阅读说明：本技术 用于鞋类的基部层及其制造方法 (Base layer for footwear and method of making the same ) 是由 李志强 丹尼尔·约书亚·马丁 于 2018-07-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请涉及用于鞋类的基部层及其制造方法。一种用于鞋类制品的士多宝,其包括基部层和上层,所述上层由覆盖所述基部层的顶表面的一部分的聚合物材料形成,使得所述基部层的顶表面的一部分围绕所述基部层的整个外周暴露。所述上层直接结合到所述基部层,而无需使用任何紧固构件。还公开了一种形成所述士多宝的方法。(The present application relates to a base layer for footwear and a method of making the same. A strobel for an article of footwear comprising a base layer and an upper layer, the upper layer being formed from a polymeric material that covers a portion of a top surface of the base layer such that a portion of the top surface of the base layer is exposed around an entire periphery of the base layer. The upper layer is directly bonded to the base layer without the use of any fastening means. A method of forming the strobel is also disclosed.)

1. A strobel for an article of footwear, comprising:

a base layer having a top surface, a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion, and a heel portion; and

an upper layer formed from a polymeric material, the upper layer having a bottom surface and an outer boundary;

wherein portions of the bottom surface adjacent the outer boundary are directly joined to areas of the top surface in the forefoot portion, the midfoot portion, and the heel portion; and is

Wherein an area of the top surface extends outside the outer boundary.

2. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the upper layer is directly bonded to the base layer without an adhesive.

3. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the upper layer and the base layer are free of stitching that secures the upper layer to the base layer.

4. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the upper layer and the base layer are free of separate fastening members that secure the upper layer to the base layer.

5. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the base layer is in the form of a one-piece ring having a central aperture extending therethrough.

6. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the base layer comprises a first piece forming an inner side of the base layer and a second piece forming an outer side of the base layer.

7. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the base layer is formed from a material comprising polyester, nylon, thermoplastic polyurethane, or cotton.

8. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the polymer material comprises polyurethane, silicone, foam rubber, or foam rubber.

9. The strobel of claim 1, wherein the outer edge of the upper layer is arcuate and free of sharp corners.

Technical Field

Aspects of the invention relate generally to strobels for footwear articles, and in particular to strobels that include a base layer and a polymeric material directly bonded to the base layer, and methods of making the strobels.

Background

Conventional articles of athletic footwear include two primary elements, an upper and a sole assembly. The upper provides a covering for the foot that comfortably receives and securely positions the foot with respect to the sole assembly. In addition, the upper may have a configuration that protects the foot and provides ventilation, thereby cooling the foot and removing perspiration. The sole assembly is secured to a lower portion of the upper and is positioned generally between the foot and the ground. For example, in addition to attenuating ground reaction forces, the sole assembly may provide traction, control foot motions (e.g., by resisting over pronation), and impart stability. Accordingly, the upper and the sole assembly operate cooperatively to provide a comfortable structure that is suited for a variety of activities, such as walking and running. The insole may be located within the upper and adjacent to the plantar (i.e., lower) surface of the foot to enhance the comfort of the footwear, and is typically a thin, compressible member.

Strobel may be secured to the lower periphery of the upper by stitching or other suitable attachment means and is used to form the bottom surface of the upper. Strobel is sometimes formed from a layer of fabric or nonwoven material.

The sole assembly may incorporate multiple layers. Some footwear includes only a midsole, while other footwear may also include an outsole secured to a bottom surface of the midsole. The midsole, which is typically secured to the upper along the length of the upper, is primarily responsible for attenuating ground reaction forces. The midsole may also form the ground-contacting element of the footwear. In such embodiments, the midsole may include texturing, such as protrusions and recesses or grooves, to improve traction. When present, the outsole forms the ground-contacting element and may be made of a durable, wear-resistant material.

The midsole may be primarily formed from a resilient, polymer foam material, such as Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), that extends the entire length of the footwear. The properties of the polymer foam material in the midsole are primarily dependent upon factors including the dimensional configuration of the midsole and the specific characteristics of the material selected for the polymer foam, including the density of the polymer foam material. By varying these factors throughout the midsole, the relative stiffness and degree of ground reaction force attenuation may be varied to meet the specific requirements of the activity for which the footwear is intended. In addition to polymer foam materials, conventional midsoles may include, for example, one or more fluid-filled bladders and moderators.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a strobel.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the strobel of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a base layer used to form the strobel of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of a base layer for forming the strobel of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the base layer of fig. 3, shown in position on top of a first mold portion of a mold assembly.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a second mold portion of the mold assembly positioned atop the base layer.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the polymeric material disposed in the mold assembly and on top of the base layer.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the mold assembly shown in the closed state with the third mold portion positioned on top of the second mold portion and the polymeric material.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment strobel that includes the base layer of fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment strobel that includes the base layer of fig. 1.

The drawings referred to above are not necessarily drawn to scale, should be understood to provide a representation of particular embodiments of the invention, and are merely conceptual in nature and illustrative of the principles involved. Some of the features of the mold assembly for forming strobel and the associated methods of manufacture depicted in the drawings have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate explanation and understanding. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for similar or identical components and features shown in various alternative embodiments. Mold assemblies for forming strobels as disclosed herein will have configurations and components determined, in part, by the intended application and environment in which they are used.

Detailed Description

The principles of the present invention may be advantageously used to provide a strobel formed from a base layer and a polymeric material directly bonded to the base layer. It would be desirable to provide a strobel formed from a base layer and a polymeric material that reduces or overcomes some or all of the difficulties inherent in prior known devices.

According to a first aspect, a method of forming a strobel comprises: positioning a base layer on a first mold portion, the base layer having a first central aperture extending through the base layer; positioning a second mold portion in contact with the base layer such that a portion of the top surface of the base layer surrounding the entire peripheral boundary of the base layer is covered by the second mold portion, the second mold portion having a second central aperture extending therethrough; disposing a polymeric material into the first and second central apertures such that the polymeric material covers portions of the top surface of the base layer not covered by the second mold portion; positioning a third mold portion in contact with the second mold portion; and heating the polymeric material and the base layer such that the polymeric material is directly bonded to the base layer.

According to another aspect, a method of forming a base layer includes: positioning first and second portions of the base layer on a first mold portion, the first and second portions together forming a ring having a central aperture extending through the ring, a plurality of projections extending upwardly from a top surface of the first mold portion, the base layer engaging the projections when the base layer is positioned on the first mold portion; positioning a second mold portion in contact with the base layer such that a portion of the top surfaces of the first and second portions around the entire peripheral boundary of the first and second portions is covered by the second mold portion, the second mold portion having a second central aperture extending therethrough; pouring polyurethane into the first and second central apertures such that the polyurethane fills the first and second central apertures and covers portions of the top surfaces of the first and second portions of the base layer not covered by the second mold portion; and heating the polymeric material and the base layer portion such that the polymeric material is directly bonded to the base layer portion.

According to another aspect, a strobel for an article of footwear comprises: a base layer having a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion, and a heel portion; and an upper layer formed from a polymeric material covering at least a portion of the top surface of the base layer. The upper layer is bonded directly to the base layer in the forefoot, midfoot and heel portions without the use of any fastening members.

According to yet another aspect, a strobel for an article of footwear comprises: a base layer having a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion, and a heel portion; and an upper layer formed from a polymeric material covering at least a portion of the top surface of the base layer such that another portion of the top surface of the base layer is exposed around the entire periphery of the base layer. The upper layer is bonded directly to the base layer in the forefoot, midfoot and heel portions without the use of any fastening members.

By providing a strobel formed from a base layer and a polymer material that is directly bonded to the base layer, a strobel without an adhesive can be formed, thereby reducing manufacturing time and cost. These and additional features and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this field of technology, in view of the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of certain exemplary embodiments.

A strobel 10 for an article of footwear is depicted in fig. 1-2. It should be appreciated that strobel 10 may be used with any type of article of footwear that includes a strobel. Strobel 10 may be secured around its peripheral edge to the upper of the article of footwear, thereby providing a bottom for the upper. Strobel 10 may be secured to the upper by stitching or any other suitable fastening means. The midsole may be secured to a bottom surface of the strobel 10, and the outsole may be secured to a bottom surface of the midsole to complete the article of footwear. The upper, midsole and outsole are not shown here, as those skilled in the art are familiar with how to secure an upper to a midsole and how to secure an outsole to a midsole, and therefore such drawings are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, strobel 10 includes a base layer 12 and an upper layer 14. The base layer 12 may be formed of a nonwoven polymer. In certain embodiments, the polymeric material is a polyester. It should be appreciated that other polymeric materials may be used to form the base layer 12, including nylon, TPU, and cotton, for example.

The upper layer 14 may be formed from a polymeric material. In certain embodiments, the polymeric material is a polyurethane. It should be appreciated that other polymeric materials may be used to form the upper layer 14, including, for example, silicone, foam rubber, and foam rubber.

As shown in fig. 2, the upper outer edge of the upper layer 14 may be curved rather than having sharp corners to provide more comfort to the wearer. The upper outer edge may be formed with a radius R. In certain embodiments, the radius R may range between about 3.5mm and about 3.8 mm.

In certain embodiments, the width W of the base layer 12 may be between about 10mm and about 15 mm. The thickness T of the base layer 12 may be between about 0.8mm and about 1.0 mm. The thickness H of the upper layer 14 may be between about 3.5mm and about 3.8 mm. The upper surface 15 of the base layer 12 may have a first portion 15A covered by the upper layer 14 and a second portion 15B not covered by the upper layer 14, which is therefore exposed. The second portion 15B extends around the entire peripheral boundary of the base layer 12 and defines a peripheral flange that can be used to secure the strobel 10 to the upper of an article of footwear in a known manner, for example by stitching. The width F of the first portion 15A may be between about 5mm and about 9 mm. The width V of the second portion 15B may be between about 4mm and about 6 mm.

As shown in fig. 3, the base layer 12 may be in the shape of a ring defining a central aperture 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the base layer 12 may be formed from a first piece 12A and a second piece 12B. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the base layer 12 may be formed from a single piece of material.

The first piece 12A and the second piece 12B may simply be positioned together in an abutting relationship to form the annular base layer 11. In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, first piece 12A and second piece 12B may be secured to each other, for example, by stitching 17.

The method of forming the strobel 10 will now be described. The base layer 12 is positioned in a first mold portion 18 of a mold assembly 20. To hold the base layer 12 in place within the mold assembly 20, the first mold portion 18 may include one or more protrusions 22 that engage a bottom surface 24 of the base layer 12. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of projections are provided around the first mold portion 18 to annularly engage the base layer 12 therearound. The projections 22 may be pins, wires, tacks or any other suitable projections that extend outwardly from the surface of the first mold portion 18 and serve to engage the bottom surface 24 of the base layer 12 and help hold the base layer 12 in place within the mold assembly 20.

The second mold portion 26 of the mold assembly 20 is then positioned on top of the first mold portion 18 such that the second portion 15B of the top surface 15 of the base layer 12 around its entire peripheral boundary is covered by the second mold portion 26. The second mold portion 26 includes a central aperture 28 positioned above the central aperture 16 of the first mold portion 18. The recess 30 may be formed at the lowermost edge of the central aperture 28. The recess 30 may be curved so as to form a curved upper outer edge of the upper layer 14 having a radius R.

Polymeric material 32 is then disposed within central aperture 16 and central aperture 28 to form upper layer 14. The upper layer 14 extends into the recess 18 such that the upper layer covers the first portion 15A of the base layer 12.

It should be appreciated that in certain embodiments, polymeric material 32 is poured into central bore 16 and central bore 28. As noted above, the polymeric material 32 may be polyurethane.

A third mold portion 34 is then positioned over and in contact with second portion 26, covering central bore 28 and polymeric material 32. The mold assembly 20 is then heated such that the polymeric material 32 bonds directly to the first portion 15A of the upper surface 15 of the base layer 12 to form the strobel 10 comprising the base layer 12 and the upper layer 14 as shown in fig. 2.

By bonding the upper layer 14 directly to the base layer 12, the strobel 10 can be manufactured with fewer parts, fewer manufacturing steps, and lower cost. Thus, the strobel 10 does not have any fasteners, such as adhesives, stitching, or any other separate fastening means, to secure the upper layer 14 to the base layer 12.

The mold assembly 20 may be held at a temperature between about 40 ℃ and about 55 ℃ for a time interval between about 3 minutes and about 6 minutes. The mold assembly 20 may be subjected to normal atmospheric pressure.

A release agent may be applied to the exposed surfaces of the mold assembly 20 to facilitate separation of the upper layer 14 from the mold assembly 20 after formation of the strobel 10. The release agent may be a spray release agent or any other suitable release agent. Suitable materials for the release agent include, for example, silicone and water. Other suitable release agents will become apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

Another embodiment of the strobel 10 is shown in fig. 9, in which the base layer 12 does not include a central aperture. Instead, the base layer 12 extends below the entire bottom surface of the upper layer 14. A polymeric material may be disposed across at least a portion of the top surface of the strobel, the polymeric material forming the upper layer 14. The upper layer is bonded directly to the base layer 12 in each of the forefoot, midfoot and heel portions without the use of any fastening means. According to the example shown in fig. 9, a portion of the top surface of the base layer 12 remains exposed around the entire periphery of the strobel.

Another embodiment of the strobel 10 is configured in accordance with the structure shown in fig. 10, wherein it can be seen that the upper layer 14 covers the entire upper surface of the base layer, extending completely to the peripheral edge of the base layer 12 and being coextensive with the peripheral edge of the base layer 12 without exposing the top surface of the base layer 12.

Thus, while there have been shown, described, and pointed out fundamental novel features of various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Clause:

1. a strobel for an article of footwear, comprising:

a base layer having a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion, and a heel portion; and

an upper layer formed from a polymeric material covering at least a portion of a top surface of the base layer;

wherein the upper layer is bonded directly to the base layer in each of the forefoot portion, the midfoot portion and the heel portion without the use of any fastening means.

2. The strobel of clause 1, wherein the base layer is in the form of a ring having a central aperture extending therethrough.

3. The strobel of clause 1, wherein the polymeric material is polyurethane.

4. The strobel of clause 1, wherein the base layer is formed from a nonwoven polymer.

5. The strobel of clause 4, wherein the polymer is a polyester.

6. The strobel of clause 1, wherein another portion of the top surface of the base layer remains exposed around the entire periphery of the base layer.

7. The strobel of clause 1, wherein the upper layer covers the entire top surface of the base layer, the upper layer extending completely to and being coextensive with the peripheral edge of the base layer.

8. A method of forming a strobel, comprising:

positioning a base layer on a first mold portion, the base layer having a first central aperture extending through the base layer;

positioning a second mold portion in contact with the base layer such that a portion of the top surface of the base layer surrounding the entire peripheral boundary of the base layer is covered by the second mold portion, the second mold portion having a second central aperture extending through the second mold portion;

disposing a polymeric material into the first and second central apertures such that the polymeric material covers portions of the top surface of the base layer not covered by the second mold portion;

positioning a third mold portion in contact with the second mold portion; and

heating the polymeric material and the base layer such that the polymeric material is directly bonded to the base layer.

9. The method of clause 8, wherein the polymeric material is polyurethane.

10. The method of clause 8, wherein the disposing step is performed by casting the polymeric material.

11. The method of clause 8, wherein the polymeric material has a thickness of about 3.8 mm.

12. The method of clause 8, wherein the base layer has a thickness of about 1 mm.

13. The method of clause 8, wherein the portion of the base layer covered by the second mold portion defines a peripheral flange having a width of between about 4mm and about 6 mm.

14. The method of clause 13, wherein the portion of the base layer covered by the polymeric material has a width of between about 6mm and about 9 mm.

15. The method of clause 13, wherein the base layer is formed from two separate pieces.

16. The method of clause 15, wherein the pieces of the base layer are secured to each other prior to positioning the base layer on the first mold portion.

17. The method of clause 8, wherein the first mold portion comprises a plurality of projections extending upwardly from a top surface of the first mold portion, the base layer engaging the projections when the base layer is positioned on the first mold portion.

18. A method of forming a strobel, comprising:

positioning a base layer on a first mold portion, the base layer comprising a first portion and a second portion that together form a ring having a central aperture extending through the ring, a plurality of projections extending upwardly from the top surface of the first mold portion, the base layer engaging the projections when the base layer is positioned on the first mold portion;

positioning a second mold portion in contact with the base layer such that a portion of a top surface of the first and second portions around an entire peripheral boundary of the first and second portions is covered by the second mold portion, the second mold portion having a second central aperture extending therethrough;

pouring polyurethane into the first and second central apertures such that the polyurethane fills the first and second central apertures and covers portions of the top surface of the first and second portions of the base layer not covered by the second mold portion; and

heating the polymeric material and the first and second base layer portions such that the polymeric material is directly bonded to the first and second base layer portions.

19. The method of any of clauses 8 or 18, wherein the base layer is formed from a nonwoven polymer.

20. The method of clause 19, wherein the polymer is a polyester.

21. The method of clause 18, wherein the polymeric material has a thickness of about 3.8 mm.

22. The method of clause 18, wherein the base layer has a thickness of about 1 mm.

23. The method of clause 18, wherein the portions of the top surfaces of the first and second portions of the base layer covered by the second mold portion define a peripheral flange region having a width of between about 4mm and about 6 mm.

24. The method of clause 18, wherein the first and second portions of the base layer are secured to each other prior to being positioned on the first mold portion.