Sole comprising a removable component

Abstract

An article of footwear is provided that includes an upper and a sole attached to the upper, where the sole includes a shell and an outsole attached to the shell, and the shell defines an interior space. The midsole is located in the interior space and detachably attached to the housing.

Description

Background Art

[0001] The present application relates generally to shoes and, more particularly, to shoe components made from sustainable and recyclable materials that can be removed from the shoe to help reduce the shoe's environmental impact.

[0002] Shoes consist of several shoe parts, such as the upper and the sole (including the midsole and outsole). These parts are often made of materials such as ethylene vinyl acetate and polymer-based materials that are not easily disassembled and recycled. Since most shoes have a lifespan of less than a year, old shoes end up in landfills and garbage dumps, exacerbating the global waste problem.

[0003] Sustainable materials are materials used in the consumer and industrial economy that can be produced in the quantities needed without depleting non-renewable resources and without damaging the environment and critical natural resource systems. Such materials are numerous and can include bio-based polymers or highly recyclable materials that can be reprocessed an unlimited number of times without the need for additional mineral resources. These materials help reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills and garbage dumps, thereby helping to reduce the impact of waste on the environment and the global economy.

[0004] It would therefore be desirable to provide shoes that include components made from sustainable materials to help reduce the impact of used shoes on the environment and the global economy. Summary of the invention

[0005] The footwear of the present application includes one or more shoe components that are made of sustainable, replaceable, interchangeable and / or recyclable materials and can be removed from the shoe to be replaced and / or recycled and reincorporated into new shoes in the supply chain or recycled for other purposes to help reduce the amount of used shoes stored in waste storage areas, thereby helping to reduce global waste.

[0006] In one embodiment, a footwear article is provided, which includes an upper and a sole attached to the upper, wherein the sole includes a shell and an outsole attached to the shell, and the shell defines an interior space. A midsole is located in the interior space and is detachably attached to the shell.

[0007] In another embodiment, a sole for footwear is provided, wherein the sole comprises a shell and an outer sole, the shell having a peripheral wall and a bottom wall, and the shell defines an interior space, and the outer sole is attached to the bottom surface of the shell. The midsole is located in the interior space and is detachably attached to the shell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 It is a right side view of an embodiment of the shoe of the present application.

[0009] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 side view of shoe.

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 top view of shoes.

[0011] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Bottom view of the shoe.

[0012] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of a shoe showing the sole being partially disassembled.

[0013] Figure 6 is taken approximately along line 6-6 in the direction generally indicated Figure 3 Cross-section of a shoe.

[0014] Figure 7 is taken approximately along line 7-7 in the direction generally indicated Figure 2 Cross-section of a shoe.

[0015] Figure 8 is from Figure 1 A perspective view of one embodiment of a shoe with a portion of a sole removed.

[0016] Fig. 9 It is a side view of another embodiment in which the upper is a sockliner.

[0017] Fig. 10A yes Fig. 9 A side view of an upper of the shoe in which an upper portion of the upper is expanded or stretched away from a lower portion.

[0018] Fig. 10B yes Fig. 10A A side view of the upper in which the upper is folded over the lower.

[0019] Fig.11 is a side view of another embodiment of a shoe in which a removable release strap is used to attach the upper to the sole.

[0020] Fig.12 is a left side view of another embodiment of a shoe.

[0021] Fig.13 yes Fig.12 side view of shoe.

[0022] Fig.14 yes Fig.12 top view of shoes.

[0023] Fig.15 yes Fig.12 view of shoes.

[0024] Fig.16 yes Fig.12view of tongue of a stylish shoe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The shoes of the present application include one or more components made from sustainable and / or recyclable materials that are removable to reduce the amount of used shoes sent to landfills, garbage dumps, and other waste areas.

[0026] Reference now Figure 1-7 , an article of footwear or shoe 20 includes one embodiment of a sole generally shown as 22, wherein the sole 22 includes a shell 24 attached to an upper 26 and an outsole 28 attached to the shell. The shell 24 is made of a substantially rigid material and has a peripheral wall 30 with an outer surface 32 and an inner surface 34 and a bottom wall 36 attached to the peripheral wall 30 and having an upper surface 38 and a bottom surface 40. The peripheral wall 30 and the bottom wall 36 may be integrally formed together to form the shell 24, or may be formed separately and attached together in a compression molding process or other suitable attachment process.

[0027] In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 24 is made of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), but may also be made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), foam, or any suitable material or combination of materials. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the outsole 28 is attached to the bottom surface 40 of the shell 24 by an adhesive or molding process and is made of rubber. The outsole 28 generally includes a plurality of tread members 42, which are configured to grip the underlying surface, such as the ground, during movement. It should be understood that the outsole 28 can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials.

[0028] See also Figure 5-Figure 8, the shell 24 defines an internal space 44, which is configured to receive a removable midsole 46. The midsole 46 is preferably made of recyclable materials, such as foam materials based on sugar cane or other suitable bio-based materials, and has a thickness of 2.0mm to 7.0mm. In another embodiment, the thickness of the midsole is 10mm to 40mm. In this embodiment, the upper surface 48 of the midsole 46 has a profile corresponding to the shape of a human foot, thereby acting as a foot pad to provide cushioning for the human foot. The (one or more) materials used to make the midsole 46 and the shell 24 can have the same hardness value or different hardness values. In one embodiment, the hardness value of the midsole 46 is less than the hardness value of the shell 24, so that the shell provides support for the human foot, and the midsole provides cushioning for the human foot. In another embodiment, the hardness of the midsole 46 and the shell 24 varies along the length and / or width of the midsole and the shell. For example, the hardness value of the inner side of the shell 24 is greater than the hardness value of the outer side of the shell 24 and the midsole 46, thereby providing additional support to the inner side of the human foot to help reduce inversion during exercise. In another example, the hardness value of the outside of shell 24 is greater than the hardness value of the inside of shell 24 and midsole 46, thereby providing additional support to the outside of the human foot to help reduce eversion during exercise. It should be understood that the hardness value of shell 24 and / or midsole 46 can be adjusted to provide support and cushioning to different parts of the human foot.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the midsole 46 can be removed from the shell 24, such as Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown. In this way, before discarding the shoes, the midsole 46 is disassembled from the shell 24, so that the midsole can be recycled, and the amount of the remaining part of the old shoes is less than that of traditional old shoes. This process reduces the number of old shoes that are added in landfills, garbage dumps and other waste storage areas. In addition, by forming a midsole 46 with a thickness of 2.0mm to 40mm, the size of the shell 24 is reduced to help reduce the amount of old shoes that enter the waste storage area. In one embodiment, the amount of material forming the midsole 46 is equal to or greater than the amount of material forming the shell 24. As described below, and depending on the desired level of cushioning, support and comfort, the midsole 46 can also be disassembled and replaced by another midsole made of the same material or different materials. In this way, the midsole 46 can be recycled, replaced and / or interchanged. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the midsole is made of an anti-odor material, an antibacterial material and / or a moisture wicking material.

[0030] In addition, making the midsole 46 removable from the housing 24 will require less adhesive or glue to secure the midsole in place while also allowing the midsole to be removed from the housing. Less adhesive is also used to attach the upper to the midsole, making it easier to remove the upper from the midsole during disassembly and before the shoe components are sent to a waste storage area. In one embodiment, the adhesive required to secure the midsole in place and / or secure the upper to the midsole is reduced by at least 50% compared to the adhesive used to secure the midsole and upper with a conventional shoe. Using less adhesive can reduce the material and production costs associated with the shoe and reduce the amount of adhesive (i.e., adhesive component) that ultimately enters a waste storage area.

[0031] In another embodiment, the upper 26 is made of a recyclable material, such as a natural material, i.e., wool, tree material, and / or sugar cane material, wherein the upper 26 (including the laces) is attached to the shell 24 by stitching around the perimeter of the upper and the shell. In this embodiment, the upper can be removed from the shell 24 by removing or cutting the stitching that attaches the upper to the shell. In another embodiment, the upper is removed from the shell by dissolving or removing the adhesive that attaches the upper to the shell, or the upper 26 can have a frangible connection so that it can be pulled or torn off the shell to remove the upper 26 from the shell 24. Fig.11 In the illustrated embodiment, the upper 26 is attached to the housing 24 using a removable strap 50 that extends along the entire periphery of the upper 26 and the housing 24. The strap 50 can be made of fabric, plastic, wax, rope or thread, or any suitable material or combination of materials. In the illustrated embodiment, one end of the strap 50 has a projection 52 that is attached to the housing 24 or the upper 26 by an adhesive or other suitable attachment method, and can be pulled apart so that one can grasp the projection 52 and pull the strap 50 off the upper 26 and the housing 24 along the entire periphery of the upper and the housing to separate and disassemble the upper from the housing. The disassembled upper 26 can then be recycled to further reduce the amount of old shoes that enter the waste storage area.

[0032] See also Fig. 9 , Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B, shows another embodiment of a footwear article 53 of the present application, wherein the shoe includes a shell 54 and an upper 56 attached to the shell. In this embodiment, the upper 56 is made of a single piece of material and has an upper portion 58 and a lower portion 60. The lower portion 60 forms a lining that defines an interior space 62 configured to receive a human foot. As shown, the peripheral wall 64 of the shell 54 defines a recessed area 66 to receive the lower portion 60 of the upper 56, wherein the lower portion is attached to the peripheral wall 64 and / or the upper surface 68 of the bottom wall 70 of the shell 54 by stitching, adhesive, or any suitable attachment method, wherein the lower portion 60 can be removed from the shell before discarding the shoe. When the lower portion is placed in the recessed area 66 of the shell 54, the upper portion 58 of the upper 56 is initially in a Fig. 10A The extended position shown is then folded or stretched over the lower portion, as Fig. 10B 54 and forms the outer layer of the upper. In another embodiment, the upper portion 58 of the upper 56 is attached to the lower portion 60 to secure the upper portion in place. In the above embodiment, the upper portion 58 and the lower portion 60 are made of a single piece of material. In another embodiment, the upper portion 58 and the lower portion 60 are made of different materials and attached together at one end to form a lining.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, the outsole can be made of recyclable materials, for example, rubber, and attached to the sole using adhesive, stitching or other suitable attachment methods. In this way, the outsole can be removed from the sole by dissolving the adhesive or pulling the outsole off from the sole. In one embodiment, the outsole is ground by using a grinding device to remove the outsole from the bottom of the sole. Then, the abrasive particles of the outsole can be collected and recycled. In one embodiment, the bottom surface of the sole includes a wear indicator, for example, a colored material or the bottom of the sole has a color so that the grinding of the outsole is stopped when the wear indicator is visible. It should be understood that any suitable type of wear indicator can be used at the bottom of the sole. In addition, the outsole can also be polished off from the bottom of the sole using a grinding device.

[0034] Reference now Figures 12 to 16, another embodiment of the shoe of the present application is shown, wherein the shoe 72 includes an upper 74 attached to a sole 76. The sole 76 includes a shell 78 made of EVA or another suitable material as described above, and the shell 78 has a peripheral wall 80 and a bottom wall 82. In one embodiment, the shell 78 is formed integrally by molding, three-dimensional (3D) printing or other processes. In another embodiment, the peripheral wall 80 and the bottom wall 82 are formed separately and then connected together by adhesive, stitching, molding or other processes. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper 74 is attached to the shell by stitching and / or adhesive. The upper 74 can be made of any suitable material as described above. The outsole 84 made of rubber or other suitable materials is attached to the bottom surface 86 of the sole 76, and more specifically, to the bottom surface of the shell 78. In addition, the tongue 88 is manufactured separately and attached to the upper 74 by stitching or other attachment processes.

[0035] In this embodiment, the peripheral wall of the shell has a height H2 that is greater than 50% of the height H1 of the shoe along at least a portion of the length of the shoe. This structure provides additional support to the side of the human foot during exercise. In other embodiments, the height of the peripheral wall can be greater than 50% of the height of the shoe on the inside of the shoe, on the outside of the shoe, or along the entire perimeter of the shoe. Similar to the above embodiment, the midsole 90 ( Fig.14 ) is inserted into the shell. When the shoe is ready to be discarded, the midsole 90 is disassembled and recycled. In addition, the upper 74 and the outsole 84 are also disassembled and recycled. The shell 78 can also be made of recyclable materials and recycled. In another embodiment, if the upper, shell and outsole are still usable, a new midsole can be inserted into the shell. In this case, the disassembled midsole will be recycled.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the midsole can be disassembled and replaced with a different midsole. For example, the first midsole can be made of a highly flexible soft foam material to provide additional cushioning to the human foot, and the second midsole can be made of a foam material with a support member (e.g., a carbon fiber substrate) to provide additional support in a specified area of ​​the human foot. People can use the first midsole or the second midsole depending on the type of runner and the amount of cushioning and support required by the runner. It should be understood that there can be multiple midsoles that can be inserted into the shell, and the multiple midsoles have different amounts of cushioning and support. In this embodiment, the midsole is made of recyclable materials so that when the midsole is ready to be discarded, it can be disassembled and / or recycled as described above.

[0037] While particular embodiments of the shoe of the present application have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader aspects of the application and as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A shoe product, comprising: vamp; a sole attached to the upper, the sole comprising a shell and an outsole attached to the shell, wherein the shell defines an interior space; as well as A midsole is located in the interior space and is detachably attached to the shell.

2. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the midsole is greater than the thickness of the shell.

3. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein: The housing includes a peripheral wall and a bottom wall.

4. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the midsole varies along at least one of the length and the width of the midsole.

5. The footwear according to claim 4, wherein: The thickness of the shell varies along at least one of the length and the width of the midsole.

6. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the shell varies along at least one of the length and the width of the midsole.

7. The footwear of claim 1 further comprising a removable strap attached to the upper and the sole, wherein: The strip extends around the peripheral surface of the upper and the sole.

8. The footwear according to claim 7, wherein: The strap includes protrusions configured to be grasped by a user and pulled away from the upper and sole.

9. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein: The upper includes an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being movable between an extended position and a folded position, wherein in the folded position the upper portion at least partially overlaps the lower portion.

10. The footwear of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of midsoles, wherein: At least two midsoles are made of different materials, and one of the midsoles is located in the shell.

11. A sole for a shoe product, the sole comprising: A housing, comprising a peripheral wall and a bottom wall, the housing defining an internal space; an outsole attached to a bottom surface of the shell; as well as A midsole is located in the interior space and is detachably attached to the shell.

12. The shoe sole according to claim 11, wherein: The thickness of the midsole is greater than the thickness of the shell.

13. The shoe sole according to claim 11, wherein: The thickness of the midsole varies along at least one of the length and the width of the midsole.

14. The shoe sole according to claim 13, wherein: The thickness of the shell varies along at least one of the length and the width of the midsole.

15. The shoe sole according to claim 11, wherein: The thickness of the shell varies along at least one of the length and the width of the midsole.

16. The footwear of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of midsoles, wherein: At least two midsoles are made of different materials, and one of the midsoles is located in the shell.

Images