U.S. patent application number 10/412882 was filed with the patent office on 2003-12-11 for textile-soled footwear.
Invention is credited to Paratore, Stephen L., Tsui, Bilo.
Application Number | 20030226280 10/412882 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29716104 |
Filed Date | 2003-12-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030226280 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Paratore, Stephen L. ; et
al. |
December 11, 2003 |
Textile-soled footwear
Abstract
An article of footwear has a moldably attached upper and an
outsole having a textile layer integrally embedded in an outsole
layer at the ground-contacting surface. In a preferred embodiment
of the invention, the entire outer shell of the footwear article is
simultaneously assembled during a single injection molding process.
In a preferred embodiment, the outsole layer is molded from
thermoplastic resin. The textile employed for the ground-contacting
textile layer can be any natural or man-made textile. In one
embodiment, the outsole extends around the side of the shoe,
moldably attaching to the upper across a large width. Integral
formation of the textile-covered outsole provides one of the
significant advantages of the invention, prevention of tearing of
the ground-contacting textile outsole layer and/or separation of
the textile outsole layer from the outsole. In a preferred
embodiment of the invention, the outsole layer has treads to which
the textile outsole layer is moldably conformed.
Inventors: |
Paratore, Stephen L.;
(Belmont, MA) ; Tsui, Bilo; (Tsing Lung Tau N.T.,
CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Norma E. Henderson
Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP
43 North Main Street
Concord
NH
03301-4934
US
|
Family ID: |
29716104 |
Appl. No.: |
10/412882 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60372463 |
Apr 12, 2002 |
|
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|
60372464 |
Apr 12, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/223 20130101;
A43B 9/18 20130101; A43B 7/12 20130101; A43B 13/141 20130101; A43B
7/141 20130101; A43B 13/122 20130101; A43B 13/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/4 |
International
Class: |
A43B 001/10 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An article of footwear comprising, in combination: an outsole,
said outsole comprising at least one moldable material; an upper
moldably attached to said outsole; and a textile layer moldably
attached to the ground-contacting surface of said outsole.
2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said outsole is
molded.
3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the molded outsole
is fabricated by injection molding.
4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein said upper and said
textile layer are moldably attached to the molded outsole through
injection molding.
5. The article of footwear of claim 4, wherein said upper and said
textile layer are moldably attached to the molded outsole through
injection molding during the same process in which the molded
outsole is being fabricated.
6. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein the molded outsole
includes a foxing-like portion that is moldably attached to said
upper.
7. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein said outsole has
treads and said textile layer moldably conforms to said treads.
8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said outsole is cut
from moldable material.
9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said upper and said
textile layer are moldably attached to said outsole through
vulcanization.
10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said outsole has
treads and said textile layer moldably conforms to said treads.
11. A slipper comprising, in combination: an outsole, said outsole
comprising at least one water-resistant material; an upper moldably
attached to said outsole; and a textile layer moldably attached on
the ground-contacting surface of said outsole.
12. The slipper of claim 11, wherein said outsole is made of
moldable material.
13. The slipper of claim 12, wherein said outsole is molded.
14. The slipper of claim 13, wherein the molded outsole is
fabricated by injection molding.
15. The slipper of claim 14, wherein said upper and said textile
layer are moldably attached to the molded outsole through injection
molding.
16. The slipper of claim 15, wherein said upper and said textile
layer are moldably attached to the molded outsole through injection
molding during the same process in which the molded outsole is
being fabricated.
17. The slipper of claim 16, wherein the molded outsole includes a
foxing-like portion that is moldably attached to said upper.
18. The slipper of claim 17, wherein said outsole has treads and
said textile layer moldably conforms to said treads.
19. The slipper of claim 11, wherein said outsole has treads and
said textile layer moldably conforms to said treads.
20. The slipper of claim 12, wherein said outsole has treads and
said textile layer moldably conforms to said treads.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/372,463 and U.S. Provisional Application
Ser. No. 60/372,464, both filed Apr. 12, 2002.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to footwear and, in particular, to
footwear having a textile-layered outsole.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Footwear components can be joined by any number of
well-known methods, including, but not limited to, stitching by
hand or machine, adhesives, vulcanization, and injection molding.
The method of joining can affect many aspects of the footwear,
including durability and cost of manufacture.
[0004] While joining footwear components by stitching is capable,
depending on the type of components to be joined, of producing a
durable product, it can be a time consuming and costly method of
footwear fabrication, requiring many separate steps. The
manufacture of footwear with components joined by adhesives can be
much more economical, but the resulting product is frequently not
particularly durable, with components often separating over time
due to factors such as repeated flexing, abrasion, or exposure to
moisture. Footwear with vulcanized or moldably attached components
and layers is more durable, in that the layers and/or components
are more firmly joined and much less likely to separate over long
use. It is also generally more economical and quicker to
manufacture than footwear manufactured by stitching. Further,
components or layers that are actually made from moldable materials
tend to be particularly resilient, durable, and flexible.
[0005] The join between a footwear upper and outsole is a stress
point particularly prone to separation and/or tearing. The outsoles
themselves must also be able to withstand a lot of wear and tear,
from both ground contact and flexing during use. For this reason,
ground-contacting textile outsole layers that are not firmly
attached over their entire upper surface to an overlying supporting
layer are particularly prone to tearing and separation from the
shoe.
[0006] The construction of footwear outsoles determines many
important characteristics of the footwear, such as durability,
flexibility, comfort, stability, foot support, and slip resistance.
For example, the shape and composition of the outsole particularly
affect slip resistance. Footwear articles with textile soles,
especially those that do not have a supporting layer, are generally
not slip resistant because they tend to have a smooth surface with
no way to provide treads to improve traction. They also are not
very durable, particularly if subjected to outdoor walking
conditions. Further, the lack of support they provide can be
uncomfortable on uneven surfaces such as gravel or decking, as well
as for persons needing more arch or foot support. Provision of a
midsole board between the textile outsole and an inner sole to
improve comfort on uneven surfaces is sometimes attempted, but it
complicates fabrication of the footwear, may render it less
durable, and frequently reduces comfort on normal surfaces.
Provision of a molded-type outsole layer to which a
ground-contacting textile layer is adhesively attached is more
successful, but the resulting outsole is prone to the layer
separation problem discussed earlier.
[0007] What has been needed, therefore, is an article of
textile-soled footwear wherein all outer components, including the
upper and the ground-contacting textile layer, are moldably
attached to an outsole made of moldable or moldable-type
material.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to
provide an article of footwear having a textile layer at the
ground-contacting surface of the outsole.
[0009] A particular object of the invention is to provide a
textile-soled article of footwear that is durable when worn on
outside-type surfaces.
[0010] A further particular object of the present invention is to
provide a textile-soled article of footwear that is durable despite
repeated flexing.
[0011] Another particular object of the invention is to provide a
textile-soled article of footwear that is slip-resistant.
[0012] Yet another particular object of the invention is to provide
a textile-soled article of footwear that has a flexible but
shape-retaining outsole.
SUMMARY
[0013] These and other objectives are met by the present invention,
which is an article of footwear having an upper moldably attached
to an outsole comprising a textile layer moldably adhered to an
outsole layer at the ground-contacting surface. In the preferred
embodiment of the invention, this entire "outer shell" of the
footwear article is simultaneously assembled during a single
injection molding process; however, any other suitable method or
apparatus known in the art for moldably attaching footwear, such as
vulcanization, may also be used.
[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the article of
footwear has an upper and a unit-molded rubber or plastic sole
covered with textile at the ground-contacting surface, providing
the article of footwear with a flexible but shape-retaining
textile-covered outsole. In a preferred embodiment, the molded
outsole layer is made from thermoplastic resin. In an alternate
embodiment, the outsole is cut, rather than molded, from moldable
or moldable-type, water-resistant materials. The textile-layered
sole of the footwear of the present invention is an
"indoor-outdoor" sole, having a textile ground-contacting surface
but still being rigid and durable enough for use on outdoor-type
surfaces such as driveways, decking, cement floors, and gravel.
[0015] The textile employed for the ground-contacting textile layer
in the present invention can be any natural or man-made textile,
but in the preferred embodiment is a combination of cotton,
polyester, and Lycra While, in a preferred embodiment, the upper is
a textile made of natural or man-made fibers, any other type of
upper known in the art that is capable of being moldably attached
would be suitable. In a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, both the footwear upper and the ground-contacting
textile outsole layer are integrally embedded in the outsole
layer.
[0016] It is important to the present invention that the
ground-contacting textile outsole layer be moldably attached to the
outsole. Integral attachment of the textile-covered outsole
provides one of the significant advantages of the present
invention, which is prevention of tearing of the ground-contacting
textile outsole layer and/or separation of the textile outsole
layer from the outsole.
[0017] In one embodiment, the outsole layer extends around the side
of the shoe, moldably attaching to the upper across a large width.
This greatly increases the footwear durability because of the large
area of attachment between the outsole layer and the upper, making
separation of the outsole and the upper unlikely.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outsole has
treads to which the textile outsole layer is moldably conformed.
These treads can be laid out in any desired pattern and provide
improved slip resistance. With use, the ground-contacting textile
outsole layer may wear away from the ground-contacting surfaces of
the treads, which will generally increase slip resistance. An
important feature of the present invention is that, because the
ground-contacting textile outsole layer and the outsole are
integrally connected together, this wearing away does not cause
tears in the ground-contacting textile outsole layer or separation
of the textile outsole layer from the outsole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross section of an article of
textile-soled footwear according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of two articles of textile-soled
footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side view of an article of textile-soled
footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0022] FIG. 4 is a magnified cross section of a piece of the
outsole of an article of textile-soled footwear according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The present invention is an article of footwear with an
outer sole having a moldably attached upper and a textile layer
that is moldably adhered to an outsole layer at the
ground-contacting surface. In the preferred embodiment of the
invention, the entire outer shell of the footwear article is
simultaneously assembled during a single injection molding process,
such as the process and apparatus disclosed in copending U.S.
patent application entitled Injection-Molded Footwear Having a
Textile-Layered Outer Sole, also filed Apr. 14, 2003. However, any
other suitable method or apparatus known in the art, including, but
not limited to, vulcanization, may also be used. The moldable
attachment of the upper and the ground-contacting textile layer to
the outsole provide a far more durable article of footwear than
those having ground-contacting textile layers and/or uppers
attached by other methods, such as stitching or adhesives.
[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, the article of
footwear has an upper and a unit-molded rubber or plastic sole
covered with textile at the ground-contacting surface. In the
preferred embodiment, the molded outsole layer is made of a
thermoplastic resin, which is preferred because of the ability of
such resins to be hardened and melted more than once. However, any
material suitable for molding and capable of bonding to the
materials selected for the upper and the textile layer, such as
rubber, latex, or many elastomeric polymers would be suitable. In
an alternate embodiment, the outsole is cut, rather than molded,
from moldable-type water-resistant materials. The textile-layered
sole of the footwear of the present invention is intended to be an
"indoor-outdoor" sole, having a textile ground-contacting surface
but still being rigid and durable enough for use on outdoor-type
surfaces such as driveways, decking, cement floors, and gravel. The
present invention is particularly applicable to the construction of
slippers, but many other kinds of footwear may benefit from the
principles of the invention.
[0025] The textile employed for the ground-contacting textile layer
in the present invention can be any natural or man-made textile.
However, certain textiles perform better than others during use and
during the chosen manufacturing process, so the options should be
carefully evaluated for texture, thickness, stretchability, heat
resistance, and density. In the preferred embodiment of the
invention, the textile utilized is a combination of cotton,
polyester, and Lycra.RTM., most frequently in the ratio: 10%
cotton, 70% polyester, and 20% Lycra.RTM.. This combination is
durable and is also capable of providing sufficient stretchability
that the fabric can be pulled flat and held very tightly over the
sole plate during the injection molding process utilized to
fabricate the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] The thickness of the chosen textile is also important. Too
thick a textile may cause failure of the manufacturing process, or
of conformance to the desired shape of the molded outsole. Too thin
a textile may not withstand the manufacturing process. In the
preferred embodiment of the invention, the optimum thickness has
been determined to lie between 0.29 and 0.31 mm. The textile
normally utilized for this embodiment has a thickness of 0.3 mm.
The textile chosen should also have heat resistance sufficient that
the textile can maintain its integrity during the manufacturing
process. It has been determined empirically for the preferred
embodiment that a heat resistance of 174.5 to 185.5 degrees
Centigrade is optimum. In the preferred embodiment, the textile
normally utilized has a heat resistance of 180 degrees
Centigrade.
[0027] FIG. 1 is a cross section of an article of textile-soled
footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention. As
shown in FIG. 1, upper 100 is embedded in outsole layer 110, as is
ground-contacting textile outsole layer 120. While in a preferred
embodiment upper 100 is a textile made of natural or man-made
fibers, any other type of upper known in the art, including, but
not limited to, leather, rubber, and plastic, would be suitable for
use in the present invention.
[0028] In a preferred embodiment, outsole layer 110 extends around
the side of the shoe, moldably attaching to upper 100 across a
large width. This gives the outsole layer 110 a foxing-like
appearance and greatly increases the footwear durability because of
the large area of attachment between outsole layer 110 and upper
100. Separation of the outsole and the upper are therefore
extremely unlikely in this embodiment.
[0029] It is important to the present invention that
ground-contacting textile outsole layer 120 be moldably attached to
outsole layer 110. Integral connection of the textile-covered
outsole provides one of the significant advantages of the present
invention, which is prevention of tearing of the ground-contacting
textile outsole layer and/or separation of textile outsole layer
120 from outsole layer 110. Optional treads 130 are also shown, to
which textile outsole layer 120 is moldably conformed.
[0030] Outsole layer 110 has optional air pockets 140 on its inner
surface, providing for increased flexibility of the sole. An
optional inner sole 150 of any of the many constructions known in
the art may be provided, as may any of the many types of padding,
support devices, and/or orthotics known in the art. Similarly, an
optional inner lining 160 may be added, with or without added
padding or support devices.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of two articles of textile-soled
footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention,
having upper 100 moldably attached to outsole layer 110, which is
integrally molded to textile outsole layer 130. In a preferred
embodiment of the invention, outsole layer 110 has treads 130 in
the form of bumps, ridges, or other types of protrusions, to which
textile outsole layer 120 is moldably conformed. These treads can
be laid out in any desired pattern and provide improved slip
resistance. With use, ground-contacting textile outsole layer 120
may wear away from the ground-contacting surfaces of treads 130,
which will generally increase slip resistance. An important feature
of the present invention is that, because ground-contacting textile
outsole layer 120 and outsole layer 110 are integrally connected,
this wearing away does not cause tears in ground-contacting textile
outsole layer 120 or separation of textile outsole layer 120 from
outsole layer 110. Any type of pattern, design, label, or similar
device, such as label 200 and decorative seam detail 210 shown in
the embodiment of FIG. 2, may also be present on any desired
surface of the outsole.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a side view of an article of textile-soled
footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention,
showing upper 100 moldably attached to outsole layer 110, with
optional decorative seam detail 210. The textile-soled footwear
shell is ready for whatever additions may be desired, including,
but not limited to, fasteners, linings, padding, inner sole,
orthotics, labels, and trims.
[0033] FIG. 4 is a magnified cross section of a piece of the
outsole of an article of textile-soled footwear according to an
embodiment of the present invention. Ground-contacting textile
outsole layer 120 is integrally embedded in outsole layer 110 at
fusion zone 400, an area of textile outsole layer 120 which has
been infiltrated by "fingers" 410 and droplets 420 of the moldable
or moldable-type material making up outsole layer 110. Fusion zone
400 is therefore the operable source of the moldable attachment of
textile outsole layer 120 to outsole layer 110.
[0034] The present invention, therefore, provides an article of
footwear having a textile layer at the ground-contacting surface of
the outsole. This textile-soled article of footwear is durable when
worn on outside-type surfaces, is slip-resistant, has a flexible
but shape-retaining outsole, and is durable despite repeated
flexing. Each of the various embodiments described above may be
combined with other described embodiments in order to provide
multiple features. Furthermore, while the foregoing describes a
number of separate embodiments of the apparatus and method of the
present invention, what has been described herein is merely
illustrative of the application of the principles of the present
invention. Other arrangements, methods, modifications and
substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are therefore
also considered to be within the scope of the present invention,
which is not to be limited except by the claims that follow.
* * * * *