EP0401108B1 - Sport shoesole with better propulsion and touchdown - Google Patents

Description

• faciliter le contact du pied avec le sol ;
• éviter les glissements ou au contraire les favoriser ;
• effacer les aspérités du terrain ;
• isoler le pied des agressions climatiques ;
• être légère ;
• amortir les chocs, surtout les vibrations et leurs harmoniques ;
• résister à l'usure.

A sports shoe must fulfill several functions:

• facilitate contact of the foot with the ground;
• avoid slipping or on the contrary encourage it;
• erase the roughness of the ground;
• isolate the foot from climatic aggressions;
• be light;
• dampen shocks, especially vibrations and their harmonics;
• resist wear.

During a movement (walking, running, jumping), the feet alternately leave the ground to ensure propulsion and return to make contact with the ground more or less suddenly and it is the reception.

The object of the present invention is to promote propulsion and reception while avoiding harmful sliding.

French patent n ° 1.434.840 describes a sole assembly which should prevent skidding as much towards the front during reception as towards the rear during the starting pulse.

To this end, this sole assembly comprises projecting bars which, in the middle zone are oriented approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sole assembly and on the edges are oriented obliquely. The bars of the forefoot have over the entire width of the sole assembly an abrupt flank of attack situated at the rear, while the bars remaining from the sole assembly to the heel have an abrupt flank of attack situated at the front . Each bar also has a crest of support on the ground followed, opposite the attack flank, by a flange which is preferably concave.

However, to ensure propulsion, the heel leaves the ground first and the propelling effect is exerted on the metatarsophalangeal joint and then develops up to the level of the big toe. Schematically, the propulsion force is located substantially in the center of the forefoot and on its edge interior. Of course, it is essential that the force in contact with the ground causes a propulsion towards the front and is not lost in a sliding backwards.

During reception, the resumption of contact with the ground is effected by the heel, but the more the speed of movement increases, the more the knees rise and the more the zone of resumption of contact with the ground gradually moves forward. then taking place on the outside of the foot. Of course, it is essential that contact is made without sliding forward.

It is then obvious that the sole assembly illustrated by the aforementioned French patent n ° 1.434.840 does not ensure in the best conditions reception and propulsion, since the orientation of the sides of the bars is not differentiated on the inside, exterior side.

The present invention pursues the abovementioned aim, aiming to improve the effectiveness of the sole assembly both on reception and on propulsion and to absorb shock and vibration.

Indeed, the importance of the shock on resumption of contact with the ground is felt at the heel and can reach five times the weight of the body. This produces vibrations that shake the human body. The propagation of these vibrations and their repetition are more or less the cause of pathologies (tendonitis, back problems ...) and not least, requiring attentive and repeated care, no lasting remedy currently being able to cure them.

To achieve the above-mentioned aim, the sole assembly includes, like that described in French Patent No. 1,434,840, marginal toothing extending outside and inside the foot, the teeth of these toothing being delimited in particular by an abrupt flank of attack and by a crest of support on the ground, and these flanks being oriented to prevent skidding as much towards the front as towards the rear,
and, in accordance with the invention, the abrupt flanks of attack of the teeth of the external toothing are situated at the front and extended, via the ridges by rounded trailing flanks oriented towards the rear to allow a reception without sliding, while the abrupt flanks of attack of the teeth of the interior teeth are located at the rear and extended, via the crests, by rounded flanks of trailing directed towards the front, to allow an impulse starting without sliding.

According to a first embodiment, each tooth has a leading part forming a steep flank and a trailing part forming a ridge and a rounded flank, the leading part being made of a relatively adherent soft material and the trailing part being made of a harder material resistant to abrasion.

According to a second embodiment, the outer marginal toothing and the metatarsal part of the inner marginal toothing are made of a relatively adherent soft material, while the remaining extreme parts of the inner marginal toothing, the tip, the camber and the back of the heel and the part which connects said teeth between them are made of a less adherent material but whose abrasion resistance is high.

In either case, the most adherent material is a rubber with low Shore hardness, of the order of 50 A, while the most abrasion-resistant material is a rubber with Shore hardness. higher, of the order of 60 A.

The sole assembly may then comprise an intermediate layer of light foam forming a body with an underlying wear layer comprising in particular the marginal teeth, this intermediate layer passing through at least one opening formed in the wear layer between said teeth to form at least one skate.

According to a third embodiment, the sole assembly is integral with at least one insert constituted by a specific damping material capable of intervening for a particular range of frequencies.

Advantageously, the or each insert consists of a polymer derived from polyisoprene.

The or each of at least some of the inserts may consist of several elements in superimposed layers and / or several elements in concentric layers nested together in the others, these elements being in damping materials reacting at different frequencies suitably selected.

Inserts may be incorporated in at least some of the marginal teeth which for this purpose have a cutaway on their trailing part, or else in the foam pad or pads passing through the rubber wear layer, in particular at the heel or under a thin veil of the rubber wear layer connecting the marginal teeth.

Furthermore, the outer and inner teeth are inclined so that the envelope of their ridges forms a dihedron converging upwards.

Various other characteristics and advantages of the invention will also emerge from the detailed description which follows.

Embodiments of the object of the invention are shown, by way of nonlimiting examples, in the accompanying drawing.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessous illustrant une première forme de réalisation du semelage conforme à l'invention ;
• les figures 2 et 3 sont des élévations latérales prises suivant les lignes II-II et III-III respectivement de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 4 est une coupe partielle prise suivant la ligne IV-IV de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 5 est une vue analogue à la figure 1 mais simplifiée, pour montrer dans une deuxième forme de réalisation du semelage les parties constituant la couche sous-jacente d'usure ;
• la figure 6 est une coupe prise à plus grande échelle suivant la ligne VI-VI de la figure 5 en travers de la partie à adhésion élevée ;
• la figure 7 est une coupe partielle longitudinale prise suivant la ligne VII-VII de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 8 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, illustrant une troisième forme de réalisation de semelage de l'invention, dans laquelle des inserts en matériau amortisseur particulier sont incorporés ;
• la figure 9 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, illustrant une quatrième forme de réalisation de semelage de l'invention, dans laquelle des inserts en matériau amortisseur particulier sont incorporés ;
• la figure 10 est une coupe transversale prise suivant la ligne X-X de la figure 8, représentant plusieurs modes d'exécution des inserts ;
• la figure 11 est une vue analogue à la figure 10 montrant dans une quatrième forme de réalisation du semelage, un autre mode d'exécution d'un insert amortisseur.

On this drawing :

• Figure 1 is a bottom view illustrating a first embodiment of the sole assembly according to the invention;
• Figures 2 and 3 are side elevations taken along lines II-II and III-III respectively of Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a partial section taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 1;
• Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 but simplified, to show in a second embodiment of the sole assembly the parts constituting the underlying wear layer;
• Figure 6 is a section taken on a larger scale along line VI-VI of Figure 5 across the high adhesion portion;
• Figure 7 is a partial longitudinal section taken along the line VII-VII of Figure 1;
• FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating a third embodiment of the sole assembly of the invention, in which inserts of particular damping material are incorporated;
• FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating a fourth embodiment of the sole assembly of the invention, in which inserts of particular damping material are incorporated;
• Figure 10 is a cross section taken along line XX of Figure 8, showing several embodiments of the inserts;
• Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 showing in a fourth embodiment of the sole assembly, another embodiment of a damping insert.

As can be seen from the drawing, the sole assembly has an underlying wear layer 1 and a light foam interlayer 2.

Layer 1 has substantially outcropping a marginal toothing 3 extending outside the foot and a marginal toothing 4 extending inside. The external toothing 3 has at the front an attack part constituted by steep flanks 5 making it possible to receive without slipping and a trailing part directed towards the rear and constituted by rounded flanks 6 connected to the steep flanks before by ridges 7. The internal toothing 4 is similar, but its steep flanks 8 are located at the rear to stimulate the start-up which can follow without slippage, these steep flanks 8 being connected to rounded front flanks 9 by ridges 10.

While the external toothing 5 to 7 extends over practically the entire length of the sole assembly, on the other hand the internal toothing 8 to 10 can cover the forefoot and the heel, being interrupted at the camber.

The underlying wear layer 1 also has a transverse notch 11 at the end and a transverse notch 12 at the rear slightly raised from the heel.

According to the first, second and third embodiments illustrated for FIGS. 1, 5 and 8, the underlying wear layer 1 delimits openings 13 and 14 situated at the location of the forefoot and of the heel respectively. , so that the foam of the intermediate layer 2 passes through them forming pads 15 and 16. These pads have flattened curved ridges 17 and 18 on their visible underside, which are asymmetrical and reversed from one pad to the other (FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 6, it may be advantageous, due to the alternating stresses of the external teeth 5 to 7 and internal teeth 8 to 10 which tend to flatten the sole assembly sometimes more on the outside side, sometimes more on the inside side, to tilt these teeth to that the envelope of their ridges 7 and 10 forms a dihedral with curved faces converging upwards.

Advantageously and as shown in FIG. 7, each tooth of the teeth 3 and 4 is hollow and its internal cavity 19 is filled with the foam constituting the intermediate layer 2, which makes it possible to lighten the sole assembly.

As explained in the foregoing, the wear layer 1 consists of two mutually compatible materials, one being selected to favor its adhesion, while the other is selected to favor its resistance to abrasion . The intermediate layer 2 is made of a material selected for its high damping power, its lightness and its ability to provide the connection between the wear layer 1 and the upper of the shoe, not shown.

In the example chosen, the adhesive material of the wear layer 1 is a rubber called rubber Ad whose Shore hardness is of the order of 50 A, while the abrasion-resistant material is a rubber called rubber Ab whose Shore hardness is higher and of the order of 60 A. In this same example, the material of the interlayer 2 is a polyurethane foam.

According to the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7, each of the teeth of the external toothing 3 comprises a leading part 20 made of rubber Ad or other adherent material forming a body with a trailing part 21 made of rubber Ab or other material abrasion resistant. In the case of an outer tooth, the leading part 20 is located at the front and the trailing part 21 at the rear.

The manufacture of such a wear layer 1 according to said the first embodiment is delicate, given that the successive vulcanizations of the rubbers Ad and Ab must be accompanied in the second mold by perfect attachment to the interfaces 22 of the parts 20 and 21.

As regards the internal toothing 4, the teeth are identical, in this first embodiment, to those of the external toothing 3, except that the leading parts 20 are located at the rear and the parts leakage 21 at the front.

Thus, the reception and propulsion of the shod foot can be ensured in very good conditions.

According to the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the wear layer 1 is constituted by two parts 23 and 24 made of adhesive material such as rubber Ad and by two pads 25 and 26 made of abrasion resistant material such as rubber Ab. The adherent pads 23 and 24 correspond to the outer marginal toothing 3 and to the metatarsal part of the inner marginal toothing 4; they delimit between them the opening 13, moreover in cooperation with the pads 25 and 26. These abrasion pads 25 and 26 correspond to the extreme remaining parts of the internal toothing 4, with the notched end 11, at the notched rear 12 and to part 27 which separates the openings 13 and 14.

The manufacture of the wear layer 1 according to said second embodiment by successive vulcanizations of the two pairs of pads 23, 24 and 25, 26 is easier and just as reliable.

According to the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the wear layer 1 is constituted by two parts 28 and 29 respectively of adhesive material such as rubber Ad and of abrasion-resistant material such as rubber Ab. so-called adherent part 28 extends over the entire width of the external toothing 3 from its peripheral edge to the openings 13 and 14. The so-called abrasion-resistant part 29 extends at the edge of the internal toothing 4 and extends along the end and the sole of the sole. Under these conditions, the internal toothing 4 is made of abrasion-resistant material Ab at the edge and of adherent material. up to the openings 13 and 14. Moreover, this material Ab also constitutes the toe 11, the heel 12 and the part 27 of the layer 1 around said openings.

The manufacture of the wear layer 1 according to said third embodiment by successive vulcanizations of the parts 28 and 29 is even easier and reliable.

According to a variant (FIG. 8 in phantom), the border 29 can be extended at 29 ′ at the periphery of the external toothing 3.

In these second and third embodiments also, the reception and the propulsion of the shod foot are ensured in excellent conditions.

The foam interlayer 2 makes it possible to absorb shock and vibration satisfactorily.

However, the result can be improved by incorporating one or more inserts 30 into the sole assembly as illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10 for a third embodiment.

The material constituting all or part of an insert 30 is selected for its ability to absorb vibrations according to a particular range of frequencies.

This material can be a polymer derived from polyisoprene such as that sold by the company VIBRACHOC under the trade name "Viptene".

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, inserts 30a can be incorporated in the ridges 7, 10 of at least some of the teeth of the teeth 3, 4. Inserts 30b can also be incorporated in the foam pads 15, 16 to be flush their apparent surface or be drowned in the mass. Inserts 30c embedded in the foam of the midsole 2 can also be placed in contact with a thin web 31 (FIG. 11) of the wear layer 1 connecting the teeth 3, 4 with or without opening openings 13, 14 .

Whatever the situation of the aforementioned inserts 30a to 30c, these can be monolithic and made of the same material as is the case for the insert of FIG. 10 designated by the reference 30.1. They can also be trained by several concentric elementary layers as is the case for the insert designated in FIG. 10 by the reference 30.2. They can also be constituted by several superimposed elementary layers as is the case for the insert designated in FIG. 10 by the reference 30.3. They can also consist of several elementary nesting bowls as is the case for the insert designated in FIG. 11 by the reference 30.4.

These different shock absorbing elements 30.2 to 30.4 are obviously sensitive to different frequency ranges which may or may not overlap at their borders.

Claims (16)

1. Sports shoe sole with better propulsion and touchdown, comprising marginal toothing (3) extending outside the foot and marginal toothing (4) extending inside the foot, the teeth of these toothing portions being defined in particular by a steep contact flank and by a crest bearing against the ground, and these flanks being positioned so as to prevent slipping both towards the front and towards the rear, characterised in that the steep contact flanks (5) of the teeth of the external toothing (3) are situated to the front and are extended by way of the crests (7) by rounded escape flanks (6) positioned to the rear to allow for slip-free touchdown, while the steep contact flanks (8) of the teeth of the internal toothing (4) are situated to the rear and are extended by way of the crests (10) by rounded escape flanks (9) positioned to the front to allow for slip-free propulsion.
2. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that each tooth comprises a contact portion (20) forming the steep flank (5, 8) and an escape portion (21) forming a crest (7, 10) and a rounded flank (6, 9), the contact portion being made of a relatively adherent soft material and the escape portion being made of a harder abrasion-resistant material.
3. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the external marginal toothing (23) and the metatarsal portion (24) of the internal marginal toothing (4) are made of a relatively adherent soft material, while the remaining end portions (25, 26) of the internal marginal toothing (4), the toe (11), the waist and the back of the heel (12) and the portion (27) which connects together the said toothing portions are made of a material which is less adherent, but has high abrasion resistance.
4. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that a binding (29) of abrasion-resistant material extends along the periphery of the sole at least as far as the ends of the external marginal toothing (3), while at least the remaining portion of the internal marginal toothing (4) extending towards the other toothing portion is made of an adherent material.
5. Sole according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the most adherent material is a rubber having a low Shore hardness of approximately 50 A, while the most abrasion-resistant material is a rubber with a higher Shore hardness of approximately 60 A.
6. Sole according to claims 2 to 4, characterised in that it comprises an inserted layer (2) of high-expansion foam forming an integral part of a subjacent wear layer (1) comprising in particular the marginal toothing portions (3, 4), this inserted layer traversing at least one opening (13, 14) formed in the wear layer (1) between the said toothing portions to form at least one block (15, 16).
7. Sole according to claim 6, characterised in that it comprises two foam blocks (15, 16) situated at the heel and at least the front, these blocks being toothed (at 17, 18) in an asymmetrical manner.
8. Sole according to claim 6 or claim 7, characterised in that the teeth of the marginal toothing portions (3, 4) are hollow (at 19) and are filled with the foam of the inserted layer (2).
9. Sole according to claims 2 to 4, characterised in that it forms an integral part of at least one insert (30) formed by a specific damping material capable of acting over a particular range of frequencies.
10. Sole according to claim 9, characterised in that the insert or each insert is formed by a polymer derived from polyisoprene.
11. Sole according to claim 9 or claim 10, characterised in that the insert or each of at least some of the inserts is formed by several superimposed layers (30.3) of damping materials reacting at different frequencies selected in an appropriate manner.
12. Sole according to claim 9 or claim 10, characterised in that the insert or each of at least some of the inserts is formed by several concentric elements (30.2, 30.4) fitted into one another, these elements being made of damping materials reacting at different frequencies selected in an appropriate manner.
13. Sole according to any one of claims 2 and 9 to 12, characterised in that at least some of the marginal teeth are provided on their escape portion with a cant into which the insert or each insert (30a) is incorporated.
14. Sole according to any one of claims 2, 6, 7 and 9 to 12, characterised in that the foam block or blocks comprise one or more inserts (30b) situated in particular at the heel.
15. Sole according to any one of claims 2, 6 and 9 to 12, characterised in that the wear layer forms a thin covering (31) over the inserted layer of foam (2) between the marginal toothing portions (3, 4), one or more of the aforesaid inserts being inserted into this inserted layer and disposed in contact with the thin covering, in particular at the heel.
16. Sole according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the external toothing portion (3) and the internal toothing portion (4) are inclined in such a manner that the exterior of their crests (7, 10) forms an upwardly converging dihedron (Figure 6).

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