System and method for connecting shoe functional component to upper component
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202480002215.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-07
AI Technical Summary
The fixing methods of traditional shoe functional parts and upper parts have problems such as inconsistent consistency, easy breakage, loose fixation and unsightly appearance.
Using welding mold and hot-melt adhesive film technology, the functional parts of the shoe and the upper parts are directly welded through hot pressing to form a seamless connection and improve the fixing strength and aesthetics.
It achieves a stable, safe and comfortable connection between the upper parts and the shoe functional parts, improves the overall production level and ease of use of the shoes, and is especially suitable for functional footwear, such as cycling shoes, tennis shoes, etc.
Smart Images
Figure CN119584885A_ABST
Abstract
Description
System and method for connecting shoe functional components and upper components Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to a method and device for manufacturing shoes, and in particular to a method and device for fixing functional components of shoes to a shoe upper. Background Art
[0002] Shoe functional components, such as rotating shoe buckles, wire buckles, ring buckles, webbing, etc., all include different shoe tightening system functional parts, such as rotatable shoe buckle parts and base parts. Fixing the shoe functional parts on the surface of the shoe upper has always been a challenge faced by the industry.
[0003] For example, a rotating shoe buckle typically consists of a base component and a rotating component attached to it. The traditional method of securing the base component to the shoe surface is to sew it. However, this method has several issues and drawbacks, such as inconsistent hand-sewing, the reliance on individual sewing threads, which can easily break and fall off, loose threads, and an unsightly, untidy appearance. Summary of the Invention
[0004] One of the purposes of this application is to solve these problems and propose a new method for fixing the functional components of shoes and the upper components, so as to improve the surface consistency, comfort, safety of the shoes and enhance the overall manufacturing level of the shoes.
[0005] To this end, some embodiments of the present application provide a connection system between a shoe functional component and an upper component, which includes the shoe functional component including a base; the upper component including a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure including an outer upper layer structure and an inner layer structure, the outer upper layer structure including a first portion that can cover at least a portion of the base of the shoe functional component, and a second portion for connecting to the inner layer structure; a welding mold, the welding mold including a pressure-bearing portion for matching the shape of the base, and a plane portion for supporting the second portion of the outer upper layer structure, a second positioning structure for positioning the multi-layer structure is provided on the plane portion; the shoe The functional component includes a positioning portion, which cooperates with the first positioning structure of the welding mold so that the base and the pressure-bearing part of the welding mold press the first part of the outer upper layer structure between the two; the welding equipment, the welding equipment includes a hot pressing unit, which is configured to hot press the welding mold provided with the shoe functional component and the upper component from the upper and lower directions at a set temperature and pressure to hot press the first part of the outer upper layer structure to form the first part of the welding layer and fix it to the base, and hot press the second part of the outer upper layer structure to form the second part of the welding layer to fix it to the inner layer structure.
[0006] In some embodiments, the outer upper layer structure includes an outer surface film layer, a mesh layer and a hot melt adhesive film layer arranged in sequence as a separate layer or as a component of the outer surface film layer or the mesh layer; wherein, before hot pressing, the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer is in contact with the base, the first part of the mesh layer is in contact with the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer, and the first part of the outer surface film layer is in contact with the first part of the mesh layer; or the outer upper layer structure includes an outer surface film layer and a hot melt adhesive film layer as a separate layer or as a component of the outer surface film layer, and before hot pressing, the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer is in contact with the base, and the first part of the outer surface film layer is in contact with the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer.
[0007] In some embodiments, the base portion includes a tapered or curved contoured surface.
[0008] In some embodiments, the base portion includes a support portion formed by a tapered or arcuate surface and a molding surface extending outwardly from the support portion in the axial direction and the radial direction.
[0009] In some embodiments, the shoe functional component is a base component of a rotary shoe buckle assembly, which includes an adapter portion of a ring cylinder and a base extending radially outward from the adapter portion, the outer surface film layer includes a first middle hole, the mesh layer includes a second middle hole, and the hot melt adhesive film layer includes a third middle hole. The adapter passes through the first middle hole, the second middle hole and the third middle hole, so that the hot melt adhesive film layer is in contact with the base.
[0010] In some embodiments, the inner diameters of the third middle hole, the second middle hole, and the first middle hole are distributed in a gradually decreasing gradient.
[0011] In some embodiments, the outer surface film layer is a TPU film layer, the mesh layer is a textile fabric, the material of the textile fabric is TPU, nylon, polyamide, acrylic, vinylon, polyester, spandex, cotton, nylon, viscose fiber, chemical fiber, wool, linen, silk, nylon, polyethylene, chloroprene, MOLO yarn, polyamide fiber, carbon fiber, glass fiber, polypropylene, graphene, polyethylene, plant fiber, polypropylene fiber, acrylic fiber or thermoplastic polymer; the hot melt adhesive film layer is a TPU hot melt adhesive film layer.
[0012] The outer surface film layer is a TPU film layer with a thickness of 0.3~0.7 mm, the mesh layer is a mesh layer with a thickness of 0.5~1.4 mm, the hot melt adhesive film layer is a TPU hot melt adhesive film layer with a thickness of 0.15~0.25 mm, a pressing temperature of 120~150℃, and a pressing time of 10~20 seconds, and the inner layer structure is a microfiber material layer with a thickness of 0.5~1.4 mm; the welding equipment is configured with an upper hot pressing module 421 temperature of 220~240 degrees Celsius, a lower hot pressing module temperature of 100~120 degrees Celsius, a time of 25~30 seconds, and a pressure of 30 kgf.
[0013] In some embodiments, the inner layer structure includes a single layer structure of an artificial leather layer or a microfiber material layer, or a mesh composite adhesive film composed of the material constituting the outer surface film layer, a mesh layer and a hot melt adhesive film layer.
[0014] In some embodiments, the outer surface film layer is a film layer of PU (polyurethane), EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer), PA (polyamide), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), textile fabric, artificial leather or microfiber material.
[0015] In some embodiments, the welding equipment also includes a cooling unit. The cooling unit includes an upper cooling module and a lower cooling module that can be controlled to close or open; the temperature of the upper cooling module is 15~25 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the lower cooling module is 15~25 degrees Celsius, the cooling time is 15~20 seconds, and the pressure is 30 kgf.
[0016] To this end, some other embodiments of the present application provide a method for connecting a shoe functional component to an upper component, which includes the steps of: providing the shoe functional component, the shoe functional component including a base and a positioning portion; providing the upper component, the upper component including a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure including an outer upper layer structure and an inner layer structure, the outer upper layer structure including a first part that can cover at least a part of the base of the shoe functional component, and a second part for connecting to the inner layer structure; providing a welding mold, the welding mold including a pressure-bearing part for matching the shape of the base, and a plane part for supporting the second part of the outer upper layer structure, and a second part for positioning the multi-layer structure is provided on the plane part. Positioning structure; positioning the outer upper layer on the welding mold through the second positioning structure; matching the shoe functional component with the first positioning structure of the welding mold through the positioning part so that the base and the pressure-bearing part of the welding mold press the first part of the outer upper layer structure therebetween; hot pressing the welding mold provided with the shoe functional component and the upper component at a set temperature and pressure to hot press the first part of the outer upper layer structure to form a first part such as a welding layer and fixedly connect it to the base, and hot press the second part of the outer upper layer structure to form a second part of the welding layer to fixedly connect it to the inner layer structure to obtain a hot-pressed part; and cooling and shaping the hot-pressed part.
[0017] The system and / or method proposed in this application uses mold heating and hot-melt adhesive film to assist in reaching the melting point of the plastic, and directly welds accessories such as plastic rotating buckles, plastic wire buckles, plastic ring buckles and fabric webbing to the shoe upper through mold heating and conductive machine pressure, so that these different materials are welded to the shoe upper as one, with a neat and beautiful appearance, and the force-bearing area is transformed from the previous single sewing line to a regional force fixation on the shoe upper.
[0018] The seamless welding process improves the problems and shortcomings of the traditional manual sewing method of shoes, improves shoemaking technology, and takes shoemaking technology to a higher level; it is especially targeted at functional shoes such as cycling shoes, tennis shoes, hiking shoes, golf shoes, diabetic shoes, running shoes, etc.; it improves user convenience, comfort and safety.
[0019] This application BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG1 is a top view of a structure of a welding mold for a base component and an upper component of a rotary shoe buckle according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0021] FIG2A is a schematic perspective view of the structure of a base component of a rotating shoe buckle according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0022] FIG2B is a schematic structural perspective view of a base component of a rotating shoe buckle according to another embodiment of the present application;
[0023] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the base component and the upper component of the rotating shoe buckle according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0024] FIG4A is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship of the base components of the rotary shoe buckle before welding according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0025] 4B is a schematic structural diagram of a partial layer structure of an upper component after the base component of a rotary shoe buckle is positioned on a welding mold before welding according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0026] 4C is a schematic diagram of a partial layer structure of an upper component before welding of a base component of a rotary shoe buckle according to an embodiment of the present application, and a schematic diagram of a structure after the base component is positioned on a welding mold;
[0027] FIG4D is a schematic diagram of a partial layer structure of an upper component of a rotating shoe buckle before welding the base component and a structural diagram of the base component after being positioned on a welding mold and hot-pressed according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0028] FIG4E is a schematic structural diagram of a welding mold and a base component positioned thereon according to another embodiment of the present application;
[0029] 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial layer structure of an upper component of a rotary shoe buckle before a base component is welded, and a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure after the base component is welded, shaped, and cooled;
[0030] 5B is a bottom view of a partial layer structure of an upper component of a rotary shoe buckle before the base component is welded, and a schematic diagram of the structure after the base component is welded, shaped, and cooled according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0031] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a double-sided welding machine according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0032] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the main process of a method for welding a base component and an upper component of a rotary shoe buckle according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] The specific implementation of this application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0034] The specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative and are for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in many alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
[0035] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed associated items.
[0036] The terms used herein are intended only to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", "an item" used herein are also intended to include the plural. It should also be understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "include" used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, units and / or components, and do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, units, components and / or combinations thereof.
[0037] It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions / actions mentioned may occur in a different order than that indicated in the accompanying drawings. For example, two figures shown in succession may actually be performed substantially simultaneously or may sometimes be performed in the reverse order, depending on the functions / actions involved.
[0038] Referring to Figure 1 , to achieve seamless welding and fixation of a base component of a rotating shoe buckle, some embodiments of the present application provide a welding die 100. The welding die 100 includes an inner recess 110 and a planar portion 120 surrounding the inner recess. The inner recess 110 corresponds in shape to the base component of the rotating shoe buckle, for example, including a raised portion 1101 radially outwardly extending from the center, an annular groove 1102, and a sloped molding surface 1103. First positioning pegs 1104, such as the pair of first positioning pegs shown in Figure 1 , are positioned at desired locations on the raised portion 1101 to prevent rotation or displacement of the base component during hot press welding. The planar portion 120 also includes a plurality of second positioning pegs 1201 for positioning the upper material, at least to prevent displacement of the various layers of the upper material during hot press welding.
[0039] The welding mold can be formed from thin aluminum sheet with a thickness of approximately 4-10 mm, preferably 6-8 mm. Thin aluminum sheet provides good heat transfer performance. Too thin aluminum sheet has poor strength and is prone to deformation. Too thick aluminum sheet cannot meet the heat transfer requirements for rapid temperature rise and temperature control. Optionally, after the shape of the welding mold is determined, the side of the mold facing the shoe component can be coated with Teflon material to protect the mold surface and facilitate removal of the base component, to which the upper material has been welded, from the mold after hot press welding, while maintaining the consistency of the upper surface effect.
[0040] Figures 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of the base component 300 of the rotating shoe buckle in this application. As can be seen, base component 300 includes a cylindrical adapter portion 301 for adapting to the rotating component of the rotating shoe buckle, a base 302 with an inclined or curved surface, and a mating portion 303 at the bottom of the area enclosed by the cylindrical adapter portion 301. A positioning hole for engaging the first positioning peg 1104 is provided at a corresponding position of the mating portion 303. Base component 300 is typically made of a plastic material, including but not limited to polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyamide (PA), or copolyester materials (such as PETG and PCTG), and is formed using an integral molding process.
[0041] Regarding the plastic material typically used for the base component 300, as shown in FIG3 , the upper component 200 may include the following layered material structure: a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer film layer (TPU film layer) 210, a mesh layer 220, a TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer 230, and an inner layer structure 240. It should be understood that the TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer can be implemented as a separate layer or as part of the TPU film layer or mesh layer 220, that is, it can be pre-combined with the TPU film layer or mesh layer. Therefore, although the following embodiments are described using a separate TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer can be simply converted into a composite layer with the TPU film layer or mesh layer 220.
[0042] As shown in Figure 4A, a TPU film layer 210 is placed on a welding mold 100. A mesh layer 220, a TPU hot melt adhesive layer 230, a base component 300, and an inner layer structure 240 are placed sequentially on top of the TPU film layer 210. The TPU film layer 210 has a first central hole 211, the mesh layer 220 has a second central hole 221, and the TPU hot melt adhesive layer 230 has a third central hole 231. The sizes of the first middle hole 211, the second middle hole 221 and the third middle hole 231 are set to be larger than the lateral size of the adapter part 301 of the base component 300, such as the outer diameter of the adapter part 301, but smaller than the lateral size of the base 302 of the base component 300, such as the diameter, so that the adapter part 301 can be fitted in the annular groove 1102 of the welding mold through the three middle holes, and at least a part of the TPU film layer 210, the mesh layer 220, and the TPU hot melt adhesive film layer 230 can overlap with the base 302.
[0043] The TPU film layer 210 can be a 0.3-0.7 mm TPU film. The TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer 230 can be a TPU hot-melt adhesive film with a thickness of 0.15-0.25 mm, a pressing temperature of 120-150°C, and a pressing time of 10-20 seconds. Optionally, a single silicone release paper liner can be added. The inner layer structure 240 can be a single layer structure, such as a 0.8-1.4 mm artificial synthetic leather layer, a microfiber material (a composite material of ultrafine fiber and PU), or a 0.8-1.4 mm layer. The mesh layer 220 can also be 0.8-1.4 mm. Alternatively, the inner layer structure 240 can be a composite structure, for example, using the same composite structure as the outer surface film layer, namely, a mesh composite film composed of a TPU film layer, a mesh layer, and a TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer.
[0044] The configuration of the materials of each layer in each embodiment of the present application is shown in Table 1:
[0045] Table 1: Example TPU film thickness (mm) mesh layer thickness (mm) TPU hot melt adhesive film thickness (mm) microfiber material thickness (mm) 10.3 0.5 0.15 0.8 2 0.5 0.8 0.2-0.25 1.0-1.2 3 0.5 1.0-1.2 0.25 Example
[0046] As shown in Figures 4B, 4C, and 4D, when the mesh layer 220 and the TPU hot melt adhesive film layer 230 are placed on the TPU film layer 210 in sequence and positioned on the second positioning peg 1201 of the welding mold 100 in sequence, the base component 300 is placed, and the base component 300 cooperates with the first positioning peg 1104 through its positioning hole 304 to achieve accurate positioning on the welding mold. Since the sizes of the TPU film layer 210, the mesh layer 220 and the TPU hot melt adhesive film layer 230 are set to allow the adapter 301 to pass through and at least a portion can overlap with the base 302, as the base component 300 is pressed down, the first part 212 of the TPU film layer 210, the first part 222 of the mesh layer 220, and the first part 232 of the TPU hot melt adhesive film layer 230 are squeezed between the base 302 and the molding surface 1103 of the welding mold 100, forming a first bonding part 251 that is bonded to the base 302, and the second part 213 of the TPU film layer 210, the second part 223 of the mesh layer 220, and the second part 232 of the TPU hot melt adhesive film layer 230 form a second bonding part 252 with the inner layer structure 240. That is, after heating and pressurizing according to a preset scheme, a TPU welding layer 250 can be formed. The first bonding portion 251 of the TPU welding layer 250 is welded to the base 302 of the base component 300, and the second bonding portion 252 of the TPU welding layer 250 is welded to the inner layer structure 240. After cooling and removing from the welding mold, the structure shown in Figures 5A and 5B is obtained. In Figure 5B, the double-dotted line represents the raised outline formed after the TPU welding layer 250 is attached to the base 320.
[0047] Because the radius of curvature of the film layer located higher up at the location corresponding to the base 302 is larger, more film material is required to cover the other lower film layers at the location corresponding to the base 302. Therefore, as shown in FIG4A , the size L3 of the third middle hole 231 can be slightly smaller than the size L2 of the second middle hole 221 and / or the size L1 of the first middle hole 211, for example, by 0.5 mm. Furthermore, if a mesh layer is included, the size L2 of the second middle hole 221 of the mesh layer can be slightly smaller than the size L1 of the first middle hole 211, for example, by 0.5 mm. This creates a gradient in the inner diameters of the third middle hole 231, the second middle hole 221, and / or the first middle hole 211. This gradient ensures that the TPU film is not exposed, or, if a mesh layer is included, that the mesh layer is not exposed, thereby resulting in a smooth edge of the resulting composite TPU welded layer 250.
[0048] With reference to Figure 7, some embodiments of the present application provide a double-sided welding machine 400, which includes a welding machine base 410, a top cover 440, and a welding unit 420 and a cooling unit 430 provided on the welding machine base 410 between the two, and a control unit 440 for connecting the welding unit 420 and the cooling unit 430. The welding unit 420 includes an upper hot pressing module 421 and a lower hot pressing module 422 that can be controlled to close or open. The upper hot pressing module 421 and the lower hot pressing module 422 can be set to different operating temperatures and closing pressures to obtain the desired hot pressing effect. For example, for the hot melt connection of a TPU film and a base component of a polypropylene or PETG material, the upper hot pressing module 421 temperature can be set to 220-240 degrees Celsius, the lower hot pressing module temperature can be set to 100-120 degrees Celsius, the time can be 25-30 seconds, and the pressure can be 30 kilograms of force.
[0049] For the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 5, the operating temperature, closing pressure and duration of the welding unit 420 that can be set are shown in Table 2:
[0050] Table 2: Example Upper hot press module temperature (°C) Lower hot press module temperature (°C) Pressure (kgf) Time (s) 122010030252230110303032401203030
[0051] The cooling unit 430 cools and shapes the welded intermediate obtained by the welding unit. The cooling unit 430 includes an upper cooling module 431 and a lower cooling module 432, which can be controlled to close or open. The upper cooling module 431 and the lower cooling module 432 can be set to different operating temperatures and closing pressures to achieve the desired cooling effect. For example, for the welded intermediate in Examples 1 to 5 above, the temperature of the upper cooling module is 15-25 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the lower cooling module is 15-25 degrees Celsius, the time is 15-20 seconds, and the pressure is 30 kgf.
[0052] For the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 5, the operating temperature, closing pressure and duration of the cooling unit 430 that can be set are shown in Table 3:
[0053] Table 3: Example Upper cooling module temperature (°C) Lower cooling module temperature (°C) Pressure (KG) Time (seconds) 125 25 30 152 20 20 30 17 3 15 15 30 20
[0054] The seamless welded body obtained after cooling was subjected to a tensile testing machine to test the breaking strength of the welded joint between the base and upper components. The results were as follows: Example 1: 2.54 kg / cm; Example 2: 2.62 kg / cm; Example 3: 2.52 kg / cm. This demonstrates that the tensile strength of the seamless welded body obtained through the above structural design and processing fully meets the requirements.
[0055] Therefore, as shown in FIG8 , the method for fixing the base component and the upper component using a fusion seamless process mainly includes the following steps:
[0056] Step S100, providing the shoe functional component, wherein the shoe functional component includes a base and a positioning portion;
[0057] Step S200, providing the upper assembly, wherein the upper assembly comprises a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure comprising an outer upper layer structure and an inner layer structure, the outer upper layer structure comprising a first portion capable of covering at least a portion of the base of the functional component of the shoe, and a second portion for connecting to the inner layer structure;
[0058] Step S300, providing a welding mold, wherein the welding mold includes a pressure-bearing portion for matching the shape of the base, and a plane portion for supporting the second portion of the outer upper layer structure, wherein a second positioning structure for positioning the multi-layer structure is provided on the plane portion;
[0059] Step S400, positioning the outer upper layer on the welding mold through the second positioning structure;
[0060] Step S500, using the positioning portion to match the shoe functional component with the first positioning structure of the welding mold so that the base and the pressure-bearing portion of the welding mold press the first portion of the outer shoe upper layer structure therebetween;
[0061] Step S600, hot pressing the welding mold provided with the shoe functional component and the shoe upper component at a set temperature and pressure to hot press the multi-layer structure into a welding layer and fixedly connect it to the base to obtain a hot-pressed molded part;
[0062] And step S700, cooling and shaping the hot-pressed part.
[0063] In the above method, the joint between the upper component and the base component may be pre-treated, which may include polishing, cleaning, and applying a treatment agent to the upper component to improve the adhesion of the material.
[0064] In addition to the base component 300 of the rotating shoe buckle, it is also possible to achieve welding and joining of shoe functional components such as plastic wire buckles, plastic ring buckles, and webbing to the upper components via hot melt adhesive film. As long as they also have a base 302 that can be welded to the upper components, the webbing can be directly welded with TPU hot melt adhesive film.
[0065] As an example, the welding process of the upper and base components is described. Although TPU material has unique welding advantages, it should be understood that other polymer or copolymer materials can also be used as the outer surface film layer of the upper component, such as PU (polyurethane), EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer), PA (polyamide), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), etc. (This is used to illustrate the interchangeability of inner and outer surface materials.)
[0066] Correspondingly, the mesh layer can be a mesh layer of nylon, polyamide, acrylic, rayon, polyester, spandex, cotton, nylon, viscose fiber, chemical fiber, wool, linen, silk, nylon, polyethylene, chloroprene, MOLO yarn, polyamide fiber, carbon fiber, glass fiber, polypropylene, graphene, polyethylene, plant fiber, polypropylene fiber, acrylic fiber, or thermoplastic polymer material.
[0067] In addition, although the above-mentioned use of discrete layer structures to form a multi-layer structure on the surface of the welding mold to describe the welding structure and welding process, it should be understood that the above-mentioned outer surface film layer, mesh layer, and hot melt adhesive film layer can also be prefabricated into a composite multi-layer structure for use as a multi-layer structure.
[0068] It should be understood that in some embodiments of the present application, the mesh layer may be unnecessary, such as for a shoe upper made of a foam material.
[0069] It should be understood that the inner layer structure 240 can isolate the hot melt adhesive layer and the base component from the wearer's feet. It can be made of materials such as PU, TPU, etc., or the surface layer of EVA material can directly use EVA material.
[0070] The present invention utilizes polymer materials or thermoplastic materials, and through processes such as thermoplasticization, compression, and welding, welds the upper components to functional components of the shoe, such as plastic rotating buckles, plastic wire buckles, plastic ring buckles, and webbing, through a hot-melt adhesive film, thereby eliminating the stitching process in traditional shoemaking technology and improving the aesthetics, functionality, comfort, and durability of the shoes.
[0071] The outermost layer of the shoe upper for fixing the functional components of the shoe can be made of materials such as artificial synthetic leather, textile fabric, and plastic.
[0072] In addition to the beneficial effects already described in conjunction with the specific structures and steps in the specific embodiments, the effects of the welding method proposed in this application include but are not limited to:
[0073] Improve efficiency: Since the seamless process eliminates the sewing process in the traditional shoemaking process, the upper and components are combined and mechanized and automated, and are welded to the upper at one time using a seamless welding mold, without the need to sew and fix them one by one.
[0074] High Comfort: Traditional sewing relies on a single thread, which lacks stability. Now, the components and upper are integrally welded together, providing greater comfort, greater tensile strength, and improved safety. This improves the fit between the component and the upper, and the force is applied across the entire area, rather than a single sewing line.
[0075] Strong durability: The seamless welding process uses polymer materials or thermoplastic materials to weld the upper into one, which has good wear resistance, stretch resistance and tear resistance, thereby improving the durability of the shoes.
[0076] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4A , an adhesive layer liner 241 may be provided. The adhesive layer liner 241 may be selected based on the inner layer structure 240 and may be, for example, a TPU adhesive film. Its shape may match the planar connection surface of the base 302 of the rotating shoe buckle, thereby firmly connecting the base 302 of the rotating shoe buckle to the inner layer structure 240.
[0077] In some embodiments, the working surface of the upper heat press module 421 of the double-sided welding machine 400 can be configured as a flexible working surface, for example, using a foam material as the processing surface, so that non-uniform pressure can be applied to the contact surface between the inner layer structure 240 and the TPU welding layer 250, thereby ensuring a firm bond between the inner layer structure 240 and the TPU welding layer 250. This method can serve as an alternative to or supplement to the aforementioned addition of a glue layer liner.
[0078] In the structure shown in FIG4D , the second portion 252 of the TPU welding layer 250 substantially wraps around the entire base 302 of the rotating shoe buckle, thereby providing a high connection strength. However, in some embodiments, it is undesirable that the second portion 252 of the TPU welding layer 250 completely wraps around the base 302, as this may limit the functionality of the shoe component, such as the rotating shoe buckle.
[0079] Figure 4E proposes a welding mold with an improved molding surface, such that the welding mold 100 includes an inner recess 110 and a flat portion 120 outside the inner recess 110. The shape of the inner recess 110 corresponds to the shape of the base component of the rotating shoe buckle, for example, including a protrusion 1101 arranged radially outward from the center, an annular groove portion 1102, and a slope support portion 1105 as a pressure-bearing portion that cooperates with the base of the base component. A first positioning pin 1104 is provided at the position where the protrusion 1101 needs to be positioned, such as a pair of first positioning pins shown in Figure 1, to prevent the base component from rotating or shifting during hot press welding. Compared with the previous embodiment, the radial dimension of the slope support portion 1105 in this embodiment is determined to be closer to the base part 300 of the rotating shoe buckle and has a smaller axial dimension. At the same time, a molding surface 1103 is adjacent to the axial direction of the slope support portion 1105. The molding surface 1103 can be an inclined surface or an arc-shaped surface with a larger angle than the slope support portion 1105, so that after the base part 300 of the rotating shoe buckle is matched with the welding mold, a molding space A is formed between the molding surface 1103 and the base part 300, and the second part of the TPU welding layer 250 is molded in the molding space A and fixes the base 302.
[0080] In this configuration, the corresponding TPU welding layer 250 can be composed of a TPU film layer 210, a mesh layer 220, and a TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer 230, or can be composed of only the TPU film layer 210 and the TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer 230. In the embodiment where the TPU welding layer 250 is composed of the TPU film layer 210, the mesh layer 220, and the TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer 230, the apertures of the first middle hole 211 of the TPU film layer 210 and the third middle hole 231 of the TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer 230 are smaller than the aperture of the second middle hole 221 of the mesh layer 220. Thus, during the hot pressing step, the portion of the TPU film layer 210 near the first middle hole 211 and the portion of the TPU hot-melt adhesive film layer 230 near the third middle hole 231 are directly bonded to and adhered to the base 302, thereby enhancing the strength of the bond.
[0081] Although the embodiments of the present application give a preferred implementation scheme of the outer upper layer structure, it should be understood that the outer upper layer structure can also adopt a structure of TPU film layer plus synthetic leather plus TPU hot melt adhesive film layer; a composite structure of TPU film layer plus mesh cloth and TPU hot melt adhesive film composite layer; a composite structure of TPU film layer plus synthetic leather and TPU hot melt adhesive film composite layer; a structure of mesh cloth layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer; a structure of microfiber composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer.
[0082] Although the embodiments of the present application provide a preferred implementation of the inner layer structure, it should be understood that the inner layer structure can be a structure of a microfiber material layer composited with a TPU hot melt adhesive film layer, or a structure of a mesh cloth layer composited with a TPU hot melt adhesive film layer.
[0083] In addition, there are also multiple options for matching the outer upper layer structure and the inner layer structure. For example, the outer upper layer structure composed of TPU film layer plus mesh layer plus TPU hot melt adhesive film layer can match the inner layer structure of microfiber material layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer; the structure of TPU film layer plus synthetic leather plus TPU hot melt adhesive film layer can match the inner layer structure of mesh layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer; the composite outer upper layer structure of TPU film layer plus mesh and TPU hot melt adhesive film composite layer can match the inner layer structure of microfiber material layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer; the composite outer upper layer structure of TPU film layer plus synthetic leather and TPU hot melt adhesive film composite layer can match the structure of mesh layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer; the outer upper layer structure of mesh layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer can match the inner layer structure of microfiber material layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer; the outer upper layer structure of microfiber composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer can match the inner layer structure of mesh layer composite TPU hot melt adhesive film layer.
[0084] The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
[0085] Furthermore, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the present disclosure and associated technology may include other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein. Accordingly, the present disclosure is limited solely by the following claims.
[0086] Type your sequence listing free description paragraph here.
Claims
1. A connection system between a shoe functional component and a shoe upper component, characterized in that: The shoe functional component includes a base; The upper assembly comprises a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure comprising an outer upper layer structure and an inner layer structure, the outer upper layer structure comprising a first portion that can cover at least a portion of the base of the shoe functional component, and a second portion for connecting with the inner layer structure; A welding mold, the welding mold comprising a pressure-bearing portion for matching the shape of the base, and a plane portion for supporting the second portion of the outer upper layer structure, wherein a second positioning structure for positioning the multi-layer structure is arranged on the plane portion; The shoe functional component includes a positioning portion, and the positioning portion cooperates with the first positioning structure of the welding mold so that the base and the pressure-bearing portion of the welding mold press the first part of the outer shoe upper layer structure therebetween; A welding device, the welding device includes a hot pressing unit, the hot pressing unit is configured to hot press the welding mold provided with the shoe functional component and the upper component from upper and lower directions at a set temperature and pressure so as to hot press the first part of the outer upper layer structure to form the first part of the welding layer and fix it to the base, and hot press the second part of the outer upper layer structure to form the second part of the welding layer and fix it to the inner layer structure.
2. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer upper layer structure includes an outer surface film layer, a mesh layer and a hot melt adhesive film layer as a separate layer or as a component of the outer surface film layer or the mesh layer, which are arranged in sequence; wherein, before hot pressing, the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer is in contact with the base, the first part of the mesh layer is in contact with the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer, and the first part of the outer surface film layer is in contact with the first part of the mesh layer; or the outer upper layer structure includes an outer surface film layer and a hot melt adhesive film layer as a separate layer or as a component of the outer surface film layer, wherein before hot pressing, the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer is in contact with the base, and the first part of the outer surface film layer is in contact with the first part of the hot melt adhesive film layer.
3. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base portion includes a tapered or curved contoured surface.
4. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base portion includes a support portion formed by a tapered or arcuate surface and a molding surface extending outwardly from the support portion in the axial direction and in the radial direction.
5. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shoe functional component is a base component of a rotating shoe buckle assembly, which includes an adapter portion of a ring cylinder and a base extending radially outward from the adapter portion, the outer surface film layer includes a first middle hole, the mesh layer includes a second middle hole, and the hot melt adhesive film layer includes a third middle hole. The adapter portion passes through the first middle hole, the second middle hole and the third middle hole, so that the hot melt adhesive film layer is in contact with the base.
6. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner diameters of the third middle hole, the second middle hole and the first middle hole are distributed in a gradually decreasing gradient.
7. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer surface film layer is a TPU film layer, the mesh layer is a textile fabric, the material of the textile fabric is TPU, nylon, polyamide, acrylic, vinylon, polyester, spandex, cotton, nylon, viscose fiber, chemical fiber, wool, linen, silk, nylon, polyethylene, chloroprene, MOLO yarn, polyamide fiber, carbon fiber, glass fiber, polypropylene, graphene, polyethylene, plant fiber, polypropylene fiber, acrylic fiber or thermoplastic polymer; the hot melt adhesive film layer is a TPU hot melt adhesive film layer.
8. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer surface film layer is a TPU film layer with a thickness of 0.3~0.7 mm, the mesh cloth layer is a mesh cloth layer with a thickness of 0.5~1.4 mm, the hot melt adhesive film layer is a TPU hot melt adhesive film layer with a thickness of 0.15~0.25 mm, a pressing temperature of 120~150°C, and a pressing time of 10~20 seconds, and the inner layer structure is an ultra-fiber material layer with a thickness of 0.5~1.4 mm; the welding equipment is configured such that the temperature of the upper hot pressing module 421 is 220~240 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the lower hot pressing module is 100~120 degrees Celsius, the time is 25~30 seconds, and the pressure is 30 kgf.
9. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner layer structure includes a single-layer structure of an artificial leather layer or a microfiber material layer, or a mesh composite adhesive film composed of a material constituting an outer surface film layer, a mesh layer and a hot-melt adhesive film layer.
10. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer surface film layer is a film layer of PU (polyurethane), EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer), PA (polyamide), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), textile fabric, artificial leather or microfiber material.
11. The connection system of the shoe functional component and the upper component according to claim 2, characterized in that: The welding equipment also includes a cooling unit. The cooling unit includes an upper cooling module and a lower cooling module that can be controlled to close or open; the temperature of the upper cooling module is 15~25 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the lower cooling module is 15~25 degrees Celsius, the cooling time is 15~20 seconds, and the pressure is 30 kgf.
12. A method for connecting a shoe functional component to a shoe upper component, characterized in that: Includes steps: Providing the shoe functional component, the shoe functional component includes a base and a positioning portion; Providing the upper assembly, the upper assembly comprising a multi-layer structure, the multi-layer structure comprising an outer upper layer structure and an inner layer structure, the outer upper layer structure comprising a first portion that can cover at least a portion of the base of the shoe functional component, and a second portion for connecting with the inner layer structure; Providing a welding mold, the welding mold comprising a pressure-bearing portion for matching the shape of the base, and a plane portion for supporting the second portion of the outer upper layer structure, wherein a second positioning structure for positioning the multi-layer structure is arranged on the plane portion; Positioning the outer upper layer on the welding mold through the second positioning structure; The shoe functional component is matched with the first positioning structure of the welding mold through the positioning portion so that the base and the pressure-bearing part of the welding mold press the first part of the outer shoe upper layer structure therebetween; The welding mold provided with the shoe functional component and the upper component is hot-pressed at a set temperature and pressure to heat-press the first part of the outer upper layer structure to form a first part such as a welding layer and fixedly connect it to the base, and heat-press the second part of the outer upper layer structure to form a second part of the welding layer and fixedly connect it to the inner layer structure to obtain a hot-pressed molded part; as well as The hot-pressed molded part is cooled and shaped.