Patent Application
20220110404
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a pad structure comprising stretchable cuttable material with beveled edge. The beveled edge may be present around the entire material. The structure may be a shoe component.
In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a system of components comprising: a defecting device on a surface; a sheet of stretchable cuttable material placed on the defecting device on a surface; a cutter having a surface and at least one cutting element extending from the surface in a predetermined pattern, where each cutting element has a shape defining an internal space, and the internal space may be optionally filled with biasing material. The cutting element may be positioned substantially perpendicular to the surface of the cutter from which the cutting element extends. The surface of the cutter from which the cutting element extends may or may not be flat.
In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method for fabricating a stretchable cuttable material with a beveled edge, comprising: (a) placing a defecting device on a surface; (b) mounting a stretchable cuttable material on the defecting device; (c) providing a cutter having a surface and at least one cutting element extending from the surface in a predetermined pattern, where each cutting element has a shape defining an internal space, and the internal space is optionally filled with biasing material; (d) pressing the cutter into the sheet of stretchable cuttable material, thereby creating a curvature or defect on the stretchable cuttable material formed around the defecting device to form a curved or defected material, and the cutting edge cuts through the curved material thereby forming a cut sheet of stretchable cuttable material comprising a stretchable cuttable material with beveled edge and an excess of stretchable cuttable material, where each stretchable cuttable material with beveled edge has a shape corresponding to the shape of the internal space of its corresponding cutting element; (e) withdrawing the cutter from the cut sheet of stretchable cuttable material, thereby leaving the cut sheet of stretchable cuttable material with the cut portions of the stretchable cuttable material with beveled edge surrounded by the excess stretchable cuttable material; and (f) removing the stretchable cuttable material with beveled edge. The cutting edge blade may be angled substantially perpendicular to the surface. The curvature or defect on the sheet of stretchable and cuttable material may be increased by increasing the curvature of the defecting device. The surface of the cutter from which the cutting element extends may or may not be flat.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below, and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein;
In the present application, “a” and “an” are used to refer to both single and a plurality of objects.
Below is a description of the elements noted in the Drawings.
In one aspect, the stretchable cuttable material may be any material that is amenable of being stretched and of being cut, and may include resilient material. Such resilient material may include without limitation some type of resilient material, such as foam, rubber, elastomer, plastic, and so forth (including a combination of such materials). Functionally, the resilient material may act as a cushion against impact, or provide insulation to heat, depending on the types and material.
There is no requirement on the height or shape of the sheet of stretchable cuttable material. The variability in height may be aesthetic or may serve a physical function. Regarding the shape of the material, while the presently exemplified shape is shaped as a rectangular sheet of material cut into beveled edge, other designs that use different shape starting material to make any assortment of beveled material is possible. Shapes include oval and circular, various polygons, such as triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, and so forth, including, dumbbell shapes, other irregular shapes or a mixture of any of these various shapes that can be imagined according to desirability.
There is no requirement on the height or shape of the defecting device. The variability in height may be aesthetic or may serve a physical function. Regarding the shape of the defecting device, while the presently exemplified shape is that of a shoe bottom, other designs that use different shape starting material to make any assortment of beveled material is possible. Varying the height of the defecting device, for example will cause the angle of the created bevel to be steeper.
The defecting device is made with solid material that more stable than the stretchable cuttable material, as the stretchable cuttable material should be made to curve around the defecting device as force is exerted on the stretchable cuttable material around the defecting device. Thus, the defecting device may be made of such solid material as wood, metal, hard plastic, and so forth.
A typically obtained inventive beveled pad structure using the method of the invention is shown in
A Process for Making the Stretchable Cuttable Material with Beveled Edge
The present invention also relates to a process for making the stretchable cuttable material with beveled edge, such as depicted in
Referring now to the drawings,
The stretchable cuttable material may be cut in a desired and predetermined manner using a cutter, such as cutter 20. The cutter may include a cutting surface 22 for supporting various cutting edges 24 or other structures. The cutting surface may be substantially planar. Alternatively or additionally, the cutting surface may be irregularly shaped or curved if it is desired to create more defect in the sheet of stretchable cuttable material once the sheet of material is placed over the defecting device 30.
It is also contemplated that a plurality of cutting elements 23 may extend from the cutting surface to form a preselected pattern, each cutting element being sharpened at the end used for engaging and cutting materials. Each cutting element is shaped to define an internal space 25 corresponding to the desired shape of cut material.
The various components of the process disclosed herein may be made of any suitable material and may be any size and shape consistent with their functions. The specific embodiments of the process disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. Ordinal indicators, such as first, second or third, for identified elements in the specification or the claims are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate a required or limited number of such elements, and do not indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically indicated. The subject matter of this disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various features, elements, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. No single feature, function, element or property of the disclosed embodiments is essential.
The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying figures. Such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The following examples are offered by way of illustration of the present invention, and not by way of limitation.
Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention specifically described herein. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed in the scope of the claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/748,110, filed Jun. 23, 2015, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/117,885, filed Feb. 18, 2015, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62117885 | Feb 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14748110 | Jun 2015 | US |
| Child | 17556812 | US |
