Patent Application
20250204643
The following disclosure relates to a method for assembling pre-fabricated components of an article of manufacture (or a product) by using a system for securing pre-fabricated components of an article or product. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a method for assembling a first pre-fabricated component and a second pre-fabricated component of footwear using the system for securing pre-fabricated components of the footwear, which does not require the use of an adhesive or glue.
Many techniques for locking or securing two components in assembling an article of manufacture (or a product) are generally known. In the case of footwear, the upper is the upper portion of the footwear that generally conforms to the shape of a foot, while the outsole is the lower portion of the footwear that is connected or attached to the upper and is designed to contact the floor or ground.
In a conventional method of assembling an upper of a footwear to an outsole of the footwear, it is generally known to bind or cement a pre-fabricated form of the upper and a pre-fabricated form of the outsole together by applying an adhesive or glue and then drying and/or curing the adhesive or glue. In general, heavy machinery and Ultraviolet (UV) lights are necessary to carry out the gluing, drying, and/or curing of the adhesive or glue.
Alternatively, or in conjunction with cementing, it is known to use stitching or sewing techniques to assemble the upper and the outsole together.
However, these conventional techniques for assembling footwear components have certain drawbacks. As indicated above, in the instance when adhesive or glue is used to cement the upper and the outsole together, heavy machinery such as mechanical presses, buffing machines, adhesive ovens, and UV lights may be necessary to carry out the cementing process. As a result, such a cementing process can leave a significant carbon footprint. Additionally, footwear made from such a cementing process is not readily recyclable into various separate material categories after it reaches its useful life because it is not easily disassembled into recyclable parts as the adhesive or glue must be removed, further adding to the carbon footprint of the footwear.
Sewing and stitching may also require heavy machinery to carry out the process of assembling footwear. In addition, footwear assembled by sewing and stitching are not readily disassembled and recycled. Therefore, these techniques also require a large carbon footprint and potentially complex systems.
However, there remains a need in the art to provide an improved method or system for locking or securing two pre-fabricated components of an article of manufacture or product, such as an upper and an outsole of footwear, that does not require the use of any adhesive, glue, sewing, or stitching and is easy, effective, and simple. This need is fulfilled by the present inventive concept described below.
In one embodiment, a method for assembling pre-fabricated components of an article or product is provided, the method including providing a first pre-fabricated component having a series of loops along a portion of a peripheral surface of the first pre-fabricated component. The method further includes providing a second pre-fabricated component with a series of corresponding features configured to receive the series of loops. The features have openings or slots and are disposed along at least a portion of a peripheral surface of the second pre-fabricated component. The method also includes slotting the series of loops of the first pre-fabricated component through the openings or slots of the corresponding features of the second pre-fabricated component. Additionally, the method includes securing the first pre-fabricated component and the second pre-fabricated component together with a lace that is passed through openings of the slotted series of loops such that the lace is configured to secure the slotted series of loops in the series of corresponding features in place.
In another embodiment, a system for securing pre-fabricated components of an article or product is provided, the system including a first pre-fabricated component and a second pre-fabricated component. The first pre-fabricated component includes a series of loops along a portion of a peripheral surface of the first pre-fabricated component. The second pre-fabricated component includes a series of corresponding features configured to receive the series of loops. The features have openings or slots, and are disposed along at least a portion of a peripheral surface of the second pre-fabricated component. The system further includes a lace configured to secure the series of loops in the series of corresponding features such as to secure the first pre-fabricated component to the second pre-fabricated component. The lace is passed through openings of the series of loops of the first pre-fabricated component when the series of loops are received through the series of corresponding features of the second pre-fabricated component.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The embodiments of the disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the disclosure, where like designations denote like elements, and in which:
The following detailed description is merely an example in nature and is not
intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are implementations provided to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “rear,” “right,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosure as oriented in
As mentioned above, in conventional methods of assembling a first pre-fabricated component of a footwear to a second pre-fabricated component of the footwear, it is generally known to bind or cement the first pre-fabricated component (e.g., an upper of the footwear) to the second pre-fabricated component (e.g., a outsole of the footwear) together by applying an adhesive or glue and then drying and/or curing the adhesive or glue. In general, heavy machinery and Ultraviolet (UV) lights are necessary to carry out the gluing, drying, and/or curing of the adhesive or glue.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved method or system that overcomes one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks or meets one or more of the objectives listed below.
As mentioned herein, the present disclosure is directed toward a method and system for securing and locking a pre-fabricated component of an article of manufacture to another pre-fabricated component of the article using a series of loops, a series of corresponding or matching features (e.g., flaps) having openings or slots configured to receive the matching loops, and a flexible lace. The flexible lace is configured to engage and lock/secure the slotted loops that are received in the features having openings or slots such that the flexible lace completes the assembly of the article.
The present disclosure involving a modular footwear construction is advantageous in providing an improved method and system that will allow the assembly of an upper of a footwear and an outsole of a footwear in a faster and easier fashion than would otherwise be required with a method that employs an adhesive or glue. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide an improved method or system to assemble an upper of a footwear and an outsole of a footwear that will not require any heavy machinery, such as sole stitching machines, mechanical press, buffing machines, adhesive ovens, UV lights, and the like.
The present disclosure is also advantageous in providing an improved method for locking or securing an upper of a footwear to an outsole of a footwear with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.
The present disclosure is also advantageous in providing an improved method for locking or securing an upper of a footwear to an outsole of a footwear in which the resulting footwear's upper and outsole can be easily disassembled when the footwear has reached the end of its useful life and can be easily recycled into various material categories.
Additionally, the present disclosure is advantageous in providing an improved method for locking or securing an upper of a footwear to an outsole of a footwear in which footwears that are already made with this construction may be re-soled with a new replacement sole with great ease as only the sole and the sole lace is replaced manually without any glue and with or without the use of tools.
Further, the present disclosure is advantageous in providing an improved method that implements a new and unique technical engineering innovation for locking or securing two pre-fabricated components together (e.g., an upper of a footwear and an outsole of a footwear) so as to result in a product that has a new and unique visual appearance.
Additionally, the present disclosure is advantageous in providing an improved method that implements a new and unique technical engineering innovation for locking or securing two pre-fabricated components together so as to result in a product that has a new and unique visual appearance. The resulted product may be articles of clothing, bags, accessories, furniture, and the like, and is not limited to footwear.
Furthermore, the present disclosure is advantageous in providing footwear products that are better for the environment in a variety of ways, are comfortable to wear, and are easy to assemble.
Referring to
As depicted in
The materials that may be used to make the loops 102a are not limited and can be any material that can provide sufficient locking or securement, such as fabric, leather, woven polymeric materials, and the like. The first pre-fabricated component 102 may be constructed from various materials known in the footwear art, e.g., fabric, leather, suede, woven polymeric materials, soft but sufficiently strong materials, and the like. The shapes of the loops 102a are not particularly limited and can be provided in a variety of configurations that are sufficient to provide the desired securement.
In another embodiment, the first pre-fabricated component 102 may include a pre-fabricated upper 109 and a pre-fabricated rand 110 as shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
Additionally, as illustrated in
Alternatively, the series of features 104a having slots 104b (e.g., openings) with gaps 104c therebetween may be replaced with a railing-type structure 108 including or defining slots 108a (e.g., openings), as depicted in
It should also be understood that. alternatively to the use of enlarged tips 106a, the lace 106 may be secured in place simply by tying (in a manner similar to tying a shoe lace) or knotting at its ends. The use of commercially-available or fabricated products (connectors, lace locks, clasps, and the like) that permit tying of loose ends is also within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that the lace 106 may be secured to the first pre-fabricated component 102, the second pre-fabricated component 104, or a combination thereof. For instance, the lace 106 may be tied to the first-fabricated component 102 instead of being tied to itself.
As mentioned herein, one or more laces 106 of shorter lengths may be used. For example, in the case of sandals, two shorter laces 106 may be used on both sides of the first pre-fabricated component 102, which may simply be in the form of a flexible panel or strap that would conform to a foot. It is also within the scope of the present disclosure to use more than one lace 106 passed through the slotted loops 102a to enhance securement or present a different appearance.
As shown in
When the footwear of system 100 reaches the end of its useful life, it can be easily recycled into various material categories. For example, the lace 106 may simply be cut using a pair of scissors or other cutting device to separate the first pre-fabricated component 102 from the second pre-fabricated component 104. This is because, unlike conventional methods and systems, an adhesive, glue, and/or stitching are not required to assemble the first pre-fabricated component 102 and the second pre-fabricated component 104. In the present disclosure, extra equipment such as heavy machinery (e.g., sole stitching machines, mechanical press, buffing machines, adhesive ovens, UV lights, and the like) and other complex systems are unnecessary, as discussed herein. Therefore, the method and system according to the present disclosure results in a modular footwear construction that is environmentally-friendly and substantially reduces carbon footprints.
The system 100 for securing pre-fabricated components of an article or product, as depicted in
Next, the loops 102a of the first pre-fabricated component 102 are slotted through the slots 104b of the corresponding features 104a of the second pre-fabricated component 104. The first pre-fabricated component 102 and the second pre-fabricated component 104 are secured/locked together with a lace 106 that is passed through the openings of the slotted series of loops 102a (i.e., passed through the openings defined by each loop) such that the lace 106 is configured to secure the series of loops 102a in the series of corresponding features 104a in place. The lace 106 is secured to itself either by tying, locking, knotting, or the like the ends of the lace 106. In another embodiment, as discussed above, the lace 106 may be secured to either the first pre-fabricated component 102 (e.g., upper) or the second pre-fabricated component 104 (e.g., outsole).
Furthermore, the upper portion of the pre-fabricated rand 110 may have a series of loops 110a. The series of loops 110a may be along a portion of a peripheral surface of the pre-fabricated rand 110. The series of loops 110a may be stitched or otherwise connected to the upper portion of the pre-fabricated rand 110 in a configuration that is upside down compared to the configuration shown and described above, however either configuration (i.e., direction) of the loops 110a is possible. The lower portion of the pre-fabricated rand 110 may have a skirt 110c, which is along a portion of a peripheral surface of the lower portion of the pre-fabricated rand 110. The skirt 110c is configured to be provided inside the second pre-fabricated component 104. In other words, when the pre-fabricated rand 110 is assembled to the second pre-fabricated component 104 (e.g., outsole) and an insole 111 is added into the interior of the pre-fabricated upper 109, the skirt 110c is positioned between the outside (i.e., bottom) of the insole 111 and the inside (i.e., top) of the second pre-fabricated component 104. Stated another way, when the insole 111 is added, the insole 11 squeezes the skirt 110c in between the outside/bottom of the insole 111 and the inside/top of the outsole 104. As the components are already secured, this squeezing of the skirt 110c in between the insole 111 and outsole 104 can easily stay in place, which is enforced by a foot standing on top of the footbed, thereby tightening the squeeze.
As mentioned above, the second pre-fabricated component 104 includes a series of corresponding features 104a configured to receive the series of loops 110a by the slots 104b (e.g., openings) in a slotted fashion. The features 104a and included openings or slots 104b are disposed along at least a portion of a peripheral surface of the second pre-fabricated component 104.
The pre-fabricated rand 110 and the pre-fabricated upper 109 (i.e., the first pre-fabricated components) are assembled to the second pre-fabricated component 104 by the series of loops 110a and features 104a. The series of loops 110a are provided through the slots 104b of the features 104a. The lace 106 is configured to secure the series of loops 110a in the series of corresponding features 104a to secure the pre-fabricated upper 109 and the pre-fabricated rand 110 (i.e., the first pre-fabricated component 102) to the second pre-fabricated component 104 without any heavy machinery, such as sole stitching machines, mechanical press, buffing machines, adhesive ovens, UV lights, and the like. The lace 106 is provided with enlarged tips 106a after the lace 106 is passed through the slotted loops 110a. The enlarged tips 106a are configured to prevent the lace 106 from going back through the slotted loops 110a after the lace 106 has passed through the slotted loops 110a. In this way. the lace 106 is positioned in place to lock or secure the slotted loops 110a on the first pre-fabricated component 102 and the features 104a on the second pre-fabricated component 104, thereby completing the assembly of the footwear in system 200.
The system 200 depicted in
While the disclosed system and method is described with reference to footwear, the system and method may be used for more than footwear alone, such as articles of clothing, bags, accessories, equipment, furniture, and the like. Thus, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions and/or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “disclosure” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any particular disclosure or inventive concept. Moreover, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the herein embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, are apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the description.
As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As used herein, “for example,” “for instance,” “such as,” or “including” are meant to introduce examples that further clarify more general subject matter. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, such examples are provided only as an aid for understanding embodiments illustrated in the present disclosure and are not meant to be limiting in any fashion. Nor do these phrases indicate any kind of preference for the disclosed embodiment.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b) and is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed to less than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimed subject matter.
It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting and that it should be understood that the following claims including all equivalents are intended to define the scope of the disclosure. The claims should not be read as limited to the described order or elements unless stated to that effect. Therefore, all embodiments that come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto are claimed as the disclosure.
The present patent document claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/320,372, filed Mar. 16, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2023/015402 | 3/16/2023 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63320372 | Mar 2022 | US |
