Shoe (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

073 997 U

DESCRIPTION

Shoe.

The present invention relates to a shoe equipped with a sole structured in such a way as to allow optimal foot support and optimal walking comfort, combined with effective stability of the shoe with respect to lateral stresses.

In the field of the reference art of the invention, shoes are known that comprise a sole structured in substantially different portions like a sheet, which are coupled in superposition one on the other and are conveniently made of different materials to impart to the sole, to each portion by itself, the desired properties.

US Patent 6,691,432 shows a shoe comprising a sole that includes a tread sole part, a midsole part and an additional sole part for absorbing impacts. The latter is made of an extremely soft material, for example a gel-based material, and serves to absorb any impact with the ground to a greater degree. This sole part has an appendix which extends towards the supporting surface of the tread sole part and is housed in a through opening provided on the midsole part and on the tread sole part.

The applicant observed that since the aforementioned sole part is particularly configured for shock absorption, it does not possess the mechanical characteristics necessary to provide an appreciable supporting action for the foot.

The applicant also appreciated that in shoes with a sole equipped with a structural portion coupled in overlap with a tread portion, the resistance of the sole to lateral stresses when walking is correlated with the distance between the structural portion and the supporting surface of the tread sole part and also with the size of the supporting surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to a median longitudinal axis of the sole (hereinafter this direction will be identified as the "width" of the support surface).

More precisely, the applicant established that a shoe in which the structural portion of the sole is raised much with respect to the support surface, in relation to the width of the latter, can be more easily deformed in the case of lateral stresses, increasing the risk of lateral deformation of the shoe with consequent unwanted sliding or dangerous lateral flexion of the foot.

In particular, the Applicant also observed that this risk is more accentuated in the heel region of the sole, which typically has support surfaces of reduced height and a marked elevation of the structural portion from the support surface.

Therefore, the applicant perceived that the lateral stability of this type of shoe could be increased by taking advantage of the stiffness characteristics of the structural portion by adopting a specific configuration respectively of the structural portion and of the tread portion which were, at the same time, at the same time, also capable of ensuring the maintenance of the properties of comfort and flexibility imparted to the sole by the tread portion.

The applicant finally found that by providing an interlocking coupling between a protrusion provided on the structural portion and a corresponding through opening provided on the tread portion, wherein said structural portion provides greater rigidity than that of said tread portion, it is obtained a shoe that, Even in the case of a reduced width of the support surface and / or a pronounced elevation of the structural portion from the support surface, it presents an optimal stability with respect to lateral stresses without impairing any characteristics of comfort, flexibility or grip to the I usually.

Therefore, in a first aspect thereof, the invention refers to a shoe comprising an upper part and a sole coupled to said upper part, said sole including:

- a tread portion in which a support surface is defined for said sole during the use of the shoe,

- a structural portion that has a greater stiffness than that of said tread portion and that is arranged on the opposite side with respect to said support surface at least in a region of the heel of said sole,

- coupling elements between said tread portion and said structural portion, wherein said coupling elements include a protrusion provided in said structural portion and extending towards said tread portion, and also a through opening provided in said tread portion in the one that houses said protuberance.

The applicant verified that, by adopting the solution mentioned above, the shoe offers a greater resistance to deformation caused by lateral stresses. Applicant also maintains that any deformation of the tread portion is effectively detected and limited by the presence of the protrusion, which is made of a relatively rigid material.

Furthermore, the provision of the coupling between the protrusion and the through opening makes it possible to facilitate the assembly operations between the tread portion and the structural portion of the sole, since it allows immediate centering of the components.

In a second aspect thereof, the invention relates to a sole for shoes, said sole including a tread portion on which a support surface is defined, in which a first plurality of grooves are provided on said support surface. , having a first depth, and also a second plurality of grooves, having a second depth that is less than said first depth, at least a part of said first plurality of grooves and said second plurality of grooves being arranged in such a way as to collectively form a first recognizable figure and said at least a part of the first plurality of grooves are arranged in such a way as to form a second recognizable figure, different from said first figure.

The present invention, in at least one of the aspects cited above, may have at least one of the preferred features indicated below.

According to a first preferred characteristic, said tread portion includes a tread sole part, on which said support surface is defined,

ES 1 073 997 U and a part of its middle interposed between said structural portion and said tread sole part, to separate said structural portion from said tread sole part.

Preferably, said midsole portion has a size substantially similar to said structural portion.

Any impact with the ground is not transmitted, therefore, directly to the structural portion, which, thanks to its characteristics of rigidity, would transmit it by itself to the foot inside the shoe, but is absorbed or at least attenuated by the midsole part.

According to another preferred characteristic, said midsole portion has a thickness that decreases from said heel region towards a region of the arch of said sole.

In this way, a raised position of the heel region is obtained, which allows greater comfort when walking and, in addition, the structural portion is kept in a position close to the foot to support it more effectively.

Preferably, said midsole has a stiffness that is less than said tread sole portion.

Regarding this characteristic, the midsole part imparts an adequate degree of comfort to the foot, and can also effectively absorb impacts and roughness of the ground, while the tread sole part can provide greater stability and resistance characteristics. wear.

Preferably, said structural portion extends in a limited manner in said heel region and in an arch region of said sole.

In this way, the structural portion is not directly affected by the movement when walking, which causes a marked flexion of the metatarsal region of the sole, and thus can be made of a relatively rigid material.

In a preferred form, said tread portion abuts, on the walls defining said through opening, against a lateral surface of said protrusion.

In this way, the possibility of deformation of the tread portion as a result of any lateral stress is limited.

Preferably, said protrusion rises from a first surface of said structural portion and said first surface, on said protrusion, is at a maximum distance from said supporting surface of at least 5 mm.

According to another preferred characteristic, said protrusion rises from a first surface of said structural portion and includes a lower surface opposite said first surface, said lower surface moving away from said support surface by a measure of between 3 and 15 mm.

Regarding this characteristic, the possibility is avoided that the protuberance, made of a relatively rigid material, the same as the structural portion, could rest directly on the ground, transmitting to the foot the stresses not adequately attenuated by the tread portion. . Furthermore, this configuration offers the possibility of printing on the lower surface of the protuberance, not exposed to wear from direct contact with the ground, a logo, a brand or any other distinction of aesthetic or commercial interest for the shoe producer.

In a first preferred embodiment, said through opening has an open profile at a rear longitudinal end of said bead region.

In this way, the coupling operation between the structural portion and the tread portion is facilitated.

In an alternative preferred embodiment, said through opening has a closed profile.

In this manner, the protrusion exerts an effective abutment action along the entire perimeter of the through opening, including the rear longitudinal end of the bead region.

Preferably, said protrusion has a predominant dimension substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said sole.

According to a further preferred feature, said protrusion has a configuration that tapers from said region of the heel towards a region of the arch of said sole.

According to a further preferred characteristic, said protrusion is arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis of said sole.

Regarding these geometric characteristics, a balanced stop action is obtained with respect to lateral stresses, the protrusion being the widest in the region of the heel, where the support surface is wider, and narrowest in the region of the arch, where the support surface is narrower.

Preferably, the ratio between the maximum length of said protrusion and the corresponding length of said supporting surface, in a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said sole, is between about 0.2 and about 0.6.

It has been found that in this range an optimal compromise is obtained between the requirement to increase stability with respect to lateral stresses and the requirement not to excessively reduce the contact area between the support surface and the ground.

Preferably, furthermore, the ratio between the maximum distance between said structural portion and said support surface, measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to said support surface, and the length of said support surface in a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said sole is greater than 0.2.

The Applicant found that the advantageous effect that occurs from the present invention is more clearly appreciable when the conditions mentioned above are adhered, in other words, when the sole is sufficiently raised in the region of the heel with respect to the width of its surface. of support.

Preferably, said tread sole part is made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer with the addition of synthetic rubbers.

According to a preferred characteristic, said part of its middle is made of expanded thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer.

Preferably, said structural portion is made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer.

Preferably, said protrusion is made of carbon overmolded with a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer compound.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention,

ES 1 073 997 U on said tread portion, on said supporting surface, are provided a first plurality of grooves, having a first depth, and also a second plurality of grooves, having a second depth that is less than said first depth, at least a part of said first plurality of grooves and said second plurality of grooves being arranged in such a way as to form a first recognizable figure as a whole and said at least a part of the first plurality of grooves being arranged such that they form a second recognizable figure, different from said first figure.

In this way, it is possible for the user to immediately identify a predetermined degree of wear of the support surface of the sole. When the sole is new or has little use, the first figure is visible, while when the wear of the support surface is such that it eliminates the grooves of the second plurality (less deep), only the second figure can be seen, formed through the grooves of the first plurality (deeper).

Preferably, at least a part of said first plurality of grooves and said second plurality of grooves are provided on a metatarsal region of said sole.

Thus, an extended sole region is involved and more affected by wear.

Preferably, the grooves of said first plurality extend from opposite lateral regions of said tread portion towards its mid region, following an inclined path in the direction of a toe region of said sole.

In a preferred form, the grooves of said first plurality are devoid of intersections with other grooves of said first plurality.

These characteristics allow a greater adherence of the sole to the ground.

Preferably further, the grooves of said second plurality extend between the grooves of said first plurality.

More preferably, the grooves of said second plurality do not intersect the grooves of said first plurality.

Preferably, the grooves of said second plurality extend in a limited manner in said metatarsal region and in said toe region of the sole.

In this way, the provision of the grooves of the second plurality is limited to the region of greatest wear of the sole, and therefore to the region in which there is a greater need for monitoring thereof.

Preferably, the grooves of said first plurality extend over the entire supporting surface of said sole.

In this way, the greater depth of the grooves in the first plurality is used to advantageously impart adequate grip characteristics to the sole, particularly on wet ground.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred example embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- figure 1 is a schematic side view of a shoe produced according to the present invention,

figure 2 is an implanted view from below, on an enlarged scale, of the shoe of figure 1,

figure 3 is a view similar to figure 2, with the sole subjected to a wear action,

Figure 4 is an exploded view of some components of the sole of the shoe of Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawings, reference 1 collectively indicates a shoe produced in accordance with the present invention.

The shoe 1 comprises an upper part 2, suitable to receive and adequately enclose a foot inside a seat of the shoe 2a defined by the upper part itself, and also the sole 3 coupled, by any suitable conventional technique, to the upper part 2.

On the sole 3 there are formed, in succession along a longitudinal axis X defined on the sole 3 between the opposite longitudinal ends 3a, 3b, a region of the heel 4, a region of the arch 5, a metatarsal region and a region of toe cap 7.

The sole 3 comprises a tread portion 10, on which a support surface 11 of the sole 3 is defined, and also a structural portion 12 superimposed on the tread portion 10 on the side opposite the support surface 11.

The structural portion 12 is made of a relatively rigid material, for example thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), and is positioned to resist, without undergoing significant deformation, the loads to which the sole of the shoe is typically subjected when walking. , to provide adequate support to the user's foot.

So that the stiffness of the structural portion 12 does not have a negative effect on the action of walking, which produces an accentuated flexion of the sole 3 in the metatarsal region 6, the structural portion 12 extends to a limited extent in the region of the heel 4 and in the region of arch 5.

The tread portion 10 has a stiffness that is significantly less than that of the structural portion 12 and includes a tread sole portion 13, upon which the support surface 11 is defined, and a midsole portion 14 interposed between the structural portion 12 and tread sole portion 13.

The tread sole part 13 extends to cover the entire support surface 11, indicated by the dashed lines of Figure 2, and is curved, at its peripheral edge 13a, towards the upper part 2, away from the support surface eleven.

The tread sole portion 13 may be made of any suitable material to provide the required friction and comfort properties on a floor surface. By way of example, the tread sole part 13 can be made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), preferably with the addition of synthetic rubbers, which will have flexibility characteristics that are more marked than the TPU used in the production of the shoe. structural portion 12, ensuring that the tread sole part 13 has grip and support on any type of base: dry, wet, or discontinuous.

The midsole portion 14 is interposed between the structural portion 12 and the tread sole portion 13 and has among its main functions that of separating the structural portion 12 from the sole portion.

ES 1 073 997 U the tread 13, in particular by raising the heel region 4 of the support surface 11.

For this purpose, the midsole portion 14 has a size substantially similar to that of the structural portion 12, thus corresponding to the heel region 4 and the arch region 5.

The midsole portion 14 has a thickness that decreases from the heel region 4 towards the arch region 5, to obtain a gradual elevation of the structural portion 12 in the direction of the heel region.

The midsole portion 14 is conveniently made of a material having a stiffness and density that is less than that of the tread sole portion 13, for example, low-density expanded thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, to ensure, by its own elasticity, a cushioning effect, improving control when walking on any type of base.

The coupling between the structural portion 12 and the midsole part 14, and also the coupling between the latter and the tread sole part 13, are obtained by means of coupling elements which, in principle, can refer to techniques that are known by themselves, comprising for example a layer of adhesive applied to the surfaces in mutual contact.

However, according to a feature of this invention, the coupling elements also include a protrusion 20 provided on the structural portion 12 and extending towards the tread portion 10, and also a corresponding through opening 21 provided on the tread portion. footprint 10 and suitable to receive protrusion 20 in engagement.

According to a preferred embodiment, the protrusion 20 comprises a carbon insert overmolded with a compound that is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), in such a way as to ensure the stability of the foot when walking, and also the absorption of shocks and abrupt stresses during changes in speed and direction.

In particular, the protrusion 20 rises from a first surface 22 of the structural portion 12, opposite the midsole portion 14, and has a generally frusto-conical configuration, with a bottom surface 23, opposite the first surface 22, and a lateral surface 24 which extends as a connection between the first surface 22 and the lower surface 23.

The distance between the first surface 22 and the supporting surface 11, at the protrusion 20, is between a minimum value found in the region of the arch 5 and a maximum value found in the region of the heel 4. The maximum value is preferably per at least 5 mm, and more preferably between 10 and 20 millimeters.

The bottom surface 23 is substantially parallel to the support surface, and furthermore is conveniently set back from it by a measure of between 3 and 15 mm.

The protrusion 20 is positioned in a medial region of the sole 3, substantially symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis X, to involve the heel region 4 and the arch region 5. The protrusion 20 also has a longitudinally elongated cross section, with a predominant dimension substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis X, and with a transverse dimension Z substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X, which tapers from the heel region 4 towards the arch region 5 , consistent with the path of the transverse dimension Z 'of the support surface, widest in the region of the heel 4 and narrowest in the region of the arch 5.

In particular, the ratio between the maximum transverse dimension Z of the protrusion 20 and the corresponding dimension Z 'of the support surface 11 is between about 0.2 and about 0.6.

Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment depicted herein, it is preferred that the ratio of the maximum distance between the first surface 22 of the structural portion 12 of the support surface 11, measured in a Y direction substantially perpendicular to the support surface 11, and the transverse dimension Z 'of the support surface 11 is greater than 0.2 and preferably between 0.3 and 0.6.

The through opening 21 is provided on the midsole part 14 and the tread sole part 13 and is delimited by walls 25, against which the lateral surface 24 of the protrusion 20 is placed, to obtain a direct stop between the bulge 20 and tread portion 10.

In the preferred embodiment described and depicted herein, the through opening has a closed profile, but in an alternative embodiment not shown, the through opening 21 may have an open profile at the rear longitudinal end 3 a of the heel region 4.

Sole 3 is obtained as follows.

The tread sole part 13, the midsole part 14 and the structural portion 12 are obtained separately, for example by injection molding of polymeric material. On the structural portion 12 the protrusion 20 is also provided integrally, while on the tread sole part and the midsole part 13, 14 the through opening 21 is provided.

The coupling is then carried out by superimposing the structural portion 12 on the midsole part 14 and of the latter on the tread sole part 13, with the help of the insertion of the protrusion 20 inside the opening. through 21, and before spreading an adhesive layer on the surfaces in mutual contact between the different components.

The sole 3 thus obtained can be finally attached to the upper part 2, for example by sewing or by adhesive.

On the tread sole part 13 there is also provided a tread pattern which is useful for improving the grip characteristics of the sole 3, particularly on a wet basis.

In particular, on the tread sole part 13, on the supporting surface 11, a first plurality of grooves 30, having a first depth, and also a second plurality of grooves 31, having a second depth that is less than said first depth.

More precisely, the depth of the grooves of the first plurality 30 is between about 1 and about 3 mm, while the depth of the grooves of the second plurality 31 is between about 0.2 and about 1 mm.

The grooves of the first plurality 30 are pre

ES 1 073 997 U seen over the entire length of the support surface 11, and extend from opposite lateral regions 32, 33 of the tread sole part 13, in particular from its peripheral edge 13a, towards a median region 34 of the same, implied by the longitudinal axis X.

The grooves of the first plurality 30 are directed in a non-perpendicular manner towards the longitudinal axis X, following an inclined path towards the toe region 7, the path of which may be substantially a line or it may follow a broken line, the inclination of which relative to the longitudinal direction X gradually decreases as it approaches the longitudinal axis X.

Furthermore, the grooves of the first plurality 30 are devoid of intersections with other grooves 30 of the first plurality.

The grooves of the second plurality 31 extend in a limited manner to the metatarsal region 6 and the toe region 7 of the sole 3 and do not intersect each other, as they do not intersect with the grooves of the first plurality 30 which preferably extend among the latter.

According to a characteristic of the present invention, the grooves of the second plurality 31 and the grooves of the first plurality 30 provided in the metatarsal region and in the region of the toe cap 6 and 7, are arranged in such a way that they together form a first recognizable figure 40 (see figure 2), while only the grooves of the first plurality 30 provided in the metatarsal region and the toe region 6 and 7 are arranged in such a way that they together form a second recognizable figure 41 (see figure 3), different from the first figure 40.

Here and in the following claims, "recognizable figure" is intended to mean the joint external appearance produced by a set of lines, attributable to a known image.

In the specific and described case shown, the first figure 40 schematically represents a stylized angel, while the second figure 41, also in a stylized way, represents a demon. Of course, Figures 40 and 41 may represent different subjects, or commercial words, inscriptions, or logos.

During use, the shallow grooves of the second plurality 31 tend to wear out after a certain period of time, depending on the conditions of use, and the second figure 41 becomes the only recognizable figure on the support surface 11. Advantageously, this wear indicator can be used by the user in the sense of greater safety when walking, since, being in the state of wear in the material that forms the support surface 11, the user will try to avoid sticky or very slippery floors. .