusive, in particular from 0.4 μm to 0.6 μm inclusive. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ornament ( 8th ) Comprises reliefs having a width of 0.1 μm to 0.8 μm inclusive, in particular from 0.4 μm to 0.6 μm inclusive. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ornament ( 8th ) has a plurality of juxtaposed reliefs to form a structure having light reflection / diffraction properties, thereby providing a visual hologram-like effect. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the reliefs have adjacent grooves along substantially parallel lines or curves. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the adjacent reliefs have at least one distance from each other from 0.1 microns to 0.8 microns inclusive, in particular from 0.4 microns to 0.6 microns inclusive. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall of the part of the sports shoe containing the ornament ( 8th ) comprised of molded plastic material having a hardness equivalent to that of polyurethane having a hardness higher than or equal to 30 shD, or between 30 and 90 shD inclusive. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ornament is arranged on a visible surface of the wall of the sports shoe or on a non-visible surface. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sports shoe is a ski boot and that the decoration on the shell bottom part ( 2 ) and / or the shaft ( 10 ) is arranged. Sports shoe ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decoration is arranged on a sole, a buckle, a belt and / or at least one reinforcement on the sports shoe.

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