WO2014178739A2

WO2014178739A2 - Two density-hardness heel manufacturing method and respective hard top piece with a flexible construction

Info

Publication number: WO2014178739A2
Application number: PCT/PT2013/000024
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paulo Jorge Sampaio Freitas
Original assignee: Lambda & Omega, Lda
Priority date: 2013-04-29
Filing date: 2013-04-29
Publication date: 2014-11-06
Also published as: WO2014178739A8; WO2014178739A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heel or wedge comprising, two materials of different densities or hardness and its cover, top piece or tread with a groove or grooves, this heel or wedge is to be applied to soles of classic, casual, sportive or other type of footwear. The heel or wedge construction presented by the described invention will enable the damping or softening of the initial impact of the heel or wedge to the ground without any loss of stability and proper support of the foot. The above mentioned heel or wedge is made from the assembly of two different density or hardness materials, being the lowest density material (2) applied to the rear area of the heel or wedge in conjunction to another higher density material (1) applied to the front part of said heel or wedge, the described assembled materials will then be applied on top of a cover, top piece or tread (3) that has at least one ridge or groove (4) across its entire bottom surface from side to side.

Description

DESCRIPTION

TWO DENSITY-HARDNESS HEEL MANUFACTURING METHOD AND RESPECTIVE HARD TOP PIECE WITH A FLEXIBLE CONSTRUCTION

Scope of the invention

This invention refers to a new type of heel that is manufactured by assembling two different density-hardness materials applied on top of a top piece, cover or tread, which will contain a groove or grooves arid all assembled and attached together will then be applied to the soles of footwear and will thus soften and reduce the impact of the heel part of the shoe to the ground without any loss of stability or proper and stable support of the foot to the ground.

Background of the Invention and Technical Details

During the normal walking process the repeated aggressive impact of the foot's heel to the ground will eventually result in recurrent and persisting pain, fatigue, discomfort as well as eventual injuries to the heel, ankle, knees, hips and back.

Many other inventors solved these problems through other type of shoe sole constructions using low density or soft materials which in themselves, exactly because of their single lower density characteristic, provide a unstable support of the foot to the ground that may result in injuries to the ankles. Some of the attached Figures will display the manner in which some inventors have attempted to solve the above described unstableness . A more detailed description of the drawings describing these attempts is hereby provided:

- By the widening of the bottom part of the soles that make contact with the ground.

- By increasing the density of the single materials applied to the heel or wedges of the soles making these more stable but, exactly by making these harder, withdraw the comfort or cushion effect; also other constructions with a more curved bottom cover were developed thus enabling a more ergonomic contact of the foot or shoe impact to the ground during the normal walking process.

- In order to provide the necessary stability and proper support of the foot to the ground without the need to resort to the enlargement of the bottom of the sole or tread other invented solutions have been developed such as increasing the density or hardness of the single materials used in the sole heel or wedges.

Brief Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new product, heel and a bottom sole or heel cover also called top piece or tread, intended to be applied to footwear, which has unique technical and construction characteristics that withdraw the discomfort caused by the aggressive impact of the heel to the ground, thus preventing injuries to the ankles, knees, hips and back - enabling or providing a greater level of comfort without any loss of stability or support to the user as well as a aesthetic quality of the sole intended to be applied in classic, casual, sportive footwear or other, which will be achieved from the described construction process .

The heel is made from two materials of different densities, hardness or flexibility that are to be attached to each other then further applied or attached over a bottom layer, cover, tread or top piece, which has one, two or more grooves or slots (across its entire bottom surface, such ridges, these grooves must be deeper than half the total thickness of the same bottom cover or top piece. This transverse groove or grooves will enable the bottom cover or top piece to become more flexible as well as removing the risk of breakage thereof due to the reduced thickness across this zone.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the three components of the heel and its bottom cover or top piece still separated or disassembled from each other.

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of two components of the heel already assembled but still detached from its bottom cover, tread or top piece component.

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of all three components of the heel fully attached or assembled.

Figure 4 is a representation of Figure 3 during its initial impact with the ground. Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of part of the bottom cover or top piece with particular detailed attention to the flexing channels (4) .

Figure 6 depicts the heel and its bottom cover already attached to the sole and during the initial impact of the heel to the ground.

Figure 7 depicts the heel and its bottom cover already attached to the sole but after the initial impact of the footwear to the ground when it is already properly and fully supported to the ground.

Figure 8 is a schematic representation of a shoe with a single-hardness heel.

Figure 9 is a view of the back of the shoe as shown in figure 8 presenting a lack of proper support that results from the use of a single low hardness material on the heel.

Figure 10 is a schematic representation of a shoe with a wedge sole, during the moment of its initial impact to the ground, that is manufactured from two different density-hardness materials, one of higher density and another of lower density.

Figure 11 is a schematic representation of the same shoe in Figure 10 after the initial impact to the ground when it properly and fully laid plain to the ground. Figure 12 is a schematic representation of a single low density material wedge sole construction during its initial impact to the ground.

Figure 13 is a schematic representation of a single low density wedge sole construction which presents a curvature in the lower anterior part of the tread of the sole and whose side is wider at the bottom than at the top part of the sole.

Figure 14 is a schematic representation of a single low density wedge sole construction which exhibits a good and stable support provided by a wider sole base bottom cover but without the curvature in the lower anterior part of the tread or cover.

Figure 15 is a schematic rear view of the same shoe depicted in Figure 14 clearly showing the widening of the bottom part of the sole wedge.

Figure 16 is a schematic view of the shoe in Figures 14 and 15, seen from behind displaying a weak and unstable side support of the foot.

Figure 17 is a schematic side view of a shoe in which the wedged heel is made from two different density materials .

Figure 18 is a schematic side view of a shoe with a wedged heel that is made from a single greater density- hardness material thus providing proper and stable support lacking the benefit of the comfort and cushioning effect provided by the lower density material (2) applied in the back part of the heel in Figure 17 during the initial impact of the heel to the ground.

Figure 19 is a schematic side view of a shoe with a wedge sole made from a single material greater hardness material with a pronounced curvature of the tread in both the front and back in order to make up for the loss of comfort due to the greater density-hardness of the wedge sole.

Figure 20 is a schematic rear iew of the same shoe and wedge construction as shown in Figure 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new type of heel comprising two materials (1,2) each made from different densities or hardness and its cover (3) with groove or grooves (4) that when completely assembled or attached will then become a component to be applied to footwear soles providing a cushioning effect to the initial impact of the heel to the ground without any loss of stability or proper support of the foot to the ground.

The heel of the present invention can be manufactured by the assembling or use of different materials such as rubber (SBR) , ethylene acetate, eva, micro porous materials, injected thermo plastic (TR, PVC, TPS, TPU) , polyurethane (PU) or other available materials that will de combined together through a construction or assembling process that joins the two materials of different densities, hardness, flexibility (1,2) to the tread, cove or top piece (3). During the normal walking process the heel impacts aggressively to the ground, this manufacturing or construction process allows for the compression damping of the initial impact achieved by lower density material (2) applied to the rear area of the heel joined to the material of greater density and hardness (1) applied to the posterior part of the heel which will provide a more stable and solid support of the foot to the ground without the risk of rupture of the cover or top piece (3).

The material of greater density-hardness (1) that comprises the heel should have a minimum Shore A hardness value between 65 and 98. The material of lesser density- hardness (2) , which comprises the heel, should have a Shore A hardness value between 10 and 70. The material that makes up the cover or top piece tread (3) should have their shore A hardness values ranging from a minimum of 20 and maximum A hardness of 98.

The cover or top piece tread (3) on top of which the two different density materials are applied should have at least one ridge or groove (4) that crosses its entire lower surface, these grooves must be deeper than half the total thickness of the cover or top piece (3) and must cover the whole transverse width so that the groove or grooves by greatly reducing the thickness of the cover in this area (7) will allow for a greater and easier transverse bending flexibility of the cover or top piece tread (3) without the risk of rupture or breakage.

The heel and its cover (1,2,3) when assembled in the proposed manner will then become a full component ready to be applied directly to the lower back bottom part of a sole. The proposed invention thus aims to make available to the footwear market a new type of product that when assembled in the described manner will provide a higher level of combined comfort and stability that is currently unavailable in this market.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The proposed invention will now be described by way of the accompanying drawings and the following numbered references .

1 - greater density-hardness material

2 - lower density-hardness material

3 - Cover, top piece or tread.

4 - Grooves.

5, 6 - Impact forces caused by the meeting of the heel to the ground.

7 - Lesser thickness area of the cover, top piece or tread.

8 - Side or lateral unstable forces.

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the three separate components that will after being assembled become the invented innovative heel, one can observe the material of greater density-hardness (1) as well as the material of lower density-hardness (2) and also the cover, top or tread (3) with its transverse grooves (4) .

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of all three components of the heel of the proposed invention, two of which (1,2) are made from different density materials already attached or assembled to each other yet still detached from the lower cover, top piece or tread material (3) .

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of all three components that comprise the heel of the invention already fully attached (1 + 2 + 3) to each other.

Figure 4 is a representation of Figure 3 during its initial impact to the ground (6) .

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the cover with particular detail to the flexing grooves (4) as well as the thinner areas (7), which, due to its smaller thickness, will withstand the flexing of the cover, top piece or tread (3) allowing for an easier bending or flexing without the risk of rupture or breakage.

Figure 6 depicts the two density parts (1,2) of the heel assembled to each other as well as to the cover (3) all of which have already been applied-attached to the bottom part of the sole, during the impact of the heel to the ground (5,6) showing the damping, softening or cushion effect provided by the heel material (2) as well as the greater flexibility provided by the transverse grooves of the cover ( 3 ) .

Figure 7 shows the fully assembled heel and cover (1,2,3) already applied to the shoe sole following the moment of the initial impact of the footwear to the ground, when it is already properly and fully supported on the ground (5,6), demonstrating the stability and support provided by the greater density-hardness of the heel material (1) . Figure 8 is a schematic representation of a heel made from a full single lower density hardness material (2) . This representation refers to an attempt to solve problems of impact cushioning disregarding proper stability and support of the foot to the ground.

Figure 9 is a schematic back view of the shoe depicted in figure 8, highlighting the part of the heel made from a lower density-hardness material (2), which due to its soft nature disregards proper stability and support of the foot to the ground.

Figure 10 is a schematic representation of a shoe with a sole wedge construction that comprises two materials, one of higher density-hardness (1) and another of a lower density-hardness (2) that provides a cushioning effect to the initial impact of the heel to the ground.

Figure 11 is a schematic representation of the same shoe depicted in Figure 10 following its initial impact to the ground when it is properly laid flat to the ground showing a stable, proper and solid support provided by the greater density or hardness material (1) as well as an ergonomic curvature of the lower back part of the tread or cover of the sole (3) .

Figure 12 is a schematic representation of a shoe with a sole wedge material (2) made from only one lower density-hardness material during its initial impact (6,5) to the ground. This representation refers to an attempt to solve the problem that results from the impact aggressiveness of the sole to the ground. Figure 13 is a schematic representation of a shoe with a sole wedge material (2) made from only one lower density-hardness material following its initial impact to the ground which has a ergonomic curvature of the lower back part of the tread of the sole as well as a wider lower bottom area.

Figure 14 is a schematic representation of a similar wedge sole (2) made from only one single lower density- hardness material as depicted in figure 13 but without the ergonomic curvature in the lower back part of the tread which exhibits a solid, proper and stable support base by having a wider lower part of the sole. This representation refers to a prior art embodiment attempt to solve both the problems of lack of stability and impact aggressiveness.

Figure 15 is a schematic rear view of the same shoe shown in Figure 14 with a single lower density material sole wedge construction, which provides a better and more solid and stable support to the ground by having a wider bottom sole tread.

Figure 16 is a schematic rear view of the shoe in Figures 14 and 15, with a sole wedge manufactured from a single lower density material (2) demonstrating a weak and unstable support of the foot to the ground (5,6) due to lack of a greater density material (1) applied to the front part of the wedge as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 17 is a schematic side view of a shoe in which the heel wedge is made from two different materials, one of higher density-hardness (1) and another of a lower density-hardness material (2) providing a comfortable rear heel as well as good, solid and stable support by the front part of the same heel (1) .

Figure 18 is a schematic side view of a shoe in which a heel wedge is made from a single greater density- hardness material (1) , which provides a solid and stable support but lacking the benefit of the comfort, damping and cushioning effect provided by the lower density-hardness material (2) as in Figure 17.

Figure 19 is a schematic side view of a shoe with a wedge sole made from a single greater density-hardness material which attempts to compensate for the discomfort inflicted from the greater hardness material by the use of a ergonomically curved lower part of the tread.

Figure 20 is a schematic rear view of the same construction as shown in Figure 19.

The drawn diagram figures are intended as mere examples, considering that this invention contains obvious innovative constructions made by a specialized technician in the matters contained and described in the claims that will follow below.

Claims

1. Heel or sole wedges to be applied in shoe soles for classic, casual or sportive look footwear, characterized in that it is made through the assembling of two different density or hardness materials, a lower density or hardness material (2) , with Shore A hardness values that range between 10 and 70, placed in the rear area of the heel attached to a greater Shore A hardness material (1) values that range between 65 and 98, placed on the front part of said heel or wedge, both materials applied-attached to the top of a cover, tread or top piece (3) with Shore A hardness values that range from 20 to 98, which has at least one ridge or groove (4) that crosses its entire lower surface from side to side, this or these said grooves having a depth greater than half the thickness of the cover (3) .

2. A heel or a wedge with a top piece cover or tread that is pretended to be applied to soles of classic, casual, sportive or other type of footwear, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it is manufactured from a combination of possible different materials such as ethylene acetate, injected thermo plastic materials (TR, PVC, TPS, TPU) eva, micro porous materials, vulcanized rubber (SBR) , expanded polyurethane (PU) or other available materials .