EP3664656B1 - Method for producing a shoe - Google Patents

Description

1. a) Herstellen eines Schuhoberteils, wobei das Schuhoberteil einen den oberen Bereich des Fußes des Trägers abdeckenden oberen Bereich sowie einen die Fußsohle des Fußes des Trägers einhüllenden unteren Bereich aufweist;
2. b) Herstellen eines Sohlenteils, wobei das Sohlenteil einen Bodenbereich sowie einen seitlichen Wandbereich aufweist, wobei der Bodenbereich und der Wandbereich einen oben offenen Aufnahmeraum für Schüttgut begrenzt;
3. c) Füllen des Aufnahmeraums mit einem Schüttgut, wobei das Schüttgut zumindest teilweise, vorzugsweise vollständig, aus einem thermoplastischen Elastomer (TPE) besteht;
4. d) Befestigen des Schuhoberteils am Sohlenteil, so dass der untere Bereich des Schuhoberteils auf dem Schüttgut zu liegen kommt,

wobei auf dem Bodenbereich mindestens eine stegartige Struktur ausgebildet wird, die in den Aufnahmeraum hineinreicht.The invention relates to a method for producing a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, comprising the steps:

1. a) producing an upper, the upper having an upper region covering the upper region of the wearer's foot and a lower region enveloping the sole of the foot of the wearer;
2. b) producing a sole part, the sole part having a bottom area and a lateral wall area, the bottom area and the wall area delimiting a receiving space open at the top for bulk goods;
3. c) Filling the receiving space with a bulk material, the bulk material at least partially, preferably completely, consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE);
4. d) attaching the shoe upper to the sole part so that the lower area of the shoe upper comes to rest on the bulk material,

wherein at least one web-like structure is formed on the floor area, which extends into the receiving space.

Such a procedure is from the WO 2017/097315 A1 known. A similar solution is shown by the DE 10 2010 046 278 A1 .

The manufacture of athletic shoes is a well-known technology. The aim is not only to provide an economical process for production, but also to have the option of being able to influence the spring and damping behavior of the shoe sole and thus the shoe as well as possible. The material used also plays an important role here. Furthermore, a comfortable wearing feeling is aimed for.

In the US 2009/0013558 A1 a shoe is described in which the shoe sole consists of different plastics which are connected to one another, with different polymer materials being used. In the WO 2007/082838 A1 it is described that expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU) can also be used advantageously for a shoe sole. This document also provides detailed information on this plastic material; in this respect, express reference is made to this document.

Also in the DE 10 2011 108 744 B4 describes a shoe in which E-TPU is used as the material for the sole. It is further described here that individual foamed plastic balls made of this material, which mostly have a dimension of a few millimeters, are formed into the sole by adding a binding agent to a corresponding tool according to a possible processing form, so that the plastic balls are connected to one another and form the molded body of the sole. According to another procedure, water vapor is introduced under a defined pressure into a mold in which the plastic balls are inserted. This leads to a partial melting of the plastic material, so that the plastic balls Connect materially to one another and thus form the molded body of the sole.

The U.S. 2,641,004 A discloses a shoe, the shoe upper of which is formed like a sock; the shoe upper is then connected to a classically designed shoe sole. Another solution shows that FR 2 709 047 A1 .

The properties of the shoe that can be achieved in this way, in particular with regard to its springiness and damping behavior, are not completely satisfactory in every case. Furthermore, the manufacturing process of the aforementioned sole is sometimes relatively complex and therefore cost-intensive.

The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a method with which a shoe can be manufactured inexpensively, whereby a particularly pleasant wearing feeling is to be achieved. Furthermore, the spring and damping behavior of the shoe should be able to be influenced in a simple manner.

The solution to this problem by the invention is characterized in that the bulk material is introduced in the form of individual loose bodies and also partly in the form of interconnected bodies.

The upper area and the lower area of the shoe upper are preferably designed as a one-piece structure. The upper can be designed as a sock-like structure. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shoe upper is produced as a knitted part so that it is produced on a knitting machine.

The upper area and the lower area of the shoe upper are preferably produced as a one-piece, preferably seamless, knitted part. In this case it is preferably provided that circular knitting machines are used with which a circumferentially closed knitted fabric can be produced.

Of course, there are also other possibilities with which the shoe upper can be produced. In particular, it can be provided that the upper part of the shoe upper is produced in a classic manner, the lower area which runs below the sole of the foot of the wearer of the shoe being, for example, a strobel sole which is sewn to the upper part of the shoe upper, for example. This can take place in particular in combination with a knitted upper area of the shoe upper.

The lower area of the shoe upper is preferably designed as a textile knitted fabric with a maximum thickness of 5 mm, preferably with a maximum thickness of 3 mm. Thus, the wearer of the shoe has a particularly advantageous wearing experience, since - separated only by the thin lower area of the shoe upper - he walks on the bulk material.

The sole part is preferably manufactured as an injection molded part or as a thermoformed part.

According to the invention it is therefore provided that at least one web-like structure is formed on the floor area, which extends into the receiving space. This web-like structure forms wall areas within the receiving space, which allow the free displacement of the loosely filled Counteracts bulk material and holds it in certain areas of the receiving space. This can have a positive effect on the feeling of walking when wearing the shoe.

The mentioned web-like structure allows the sole to optimally support the foot in certain applications when used as intended under load. This can be relevant under the aspect that otherwise the (plastic) bodies located inside the receiving space of the sole part do not offer a great support function for the foot due to the fact that they are not connected to one another but rather loosely arranged.

When the above-mentioned fastening of the upper on the sole part, the two parts can be sewn and / or glued.

As bulk material, spherical or ellipsoidal bodies are preferably used. The bodies of the bulk material are preferably designed as hollow bodies. The dimensions of the bodies of the bulk material in the three spatial directions are preferably between 1 mm and 13 mm, particularly preferably between 3 mm and 6 mm.

The bodies of the bulk material are preferably made of foamed (ie expanded) thermoplastic elastomer.

It is particularly preferred that the bodies of the bulk material consist of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic polyamide (TPA) and / or thermoplastic elastomer based on olefins (TPO), the materials mentioned being in particular expanded (foamed).

The plastic bodies preferably have a hardness between 75 and 90 Shore A, preferably between 80 and 85 Shore A. They preferably have a bulk density between 100 and 300 kg / m ³ .

The following should be mentioned about the expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU) that is preferably used for the plastic bodies, which are introduced into the receiving space of the sole part: This material is known per se and is used in shoes. It is available, for example, under the name “PearlFoam” from Huntsman International LLC or under the name “Infinergy” from BASF SE. With regard to this material, reference is expressly made to the WO 2005/066250 A1 Reference is made to find out where details on this material, i.e. on expandable thermoplastic polyurethanes and their production, can be found.

Regarding the prior art of thermoplastic elastomer based on urethane, reference is also expressly made to the WO 2010/010010 A1 pointed out, in which an expandable, blowing agent-containing thermoplastic polymer blend is disclosed which contains thermoplastic polyurethane and styrene polymer. The polymer blend can contain at least one further thermoplastic polymer. Polyamide (PA), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cellulose or polyoxymethylene (POM) are particularly suitable as further thermoplastic polymers.

The sole part is preferably made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), of polyamide (PA) and / or of rubber material.

After speaking of bulk material in connection with the bodies to be introduced into the receiving space, these are individual particles that have no connection to one another. In particular, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plastic bodies are placed in the receiving space of the sole part without being connected to one another. Accordingly, the individual balls or ellipsoids are not connected to one another by any measures, but they are loosely placed in the receiving space of the sole part.

The bulk material is preferably placed in the full pack and preferably under slight pressure in the receiving space of the sole part.

It is advantageous that the proposed method allows the cost-effective production of a shoe that is comfortable to wear, with the use of an inner sole or insole being advantageously unnecessary.

The mentioned sole part can be provided with an outsole on the underside if necessary.

It has been shown that when designing a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, very advantageous and comfortable wearing properties of the shoe are achieved in the manner specified above with regard to the compression behavior of the shoe and with regard to its resetting property (after removal of the compressive force by the wearer's foot) can. This is especially true under the aspect of strong temperature fluctuations.

If the proposed thermoplastic elastomers (in contrast to conventional polymers) are used as loose bulk material in the cavity of the sole, the frictional properties between the individual particles result in favorable conditions, since they do not slide along one another in an undesirable manner, but rather a certain strength despite their loose arrangement provide when the foot of the wearer deforms the bulk material. Thus, an optimal compromise is achieved between a certain massage effect on the one hand and adequate support of the foot while the shoe is being used on the other hand.

Fig. 1

schematisch ein Schuhoberteil und ein Sohlenteil eines Schuhs, wobei diese noch nicht miteinander verbunden sind,

Fig. 2

den fertigen Schuh, bei dem das Schuhoberteil und das Sohlenteil gemäß Figur 1 miteinander verbunden sind, und

Fig. 3

den fertigen Schuh in einem Schnitt senkrecht zur Längsachse des Schuhs.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

schematically a shoe upper and a sole part of a shoe, whereby these are not yet connected to one another,

Fig. 2

the finished shoe, in which the shoe upper and the sole part according to Figure 1 connected to each other, and

Fig. 3

the finished shoe in a section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe.

In Figure 1 a shoe upper 2 and a sole part 5 can be seen, which together result in a shoe 1, the two parts 2 and 5 not yet being connected to one another. The terms "above" and "below" refer to the intended use of the shoe or when it is on the floor.

In a first phase of the production of the shoe 1, the upper 2 and the sole 5 are produced.

In the case of the shoe upper 2, according to a preferred solution, a knitting process is used in which a sock-like structure is produced as it is from Figure 1 can be seen. For example, circular knitting machines are used for this, which can produce the entire sock-like structure in one production step. The upper 2 has an upper area 3 which, among other things, covers the instep of the wearer's foot, and a lower area 4 which, when the shoe is used as intended, comes to lie under the sole of the wearer's foot. The entire upper 2 is designed as a one-piece knitted fabric.

The sole part 5 can be produced, for example, by an injection molding process or by a thermoforming process. How out Figure 1 As can be seen, the sole part 5 has a bottom area 6 and a lateral wall area 7, which is designed here as a circumferential edge. The floor area 6 and the wall area 7 form a receiving space 8 that is open at the top.

After the shoe upper 2 and the sole part 3 have been produced (which can be done simultaneously or staggered in any order), the receiving space 8 is filled with bulk material 9, which is shown in FIG Figure 1 is only hinted at.

As can be seen from the other figures, the bulk material 9 is introduced into the receiving space 8 in a complete package and, if necessary, under slight pressure. On the so prepared sole part 3 is then the upper 2 is placed and the sole part 5 is connected to the upper 2. This can be done by sewing and / or gluing.

Accordingly, the lower region 4 of the upper 2 now rests directly on the bulk material 9, so that a comfortable walking experience is created when the shoe is used.

Any material is generally used as bulk material 9 (for example also sand), while spheres or ellipsoids made of foamed plastic material are preferred; Details are noted above.

So that the bulk material 9 in the receiving space 8 has a certain stability when it is displaced by the wearer's foot due to the force of weight, web-like structures 10 can be formed in the bottom area 6 of the sole part 5. These structures 10 prevent the bulk material 9 from shifting sideways, so that the stability of the shoe and in particular of the sole can be increased in this respect.

In Figure 3 a section through the finished shoe perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L of the shoe 1 is shown. It can be seen here that an outer sole 11 has also been attached below the explained sole part 5, which can be done, for example, by gluing.

In this figure it can also be seen that the lower region 4 of the upper 2 is made relatively thin. The thickness D is entered, which is preferably a maximum of 3 mm. In this way, a comfortable wearing feeling is achieved, since the foot of the wearer of the shoe runs as if on sand, since the individual particles of the bulk material 9 have no connection to one another.

By choosing the material-specific and geometric parameters (dimensions of the particles of the bulk material, dimensions of the individual areas of the shoe upper and the sole part, choice of material, etc.), the spring and damping behavior of the shoe and especially the sole can be influenced.

This also applies in particular to the optional choice and design of the web-like structure 10, for which upwardly open round or polygonal chamber sections can also be provided.

What is not illustrated is that inserts can optionally be manufactured and connected to the sole part 5 for the purpose of targeted reinforcement of certain areas of the sole. In this way, special areas of the sole can be provided with a higher level of stability, it being possible in particular to influence the support function of the shoe and in particular of the sole.

An advantageous further development can look like this:
Hollow bodies (in particular spheres or ellipsoids) made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) (possibly also made of expanded TPU), which preferably have a diameter between 3 and 15 mm, can be used as bulk material; a diameter range between 5 and 8 mm is particularly preferred.

These hollow bodies can be produced, for example, by injection molding, blow molding or laser sintering.

The surface of the hollow body can be partially open or completely closed. In the case of closed hollow bodies, this contains air. The bodies are characterized, among other things, by the fact that when they are compressed they show a strongly non-linear curve of the deformation force versus the deformation. Accordingly, the hollow body can be deformed or compressed relatively easily up to a certain degree; from a certain degree of deformation, the resistance to further deformation then increases sharply, ie. H. it is now more difficult to deform the hollow body further.

This behavior can be used very advantageously in cushioning systems in the field of sport and here especially in shoe soles (including midsoles or insoles).

The bodies of the bulk material can be transparent.

The hardness of the starting material of the TPU hollow body is preferably in the range between 70 to 95 Shore A.

After the external force has been removed, the hollow bodies completely resume their original shape. Mixing with other materials (e.g. PU foam or E-TPU or E-TPE materials) is possible in order to advantageously influence the damping properties. The combination with other materials can be done by means of a "PU casting process". In this case it can be provided, for example, that the hollow bodies consist of 80% TPU and 20% PU foam as a binder. In particular, a combination with E-TPU or E-TPE material is also possible.

The hollow bodies can be produced by welding or by using microwaves by connecting two hemispheres or half-shells to one another. In this case, circularly encircling webs can form at the seam, which can positively influence the rigidity in a very desirable way.

As shown above, a loose introduction of individual bodies in the form of bulk material is provided. According to the invention, however, it is provided that the named bodies made of the named materials are also at least partially coupled or connected to one another. To this extent, provision is made to produce a structure in which a number of bodies, preferably hollow bodies, are connected to one another, for example by microwave welding.

A similar composite of individual bodies can also be created by embedding the individual bodies, in particular hollow bodies, in a plastic foam, in particular polyurethane foam, and thus creating a structure that can be used to build the shoe sole.

List of reference symbols:

1

shoe

2

Shoe upper

3

upper area of the shoe upper

4th

lower area of the upper part of the shoe

5

Sole part

6th

Floor area

7th

Wall area

8th

Recording room

9

Bulk material

10

web-like structure

11

Outsole

D.

Thickness of the lower part of the upper part of the shoe

L.

Longitudinal direction of the shoe

Claims (14)

1. Method for producing a shoe (1), in particular a sports shoe, comprising the steps:

   a) Producing a shoe upper (2), wherein the shoe upper (2) has an upper region (3) covering the upper region of the wearer's foot and a lower region (4) enclosing the sole of the wearer's foot;

   b) Producing a sole part (5), wherein the sole part (5) having a bottom region (6) and a lateral wall region (7), wherein the bottom region (6) and the wall region (7) delimiting an upwardly open receiving space (8) for bulk material (9);

   c) Filling the receiving space (8) with a bulk material (9), wherein the bulk material consisting at least partially, preferably completely, of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE);

   d) Fastening the shoe upper (2) to the sole part (5) so that the lower region (4) of the shoe upper (2) comes to rest on the bulk material (9),

   wherein at least one web-like structure (10) is formed on the bottom region (6), which structure extends into the receiving space (8),
   characterized in
   that the bulk material (9) is introduced in the form of individual loose bodies and also, in part, in the form of interconnected bodies.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper region (3) and the lower region (4) of the shoe upper (2) are formed as a one-piece structure.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shoe upper (2) is formed as a sock-like structure.
4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the shoe upper (2) is produced on a knitting machine.
5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper region (3) and the lower region (4) of the shoe upper (2) are produced as a one-piece, preferably seamless, knitted part.
6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the lower region (4) of the shoe upper (2) is formed as a textile knitted fabric with a maximum thickness (D) of 5 mm, preferably with a maximum thickness (D) of 3 mm.
7. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sole part (5) is produced as an injection moulded part.
8. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the sole part (5) is produced as a thermoformed part.
9. Method according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the fastening of the shoe upper (2) to the sole part (5) according to step d) of claim 1 takes place by sewing and/or gluing of the two parts.
10. Method according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that spherical or ellipsoidal bodies are used as bulk material (9).
11. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that the bodies of the bulk material (9) are formed as hollow bodies.
12. Method according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the dimensions of the bodies of the bulk material (9) in the three spatial directions are between 1 mm and 13 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 6 mm.
13. Method according to claim 11 or 12, characterised in that the bodies of the bulk material (9) consist of foamed thermoplastic elastomer.
14. Method according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the bodies of the bulk material (9) consist of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), of thermoplastic polyamide (TPA) and/or of thermoplastic elastomer based on olefin (TPO), wherein said materials being in particular expanded.

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