US20150033580A1 - Shoe with Fibers Embedded into the Surface of Its Outsole - Google Patents
Shoe with Fibers Embedded into the Surface of Its Outsole Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20150033580A1 US20150033580A1 US14/064,131 US201314064131A US2015033580A1 US 20150033580 A1 US20150033580 A1 US 20150033580A1 US 201314064131 A US201314064131 A US 201314064131A US 2015033580 A1 US2015033580 A1 US 2015033580A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- sheet
- shoe
- base material
- shoe according
- outsole
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 title claims description 27
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 118
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 38
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 claims description 17
- 239000010985 leather Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 244000025254 Cannabis sativa Species 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000012766 Cannabis sativa ssp. sativa var. sativa Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000012765 Cannabis sativa ssp. sativa var. spontanea Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000005824 Zea mays ssp. parviglumis Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000002017 Zea mays subsp mays Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000009120 camo Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000005607 chanvre indien Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000005822 corn Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000011487 hemp Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000010903 husk Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 241000196324 Embryophyta Species 0.000 claims description 2
- 241000209149 Zea Species 0.000 claims 2
- 239000011146 organic particle Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 abstract description 50
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 abstract description 32
- 239000002657 fibrous material Substances 0.000 description 18
- 238000001125 extrusion Methods 0.000 description 13
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 11
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 10
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000007493 shaping process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229920003051 synthetic elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 229920002994 synthetic fiber Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 239000005061 synthetic rubber Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004073 vulcanization Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000006872 improvement Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920003052 natural elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920001194 natural rubber Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000011368 organic material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000002356 single layer Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002725 thermoplastic elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 240000008042 Zea mays Species 0.000 description 1
- 239000004676 acrylonitrile butadiene styrene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006978 adaptation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004026 adhesive bonding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007799 cork Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000005038 ethylene vinyl acetate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008676 import Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002649 leather substitute Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011344 liquid material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000002844 melting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008018 melting Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000005445 natural material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000123 paper Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002985 plastic film Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003225 polyurethane elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004800 polyvinyl chloride Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012209 synthetic fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
- A43B13/02—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the material
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B1/00—Footwear characterised by the material
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B1/00—Footwear characterised by the material
- A43B1/02—Footwear characterised by the material made of fibres or fabrics made therefrom
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B1/00—Footwear characterised by the material
- A43B1/06—Footwear characterised by the material made of wood, cork, card-board, paper or like fibrous material
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
- A43B13/02—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the material
- A43B13/026—Composites, e.g. carbon fibre or aramid fibre; the sole, one or more sole layers or sole part being made of a composite
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
- A43B13/02—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the material
- A43B13/12—Soles with several layers of different materials
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
- A43B13/02—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the material
- A43B13/12—Soles with several layers of different materials
- A43B13/122—Soles with several layers of different materials characterised by the outsole or external layer
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
- A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
- A43B13/22—Soles made slip-preventing or wear-resisting, e.g. by impregnation or spreading a wear-resisting layer
- A43B13/223—Profiled soles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
- B29D35/00—Producing footwear
- B29D35/12—Producing parts thereof, e.g. soles, heels, uppers, by a moulding technique
- B29D35/14—Multilayered parts
- B29D35/142—Soles
Definitions
- the present invention pertains to footwear and, more particularly, to shoe outsoles and to methods for making shoe outsoles.
- shoe soles A variety of different techniques for making shoe soles exist. Examples include injection molding the sole as a unitary piece, bonding layers of different material together to form the shoe's sole and use of vulcanization techniques.
- processing techniques have been used to provide the shoe's sole with particular characteristics and/or to obtain advantageous import duty rates that typically apply to shoes having an outsole in which at least 50% of the ground-contacting surface is made of a natural material.
- processing techniques include molding fabric or other natural materials into the shoe's outsole and flocking the shoe's outsole with natural fabric fibers.
- the present invention addresses this need by providing shoe outsoles and techniques for making shoe outsoles which utilize a composite sheet material (e.g., fabric or fabric fibers embedded into a base material).
- a composite sheet material e.g., fabric or fabric fibers embedded into a base material.
- the invention is directed to systems, methods and techniques for making a shoe outsole and to shoe outsoles made using such techniques.
- a sheet of composite material is produced by extruding a base material together with a sheet of fabric material. The sheet of composite material is then cut into an outsole component, and a shoe outsole is fabricated using the outsole component.
- a base material is extruded into a sheet of base material. Then, individual fibers are deposited onto a surface of the sheet of base material before the sheet of base material has fully hardened. The fibers are pressed into the surface of the sheet of base material in order to form a sheet of composite material, and the sheet of composite material is cut into an outsole component. Finally, a shoe outsole is fabricated using the outsole component.
- FIG. 1 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a first representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the first representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a second representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the second and third representative embodiments of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a third representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a fourth representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the fourth representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a fifth representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the fifth representative embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 illustrates the cutting of a shoe outsole from a sheet of composite material.
- the present invention pertains to a composite sheet material that has a plurality of individual fibers or a piece of fabric material embedded within a non-fibrous base material, to techniques for manufacturing such a composite sheet material, to the use of such a composite sheet material in the construction of a shoe outsole, and to shoe outsoles made using such techniques.
- the first type e.g., the shoe outsole's base material
- the second type might be a plurality of natural or synthetic fibers or a piece of natural or synthetic fabric.
- fabric material is used in its normal sense of referring to a woven or non-woven material that resembles cloth, with its individual fibers bound together, while the term “fibers” refers to distinct particles or strands that generally are not bound together.
- the present invention contemplates two general categories of manufacturing such a composite material.
- a non-fibrous material the base material 5
- a fibrous material fabric sheet material 7 taken from roll 8 and guided using guiding rollers 9
- an extrusion device 10 e.g., a conventional extrusion device that ordinarily is used for manufacturing sheets of non-fibrous material.
- fabric sheet material 7 Various kinds of fabric sheet material 7 that may be used are mentioned above.
- the base material 5 can include, e.g., polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), thermoplastic rubber (TPR), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), a polyurethane elastomer, natural or synthetic rubber, synthetic leather, any polymer or any type of plastic.
- PVC polyvinyl chloride
- ABS acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
- TPR thermoplastic rubber
- EVA ethylene vinyl acetate
- a polyurethane elastomer natural or synthetic rubber
- synthetic leather any polymer or any type of plastic.
- a conventional extrusion device 10 typically is used to fabricate long objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile, such as plastic sheet material, by pushing and/or drawing liquid or semi-liquid material through a die of the desired profile shape.
- the present embodiment of the invention modifies the conventional process, in part, by feeding fabric sheet material 7 through the extrusion device 10 together with the liquid or semi-liquid base material 5 .
- the composite sheet material 20 exits extrusion device 10 , it typically is carried along a conveyor 23 , cooled or otherwise allowed or forced to harden, and then cut to the desired length.
- One or more rollers 25 also may be used for additional shaping and/or for facilitating the cooling process of the composite sheet material 20 that is produced by extrusion device 10 .
- the fabric material preferably is fed through the extrusion die and/or underneath the roller 25 together with the liquid or semi-liquid non-fibrous base material 5 , so that the resulting material 20 has the desired composite composition.
- the fabric material 7 is inserted underneath the liquid or semi-liquid non-fibrous base material 5 , so that once the non-fibrous base material 5 hardens, the desired composite sheet of material 20 will result.
- fabric sheet material 7 is embedded into a preferably non-fibrous material 5 .
- An example of the resulting composite sheet material 20 is illustrated in FIG. 2 .
- the top layer of composite sheet material 20 is made of the base material 5
- the bottom layer consists largely of the fabric sheet material 7 , with the layer of base material 5 ordinarily being significantly thicker than the layer of fabric sheet material 7 .
- the sheet of fabric material 7 is pressed onto the non-fibrous base material 5 after the non-fibrous base material 5 has exited the extrusion die and/or roller 25 and is still in a liquid or semi-liquid state, i.e., in an uncured state.
- FIG. 3 One example of this is shown in FIG. 3 .
- the sheet of fabric material 7 is laid onto an extruded sheet 27 made entirely of base material 5 only after the base material 5 has exited extrusion device 10 .
- extruded sheet 27 is approximately 6-7 millimeters (mm) thick.
- fabric material 7 is pressed into the surface of extruded sheet 27 using roller 25 , thereby forming composite sheet material 30 .
- composite sheet material 30 is approximately 4-5 mm thick.
- the composite sheet material 30 has a bottom layer of base material 5 and a thinner top layer into which the fabric material 7 has been embedded.
- FIG. 5 illustrates another of the embodiments noted above.
- the extruded sheet 27 of base material 5 first passes underneath roller 25 , e.g., for shaping and/or cooling. Only after that is the sheet of fabric material 7 laid on top of extruded sheet 27 and then pressed into sheet 27 by roller 28 .
- essentially the same composite sheet material 30 results from this process as resulted from the preceding process.
- extruded sheet 27 is approximately 6-7 mm thick
- composite sheet 30 is approximately 4-5 mm thick.
- Alternate embodiments use individual fibers, rather than a sheet of fabric material 7 , in a technique similar to that described above.
- the fibers may be pre-mixed together with the liquid or semi-liquid base material 5 .
- individual fibers are sprinkled or sprayed, during the shaping process or afterward (e.g., on the conveyor belt before the non-fibrous material has hardened or has fully hardened).
- the fibers are sprinkled or sprayed between the rollers.
- Such an embodiment might be implemented where, for example, only one side of the resulting composite sheet material is desired to have a composite surface, and/or one wishes to be sure that the individual fibers form a significant part of the surface area for the resulting composite sheet.
- FIG. 6 An example of such a technique is shown in FIG. 6 .
- a sheet 42 consisting only of base material 5 , is extruded by extrusion device 40 . Accordingly, this portion of this embodiment is identical to certain conventional extrusion techniques.
- a first roller 44 then smooths and/or partially cools sheet 42 .
- a number of individual fibers 45 (or, in certain alternate embodiments, other particles, preferably particles of natural materials) are deposited onto the upper surface of sheet 42 by device 46 .
- device 46 may be implemented, e.g., as a sprayer or as a sifter.
- One example of the latter is a container with a sieve for a lower surface, where the container is shaken or vibrated in order to cause the fibers 45 to the sprinkled down onto the surface of sheet 42 .
- sheet 50 has a lower layer that is formed of base material 5 and a thinner upper layer that has fibers 45 embedded within it.
- extruded sheet 42 is approximately 6-7 mm thick
- composite sheet 50 is approximately 4-5 mm thick.
- the second general class of embodiments contemplated by the present invention involves the impression of a plurality of individual fibers or a sheet of fabric material into the surface of a pre-manufactured sheet of non-fibrous material. An example is illustrated in FIG. 8 .
- a roll 70 of such pre-manufactured non-fibrous base sheet material 72 (e.g., made from any of the types of base material 5 mentioned above) is first obtained.
- sheet material 72 might have been previously fabricated using a conventional extrusion process.
- a sheet of fabric material 75 (e.g., drawn from a roll 77 ) is placed on one side (typically the upper side) of the non-fibrous material 72 (e.g., using guiding rollers 78 ), and the combination of the base sheet material 72 and the fabric sheet material 75 is passed underneath one or more heated rollers 80 , which apply heat and pressure, partially melting the surface of the non-fibrous material 72 and causing the fabric material 75 to embed into it, resulting in composite sheet material 85 .
- a similar technique can be applied by coating the non-fibrous sheet of material with individual fibers (instead of fabric sheet material) and then passing the combination underneath heated rollers 80 . Still further, depending upon the type of the non-fibrous sheet material 72 , chemical or radiation techniques may be utilized to temporarily soften the surface of the non-fibrous material so that the sheet of fabric material or individual fibers can be embedded into it, or even pressure alone can be used to embed the fibrous material (e.g., fabric sheet material 75 or individual fabric fibers) into the non-fibrous material 72 .
- chemical or radiation techniques may be utilized to temporarily soften the surface of the non-fibrous material so that the sheet of fabric material or individual fibers can be embedded into it, or even pressure alone can be used to embed the fibrous material (e.g., fabric sheet material 75 or individual fabric fibers) into the non-fibrous material 72 .
- the extrusion die and/or any of the rollers may result in relatively flat surfaces for the resulting sheet material or instead may be shaped so as to form or impress a three-dimensional pattern, such as a tread pattern for embodiments in which the resulting composite sheet material is to be used in a shoe outsole.
- the fabric or fibrous materials described above may be replaced by various other kinds of materials.
- sheets or individual particles of leather, reconstituted leather, cork, paper, corn husks, hemp, other organic materials that have long fibers (e.g., for the purpose of adding strength to the finished product for wear improvement), any other plant material, or any other natural or synthetic material (or mixture of materials, such as a composite compound or mixture of organic materials) may be embedded into a sheet of base material 5 or otherwise used to form a composite sheet material using any of the techniques described above.
- the rollers provide a cooling effect.
- the rollers may be heated in order to effect or assist in curing.
- the embodiments described above contemplate a single layer of fabric or fibers in a single layer of base material 5
- multiple (e.g., alternating) layers of such materials may be used.
- the techniques described above may be repeated, or individual composite sheets may be joined together, e.g., by gluing, using a vulcanization process or in any of a variety of other ways.
- both sides of the non-fibrous base material are embedded with fibrous material, which may be the same on both sides or different fibrous materials may be used for the two different sides.
- a sheet of composite material has been manufactured in accordance with any of the foregoing techniques, it can be cut into any desired shapes and used for any desired purpose.
- one such purpose is to fabricate the outsole of a shoe.
- a pair of entire shoe outsoles 100 has been cut from a sheet of composite material 102 .
- one or more portions of a shoe's outsole may be cut from composite sheet material 102 and used in fabricating a shoe's outsole, e.g., by combining such portion(s) with other elements.
- pieces of a shoe's outsole cut from composite sheet material are attached to a larger section of the shoe's outsole using a vulcanization process.
- the selection of the fibrous and non-fibrous materials for use in the methods of the present invention preferably depends upon the desired characteristics of the resulting composite material. Although certain specific examples of materials have been provided above, any other materials instead may be used.
- functionality sometimes is ascribed to a particular module or component. However, functionality generally may be redistributed as desired among any different modules or components, in some cases completely obviating the need for a particular component or module and/or requiring the addition of new components or modules.
- the precise distribution of functionality preferably is made according to known engineering tradeoffs, with reference to the specific embodiment of the invention, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
Abstract
Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for making a shoe outsole and to shoe outsoles made using such techniques. In one such technique, a sheet of composite material is produced by extruding a base material together with a sheet of fabric material. The sheet of composite material is then cut into an outsole component, and a shoe outsole is fabricated using the outsole component.
Description
- This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/543,858, filed Jul. 8, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/898,550, filed Oct. 5, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,736), which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/408,702, filed Mar. 22, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,827,640), which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/751,581, filed May 21, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,516,506), which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/803,351, filed May 26, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/896,315, filed Mar. 22, 2007; and is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/530,419, filed Sep. 8, 2006, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/803,351, filed May 26, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/745,926, filed Apr. 28, 2006, and which was a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/613,741, filed Jul. 3, 2003, which was a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/438,375, filed May 15, 2003 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,191,549), and which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/460,260, filed Apr. 3, 2003. All of the foregoing applications are incorporated by reference herein as though set forth herein in full.
- The present invention pertains to footwear and, more particularly, to shoe outsoles and to methods for making shoe outsoles.
- A variety of different techniques for making shoe soles exist. Examples include injection molding the sole as a unitary piece, bonding layers of different material together to form the shoe's sole and use of vulcanization techniques.
- In addition, a variety of different processing techniques have been used to provide the shoe's sole with particular characteristics and/or to obtain advantageous import duty rates that typically apply to shoes having an outsole in which at least 50% of the ground-contacting surface is made of a natural material. Examples of such processing techniques include molding fabric or other natural materials into the shoe's outsole and flocking the shoe's outsole with natural fabric fibers.
- However, improvements in the structures of shoe outsoles, as well as the production techniques for making them, remain desirable.
- The present invention addresses this need by providing shoe outsoles and techniques for making shoe outsoles which utilize a composite sheet material (e.g., fabric or fabric fibers embedded into a base material).
- Thus, in one aspect the invention is directed to systems, methods and techniques for making a shoe outsole and to shoe outsoles made using such techniques. In one such technique, a sheet of composite material is produced by extruding a base material together with a sheet of fabric material. The sheet of composite material is then cut into an outsole component, and a shoe outsole is fabricated using the outsole component.
- In another, a base material is extruded into a sheet of base material. Then, individual fibers are deposited onto a surface of the sheet of base material before the sheet of base material has fully hardened. The fibers are pressed into the surface of the sheet of base material in order to form a sheet of composite material, and the sheet of composite material is cut into an outsole component. Finally, a shoe outsole is fabricated using the outsole component.
- The foregoing summary is intended merely to provide a brief description of certain aspects of the invention. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by referring to the claims and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures.
- In the following disclosure, the invention is described with reference to the attached drawings. However, it should be understood that the drawings merely depict certain representative and/or exemplary embodiments and features of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. The following is a brief description of each of the attached drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a first representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the first representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a second representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the second and third representative embodiments of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a third representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 6 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a fourth representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 7 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the fourth representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is a right side conceptual view of a system for making a composite sheet material according to a fifth representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 9 illustrates a sectional view of a sample composite sheet material according to the fifth representative embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 10 illustrates the cutting of a shoe outsole from a sheet of composite material. - Generally speaking, the present invention pertains to a composite sheet material that has a plurality of individual fibers or a piece of fabric material embedded within a non-fibrous base material, to techniques for manufacturing such a composite sheet material, to the use of such a composite sheet material in the construction of a shoe outsole, and to shoe outsoles made using such techniques.
- In this regard, it often is desirable to manufacture a shoe sole having a composite surface, including some areas in which one type of material contacts the ground and other areas in which another type of material contacts the ground. For example, the first type (e.g., the shoe outsole's base material) might be a synthetic rubber or other polymer that ordinarily is used as a material for forming a shoe's outsole, while the second type might be a plurality of natural or synthetic fibers or a piece of natural or synthetic fabric. In the present disclosure, the term “fabric material” is used in its normal sense of referring to a woven or non-woven material that resembles cloth, with its individual fibers bound together, while the term “fibers” refers to distinct particles or strands that generally are not bound together.
- The techniques of the present invention can be applied with respect to either individual fibers or fabric material. Such individual fibers and fabric material collectively are referred to herein as “fibrous material”.
- Specifically, the present invention contemplates two general categories of manufacturing such a composite material. In the first, an example of which being illustrated in
FIG. 1 , both a non-fibrous material (the base material 5) and a fibrous material (fabric sheet material 7 taken fromroll 8 and guided using guiding rollers 9) are fed together through an extrusion device 10 (e.g., a conventional extrusion device that ordinarily is used for manufacturing sheets of non-fibrous material). Various kinds offabric sheet material 7 that may be used are mentioned above. Thebase material 5 can include, e.g., polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), thermoplastic rubber (TPR), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), a polyurethane elastomer, natural or synthetic rubber, synthetic leather, any polymer or any type of plastic. - A
conventional extrusion device 10 typically is used to fabricate long objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile, such as plastic sheet material, by pushing and/or drawing liquid or semi-liquid material through a die of the desired profile shape. As noted above and as shown inFIG. 1 , the present embodiment of the invention modifies the conventional process, in part, by feedingfabric sheet material 7 through theextrusion device 10 together with the liquid orsemi-liquid base material 5. As thecomposite sheet material 20exits extrusion device 10, it typically is carried along aconveyor 23, cooled or otherwise allowed or forced to harden, and then cut to the desired length. One ormore rollers 25 also may be used for additional shaping and/or for facilitating the cooling process of thecomposite sheet material 20 that is produced byextrusion device 10. - According to the present embodiment of the present invention, where a
fabric material 7 is being used to produce thecomposite sheet material 20, the fabric material preferably is fed through the extrusion die and/or underneath theroller 25 together with the liquid or semi-liquidnon-fibrous base material 5, so that the resultingmaterial 20 has the desired composite composition. Preferably, thefabric material 7 is inserted underneath the liquid or semi-liquidnon-fibrous base material 5, so that once thenon-fibrous base material 5 hardens, the desired composite sheet ofmaterial 20 will result. - In the foregoing embodiment,
fabric sheet material 7 is embedded into a preferablynon-fibrous material 5. An example of the resultingcomposite sheet material 20 is illustrated inFIG. 2 . As shown, the top layer ofcomposite sheet material 20 is made of thebase material 5, and the bottom layer consists largely of thefabric sheet material 7, with the layer ofbase material 5 ordinarily being significantly thicker than the layer offabric sheet material 7. - However, in alternate embodiments, the sheet of
fabric material 7 is pressed onto thenon-fibrous base material 5 after thenon-fibrous base material 5 has exited the extrusion die and/orroller 25 and is still in a liquid or semi-liquid state, i.e., in an uncured state. One example of this is shown inFIG. 3 . In this embodiment, the sheet offabric material 7 is laid onto an extrudedsheet 27 made entirely ofbase material 5 only after thebase material 5 has exitedextrusion device 10. According to one sub-embodiment, extrudedsheet 27 is approximately 6-7 millimeters (mm) thick. Thereafter,fabric material 7 is pressed into the surface of extrudedsheet 27 usingroller 25, thereby formingcomposite sheet material 30. According to one sub-embodiment,composite sheet material 30 is approximately 4-5 mm thick. As shown inFIG. 4 , thecomposite sheet material 30 has a bottom layer ofbase material 5 and a thinner top layer into which thefabric material 7 has been embedded. -
FIG. 5 illustrates another of the embodiments noted above. Here, the extrudedsheet 27 ofbase material 5 first passes underneathroller 25, e.g., for shaping and/or cooling. Only after that is the sheet offabric material 7 laid on top of extrudedsheet 27 and then pressed intosheet 27 byroller 28. However, essentially the samecomposite sheet material 30 results from this process as resulted from the preceding process. In certain sub-embodiments, extrudedsheet 27 is approximately 6-7 mm thick, andcomposite sheet 30 is approximately 4-5 mm thick. - Alternate embodiments use individual fibers, rather than a sheet of
fabric material 7, in a technique similar to that described above. In still further embodiments where individual fibers are to be embedded into thenon-fibrous material 5, the fibers may be pre-mixed together with the liquid orsemi-liquid base material 5. - Thus, in certain embodiments, individual fibers are sprinkled or sprayed, during the shaping process or afterward (e.g., on the conveyor belt before the non-fibrous material has hardened or has fully hardened). For example, in one representative embodiment where two or more consecutive rollers are being used, the fibers are sprinkled or sprayed between the rollers. Such an embodiment might be implemented where, for example, only one side of the resulting composite sheet material is desired to have a composite surface, and/or one wishes to be sure that the individual fibers form a significant part of the surface area for the resulting composite sheet.
- An example of such a technique is shown in
FIG. 6 . Here, asheet 42, consisting only ofbase material 5, is extruded byextrusion device 40. Accordingly, this portion of this embodiment is identical to certain conventional extrusion techniques. Afirst roller 44 then smooths and/or partially coolssheet 42. Thereafter, a number of individual fibers 45 (or, in certain alternate embodiments, other particles, preferably particles of natural materials) are deposited onto the upper surface ofsheet 42 bydevice 46. In this regard,device 46 may be implemented, e.g., as a sprayer or as a sifter. One example of the latter is a container with a sieve for a lower surface, where the container is shaken or vibrated in order to cause thefibers 45 to the sprinkled down onto the surface ofsheet 42. - Finally, roller 48 presses the
fibers 45 into the surface ofsheet 42, resulting in acomposite sheet 50, and in some cases simultaneously providing additional cooling. As shown inFIG. 7 ,sheet 50 has a lower layer that is formed ofbase material 5 and a thinner upper layer that hasfibers 45 embedded within it. In certain sub-embodiments, extrudedsheet 42 is approximately 6-7 mm thick, andcomposite sheet 50 is approximately 4-5 mm thick. - The second general class of embodiments contemplated by the present invention involves the impression of a plurality of individual fibers or a sheet of fabric material into the surface of a pre-manufactured sheet of non-fibrous material. An example is illustrated in
FIG. 8 . - Preferably, a
roll 70 of such pre-manufactured non-fibrous base sheet material 72 (e.g., made from any of the types ofbase material 5 mentioned above) is first obtained. For example,such sheet material 72 might have been previously fabricated using a conventional extrusion process. A sheet of fabric material 75 (e.g., drawn from a roll 77) is placed on one side (typically the upper side) of the non-fibrous material 72 (e.g., using guiding rollers 78), and the combination of thebase sheet material 72 and thefabric sheet material 75 is passed underneath one or moreheated rollers 80, which apply heat and pressure, partially melting the surface of thenon-fibrous material 72 and causing thefabric material 75 to embed into it, resulting incomposite sheet material 85. - A similar technique can be applied by coating the non-fibrous sheet of material with individual fibers (instead of fabric sheet material) and then passing the combination underneath
heated rollers 80. Still further, depending upon the type of thenon-fibrous sheet material 72, chemical or radiation techniques may be utilized to temporarily soften the surface of the non-fibrous material so that the sheet of fabric material or individual fibers can be embedded into it, or even pressure alone can be used to embed the fibrous material (e.g.,fabric sheet material 75 or individual fabric fibers) into thenon-fibrous material 72. - In any of the embodiments discussed above, the extrusion die and/or any of the rollers may result in relatively flat surfaces for the resulting sheet material or instead may be shaped so as to form or impress a three-dimensional pattern, such as a tread pattern for embodiments in which the resulting composite sheet material is to be used in a shoe outsole.
- Also, in alternate embodiments the fabric or fibrous materials described above may be replaced by various other kinds of materials. For example, sheets or individual particles of leather, reconstituted leather, cork, paper, corn husks, hemp, other organic materials that have long fibers (e.g., for the purpose of adding strength to the finished product for wear improvement), any other plant material, or any other natural or synthetic material (or mixture of materials, such as a composite compound or mixture of organic materials) may be embedded into a sheet of
base material 5 or otherwise used to form a composite sheet material using any of the techniques described above. - In some of the embodiments described above, the rollers provide a cooling effect. In other embodiments, e.g., where other types of materials such as one carried natural or synthetic rubber are used, the rollers may be heated in order to effect or assist in curing.
- Still further, although the embodiments described above contemplate a single layer of fabric or fibers in a single layer of
base material 5, in alternate embodiments, multiple (e.g., alternating) layers of such materials may be used. In order to produce a composite sheet material or a finished article having such multiple layers, the techniques described above may be repeated, or individual composite sheets may be joined together, e.g., by gluing, using a vulcanization process or in any of a variety of other ways. - Generally speaking, in the foregoing embodiments only a single side of the non-fibrous base material is embedded with fibrous material. However, in alternate embodiments both sides of the non-fibrous base material are embedded with fibrous material, which may be the same on both sides or different fibrous materials may be used for the two different sides.
- In any event, once a sheet of composite material has been manufactured in accordance with any of the foregoing techniques, it can be cut into any desired shapes and used for any desired purpose. As noted above, one such purpose is to fabricate the outsole of a shoe. Thus, as shown in
FIG. 10 , a pair ofentire shoe outsoles 100 has been cut from a sheet ofcomposite material 102. Alternatively, one or more portions of a shoe's outsole may be cut fromcomposite sheet material 102 and used in fabricating a shoe's outsole, e.g., by combining such portion(s) with other elements. For instance, in one such embodiment, pieces of a shoe's outsole cut from composite sheet material are attached to a larger section of the shoe's outsole using a vulcanization process. - It is noted that the selection of the fibrous and non-fibrous materials for use in the methods of the present invention preferably depends upon the desired characteristics of the resulting composite material. Although certain specific examples of materials have been provided above, any other materials instead may be used.
- Several different embodiments of the present invention are described above, with each such embodiment described as including certain features. However, it is intended that the features described in connection with the discussion of any single embodiment are not limited to that embodiment but may be included and/or arranged in various combinations in any of the other embodiments as well, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
- Similarly, in the discussion above, functionality sometimes is ascribed to a particular module or component. However, functionality generally may be redistributed as desired among any different modules or components, in some cases completely obviating the need for a particular component or module and/or requiring the addition of new components or modules. The precise distribution of functionality preferably is made according to known engineering tradeoffs, with reference to the specific embodiment of the invention, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.
- Thus, although the present invention has been described in detail with regard to the exemplary embodiments thereof and accompanying drawings, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the present invention may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in the drawings and described above. Rather, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the claims appended hereto.
Claims (14)
1-16. (canceled)
17. A shoe, comprising:
an outsole comprised of an outsole component formed from a base material, including:
a lower layer made of the base material alone, and
an upper layer having individual particles embedded within the base material,
wherein said individual particles comprise at least one of cloth, leather, hemp or corn husk.
18. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein the upper layer is thinner than the lower layer.
19. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein the individual particles are natural particles.
20. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein the individual particles are natural, organic plant particles.
21. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein the individual particles are natural, organic particles.
22. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein the individual particles have been pressed into the surface of the base material before the base material has fully hardened.
23. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein the upper layer has a three-dimensional tread pattern.
24. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein said individual particles comprise cloth.
25. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein said individual particles comprise leather.
26. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein said individual particles comprise hemp.
27. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein said individual particles comprise corn husk fibers.
28. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein other than said individual particles, the outsole component is made entirely of the base material.
29. A shoe according to claim 17 , wherein the upper layer is much thinner than the lower layer.
Priority Applications (8)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/064,131 US20150033580A1 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2013-10-26 | Shoe with Fibers Embedded into the Surface of Its Outsole |
US14/093,706 US9894955B2 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2013-12-02 | Shoe having individual particles bonded to its bottom surface |
US14/274,929 US20140245642A1 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2014-05-12 | Shoe Having Individual Particles Bonded to Its Bottom Surface |
US14/734,165 US9414643B2 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2015-06-09 | Shoe having individual particles embedded within its bottom surface |
US15/862,710 US10306945B2 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2018-01-05 | Shoe having individual particles bonded to its bottom surface |
US16/583,472 US11109640B2 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2019-09-26 | Shoe outsole made using composite sheet material |
US17/391,207 US11653713B2 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2021-08-02 | Method for making composite shoe outsole component |
US18/131,023 US20230232937A1 (en) | 2006-05-26 | 2023-04-05 | Method of making a composite material |
Applications Claiming Priority (12)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US46026003P | 2003-04-03 | 2003-04-03 | |
US10/438,375 US7191549B2 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2003-05-15 | Shoe having an outsole with bonded fibers |
US10/613,741 US9078492B2 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2003-07-03 | Shoe having a contoured bottom with small particles bonded to the lowest extending portions thereof |
US74592606P | 2006-04-28 | 2006-04-28 | |
US80335106P | 2006-05-26 | 2006-05-26 | |
US11/530,419 US8661713B2 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2006-09-08 | Alternating bonded particles and protrusions |
US89631507P | 2007-03-22 | 2007-03-22 | |
US11/751,581 US7516506B2 (en) | 2006-05-26 | 2007-05-21 | Shoe outsole made using composite sheet material |
US12/408,702 US7827640B2 (en) | 2006-05-26 | 2009-03-22 | Shoe outsole made using composite sheet material |
US12/898,550 US8234736B2 (en) | 2006-05-26 | 2010-10-05 | Shoe outsole made using composite sheet material |
US13/543,858 US20120279085A1 (en) | 2006-05-26 | 2012-07-08 | Shoe with Fibers Embedded into Its Outsole |
US14/064,131 US20150033580A1 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2013-10-26 | Shoe with Fibers Embedded into the Surface of Its Outsole |
Related Parent Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/530,419 Continuation-In-Part US8661713B2 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2006-09-08 | Alternating bonded particles and protrusions |
US13/543,858 Continuation-In-Part US20120279085A1 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2012-07-08 | Shoe with Fibers Embedded into Its Outsole |
Related Child Applications (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/630,032 Continuation-In-Part US7203985B2 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2003-07-30 | Shoe bottom having interspersed materials |
US14/093,706 Continuation-In-Part US9894955B2 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2013-12-02 | Shoe having individual particles bonded to its bottom surface |
US16/583,472 Continuation US11109640B2 (en) | 2003-04-03 | 2019-09-26 | Shoe outsole made using composite sheet material |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20150033580A1 true US20150033580A1 (en) | 2015-02-05 |
Family
ID=69140264
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/064,131 Abandoned US20150033580A1 (en) | 2002-07-31 | 2013-10-26 | Shoe with Fibers Embedded into the Surface of Its Outsole |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20150033580A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20170020232A1 (en) * | 2015-07-20 | 2017-01-26 | Converse Inc. | Shoe with variable wear properties |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1782382A (en) * | 1929-01-04 | 1930-11-18 | Alexander Orgovan | Process for the manufacture of paper from plant fiber |
-
2013
- 2013-10-26 US US14/064,131 patent/US20150033580A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1782382A (en) * | 1929-01-04 | 1930-11-18 | Alexander Orgovan | Process for the manufacture of paper from plant fiber |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20170020232A1 (en) * | 2015-07-20 | 2017-01-26 | Converse Inc. | Shoe with variable wear properties |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US8661593B2 (en) | Shoe outsole made using composite material | |
US1952628A (en) | Footwear and the like and method and apparatus for producing the same | |
US8414810B1 (en) | Composite sheet materials and processes for manufacturing same | |
US8650690B2 (en) | Article of footwear with tubular sole assembly and method of manufacture | |
US10306945B2 (en) | Shoe having individual particles bonded to its bottom surface | |
US7081221B2 (en) | Injection-molded footwear having a textile-layered outer sole | |
CN106231945A (en) | Sole, inner sole, the footwear big end and footwear | |
US3370363A (en) | Footwear uppers | |
US20090278272A1 (en) | Method of making laminar materials suitable for use in the manufacture of shoes | |
CN113767008A (en) | Method of applying an outsole to an article of footwear | |
US10945490B2 (en) | Shoe outsoles and systems and methods of manufacturing the same | |
CN108099239A (en) | The manufacturing method of wear-resisting anti-slip sole | |
US11653713B2 (en) | Method for making composite shoe outsole component | |
US20210347114A1 (en) | Reinforcement element and process for manufacturing a functional hybrid reinforcement element | |
US20230232937A1 (en) | Method of making a composite material | |
US20150033580A1 (en) | Shoe with Fibers Embedded into the Surface of Its Outsole | |
CN108099240A (en) | The method of TPU high/low temperature film preparation footwear outsoles | |
CN113768249B (en) | Preparation method of sole accessory with marble patterns | |
CN108081630A (en) | The hot-forming manufacturing method of footwear outsole roller | |
US325785A (en) | Fabric for shoe-soles and other purposes | |
CN1084664C (en) | Technology for making central sole of shoe | |
JPH0852007A (en) | Shoe sole and its manufacture | |
DE2235019A1 (en) | Multilayer insole - moulded in one stage using female die with low heat conductivity |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: DYNASTY FOOTWEAR, LTD., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:KOO, JOHN;GOLDBERG, JONATHAN;REEL/FRAME:031484/0216 Effective date: 20131025 |
|
STCV | Information on status: appeal procedure |
Free format text: ON APPEAL -- AWAITING DECISION BY THE BOARD OF APPEALS |
|
STCV | Information on status: appeal procedure |
Free format text: BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION RENDERED |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- AFTER EXAMINER'S ANSWER OR BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION |