GB2628163A

GB2628163A - Improved footwear

Info

Publication number: GB2628163A
Application number: GB2303898.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dux Vivian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2023-03-17
Filing date: 2023-03-17
Publication date: 2024-09-18

Abstract

A coated fabric 10 for use in footwear comprising a fabric layer 200 and a coating layer 100; wherein the coating layer is bonded to a face of the fabric later, and the coating layer comprises a resiliently deformable material. The coating layer may have a number of perforation holes 150. The fabric is preferably leather or leather like material, and the coting may be silicone or a thermoplastic elastomer gel such as SEBS. It is intended that when used in footwear, the resiliently deformable material will be facing the inside of the shoe and therefore closer to the foot of a user. The resiliently deformable material serves to provide cushioning when a person’s foot is in the shoe, relieving pressure, reducing rubbing, and providing overall improved fit and comfort. Also claimed is a method of making such a coated fabric.

Description

Improved footwear The present invention relates to improved footwear in which conventional materials for the upper and more generally the lining of footwear is modified to provide improved comfort.

Background

A long-standing problem in footwear is that of pressure build up and rubbing that causes discomfort for a wearer. This is an unfortunate consequence of mass production of shoes leading to a shoe not being tailored to an individual's foot.

Ultimately, rubbing in shoes can lead to blistering and pain for the wearer. Furthermore, pressure build up through weight bearing portions of the foot, particularly through the ball of the foot in heeled shoes, can lead to posture issues and further discomfort in the wearer.

Poorly fitting shoes that rub can also cause bunions on a person's foot, joint pain, toughened skin around the rubbed areas and corns.

The issues don't stop at the foot but can travel up the leg and cause pain in the muscles of the leg from having to walk in a way that mitigates pain in the foot. Often if a person is wearing painful shoes, they will develop a walking style that minimises pain. This new gait is often however inefficient and causes negative consequential effects in the rest of the body as the skeleton has to work in a misaligned manner to reduce pain.

To combat this, some people chose to wear a gel pad under the ball of the foot to reduce pressure, this can be effective, however it has the consequential effect of lowering the overall internal volume of the shoe available to accept a wearer's foot resulting in a tighter fit, and more rubbing related discomfort. These gel inserts also tend to migrate around the shoe during wear resulting overall in ineffective pressure reduction.

Some shoes combine a cushioned area into the sole of the shoe to reduce pressure, this however does not reduce rubbing, nor does it reduce pressure on any part of the foot other than the cushioned area, typically under the ball of the foot.

The heel portion of footwear is a common area that rubbing occurs. This problem is exacerbated in footwear, such as shoes made of leather and leather like materials as these materials lend themselves to a stiffer shoe in the first instance that has a longer and more painful break in period. Some users use adhesive on pads that stick to the inside of the heel portion with the intention of reducing rubbing. Whilst this may have the desired effect in the heel area, the addition of the padding at the heel can have the unfortunate effect of pushing the foot of the user further forward in the shoe leading to increased pressure and reduced volume available in the toe box of the shoe.

There is a need for footwear, such as shoes and materials for footwear that provide overall pressure and rubbing reduction users, without compromising on shoe fit.

Summary

The Present invention in its various aspects is as set out in the appended claims.

The present invention provides: A coated fabric for use in footwear comprising a fabric layer and a coating layer; wherein the coating layer is bonded to a face of the fabric, the coating layer comprising a resiliently deformable material. It is intended that when used in footwear, the resiliently deformable material will be facing the inside of the shoe and therefore closer to the foot of a user. The resiliently deformable material serves to provide cushioning when a person's foot is in the shoe, relieving pressure, reducing rubbing, and providing overall improved fit and comfort.

The coating layer may comprise a plurality of ventilation holes. The ventilation holes the ventilation holes allow hot air and moisture to travel through the coating layer to the fabric layer, where the heat and moisture can be lost through the fabric. When used in footwear, the heat and moisture from the foot will travel away from the foot through the ventilation holes and out of the footwear through the fabric layer.

The holes are preferably between 1mm and 5mm in diameter, this range chosen to ensure adequate heat and moisture loss without compromising the cushioning propertied of the resiliently deformable material. In practice, a 2mm to 3mm diameter may be most preferable by providing the optimum balance between cushioning and heat/moisture loss.

Alternatively or in addition the coating layer may be microporous thus enabling moisture to permeate the layer without providing any visually perceivable apertures. The microporous averages are preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.2 micrometers in diameter. This provides a waterproof layer which may also allow water vapour to escape. In the present invention this layer is preferably also hydrophobic thus facilitating the waterproof nature at larger pore sizes and greater potential for diffusion.

The coating may preferably cover the whole of the face of the fabric layer. This is preferable in cases where no ventilation is needed, for example if only a small portion of the shoe were to be constructed from the coated fabric. The heel portion or toe box portion of the shoe are examples where localised use of the fabric would be of particular benefit to reduce rubbing.

The fabric layer may comprise leather or leather like material. The fabric layer may be leather. Leather and leather like fabrics have a toughness that make them an excellent choice for footwear. Also, these materials can be made to be waterproof, in the present invention by means of the coating, which is a further benefit. Example leather like fabrics that could be used in accordance with the present invention are polyurethane (PU) leather, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) leather, silicone, vegan leather, natural fibre leathers for example cork leather or bamboo leather The fabric layer most preferably comprises leather, still more preferably bovine leather. Leather has superior durability and breathability to most other fabrics suitable for use in footwear.

The fabric layer is preferably between 1 and 3 mm thick, this range provides for flexibility for comfort of the shoe whilst being thick enough for the fabric layer to be durable and hold its shape. This has also been found to provide adequate moisture transport when the coating is microporous.

Most preferably, the fabric layer will be between 1.2 and 2mm thick to provide the optimum flexibility and durability trade-off.

The coating layer may be between 0.7 and 1.5 times the thickness of the fabric layer. This range provides that the layer is thick enough to provide a cushioning effect, but not so thick as to add excessive size and weight to the resulting footwear.

The coating layer may further preferably be between 0.9 and 1.1 times the thickness of the fabric layer.

The coating layer may preferably be the same thickness as the fabric layer. This provides an optimum weight to cushioning ratio in the resulting coated fabric.

The coating is preferably a silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (-R2Si-O-SiR2-, where R = an organic group), this material is sufficiently cross-linked to be in the form of a resilient solid. The preferred material is a polymerized siloxane or polysiloxane. The chemical structure of the silicone backbone of these materials is consist of an inorganic silicon-oxygen backbone chain (-Si-O-Si-O-Si-O-) with two organic groups attached to each silicon centre. Commonly, the organic groups are methyl. The materials can be cyclic or polymeric. By varying the -Si-0-chain lengths, side groups, and crosslinking, silicones can be synthesized with a wide variety of properties and compositions. In the present invention the silicone is preferably cross-linked They can vary in consistency from liquid to gel to rubber to hard plastic. The most common siloxane is linear polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS): polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) PDMS is a silicone oil. The second-largest group of silicone materials is based on silicone resins, which are formed by branched and cage-like oligosiloxanes. Preferably the coating layer comprises silicone. Preferably the coating layer comprises polydimethylsiloxane.

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), sometimes referred to as thermoplastic rubbers, are a class of copolymers or a physical mix of polymers (usually a plastic and a rubber) that consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties. While most elastomers are thermosets, thermoplastics are in contrast relatively easy to use in manufacturing, for example, by injection moulding. Thermoplastic elastomers show advantages typical of both rubbery materials and plastic materials. The benefit of using thermoplastic elastomers is the ability to stretch to moderate elongations and return to its near original shape creating a longer life and better physical range than other materials. The principal difference between thermoset elastomers and thermoplastic elastomers is the type of cross-linking bond in their structures. In fact, crosslinking is a critical structural factor which imparts high elastic properties. A preferred example of this type of coating material is EPDM rubber.

There are six generic classes of commercial TPE's according to ISO 18064, being: styrenic block copolymers (TPS), thermoplastic polyolefinelastomers (TPO), thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPV), thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), thermoplastic copolyesters (TPC), thermoplastic polyamides (TPA) and non-classified thermoplastic elastomers (TPZ). Preferably the coating layer comprises a thermoplastic elastomer gel. Preferably the coating layer comprises a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer.

The Young's modulus of the coatings of the present invention are preferably in the range 0.01 and 1 GPa, more preferably between 0.05 and 0.1 GPa and this is considered to provide optimum comfort in the present invention.

The coated fabric may comprise an intermediate layer. The intermediate layer serves to prevent the coating layer from bleeding through the fabric later when it is applied during manufacture. The intermediate layer may also serve to increase adhesion between the fabric layer and the coating layer. The intermediate layer is preferably comparatively thinner than both the fabric layer and the coating layer. Preferably the intermediate layer is between 5 micrometres and 500 micrometers.

The coating layer may be coated with a powder layer to further reduce friction with the skin of the foot. The powder layer will then be the layer that is furthest from the fabric layer.

Footwear comprising the coated fabric as set out above. Footwear comprising the coated fabric will have the benefit of providing cushioning to the users foot reducing rubbing and improving overall fit.

The upper of the footwear may comprise the coated fabric so as to improve the overall fit and comfort of the shoe. When the user is wearing such footwear, the foot will press into the coating layer, and the coating layer will, due to its resiliently deformable nature, mould to the foot of the user. It is envisaged that the coating layer will be closest to the foot with the fabric layer forming the external portion of the shoe.

Footwear comprising the coated fabric may include footwear where the foot bed comprises the coated fabric. In this case, the fabric layer may be closer to the foot to provide a more absorbent cushioned foot bed. However, for example shoes where grip under the foot is preferable, the foot bed may be designed and manufactured with the coating layer closest to the foot.

It may be preferable that the footwear comprises the coated fabric only in certain areas of the shoe. These certain areas may be the heel of the shoe to prevent rubbing and blisters.

Alternatively or in addition, the toe box of the shoe may be made of the coated fabric to reduce pressure on joints and reduce the risk of bunions developing.

The footwear may be one of: Boots, shoes, Heeled shoes, sandals, wellingtons, clogs, mules, specialist dance shoes, trainers, climbing shoes, walking boots/shoes, football boots, orthopaedic shoes and other correction shoes, work boots, steel toed shoes/boots, platform shoes or boots, and ice skating boots. This list is not exhaustive, any suitable footwear is envisaged.

The footwear may preferably be heeled footwear having a heel height of over 5cm. The coated fabric is of particular benefit in this type of shoe because in heled shoes the foot tends to migrate forward resulting in the toes becoming squashed and cramped.

Furthermore, the toed become exhausted from gripping the footed to prevent further sliding and pain.

Although the coated fabric is specified as being suitable for use in footwear, the fabric of the present invention may be used in alternative areas where pressure reduction would be welcome. For example: Baby car seats, Baby High chairs, Car /Van /Truck Dash Boards for protection, Bicycle Seats, Backs Airline seating/Arm rest, Seating covering for All Road motor vehicles, Horse riding saddles, Furniture Covering, Office chairs seats, Safety knee /Safety Elbow coverings, Tennis/Cricket Bat Handles coverings, Children's Play Mats, Sun loungers, Wheel Chair seats, orthopaedic Over Knee Sleeves, Camp Z Beds, Bed Head Boards, Inside Bottom of Baby Push chairs, Boat Deck seat covers, Gardening Kneel pads, Car Steering wheels and Children Swing Seats.

Another aspect, the present invention provides the method of manufacture of the coated fabric described above.

The method comprises pouring the coating material onto the fabric layer to create an even film.

Preferably the coating layer is applied in a liquid state or flowing gel state, the dried, cured or otherwise set to a resiliently deformable state.

The method may further comprise passing the fabric and coating through rollers to evenly distribute the coating layer on top of the fabric layer.

Alternatively, to pouring the coating layer, the coating layer may be pre-formed and then bonded onto the fabric layer or intermediate layer (if used). This allows for a uniform layer to be manufactured and then transferred onto the fabric or intermediate layers.

If an intermediate layer is used in the coated fabric, the intermediate layer may be sprayed onto the fabric layer to create a thin layer. Alternatively, the intermediate layer may be pre-formed and transferred onto the fabric layer.

If ventilation holes are present, they may be stamped out of the coating layer after the layer has set (if the coating layer has been poured on).

Alternatively, if the coating layer is pre-formed, the coating layer may be fabricated with holes and then transferred onto the fabric or intermediate layer. The fabrication of the ventilation holes may be through the use of a mould i.e. pouring the coating material into a mould that will produce a film with an array of holes, or by stamping/cutting holes out of an already formed film.

The present invention further provides a method for coating a fabric, as herein described, with an elastomeric coating, as also herein described, the method comprising the steps of: providing a roll of fabric, extending the roll of public through a slit, an outer face of the fabric abutting one side of the slit and a distance been present between the inner face of the fabric and the other side of the split, the fabric being advanced through the slit from one incoming side to an outgoing side and on the incoming side a polymer having a viscosity of less than 10 Pa.s is brought into contact as in the fabric being advanced at a rate of less than 1 m/s, the, fabric on the outgoing side of the slit on the inner face side being exposed to ultraviolet light to cure the siloxane and provide a cross-linked elastomeric coating.

The polydimethyl siloxane preferably comprises between 1 and 10% of a volatile solvent and after being cured is subject to vacuum to remove said solvent for the purposes of providing a microporous structure. In a preferred solvents are ethylene glycol and water. These are preferably incorporated in situ into the pre-cured siloxane by intense agitation no more than 5 seconds, more preferably no more than one second residence time before, at the rate of advancement of the fabric, the siloxane is cured by ultraviolet radiation. This method provides a metastable emulsion of hydrophobic siloxane with water which is stable enough to stay as an emotion until procuring and greatly facilitate subsequent removal of the water as the water is unable to wet the cured siloxane and thus more rapidly evaporates. The agitation is preferably such that the emulsion has a particle size of less than 0.1 micrometers, such as in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 micrometers. The ratio of water to siloxane is preferably between 40:60 to 60:40 so as to provide an open cellular structure for providing the moisture transport properties previously described.

The preferred fabric for using this method is bovine leather having a thickness between 0.5 and 2mm in the unstructured state. The coating is preferably on the same thickness. The preferred fabric is preferably advanced under a tension of 1kg to 5kg per centimetre. This provides a degree of resilient recovery when the tension is removed and when rolled up with the coating on the outer side avoids distortion of the fabric during storage. A final stage of the process is therefore such rolling up. The roll preferably has a diameter of no less than 10 cm and no more than 50 cm, this enables the resilient recovery to conform to the general curvature of the roll and hence, as mentioned, reduces distortion during transport and thus facilitates final use. Such as in footwear manufacture.

The present invention further provides footwear constructed of the fabric of the present invention and a method of producing the fabric of the present invention, storing that fabric in a preferred rolled configuration with the resilient coating on the outside, was preferably when the fabric is prepared under tension and subsequent production footwear from said fabric. The preferred fabric of the method is bovine leather.

Detailed Description

The present invention is illustrated in the following figures: Figures 1 to 4: coated fabric according to the present invention The present invention is descried in terms of the following features: 10-Coated fabric 100-Coating layer 200-Fabric layer 150-Ventilation holes 300-Intermediate layer In the ensuing detailed description and associated figures, like features are given like numerals.

Figure 1 discloses a coated fabric 10 comprising a coating layer 100 and a fabric layer 200.

The coating layer 100 is bonded to the fabric layer 200 of the coated fabric. The coated fabric 10 is suitable for use in footwear.

Figure 2 discloses a coated fabric 10 suitable for use in footwear comprising a coating layer 100 and a fabric layer 200. The coating layer 100 is bonded to the fabric layer 200 of the coated fabric 10. The coating layer comprises ventilation holes 150. The ventilation holes are arranged in an array, and allow moisture and hot air to escape through the fabric from the coated side to the fabric side. The ventilation holes are preferably arranged in a diamond array or a square array. It may be further preferable that the boles are arranged such that there is an average of 0.5 to 2 holes 150 per square centimetre of the coated fabric 10.

Further preferably there is 1 hole 150 per square centimetre of the coated fabric 10. The holes are preferably between 1mm and 5mm in diameter, this range chosen to ensure adequate heat and moisture loss without compromising the cushioning propertied of the resiliently deformable material. In practice, a 2mm to 3mm diameter may be most preferable by providing the optimum balance between cushioning and heat/moisture loss Figure 3 discloses a coated fabric 10 suitable for use in footwear comprising a coating layer 100 a fabric layer 200 and an intermediate layer 300. The intermediate layer 300 is bonded to the fabric layer 200 of the coated fabric. The coating layer 100 is bonded to the intermediate layer 300. The intermediate layer 300 prevents the coating layer 100 from bleeding into or through the fabric layer 200 when the coating layer 100 is introduced during manufacture.

Figure 4 discloses a coated fabric 10 suitable for use in footwear comprising a coating layer 100 a fabric layer 200 and an intermediate layer 300. The intermediate layer 300 is bonded to the fabric layer 200 of the coated fabric. The coating layer 100 is bonded to the intermediate layer 300. The intermediate layer 300 prevents the coating layer 100 from bleeding into or through the fabric layer 200 when the coating layer 100 is introduced during manufacture. The coating layer comprises ventilation holes 150. The ventilation holes are arranged in an array, and allow moisture and hot air to escape through the fabric from the coated side to the fabric side. The ventilation holes are preferably arranged in a diamond array or a square array. It may be further preferable that the boles are arranged such that there is an average of 0.5 to 2 holes 150 per square centimetre of the coated fabric 10. Further preferably there is 1 hole 150 per square centimetre of the coated fabric 10. The holes are preferably between 1mm and 5mm in diameter, this range chosen to ensure adequate heat and moisture loss without compromising the cushioning propertied of the resiliently deformable material. In practice, a 2mm to 3mm diameter may be most preferable by providing the optimum balance between cushioning and heat/moisture loss.

In figure 4, the ventilation holes 150 are shown to only be penetrate the coating layer 100. This is preferable if the intermediate layer 300 is breathable. However, if the intermediate layer is not breathable, then it is preferable that the ventilation holes extend through both the coating layer 100 and the intermediate layer 150.

Claims

Claims 1. A coated fabric for use in footwear comprising a fabric layer and a coating layer; wherein the coating layer is bonded to a face of the fabric later, and the coating layer comprises a resiliently deformable material.
2. The coated fabric of claim 1 wherein the coating layer comprises a plurality of ventilation holes.
3. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coating covers the whole of the face of the fabric layer.
4. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the fabric comprises leather or leather like material.
5. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the fabric comprises leather.
6. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the fabric is between 1 and 3 mm thick.
7. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the fabric is between 1.2 and 2mm thick.
8. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coating layer is between 0.7 and 1.5 times the thickness of the fabric layer.
9. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coating layer is between 0.9 and 1.1 times the thickness of the fabric layer
10. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coating layer is the same thickness as the fabric layer.
11. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coating layer comprises silicone.
12. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coating layer comprises a thermoplastic elastomer gel.
13. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coating layer comprises Styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene.
14. The coated fabric of any preceding claim wherein the coated fabric comprises an intermediate layer.
15. Footwear comprising the coated fabric of any preceding claim.
16. The footwear of claim 15 wherein the coating is on an inside of the footwear -benefit skin contact limiting slippage and so abrasion.
17. The footwear of any of claims 15 or 16 where the footwear is sports footwear.
18. The footwear of any of claims 15 to 17 wherein the footwear comprises a heel of greater than 5cm in height.
19. The footwear of any of claims 15 to 18 wherein the coated fabric is located in the heel portion of the shoe.
20. The footwear of any of claims 15 to 19 wherein the coated fabric is located in the toe box of the shoe.
21. The footwear of ay of claims 15 to 20 wherein the shoe is a laced shoe.
22. The footwear of any of claims 15 to 21 wherein the shoe upper comprises the coated fabric.
23. The footwear of any of claims 15 to 22 wherein the footwear is sports footwear.
24. A method of manufacturing the coated fabric of any preceding claim comprising pouring the coating material onto the fabric layer to create a preferably even, film.
25. The method of claim 24 for coating a fabric, preferably, bovine leather with an elastomeric coating, the method comprising the steps of: providing a roll of said leather fabric, extending the roll of fabric through an elongate slit, an outer face of the fabric abutting one side of the slit and a having distance present between the inner face of the fabric and the other side of the split, the fabric being advanced through the slit from one incoming side to another outgoing side and, on the incoming side, a polymer having a viscosity of less than 10 Pa.s is brought into contact as the fabric is advanced at a rate of less than 1 m/s and more than 0.1m/s, the, fabric on the outgoing side of the slit, on the inner face side, being exposed to ultraviolet light to cure the siloxane and provide a cross-linked elastomeric coating, wherein, preferably the fabric is advanced under a tension of 1kg to 5kg per centimetre before a final stage of the process of rolling up wherein the resilient coating on the outside.