Shoe sole and method

• US 20060143947A1
• Filed: 02/04/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caleres Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Brown Shoe Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Ellis, Eugene, Pugh, Phillip W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/30.R
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/026 Composites, e.g. carbon fibre or aramid fibre; the sole, one or more sole layers or sole part being made of a composite
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/04 Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/12 Soles with several layers of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/16 Pieced soles with several layers of different material A43B13/12
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/26 projecting beyond the sole surface
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/142 Soles

Abstract

An outsole (1) for a shoe has a backing member (4) of thermoplastic rubber and on an area of the exterior surface of that backing member an intermediate layer (12) of thermoplastic polyurethane and an outermost layer of fabric (10), the area comprising at least 51 percent of the contact surface of the outsole. In producing the outsole, a sheet of fabric is overlain with a sheet of thermoplastic urethane, the sheet is heated to about the melting point of the TPU to permit the TPU to adhere to the fabric, and the fabric is cooled. The TPU-covered fabric is cut to the size and shape required to fit a backing member, and position in a mold on a bottom surface of a mold, and a quantity of TPR is injected at a temperature lower than the melting point of the TPU but high enough to render the TPU tacky, to insure the inherence of the TPU-covered fabric to the backing, including the resultant outsole.

Claims

1. An outsole for a shoe comprising an outsole-forming backing member of TPR, an area of a ground contacting exterior surface of said backing member having an intermediate layer of TPU and an outer layer of fabric, and a dried coating of soluble TPU, on the order of 0.2 mm thick, on the exposed outermost surface of the fabric said fabric area being of a size of ground contact surface that permits classification under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule at a tariff rate lower than a shoe having no fabric contact surface or a fabric ground contact surface that is smaller than that permitting such classification.

2. (canceled)

3. The method of producing an outsole comprising covering a sheet of fabric with TPU by overlaying said fabric with a sheet of TPU, heating said TPU sheet to about the melting point of the TPU to permit the TPU to adhere to the fabric, cooling the TPU covered fabric to harden the TPU;

cutting said TPU covered fabric to the size and shape required to fit a backing member to which said covered fabric is to be attached;

positioning said cut, covered fabric on a bottom surface of a mold, and injecting into said mold a quantity of TPR at a temperature lower than the melting point of said TPU but high enough to render the TPU tackily adherent, and cooling the resultant outsole.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the TPR is subjected in the mold to about 30-35 kilograms pressure per square inch.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the temperature of the TPR in the mold is about 75°

-79°

C. and the dwell time in the mold is about 2.5 to 3.0 seconds.

6. The method of claim 3 including the step, after the coating of TPU on the fabric has hardened, of scrubbing the outer surface of the TPU before the coated fabric is placed in the mold.

9. The method of claim 3 including the step of layering the ground-contacting side of the fabric with a TPU solution at about 150°

C.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the said side is layered in three passes to produce a coating about 0.2 mm thick.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the layering of the fabric is done before the sheet of fabric is covered with a sheet of PTU.

7. (canceled)

12. An outsole for a shoe comprising an outsole-forming backing member of an elastomeric composition, an area of a ground contacting exterior surface of said backing member having an outer layer of fabric, said fabric area constituting at least 51% of the ground contacting surface, said fabric having holes in it, a portion of said backing member extending through said holes to project beyond the outer surface of said fabric.

13. The outsole of claim 12 wherein said elastomeric composition is TPR and said backing member has an intermediate layer of TPU between said outer layer of fabric, and a dried coating of soluble TPU, on the order of 0.2 mm thick, on the exposed outermost surface of the fabric.

14. The method of producing an outsole comprising:

forming holes in a shaped fabric in an accurately predetermined pattern;

providing a mold having a surface containing shallow depressions arranged in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of holes in the fabric;

inserting said shaped fabric in said mold so that the holes in the fabric register with the depressions in the mold surface, and introducing an elastomeric composition, through said holes and into said depressions.

8. The method of claim 14 wherein the holes are on the order of 6 mm. in diameter and the depressions are on the order of 0.8 mm deep and wide.