U.S. patent application number 16/481217 was filed with the patent office on 2020-01-23 for shoe, in particular a sports shoe.
The applicant listed for this patent is PUMA SE. Invention is credited to Matthias HARTMANN, Sabrina ZINNER.
Application Number | 20200022453 16/481217 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57944374 |
Filed Date | 2020-01-23 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200022453 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HARTMANN; Matthias ; et
al. |
January 23, 2020 |
SHOE, IN PARTICULAR A SPORTS SHOE
Abstract
A shoe, in particular a sport shoe, having a sole and a shoe
upper part connected to the sole. In order to improve the use
properties of the shoe, the sole is made, at least in sections,
from an expanded thermoplastic polyolefin.
Inventors: |
HARTMANN; Matthias;
(Forchheim, DE) ; ZINNER; Sabrina; (Nurnberg,
DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
PUMA SE |
Herzogenaurach |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
57944374 |
Appl. No.: |
16/481217 |
Filed: |
January 31, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
January 31, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2017/000115 |
371 Date: |
July 26, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43D 86/00 20130101;
A43B 13/16 20130101; A43B 13/04 20130101; A43B 13/187 20130101;
A43B 13/181 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A43B 13/16 20060101
A43B013/16; A43B 13/04 20060101 A43B013/04; A43D 86/00 20060101
A43D086/00; A43B 13/18 20060101 A43B013/18 |
Claims
1-15. (canceled)
16. A shoe, in particular sport shoe, having a sole and a shoe
upper part connected to the sole, wherein the sole is made, at
least in sections, from an expanded thermoplastic polyolefin,
wherein the section of the sole consisting of expanded
thermoplastic polyolefin consists of a plurality of spherical or
ellipsoidal plastic bodies which are joined to one another in a
substance-locking manner, and wherein the dimensions of the single
plastic bodies in the three spatial directions are between 0.5 mm
and 5.0 mm, wherein the section consisting of expanded
thermoplastic polyolefin forms an insert of the sole, wherein
further sections of the sole consisting of a material which is not
expanded thermoplastic polyolefin, wherein the further section of
the sole, which does not consist of expanded thermoplastic
polyolefin, consists at least in sections of an ethylene-vinyl
acetate copolymer, of expanded thermoplastic polyurethane, of
thermoplastic polyurethane, of thermoplastic elastomer, of
polyamide, of foamed polyurethane and/or of rubber material.
17. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the substance-locking
bond of the plastic bodies has been made by a welding process.
18. The shoe according to claim 17, wherein the welding process has
been carried out by introducing steam into a mold under a pressure
of between 1.0 and 4.0 bar, preferably between 1.0 and 2.0 bar.
19. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the substance-locking
bond of the plastic bodies has been made by an adhesive process
with the addition of an adhesive.
20. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the plastic bodies have
a weight between 5 mg and 10 mg.
21. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the section of the sole
consisting of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin has a density
between 100 and 250 g/l.
22. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the plastic bodies
consisting of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin have a density of
between 70 and 140 g/l before they are joined together.
23. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the section consisting
of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin forms a midsole of the
shoe.
24. The shoe according to claim 23, wherein an outer sole is
arranged below the midsole.
25. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the section consisting
of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin does not extend over the
entire height of the sole or midsole.
26. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the section consisting
of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin is arranged in the heel region
of the sole.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a shoe, in particular sport shoe,
having a sole and a shoe upper part connected to the sole.
[0002] For example, a shoe of the generic type is known from DE 10
2011 108 744 B4. Here an advantageously designed sports shoe is
described in which expanded (foamed) thermoplastic polyurethane
(E-TPU) is used as the material for the sole of the shoe. WO
2007/082838 A1 also describes that expanded thermoplastic
polyurethane (E-TPU) can be advantageously used for shoe soles.
This document also contains detailed information on this plastic
material; reference is made to this document in this respect. DE
203 20 091 U1 shows another shoe of the generic kind; GB 2 016 259
A1 shows a similar solution.
[0003] Urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer, in particular in
expanded form, is also described, for example, in WO 2010/010010
A1, to which reference is made in this respect. EP 2 452 969 A1
discloses a process for the production of expandable thermoplastic
particles by post-impregnation. EP 2 565 225 A1 describes coated
expandable polymer particles.
[0004] It has turned out that the mentioned material can already be
used to achieve very good properties, in particular of a sports
shoe, but that there is still a need for further optimisation. This
applies in particular to the weight of the sole material, which
should be as low as possible, but still have good spring and
cushioning properties.
[0005] Therefore, it is an object of the invention to further
develop a shoe of the above mentioned kind in such a way that the
weight of the shoe and the spring and damping properties of the
sole of the shoe can be influenced in a further improved manner.
Furthermore, the manufacturability of the shoe should be
simple.
[0006] The solution of this object by the invention is
characterized in that the sole is made, at least in sections, from
an expanded thermoplastic polyolefin (E-TPO), wherein the section
of the sole consisting of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin (E-TPO)
consists of a plurality of (at first, i.e. in the initial state)
spherical or ellipsoidal plastic bodies which are joined to one
another in a substance-locking manner, and wherein the dimensions
of the single plastic bodies in the three spatial directions are
between 0.5 mm and 5.0 mm, wherein the section consisting of
expanded thermoplastic polyolefin forms an insert of the sole,
wherein further sections of the sole consisting of a material which
is not expanded thermoplastic polyolefin, wherein the further
section of the sole, which does not consist of expanded
thermoplastic polyolefln, consists at least in sections of an
ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), of expanded thermoplastic
polyurethane (E-TPU), of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), of
thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), of polyamide (PA), of foamed
polyurethane and/or of rubber material.
[0007] For the processing of said plastic bodies, reference is made
to the above mentioned DE 10 2011 108 744 B4. The aforementioned
shape of the plastic body refers to the initial product, i.e.
before the plastic bodies are joined together (welded or glued
under pressure); the bond causes the individual bodies to deform so
that the spherical or ellipsoidal shape is no longer completely
retained.
[0008] The substance-locking bond between the plastic bodies can be
achieved by a welding process. The welding process can be carried
out in particular by introducing steam into a mould at a pressure
of between 1.0 and 4.0 bar, preferably between 1.0 and 2.0 bar.
This enables a precise geometric formation of the sole and a simple
manufacturing possibility.
[0009] The substance-locking bond between the plastic bodies can
also be achieved by an adhesive process with the addition of an
adhesive.
[0010] The plastic bodies preferably have a weight between 5 mg and
10 mg.
[0011] The section of the sole consisting of expanded thermoplastic
polyolefin has preferably have a density between 100 and 250 g/I
(grams per litre).
[0012] However, it is preferred that the plastic bodies consisting
of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin have a density between 70 and
140 g/I before they are joined together.
[0013] The section consisting of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin
can form a midsole of the shoe. An outsole can then be placed under
this.
[0014] The section consisting of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin
can, according to a special embodiment of the invention, not extend
over the entire height of the sole or midsole.
[0015] The section consisting of expanded thermoplastic polyolefin
is preferably arranged in the heel region of the sole.
[0016] The proposed material, thus E-TPO, is an expanded
thermoplastic elastomer based on olefins, wherein here mainly
polypropylene (PP) or ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) is
used. Thermoplastic polyolefin is therefore a mixture of a
polyolefin-based plastic (usually PP) and an elastomer such as
EPDM.
[0017] TPOs are polymer blends that can be produced hard or soft
depending on their composition. Hard TPOs, where PP and talc can
make up around 75% of the composition, are often used as
impact-reinforced plastics. However, soft TPOs have a significantly
higher elastomer content, in some cases up to 70%. The advantage
over other thermoplastic elastomers is that TPO is on average much
cheaper.
[0018] Advantageous properties that are used in the proposed
material selection are a wide temperature range in which the
material can be used (-55.degree. C. to +115.degree. C.) and a
hardness range from 55 Shore A to 70 Shore D. The proposed material
is very resistant to ageing.
[0019] In summary, it can be said that the invention provides for
at least one section of the sole made of E-TPO, i.e. expanded
thermoplastic polyolefin (i.e. an elastomer-based olefin). In terms
of material properties, this material lies roughly between EVA and
E-TPU and is therefore used advantageously in the sense of the
above task.
[0020] The proposed material used is up to 30% lighter than E-TPU,
which provides respective benefits. However, the springback
property is comparable to that of E-TPU.
[0021] When processing the proposed material, and in particular
when joining the individual plastic bodies by steam at the above
preferred pressure between 1.0 bar and 4.0 bar (in particular
between 1.0 and 2.0 bar), the pressure is advantageous lower than
that required one for processing E-TPU for the same purpose. Thus,
the manufacturing process is more effective than E-TPU
processing.
[0022] Another advantage is a lower degree of yellowing compared to
the E-TPU used up to now.
[0023] Due to the preferred use of very small, lightweight plastic
bodies (in the preferred weight range between 5 mg and 10 mg),
smaller bodies are available than is typically the case with the
use of E-TPU. This results in a better forming of the tool shape on
the sole and a higher productivity.
[0024] Finally, a higher resistance to hydrolysis compared to E-TPU
should also be mentioned.
[0025] The sole can be connected to the upper part of the shoe
(shoe upper) by sewing or gluing, which is known as such.
[0026] In the drawings an embodiment of the invention is shown.
[0027] FIG. 1 shows the side view of a sports shoe,
[0028] FIG. 2 shows the section A-B according to FIG. 1 through the
sports shoe and
[0029] FIG. 3 shows schematically the detail "X" according to FIG.
2.
[0030] FIG. 1 shows a shoe 1 having a sole 2 and a shoe upper part
upper 3. Shoe 1 has a midsole located between shoe upper part 3 and
an outer sole 6 which forms the footprint of the shoe on the
ground.
[0031] The central approach for the proposed design of the shoe is
that the sole 2 consists at least in sections of an expanded
thermoplastic polyolefin (E-TPO). FIG. 1 shows a section 4 of sole
2 that is designed as an insert that forms a part of the midsole.
This section 4 consists of E-TPO.
[0032] The remaining sole 2, and in particular the midsole between
the shoe upper 2 and the outer sole 6, consists of a section 7
which does not consist of E-TPO.
[0033] By doing so the spring and damping properties of the shoe
can be beneficially influenced.
[0034] As can be seen from FIG. 2, in the embodiment the section 4
made of E-TPO does not extend over the entire height H of sole 2,
but only part of it.
[0035] From the schematic magnification "X" according to FIG. 2, as
shown in FIG. 3, it follows that the section 4 made of E-TPO is
formed from a plurality of plastic bodies 5 which are
substance-locked together. Thereby, individual plastic bodies 5, as
advantageously specified above in terms of size and weight or
density, are placed in a mould and joined together using steam with
a pressure between 1.0 and 2.0 bar, in which the individual plastic
bodies 5 melt on their surface and join with other plastic bodies
5.
[0036] The result is a compact material that can be used to form
the described section or insert 4.
[0037] This results in a sole that is inexpensive to manufacture
and has improved spring and damping properties compared to the
solutions already known, especially with regard to those where
E-TPU is used.
[0038] In the embodiment, there is a section 4 in the heel area of
sole 2, which is particularly advantageous. However, it is also
possible to provide that a further section 4 of the form described
is used in other areas of the sole, e.g. In the forefoot area.
[0039] Of course, it can also be provided that the complete
midsole, which is arranged between the shoe upper part 3 and the
outer sole 6, consists of E-TPO, which is not shown in the
example.
[0040] Thus not only the spring and damping behaviour of the sole
and thus of the shoe can be influenced very advantageously; at the
same time, the manufacturing process can be carried out simply and
cost-effectively.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0041] 1 Shoe [0042] 2 Sole [0043] 3 Shoe upper part [0044] 4
Section of the sole made of E-TPO [0045] 5 Plastic body [0046] 6
Outer sole [0047] 7 Section of the sole made of non-E-TPO [0048] H
Height of the sole
* * * * *