Patent Application
20170020232
Aspects hereof relate to a structure and method for providing a shoe having an appearance that evolves with use. More particularly, aspects relates to a shoe upper having variable wear properties, such that the appearance of the shoe changes with use.
A variety of shoe designs are known for varied aesthetic effect, including shoes with detachable features, such as laces or clips, which can be substituted by a user of the shoe to change the color, overall appearance, or design effect of the shoe. Alternately, some wearers may resort to using markers, pens, paints or the like to customize shoes, adding images or color to the shoe over time.
Various aspects of the disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
This disclosure generally relates to a shoe upper. The shoe upper has regions of varied deterioration properties, such that some materials wear away, e.g., from humidity, abrasion, etc., faster than other materials in the shoe upper. By layering materials of different susceptibility to conditions typical when a shoe is used, the shoe may present a different design, pattern, or overall aesthetic impression over time-in-use. These design changes may be influenced by the wearer, or may be allowed to occur without wearer intervention.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the disclosed shoe will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.
An article of footwear, such as a shoe, sandal, boot, and the like, having a varied appearance over time is disclosed. For discussion purposes, the term “shoe” will be used herein as a reference to general articles of footwear. The shoe's appearance may change without intentional action by the wearer, e.g., from normal usage of the shoe. The rate of change in the shoe's appearance may be increased or decreased by wearer intervention. The shoe may be constructed with three or more layers. The three layers may present varied resistance to common sources of deterioration (e.g., normal wear-and-tear from shoe usage). By layering materials of different visual effect, such as color, texture, ornamentation, etc., the deterioration of one or more layers before others changes the appearance of the shoe over the life of the shoe.
As used in this disclosure, “deterioration” refers to dissolution, disintegration, abrasion, tearing, fraying, or other disruption of a material such that it is worn away. Deterioration may be partial (e.g., thinning of a material layer) or complete. For example, a material may deteriorate partially by fraying or separating, but still be present. Deterioration may be complete in a portion of a material or layer. That is, on inspection by the unaided human eye, a portion of a material once present may be absent after complete deterioration, exposing an underlying material or structure to direct observation. As will be understood from the following description, some kinds of deterioration may be intentional and/or desirable, e.g., designed into the shoe.
As used in this disclosure “wear” refers to the normal process of deterioration that occurs when a shoe is worn; e.g., “wear and tear.” Wear may vary from shoe to shoe and from individual to individual. To avoid confusion with the wear of a shoe, e.g., on a foot, the donning and wearing of a shoe is described instead as “use” or “usage”.
Design region 16 is shown as a portion of upper 14 along the uppermost part of the shoe near the wearer's ankle, however, design region 16 could occupy any portion of upper 14, including discontinuous portions of upper 14. For example, design region 16 could encompass an area near the toe of the shoe, an area near the laces or closure of the shoe (e.g., proximate the throat, forefoot opening, eyestays), an area along one or both sides of the shoe, or, if present, the ankle portion of upper 14, or combinations thereof. Design region 16 may extend across all or substantially all, such as more than 75%, of the surface of upper 14, as shown in
Design region 16 includes design elements 18. Design elements 18 are shown as discrete stars, however, any shape or design could be used. For example, design elements 18 may be other geometric shapes, such as circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, hexagons, octagons, crosses, diamonds, and the like, or irregular or random shapes, or combinations thereof. Design elements 18 could also be figurative shapes, such as clouds, raindrops, hearts, skateboards, skull-and-crossbones, alpha-numeric characters, symbols, and the like, or combinations thereof. Design elements 18 may combine to form a pattern, as of alternating stripes, a circle of stars, a rainbow of colored arcs, or individual letters, numbers, or other symbols which form a word, message, logo, or other visual marking(s).
Design elements 18 may be formed using a stack of materials 26, as shown in
A layer of wear-resistant material 22 may be provided. Wear-resistant material might be, for example, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or other thermoplastic, thermoset, or hot-melt resins. Wear-resistant material 22 may be adhesive to other layer(s) of the stack of materials 26, or may be selected to at least partially impregnate one or more other layer(s) of the stack of materials 26 when heated, such that when cooled, wear-resistant material 22 is bonded to or embedded in one or more other layers of the stack of materials 26.
Wear-susceptible material 20 is wear-susceptible in relation to wear-resistant material 22, and vice versa. Wear-susceptible material 20 may be selected to provide the desired rate of change in the appearance of shoe 10. A material highly susceptible to sources of routine wear, such as stretching, dampness, abrasion, and the like, or combinations thereof, will present a modified appearance faster than will a material that is less susceptible to routine wear. In this regard, wear-susceptible material may be a material that would not typically be used in footwear, such as tissue paper or delicate fabrics, because wear-susceptible material is intended to deteriorate at a faster rate than the remainder of shoe upper 14 and/or shoe 10, such that the shoe is still serviceable when wear-susceptible material 20 deteriorates. In some embodiments, wear-resistance is assessed particularly in regard to abrasion. That is, wear-resistance or wear-susceptibility may be abrasion-resistance or abrasion-susceptibility. In some embodiments, wear-resistance is assessed particularly in regard to moisture. That is, wear-resistance or wear-susceptibility may be moisture-resistance or moisture-susceptibility. In some embodiments, wear-resistance is assessed particularly in regard to mechanical deformation. That is, wear-resistance or wear-susceptibility may be deformation-resistance or deformation-susceptibility.
In contrast, wear-resistant material 22, which may cover or become embedded in portions of wear-susceptible material 20, may be highly resistant to sources of routine wear, and may have a service span similar to that of shoe upper 14 and/or sole 12. In some cases, wear-resistant material 22 may extend the serviceable lifespan of shoe upper 14 and/or sole 12 by increasing the durability of shoe upper 14 relative to a shoe upper which does not comprise a wear-resistant material 22. Wear-resistant material 22 may, alternately, have a longer lifespan than wear-susceptible material 20 and a shorter lifespan than base material 24, in an exemplary aspect.
Stack of materials 26 may further comprise base material 24. Base material 24 may be a traditional shoe upper material, such as canvas, leather, suede, faux-leather, polymer-based material, or combinations thereof. If leather or suede is used, a low-oil-content material, such as a material having an oil content of less than 5% by weight, may be preferred to facilitate adhesive-based joining base material 24 to other layers in stack of materials 26, in an exemplary aspect. If non-adhesive joining methods, such as stitching, rivets, bosses, etc., are used to join the base material 24 with one or more overlying materials, base material 24 may possess a relatively higher oil content, e.g., greater than 5% by weight. Base material 24 may be less susceptible to abrasion and/or other sources of routine wear than wear-susceptible material 20. Base material 24, like wear-resistant material 22 and wear-susceptible material 20, may be selected for heat-resistance during processing. For example, if upper 14 is joined to sole 12 by a vulcanization process, all of the materials in stack of materials 26 may be able to withstand vulcanization conditions, which may include 10-20 minute exposure to temperatures of 100-180° C., depending on the formulation of the rubber or rubber-substitute used in the sole. If wear-resistant material 22 is a hot melt or thermoplastic material, base material 24 and wear-susceptible material 20 may be able to withstand temperature and pressure conditions sufficient to melt wear-resistant material 22.
Stack of materials 26 may include the base material 24, which may be suitable for forming a shoe upper 14 or suitable for joining to a shoe upper 14, or a portion thereof. Prior to or after incorporation into shoe 10, the layers of stack of materials 26 may be bonded together. This may be done by heat treatment, and may use only wear-resistant material 22 as a bonding agent, or may use supplementary adhesives, resins, or other joining techniques, such as welding and/or stitching. The periphery of design element 18 may be defined or bounded by the perimeter of a discontinuity in wear-resistant material 22. As shown in
The result of the stack of materials 26 shown in
As shoe 10 is used, wear-susceptible material 20 wears away where it was not joined to wear-resistant material 22, e.g., in design elements 18, which were cut out of wear-resistant material 22 before forming stack of materials 26. As shown in
Base material 24 may have one or more different visual properties from wear-susceptible material 20. Different visual properties include color, luster, texture, pattern, ornamentation, and combinations thereof. Suitable ornamentation may include glitter, rhinestones, metal, stones, buttons, studs, and combinations thereof. The difference in one or more visual properties may be subtle. For example, base material 24 may be a different shade of the same general color as wear-susceptible material 20. As a more specific example, base material 24 may be light grey, and wear-susceptible material 20 may be white or medium grey. As another example of different visual properties, base material 24 may have essentially the same color as wear-susceptible material 20, but have a canvas or leather texture, whereas the wear-susceptible material 20 has a paper-like texture.
If wear-susceptible material 20 comprises design elements 28, the design elements 28 may be intrinsic to wear-susceptible material 20, or alternatively may be applied to wear-susceptible material 20. For example, the stripes of design elements 28 in
Wear-resistant material 22 may be colored, printed, and/or ornamented. Colored and ornamented hot melt adhesives are commercially available, including the NASA-V and NASA-SKIN series products from SAMBU FINE CHEMICAL of Korea. A transparent or translucent wear-susceptible material 20 may be used, for example, with a colored or ornamented wear-resistant material 22 and/or base material 24. If desired, two or more layers of colored, patterned, and/or ornamented wear-resistant material 22 may be used, with different colors, patterns, and/or ornamentation in different layers and/or in different regions of a particular layer. In addition to or instead of being transparent or translucent, wear-susceptible material 20 may have cut-outs. Cut-outs or other discontinuities in wear-susceptible material 20 might be formed, for example, by cutting, stamping, embossing, etching, cutting, or combinations thereof. Cut-outs in wear-susceptible material 20 may be design elements 28, or may be distinct from design elements 28, if separate design elements 28 are present. Cut-outs in wear-susceptible material 20 may not be fully registered or aligned, or may be at least partially misaligned, with design elements 18 in wear-resistant material 22. If cut-outs in wear-susceptible material 20 align closely with design elements 18, then underlying layers, such as base material 24, would be visible before the shoe is worn, assuming a three-layer stack of materials 26 comprising one wear-susceptible material, one wear-resistant material, and one base material. If the cut-outs and design elements 18 are of different shapes, sizes, or spacing from one another, however, cut-outs in wear-susceptible material 20 may at least partially overlap one or more design elements 18 and still provide a change in appearance as the shoe is worn. In more elaborate stacks of materials, it may be desirable to align cut-outs and design elements 18 in some layers, or in some layers but not in others.
Stack of materials 26 can be used to form shoe 10 using one of several possible processes. Exemplary processes are shown as flowcharts in
In some processes, wear-resistant material 22 joins base material 24 to one or more wear-susceptible materials 20. Wear-resistant material may be adhesive, and/or may be a thermoset, thermoplastic, or hot melt material. In some aspects, wear-resistant material may be able to wet or impregnate wear-susceptible material 20 and/or base material 24 during manufacture, and become a solid which is stable under normal use temperatures (e.g., 0 to 30° C.; in some cases lower or higher) after curing and/or cooling. Stack of materials 26 may be joined by other means, such as stitching, embossing, spot or seam welding, adhesives, or the like. If wear-resistant material 22 does not penetrate wear-susceptible material 20, it should otherwise lend wear-resistance to those areas of wear-susceptible material 20 outside of design elements 18. For example, wear-resistant material 22 may overlay wear-susceptible material 20, such that only those portions of wear-susceptible material 20 within discontinuities in wear-resistant material 22, such as the discontinuities that form design elements 18, are exposed to deteriorating conditions.
The stack of materials 26 may be joined to each other in one or more steps. If wear-resistant material 22 is a thermoset, thermoplastic, or hot melt material, layer(s) of base material 24, wear-resistant material 22, and wear-susceptible material 20 may be joined by heating stack of materials 26 until wear-resistant material 22 melts, at ambient atmospheric pressure or at a higher pressure (e.g., pressing or ironing). When wear-resistant material 22 has melted to the desired degree, e.g., to sufficient fluidity to at least partially wet base material 24 and wear-susceptible material 20, stack of materials 26 may be cooled to set wear-resistant material 22. Stack of materials 26 may be formed into a shoe upper 14 after the layers are joined to each other. Joining the stack of materials 26 before assembling shoe upper 14 may help avoid misalignment of design elements 18 and/or design elements 28 on shoe 10.
Using a wear-resistant material 22 to protect only portions of a wear-susceptible material 20 allows the unprotected portions of the wear-susceptible material 20 to wear away, revealing one or more underlying layers. Revealing the underlying layers can change the appearance of the shoe over time, e.g., if one or more of the underlying layers are visually different in one or more aspects than an overlying layer. Further, the wear patterns will vary based not only on shoe design, but also based on the individual who uses the shoe. For example, someone who tends to pivot her foot at the toe of her shoe may have a different wear pattern than someone who tends to cross her legs at the ankles, and both may have a different wear pattern than someone who rubs the shoes together when walking. Accordingly, the visible design on the shoes will be unique to different individuals based on different usage, possibly even differing between shoes in a pair of shoes. The wear patterns may reflect the use of the shoe or shoes, but is not necessarily an indicator of the useful life of the shoe. Base material 24 may be serviceable long after wear-susceptible material 20 has worn away in areas where wear-susceptible material 20 was unprotected.
An individual who likes a particular pattern may take care to prevent the shoes from encountering deterioration-promoting circumstances, such as puddles or excessive abrasion. Conversely, an individual who enjoys observing changes in the visible design on the shoe or who wishes to make the wear on a particular shoe or pair of shoes more uniform (or less uniform) can take active steps to wear away the wear-susceptible material, such as by rubbing the shoe or shoes with sandpaper or a firm brush. As a result, a shoe as described herein provides a changing pattern that prolongs the user's engagement with the shoe, and allows the user to determine whether that engagement will be passive amusement or active manipulation of the visible design.
A light grey canvas base material was overlaid with a film of NASA-T hot melt adhesive having a melt temperature of approximately 275° F. (135° C.). NASA-T film is commercially available from SAMBU FINE CHEMICAL of Korea. The film is available in thicknesses ranging from 0.05-0.3 mm, and is transparent. The NASA-T film had cut-outs in the shape of stars. The NASA-T film was overlaid with a white tissue paper. The tissue paper was wood pulp paper and had a basis weight of approximately 9-11 pounds per square yard (approximately 4882-5968 grams per square meter). The tissue paper was lightly wrinkled from handling, and the wrinkles were not removed because the wrinkles created texture and visual variation within the tissue paper. The three layer stack of canvas, NASA-T, and tissue paper was then heated in a commercially available multi-purpose heat press, commonly used for the transfer of heat-transfer images to t-shirts. The NASA-T penetrated the canvas and tissue paper, forming a unitary laminate, with the tissue paper bonded to the NASA-T and the canvas material except at the portions where the NASA-T was cut away, where the tissue paper was locally unattached to the NASA-T and/or the canvas material. The entire laminate initially had the appearance of the white tissue paper. When abraded the tissue paper wore away in the area of the cut-outs in the NASA-T, revealing star-shaped portions of the light grey canvas material underneath. Abrasion was undertaken using sandpaper of varying grit, a buffing wheel, or a metal brush.
A unitary laminate as described in Example 1 was fashioned into a shoe upper, including the tongue. Additional materials were added to form eyelets for shoelaces and finished edges along the periphery of the laminate. The laminate was joined to a pre-formed rubber sole, and was subjected to vulcanization. The laminate survived the vulcanization process, maintaining an initial appearance of white tissue paper across the portions of the shoe comprising the laminate. Unbonded regions of the tissue paper were abraded by hand with a metal brush, sand paper, or a damp cloth, deteriorating the unprotected tissue paper and revealing star-shaped portions of the light grey canvas underneath.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the claimed invention is one well adapted to attain numerous functional, structural, and aesthetic benefits, as hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages which will be recognized by an ordinarily skilled artisan in view of the entirety of this specification, including the accompanying claims and figures.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
