The present invention relates to soles for sport shoes made with a laminated profile comprising multiple layers performing distinct functions, respectively. This sole is mounted on an upper and may or may not incorporate a projecting outer heel-piece in its rear portion.
In shoes particularly intended for mountain sports, e.g., cross-country skiing, Nordic hiking, and mountain hiking in general, attempts have always been made to produce soles making it possible to obtain, simultaneously, torsional stiffness properties in relation to the longitudinal axis of the sole combined with good flectional properties, in particular in the area of the metatarsals.
This goal is sought most notably in cross-country skiing and Nordic hiking, where the boot cooperates with the ski and must provide optimal guidance of the latter.
Furthermore, longitudinal flexibility of the sole of the boot is indispensable so as to allow smooth extension of the foot not only during actual cross-country skiing or Nordic hiking, but also when the skis are removed, to permit walking freely.
The situation is the same for boots designed specifically for walking.
Moreover, and precisely in the case of walking shoes or ski boots designed to be used for walking, even of only occasionally, attempts have been made to produce soles having the aforementioned properties, but which can also provide a certain level of comfort and which damp the points of impact produced by contact of the boot with the ground, while restoring energy.
French Patent No. 2 520 886 relates to an athletic shoe comprising a laminated sole composed of a first layer, or contact sole, whose upper part receives a second, or inserted flexible layer, in a central plane of which a reinforcement element is inserted in the area of the heel-piece and extending toward the arch.
In this case, the efficiency of the second, comfort layer is impaired because of the presence of the reinforcement element in its central plane.
Moreover, the presence of a lower portion of the insert positioned between the reinforcement element and the contact sole increases proportionally the height and weight of the assembly.
In addition, currently-marketed mountain boots include a model sold under the “HANWAG” label, which offers a sole composed of an outer contact sole on which are superposed, in succession, a shock-absorbing layer, then a very rigid assembly insole fitted with an anti-torsion insert.
Another boot, currently marketed under the tradename “ASOLO” differs basically in that the shock-absorption layer is confined to the heel area and is housed in a corresponding recess provided in the outer contact layer.
In these latter cases, the principal disadvantage lies in the fact that the rigid layer is in direct contact with the foot and imparts excessive flectional rigidity to the sole. Furthermore, shock waves are felt in more pronounced fashion by the foot.
In French Patent No. 2 556 569, applicants have also proposed a solution consisting of producing an outer sole by using at least two plastic materials having different mechanical properties and by applying the duplicate-molding technique.
In fact, this sole comprises a stiffening element, or shank, made of a rigid plastic material and elastically deformable, which incorporates an area of flection, at least in the metatarsal-phalangeal area, in the form of spaced transverse plates separated by bridges having a lesser thickness and on which a flexible plastic, elastically deformable material is added through a duplicate-molding process. The bridges comprise openings through which the flexible duplicate-molded material can penetrate and are designed to break while making the rigid plates separate from each other when the sole is first used, the bridges then being connected simply by the flexible plastic material.
This solution has proved to be costly, given the complexity of the mold made for that purpose and of the simultaneous-injection equipment used; furthermore, this solution offers no comfort layer.
What is sought is precisely the following:
This stiffness can not be achieved using soles made only of rubber, since they would have to be too thick and, consequently, too heavy. Moreover, it is difficult to control with precision the rigidity of a rubber sole, in particular in different directions.
In addition, for purposes of standardization and cost savings, a modularly-variable sole design is sought, which can be easily adapted at minimal cost to different uses and sports, i.e., mountain sports, golf, cycling, etc.
The present invention is intended to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages and to achieve the following results:
To these ends, the present invention concerns a sole for a sport shoe incorporating a laminated profile comprising several layers performing different functions respectively, this sole being surmounted by an upper and optionally comprising, an outer heel-piece on its rear portion.
It is characterized by the fact that it comprises at least three layers arranged in the following way:
This construction incorporating three distinct layers, each of which has one or more well-determined functions, provides a modularly-variable sole design in which the integral functions may be changed by modifying a single layer; this is of particular importance for the design and manufacture of these soles.
Moreover, placing the comfort layer directly between the foot and the “rib” layer prevents this rib layer from interfering with comfort, and thus gives optimal comfort.
Finally, the effectiveness of the outer, or contact, layer is improved because the rib layer comes into contact and cooperates directly with this outer layer, the rib layer thus constituting, for the contact layer, a kind of framework which prevents generalized deformations of the contact layer, in the manner of the radial casing of an automobile tire, and allowing the user of softer, and thus more adherent, rubbers.
The invention will be between understood and other features will be brought to light by virtue of the following description provided with reference to the attached drawings, wherein several embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example, and wherein:
The sport shoe 1 shown in a first embodiment in
The sole 2 has a laminated profile, as shown in
According to the invention and to the present embodiment, the sole 2 comprises three layers 7, 8, 9 arranged in the following manner:
The comfort layer is made either of a flexible material of uniform density, or a material whose density gradually increases from its upper to its lower part, which is in contact with the rigid intermediate rib 9.
In the embodiment illustrated in
According to one embodiment, in particular under torsion, the rigidity of the intermediate layer, or rib, 9 has a uniform value at all points, this value being suitably selected during manufacture as a function of the intended use of the shoe (FIG. 5).
This layer 9 can also be constituted by a rib 9A composed of a plurality of zones 9a, 9b, 9c extending on either side of an axis of torsion X-X′ and having different stiffness values suitably selected during manufacture as a function of the intended use of the shoe.
For example, in shoes designed especially for high mountain walking (FIG. 6), the rib 9A may be constituted by a rigid rear zone 9a, an intermediate semi-rigid zone 9b capable of promoting flection in the area of the metatarsals in the foot 4, and a rigid front zone 9c in the phalangeal area.
For shoes especially designed for walking in medium mountain altitudes (FIG. 6), the rib 9A may be constituted by a rigid rear zone 9a, a flexible intermediate zone 9b more broadly promoting flection in the area of the metatarsals in the foot 4 and extension of the foot, and a rigid front zone 9c in the phalangeal area.
The rib layer 9 may also be made of a composite material having different rigidity/flectional characteristics along different axes and exhibiting both, a high degree of stiffness under torsion (in a direction perpendicular to the axis X-X′) and a degree of flexibility under torsion along axis X-X′.
In the embodiment shown in
The inserts 10 forming the rib 9B are preferably made during a single molding operation used to mold this layer 9B with the contact layer 7.
In the embodiment illustrated in
This latter solution offers the advantage that a shoulder 14, 15 perpendicular to the outer surfaces of the stops 12, 13 remains between the latter and the upper plane of the rib 9C, so as to obtain an attachment surface designed for the installation of ice studs in a high mountain boot. In the variant illustrated in
The variant shown in
According to another variant, shown in
In the example shown, the projections 8B are constituted by points uniformly spaced in the area of the metatarsals and the heel. Of course, they could cover the entire surface of the foot.
The advantage of this solution is that it can produce a triple-layer sole according to the invention using two materials only, the flexibility of the comfort layer 8A to be obtained being a function of the density and/or the geometry of the points which constitute it.
During walking, the first contact with the ground occurs principally on the periphery 17 of the sole. This periphery is thus carefully designed for maximum wear resistance and in order not to pick up dirt, so as to preserve its gripping properties.
According to a variant illustrated in
Skids 7B are preferably arranged on either side of the longitudinal torsion axis, in this particular instance on either side of a central groove in a cross-country ski boot.
In an application of the invention to cross-country ski or Nordic hiking boots (FIG. 17), the rigid intermediate layer 9E is used for the mechanical attachments of an attachment loop 21 designed to cooperate with a hinge-type binding optionally comprising an internal metal reinforcement insert, this insert and/or this loop 21 being duplicate molded in rigid intermediate layer 9E, such as that described in French Patent No. 91 04126 filed by Applicant. Of course, the rigid layer can be used for any other type of mechanical attachment of an interface.
For example, the rigid intermediate layer or rib 9 may be used for mechanical attachment of a metal insert cooperating with the binding of a pedal in a cycling application, the insert being duplicate molded in intermediate layer 9.
In an application of the invention to golf shoes (FIG. 18), the lower part of rigid intermediate layer is provided with threaded holes 22 or rib 9F for the mechanical attachment of studs (not shown) in a screwed-in configuration.
The hardnesses of the different layers forming the sole are preferably as follows:
In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ground-contact layer 7, 7A, 7B is made of rubber with gripping and abrasion-resistance properties.
However, this does not exclude a ground-contact layer 7, 7A, 7B also made of a polyurethane or any other thermoplastic material.
The rigid intermediate layer or rib 9, 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, 9E, 9F may be made of filled or unfilled polyurethane (glass or carbon fibers, etc.), filled or unfilled polyamide, by a filled or unfilled polyethylene, or any other thermoplastic material.
It should also be noted that each of the layers 7, 8, 9 of the sole 2 may or may not extend over the entire surface of the sole (see, for example, the
Finally, the layers 7, 8, 9 constituting the sole 2 may be connected by any means, such as adhesive bonding, duplicate molding, or ultrasound.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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91 16275 | Dec 1991 | FR | national |
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/995,083 filed Dec. 22, 1992, now abandoned.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 07995083 | Dec 1992 | US |
Child | 08319096 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 08319096 | Oct 1994 | US |
Child | 09994059 | US |