TWM564359U - Shoe parts, shoes and shoe system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shoe component comprising an upper and an intermediate layer coupled to the upper for receiving at least a portion of the foot therebetween; wherein the intermediate layer is directly attached to the upper without any means of attachment .

Description

Shoe parts, shoes and shoe systems

The present invention relates generally to the field of footwear, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a shoe component.

There are different kinds of shoes on the market, such as dress shoes and sports shoes of various structures. In general, a typical form of footwear includes an upper that covers the wearer's foot; and a sole that includes a sole for supporting the foot and contacting the ground, including the sole of the shoe. In particular, the bottom portion may generally be composed of a plurality of components or layers, wherein the components or layers include, for example, an insole that contacts the lower surface of the foot in use; and an outsole that is in contact with the walking surface The bottom layer; and the midsole, which is the layer between the insole and the outsole. The different components of the shoe contribute to the different functions of the shoe in their particular configuration and thus contribute to the wearer's wear experience. However, in the conventional manufacturing process of shoes, the construction of the shoes is usually designed and determined prior to the manufacturing process, and once the manufacturing process is carried out, the construction of the shoes is generally unchangeable. Thus, in terms of the construction of the shoe, the variations allowed by conventional shoes are very limited, and therefore, it is known that the customization and/or further processing of shoes for specific user needs is not easy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe component or shoe in which the above disadvantages are alleviated or at least provide a useful alternative.

Another object of the present work is to alleviate or eliminate to some extent one or more of the problems associated with known shoe or shoe components.

The above objects are achieved by a combination of features of the claims; the dependent items disclose further advantageous embodiments of the present work.

Other objects of the present work will be obtained by those skilled in the art from the following description. Therefore, the statements of the above objects are not exhaustive and are only used to illustrate some of the many purposes of this creation.

In the first major aspect, the present invention provides a shoe component. The shoe component includes an upper; and an intermediate layer coupled to the upper for receiving at least a portion of the foot therebetween; wherein the intermediate layer is directly attached to the upper without Any means of connection.

In a second main aspect, the present disclosure provides a shoe comprising a shoe component according to the first main aspect and an outsole attached to the intermediate layer of the shoe component.

In a third main aspect, the present disclosure provides a footwear system comprising the footwear component according to the first main aspect and an outsole engageable to the intermediate layer of the footwear component.

In a fourth major aspect, the present work provides a method of making a shoe component in accordance with a first major aspect. The method includes: positioning an upper in a first mold to define a mold cavity; introducing a liquid polymer into the mold cavity; and curing the liquid polymer to be present in the presence of the upper The intermediate layer is formed such that the intermediate layer is attached directly to the upper without any attachment means to form the shoe component.

The abstract of this creation does not necessarily disclose all of the features necessary to define this creation; this creation may exist in a sub-combination of the disclosed features.

The preferred embodiments are described below by way of example only, and are not limited to the combination of features necessary for implementing the present invention.

References to "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" in this specification are intended to mean a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments, in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "an" In addition, various features are also described which may be present in some embodiments and not in another embodiment. Similarly, various needs are also described which may be necessary for some embodiments and not necessary for another.

In the context of the patent application, any element that is expressed as a device for achieving a particular function is intended to include any means for achieving the function. Therefore, any method that provides these functions is considered to be the equivalent shown here.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown one embodiment of a shoe component in accordance with the present teachings. The shoe component 10 includes an upper 12 that generally holds, positions and covers at least a portion of the wearer's foot, and an intermediate layer 14 that is coupled to the upper 12 for receiving at least a portion of the foot therebetween . The upper 12 may comprise or be formed from any known suitable and/or suitable material for the shoe, and/or constructed or arranged with any known suitable footwear structure.

The intermediate layer 14 can include or be provided, for example, in the form of an insole that engages and supports at least a portion of the wearer's sole or the lower surface of the wearer's foot. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 14 may comprise or be provided, for example, in the form of a midsole, a separate inner sole optionally placed or attached to the midsole; or a midsole integrally formed with the insole, in use The upper surface engages the wearer's foot and its lower surface joins the outsole.

In the context of this specification, the term "upper" as used in the expression (eg, "upper side", "upper surface" or "upper") refers to facing, near or adjacent to the side, surface, or In the meantime, the term "lower" as used in the expression (for example, "lower side", "lower surface" or "lower") relates to facing, near or adjacent to the ground or joint (shoe parts or shoes in normal use) The side, surface, or portion that is supported on it.

The intermediate layer 14 is attached directly to the upper 12 without any means of attachment. In particular, direct attachment of the intermediate layer 14 to the upper 12 can be obtained after the intermediate layer 14 is formed without any stitching, bonding, or thermal fusion. In one embodiment, the intermediate layer 14 can be obtained by direct molding onto the upper 12, which can be implemented, for example, by configuring, pouring, and/or introducing a flowable or pliable material into a mold having an upper 12. Direct attachment of upper 12 and intermediate layer 14 is permitted once intermediate layer 14 is cured. In another embodiment, direct molding can be carried out, for example, by any one or more of a direct injection molding process and a direct casting process known in the art.

Depending on the desired characteristics of the resulting shoe component or shoe, the intermediate layer 14 can be formed from one or more materials to exhibit one or more, the same or different physical properties such as, but not limited to, density, elasticity, and/or Mechanical strength. In one embodiment, the intermediate layer 14 is formed from one or more elastic or flexible materials. In another embodiment, the intermediate layer 14 can be formed from one or more polymeric materials selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes (which can be polyester polyurethanes, polyether polyurethanes and/or foamed polyurethanes, etc.) , ethylene vinyl acetate, rubber, polymeric foamed materials, and combinations thereof. The intermediate layer 14 can be formed from one or more materials to exhibit a double or multiple density to exhibit different hardnesses in different portions of the layer. Preferably, the hardness of the intermediate layer 14 is in the range of Shore hardness (C type) of about 15-75, preferably in the range of about 25-45 Shore hardness (Type C), and more preferably, at about 25-30. The range of Shore hardness (Type C).

As shown in the embodiment of Figure 1, the bottom outer side of the intermediate layer 14 can be substantially flat for engagement and/or attachment to the outsole (e.g., the outsole 20 as shown in Figures 2A and 2B). Outsole 20 may be formed from one or more materials to exhibit one or more, the same or different physical properties such as, but not limited to, density, elasticity, and/or mechanical strength, depending on the desired characteristics of the resulting shoe. In one embodiment, the outsole 20 is preferably formed from one or more elastic and/or flexible materials, which may be, but are not limited to, one or more polymeric materials selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes (which may be poly Ester polyurethane, polyether polyurethane and/or foamed polyurethane, etc.), ethylene vinyl acetate, rubber and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the outsole 20 can be attached directly to the intermediate layer 14 by molding, for example, by molding simultaneously with the intermediate layer 14 to form the outsole 20; or after the intermediate layer 14 is formed, the outsole 20 is molded on the shoe component 10. Alternatively, the outsole 20 may be formed or provided separately and, after the shoe component 10 is formed, secured to the intermediate layer 14, for example, by one or more attachment means, such as a binder, which may be any known glue And / or cement. In another embodiment, the outsole 20 can be configured to be releasably attached or joined to the intermediate layer 14, or even form part of a footwear system, wherein the outsole 20 releasably engages the footwear component 10 and / or replacement, allowing replacement or variation of the outsole of different structures and / or designs for customization.

Alternatively, the outsole 20 may include one or more support members 22 that are disposed on any one or more of the upper and lower sides of the outsole 20. As shown in FIG. 2B, in order to provide additional support, spring force and/or shock absorption in use, the support member 22 can include or be provided in the form of one or more cushioning members 22 on the underside of the outsole 20. FIG. 3 illustrates a shoe 100 including the shoe component 10 of FIG. 1 attached to the outsole 20 of FIG. 2A or 2B.

4 through 8 further illustrate other embodiments of the shoe component 10 and the resulting shoe 100 in accordance with the present teachings. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the lower surface of the intermediate layer 14 can be disposed or arranged or configured to accommodate one or more inserts 30 for providing additional support, elastic force and/or for the resulting shoe 100. Or shock absorption. The insert 30 can be formed from any suitable material, but is preferably formed from an elastic and/or flexible material, such as, for example, one or more polymeric materials selected from the group consisting of: elastic plastic, rubber, polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate. , Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene (SEBS) and/or Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS). The insert 30 can also include one or more fluid-containing bags or bags. More preferably, the hardness of the insert 30 is in the range of about 15-75 Shore (C-type) depending on the particular characteristics of the desired shoe 100 to provide the desired support, spring force and/or shock absorption. The insert may also be configured in one or more shapes depending on the desired position on the shoe and the type of support required. For example, the insert may be one or more of a planar shape, a tubular shape, a cylindrical shape, a rectangular shape, a circular shape, a square shape, a spherical shape, a polygonal shape, and/or an irregular shape. The insert may also be disposed at a different location or location between the outsole 20 and the intermediate layer 14 of the shoe 100, depending on the particular characteristics and/or performance requirements of the shoe, for example, on the shoe corresponding to the wearer's foot. The heel, the heel, the forefoot, and/or the position of the arch.

The insert 30 may be arranged to be attached to one or more locations on the lower surface of the intermediate layer 14 and/or the upper surface of the outsole 20 prior to assembly between the shoe component 10 and the outsole 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, at least a portion of the lower surface of the intermediate layer 14 can be configured to include one or more recesses 32, wherein the recesses 32 are adapted to receive at least a portion of one or more corresponding inserts 30. As shown in Figure 5, the insert 30 can be positioned on the upper surface of the outsole 20, such as at a corresponding recess 34 of the outsole. Alternatively, preferably, the insert may also be received in the recess 32 of the intermediate layer 14 as long as the insert can be snugly received and/or adapted to one or more of the corresponding recesses and can be positioned in the intermediate layer Between 14 and outsole 20. The recess 32 and/or the recess 34 are preferably configured according to the shape and size of the insert to conform to the received insert.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a shoe component 10 in which the insert 30 is disposed and partially received in a recess 32 of the lower surface of the intermediate layer 14, with at least a portion of the insert 30 extending beyond the recess 32. In particular, at least a portion of the extension of the insert 30 can receive a corresponding recess 34 in the upper surface of the outsole 20 as shown in FIG. Figure 8 further illustrates the resulting assembled shoe 100 in which the inserts 30 are respectively sandwiched between the recess 32 of the corresponding intermediate layer 14 and the recess 34 of the outsole 20. The shoe 100 can be formed by attaching the shoe component 10 and the outsole 20 of Figures 4 and 5, and joining the shoe component 10 and the outsole 20 of Figures 6 and 7. In fact, the shoe 100 of Figure 8 can be formed by attaching the shoe component 10 of Figure 6 to any suitable embodiment of the described outsole 20 (e.g., the outsole 20 of Figures 2A and 2B); and Figure 8 The shoe 100 can also be formed by attaching the outsole 20 of FIG. 5 to any suitable embodiment of the described shoe component 10 (eg, the shoe component 10 of FIG. 1).

The insert 30 can be configured to have a size and/or shape that is flush with the recess 32 or recess 34 to allow for negligible or no protruding recesses when the insert 30 is received or received in the recess 32 or recess 34. section. Thus, it is not necessary to provide any opposing recesses for receiving the projections of the insert 30 on the opposite contact surfaces of the outsole 20 or intermediate layer 14, respectively. Thus, for example, in some embodiments, the opposing surfaces on the intermediate layer 14 or the outsole 20 can be substantially flat.

Figures 9 through 12 further illustrate various other embodiments of the present work. In particular, FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a shoe component 10 in which the intermediate layer 14 has a recess 32 for receiving a generally flat insert 30. FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of an outsole 20 that is configured with a recess 34 adapted to receive a generally flat insert 30. As shown in Figure 11, a support member (e.g., cushioning member 35) can also be disposed at or on the insert 30 to provide additional support to the wearer, such as the arch region of the foot. Figure 12 further illustrates the shoe 100 produced after the shoe component 10 of Figure 9 is mated with a corresponding outsole, or the outsole 20 of Figure 10 or Figure 11 is assembled with a corresponding shoe component.

While specific examples of intermediate layers, outsole and inserts have been described and illustrated in this specification, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention should not be limited to the specific illustrated embodiments. Rather, any variations in the materials, structures, and/or configurations of the footwear components (as long as they are reasonable, suitable, and/or adapted) should be included as long as such variations are not within the scope of this inventive protection. For example, any of the intermediate layer, the outsole and the insert may be of any other non-elastic, non-polymeric material (eg, natural or artificial wood materials, metals and/or metal alloys, and/or man-made materials, etc.) Etc., either alone or in the form of a composition.

In another aspect of the present work, a method of making the above-described shoe component 10 is provided. In particular, the shoe component 10 can be manufactured by first placing the upper 12 in a mold (eg, a first mold) to define a mold cavity. Subsequently, a flowable material, such as a liquid or molten polymer, will be introduced into the mold cavity. The liquid polymer will then cure in the mold (in the presence of upper 12) to form intermediate layer 14 such that intermediate layer 14 is attached directly to upper 12 without any attachment means to form shoe component 10 . In this process, for example, but not limited to, a molding method of forming the shoe component 10 by directly injecting a liquid or molten polymer into a mold having the upper 12 can be used. The formed shoe component 10 can then be removed from the mold and a further process is prepared that includes, for example, as described above, arranging the outsole to attach to the formed shoe component 10.

The steps of the above method may further comprise: closing the first mold with a second mold to define a substantially closed mold cavity prior to introducing the liquid or molten polymer. This allows the liquid or molten polymer to be introduced into the mold cavity by, for example, a direct injection process in which the liquid or molten polymer is injected into the mold cavity under pressure. In one embodiment, the second mold can be configured to include one or more protrusions on the bottom molding surface such that one or more corresponding recesses 32 can be under the intermediate layer 14 after the intermediate layer 14 is cured The surface is formed.

Preferably, one or more inserts 30 may be arranged in the second mold prior to the closing step. After the liquid or molten polymer is injected into the closed mold and cured, the intermediate layer 14 thus formed will be attached directly to the upper 12 on one side and directly attached to the inserted insert 30 on the other side. . Moreover, since the liquid or molten polymer is injected directly into the closed mold (in the presence of the upper 12 and the insert 30), once cured, the upper 12 and the insert 30 are attached to the intermediate layer 14, without any means of attachment (such as adhesives). Alternatively, the arrangement of the inserts 30 can be controlled by a computer, which can include hardware such as mechanical and/or robotic; and/or software programs and/or applications to enable the customer to have one or more for each shoe component. The selection of the inserts can be customized according to one or more preset parameters and/or conditions, and each customer's selection (which can include a unique or at least different insert selection from other customers) can be in the insert The computer is being executed at a point in time when it is placed in position to form the upper/shoe configuration.

While footwear or shoes in the form of athletic shoes are illustrated in the drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present teachings should not be limited to any particular shoe described or illustrated. Instead, different types of footwear or shoes, such as boots, sandals, flip-flops, slippers and footwear with or without a heel, should also be included.

In general, the present application provides a portion of a shoe comprising an upper directly molded with an intermediate layer, wherein the intermediate layer is or includes a midsole, an insole, or a midsole integrally formed with the insole. The shoe components can be arranged to be fixed or engaged with the corresponding outsole 20. One or more inserts may be disposed and/or received between the intermediate layer 14 and the outsole to allow for tailoring the footwear characteristics and/or performance of the resulting shoe. Direct molding of the intermediate layer to the upper allows various physical properties of the formed intermediate layer, such as density, elasticity and hardness, which can be obtained by applying one or more polymeric materials of different physical properties and/or characteristics during the molding process. . The molding step also allows for simple prefabrication of one or more recesses at the intermediate layer to receive one or more inserts at different locations of the shoe. The inserts can be configured in different shapes and formed from materials of different physical properties to tailor the performance characteristics of the resulting shoe. Direct molding methods, such as direct injection or direct casting, also eliminate the use of any joining means, such as glue or cement, which substantially reduces, minimizes or avoids any sticking and sticking that is common in traditional shoes. Problem. The shoe component of the present invention is advantageous for simplifying the process of the shoe manufacturing process and, in particular, facilitating the operation of the automated assembly line in the factory, so that the manufacture and customization of the shoe can be performed, for example, by a computer control program (eg, installing each plug-in in the middle layer) And/or at selected areas of the outsole) and then obtained by quick and easy attachment or assembly steps to produce shoes with custom-made requirements. This manual explains the principles of this creation. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art <RTI ID=0.0></RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt;

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, embodiments, and specific examples of the present invention are intended to include structural and functional equivalents thereof. In addition, such equivalents are intended to include all currently known equivalents and equivalents that are to be developed in the future, that is, any element that is developed to perform the same function, regardless of its structure.

The present invention has been described and illustrated in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description The examples are only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. It will be understood that any of the features described herein can be used with any embodiment. The illustrated embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and do not exclude other embodiments not described herein. Accordingly, the present author also provides an embodiment that includes one or more of the above-described embodiments. Modifications and variations of the invention described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention should be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

Unless otherwise required in the context of language expression or the necessary meaning, the words "including" or variations thereof "including" or "containing" are intended to be inclusive in the scope of the claims after the present specification. The existence of the described features is specifically described, but the existence or addition of other features in the various embodiments of the present invention are not excluded.

It should be understood that, if any prior art publications are cited herein, such references are not to be considered as a common general knowledge in the art.

10‧‧‧Shoe parts

12‧‧‧Shoes

14‧‧‧Intermediate

20‧‧‧ outsole

22‧‧‧Support members

30‧‧‧ Inserts

32‧‧‧ recess

34‧‧‧ recess

35‧‧‧ cushioning members

100‧‧‧ shoes

1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a shoe component according to the present creation; [FIG. 2A] is a top perspective view of an embodied outsole engageable with the shoe component of FIG. 1; [FIG. 2B] is the FIG. 2A Side view of the outsole; [Fig. 3] is a side view of the shoe component of Fig. 1 joined to the outsole of Fig. 2A; [Fig. 4] is a perspective view of another embodiment of the shoe component according to the present invention; 5] is a top view of an embodied outsole engageable with the shoe component of FIG. 4; [FIG. 6] is a perspective view of another embodiment of a shoe component according to the present invention; [FIG. 7] is comparable to FIG. A top view of an embodied outsole joined by a shoe component; [Fig. 8] is a side view of the shoe component of Fig. 4 or Fig. 6 correspondingly joined to the outsole of Fig. 5 or Fig. 7; [Fig. 9] A perspective view of another embodiment of a created shoe component; [Fig. 10] is a top view of an embodied outsole engageable with a shoe component according to the present creation; [Fig. 11] is engageable with a shoe component according to the present creation a top view of another embodied outsole; and [Fig. 12] is a shoe component according to an embodiment of the present creation Side view of the outsole engage.

Claims (30)

A shoe component comprising: an upper; and an intermediate layer coupled to the upper for receiving at least a portion of a foot therebetween; wherein the intermediate layer is directly attached to the upper without any attachment means . The shoe component of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer is attached directly to the upper without any stitching or bonding. The shoe component of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer is molded directly onto the upper to allow the intermediate layer to be attached directly to the upper once the intermediate layer is cured. The shoe component of claim 3, wherein the intermediate layer is formed by any one or more of a direct injection molding process and a direct casting process. The shoe component of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer comprises a midsole. The shoe component of claim 4, wherein the midsole and an insole are integrally formed for engaging a lower surface of the foot. The shoe component of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer includes an insole for engaging a lower surface of the foot. The shoe component of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a lower surface of the intermediate layer is configured or configured to receive one or more inserts. The shoe component of claim 8, wherein the intermediate layer includes one or more recesses to receive the one or more inserts. The shoe component of claim 9, wherein the one or more inserts are disposed at the one or more recesses. The shoe component of claim 10, wherein the one or more inserts fit snugly to the one or more recesses. The shoe component of claim 9, wherein the one or more inserts are configured in a planar shape, a tubular shape, a cylindrical shape, a rectangular shape, a circular shape, a square shape, a spherical shape, a polygonal shape, and/or One or more of the irregular shapes. The shoe component of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer formed is formed to be elastic and/or flexible. The shoe component of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer is formed from one or more polymeric materials selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate, rubber, polymeric foamed materials, and combinations thereof. The shoe component of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer has a hardness in the range of C-type Shore hardness of from about 15 to about 75. The shoe component of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer is formed from one or more materials having one or more densities. The shoe component of claim 8, wherein the one or more inserts are formed to be elastic and/or flexible. The shoe component of claim 8, wherein the one or more inserts are formed from one or more polymeric materials selected from the group consisting of: elastic plastic, rubber, polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate, styrene Ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS) and/or styrene butadiene styrene (SBS). The shoe component of claim 8, wherein the one or more inserts have a hardness in the range of C-type Shore hardness of from about 15 to about 75. The shoe component of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer comprises a lower portion adapted to engage the outsole. A shoe comprising: a shoe component according to any one of claims 1 to 20; and an outsole attached to the intermediate layer of the shoe component. The shoe of claim 21, wherein the outsole is molded to the intermediate layer. The shoe of claim 21, wherein the outsole is secured to the intermediate layer. The shoe of claim 23, wherein the outsole is secured to the intermediate layer after the shoe component is formed. The shoe of claim 21, wherein the outsole is releasably attached to the intermediate layer. The shoe of claim 21, wherein the outsole includes one or more support members disposed at any one or more of an upper side and a lower side of the outsole. The shoe of claim 26, wherein the support member comprises a cushioning member. The shoe of claim 21, wherein the outsole is formed to be elastic and/or flexible. The shoe of claim 21, wherein the outsole is formed from one or more polymeric materials selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, ethylene vinyl acetate, rubber, polymeric foamed materials, and combinations thereof. A shoe system comprising the shoe component of claim 1 and an outsole engaged with the intermediate layer of the shoe component.