Article of footwear with soil-shedding performance

• US 10,076,156 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike Innovate C.V. (Nike, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Dyer, Caleb W., Wright, Zachary C., Walker, Jeremy D., Maurer, Myron, Schiller, Denis, Baghdadi, Hossein A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HIGGINS, GERARD T
• Application Number:
  US14/814,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20160058110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/02 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/04 Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/122 characterised by the outsole or external layer
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/16 Pieced soles with several layers of different material A43B13/12
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/22 Soles made slip-preventing or wear-resisting, e.g. by impregnation or spreading a wear-resisting layer
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/26 projecting beyond the sole surface
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0036 characterised by a special shape or design
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/02 attached to the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/16 Studs or cleats for football or like boots
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/142 Soles
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 3/075 Macromolecular gels
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 75/04 Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

The disclosure relates to articles of footwear and components thereof, including outsoles, which can be used in conditions normally conducive to the accumulation of soil on the outsoles. In particular, the disclosure relates to articles of footwear and components thereof including an outsole with an external hydrogel film having a water uptake rate greater than 20 g/(m²×min^0.5). The outsoles can prevent or reduce the accumulation of soil on the footwear during wear on unpaved surfaces such as sporting fields. When the outsoles are wetted with water, the outsoles can become more compliant and/or can rapidly uptake and/or expel water, which can prevent soil from adhering to the outsole and/or can assist in shedding soil present on the outsole.

Claims

1. An outsole for an article of footwear, the outsole comprising:

an outsole backing member, wherein the outsole backing member comprises one or more traction elements; and

a film secured to the outsole backing member and defining an external surface of the outsole, wherein the film comprises a hydrogel, and wherein the film has a water uptake rate greater than 20 g/(m²×

min^0.5), as characterized by a Water Uptake Rate Test with a Footwear Sampling Procedure.

2. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the water uptake rate of the film is greater than 100 g (m²×

min^0.5).

3. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the water uptake rate of the film ranges from 30 g/(m²×

min^0.5) to 800 g/(m²×

min^0.5).

4. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the hydrogel comprises a physically crosslinked polymeric network.

5. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the film has a dry-state film thickness ranging from 0.1 millimeters to 1.5 millimeters.

6. The outsole of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more traction elements comprises a terminal edge, and wherein the film is not present on the terminal edges of any of the one or more traction elements.

7. The outsole of claim 1, wherein one or more of the traction elements is selected from the group consisting of:

a cleat, a stud, a spike, and a lug.

8. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the traction elements are integrally formed with the outsole backing member.

9. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the traction elements are removable traction elements.

10. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the hydrogel comprises a crosslinked polymeric network.

11. The outsole of claim 10, wherein the crosslinked polymeric network has one or more carbamate linkages.

12. The outsole of claim 1, wherein the hydrogel comprises crystalline regions and amorphous hydrophilic regions, wherein the amorphous regions are covalently bonded to the crystalline regions.

13. The outsole of claim 12, wherein the amorphous hydrophilic regions are bonded to the crystalline regions with carbamate linkages.

14. The outsole of claim 12, wherein the amorphous hydrophilic regions are present in the hydrogel at a ratio of at least 20:

1 by weight relative to the crystalline regions.

15. A component for an article of footwear, the component comprising:

an outsole substrate wherein the outsole substrate comprises one or more traction elements; and

a film secured to a bottom surface of the outsole substrate and defining an external surface of the component, wherein the film comprises a hydrogel, and wherein the film has a water uptake rate ranging from 100 g/(m²×

min^0.5) to 800 g/(m²×

min^0.5), as characterized by a Water Uptake Rate Test with a Footwear Sampling Procedure.

16. The component of claim 15, wherein the water uptake rate of the film ranges from 100 g/(m²×

min^0.5) to 600 g/(m²×

min^0.5).

17. The component of claim 15, wherein the water uptake rate of the film ranges from 150 g/(m²×

min^0.5) to 400 g/(m²×

min^0.5).

18. The component of claim 15, wherein the hydrogel comprises a physically crosslinked polymeric network having one or more carbamate linkages.

19. The component of claim 15, wherein the film has a dry-state film thickness ranging from 0.25 millimeters to 2 millimeter.

20. The component of claim 15, wherein each of the one or more traction elements comprises a terminal edge, and wherein the material is not present on the terminal edges of any of the one or more traction elements.

21. The component of claim 15, wherein one or more of the traction elements is selected from the group consisting of:

a cleat, a stud, a spike, and a lug.

22. The component of claim 15, wherein the traction elements are integrally formed with the outsole substrate.

23. The component of claim 15, wherein the traction elements are removable traction elements.

24. The component of claim 15, wherein the hydrogel comprises a crosslinked polymeric network.

25. The component of claim 15, wherein the hydrogel comprises crystalline regions and amorphous hydrophilic regions, wherein the amorphous regions are covalently bonded to the crystalline regions.

26. The component of claim 25, wherein the amorphous hydrophilic regions are bonded to the crystalline regions with carbamate linkages.

27. The component of claim 25, wherein the amorphous hydrophilic regions are present in the hydrogel at a ratio of at least 20:

1 by weight relative to the crystalline regions.

28. An article of footwear comprising:

an outsole backing member having a first side and a second side, wherein the second side of the outsole backing member comprises one or more traction elements;

an upper operably secured to at least a portion of the first side of the outsole backing member; and

a ground-facing film operably secured to at least a portion of the second side of the outsole backing member, wherein the ground-facing film comprises a hydrogel, and has a water uptake rate ranging from 1 g/(m²×

min^0.5) to 1500 g/(m²×

min^0.5) as characterized by a Water Uptake Rate Test with a Footwear Sampling Procedure.

29. The article of claim 28, wherein the water uptake rate of the film ranges from 30 g/(m²×

min^0.5) to 1200 g/(m²×

min^0.5).

30. The article of claim 28, wherein the film has a dry-state film thickness ranging from 0.15 millimeters to 1 millimeter.

31. The article of claim 28, wherein each of the one or more traction elements comprises a terminal edge, and wherein the material is not present on the terminal edges of any of the one or more traction elements.

32. The article of claim 28, wherein one or more of the traction elements is selected from the group consisting of:

a cleat, a stud, a spike, and a lug.

33. The article of claim 28, wherein the traction elements are integrally formed with the outsole backing member.

34. The article of claim 28, wherein the traction elements are removable traction elements.

35. The article of claim 28, wherein the hydrogel comprises a crosslinked polymeric network.

36. The article of claim 35, wherein the crosslinked polymeric network has one or more carbamate linkages.

37. The article of claim 28, wherein the hydrogel comprises crystalline regions and amorphous hydrophilic regions, wherein the amorphous regions are covalently bonded to the crystalline regions.

38. The article of claim 37, wherein the amorphous hydrophilic regions are bonded to the crystalline regions with carbamate linkages.

39. The article of claim 37, wherein the amorphous hydrophilic regions are present in the hydrogel at a ratio of at least 20:

1 by weight relative to the crystalline regions.