Patent Application
20120144701
The present technology is directed to footwear, and more particularly to footwear with sole assemblies having abrasion resistant portions and methods of making the same.
Fast-roping is a method of exiting an aircraft, such as a helicopter, while the aircraft hovers above the ground. This deployment method is often used by military personnel and Special Forces when ground fire, poor conditions, and/or poor terrain prevent helicopters from landing. During a fast-roping deployment, a rope is extended from a helicopter and a person quickly descends the rope using his or her hands and feet as restraints. No harnesses, carabineers, or other extraneous equipment beyond gloves are used while fast-roping. Accordingly, the person can quickly release and move away from the rope once on the ground, so as to avoid interfering with others descending along the same rope. This allows several people to simultaneously descend along the same rope while being spaced apart from each other . Thus, fast-roping is particularly useful for quickly deploying troops in hazardous environments.
Without additional restraints or braking mechanisms, fast-roping can create a large amount of heat and friction on a fast-roper's gloves and shoes and, thus, wear on any material that contacts the rope. It is desirable to provide footwear that can withstand the heat, friction, and abrasive wear typically encountered during fast roping, and substantially without leaving any residue on the rope. Any such residue left on a rope from gloves and shoes can cause the rope to become more slippery over time or otherwise wearing the rope faster than desired. For example, some agencies instruct the fast ropers to not grip the rope with their feet during descent because shoe polish and leather on boots can rub onto the rope, thereby changing the frictional characteristics of the rope over time. However, it is often beneficial for fast-ropers to use their feet to provide additional strength and braking or speed control capabilities during descent. Thus, it would be advantageous to have footwear that can withstand the rigors of fast-roping without leaving residue on the rope, while also being suitable for other uses, such as hiking, running, climbing, etc. after the person has descended the rope.
The present disclosure is directed toward footwear with sole assemblies that include abrasion resistant portions at a medial arch region of the sole assembly and associated methods of manufacture. Several specific details of the new technology are set forth in the following description and the Figures to provide a thorough understanding of certain embodiments of the technology. Additionally, many of the dimensions, angles, and other features shown in the Figures are merely illustrative of particular embodiments of the technology. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the new technology may have additional embodiments, and that other embodiments of the technology may be practiced without several of the specific features described below.
Embodiments of the new technology are directed to footwear having an upper attached to a sole assembly.
As shown in
The sole assembly 104 of the illustrated embodiment can include a primary portion 106 made of a first material and a different secondary portion 108 made of a second material. The secondary portion 108 can cover a medial arch region 110 of the sole assembly 104, while the primary portion 106 can cover the remainder of the sole assembly 104, including the areas of the sole that engage the ground while walking, running, hiking, climbing, etc. The first material at the primary portion 106 can have a first durometer and the second material at the secondary portion 108 can have a second durometer higher than the first durometer. For example, the first material can be a rubber compound that provides good traction for the primary ground-engaging surface of the sole, while the second material can be made from a highly abrasion resistant rubber compound configured for engagement with a rope during fast roping. The secondary portion 108 can, therefore, provide a substantially abrasion resistant surface that can withstand high levels of friction and heat. A fast-roper, for example, can use the secondary portion 108 for braking when descending a rope without degrading the secondary portion 108 and without leaving residue on the rope or degrading the rope over time.
As shown in the embodiment illustrated in
As discussed above, the primary and secondary portions 106 and 108 are made from materials having different durometers. The primary portion 106 can be made from one or more materials that provide beneficial traction properties. For example, the primary portion 106 can be a synthetic rubber compound and/or another material that provides adequate traction and support. In some embodiments, the primary portion 106 include a plurality of materials located a different parts of the sole assembly 104. For example, the primary portion 106 can include one material at the lateral region 116 and a different material at the forefoot and heel regions 118 and 120.
The secondary portion 108 is made from a material that has a higher durometer than the material at the primary portion 106, such that the secondary portion 108 can withstand friction and facilitate the use of the person's feet while fast-roping. Suitable materials for the secondary portion 108 can have a Shore A value between approximately 55 and 75, inclusive, but the secondary portion 108 can also include materials having a Shore A value above 90. For example, the secondary portion 108 can be made from a rubber compound with a low carbon component, synthetic neoprene, a V-4 compound, and/or other suitable materials with sufficient hardness and abrasion resistance for fast-roping. Additionally, the materials used for the secondary portion 108 can also withstand high temperatures such that the secondary portion 108 will not substantively degrade when friction increases the temperature of the material during descent. The material of the secondary portion 108 is also configured so that it will not excessively wear, fray, cut, or otherwise degrade the rope during fast-roping.
In embodiments of the present technology, the sole assembly 104 can be an outsole made up of the primary and secondary portions 106 and 108 discussed above. In other embodiments, the sole assembly 104 can have a multipart construction with an outsole, a midsole and/or an insole, wherein the outsole comprises the primary and secondary portions 106 and 108. The outsole is coupled to a conventional midsole and/or insole. In other embodiments, primary and/or secondary portions can be formed by one or more portions of the outsole and the midsole.
In the illustrated embodiment, the sole assembly 104 is formed by co-molding the primary portion 106 and the secondary portion 108. For example, both the first and second materials can be placed in a selected mold that can then be closed, and heat and pressure can be applied to the materials in the mold, causing the two materials to co-mold and form the sole assembly 104 described above. In some embodiments, the sole assembly 104 can be vulcanized after molding to make the sole assembly 104 more durable. In other embodiments, the materials of the primary and secondary portions 106 and 108 can be injection molded, bonded, and/or otherwise joined together using other suitable methods for forming sole assemblies.
In the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
The sole assembly 104 can provide the boot assembly 100 shown in
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the invention. Additionally, aspects of the invention described in the context of particular embodiments or examples may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Although advantages associated with certain embodiments of the invention have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages. Additionally, not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended examples.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/422,552, filed Dec. 13, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61422552 | Dec 2010 | US |
