JP7002829B2 - Sports shoes - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to shoes, in particular to sports shoes, and relates to a method for manufacturing and recycling shoes.

Shoes, especially sports shoes, generally have a sole and an upper made of multiple components. Multiple components are generally required for the sole and upper to provide the shoe with various desired properties such as buffering, moisture control, traction, wear resistance and the like. To this end, the various components of a shoe are usually manufactured from a variety of materials. The components are then attached to each other, for example by glue or sewing.

The production of the various components of shoes and their respective materials requires a significant amount of energy (eg electricity, heat, etc.), which leads to the emission of greenhouse gases. Moreover, at the end of the shoe's life, for example, when the shoe is worn out and can no longer be used, considerable work is required to safely dispose of the shoe. In such situations, special attention should be paid to the various individual materials inside the shoe in order to optimize the disposal of the shoe. Again, energy is needed to break down the material, and warming gas is emitted. On the other hand, the vast majority of worn-out shoes will end up in landfills or incinerators as waste. Numerous techniques are known to control energy expenditure and warming gas emissions during the shoe life cycle.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0119023A1 discloses a scoring system that evaluates and ranks consumer goods based on their ecological and / or environmental impacts, which system can be applied to footwear. .. However, ranking or evaluation alone is not sufficient to achieve shoes that reduce resource consumption and warming gas emissions during their life cycle.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/02333883A1 discloses the manufacturing process for scrap-incorporated shoe uppers. Material scrap can be collected and resized, and the resized scrap can be sprayed to form a recycled material layer. The layer can be heated and / or pressurized to produce a flexible composite panel. An upper shell can be created using a composite panel. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0066530A1 discloses a method for regenerating scrap ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foamed plastic scrap. A mixture containing a new EVA resin and scrap EVA foamed plastic, and a cross-linking agent and a foaming agent for the EVA resin is foamed and cross-linked. The mixture further comprises a compatibilizer, the compatibilizer being a hydrogenated petroleum resin. US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/02333883A1 and US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0066530A1 are based on the idea of scrap reuse, thereby returning pre-consumption waste (industrial waste) to the manufacturing process. Used for. However, these methods are limited to the reuse of waste that is possible during the manufacture of shoes.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0197253 A1 discloses a method for regenerating an article consisting of a plurality of components. The polymer component of the shoe of the composite component can be separated. In that method, the prepared shoe is frozen at a very low temperature and shocked to take advantage of the embrittlement of various polymer components and the difference in glass transition temperature to make one polymer component of the shoe. Try to crush the rest without substantially crushing it. This method is a very complex and costly process that is intended for the regeneration of goods consisting of multiple polymer components, but requires cryogenic treatment.

The German utility model No. 20 2012 005 735U1 relates to cycling shoes. Cycling shoes are equipped with an outer shoe with an upper and sole that can be firmly adhered to each other. Preferably, the outer shoe is composed of a single material, in which case the upper and sole have only a single layer. Thermoplastic or thermosetting elastomers such as polyurethanes, especially thermoplastic polyurethanes, can be used, possibly with fiber reinforced materials. The outer shoe can be detachably connected to the inner chute. The inner shoe also has a sole and upper. The inner shoe may be composed of EVA.

European Patent Application Publication No. 233 021A2 relates to protective socks for use in swimming pools and hot springs. The socks are of the type formed by two different materials, the sole and the bump. The sole is made from waterproof fibers containing 60-75% polyamide and 25-40% polyurethane. The bump consists of Teflon-coated lycra.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,010,157B1 relates to footwear with a single fiber knit element having a peripheral knit portion. German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2013 208 170A1 relates to a shoe sole with a midsole and an outsole.

It has also become known in the art that shoes can be manufactured from biodegradable materials. Such shoes can spontaneously decompose within a few months. However, the materials used in these shoes are not suitable for sports shoes, and in particular do not meet the requirements for high quality and high performance shoes.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0119023A1 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/02333883A1 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0066530A1 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0197253A1 German Utility Model No. 20 2012 005 735U1 European Patent Application Publication No. 233 021A2 U.S. Pat. No. 9,010,157B1 German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2013 208 170 A1 German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2012 206 094 European Patent Application Publication No. 2 649 896

Therefore, it can be considered as an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for suppressing resource consumption and global warming gas emission during the life cycle of shoes.

This problem is at least partially solved by the shoes according to claim 1, especially sports shoes. In one embodiment, the shoe comprises an upper made mostly from a thermoplastic base material by weight. In addition, the shoe comprises a sole made mostly from the same thermoplastic base material as described above by weight. The sole and upper are made individually and are coupled to each other. The thermoplastic base material may be thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyamide (PA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and / or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). However, other materials can also be used.

By realizing a shoe with a sole and upper made up of most, and even the whole, of the same foundation material, the foundation material can be easily regenerated from the shoe, thereby making various configurations of the shoe. The effort required to separate and / or sort the elements is significantly reduced. For example, the entire shoe can be processed in a single regeneration process step. The shoes according to the invention can greatly simplify the process of reclaiming used shoes, especially when the entire shoe is made from a single material. In addition, the recycled foundation material can then be reused for both the sole and upper of the new shoe, whereby both parts can be made from substantially the same recycled material. Achieving high quality shoes while using the same material for the upper and sole is a variety of physical mounting forms (eg yarn, foil, foam, pellets) of one and the same chemical material (eg thermoplastic polyurethane). By using (eg, cushioning, condition, moisture control, traction, abrasion resistance, good comfort and feel), the use of various different properties necessary to achieve high quality shoes. It is possible by the idea that it can be done. In particular, the use of TPU in all parts of the shoe enables the production of high performance shoes designed for sportsmen.

In general, the shoe components, parts, elements, etc. disclosed herein can be permanently combined. In some embodiments, the shoe may not have any removable parts. Alternatively, some or all of the components, parts, elements, etc. may be removable and coupled.

Using the same foundation material for the upper and sole allows for the fundamental advantage of using compatible materials that can be easily joined, for example by heat, by applying energy, for example. As an example, infrared (IR) heating can be used to melt the surfaces of two or more components, thereby adhering the two or more components together, for example by pressing the melting surfaces against each other. can. Adhesion can also be achieved, for example, by chemical bonds between molecules.

In addition, using the same foundation material for the upper and sole facilitates the bonding of the two components, which bond is an adhesive, for example by applying energy, eg heat, to melt the surface, as described above. Can be achieved without any need.

In this way, the same foundation material can be regenerated and reused across generations of shoes, thus creating an economically viable, at least partially closed material cycle for generations of shoes. .. Thereby, for each new generation of shoes made from the same recycled material, it is possible to reduce the energy and warming gas emissions for manufacturing and safely disposing of the material. As a result, it is not only possible to reduce the energy and warming gas required to disassemble a shoe that has reached the end of its life compared to conventional shoes. In addition, the base material for old shoes can be easily reused, reducing the energy required to remanufacture the base material for new shoes. Even taking into account the additional energy required to regenerate and manufacture shoes from recycled thermoplastics, the environmental impact of recycled shoes is significantly lower than similar traditional shoes using new thermoplastics. ..

A material cycle that is at least partially closed means that the reusable foundation material can also be mixed with new material. For example, the percentage of new material can be, for example, 10-50%, or 15-20%, to ensure consistency of the resulting material properties.

In addition, the use of a single foundation material for the shoe upper and sole allows for a more economical procurement of the foundation material and allows the foundation material to be handled more efficiently during manufacturing. In this way, yet another cost-effectiveness can be brought about.

Note that it is also possible to manufacture the sole and upper parts in a joint manufacturing step. The phrase "manufacturing the sole and upper individually" is intended to imply a sole and upper in which at least a portion of the sole and at least a portion of the upper containing the thermoplastic base material are manufactured separately. .. As a result, various physical properties can be brought to the sole and upper, despite the use of the same foundation material. In another example, the entire sole and the entire upper can be made separately.

In some examples, the sole and / or upper comprises the same foundation material by weight greater than 50%, greater than 75%, or greater than 95%. In another example, the sole and / or upper are composed of substantially the same foundation material.

The thermoplastic base material of the shoe can be adapted to be regenerated in a joint regeneration process of the upper and sole, so that the thermoplastic base material can be used to make yet another upper and / or sole. It can be used as a basic material for. In other words, the shoe may not need to be disassembled. The entire shoe can be subjected to a joint regeneration process to regenerate the base material. The recycled material can serve as a base material for the same type of shoe or sports shoe product or another shoe product. In principle, recycled materials can serve as materials for the manufacture of any other sports product.

As mentioned above, the thermoplastic base material for shoes can be selected from one of TPU, PA, PET and / or PBT. In addition, the thermoplastic base material can be selected from one of TPU, PA6, PA66, PA11, PA1010, PA612, PA610, PA1012, PA410, PA12, and / or polyether blockamide (PEBA). Is.

The thermoplastic base material can also be selected from one of foamed TPUs, polyester-based TPUs, and / or polyether-based TPUs. These materials have been found to be suitable for use in shoe soles and uppers. For example, by using TPU, the sole can achieve good cushioning properties (eg using foamed TPU) while the upper provides good comfort (eg using TPU yarn). be able to. The thermoplastic base material can then be regenerated from the shoe in a simple regeneration process step at the end of the shoe's life and then reused in a new generation of shoes.

The shoe upper may include threads made of a thermoplastic base material. The upper can be made from or may include a textile material, which comprises a thread made of a thermoplastic base material. The textile material may be a knit fabric, such as a warp knitted fabric and / or a weft knitted fabric. For example, the weft knitted fabric may be flat knitted and / or circular knitted. For example, the warp knit may be an engineered knit. In addition to knit fabrics, woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, braided fabrics, and / or other thread-based fabric uppers can be formed, which provide a high quality upper with good comfort. Make it possible. For example, TPU yarn makes it possible to form such an upper. The fabric component of the upper may be given a Shore D hardness of 44-84, 54-74, or 62-66.

The sole of the shoe may include foamed plastic made of a thermoplastic base material. Good cushioning properties can be obtained by foamed plastic. For example, TPU foamed plastic can be used for this purpose. These foamed plastics also show good durability.

The sole of the shoe may contain foam pellets made of a thermoplastic base material. For example, foamed TPU pellets with excellent cushioning properties and longevity can be used in this regard. For example, the materials described in German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2012 206 094 and European Patent Application Publication No. 2 649 896 can be used.

The thermoplastic base material of the sole can be injection molded using, for example, an injection TPU. Therefore, the sole can be formed in a single manufacturing step. Other molding methods may be compression molding or steam molding. In particular, the vapor process can be used when the sole of the shoe contains foam pellets made of a thermoplastic base material, such as foam TPU pellets. In addition, steam can be used to dissolve the surfaces of the thermoplastic base material of the outsole as well as the thermoplastic base material of the upper and to bond the surfaces together.

The sole of the shoe may be equipped with a midsole containing a thermoplastic base material. A separate midsole can provide significantly optimized cushioning properties. The midsole may include foamed plastics made of a thermoplastic base material, such as the TPU foamed plastics or foamed TPU pellets described above.

The sole of the shoe may further include an outsole containing a thermoplastic base material. By using the additional outsole, the sole can obtain good traction and wear resistance. The midsole and additional outsole can thus be optimized for their individual purposes.

The midsole may exhibit a Shore A hardness of 60-100, 70-90, or 78-82. The outsole may exhibit a Shore A hardness of 40-80, 50-70, or 58-62.

The thermoplastic base material of the outsole can be injection molded using, for example, an injection TPU. Therefore, the outsole can be formed in a single manufacturing step. For example, the thermoplastic base material can be injected directly onto the midsole. Alternatively, a separately manufactured outsole can be applied to the midsole, for example with an adhesive containing a base material, such as a TPU-based adhesive, or simply by applying energy, such as heat, as described above. Can be combined.

At least a portion of the sole containing the thermoplastic base material can be adapted to exhibit a different grade of intrinsic physical characteristics (eg hardness, density) than at least a portion of the upper containing the thermoplastic base material. For example, some parts of the upper can be adapted to be softer, less dense, and / or more flexible than some parts of the sole. This can be achieved, for example, by using a TPU spun on the yarn for the upper and / or using a foamed TPU and / or an injection molded TPU for the sole. It should be understood that most of the weight of the above parts can be made from thermoplastic basic materials.

The sole may include one or more layers, especially for soles of sacka shoes. One or more of the layers can be made from the same foundation material. However, the layers may be different from each other. For example, one or more of the layers may have different stiffness and / or hardness than one or more other layers. For example, the outer layer can be softer than the inner layer and vice versa. Various properties can be achieved by the various geometries of the layers. Thereby, the flexibility of the sole can be adjusted individually. The embodiments described in the previous paragraph with respect to a portion of the sole and a portion of the upper can be similarly applied to two different parts of the sole, eg, two different layers of the sole.

In addition to or instead, the sole may comprise one or more profile elements, such as studs, especially for soles of sacka shoes. The profile element may include or may be made from a thermoplastic base material.

The upper may have different regions with different grades of intrinsic physical characteristics. For example, two or more areas can be provided. Each of these regions may comprise a thermoplastic base material, and most of the weight of each region can be made from the thermoplastic base material. Uppers can also be manufactured using various elements that integrally combine them to form an upper, such as heel counters, bumps, and / or toe caps. Each of the individual elements can exhibit a particular intrinsic physical characteristic.

The thermoplastic base material of a shoe, eg, an upper and / or sole, may include a material regenerated from another shoe sole and / or upper. This makes it possible to achieve at least a partially closed material cycle. The basic materials used for shoe uppers and soles can be recycled together and completely reused in the production of new shoes. Therefore, the energy for disposing of the "old" foundation material and the energy for producing the "new" foundation material can be saved.

In some examples, the upper may include a thermoplastic base material or may be equipped with a heel counter and / or a reinforcing element made of the thermoplastic base material. For example, side and / or intermediate reinforcement elements can be provided. Heel counters and / or reinforcing elements can help bring the required stability to the shoe without compromising the shoe's regenerative performance.

For example, the upper can wrap the anterior, mid-foot, and / or posterior portion of the wearer's foot and selectively stabilize the upper in one or more of the above portions. Reinforcing elements can be provided. For example, the upper may comprise one or more fabric components including a thermoplastic base material, a heel counter and / or a reinforcing element containing the thermoplastic base material between one or more fabric components and. / Or can be placed on one or more fabric components. In addition to or instead, the heel counter and / or reinforcement element can be combined with one or more non-fabric components as described for the fabric component. The heel counter and / or reinforcement element can be permanently coupled to the upper, in particular one or more fabric and / or non-fabric components. The heel counter and / or reinforcement element can be provided on the outer surface of the upper, in particular the outer surface of one or more fabrics and / or non-fabric components. Heel counters and / or reinforcing elements are sutured, bonded (eg, via fused deposition modeling TPU), or to the upper, or one or more fabric or non-fabric components of the upper, as described herein, for example. It can be combined or attached in other ways. One or more heel counters and / or reinforcement elements can also be attached to the sole and extended from the sole to the upper. The one or more heel counters and / or reinforcing elements can be provided using, for example, any TPU material described herein as a thermoplastic base material. One or more heel counters and / or reinforcement elements can be manufactured together.

One or more reinforcing elements extend, for example, to the sides and / or midfoot areas of the upper and the sides and / or midheel areas, thereby selectively enhancing the stability of the upper. In some examples, one or more reinforcing elements extend from the lateral and / or intermediate heel region to the lateral and / or intermediate midfoot region. In addition or instead, one or more reinforcing elements can, in principle, be attached anywhere on the upper, eg, in the toe area and / or instep area of the upper. In this way, the fit of the shoe and the characteristics of the shoe (eg, stiffness, grip, wear resistance) can be individually adjusted.

The one or more heel counters can extend, for example, to the heel area, side rear foot area, intermediate rear foot area, intermediate midfoot area, and / or side midfoot area. For example, the first heel counter can extend from the posterior heel region to the lateral heel region and / or the lateral midfoot region. The second heel counter can extend from the posterior heel region to the intermediate heel region and / or the intermediate midfoot region.

As a shoe, the upper and / or sole, or any component of the shoe, ie one or more reinforcements and / or heel counters, weigh more than 50%, more than 75%, or more than 95% foundation. May include material. In another example, the one or more reinforcing elements and / or heel counters are made up of substantially the same basic material as any other component of the shoe.

In some examples, laces may be provided that include a thermoplastic base material. For example, the lace may include a thread made of the thermoplastic base material described herein. In some examples, the lace can be composed of a thermoplastic base material (a thread consisting of). The lace can be permanently or removablely attached to the shoe. By using laces containing a thermoplastic base material, the laces can be regenerated with the shoes, eliminating the need to remove the laces from the shoes and dispose of the laces separately prior to the recycling process.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of manufacturing shoes, especially sports shoes. The method includes a step of preparing a thermoplastic base material and a step of making an upper, wherein most of the weight of the upper is made from the thermoplastic base material. Further, the method comprises the steps of making the sole, wherein by weight of the sole is largely made from the same thermoplastic base material as described above. The sole and upper are made individually. The method further comprises the step of interconnecting the sole and the upper. The thermoplastic base material can be selected from one of TPU, PA, PET, and / or PBT. However, as mentioned above, other materials can also be used.

This method makes it possible to manufacture the shoes described herein using the same material for the sole and upper. This method therefore makes it possible to manufacture shoes with at least a partially closed material cycle, as described above.

The step of preparing the foundation material may include the step of regenerating the sole and / or upper of another shoe. The other shoe may be a shoe according to the example described herein, and the underlying material used for the shoe's upper and sole is reused.

Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a method of regenerating a base material from shoes, especially sports shoes. The method involves the following steps: The shoes described in this specification are prepared. The shoe so that the thermoplastic base material can be regenerated from the shoe and then the thermoplastic base material can be used as a base material for another sports product, such as another upper and / or sole manufacture. Treat the upper and sole together.

The method according to the invention should be regarded as a platform technology. Any sports product can theoretically be built from this platform. For example, a thermoplastic base material recycled from shoes can be used as a base material for making all other sports products such as balls, garments, armor, rackets, clubs and the like. Similarly, it is possible to recycle and reuse any thermoplastic base material for any sporting product, such as balls, garments, armor, rackets, clubs and the like.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a business model. The shoes described herein can be offered for sale to customers. After the customer has used the shoe, for example, at the end of the shoe's life, the shoe manufacturer can have the shoe returned. For example, a retail store may have a return location and / or the customer may mail back used shoes. The manufacturer can recycle the foundation material from the returned shoe upper and sole and use the foundation material to produce new shoes containing the recycled foundation material. Recycled foundation materials can also be used, for example, for any sporting goods other than sports shoes, such as balls, clothing, or other sports equipment, as described above. According to various examples, discount coupons and / or discounts for new shoes can be used to motivate customers to return to their manufacturer's shoes. You can also use the leasing model, where the customer pays a leasing fee (eg monthly) and returns the used shoes and is offered new shoes. The frequency with which new shoes are offered to the customer in the lease model may depend on the type of shoe and / or may be a function of the lease fee. For example, running shoes can be changed once or more once every month, and the frequency can increase as the leasing fee paid increases. Football shoes may be appropriate, for example, to be replaced once a year (eg, every new season). Another possibility is to use a pre-purchase model that allows customers to make exchanges each time a new model of a type of shoe is launched.

Yet another business model according to the invention may be that a customer buys new sporting goods, such as the shoes described herein, directly at a place where he or she intends to play sports. For example, it may be possible to set up a vending machine or store to own and sell various types of shoes according to the invention, directly where the customer wants to play sports. Thus, when a customer suddenly wants to run, for example while walking in a park, the customer can obtain the shoes according to the invention from a vending machine. It may be possible for the customer to have to pay a deposit on the shoe. After running, the customer can return the used shoes to the vending machine or the return location. It can allow the customer to return a portion of the deposit, or allow the customer to sell another sporting item at a discount from the same manufacturer. The manufacturer can collect used shoes, recycle the foundation material from the upper and sole of the returned shoe, and use it to make new shoes containing the recycled foundation material. Recycled foundation materials can also be used, for example, for any sporting goods other than sports shoes, such as balls, garments, or other sports equipment, as described above. The shoes according to the invention can simplify the process of reclaiming used shoes, especially when the entire shoe is made from a single material.

According to yet another aspect, a foundation material in which a marker, for example a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag or an infrared (IR) marker such as a near infrared (NIR) marker, is regenerated from another shoe for each new shoe. Can be incorporated with including sole and upper. The marker can indicate the number of times this shoe base material has already been used in previous shoes. Therefore, the customer can directly know how many shoe lives the underlying material can already support. In addition, the marker can also indicate yet additional information such as the customer's lease / reservation purchase level. This allows the manufacturer to fully automate the return and replacement process. In addition, markers can be used to turn customers when shoes are worn and / or new shoes are available. In addition, one or more IR markers can be incorporated into the shoe material to make the material identifiable among the other materials. For example, it can be possible to incorporate IR markers into any thread of the upper. It also makes it easy to identify different grades of the same foundation material that can be used in shoes.

It should be noted that various aspects of the invention may also be effective for sporting goods other than sports shoes.

Possible embodiments of the invention are further described in the following detailed description with reference to the drawings below.

It is a figure of the embodiment of the shoe by this invention. It is a figure of another embodiment of the shoe according to this invention.

It should be noted that only some possible embodiments of the present invention may be described in detail below. One of ordinary skill in the art can modify, further develop, and combine different aspects of the particular details described with respect to these particular embodiments, and omit some aspects of the particular embodiments described below. Easily understand what you can do. Further, it should be noted that the various embodiments described in the following detailed description can be combined with the embodiments described in the "Summary of the Invention" above.

FIG. 1 shows a shoe 100 according to an example of the present invention. The shoe 100 comprises a sole 110 and an upper 120 with various components.

The sole 110 includes a midsole 111 and an outsole 112. The midsole 111 includes a foamed TPU that provides a buffering effect, as described, for example, in German Application Publication No. 10 2012 206 094 and / or European Patent Application Publication No. 2 649 896. For example, the foamed TPU can be prepared in the form of pellets and then stamped into the desired shape using steam. The midsole 111 can be formed with a shore A hardness of 60-100, 70-90, or 78-82, using, for example, an 80A TPU, such as an Elastollan® 1180A TPU. The outsole 112 can be injection molded onto the midsole 111. The outsole 112 may include a TPU with a shore A hardness of 40-80, 50-70, or 58-62, such as a 60A TPU, such as the Elastollan® 1160A TPU. The outsole 112 can be adapted to provide a sole with enhanced wear resistance and traction. In some examples, the outsole 112 is provided with one or more profile elements that can be manufactured separately and coupled to the outsole 112 and / or manufactured integrally with the outsole 112. be able to.

The shoe 100 further comprises an optional torsion bar 113. The torsion bar 113 can be injection molded onto the midsole 111 and / or the outsole 112. The torsion bar 113 may comprise a TPU with a shore A hardness of 75-100, 85-98, or 93-97, using, for example, a 95A TPU, such as an Elastollan® 1195A TPU. The torsion bar 113 can be adapted to increase the bending and torsional stiffness of the sole 110, thereby improving comfort, especially in sensitive areas of the arch.

The upper 120 of the shoe 100 comprises an optional heel counter 124. The heel counter 124 may include a TPU with a shore A hardness of 75-100, 85-98, or 93-97, using, for example, a 95A TPU, such as an Elastollan® 1195A TPU. The heel counter 124 can be injection molded in a separate manufacturing step. The heel counter 124 can work to improve the stability of the upper 120.

The upper 120 may include a fabric component 121 and optionally a reinforcing element 122, both of which may include a TPU fabric. Fabric component 121 includes TPU yarn. The fabric component may be a knit fabric, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, and / or a braided fabric. For example, flat knitting and / or 3D knitting can be used to form the fabric component 121. For example, the fabric component 121 may be a weft knitted fabric and / or a warp knitted fabric. Further, the fabric component 121 may occupy a major part of the upper 120 or even occupy the entire upper 120 of the shoe 100. For example, the fabric component 121 can be located in the forefoot area, side and / or intermediate area, and / or heel area of the upper 120. Vents may be present in the fabric component 121. The fabric component 121 may be formed with a shore D hardness of 44-84, 54-74, or 62-66, using, for example, a 64D TPU, such as Elastollan® 1164DTPU, and / or a shore A hardness. It may be formed of 75 to 100, 85 to 98, or 93 to 97.

Reinforcing element 122 may include non-woven TPU fabric. Reinforcing element 122 is in the form of a line extending from the lower heel area of the upper 120 across the sides and / or intermediate areas of the shoe towards the instep area of the upper 120 and / or around the tongue / race area of the upper 120. Can be arranged to configure. The reinforcing element 122 can be formed with a Shore D hardness similar to that of the fabric element 121, using, for example, a 64D TPU, such as an Elastollan® 1164D TPU. However, the reinforcing element 122 may have a higher tensile strength than the fabric component 121 so that the upper 120 of the shoe 100 can be reinforced. In addition to or instead, padding and / or insole covers containing non-woven TPU fabric can be provided. In another example, a larger portion of the upper may contain non-woven elements. On the other hand, in some examples, the non-woven element may not be included at all.

Further, the upper 120 of the shoe 100 may include one or more patches of the thin film material, in particular the TPU foil 123. The TPU foil can be formed, for example, with a shore A hardness of 75-100, 85-98, or 93-97 and / or a shore D hardness of 40-80, 50-70, or 58-62, eg, 95A. TPUs such as the Elastollan® 1195A TPU and / or 60D TPUs such as the Elastollan® 1160D TPU are used. The TPU foil 123 can be placed around the seams of the upper 120. The TPU foil 123 can be arranged to reinforce the upper 120. If desired, the thin film material, particularly the TPU foil 123, can also be provided in other areas of the upper 120 of the shoe 100. In some examples, substantially the entire upper is covered with TPU foil.

The fabric component 121, reinforcing element 122, TPU foil 123, and heel counter 124 of the upper 120 may be sutured to each other using TPU thread. In addition to or instead, a TPU adhesive, such as a fused deposition model TPU adhesive, can be used. For example, the heel counter 124 may be coupled to the upper 120 with a hot melt TPU adhesive. The adhesive may be, for example, any heat-dissolving TPU of ether-based and / or ester-based heat-dissolving TPU. Yet another option is to use infrared (IR) welding in addition to or instead to combine the various elements of the upper 120. Similarly, the upper 120 of the shoe 100 can be bonded to the sole 110 of the shoe 100 by TPU adhesive 150, suturing, and / or infrared welding, as described above.

Various components 111-113, 150, 121-124 are used to form shoes with a sole 110 and an upper 120, the majority of the weight of the upper 120 and the sole 110 being a thermoplastic base material, i.e. TPU. Made from. The sole 110, the upper 120, and the entire shoe 100 may even be composed of substantially a single thermoplastic base material, i.e. TPU. The sole 110 and the upper 120 are individually manufactured and coupled to each other by the appropriate means described above. The sole 110 and the upper 120 can thereby be permanently coupled. By using the same chemical material (eg TPU) in various physical mounts, the sole can achieve good wear resistance, durability, traction, and wear. At the same time, the upper can be given stability and flexibility to provide a comfortable fit.

Note that other thermoplastic materials such as PA, PET and / or PBT can also be used as thermoplastic base materials. In addition, material mixtures can also be used as a common base material for soles and uppers, as long as they exhibit the proper properties and can be regenerated together.

FIG. 2 shows another example of the shoe 20 according to the present invention. The shoe 20 comprises an inner sock 26. The inner sock 26 may include a foamed TPU. Foamed TPUs can be adapted to provide a soft feel and good comfort. The inner sock 26 can be placed within the skeleton 27 and is adapted to completely wrap the wearer's foot in the shoe 20. In another example, the inner sock 26 can be adapted to partially wrap the foot, for example the toe area can be left out of the inner sock 26. The inner sock 26 may include or be made from a textile material, the textile material containing a thread made of a thermoplastic base material. For example, the textile material may be a knit, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, and / or other thread-based fabric.

The skeleton 27 may include a heel counter, a sole plate, and a series of optional straps around the instep area of the shoe 20. The heel counter and sole plate of the skeleton 27 may include an injection molded TPU. The injection molded TPU can be molded with the hardness described for the injection molded TPU of the shoe 100. The strap of the skeleton 27 may include the TPU foil and / or TPU fabric described for shoe 100. The strap can serve to secure the inner sock 26 within the skeleton 27 and / or to improve the stability and strength of the shoe 20.

The skeleton 27 may also include optional profile elements 21 such as studs adapted to bite into the ground and enhance traction when the shoe 20 is used in an outdoor environment. In addition to or instead, the profile element 21 can be provided by the sock element 28, as further described below.

The sock element 28 can be placed around the skeleton 27. The sock element 28 can be provided to make the shoe 20 water resistant or waterproof. In addition, the sock element 28 can be used to achieve the desired frictional properties for contacting a sports ball, such as a football ball. The sock element 28 can be adapted to substantially enclose the entire inner sock 26 and / or the entire skeleton 27. The sock element 28 may include a loop or similar element in the upper rear portion of the sock element that facilitates the attachment of the sock element 28 around the skeleton 27 by the wearer of the shoe 20. In some examples, the sock element 28 can be adapted to wrap the wearer's feet but not the wearer's ankles. Alternatively, the sock element 28 may wrap only the forefoot region of the shoe 20 and not the heel portion of the shoe 20. The sock element 28 may include a TPU foil, eg, as described above for shoe 100. TPU foils can, for example, provide shoes with water resistance, good feel, solid traction properties, reinforcement, and / or visual (design) effects.

The sock element 28 can be arranged so as to enclose the profile element 21 formed by the skeleton 27. Such a profile element 21 can be completely covered by the sock element 28 and / or so that the sock element 28 can extend, in part or in whole, through the sock element 28. Can be equipped with an opening. In addition to or instead, the profile element 21 can be formed on the sock element 28. These profile elements can be injection molded onto, for example, the sock element 28. The injection TPU described above for shoe 100 can also be used in that case.

The shoe 20 may include an optional insole board 22 that can be placed within the skeleton 27 or the inner sock 26. Top and bottom views of the exemplary insole board 22 are shown in the insert view of FIG. The insole board may include the injection molded TPU described for the injection molded TPU for the shoe 100. The shape of the insole board 22 can be adapted to the shape of the wearer's foot. In addition, the insole board 22 may be provided with a reinforcing element under the arch, thereby providing the shoe 20 with the insole board 22 with the stability required in this area of the foot.

As described for the shoe 100, by its various components, the shoe 20 comprises a sole and an upper, and the upper and the majority of the weight of the sole are made from the same thermoplastic base material, ie TPU. Ru. The exemplary shoe 20 may even be composed of substantially the same thermoplastic base material TPU of one type. In addition, the elements 26, 27, and 28, and 22 that make up the sole and upper of the shoe 20, all of which may contain TPU, are individually manufactured and coupled to each other by the appropriate means described above. The components may be permanently connected to each other. Alternatively, some or all of the components may be removable and coupled.

In particular, the inner sock 26, skeleton 27, sock element 28 and / or insole board may be permanently coupled.

It should be noted that various aspects of the invention may also be effective for sporting goods other than sports shoes, such as balls, clothing and other sporting goods.

Further examples will be described below for ease of understanding of the present invention.
1. With an upper (120), which is mostly made from thermoplastic basic materials by weight,
Shoes with a sole (110) made mostly from the same thermoplastic base material by weight, especially sports shoes.
The sole (110) and the upper (120) are individually manufactured and interconnected.
A shoe in which the thermoplastic base material is selected from one of thermoplastic polyurethane TPU, polyamide PA, polyethylene terephthalate PET, or polybutylene terephthalate PBT.
2. 2. The thermoplastic base material is adapted to be regenerated in the joint regeneration process of the upper (120) and sole (110), resulting in the thermoplastic base material and yet another upper and / or sole. The shoe according to Example 1, which can be used as a basic material to be manufactured.
3. 3. The PA according to Example 1 or 2, wherein the thermoplastic base material is PA selected from one of PA6, PA66, PA11, PA1010, PA612, PA610, PA1012, PA410, PA12, or the polyether blockamide PEBA. Shoes.
4. The shoe according to Example 1 or 2, wherein the thermoplastic base material is selected from one of a foamed TPU, a polyester-based TPU, or a polyether-based TPU.
5. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the upper (120) comprises a thread made of a thermoplastic base material.
6. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the upper comprises a textile material including a thread made of a thermoplastic base material.
7. The shoe according to Example 6, wherein the textile material is a knit material, a woven material, a non-woven material, or a braided material.
8. The shoe according to Example 6 or 7, wherein the textile material is warp or weft knitted fabric.
9. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the sole (110) comprises a foamed plastic made of a thermoplastic base material.
10. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the sole (110) comprises foam pellets made of a thermoplastic base material.
11. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the sole (110) comprises a midsole (111) comprising a thermoplastic base material.
12. 11. The shoe of Example 11, wherein the sole (110) further comprises an outsole (112) that includes a thermoplastic base material.
13. The shoe according to Example 12, wherein the thermoplastic base material of the outsole (112) is injection molded.
14. At least a portion (111, 112, 113) of the sole (110) containing the thermoplastic base material is of a different grade than at least a portion (121, 122, 123, 124) of the upper (120) containing the thermoplastic base material. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 13, which is adapted to exhibit the intrinsic physical characteristics of.
15. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 14, wherein the upper has various regions, and the various regions exhibit different grades of intrinsic physical characteristics.
16. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 15, wherein the upper comprises a heel counter and / or a reinforcing element.
17. The shoe according to any one of Examples 1 to 16, wherein the thermoplastic base material comprises a material regenerated from another shoe sole and / or upper.
18. Steps to prepare the thermoplastic base material,
Steps to make the upper, most of the weight of the upper is made from the thermoplastic base material,
A step in making a sole, which is a method of making shoes, especially sports shoes, including steps, which are made mostly from the same thermoplastic base material by the weight of the sole.
The sole and upper are made individually,
The method is further
Includes steps to interconnect the sole and upper
A method in which the thermoplastic base material is selected from one of thermoplastic polyurethane TPU, polyamide PA, polyethylene terephthalate PET, or polybutylene terephthalate PBT.
19. The method of Example 18, wherein the step of preparing the foundation material comprises the step of regenerating another shoe sole and / or upper.
20. 19. The method of Example 19, wherein the other shoe is a shoe according to any one of Examples 1-17.
21. A way to regenerate basic materials from shoes, especially sports shoes,
The step of preparing the shoes according to any one of Examples 1 to 17 and
A step of processing the shoe upper and sole together, whereby the thermoplastic base material can be recycled from the shoe and serve as the base material for the manufacture of sports products, especially soles and / or uppers. How to include steps.
Different arrangements of components previously shown or described in the drawings, as well as components and steps not shown or described, are also possible. Similarly, some features and partial combinations are useful and can be used regardless of other features and partial combinations. Although embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the readers of this patent will find alternative embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described so far or shown in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications can be created without departing from the scope of the following claims. Is.

20 shoes 21 profile element 22 insole board 26 inner sock 27 skeleton 28 sock element 100 shoes 110 sole 111 midsole 112 outsole 113 torsion bar 120 upper 121 fabric component 122 reinforcement element 123 TPU foil 124 heel counter 150 TPU adhesive

Claims (19)

With an upper made mostly from thermoplastic base materials by weight,
A shoe with a sole made mostly from the same thermoplastic base material by weight as described above.
The sole and the upper are individually manufactured and interconnected.
The thermoplastic basic material comprises at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, or polybutylene terephthalate.
The sole has a profile element
The upper comprises at least one cloth comprising a thread, wherein the thread has a shore D hardness of 54-74.
The upper comprises a foil covering the upper, the foil comprising a shore D hardness of 58-62.
The foil is made from the same thermoplastic base material as the upper.
shoes. The thermoplastic base material is adapted to be regenerated in a joint regeneration process of the upper and the sole, resulting in the thermoplastic base material being made into yet another upper and / or sole. The shoe according to claim 1, which can be used as a basic material. Claim 1 or 2 wherein the thermoplastic base material is PA selected from one of PA6, PA66, PA11, PA1010, PA612, PA610, PA1012, PA410, PA12, or polyether blockamide PEBA. The shoes listed in. The shoe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermoplastic base material is selected from one of a foamed TPU, a polyester-based TPU, or a polyether-based TPU. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cloth is a knit material, a woven material, a non-woven material, or a braided material. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cloth is a warp knitted fabric or a weft knitted fabric. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the sole comprises a foamed plastic made of the thermoplastic basic material. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the sole contains foam pellets made of the thermoplastic base material. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the sole comprises a midsole containing the thermoplastic base material. 9. The shoe of claim 9 , wherein the sole further comprises an outsole comprising the thermoplastic base material. The shoe according to claim 10 , wherein the thermoplastic base material of the outsole is injection molded. Claims 1-11 that at least a portion of the sole containing the thermoplastic base material is adapted to exhibit a different grade of intrinsic physical characteristics than at least a portion of the upper containing the thermoplastic base material. The shoes described in any one of the items. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein the upper has various regions, and the various regions exhibit different grades of intrinsic physical characteristics. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , wherein the upper comprises a heel counter and / or a reinforcing element. The shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 14 , wherein the thermoplastic base material comprises a material regenerated from another shoe sole and / or upper. Steps to prepare the thermoplastic base material,
A step of making an upper, the step of making most of the weight of the upper from the thermoplastic base material.
A step of making a sole, which is a method of making a shoe including a step, which is made from the same thermoplastic base material as above, mostly by weight of the sole.
The sole and the upper are individually manufactured.
The above method further
Includes steps to interconnect the sole and the upper.
The thermoplastic basic material comprises at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, or polybutylene terephthalate.
The upper comprises at least one cloth comprising a thread, wherein the thread has a shore D hardness of 54-74.
The upper comprises a foil covering the upper, the foil comprising a shore D hardness of 58-62.
The sole has a profile element
A method in which the foil is made from the same thermoplastic base material as the upper . 16. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of preparing the thermoplastic base material comprises regenerating another shoe sole and / or upper. The method according to claim 17 , wherein one shoe is a shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 15 . A way to regenerate thermoplastic basic materials from shoes,
The step of preparing the shoes according to any one of claims 1 to 15 , and
A step of treating the upper and the sole of the shoe together, whereby the thermoplastic base material can be regenerated from the shoe and serve as a base material for the manufacture of the sole and / or the upper. How to include steps.

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