CROSS-STRIPED SOLE FOR A SHOE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a transversely stiffened sole for a shoe. The sole is designed to have high rigidity transversely to the longitudinal direction of the sole and high flexibility along the longitudinal direction.

[0002] Such soles are known, for example, from DE 91 10 849 U1, which describes a flexible, sole-like stabilizing element for the manufacture of shoes. The stabilizing element essentially consists of a sole-shaped, spring-hard metal sheet, which, thanks to its shape, exhibits high rigidity transverse to the shoe's longitudinal axis and high flexibility along the shoe's longitudinal axis. The metal sheet is profiled like a corrugated sheet and covered with a soft, elastic rubber or plastic material.

[0003] A similar sole is described in DE 10 2013 012 097 B4, which also includes a cushioning adaptation cushion. DE 10 2017 116 236 A1 describes an insole or insole for a shoe, which is also designed as a structural sole and is made of spring steel or a comparable plastic material. It has a rib-shaped transverse profile running at an angle to the center longitudinal line, which is designed as a wave profile and consists of a number of consecutive waves. In addition, the sole is designed to promote air and moisture circulation.

[0004] DE 200 05 683 U1 describes an insole for placement in a shoe. It has one or more means for transverse stiffening and / or longitudinal flexibility, at least in the forefoot area. The means for transverse stiffening and / or longitudinal flexibility can be incisions provided in a thickened portion on the underside of the sole, transverse to the sole's longitudinal direction. Alternatively or additionally, the means can be notches formed on the sole edge.

[0005] US 2017 / 245590A, US 2016 / 029741A, US 5025573A describe a sole with elongated structures for transverse stiffening.

[0006] The present invention is based on the object of providing a sole, i.e., a shoe bottom or a part thereof, for a shoe that provides cost-effective and easy-to-manufacture transverse reinforcement with suitable flexibility in the longitudinal direction of the sole and preferably with minimal material usage. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for producing such a sole.

[0007] The objects are achieved by the subject matter of independent claims 1 and 13. Advantageous developments emerge from the dependent claims, the description, and the figures.

[0008] The invention is based on a sole for a shoe. The sole can form the shoe bottom or be part of the shoe bottom. The sole or shoe bottom has at least a forefoot area, preferably also a midfoot area and a heel area. During intended use, a person's foot is positioned over the sole such that their forefoot is positioned over the forefoot area, their midfoot is positioned over the midfoot area, and their heel is positioned over the heel area.

[0009] The sole further comprises a sole body which, at least in or only in the forefoot region, has a plurality of elongated structures arranged on or in the sole body, such as waves of a wavy-profile plate or individual rods, for transversely stiffening the sole. The elongated structures each have a longitudinal axis. The elongated structures are arranged with their longitudinal axes transverse to the longitudinal direction of the sole, which extends in particular from the heel to the toes. The sole is transversely stiffened by the elongated structures arranged on or in the sole body. In versions with rods, the transverse stiffening and longitudinal flexibility are achieved by the plurality of rods arranged in the longitudinal direction, preferably at a distance from one another. In versions with a wavy-profile plate, the transverse stiffness and longitudinal flexibility are achieved by the waves arranged one after the other in the direction of the waves.

[0010] A corresponding method for producing a sole for a shoe comprises the step of arranging, at least in a forefoot region, several elongated structures, such as waves of the wavy profiled plate or the individual rods, for transverse stiffening of the sole on or in a sole body in such a way that the longitudinal axes of the rods are arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the sole.

[0011] In contrast to profiled plates, which have a wave profile, individual bars are cheaper to produce, use less material, and allow easy integration into the sole body. Profiled plates have the advantage that they combine several elongated structures in a single part, which simplifies handling during manufacture of the sole. In further developments, the individual bars can be connected to one or more flexible elements (not part of the sole body), such as a band or rope or a textile layer, in order to position the bars relative to one another and simplify handling during manufacture of the sole. For example, the bars can be attached to the underside of an element that is to be attached or is attached above the sole body, such as an insole, whereby the bars are or are arranged in the recesses of the sole body.The insole and / or the rods can be or become integrally connected to the sole body, e.g. glued.

[0012] A plurality of elongated structures, in particular rods or shafts, i.e. their longitudinal axes, in particular of the forefoot region, can be arranged parallel to one another. For example, all elongated structures or some of them, such as at least two, can be arranged parallel to one another. According to the invention, a plurality of elongated structures, in particular all or some of the elongated structures, of the forefoot region are arranged such that the longitudinal axes of these structures intersect at a point lying medially, outside the sole. A mixture of parallel and non-parallel elongated structures is also possible. In order for the longitudinal axes to intersect, they can intersect one another or run skew relative to one another.For example, at least two elongate structures of the forefoot region may be parallel to each other, wherein at least two elongate structures of the forefoot region may be arranged such that the longitudinal axes of these elongate structures intersect at the point outside the sole.

[0013] The parallel and / or non-parallel arrangement of the elongated structures in the forefoot area can have a beneficial effect on the rolling behavior of the forefoot area of ​​the sole and thus also of the foot.

[0014] For example, one, several, or all of the elongated structures in the forefoot area can be inclined with their longitudinal axes relative to the longitudinal direction of the sole such that the lateral end of each of these structures is closer to the toe end of the sole than the medial end. This arrangement can further beneficially influence the rolling behavior of the sole.

[0015] The bars are arranged at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction of the sole. In particular, the bars or some of the bars, such as at least two bars, of the forefoot area can be arranged parallel to one another.

[0016] Due to the parallel and / or non-parallel arrangement of the rods in the forefoot area, the longitudinal flexibility in relation to the transverse stiffness and thus the rolling behavior of the sole can be influenced in a simple way during the production of the shoe, without the need for a new punching tool, as would be the case with wavy profiled plates or corrugated metal sheets from the state of the art.

[0017] Alternatively or additionally, several, in particular all or some of them, elongated structures, in particular bars or waves, can taper from one end, in particular their lateral end, to the other end, in particular their medial end. If the elongated structures are bars, for example, the width extending in the longitudinal direction of the sole and / or the height of the bar can decrease from one end to the other end. If the elongated structures are waves, for example, the wavelength extending in the direction of wave travel and / or the wave height can decrease from one end to the other end of the wave. For example, all of the elongated structures or some of them can be non-tapering, i.e., with a constant width and / or height.If the elongated structures are bars, for example, the width extending in the longitudinal direction of the sole and / or the height of the bar can be constant or substantially constant from one end to the other. If the elongated structures are waves, for example, the wavelength extending in the direction of wave travel and / or the wave height can be constant or substantially constant from one end to the other end of the wave.

[0018] The tapered and / or non-tapered arrangement of the elongated structures in the forefoot area, for example in combination with parallel or non-parallel elongated structures, can have a beneficial effect on the rolling behavior of the forefoot area of ​​the sole and thus also of the foot.

[0019] For example, at least two, preferably at least three, four, or five elongated structures, in particular bars or waves, can be provided in the forefoot area. It is further preferred that the number of elongated structures in the forefoot area does not exceed ten.

[0020] The material of the rods can differ from the material of the sole body. In particular, the material of the rods can have a higher modulus of elasticity than the material of the sole body. This higher modulus of elasticity can increase the rigidity of the sole in the transverse direction compared to a sole without such rods. Sole body material can be arranged between adjacent rods, whereby the longitudinal flexibility is primarily achieved by the sole body material between the rods.

[0021] The material of the sole body, for example, can have a modulus of elasticity of 65 to 2,000 MPa. The material of one or more of the rods can, for example, have a modulus of elasticity of 3,100 to 88,000 MPa.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally, the hardness of the material of the rods can be higher than that of the sole body.

[0023] The sole body, in which the rods are arranged, can preferably be made of a plastic or a polymer. Examples of suitable plastics are: ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyurethane (PUR), rubber, etc. The rods can be made of metal, a plastic, or a polymer, for example. Examples of the rod material are: polyamide (PA), in particular PA 6.6, PA 6.6, glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP), in particular GFRP10-50, polycarbonate (PC), carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), etc.

[0024] The rods can be round or circular, square or rectangular, trapezoidal, oval or similar in cross-section. The length of the rods or of the depressions in the sole body into which the rods are inserted can be dimensioned such that between a medially facing end of the rod and the medial edge of the sole or sole body and between a laterally facing end of the rod and the lateral edge of the sole or sole body there is an edge which can have a width of 2 to 15 mm, for example. The edge can in particular be shell-shaped. Alternatively, the length of the rods and / or the depressions can be dimensioned such that the rods reach as far as the medial and / or lateral outer surface of the sole. The rods, in particular their end faces, can then be visible laterally from the outside on the sole edge(s) and can be perceived, for example, as functional elements.Optionally, the outer surfaces of the sole, in particular the medial and / or lateral ones, can be formed from a transparent plastic that covers the end surfaces of the rods, but still allows the end surfaces of the rods to be visible from the outside.

[0025] In one example, the sole body can have a plurality of preferably upwardly facing, alternatively downwardly facing, in particular elongated depressions, wherein one of the rods is arranged in each of the depressions and is in particular materially and / or positively connected to the sole body. The depressions are preferably designed to complement the rod provided for them. The depressions, like the rods, are located in the forefoot region of the sole body. For example, a rod arranged in its depression can be glued to the sole body. Alternatively or additionally, the sole body can enclose the rod or engage with the rod in such a way that the rod cannot fall out of the depression.

[0026] The sole body can have multiple recesses during the manufacturing process, or the sole body can be provided with or formed with multiple recesses, in particular by primary molding or injection molding. After the recesses have been formed or introduced, one of the rods can be inserted into each recess and connected there to the sole body, in particular by a material fit, such as by gluing, and / or by a form fit, such as snapping.

[0027] In an alternative process, the rods or the corrugated plate are introduced into a mold, in particular an injection mold, and encased, in particular overmolded, in a material to form a sole body. Accordingly, the rods can be encased in the sole body, in particular overmolded with the material of the sole body. Encasing or overmolding the rods with the material of the sole body has the advantage that, after molding, the rods no longer need to be inserted separately into the recesses and bonded to the sole body in a material-locking or form-fitting manner. However, the injection molding tool used to encase the rods in the material of the sole body is more complex to manufacture.The tool for the process in which the sole body is provided with several recesses and the rods are inserted into the recesses after molding is more cost-effective, but the step of inserting the rods into the sole body is required.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the downward-facing surface of the bars is concave, in particular curved around a curvature axis running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bar. The base of the recess, in particular a groove-shaped recess, can be complementary to the downward-facing surface, i.e., convex, and can be glued to the concave surface or rest against the concave surface. This saves material and weight. The concave design of the underside of the bars gives the sole similar properties to the use of a wavy-profiled plate.

[0029] The upward-facing surface of the rods can, for example, be convex or flat, or a mixture of convex and flat. For example, the upward-facing surface of the rod or rods can have a flat partial surface, with a convex partial surface adjoining each side of the flat partial surface.

[0030] Preferably, the upwardly facing surface of the bars is flush or approximately flush with the upwardly facing surface of the sole body.

[0031] In general, the sole body in which the rods are arranged can be a midsole, an insole or an insole.

[0032] For example, a shoe sole may include an outsole or outsole with a tread on its underside, a midsole positioned above the outsole, and optionally an insole or insole positioned above the midsole. For example, the insole may be positioned above the insole.

[0033] The invention has been described using several examples and embodiments. Particularly preferred embodiments are described below with reference to figures. The features disclosed therein advantageously further develop the subject matter of the invention, individually and in any combination of features. They show: Figure 1 an exploded view of a shoe bottom with a sole according to the invention, Figure 2 a detail from Figure 1 in a first embodiment, Figure 3 the detail from Figure 1 in a second embodiment, Figure 4 the detail from Figure 1 in a third embodiment and Figure 5 a representation of an alternative sole with non-parallel arranged depressions or bars.

[0034] The figures show embodiments in which the elongated structures are rods 30. As a modification to the rods 30, a wavy profiled plate can be provided, in which the individual waves are the elongated structures 30. In particular, in an embodiment with the profiled plate, several waves of the forefoot region can be arranged such that their longitudinal axes intersect medially outside the sole 1 and / or taper from the lateral to the medial end.

[0035] In the Figure 1 A shoe bottom or sole 1 is shown, which has an outer or outsole 20 and a midsole 10. The midsole 10 is joined, in particular glued, with its underside to the upper side of the outsole 20. The outsole 20 has a profile 21 on its underside. Figure 5 A modified midsole 10 is used for the design of Figure 1 shown. The Figures 2 to 4The bars 30 shown can be used, for example, in the soles of the Figures 1 and 5 apply.

[0036] The midsole 10 has a forefoot area, a midfoot area, and a heel area. The forefoot area of ​​the midsole 10 has a plurality of elongated depressions 11, which extend with their longitudinal direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the midsole 10. The depressions 11 are formed complementarily to rods 30. In each of the four elongated depressions 11 shown in the example in the forefoot area, one of the four rods 30 is arranged. The depressions 11 are groove-shaped and were preferably formed during primary molding, in particular injection molding, of the midsole 10. The groove-shaped depressions 11 are open towards the top of the midsole 10 so that the rods 30 can be inserted. The rods 30 have Figure 1Longitudinal axes 31 which are arranged parallel to each other. The same applies to the recesses 11. Instead of parallel, the bars 30 or the recesses 11 can alternatively be arranged so that their longitudinal axes 31, as in Figure 5 shown, cross outside of sole 1, particularly on the medial side of sole 1.

[0037] The rods 30 and the recesses 11 each have a medial end 34 and a lateral end 35. The medial end 34 is spaced from the medial outer edge of the forefoot region of the midsole 10 by a medial edge. The lateral end 35 is spaced from the lateral outer edge of the forefoot region of the midsole 10 by a lateral edge.

[0038] In the in the Figure 1 and in detail in Figure 2In the embodiment shown, the rods 30 are ring-shaped in cross-section, particularly in the shape of a circular ring. The downward-facing surface 32 is concave in cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 31. Complementarily, the bottom of the groove-shaped recess 11 is convex. The convex surface can be glued to the concave surface. A layer 12 can be provided on the upper side, which is flush or at least approximately flush with the upward-facing surface of the midsole 10.

[0039] In the Figure 3 an alternative embodiment of a rod 30 is shown, which differs from the embodiment of Figure 2differs in that the bar 30 has a flat surface 33 on its upper side, to which laterally curved surfaces 12 adjoin. The area between the side walls of the groove 11 and the flat surface 33 is filled with a filling material 13. The filling material 13 is approximately flush with the upwardly facing surface of the midsole 10 and the surface 33.

[0040] Figure 4 shows a further embodiment, wherein the bar 30 has a flat surface 33 on its upper side, which is flush or approximately flush with the upwardly facing surface of the midsole 10 and extends from one groove flank to the other groove flank. As a result, the entire groove 11 is at least substantially filled by the bar 30.

[0041] In the example shown, a heel support element 40 is optionally provided on the midsole 10 in the heel area. This element has a raised edge that laterally encloses the heel. For example, an additional sole, in particular an insole, can be arranged on the midsole 10.

[0042] In the Figure 5In the embodiment shown, as mentioned above, the longitudinal axes 31 of the bars are arranged non-parallel to one another. The angle α between the first and the last of the bars 31 can, for example, lie in an interval greater than 0° and less than or equal to 15°. The angle α 1 , α 2 , α 3 between adjacent bars 30 can, for example, lie in an interval greater than 0° and less than or equal to 10°. The sum of the angles α 1 , α 2 , α 3 between adjacent bars 30 results in the angle α between the first and the last bar 30 in the forefoot region. In addition, the bars 30 taper from their lateral ends to their medial ends, in particular with the angle β. The angle β can lie in an interval greater than 0° and less than or equal to 10°.

[0043] Alternatively to the embodiments shown in the figures, an insole can be equipped with the bars 30 or alternatively with the wavy profiled plate.

Claims

1. A sole (1) for a shoe, comprising a sole body (10) and elongated structures (30) arranged on or in the sole body (10) in a forefoot region only for transversely stiffening the sole (1), wherein the elongated structures (30) are arranged with their longitudinal axes (31) transverse to the longitudinal direction of the sole, and more than one of the elongated structures (30) is arranged such that the longitudinal axes (31) of the structures (30) cross at a point which is medially outside the sole (1).

2. The sole according to claim 1, wherein the structures (30) are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the sole.

3. The sole according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the structures (30) are multiple bars (30) arranged in the sole body (10), wherein at least one of the bars (30) for example tapers from its lateral end towards its medial end.

4. The sole according to claim 3, wherein the downwardly facing surfaces (32) of the bars (30) are concave and / or the upwardly facing surfaces (33) of the bars (30) are convex and / or flat.

5. The sole according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the length of the bars (30) and / or of recesses (11) into which the bars (30) are inserted is dimensioned such that there is a rim, in particular a shell-shaped rim, between a medially facing end (34) of the bar (30) and the medial rim of the sole (1) and between a laterally facing end (35) of the bar (30) and the lateral rim of the sole (1).

6. The sole according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the sole body (10) comprises multiple recesses (11), preferably upwardly facing recesses (11), wherein one of the bars (30) is arranged in each of the recesses (11) and in particular connected to the sole body (10) in a material and / or positive fit.

7. The sole according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the bars (30) are enveloped by the sole body (10), wherein the material of the sole body (10) is in particular injected around them.

8. The sole according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the material of the bars (30) differs from the material of the sole body (10) and in particular exhibits a higher elastic modulus than the material of the sole body (10).

9. The sole according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein a sole body (10) in which the bars (30) are arranged is made of a polymer, and / or wherein the bars (30) are made of metal or a polymer, in particular polyamide or a fibre-reinforced polymer.

10. The sole according to claim 1, wherein the elongated structures (30) are formed by corrugations in a plate, in particular a spring-tempered metal or plastic corrugated-profile plate, wherein the longitudinal direction of the corrugations which extends transversely to the direction of corrugation is arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the sole.

11. The sole according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising an outer sole (20) which exhibits a profile (21) on its lower side, a midsole (10) which is arranged above the outer sole (20), and optionally an inner sole or inserted sole which is arranged above the midsole (10).

12. The sole according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the sole body (10) in which the structures (30) are arranged is a midsole (10), an inner sole or an inserted sole.

13. A method for manufacturing a sole (1) for a shoe, wherein multiple elongated structures (30) are arranged in a sole body (10), in a forefoot region only, such that the longitudinal axes (31) of the elongated structures (30) are arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the sole, for transversely stiffening the sole (1), wherein more than one of the elongated structures (30) is arranged such that the longitudinal axes (31) of the structures (30) cross at a point which is medially outside the sole (1).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sole body (10) comprises multiple recesses (11) or is provided or designed with multiple recesses (11), wherein one of the bars (30) is inserted into each of the recesses (11) and in particular connected to the sole body (10) in a material and / or positive fit.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the elongated structures (30) are introduced into a mould in which they are enveloped in a material and in particular a material is injected around them, to form a sole body (10).