WO2008102986A1

WO2008102986A1 - Shoe outsole with multi-function

Info

Publication number: WO2008102986A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/001005
Authority: WO
Inventors: Du Young Choi
Original assignee: Boss International Co., Ltd
Priority date: 2007-02-23
Filing date: 2008-02-21
Publication date: 2008-08-28
Also published as: KR100719951B1

Abstract

A footwear outsole with multiple functions is constructed of two or more materials having different physical properties. The footwear outsole includes a front foot portion, made of a wear- resistant material; an arc-shaped middle foot portion, made of a slip-resistant material and connected, at a front end thereof, to the front foot portion; and a rear foot portion, made of a shock-absorbing material and connected to a rear end of the middle foot portion. The arc-shaped middle foot portion can prevent slippage on the surface of a rod-shaped object.

Description

Description SHOE OUTSOLE WITH MULTI-FUNCTION

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a footwear outsole, and more particularly, a footwear outsole with multiple functions, which is constructed of two or more materials having different physical properties, in which a middle foot portion is arc shaped in order to prevent slipping on the surface of a rod-shaped object. Background Art

[2] A typical shoe outsole is made of a single material, and generally, of synthetic rubber. Describing the typical structure of a shoe, an outsole, a midsole, an insole and an upper are disposed sequentially from the bottom. Of course, in some types of shoes, a midsole is integrated with an outsole.

[3] The main components of a shoe have unique functions, and thus are made of different materials and shapes suitable to achieve these functions. In particular, the outsole is required to have wear resistance and slip resistance since it touches the ground. Due to this necessity, shoe outsoles are provided with various patterns, which can prevent slippage to some extent. However, a general outsole is made of a single material, and thus can realize only limited functions.

[4] That is, the shoe outsole can be divided into front, middle and rear foot portions.

Here, the rear foot portion has the most pressure applied thereto since it touches the ground first when a wearer walks. When the wearer raises the foot, pressure is applied to the middle foot portion and then to the front foot portion. Considering the walking mentioned above, the rear foot portion is required to have better shock-absorbing capability, and the front foot portion is required to have good wear resistance. Of course, both the front foot portion and the rear foot portion are provided, at the bottom, with a pattern of prominences and depressions in order to prevent the wearer from slipping on level ground.

[5] In the case where a worker is on a rod-shaped object such as a construction scaffold beam, necessary measures are required to prevent the worker from slipping in order to ensure safety. As a conventional technology related with this matter, there is Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0092167, entitled "SAFETY SHOE FOR WORKING ON SCAFFOLD," which is shown in a perspective view in FIG. 1.

[6] As shown in FIG. 1, the safety shoe has a tunnel-shaped groove formed in the hill of an outsole 1, along a longitudinal axis 2. When a wearer works on a scaffold, the groove is fitted around a beam of the scaffold, thereby stabilizing the wearer.

[7] However, the prior art mentioned above proposes a groove that is designed merely in the form of a tunnel in order to achieve stability through the contact between the o uter surface of the scaffold and the groove. Accordingly, this structure fails to achieve a sufficient slippage resistance function, even if it can reduce slippage compared to flat outsoles. In particular, the groove is of little use, for example, when the scaffold is wet. Furthermore, the prior art mentioned above has the groove formed along the longitudinal axis, which makes it difficult for the worker to balance on the rod-shaped scaffold beam. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[8] The present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems with the prior art, and therefore the present invention provides a shoe outsole with multiple functions, which includes front, middle and rear foot portions made of three different materials in order to utilize unique and combined properties of respective materials.

[9] The present invention also provides a shoe outsole, in which a middle foot portion is arc shaped in order to prevent a wearer from easily slipping from a rod-shaped object such as a scaffold beam. Technical Solution

[10] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a footwear outsole, which includes a front foot portion made of a wear-resistant material; an arc- shaped middle foot portion made of a slip-resistant material, and connected, at a front end thereof, to the front foot portion; and a rear foot portion made of a shock-absorbing material, and connected to a rear end of the middle foot portion.

[11] The middle foot portion has a plurality of grooves in the lower surface thereof, which faces the ground, to enhance the slippage resistance function.

[12] The front foot portion is made of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), the middle foot portion is made of butyl rubber, and the rear foot portion is made of butadiene rubber (BR).

[13] The shoe outsole of the invention is a general purpose component that can be applied to almost all shoes, and has a technical characteristic that can make a great contribution to ensuring the safety of a wearer.

Advantageous Effects

[14] As set forth above, the footwear outsole with multiple functions of the present invention includes the front, middle and rear foot portions made of different materials, and thus can provide a shoe having better functions compared to those of conventional shoe outsoles made of a single kind of material.

[15] Most of all, the middle foot portion is made of a slip-resistant material having the shape of an arc. When a worker is on a specific place, such as a scaffold made of rod- shaped beams, the middle foot portion can envelop the scaffold beam, thereby helping ensure the safety of the worker.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[16] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a safety shoe of the prior art;

[17] FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation view illustrating a footwear outsole according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[18] FIG. 3 is a bottom view illustrating the footwear outsole.

[19] <Major Reference Numbers of Drawings>

[20] 100: front foot portion 200: middle foot portion

[21] 210: groove 300: rear foot portion

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[22] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate the specific form of the present invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[23] FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation view illustrating a footwear outsole according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view illustrating the footwear outsole.

[24] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shoe outsole generally includes a front foot portion

100, a middle foot portion 200 and a rear foot portion 300, which are made of materials different from each other. That is, the front foot portion 100 is made of a wear-resistant material, and the middle foot portion is made of a slip-resistant material in the form of an arc. The middle foot portion 200 is connected, at the front end thereof to the front foot portion 100 and at the rear end thereof to the rear foot portion 300. Here, the rear foot portion 300 is made of a shock-absorbing material.

[25] Like this, one technical feature of the present invention is to make the three portions of the outsole from different materials. The front foot portion 100 is required to have excellent wear resistance since it is applied with force from contact with the ground when a wearer raises a foot. The rear foot portion 300 touches the ground first when the wearer puts down the foot, and thus is required to be made of a material having better shock-absorbing capability than the other portions.

[26] Particularly, in the present invention, the middle foot portion 200 is arc-shaped, as shown in the drawing, and is required to be made of a material having better slippage resistance than those of other portions. In addition, a plurality of grooves 210, which can improve slippage resistance performance, is formed in the bottom of the middle foot portion 200.

[27] While the grooves 210 may be regular or irregular grooves, in this embodiment, a plurality of linear grooves is regularly formed in the longitudinal direction.

[28] The availability of the middle foot portion 200 is significant, for example, when the wearer is working on a rod-shaped object such as a scaffold beam. The middle foot portion 200 surrounds the outer circumference of the rod-shaped object thanks to the arc-shaped structure, and particularly, the arc of the middle foot portion 200 extends in the transverse direction of the outsole. Hence, when the middle foot portion is placed on and in contact with the rod- shaped object, the front foot portion 100 and the rear foot portion 300 naturally bend downwards around the middle foot portion 200, so that a sufficient area of the middle foot portion 200 can touch the rod- shaped object. The grooves 210 formed in the middle foot portion 200 can further prevent the wearer from slipping on an object.

[29] It is preferable that the wear-resistant material of the front foot portion 100 be

Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR), that the slip-resistant material of the middle foot portion 200 be butyl rubber, and that the rear foot portion 300 be made of Butadiene Rubber (BR) having good shock-absorbing capability.

[30] Since the physical properties of NBR, butyl rubber and BR mentioned above are relative, these materials in no way limit the scope of the invention. Other materials, as long as they are suitably combined, can provide equivalent results that the present invention aims to achieve. It is to be understood that such materials also fall within the scope of the present invention. Industrial Applicability

[31] The footwear outsole having multiple functions of the present invention can be very widely applied to working shoes. In particular, the footwear outsole of the present invention can help ensure the safety of workers on a scaffold for building construction.

[32] When a worker wearing working shoes having the shoe outsoles of the present invention is on the scaffold, the worker places the arc-shaped middle foot portion of the outsole on the scaffold so that it envelops the scaffold. The rod-shaped scaffold is dangerous since the worker can slip from the scaffold if he/she becomes absent-minded for even a moment. The worker wearing the working shoes having the shoe outsoles of the present invention can easily balance on the rod-shaped scaffold, and the material properties of the middle foot portion, the grooves and combined reactions of the front and rear foot portions can prevent slippage.

[33] Furthermore, since the three portions of the footwear outsole of the present invention are made of different materials, the footwear outsole can provide unique functions of the three portions even when a wearer normally walks on level ground. That is, the rear foot portion can absorb shocks better than the other portions, while the front foot portion wears more slowly.

Claims

[1] A footwear outsole, comprising: a front foot portion made of a wear-resistant material; an arc-shaped middle foot portion made of a slip-resistant material, and connected, at a front end thereof, to the front foot portion; and a rear foot portion made of a shock-absorbing material, and connected to a rear end of the middle foot portion.

[2] The footwear outsole according to claim 1, wherein the middle foot portion has a plurality of grooves in a lower surface thereof, which faces a ground, to enhance a slip resistance function.

[3] The footwear outsole according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the front foot portion is made of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), the middle foot portion is made of butyl rubber, and the rear foot portion is made of butadiene rubber (BR).