EP3468404A1

EP3468404A1 - Shoe sole comprising injected bars

Info

Publication number: EP3468404A1
Application number: EP17733036.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Philippe Souyri; Bozena Voge; Bertrand Barre; Francis Lepage
Original assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA
Current assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA
Priority date: 2016-06-10
Filing date: 2017-06-09
Publication date: 2019-04-17
Also published as: FR3052340A1; WO2017212458A1; US11259591B2; US20190150561A1

Abstract

Shoe sole (1) comprising an outsole (3), an insole (2) and a midsole (5) which extends between the insole (2) and the outsole (3), the midsole (3) being composed of a plurality of substantially transverse bars (6) that are oriented substantially longitudinally over the length of the sole, the insole (2) and the bars being made of an elastomer material.

Description

SHOE SOLE WITH INJECTED BEAMS

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shoe sole comprising an outer sole, an insole and a midsole, extending between the insole and the outsole, the midsole being constituted by a plurality of substantially transverse substantially aligned beams. longitudinally along the length of the sole.

STATE OF THE PRIOR ART

The patent application US201 1/138652 proposes a sports shoe. The shoe comprises a sole comprising, in the forefoot zone, a plurality of leaf spring elements. The insole and the plurality of leaf spring members are made in one piece. Each of the plurality of leaf spring elements has a free end not connected to the insole. This type of arrangement uses the flexibility and deformability of the blades to generate cushioning and comfort of the shoe. The very limited number of spring blades, however, creates a jolt effect, since, when walking, the blades are deformed one by one, successively. During the transition from the effort of a blade to the next blade, there is a significant variation in the holding force, which reduces comfort and can inconvenience the user.

WO2006036608 discloses a spring / shock attenuation system may comprise a first and a second portion forming a body and at least one spring element at least partially between the parts forming the body. The spring member (s) may essentially comprise and / or be rotatably engaged to the portion or portions forming the body. The components of the spring element and shock absorber can be arranged so that when a force is applied to one or more parts forming the body, the spring element or members exert a counterforce to push the spring-loaded element and shock attenuation to return to its original orientation. The spring elements may comprise one or more polymeric elements which stretch under the effect of a tensile force. Spring elements and shock attenuation can be integrated with a shoe part or other device so that a user or retailer (or others) can select a suitable spring element (or part thereof), for example depending on the characteristics the user or intended use. Such a solution is complex to implement, is likely to have unfavorable aging characteristics, and prone to present discontinuities in the maintenance.

US2015013195 describes a sole whose heel has a plurality of hanging arms. The hanging arm assembly includes a base portion attached to the sole of a shoe. This arrangement allows the arms to move independently of the sole to provide greater traction capacity. This solution is adapted to a particular type of sports shoes, but has a certain discomfort for walking for example, because of the small number of contact points.

US4536974 discloses a shoe containing a plurality of pairs of transverse ribs provided between the midsole and the outsole. The ribs are provided with at least one curved or convex surface extending along their length. When a load is placed on the sole, each of the ribs begins to flex until full compression.

It is observed that the known solutions do not allow to obtain soles having good homogeneity characteristics. In addition, the known soles do not offer optimal comfort to the user. It is also difficult to control deformations of the sole during use.

Finally, the weight of the soles is a concern not yet resolved, it is difficult to obtain the lightest soles possible.

To overcome these disadvantages, the invention provides different technical means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION First, a first object of the invention to provide a shoe sole combining lightness, flexibility, comfort, and ease of manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sole whose comfort characteristics are durable.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a soleplate to optimize the dynamic characteristics, including the return of energy.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a soleplate capable of being performed in an automated manner, with a single method for all of the constituent elements.

To do this, the invention provides a shoe sole comprising an outer sole, an insole and a midsole, extending between the insole and the outer sole, the midsole being constituted by a plurality of beams. arranged along the length of the sole, the insole, the beams and the outsole being made of an elastomeric material, said beams being fixed on the one hand against the lower surface of the insole, and on the other hand against the upper surface of the outer sole, the outer sole forming, between the beams, a plurality of elastic zones, at least a portion of which comprises a fold, the elastic zones being plastically deformable by unfolding the folds and elastically by stretching the elastic zones.

Both types of deformations allow, under the action of a first level of crushing force from the foot of the user, that the folds of the lower soleplate unfold, causing a first level of lengthening, and, under the action of a second level of effort from the foot, greater than the first level of effort, the material of the elastic zones deforms by stretching, causing a second level of elongation of the outsole , higher than the first level of elongation. The fact that the beams are all fixed at their base causes a collective deformation of the beams. This type of deformation makes it possible to maintain a good level of comfort, in particular by avoiding the effects of jolts such as that those occurring with a sole having only a few springs, where the user feels the passage between each of the springs. Compared to conventional soles made with a midsole of deformable foam material, the sole of the invention implements an incompressible material but configured in a deformable architecture.

This architecture makes it possible to manufacture the sole in a simple, economical way, with a high level of automation. The sole obtained is very light, has excellent mechanical properties, and in particular a very good adhesion, but also a structural support ensuring a good compromise between stiffness and damping. Its high level of homogeneity makes the sole particularly efficient and durable. The unique material used has very good injection characteristics, its mechanical support properties are particularly favorable for use as a structural material of the sole, and its high adhesion properties make it a particularly suitable material for ensuring a good slip-free contact under normal conditions of use. Since the injection is advantageously carried out with a single elastomer material, an elastomer mixture provides an excellent compromise, conferring high levels of performance against often contradictory requirements such as the maintenance of the structure and a good resistance on the ground, in particular. especially a good level of adhesion. Due to the architecture provided, the elastomeric material, despite its non-compressibility, has excellent flexibility and a good level of damping. The beams can be produced by injection, which makes it possible to reduce manufacturing costs considerably compared with conventional manufacturing methods, in particular thanks to great automation possibilities.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the elastic zones allow two types of deformations of the outsole, the unfolding of the folds causing a first level of deformation of the beams, and the stretching of the elastic zones causing a second level of deformation of the beams. beams. According to an advantageous embodiment, each of the beams is formed by the arrangement of two walls arranged in close proximity to one another.

According to another advantageous embodiment, the outer sole is made of material with the beams of the midsole. In a variant, the insole, the beams and the outsole are obtained by injection.

Advantageously, the elastic zones are made of material with the beams. Preferably, the outsole is integral with the beams of the midsole. These characteristics are advantageously achievable because the material, in particular the elastomer mixture, makes it possible to satisfy all the structural and adhesion criteria. It is therefore possible to achieve the entire sole from a single material, without loss of comfort or performance, unlike the shoes of the prior art.

According to an advantageous embodiment, at least a portion of the beams are substantially transverse.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment, at least a portion of the beams are substantially longitudinal. Alternatively, at least a portion of the beams are aligned at an angle between 0 ° and 90 ° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sole.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sole comprises several series of beams, a series of substantially transverse beams and a series of substantially longitudinal beams.

In another variant, the insole, the beams and the outsole are obtained by adding material (3D printing).

Advantageously, each of the beams is formed by the arrangement of two walls arranged in close proximity to one another. According to yet another advantageous embodiment, at least a portion of said beams are interrupted in the middle portion of the sole, thus providing optimized lightening of the sole.

The invention also provides a shoe comprising a sole such as previously described.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

All the details of embodiment are given in the description which follows, supplemented by FIGS. 1 to 6, presented solely for purposes of non-limiting examples, and in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first example of sole according to the invention;

- Figure 2A is an elevational view of the sole of Figure 1;

Figure 2B is an enlarged view of a portion of the sole of Figure 2A;

- Figure 3A is a bottom view of the sole of Figure 1;

- Figure 3B is a bottom view of another embodiment of the outer sole and intermediate;

- Figure 4 is a bottom view of an example of sole without the insole;

- Figure 5 is a top view of the insole alone;

- Figure 6 is a bottom view of another embodiment of sole (without the insole).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in Figures 1 to 3A, the sole 1 of shoe conventionally comprises an outer sole 3, an insole 2 and a midsole 5. The latter extends between the insole 2 and the outer sole 3 The intermediate sole 3 is constituted by a plurality of beams 6. In this embodiment, the beams 6 are substantially transverse. The beams 6 may be continuous or discontinuous from one side to the other of the sole. Still in this example, the sole has a plurality of aligned beams one after the other from the heel area to the area intended to be under the upper of the shoe. The alignment may be regular or irregular, depending on the embodiments.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3B, the sole comprises several series of beams 6. A series consists of a group of substantially parallel beams. In this example, 3 series of beams are observed. A first series 9 in the area of the heel, in which the beams are substantially transverse, a second series 10 in which the beams are arranged at an angle alpha of about 60 ° with respect to the longitudinal axis LL of the sole, and a series 1 1, all the front of the sole, wherein the beams are substantially longitudinal. In this example, zone 10 is provided between zones 9 and 11. According to various variants, the number of zones and their respective arrangement vary according to the technical characteristics and / or visual effects sought.

In the illustrated examples, the beams are formed by a succession of folds and bends against a sheet of rubber material, so that all the beams is in one piece.

More particularly, as clearly visible in Figures 1, 2A and more particularly 2B, each of the beams is formed by the arrangement of two walls 7 arranged in close proximity to one another. This arrangement makes it possible to obtain a good level of rigidity with relatively thin walls, thus making it possible to obtain a very light sole.

To form the sole, the beams are fixed on the one hand against the lower surface of the insole 2, and on the other hand against the upper surface of the outer sole 3.

Finally, the outer sole 3 forms, between the beams, a plurality of elastic zones 4, at least a portion of which comprises a fold 8, forming a reserve of material. The elastic zones 4, and more particularly the folds 8 allow two types of deformations of the outsole 3. First, at the beginning of the mechanical stresses, the elastic zones plastically deform by unfolding folds 8. This first level allows a partial deflection of the beams.

Then, gradually, when the mechanical stresses continue and / or increase in intensity, the elastic zones deform elastically by stretching the elastomeric material. This second level makes it possible to continue the deflection of the beams until possibly reaching a total subsidence for a part or the totality of the beams, according to the distribution of the force of the foot. In use, the two levels of deflection of the beams allow a progressive crushing of the sole, depending on the intensity of the effort exerted by the user. The two levels are advantageously adjusted so as to provide a progressive deformation of the sole. The presence of a plurality of substantially close beams allows the user to benefit from a continuous maintenance, without jolting effect, for greater comfort.

Figures 4 and 6 are bottom views of examples of soles, shown without the insole. Figure 5 is a top view of the insole alone.

MANUFACTURING

The insole 2, the beams 6 and the outsole 3 are obtained by injection, preferably a single injectable material. Advantageously, an elastomer composition or mixture is used.

The elastic zones 4 are made of material with the outer sole 3, itself integral with the beams 6 of the intermediate sole 5. All these elements are advantageously integral with the insole 2.

The sole is advantageously made by injection. Alternatively, the sole is advantageously made by adding material (commonly called "3d printing"). This method of manufacture makes it possible to realize very complex architectures, in a single step. The two methods above allow to automate the industrialization of the soles, with considerable cost savings. In addition, the sole is made in one step, unlike conventional soles that require several successive operations and a large workforce. Thanks to these advantages, the soles can be manufactured near the places of consumption. In this way, it is possible to speed up product launch phases significantly, reduce transport costs and reduce pollutant emissions.

Reference numbers used on the figures

Insole

Outsole

Elastic zones

Midsole

beams

walls

Folding (or reserve of elastic material)

Zone of substantially transverse beams

Zone of beams with angle to the longitudinal axis L-L Zone of beams are substantially longitudinal

Claims

1. Shoe sole (1) comprising an outer sole (3), an inner sole (2) and a midsole (5), extending between the inner sole (2) and the outer sole (3), the midsole (3) being constituted by a plurality of beams (6) arranged along the length of the sole, the inner sole (2), the beams (6) and the outer sole (3) being made of an elastomeric material, said beams (6) being fixed on the one hand against the lower surface of the insole, and on the other hand against the

) upper surface of the outer sole, the outer sole forming, between the beams, a plurality of elastic zones (4) of which at least one part comprises a fold (8), the elastic zones being plastically deformable by unfolding of the folds (8) and elastically by stretching the elastic zones (4).

2. Shoe sole according to claim 1, in which the elastic zones (4) allow two types of deformation of the outer sole (3), the unfolding of the folds (8) resulting in a first level of deformation of the beams (6) , and the stretching of the elastic zones (4) leading to a second level of deformation of the beams (6).

3. Shoe sole according to one of the preceding claims, in which each of the beams (6) is formed by the arrangement of two walls (7) arranged in immediate proximity to each other.

4. Shoe sole according to one of the preceding claims, in which the outer sole (3) is integral with the beams (6) of the midsole

(5). i 5. Shoe sole according to one of the preceding claims, in which the elastic zones (4) are integral with the beams (6).

6. Shoe sole according to one of claims 1 to 5, in which at least part of the beams are substantially transverse.

7. Shoe sole according to one of claims 1 to 6, in which) at least part of the beams are substantially longitudinal.

2016-291WO

8. Shoe sole according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which at least part of the beams are aligned at an angle between 0° and 90° relative to the longitudinal axis of the sole.

9. Shoe sole according to one of claims 1 to 8, in which the sole comprises several series of beams, i.e. a series of substantially transverse beams and a series of substantially longitudinal beams.

10. Shoe sole according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least part of said beams (6) are interrupted in the middle portion of the sole.

) 1 1 . Shoe comprising a sole according to one of claims 1 to 10.

2016-291WO