JP2008178687A - Modular shoe construction - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a modular footwear construction having an upper and a removable outsole that can be secured together without adhesives. <P>SOLUTION: The modular footwear construction includes the upper 14 with the removable outsole 12. The upper 14 and the outsole 12 both includes bottoms having tread surfaces. A removable footbed fits inside the upper 14, and includes both a cushioning midsole 16 and a structural plate 18. The outsole 12 is removably secured to the upper 14 without adhesives. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

[Background of the invention]
The present invention relates to footwear, in particular to an environmentally friendly modular footwear structure.

  It is well known that footwear problems arise when footwear becomes soiled, especially when the wearer moves indoors after participating in outdoor activities such as hiking and trail running. As a general result of these activities, dirt or mud collects on the outsole of the footwear and the wearer often has to take off the footwear before entering the room. It would be undesirable for the wearer to take off the footwear in this way, either to prepare a second footwear or to go indoors without wearing the footwear at all.

  In addition to the above problems, in recent years, the development of environmentally friendly footwear structures has received increasing attention. For example, the leather used in the construction of footwear uppers is now often selected based on the environmental footprint of the tanning process. Also, some outsole are currently manufactured from recycled rubber materials such as crumb rubber recycled from industrial sources such as reground scrap rubber or old tires that were cut off during the molding process.

  Other environmental initiatives for footwear have not been done in detail, including the process for attaching the upper, outsole and midsole. Footwear including a midsole generally consists of a process of “directly attaching” the midsole to the upper in the formwork. To complete the footwear structure, the outsole is glued to the midsole on the side opposite the upper. Other attachment methods include various combinations of seams and adhesive between one or more of the upper, outsole and midsole. Many of these methods have survived for many years, but some concerns have been raised regarding their environmental impact, particularly with respect to the properties of commonly used adhesives.

[Summary of Invention]
The present invention provides a modular footwear structure having an upper and a removable outsole that can be secured together without an adhesive.

  In one embodiment, the invention relates to a footwear structure having an upper, a removable outsole, and a removable insole. The upper includes a bottom portion having a tread surface. The outsole includes a bottom that extends below the bottom of the upper and also has a tread. The insole is fitted inside the upper and has both a cushioned midsole and a structural plate. The midsole and the plate each have a structure that allows mechanical engagement between them.

  In another embodiment, the footwear structure has an attachment mechanism for removably attaching the outsole to the upper. The attachment mechanism has a first position where the outsole is secured to the upper and a second position where the wearer can manually remove the outsole from the upper. The attachment mechanism may be a heel strap that extends between the outsole and the upper and fits with a protrusion on the upper. In another embodiment, the attachment mechanism includes a toe cap on the outsole that extends above the toe portion of the upper and a forefoot on the outsole that extends above the forefoot portion of the upper. And a strap.

  With the removable outsole, the wearer can use both as a strong outdoor shoe with the outsole attached and as a slipper-like indoor shoe with the outsole removed. The tread on the bottom of the upper provides an attractive, functional and clean footwear product that the wearer wears while in the room. Also, the mechanical engagement between the midsole and the structural plate and the attachment mechanism between the upper and the outsole provide an adhesive-free footwear structure that is therefore environmentally friendly.

  These and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the current embodiment and the drawings.

[Detailed Description of Current Embodiment]
One embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention generally comprises an outsole 12, an upper 14, a midsole 16 and a plate 18. The components can be mated together in an adhesive free structure and the upper 14 can be removed from the outsole 12.

  Outsole 12 may be made from a wide variety of conventional sole materials such as natural and synthetic rubber, leather, PVC, EVA and polyurethane. In one embodiment, the outsole 12 is formed by injection molding, but it may be formed in various ways. As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the outsole 12 includes a bottom portion 20 having an upper surface 22 and a lower grounding surface 24. The ground plane may include one of a wide variety of tread patterns including grooves 26 and raised protrusions 28. A side wall 30 extends upward from the upper surface 22 of the bottom portion 20. The side wall 30 may have a forefoot portion 32, an arch portion 34, a heel portion 36, an inner surface 37 and an outer surface 39. In the illustrated embodiment, the sidewall extends around the entire outsole 12. In alternative embodiments, the sidewall 30 may extend upward only from selected portions of the bottom 20. As shown, the sidewall 30 has an upper edge 40 and the sidewall gradually curves inward as the edge 40 is approached. The side wall may also include a toe portion 38 having an upwardly extending portion 42 and an inwardly extending portion 44 that wraps the sidewall 30 above a portion of the upper (described below) and the user's toe.

  In one embodiment, the outsole 12 includes a strap 46 that extends from the upper edge 40 of the side wall 30 and above the top of the user's foot in the forefoot portion 32 of the outsole 12. As shown in FIG. 20, the strap 46 includes a pair of extension portions 48 and 50 extending from both sides of the upper edge portion 40. The extension portions 48 and 50 may be formed integrally with the outsole 12 by being integrally formed with the outsole 12, for example. In the illustrated embodiment, the extension portions 48, 50 have ends 52, 54, respectively, which are joined by a resilient connector 56. As shown, the resilient connector 56 has a pair of protrusions 60a, 60b that are inserted through holes in the ends 52, 54 of the extension portions 48, 50 to attach the connector 56 to the extension portions 48, 50. . Alternatively, the connector 56 may be attached to the extension by another method such as a seam. Instead, the connector 56 may be omitted, and the extension portions 48, 50 may be a single piece that extends above the forefoot.

  The outsole 12 can also include a connector for connecting the outsole 12 to an upper (described in more detail below). As shown in FIG. 19, in one embodiment, the connector is a heel strap 64 that may be a thin strip of flexible material extending from the heel portion 36 of the outsole 12. In one embodiment, the heel strap 64 may comprise a fabric that may be the same fabric as the upper 14 to give the appearance that the strap 64 extends from the upper 14. As shown, the heel strap 64 has a first end 66 (shown in FIG. 11) sewn to the inner surface 37 of the sidewall 30. In this embodiment, the sidewall 30 has a hole 68 in the heel portion 36 and the heel strap has a second end 70 that is inserted through the hole 68. The second end 70 can be attached to another portion of the shoe 10 such as the upper 14 by conventional methods. In the illustrated embodiment, the second end 70 has a plastic insert 72 connected to the fabric, and the insert has a hole 74 and a slit 76 for receiving a protrusion 96 on the part to which the strap 64 is attached. As shown in FIG. 19, the heel strap 64 has a mounting position (shown by a solid line) in which the protrusion 96 is received in the hole 74 to fix the upper 14 to the outsole 12, and a position for removing the upper from the outsole 12. The strap 64 is movable between a removal position (shown in phantom) where the strap 64 is removed from the protrusion 96. Alternatively, the strap 64 may have a snap fastener, Velcro® or another attachment mechanism.

  In one embodiment, the upper 14 has a bottom 80, bumps 82, quarters 84, 86 and a saddle panel 88. The upper 14 may be constructed of a wide variety of materials such as fabric, leather, vinyl and other known materials, and is generally dimensioned to fit snugly within the sidewall 30 of the outsole 12. The bottom 80 of the upper 14 has an upper surface 90 (shown in FIG. 7) and a lower surface 92 (shown in FIG. 9). The lower surface 92 may be designed to be a ground plane, for example by having a grip material 94 attached to the lower surface 92 in a desired pattern. In one embodiment, as shown in detail in FIG. 19, the heel panel 88 has a projection 96 that projects outward. The protrusion 96 has a shaft 98 provided with the knob 100 at its end, so that the protrusion 96 can be inserted into the hole 74 of the heel strap 64 on the outsole 12. Alternatively, the heel panel 88 may have another mechanical fastening mechanism for attachment to the outsole 12.

  The midsole 16 and the plate 18 fit inside the upper 14 to form a cushioned stabilizing insole. In one embodiment, the midsole 16 includes a peripheral edge 102 formed from EVA or other cushioning material and having the general shape of the bottom 80 of the upper 14. The midsole 16 further includes an upper surface 104, a lower surface 106, a heel portion 108, an arch portion 110 and a forefoot portion 112. In one embodiment, a sockliner (not shown) is attached to the top surface 104. The sockliner may be composed of fabric and may be top surface 104 by one of a variety of conventional methods such as adhesives or by direct attach molding of the midsole 16 to the sockliner 114. It may be attached to. As shown in FIG. 13, the lower surface 106 of the midsole 16 has a plurality of protrusions 116 for causing mechanical engagement with the plate 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the midsole 16 has two projections 116a, 116b in the heel portion 108, three projections 116c-116e in the arch portion 110, and six projections 116f-116k in the forefoot portion. In alternative embodiments, the number of protrusions 116 on the midsole 16 may be increased or decreased, and the protrusions 116 may be arranged differently, for example, the protrusions 116c-116e in the arch portion 110 may be omitted. Referring to FIG. 16, in one embodiment, each of the protrusions 116 is shaped to mate with a portion of the plate 18. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, each protrusion 116 is undercut at an inclined edge 121 so that its cross-sectional area increases as it approaches the outer edge 118. Alternatively, the protrusions may have different cross-sectional shapes.

  The plate 18 is fitted into the upper 14 at a position between the midsole 16 and the bottom portion 80 of the upper 14. In one embodiment, the plate 18 is constructed of a rigid or semi-rigid material to add some rigidity to the upper 14 and midsole 16. For example, the plate 18 may be injection molded from TPU, TPR or PVC. Alternatively, the plate 18 may be manufactured from other materials such as nylon, rubber, synthetic rubber or silicone, but if any of these alternative materials are used, the insert 16 is probably not manufactured by injection molding. I will. In one embodiment, the plate 18 has a top surface 117, a bottom surface 119, a forefoot portion 120, an arch portion 122, and a heel portion 124, and has a shape that substantially corresponds to the shape of the midsole 16. Alternatively, the plate 18 could be made smaller than the midsole, for example by not extending into the forefoot portion 120.

  In one embodiment, the plate 18 is designed to mechanically engage with the midsole 16. Thereby, if desired, the midsole 16 and the plate 18 can be connected without using an adhesive. As shown, the plate 18 has a plurality of holes 123 that align with the protrusions 116 on the midsole 16 so that each hole 123 receives the protrusions 116 thereby mating the midsole 16 and the plate 18. be able to. As shown in FIG. 16, each hole 123 can be drilled to have a cross-sectional shape that increases engagement with the midsole 16. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, each hole 123 is cut into the plate 18 by an inclined cut, whereby the cross-section of the hole 123 becomes narrower from the lower surface 119 toward the upper surface 117, with each undercut. An interference fit occurs between the protrusion 116 and each hole 123. In another embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the hole 123 may be varied to accommodate different cross-sectional shapes of the protrusions 116.

  Manufacturing the shoe structure 10 includes forming the outsole 12, the upper 14, the midsole 16 and the plate 18 individually and then assembling the parts together. In one embodiment, the component can be assembled to the shoe structure 10 without using an adhesive. In this embodiment, the midsole 16 and the plate 18 are mechanically engaged (shown in FIG. 15), for example, by fitting a protrusion on the midsole 16 into a corresponding hole 123 on the plate 18. The mated midsole 16 and plate 18 are then inserted into the upper 14 (see FIG. 17) so that the bottom surface 119 of the plate 18 engages the top surface 90 of the bottom 80 of the upper 14. Next, the upper 14 is inserted into the outsole 12 (see FIG. 18) so that the bumps 82 extend below the strap 46 of the outsole and the lower surface 92 of the bottom 80 of the upper 14 is connected to the outsole. 12 is engaged with the upper surface 22 of the twelve. The stiffness of the plate 18 assists in pressing the upper 14 against the sidewalls 30 of the outsole to hold the upper 12 within the outsole 12. Next, in order to fix the outsole 12 to the upper 14, the heel strap 64 is moved to the attachment position by fastening the heel strap 64 to the protrusion 96. In use, the user can remove the outsole 12 without removing the shoe 10 by removing the heel strap 64 and pulling out the outsole 12 from the upper 14.

  Figures 21 and 22 show two alternative embodiments 14 'and 14 "of the upper, in which the bumps, quarters and ridges have been modified. For example, Figure 22 shows a lace-up upper, FIG. 21 shows a boot-type upper.

  The above description describes the current embodiment of the present invention. Various alternatives and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and broad aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which should be construed in accordance with the principles of patent law, including equivalent principles. be able to. For example, any reference to an element in a claim using the singular form ("a", "an"), definite article ("the"), or "said") It should not be construed as limiting the element to the singular.

It is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. It is a rear view of one Embodiment of FIG. It is a side view of the upper by one Embodiment. It is a top view of the upper by one Embodiment. It is a rear view of the upper by one Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the upper by one Embodiment. 1 is a side view of an outsole according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a top view of an outsole according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a rear view of an outsole according to one embodiment. FIG. It is a bottom view of the mid sole by one Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the plate by one Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the meshed midsole and plate. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the mated midsole and plate taken along line 16-16 of FIG. It is a side view of the insole partially inserted in the upper. It is a side view of the upper partially inserted in the outsole. It is an expansion rear perspective view of the heel strap in an attachment position, and shows the heel strap in a removal position with a virtual line. It is an enlarged top view of a forefoot strap. It is a perspective view of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of 3rd Embodiment.

Claims (20)

Modular footwear structure,
An upper having a bottom, the bottom having a tread;
A removable outsole having a bottom, wherein the bottom of the outsole extends below the bottom of the upper, and the bottom of the outsole has a tread Saul and
A removable insole within the upper, wherein the removable insole has a midsole and a plate, the midsole and the plate each creating a mechanical engagement between the midsole and the plate A removable insole having a structure for,
A connector extending from the upper;
A modular footwear structure comprising a strap extending from the outsole, the strap being mated with the connector, thereby securing the outsole to the upper. One of the midsole and the plate has a protrusion,
The other of the midsole and the plate has a cutout dimensioned to receive the protrusion;
The modular footwear structure of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is inserted into the cutout, thereby mechanically engaging the midsole and the plate.   3. The modular footwear structure of claim 2, wherein each of the protrusions is undercut and each notch is defined by a sloped cut wall that fits into the undercut of the protrusion. The one of the midsole and the plate has a heel part and a front part.
The one of the midsole and the plate has a plurality of the protrusions,
At least one of the protrusions is disposed within the heel portion;
The modular footwear structure of claim 3, wherein at least one of the protrusions is disposed within the forefoot portion. The midsole is formed from a cushion material;
The modular footwear structure of claim 4, wherein the plate is formed from a rigid or semi-rigid material. The midsole is formed from EVA,
6. The modular footwear structure of claim 5, wherein the plate is formed from one of TPU, TPR, and PVC. The strap is a heel strap for detachably connecting the outsole and the upper,
The heel strap
An attachment position where a part of the heel strap fits a part of the upper;
The modular footwear structure according to claim 6, further comprising a removal position where the outsole can be separated from the upper. Modular footwear structure,
An upper having a bottom, the bottom having a tread surface;
An outsole that covers at least a portion of the upper and has a tread;
An attachment means extending from the outsole so that the upper can be removably attached to the outsole, wherein the upper is fixed to the outsole, and the upper An attachment means having a removal position that can be detached from the sole, whereby the outsole can be manually removed from the upper to expose the bottom of the upper;
A modular footwear structure comprising an insole positioned within the upper. The attachment means includes
A heel strap extending from one of the outsole and the upper, and a connector extending from the other of the outsole and the upper,
When the attachment means is in the attachment position, the heel strap is fastened to the connector;
The modular footwear structure according to claim 8, wherein the heel strap is not fastened to the connector when the attachment means is in the removal position. The heel strap has a first end coupled to the outsole and a second end defining a hole;
The connector has a protrusion extending from the upper;
The modular footwear structure according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion is inserted through the hole when the attachment means is in the attachment position. The upper and the outsole each have a heel portion,
The first end of the heel strap is coupled to the heel portion of the outsole;
The modular footwear structure according to claim 10, wherein the protrusion extends from the heel portion of the upper. The upper has a front part and a toe part,
12. The modular footwear structure of claim 11, wherein the outsole includes a forefoot strap extending above the forefoot portion and a toe cap extending above the toe portion. The removable insole has a cushioned midsole and a structural plate;
One of the midsole and the plate has a plurality of protrusions,
The other of the midsole and the plate has a plurality of holes aligned with the protrusions,
The modular footwear structure of claim 12, wherein the protrusion is inserted through the hole, thereby mechanically engaging the midsole and the plate. Modular footwear structure,
An upper having sides and a bottom;
An outsole having a bottom and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom, wherein the outsole cooperates to surround at least a portion of the upper;
An attachment mechanism for removably attaching the outsole and the upper, the attachment mechanism comprising:
A first connector attached to the outsole and a second connector attached to the upper;
The first connector and the second connector fit together, thereby securing the outsole to the upper;
The first connector and the second connector can be manually separated, thereby removing the outsole from the upper to expose the bottom of the upper; and
A removable insole inside the upper, the insole having a cushioned midsole and a structural plate, the midsole and the plate mechanically engaging the midsole and the plate A modular footwear structure comprising a removable insole having a structure for. The bottom of the upper has a first tread;
The modular footwear structure of claim 14, wherein the bottom portion of the outsole has a second tread. The footwear structure has a heel region;
The first connector is a heel strap extending from the outsole in the heel region;
The modular footwear structure according to claim 14, wherein the second connector is a protrusion extending from the upper in the heel region. The outsole is formed from a first material;
The modular footwear structure of claim 16, wherein the upper and the heel strap are formed from a second material that is different from the first material. One of the midsole and the plate has a plurality of protrusions;
15. The other of the midsole and the plate has a plurality of holes that align with the protrusions, the protrusions being inserted through the holes, thereby engaging the midsole and the plate. The modular footwear structure described in 1. The upper has a forefoot portion;
15. The modular footwear structure of claim 14, wherein the attachment mechanism includes a forefoot strap attached to the outsole and extending above the forefoot portion of the upper. The upper has a toe portion;
20. The modular footwear structure of claim 19, wherein the outsole has a toe cap that extends above the toe portion of the upper.

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