Footwear with a removable sole and method for manufacturing such footwear
The shoe design with a reversible outsole attachment system addresses the challenge of non-destructive separation and replacement of footwear components, enhancing customization and recycling through an elastic interlocking mechanism.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2023003052
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-05
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-03-29
AI Technical Summary
Conventional footwear manufacturing methods involve gluing and stitching the outsole to the upper, making it impossible to easily separate or replace the components without damage, hindering repair, recycling, and customization.
A shoe design featuring a reversible attachment of the outsole to the insole using an elastic interlocking system, allowing components to be easily detached and reattached without glue or stitching, facilitated by a peripheral edge and groove configuration and optional additional fastening elements.
Enables easy assembly and disassembly of shoe components, supports user-driven customization, facilitates repair, and promotes recycling by allowing modular changes to the outsole and upper.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Shoe comprising a removable sole and method for manufacturing such a shoe
[0001] The present application relates to a footwear article, such as a sports shoe, allowing simplified assembly, in particular without glue and without stitching, in particular with the aim of making the shoe easily detachable.
[0002] Conventional footwear generally comprises an upper and an outsole. The upper is secured to the sole structure and forms a foot-receiving volume inside the shoe, comfortably receiving and securing the foot. The sole structure is connected to the upper at its lower end. In footwear designed for sports, the outsole may include a tread and a midsole. The midsole generally comprises a polymer material designed to absorb shocks from the ground upon impact, thereby mitigating the effects on the foot and leg during walking, running, or other ambulatory activities. The outsole may also include a lining positioned within the foot-receiving volume and near the underside of the foot to enhance the comfort of the footwear.The soles are traditionally attached to the uppers using a construction method called Strobel, in which the various sole components (insole, midsole and outsole in particular) are glued and / or stitched.
[0003] Shoes manufactured using known processes have the disadvantage that the outsole cannot be separated from the upper because it is glued and / or stitched to the latter. It is therefore not possible to easily separate the upper and the outsole, nor to separate these two elements in a non-destructive manner.
[0004] The present invention is based on the observation that providing a shoe whose outsole could be easily separated from the upper would, on the one hand, facilitate possible repair or recycling operations of such a shoe, and, on the other hand, allow for the consideration of a modular shoe, whose outsole could be easily changed, for example according to the type of use envisaged.
[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, comprising: - an upper incorporating a textile sock; - an insole placed inside the textile slipper; - an outsole reversibly attached to the insole;
[0006] the insole having a peripheral edge, the outsole having a peripheral border having a peripheral branch, the attachment of the outsole to the insole being obtained by elastic interlocking of the peripheral edge of the insole in the peripheral groove of the outsole, the part of the textile sock surrounding the peripheral edge of the insole being sandwiched between the peripheral edge of the insole and the peripheral groove of the outsole.
[0007] Thus, the shoe according to the invention allows for a reversible attachment of the outsole to the insole, and therefore to the upper. This attachment is achieved without glue or stitching, which simplifies the assembly of the shoe and also makes the shoe completely detachable. Each of the main components of the shoe (outsole, insole, and upper) can therefore be easily and quickly replaced, particularly in the event of excessive wear. Furthermore, components such as the outsole and the upper can be changed, for example, to allow the user to use an insole adapted to a particular sporting activity, or to use an upper adapted to the day's weather conditions.Because the outsole is attached to the rest of the shoe without glue or stitching, using an elastic snap-fit (or clip-on) system, disassembling and reassembling the shoe is quick and easy, allowing the user to perform these operations themselves without professional assistance. Finally, by enabling easy separation of the various components of the shoe conforming to the invention, recycling is facilitated when the shoe reaches the end of its life.
[0008] According to other features of the invention, the shoe according to the invention comprises one or more of the following optional features, considered alone or according to all possible combinations.
[0009] In one embodiment, the peripheral edge forms a projection extending from an upper surface of the outer sole, the peripheral groove forming an open cavity opening onto an inner side of the peripheral edge.
[0010] In one embodiment, the opening of the cavity formed by the peripheral border is oriented in a direction normal to the direction in which the peripheral border extends, or slightly inclined with respect to the normal direction, for example inclined at most 15°.
[0011] In one embodiment, the peripheral edge of the insole is engaged in the peripheral groove over at least 80% of the contour of the insole or over the entire contour of the insole.
[0012] In one embodiment, the textile slipper comprises a lower part sandwiched between a lower surface of the insole and an upper surface of the outsole.
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[0023] In one embodiment, the insole has two attachment elements, each attachment element being reversibly inserted into a respective cavity provided in the outsole, each cavity opening at the level of the upper surface of the outsole, the lower part of the textile sock having at the level of each attachment element an opening through which the corresponding attachment element extends. In one embodiment, one of the fastening elements is placed at the front part of the insole and forms a hook oriented towards the front of the shoe, the other fastening element being placed at the rear part of the insole and forming a hook oriented towards the rear of the shoe. In a given design, the peripheral edge includes one or more shoe reinforcement elements from among the following reinforcement elements: - a heel counter, covering part of the upper located at the back of the shoe, back part of the upper; - a front end reinforcement, covering part of the upper located at the front of the shoe; - one or more lateral reinforcements. In one embodiment, the peripheral edge of the outsole has at least one flex notch at the level of a part of the sole corresponding to the forefoot. In one design, the textile slipper is made by knitting. In one embodiment, the textile slipper comprises an external part and an internal part, the external and internal parts being linked together at least at the level of an opening for insertion of the foot. In one design, the insole is positioned inside the inner part of the textile slipper. In one design, the inner and outer parts of the textile slipper have different thicknesses. In one design, the outsole is produced using an additive manufacturing process. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a shoe as defined above, the method comprising the steps of: - knitting a textile slipper; - insert the insole inside the textile slipper; - attach the outsole to the insole. In one embodiment, the process includes a shaping step of the textile upper before the insole insertion step; the shaping step is carried out by hot forming the textile upper on a last; the textile upper comprises hot-melt fibers.
[0024] In one embodiment, the step of knitting a textile slipper is carried out in such a way as to obtain a textile slipper comprising an external part and an internal part linked together at the level of an opening for the introduction of the foot.
[0025] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and from an examination of the accompanying figures in which:
[0026] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] is a schematic side view illustrating a shoe conforming to the invention;
[0027] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a schematic perspective view of the shoe in [Fig.1]
[0028] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] is a schematic perspective view illustrating the components of the shoe of [Fig.1], before assembly;
[0029] [Fig.4] [Fig.4] is a schematic perspective view of the upper of the shoe the [Fig.l];
[0030] [Fig. 5] [Fig. 5] is a schematic perspective view illustrating the midsole medial of the shoe of the [Fig.l];
[0031] [Fig.6] [Fig.6] is a schematic cross-sectional view of the shoe [Fig.1] in an assembly configuration;
[0032] [Fig.7] [Fig.7] is a view analogous to that of [Fig.6] without the rod 10;
[0033] [Fig.8] [Fig.8] is a schematic perspective view illustrating a sole internal, equipped with attachment elements and showing more particularly the underside of the insole;
[0034] [Fig.9] [Fig.9] is a perspective view of a configured midsole to cooperate with the insole of the [Fig.8];
[0035] [Fig. 10] [Fig. 10] is a schematic perspective view of a stem configured to cooperate with the insole of [Fig.8] and the midsole of [Fig.9];
[0036] [Fig. 11] [Fig. 11] is a schematic view of the underside of a textile slipper during its manufacture, after a knitting stage;
[0037] [Fig. 12] [Fig. 12] is a schematic view of the underside of a textile slipper during its manufacture, after a turning step;
[0038] [Fig. 13] [Fig. 13] is a schematic view of the underside of a textile slipper during its manufacture, after a step of forming the openings.
[0039] Figures 1 to 7 illustrate a shoe 1 according to the invention, in the example a sports shoe, and more particularly a shoe adapted for the practice of running.
[0040] The shoe 1 comprises three main components which are assembled in such a way reversible:
[0041] - a stem 10 comprising a textile sock 100;
[0042] - an outsole 12,
[0043] - an insole 14 (visible on the [Fig.3]).
[0044] The components of the shoe 1 are visible in [Fig. 3], which shows these unassembled components. In the example, the outsole 12 comprises a midsole 12a and an outsole 12b.
[0045] In order to achieve the reversible assembly of the shoe 1, the outsole 12 is reversibly fixed to the outsole 14, a portion of the upper 10 being trapped between the two soles 12, 14. More specifically, the mutual fixing of the outsole 12 and the insole 14 is achieved by elastic interlocking (i.e. by clipping), so as not to require any tools or any additional assembly elements such as glue or stitching.
[0046] In addition, a portion of the upper 10, and more specifically a portion of the textile sock 100, is sandwiched between the insole 14 and the outsole 12. An example of an embodiment of the shoe of [Fig. 1] is described below in relation to Figures 1 to 7.
[0047] As seen in [Fig.5], the outsole 12 (and more specifically, in the example, the intermediate sole 12a) comprises a body 120 having an upper face 122 and a lower face 124. The outsole 12 has a peripheral rim 126 forming a projection extending from the upper face 122, the peripheral rim 126 having a peripheral groove 128.
[0048] As shown in [Fig. 3], the insole 14 has an upper face 140 and a lower face 142. The upper face 140 is designed to receive the foot of a user, either directly or via an additional insole (not shown) placed over the insole 14, generally referred to as a sockliner. The insole 14 has a peripheral edge 144.
[0049] The attachment of the outsole 12 to the insole 14 is achieved by elastic interlocking of the peripheral edge 144 of the insole 14 in the peripheral groove 128 provided on the peripheral edge 126 of the outsole 12 (or, more precisely, in the example, of the intermediate sole 12a).
[0050] To enable cooperation between the peripheral edge 144 and the peripheral groove 128 to ensure the desired reversible fixing, at least one and / or the other of these two elements is elastically deformable.
[0051] As can be seen in Figures 6 and 7, the peripheral groove 128 forms an open cavity configured to receive and retain the peripheral edge (and a portion of the textile boot 100 as described in more detail below). The opening of this cavity is oriented inwards, that is, towards the interior space delimited by the edge peripheral 128. Preferably, the opening of this cavity is oriented in a direction normal to the direction in which the peripheral border extends from the upper surface 122, or in a direction slightly inclined with respect to this normal direction, for example inclined at most 15°.
[0052] The peripheral edge 144 of the insole 14 has a shape adapted to cooperate with the peripheral groove 128 of the outsole 12. In particular, the peripheral edge 144 may have an end portion 146 forming an overthickness relative to the rest of the insole 14, for example an end portion 146 forming a bead as seen in Figures 6 and 7.
[0053] Furthermore, as mentioned above, a portion of the textile sock 100 is sandwiched between the insole 14 and the outsole 12. More specifically, as shown in [Fig. 6], which represents a cross-sectional view of the shoe of [Fig. 1], the textile sock 100 (partially shown) has a lower portion 102 that is sandwiched between the outsole 12 and the insole 14 when the shoe 1 is assembled. More precisely, the lower portion 102 of the textile sock is sandwiched between the upper face 122 of the outsole 12 and the lower face 142 of the insole 14. In addition, a peripheral portion 104 of the textile sock 100 is sandwiched between the peripheral edge 144 of the insole 14 and the peripheral groove 128 of the outsole 12.This peripheral portion 104, which forms the junction between the lower part 102 of the shoe and the lateral parts 106, ensures the connection between, on the one hand, the upper 10, and, on the other hand, the insole 14 and the outsole 12. This configuration ensures that the upper 10 remains in place during use of the shoe, and in particular during deformations of the outsole, especially during the rolling motion of the user's foot.
[0054] By allowing a reversible clip-on attachment between the insole 14 and the outsole 12, with this attachment designed so that part of the upper 10 is trapped between the two soles 12 and 14, the shoe 1 according to the invention can be easily assembled without additional elements such as glue or stitching. Furthermore, the shoe is easily disassembled. This reversibility of the shoe assembly offers numerous advantages. For example, the main components of the shoe can be easily separated, for instance, for repair purposes. In addition, if one or more of the shoe components has reached the end of their lifespan, recycling the components is facilitated.Furthermore, the simplicity of assembly and disassembly allows these operations to be carried out by a user themselves to change one or more components of the shoe, for example to adapt the outsole to a particular sporting activity.
[0055] Advantageously, in order to strengthen the connection between the insole 14 and the sole external 12, the insole 14 may include one or more additional attachment elements allowing, if necessary, for a more robust attachment of the insole 14 to the outsole 12. Figures 8 to 10 show an example of an embodiment of the upper 10, the outsole 14 and the insole adapted to such a configuration.
[0056] As seen in [Fig.8], the insole 14 may include two attachment elements 146, 147. Each attachment element 146, 147 is in the example intended to be inserted, reversibly, into a respective cavity 130, 131 provided in the outsole 12, visible in [Fig.9].
[0057] Each cavity 130, 131 is open and leads to the upper surface 122 of the outsole 12, the lower part 102 of the textile sock 100 having at each fastening element an opening 108, 109 ([Fig. 10]) through which each corresponding fastening element 146, 147 can extend to be inserted into the corresponding cavity.
[0058] Advantageously, as seen in [Fig.8], the sole comprises at least a first attachment element 146 and a second attachment element 147. The first attachment element 146 can be located at the front part of the insole 14 (i.e. a part of the insole 14 intended to accommodate the forefoot of a user) and the second attachment element 147 can be located at the rear part of the insole 14 (i.e. a part of the insole 14 intended to accommodate the heel of a user).
[0059] Advantageously, the first fastening element 146 forms a hook oriented towards the front of the shoe, and the second fastening element 147 forms a hook oriented towards the rear of the shoe. Thus, as shown in [Fig. 8], the first fastening element 146 comprises a first portion 146a forming a projection extending from the lower surface of the insole 14, and a second portion 146b forming a projection extending from the first portion 146a towards the front of the shoe. The second fastening element 147 comprises a first portion 147a forming a projection extending from the lower surface of the insole 14, and a second portion 147b forming a projection extending from the first portion 147a towards the rear of the shoe. The cavities 130, 131 made in the outsole each have a shape compatible with the corresponding attachment element 146, 147.
[0060] The first attachment element 146 and the second attachment element 147 and the cavities 130, 131 thus have a configuration requiring that the two attachment elements be engaged in their respective cavity 130, 131 by a relative movement with respect to the outer sole in opposite directions.
[0061] This configuration ensures a robust connection between the insole 14 and the outsole 12. Furthermore, because the first attachment element 146 must be engaged by a relative movement (of the inner sole 14 relative to the outer sole 12) forward, and that the second attachment element 147 must be engaged by a relative movement backward, the connection between the two soles 12, 14 is maintained even during significant deformations of the shoe occurring during the rolling of the foot.
[0062] In one embodiment, the peripheral edge 126 of the outsole 12 may include one or more shoe reinforcement elements from among the following reinforcement elements:
[0063] - a heel counter 132, covering a portion of the upper located at the rear of the shoe back part of the upper;
[0064] - a front end reinforcement 133, covering a portion of the rod located at the front of the shoe;
[0065] - lateral reinforcements 134, which may incorporate openings for the passage of shoelaces.
[0066] The peripheral edge 126 of the outsole may include at least one flex notch 126 at a portion of the sole corresponding to the forefoot. Such a notch facilitates the deformation of the outsole 12, and therefore of the shoe as a whole, during the foot's roll-through.
[0067] As mentioned above, the outsole 12 may include a midsole 12a and an outsole 12b. In the example shown in Figures 1 to 7, the midsole 12a and the outsole 12b are joined together by clips. The assembly (and therefore the disassembly) of the outsole 12, and thus of the entire shoe 1, is therefore carried out without tools or additional elements such as glue or stitching.
[0068] The outsole 12 can be produced by molding, in particular by injection molding. In this case, the outsole 12 is advantageously obtained by molding at least one polymer material, for example an elastomeric polymer such as ethylene-vinyl acetate, or EVA.
[0069] The outsole 12 can alternatively be produced using an additive manufacturing process, for example, using a 3D printer. In this case, all the elements constituting the outsole 12, i.e., the body 120, the peripheral rim 126 and, where applicable, the reinforcing elements 132, 133, 134, can be made from a single piece of material. If the outsole 12 includes a midsole 12a and a wear sole 12b, these two elements can be assembled as described above, or, alternatively, produced as a single piece, either by molding or by additive manufacturing. When the outsole 12 is produced using an additive manufacturing process, it can be made from a polymer material such as polyurethane.
[0070] The insole can be produced by molding, in particular by injection molding. Alternatively, the insole can be produced by stamping or by an additive manufacturing process.
[0071] Advantageously, the textile slipper 100 is made by knitting. As shown in [Fig. 11], the textile slipper 100 can be knitted to have a double layer of textile. To this end, the textile slipper being manufactured is knitted to create an outer part 100a and an inner part 100b, the outer and inner parts being joined together at least at an opening 100c for foot insertion. The inner part 100b is then turned inside out, to be placed inside part 100a, to obtain the textile slipper 100 shown in [Fig. 12]. This textile slipper is advantageously shaped using heat, for example by thermocompression on a jig. The shaping makes it possible to define an internal volume of the textile slipper 100 that takes into account the volume required for the insertion of the insole 14 and the foot of a user.In order to achieve the hot shaping of the textile slipper 100, the latter includes at least some heat-fusible threads. Advantageously, the inner part 100b and the outer part 100 of the textile slipper 100 have different thicknesses from each other, and / or have locally different thicknesses.
[0072] When the insole 14 has fastening elements 146, 147 as described above, a final complementary manufacturing step of the textile slipper consists of providing the openings 108, 109 ([Fig. 13]), which are intended to allow the passage of the fastening elements 146, 147.
[0073] When the textile upper 100 is finished, the shoe 1 is assembled simply by inserting the insole 14 into the textile upper 10 to connect the insole 14 to the outsole 12 by clipping. When the sole 14 has fastening elements 146, 147, it is necessary to first engage the fastening elements 146, 147 in their respective cavities 130, 131 in order to finalize the clipping of the two soles 12, 14.
Claims
Demands
1. Footwear (1), in particular sports footwear, comprising: - an upper (10) comprising a textile sock (100); - an insole (14) disposed inside the textile sock (100); - an outsole (12) reversibly fixed to the insole (14); the insole (14) having a peripheral edge (144), the outsole (12) having a peripheral edge (126) having a peripheral groove (128), the attachment of the outsole (12) to the insole (14) being obtained by elastic interlocking of the peripheral edge (144) of the insole (14) in the peripheral groove (128) of the outsole (12), the part of the textile sock surrounding the peripheral edge (144) of the insole (14) being sandwiched between the peripheral edge (144) of the insole (14) and the peripheral groove (128) of the outsole (12).
2. Shoe (1) according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge (126) forms a projection extending from an upper surface (122) of the outsole (12), the peripheral groove (128) forming an open cavity opening onto an inner side of the peripheral edge.
3. Shoe (1) according to claim 2, wherein the opening of the cavity formed by the peripheral edge is oriented in a direction slightly inclined relative to the direction normal to the direction in which the peripheral edge extends, for example inclined at most 15°.
4. Shoe (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the peripheral edge (144) of the insole (14) is engaged in the peripheral groove (128) over at least 80% of the contour of the insole (14) or over the entire contour of the insole (14).
5. Shoe (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the textile sock (100) has a lower part (102) sandwiched between a lower surface (142) of the insole (14) and an upper surface (122) of the outsole (12).
6. Shoe (1) according to claim 5, wherein the insole comprises two fastening elements (146, 147), each fastening element being reversibly inserted into a respective cavity (130, 131) formed in the outsole (12), each cavity opening at the level of the upper surface of the outsole (12), the lower part (102) of the textile sock (100) comprising at the level of each fastening element (146, 147) an opening (108, 109) through which the corresponding fastening element (146, 147) extends.
7. Shoe (1) according to claim 6, wherein one of the fastening elements (146) is disposed at a front part of the insole (14) and forms a hook oriented towards the front of the shoe, the other fastening element (147) being disposed at a rear part of the insole (14) and forming a hook oriented towards the rear of the shoe (1).
8. Shoe (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the peripheral edge (126) comprises one or more shoe reinforcement elements (1) from among the following reinforcement elements: - a heel counter (132), covering a part of the upper (10) located at the rear of the shoe; - a front end reinforcement (133), covering a part of the upper (10) located at the front of the shoe; - one or more lateral reinforcements (134).
9. Shoe (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the peripheral edge (126) of the outsole (12) has at least one flex notch at the level of a part of the sole corresponding to the forefoot.
10. Shoe (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the textile slipper (100) is made by knitting.
11. Shoe (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the textile sock (100) comprises an outer part (100a) and an inner part (100b), the outer and inner parts being linked together at least at the level of an opening (100c) for insertion of the foot.
12. Shoe (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the insole (14) is disposed inside the inner part (100b) of the textile sock (100).
13. Shoe (1) according to any one of claims 11 and 12, wherein the inner part (100b) and the outer part (100a) of the textile sock (100) have different thicknesses.
14. Shoe (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outsole (12) is produced by means of an additive manufacturing process.
15. A method for manufacturing a shoe (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of: - knitting a textile slipper (100); - inserting the insole (14) inside the textile slipper; - attaching the outsole (12) to the insole (14).
16. A manufacturing method according to the preceding claim, comprising a step of shaping the textile slipper before the step of inserting the insole (14), the shaping step being carried out by hot forming the textile slipper on a last, the textile slipper comprising hot-melt fibers.
17. A manufacturing method according to any one of claims 15 and 16, wherein the step of knitting a textile slipper is carried out so as to obtain a textile slipper (100) comprising an outer part (100a) and an inner part (100b) linked together at an opening (100c) for the introduction of the foot.