U.S. patent application number 14/269564 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-05 for shoe sole and method for manufacturing the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is Treksta, Inc.. Invention is credited to DONG JIN KIM, SUNG WON PARK.
Application Number | 20150313312 14/269564 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54354194 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150313312 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PARK; SUNG WON ; et
al. |
November 5, 2015 |
SHOE SOLE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Abstract
Disclosed are a shoe sole and a manufacturing method for the
same are disclosed. In order to enhance flexibility and smoothness
of a shoe sole, there are provided a mid sole 10 that is disposed
beneath an upper layer 12 of a shoe; one or multiple protrusions 20
that protrudes in a downward direction from a lower surface 11 of
the midsole; an outsole 30 that includes an upper surface 31
attached to a lower surface 11 of the midsole and includes one or
multiple holes 32 that is disposed in an inner side, the protrusion
passing through the outsole piece 40; and one or multiple outsole
pieces 40 that are attached to beneath each protrusion. With the
above configuration, it is possible to effectively absorb the
impact due to prompt deformation of the sole when a user walks
along an uneven, protruded ground.
Inventors: |
PARK; SUNG WON; (Busan,
KR) ; KIM; DONG JIN; (BUSAN, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Treksta, Inc. |
Busan |
|
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
54354194 |
Appl. No.: |
14/269564 |
Filed: |
May 5, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/31 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/16 20130101;
A43B 13/122 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A43B 13/16 20060101
A43B013/16 |
Claims
1. A shoe sole, comprising: a mid sole 10 that is disposed beneath
an upper layer 12 of a shoe; one or multiple protrusions 20 that
protrudes in a downward direction from a lower surface 11 of the
midsole; an outsole 30 that includes an upper surface 31 attached
to a lower surface 11 of the midsole and includes one or multiple
holes 32 that is disposed in an inner side, the protrusion passing
through the outsole piece 40; and one or multiple outsole pieces 40
that are attached to beneath each protrusion, wherein the height of
the protrusion 20 is higher than the height of the hole 32, and
when the midsole 10 and the outsole 30 are attached to each other,
the protrusion 20 protrudes in a downward direction from a bottom
surface of the outsole 30, and wherein the midsole is smooth, and
the outsole and the outsole piece are hard, and the outsole piece
is attached to the soft midsole and is flexible without any help
from the outsole.
2. The sole of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed at a heel
portion of the midsole to support the heel portion of the foot
bottom.
3. The sole of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed at a front
portion of the midsole to support a front portion of the foot
bottom.
4. The sole of claim 1, further comprising: one or multiple outsole
protrusions 34 that protrudes in a downward direction from the
bottom surface 33 of the outsole.
5. The sole of claim 1, wherein when the protrusion and the outsole
price are provided in multiple numbers, different marks 21 are
marked on a lower surface of each protrusion, and different marks
41 are marked on an upper surface of each outsole piece for thereby
differentiating the position of each protrusions.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a shoe sole and a method
for manufacturing the same, and in particular to a shoe sole and a
method for manufacturing the same that make it possible to provide
a sole with more flexibility and smoothness in such a way that part
of a slip prevention protrusion disposed on a bottom surface of a
shoe is supported by a midsole, not integrated with an outsole.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Shoes such as sneakers, leisure shoes, mountain shoes,
safety shoes, etc. are necessary items in modern human life. Such
shoes are manufactured in various forms on the basis of the purpose
of use. A typical shoe comprises a sole that disposed on a bottom
of a shoe and supports a foot bottom, and an upper layer that
covers a foot from above the sole and protects it.
[0003] The sole consists of an outsole that directly contacts with
the ground, and a midsole that is attached to the upper surface of
the outsole and supports a foot bottom. The outsole is generally
made from a material a little hard enough to decrease abrasion due
to friction against the ground, and the midsole is generally made
from a material a little smooth enough to effectively absorb impact
and to enhance a wearing feeling. Some of the shoes are equipped
with a slip prevention function by providing protrusions on the
bottom surface of the outsole.
[0004] Since the outsole of typical shoes is generally integrated
with a hard material, flexibility and smoothness are bad.
[0005] More specifically, when a user walks along a uneven,
protruded ground like along an unpaved road or a walkway in
mountain, only part of the bottom surface of the outsole comes into
contact with the protruded portion, so the sole may be unbalanced
or twisted. Since the outsole disposed beneath the sole is made
from a hard material, the entire sole may be promptly unbalanced or
twisted in reaction to the contact with the protruded ground, which
results in prompt deformation. The impact due to the prompt
deformation is directly transferred to the ankle of the user, so
the ankle becomes fatigue fast, and the ankle may be sprained and
injured, causing dangerous situation.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, the present invention is made so as to improve
the above mentioned problems. It is an object of the present
invention to provide a shoe sole and a method for manufacturing the
same that make it possible to enhance flexibility and smoothness of
a shoe sole.
[0007] To achieve the above object, there is provided a shoe sole,
comprising a mid sole 10 that is disposed beneath an upper layer 12
of a shoe; one or multiple protrusions 20 that protrudes in a
downward direction from a lower surface 11 of the midsole; an
outsole 30 that includes an upper surface 31 attached to a lower
surface 11 of the midsole and includes one or multiple holes 32
that is disposed in an inner side, the protrusion passing through
the outsole piece 40; and one or multiple outsole pieces 40 that
are attached to beneath each protrusion.
[0008] More preferably, the midsole is smooth, and the outsole and
the outsole piece are hard, and the outsole piece is attached to
the soft midsole and is flexible without any help from the
outsole.
[0009] The protrusions are provided on a heel portion of a midsole
where most frequently contacts with the ground or are provided on a
front portion of the midsole, so it is possible to exchange when
the outsole piece is worn out or damaged.
[0010] There is further provided one or multiple outsole
protrusions 34 that protrudes in a downward direction from the
bottom surface 33 of the outsole.
[0011] In addition, in order to enhance the flexibility and
smoothness, the height of the protrusion is made higher than the
height of the hole, so when the midsole and the outsole are
attached to each other, the protrusions can protrude in a downward
direction from the bottom surface of the outsole.
[0012] In addition, when the protrusion and the outsole price are
provided in multiple numbers, different marks 21 are marked on a
lower surface of each protrusion, and different marks 41 are marked
on an upper surface of each outsole piece for thereby
differentiating the position of each protrusions.
[0013] To achieve the above objects, there is provided a method for
manufacturing shoes of the present invention which comprises
inserting and passing a protrusion protruding in a downward
direction from a lower surface of a midsole, through a hole formed
in an inner portion of the outsole; butting and attaching a lower
surface of the midsole and an upper surface of the outsole; and
attaching an outsole piece to beneath the protrusion that has
passed through the hole.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS
[0014] In the present invention, part of protrusions formed on a
bottom surface of a shoe is attached to a midsole, not integrated
with a hard outsole, so it can be flexible without any relation
with an outsole, thus enhancing flexibility and smoothness of a
shoe sole.
[0015] When a user walks along an uneven, protruded ground, the
sole can become flexible, so it is possible to absorb any impact
due to prompt deformation of a sole, thus protecting ankles from
being sprained and injured. The product of the present invention
can reduce fatigue in the course of intense exercise or tracking or
mounting climbing along with enhanced safety.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a disassembled perspective view illustrating a
shoe sole according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an assembling
procedure of a shoe sole according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state that an
assembling of a shoe sole is completed according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view illustrating a state that a
shoe sole is disassembled, which is shown for better
understanding.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating a state that a
shoe sole is assembled, which is shown for better
understanding.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0021] The present invention may be implemented with various
modifications. The preferred embodiments of the present invention
will be described hereinafter, which are not limited thereto. It is
obvious that the concepts and technical ranges of the present
invention embrace common modifications or equivalents or
substitutions.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a disassembled perspective view illustrating a
shoe sole according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
2 is a perspective view illustrating an assembling procedure of a
shoe sole according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a state that an assembling of
a shoe sole is completed according to a preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the shoe sole according to the present
invention comprises a midsole 10, a protrusion 20, an outsole 30
and an outsole piece 40.
[0024] The midsole 10 is arranged beneath an upper layer 12 of a
shoe and is generally made from a smoother material such as a
foamed synthetic resin, etc. as compared with the outsole 10, so it
has flexibility and smoothness and a function of effectively
absorbing impacts.
[0025] One or multiple protrusions 20 protrude in a downward
direction from a bottom surface 11 of the midsole 10. It is
preferred that the protrusions 20 are molded in the course of the
formation of the midsole 10, so the protrusions 20 can be
integrated with the midsole 10.
[0026] The outsole 30 includes an upper surface 31 that is attached
to a lower surface 11 of the midsole 10 and is made from a harder
synthetic resin as compared with the midsole 10. The outsole 30 is
made from a material that has a strong abrasion prevention function
because it directly contacts with the ground and that has a slip
prevention property.
[0027] A hole 32 is formed in a portion where matches with the
protrusion 20 in the midsole 10. As shown in FIG. 2, a protrusion
20 comes to pass through the hole 32 when the midsole 10 and the
outsole 20 are engaged each other.
[0028] The outsole piece 40 is attached to beneath the protrusions
20 and may be provided in one or multiple pieces. The outsole piece
40 is made from a material that has a strong abrasion prevention
function and a slip prevention function in consideration of its
direct contact with the ground. The outsole piece 40 may be
contoured in a lattice-shaped mesh shape or a small protrusion
shape on the bottom of the outsole piece 40.
[0029] The midsole 10 with the protrusions 20, the outsole 30 and
the outsole piece 40 are assembled in the following procedure.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the midsole 10, the outsole 30 and the
outsole piece 40 are prepared. In a state of FIG. 2, the
protrusions 20 protruding in a downward direction from the lower
surface 11 of the midsole 10 is inserted in the hole 32 formed in
the inner portion of the outsole 30. At this time, when the
exterior of the protrusion 20 and the surrounding shape of the hole
32 are identically matched, the protrusion 20 come to fit the hole
32 like the puzzles fit. The lower surface 11 of the mid sole 10
and the upper surface 21 of the outsole 30 are butted and attached.
The lower surface 11 and the upper surface 21 are attached using an
adhesive or are attached in a heating and melting way. A typical
attaching way of attaching the midsole and the outsole may be used;
however such way is not limited thereto.
[0031] Next, the outsole piece 40 is attached to beneath the
protrusion 20 which is exposed from its bottom after it has passed
through the hole as shown in FIG. 3. When the exterior of the
outsole piece 40 and the exterior of the protrusion 20 are
identically matched, the bottom of the protrusion 20 is not exposed
to the outside, and the outsole piece 40 can fit the protrusion 20,
thus enhancing attaching force and support force.
[0032] When the exterior of the protrusion 20 is atypical, and the
protrusion 20 is provided in multiple numbers, there may be a
confusion in attaching the outsole pieces 40 to each corresponding
protrusion 20, so the protrusion with a different exterior may be
attached to the outsole piece, which leads to producing defective
products or retarding manufactures, thus deteriorating
productivity.
[0033] On the lower surface of each protrusion 20, for example, an
identification mark 21 such as R1 to R9 may be marked by marking a
mark "R" which means a right foot shoe, or a predetermined number
for each protrusion 20. In addition, on the upper surface of each
outsole piece 40, for example, an identification mark 41 which is
the same as the identification mark 21 indicated on each protrusion
21 or which matches with such mark 21 may be marked.
[0034] In such a way, even when the outsole pieces 40 are
scattered, a user can locate the protrusion 20 with the matching
identification mark 21 while confirming the identification mark 41
of the outsole piece 40 which is randomly selected, which
consequently entails easier work.
[0035] In case that the protrusion 20 is provided in multiple
numbers, they can be installed at a heel portion of the midsole
where most frequently contacts with the ground when the user walks
or at a front portion of the midsole.
[0036] When a person walk, the heel portion first comes into
contact with the ground after the person lifts up his one foot from
the ground, and then the entre portions of the foot bottom come
into contact with the ground and then the front portion comes into
contact with the ground. When the person lifts up his foot from the
ground, the heel portion of the foot comes to lift up from the
ground, and then the front portion of the foot strongly kicks the
ground, thus obtaining a forward walking force.
[0037] In consideration of the above mentioned walking types, since
the contacting force against the ground is highest at the heel
portion and the front portion of the foot, so the protrusions may
be sectioned into heel portion protrusions 20a and front portion
protrusions 20b, for which the outsole pieces 40 may be sectioned
into heel portion pieces 40a and front portion pieces 40b.
[0038] In the present invention, the installation positions and
number of the protrusions 20 are not limited. They may be evenly
formed over the entire portions of the lower surface 11 of the
midsole 10 or they may be selectively formed on either the heel
portions or the front portion.
[0039] According to the present invention, since the outsole pieces
40 are attached to the protrusions 20, when the outsole pieces 40
are damaged or worn out, the damaged outsole pieces 40 may be
exchanged with new ones on the bass of after sale services.
[0040] In addition, when the outsole pieces 40 are partly installed
on the bottom surface 33 of the outsole 30, there may be further
provided one or more outsole protrusions 34 which protrude in a
downward direction from the bottom surface 33 of the outsole 30
where the outsole pieces 40 are not installed. In this case, the
outsole pieces 34 and the outsole pieces 40 come to be evenly
formed over the entire portions of the bottom surface 33 of the
outsole 30.
[0041] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view schematically illustrating
a state that a shoe sole is disassembled, which is shown for better
understanding of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross sectional
view illustrating a state that a shoe sole is assembled, which is
shown for better understanding of the present invention, wherein
different from the actual shape, each component is drawn with a
straight line.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 4, in a state that the midsole 10, the
outsole 30 and the outsole pieces 40a and 40b are separate, the
protrusion 20 of the mid sole 10 is inserted in the hole 32 of the
outsole 30, and the outsole piece 40 is attached to beneath the
protrusion 20. The above described procedures are based on the
earlier described manufacture method for a shoe sole.
[0043] In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the outsole pieces 40a and
40b are attached to the smooth protrusion 20 and are supported by
the same, so each outsole piece 40a, 40b remains separated from the
hard outsole 30 and has an independent cushioning function. For
example, in case that the heel portion piece 40a comes into contact
with a protruded portion of the ground, the heel portion piece 40a
absorbs and attenuates the impacts independently without any help
from the outsole 30, and on the contrary, when the front portion
piece 40b comes into contact with a protruded portion of the
ground, the front portion piece 40b absorbs and attenuates the
impacts independently without any help from the outsole 30, as a
result of which the flexibility and smoothness of the shoe sole can
be greatly enhanced.
[0044] When the height of the protrusion 20 is lower than the
height of the hole 32, the side surface of the outsole piece 40
comes into contact with an inner wall surface of the hole 32, so
there may occur interference between the materials of the outsole
(more specifically, between the outsole and the outsole piece), and
the flexibility of the outsole piece 40 is restricted, which makes
undesired results.
[0045] Therefore, as shown in the drawings, in order to enhance the
flexibility and smoothness of the shoe sole, in the present
invention, the height of the protrusion 20 is made higher than the
height of the hole 32. When the mid sole 10 and the outsole 30 are
attached to each other. When the protrusion 20 protrudes in a
downward direction from the bottom surface 33 of the outsole 30,
the outsole piece 40 becomes completely separated from the outsole
30, so the flexibility is not restricted.
[0046] As the present invention may be embodied in several forms
without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics
thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described
examples are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing
description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be
construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the
appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that
fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of
such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the
appended claims.
TABLE-US-00001 Legend of Reference Numbers 10: mid sole 11: bottom
surface 12: upper layer 20: protrusion 20a: heel portion protrusion
20b: front portion protrusion 21: mark 30: outsole 31: upper
surface 32: hole 33: bottom surface 34: outsole protrusion 40:
outsole piece 40a: heel portion piece 40b: front portion piece 41:
mark
* * * * *