EP0533570A1 - Profiled sole for sport shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

The sole comprises rigid plastic plates (2 to 4) linked to an abrasion-resistant plastic sole body (1), protuberances such as studs (11) connected to the plates and shock-absorbing pads (5, 6) passing through the sole body and extending between the said plates. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a sole with protuberances such as molded or screw studs, spikes, notches or the like for sports shoes.

The practice of certain sports: football, rugby, American football, cricket, baseball, golf, athletics, etc., requires the wearing of shoes whose sole has roughness. These more or less aggressive roughness: points, spikes, notches ... allow the player to move quickly on loose or slippery surfaces (lawn, clay, carpet ...).

Said roughness is highly stressed with wear. Therefore, either they are interchangeable, or they are resistant to wear and are integral with the sole assembly.

Whatever solution is chosen, the presence of the asperities creates a feeling of discomfort since, the weight of the body being distributed over a few asperities, the underside of each foot receives in return by reaction high pressures at the places where said asperities are located. This results in painful sensations which can be remedied by making the sole in a very rigid material, but this counteracts the flexion of the foot and substantially increases the shoe.

• efficacité sur surfaces meuble, glissante, abrasive...
• rigidité et souplesse suivant les endroits
• résistance à l'abrasion
• résistance aux flexions répetées à toutes températures
• amortissement des chocs et vibrations
• légèreté
• facilité de collage sous la tige
• coût raisonnable et compétitif.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a sole assembly no longer generating painful sensations under the sole of the foot when practicing a sport and at the same time as comfort, having many other advantageous properties such as:

• efficiency on loose, slippery, abrasive surfaces ...
• stiffness and flexibility depending on the location
• abrasion resistance
• resistance to repeated bending at all temperatures
• shock and vibration absorption
• lightness
• easy to stick under the rod
• reasonable and competitive cost.

As soon as no material of natural or synthetic origin unites so many qualities on its own, it is necessary to make the sole use of several types of materials.

However, the materials having sufficient affinities between them, to obtain a direct welding without contribution of external agents such as adhesives, are few. In addition, the assembly between apparently incompatible materials risks being of high cost.

Finally, most materials in their compact form, with the exception of rubbers and elastomers, do not have the natural qualities of absorption of vibrational phenomena. On the other hand, certain materials acquire, in expanded form, remarkable properties of absorption of shocks and other vibratory phenomena.

The present invention proposes, taking into account the above observations, to achieve the above object by perfecting a sole assembly comprising a sole body made of plastic material under which protuberances are fixed.

• en ce que des plaques de rigidité en matériau plastique sont munies, en saillie sous leur surface inférieure, des protubérances et sont liées, lors du moulage, par leur surface supérieure avec le corps de la semelle à l'endroit de l'avant-pied,
• en ce qu'une ouverture sensiblement elliptique est ménagée dans le corps de la semelle de façon que son grand axe soit situe sur l'axe d'articulation du semelage qui correspond à celui du pied dans la zone métatarsophalangienne et que son centre soit situé à quelques millimètres côté extérieur du milieu de la largeur du corps de semelle prise sur ledit axe d'articulation,
• en ce qu'un coussinet amortisseur en matériau plastique expansé est logé dans ladite ouverture pour faire saillie sous le corps de semelle et déboucher en recouvrement intérieur de celui-ci,
• et en ce que deux plaques de rigidité sont conformées sensiblement en trapèze et sont disposées de part et d'autre de l'ouverture symétriquement par rapport au centre de celle-ci.

It then resides:

• in that stiffness plates of plastic material are provided, protruding beneath their lower surface, protuberances and are linked, during molding, by their upper surface with the body of the sole at the location of the forefoot ,
• in that a substantially elliptical opening is made in the body of the sole so that its major axis is located on the hinge axis of the sole assembly which corresponds to that of the foot in the metatarsophalangeal zone and that its center is located at a few millimeters on the outer side of the middle of the width of the sole body taken on said articulation axis,
• in that a shock absorbing pad of expanded plastic material is housed in said opening to protrude under the sole body and lead to an internal covering thereof,
• and in that two stiffness plates are substantially shaped trapezoidal and are arranged on either side of the opening symmetrically with respect to the center thereof.

In addition, a heel reinforcement plate of plastic material possibly provided with protuberances can be linked to the sole body, extend between the arch and the heel and have divergent branches located on either side of an oblong opening. formed in the sole body widening towards the heel, a shock absorbing pad of expanded plastic material also being housed in said opening.

The protrusions can also be linked during molding with the plates.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the protuberances are hollow studs overmolded on the corresponding plate, the studs being constituted by an abrasion-resistant damping material such as a thermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore hardness substantially equal to 40 D, while that the plates are made of a rigid material resistant to repeated bending at all temperatures such as a blockamide polyester or blockamide polyether copolymer having a Shore hardness at least equal to 55 D and optionally reinforced with glass or carbon fibers and, since the melting temperature of the material of the plates is higher than that of the material of the studs, that at least this material of the studs is mixed with the material constituting the plates before overmolding to allow the bonding, without migration, of said plates with said spikes.

Each molded cleat has, for its embedding in the corresponding plate, a stepped base fitting into a bore released by a sleeve projecting under said plate.

The hollow of the studs is filled with the same material as that of the sole body.

In this embodiment, the sole body is molded onto the plates and made of a material of the same nature as that of the plates.

According to a variant, the sole body is molded on the plates and consists of an abrasion-resistant material, such as a thermoplastic polyurethane whose Shore hardness is substantially equal to 35 D, at least the material of the sole body being mixed with material constituting the plates to allow the connection, without migration, of said sole body with said plates.

Each shock absorbing pad is constituted by an expanded polyurethane flows in a mold and has a lateral groove intended to be fitted on the edge of a sloping surface of the sole body delimiting the corresponding opening and in that the considered pad has a peripheral flap intended to be stuck on said beach.

Various other characteristics and advantages of the invention will also emerge from the detailed description which follows.

An embodiment of the object of the invention is shown, by way of nonlimiting example, in the accompanying drawing.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessous d'un semelage conforme à l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une coupe longitudinale prise suivant la ligne II-II de la figure 1,
• les figures 3 à 5 sont des vues de dessus montrant une plaque de rigidité après chacune des trois opérations successives de moulage, la figure 5 étant une coupe prise suivant la ligne V-V de la figure 6.
• la figure 6 est une coupe prise à plus grande échelle suivant la ligne VI-VI de la figure 5 pour illustrer un crampon moulé,
• les figures 7 à 10 sont des vues de dessous schématiques représentant une plaque rigide avec plusieurs répartitions de crampons,

   et les figures 11 et 12, des vues analogues de la plaque de renforcement du talon représentant deux répartitions de crampons,
ces plaques pouvant être combinées de nombreuses façons pour réaliser des semelages différents ;

• la figure 13 est une vue de dessous des trois plaques du semelage représentant la combinaison de crampons avec des crantages.

On this drawing :

• FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a sole assembly according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line II-II of FIG. 1,
• FIGS. 3 to 5 are top views showing a stiffness plate after each of the three successive molding operations, FIG. 5 being a section taken along the line VV of FIG. 6.
• FIG. 6 is a section taken on a larger scale along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5 to illustrate a molded crampon,
• FIGS. 7 to 10 are schematic bottom views showing a rigid plate with several distributions of studs,

and FIGS. 11 and 12, similar views of the heel reinforcement plate representing two distributions of studs,
these plates can be combined in many ways to make different sowings;

• Figure 13 is a bottom view of the three sole plates showing the combination of spikes with notches.

As is apparent from Figures 1 and 2, the sole assembly includes a sole body 1 of molded plastic defined in the following.

• sous l'avant-pied, deux plaques de rigidité 2 et 3 identiques l'une à l'autre
• sous le talon et la cambrure du pied, une plaque de renforcement 4.

The sole also includes:

• under the forefoot, two stiffness plates 2 and 3 identical to each other
• under the heel and arch of the foot, a reinforcement plate 4.

These plates are molded and made of a rigid material resistant to repeated bending at all temperatures. For example, the material used may be from the family of polyamides, one of which is marketed by the company DuPont de Nemours under the name Zitel, or from the family of polyester elastomers, one of which is marketed by the same company under the name Hytrel or also from the family of blockamide polyether copolymers, one of which is marketed by the company Atochem under the name Pebax serie 12 or from the family of blockamide polyethers of which l 'one of them is sold by the company Atochem under the name Pebax serie 33. Advantageously, the plates 2 to 4 are made of Pebax having a Shore hardness at least equal to 55D and can be reinforced with glass or carbon fibers .

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the sole body 1 is made of the same material as the plates.

However, it may be advantageous to overmold the sole body 1 with a thermoplastic polyurethane resistant to abrasion, but whose Shore hardness is substantially equal to 35D in order to be able to withstand repeated flexing.

The sole finally comprises an anterior shock absorber pad 5 located between the plates 2 and 3 and a shock absorber pad posterior 6 located through the plate 4 in the longitudinal direction. These pads are advantageously constituted by an expanded polyurethane flowing in a mold and added after consolidation on the sole body 1.

The plates 2 and 3 are shaped substantially in a trapezoid. They are positioned so that their contours are symmetrical with respect to the articulation axis 7 of the sole assembly which corresponds to the axis of that of the metatarsophalangeal zone of the foot. This axis is the major axis of a substantially elliptical opening 8 formed in the sole body 1 and opening out on the inside.

Said opening 8 is centered on a point 9 of the axis 7 located a few millimeters, of the order of two for example, outside the middle 10 of the width of the sole body 1 taken on said axis 7.

Consequently, the plates 2 and 3 extend on either side of the opening 8 and are arranged symmetrically, if account is taken of the fact that their lower surface is provided with spikes 11 and must, consequently, be directed downward, with respect to point 9. The large base 12 of each of the plates 2 and 3 is concave and arcuate concentrically with the opening 8. The small base 13 of each plate is also concave in the example shown, but can also be convex. The corners 14 of each plate are rounded.

The plates 2 and 3 being identical, as for their contour, their positioning is perfectly determined.

The reinforcing plate 4 is V-shaped and has, from a core 15 forming a shank, branches 16 diverging rearward to the rear edge of the heel. These extend on either side of an oblong opening 18 formed in the sole body 1, widening towards the heel and intended to receive the rear shock-absorbing pad 6.

Each of the plates 2 to 4 is provided with studs 11, the number and distribution of which are variable.

Each of plates 2 and 3 can be chosen from the lot of plates comprising from two to five studs 11, illustrated by FIGS. 7 to 10 respectively.

The plate 4 can also be chosen from those which are illustrated by FIGS. 11 and 12, which comprise two and four studs respectively.

The studs 11 may be of the removable type and they then cooperate with threaded bases, known per se and not shown, embedded in the sole body 1, however leaving their threaded hole visible from below.

They can also be of the mold type. The embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 6 relates more specifically to this type of stud.

In any case, the circles drawn in said FIGS. 7 to 12 diagrammatically represent crampons whatever their type.

Under these conditions, by a judicious choice of plates, it is possible to produce a sole assembly having 6 to 14 molded studs, it being obvious that, for screwed studs, the choice must relate to small numbers.

• un semelage à 6 crampons peut être réalisé avec deux plaques selon la figure 7 et une plaque selon la figure 11
• un semelage à 7 crampons peut être réalisé avec une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 7 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à trois crampons selon la figure 8 placée au milieu ou à l'avant respectivement, ainsi qu'avec une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 11
• un semelage à 8 crampons peut être réalisé avec deux plaques à trois crampons selon la figure 8 et une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 11 ou bien avec une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 7 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 9 placée au milieu ou à l'avant respectivement, ainsi qu'avec une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 11
• un semelage à 9 crampons peut être réalisé avec une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 7 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à trois crampons selon la figure 8 placée au milieu ou à l'avant respectivement, ainsi qu'avec une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 12
• un semelage à 10 crampons peut être réalisé soit avec deux plaques à trois crampons selon la figure 8, soit avec une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 9 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 7 placée au milieu ou à l'avant respectivement, ainsi qu'avec une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 12 dans les trois cas
• un semelage à 11 crampons peut être réalisé soit avec une plaque à trois crampons selon la figure 8 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 9 placée au milieu et à l'avant respectivement, soit avec une plaque à deux crampons selon la figure 7 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à cinq crampons selon la figure 10 placée au milieu et à l'avant respectivement, ainsi qu'avec une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 12 dans les quatre cas
• un semelage à 12 crampons peut être réalisé soit avec deux plaques à quatre crampons selon la figure 9, soit avec une plaque à trois crampons selon la figure 8 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à cinq crampons selon la figure 10 placée au milieu et à l'avant respectivement, ainsi qu'avec une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 12 dans les trois cas
• un semelage à 13 crampons peut être réalisé avec une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 9 placée à l'avant ou au milieu et une plaque à cinq crampons selon la figure 10 placée au milieu et à l'avant respectivement, ainsi qu'avec une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 12
• un semelage à 14 crampons peut être réalisé avec deux plaques à cinq crampons selon la figure 10 et une plaque à quatre crampons selon la figure 12.

So,

• a sole with 6 studs can be made with two plates according to figure 7 and a plate according to figure 11
• a sole assembly with 7 studs can be produced with a plate with two studs according to FIG. 7 placed at the front or in the middle and a plate with three studs according to FIG. 8 placed at the center or at the front respectively, as well as with a plate with two studs according to FIG. 11
• an 8-stud sole may be made with two plates with three studs according to FIG. 8 and a plate with two studs according to FIG. 11 or else with a plate with two studs according to FIG. 7 placed at the front or in the middle and a plate with four studs according to figure 9 placed in the middle or at the front respectively, as well as with a plate with two studs according to figure 11
• a sole assembly with 9 studs can be produced with a plate with two studs according to FIG. 7 placed at the front or at the middle and a plate with three studs according to figure 8 placed in the middle or at the front respectively, as well as with a plate with four studs according to figure 12
• a sole assembly with 10 studs can be produced either with two plates with three studs according to figure 8, or with a plate with four studs according to figure 9 placed at the front or in the middle and a plate with two studs according to figure 7 placed in the middle or at the front respectively, as well as with a plate with four studs according to FIG. 12 in the three cases
• an 11-spike sole assembly can be produced either with a three-spike plate according to FIG. 8 placed at the front or in the middle and a four-spike plate according to FIG. 9 placed in the middle and at the front respectively, or with a plate with two spikes according to figure 7 placed in the front or in the middle and a plate with five spikes according to figure 10 placed in the middle and in front respectively, as well as with a plate with four spikes according to figure 12 in the four cases
• a 12 crampon sole can be made either with two plates with four crampons according to figure 9, or with a plate with three crampons according to figure 8 placed at the front or in the middle and a plate with five crampons according to figure 10 placed in the middle and in the front respectively, as well as with a plate with four studs according to figure 12 in the three cases
• a sole assembly with 13 studs can be produced with a plate with four studs according to FIG. 9 placed at the front or in the middle and a plate with five studs according to FIG. 10 placed at the center and at the front respectively, as well as with a plate with four studs according to figure 12
• a sole assembly with 14 studs can be produced with two plates with five studs according to FIG. 10 and a plate with four studs according to FIG. 12.

In other words, in these different embodiments, we find the following distribution of crampons from front to rear:
for 6: 2-2-2
for 7: 2-3-2; 3-2-2
for 8: 3-3-2; 2-4-2; 4-2-2
for 9: 2-3-4; 3-2-4
for 10: 3-3-4; 2-4-4; 4-2-4
for 11: 3-4-4; 4-3-4; 2-5-4; 5-2-4
for 12: 4-4-4; 3-5-4; 5-3-4
for 13: 4-5-4; 5-4-4
for 14: 5-5-4.

FIG. 13 shows that the plates 2 to 4 can be provided with lateral and / or median notches 17. These notches can come directly from molding with the plates when they have to be rigid or else by overmolding as described below for the studs 11 with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, when they have to be dampers.

Figures 3 to 6 illustrate the particular embodiment of a plate 2, 3 or 4 with studs 11 of the molded type.

For each crampon, the plate has molded in, a sleeve 18 projecting downwards and whose bore 19 opens at the top in an annular clearance 20. This sleeve makes it possible to mechanically embed the corresponding crampon 11, which has a base substantially cylindrical 21 extended by a shoulder 22 fitting respectively into the bore 19 and the clearance 20. The clamp 11 is hollow and then contains a core 23 with which it forms a body.

The stud 11 is formed by an abrasion-resistant damping material such as a thermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore hardness substantially equal to 40 D.

The hard core 23 is made of the same material as that of the sole body 1 and it comes during the molding of the plates 2 to 4.

To assemble these various components of the sole assembly, a difficulty which results from the incompatibility of the materials appears with a view to ensuring their connection. Figures 3 to 5 illustrate the process used for this purpose.

By a first injection of Pebax, plates 2 to 4 are molded, the cavities of this first mold being connected by pouring channels (Figure 3). These plates thus molded under pressure have radiating distribution channels 24 leading to the indentations formed in said plates for the studs and on the edge of these for the second injection.

By this second injection of polyurethane, the hollow studs 11 are obtained (FIG. 4). In order for these to be bonded to the plates, the polyurethane is mixed with Pebax, the Pebax being in a variable proportion of between 5 and 95%. Under these conditions, the connection takes place at the interface without migration of the PU into the Pebax. This effect is surprising when the melting point of Pebax is around 230 ° C, while that of PU is around 200 ° C. It seems that this particularly advantageous result is due to the aforementioned mixture, as well as to the increase in the melting temperature of the PU due to the injection pressure.

By a third injection, the overmolding of the sole body 1 and the cores 23 is carried out. If this injection is carried out with Pebax, this is advantageously mixed with PU to ensure an effective bond with the studs, the bond with plates of the same kind not requiring this addition of PU in the proportion between 5 and 30 %.

If said third injection is carried out with PU, this is advantageously mixed with Pebax to ensure an effective bond with the plates, the bond with the studs not requiring this addition of Pebax in the proportion of between 5 and 30%.

This gives a sole assembly to which the shock absorbers 5 and 6 must be attached.

These pads 5 and 6 are housed in the openings 8 and 18. Each pad has a lateral groove 25 intended to be fitted by elastic deformation on the edge 26 of a sloping surface 27 delimiting the corresponding opening and flaring upwards . Furthermore, each pad has a peripheral flap 28 intended to rest on the top of the sole assembly and to to be glued. Therefore, the pads protrude below the sole body 1, pass through the corresponding opening 8, 18 and are supported by their flap 28 on the top of said body.

The sole assembly thus finished is ready for assembly of the rod, the first assembly of which is glued to said sole assembly.

Claims (11)

1. Sole with protrusions such as spikes, spikes, notches or the like for sports shoes, comprising a sole body (1) of plastic material under which the protrusions (11) are fixed
characterized: - in that stiffness plates (2, 3) made of plastic material are provided protruding under their lower surface of the protrusions (11) and are connected, during molding, by their upper surface with the body (1) of the sole at the forefoot - in that a substantially elliptical opening (8) is formed in the body of the sole (1) so that its major axis is located on the articulation axis (7) of the sole assembly which corresponds to that of the foot in the metatarsophalangeal zone and that its center (9) is located a few millimeters outside of the middle (10) of the width of the sole body taken on said axis of articulation - in that a shock-absorbing pad (5) made of expanded plastic material is housed in said opening (8) to project under the sole body (1) and open into overlap therein - And in that two stiffness plates (2, 3) are substantially trapezoidal and are arranged on either side of the opening (8) symmetrically relative to the center (9) thereof. 2. Sole according to claim 1, characterized in that a reinforcement plate (4) of the plastic material heel possibly provided with protuberances (11) is linked to the sole body (1), extends between the camber and the heel and has divergent branches (16) located on either side of an oblong opening (18) formed in the sole body (1) widening towards the heel, a shock absorbing pad (6) made of plastic material expanded also being housed in said opening. 3. Sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the stiffness plates (2, 3) of the right foot are identical to those of the left foot. 4. Sole according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the protuberances (11) are also linked during molding with the plates (2 to 4). 5. sole assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the protrusions (11) are hollow spikes molded onto the corresponding plate (2 to 4), the spikes being made of an abrasion-resistant damping material such as a polyurethane thermoplastic having a Shore hardness substantially equal to 40 D, while the plates (2 to 4) are made of a rigid material resistant to repeated bending at all temperatures, such as a polyester blockamide or polyether blockamide copolymer having a hardness Shore at least equal to 55 D and possibly reinforced with glass or carbon fibers and, since the melting temperature of the material of the plates is higher than that of the material of the studs that at least this material of the studs is mixed with of the material constituting the plates before overmolding to allow the connection without migration of said plates with said studs. 6. Sole according to claim 5, characterized in that each molded clamp (11) has, for its installation in the corresponding plate, a base (21) shouldered (22) fitting into a bore (19) cleared (20) a sleeve (18) projecting under said plate. 7.- sole assembly according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that the sole body (1) is molded onto the plates (2 to 4) and made of a material of the same nature as that of the plates. 8. Sole according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that the sole body (1) is molded onto the plates (2 to 4) and constituted by an abrasion resistant material, such as a thermoplastic polyurethane, the Shore hardness is noticeably equal to 35 D, at least the material of the sole body being mixed with material constituting the plates to allow the connection, without migration, of said sole body with said plates. 9.- sole assembly according to claims 6 and 7 or 6 and 8, characterized in that the hollow of the studs (11) is filled with the same material as that of the sole body. 10.- sole assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each damping pad (5, 6) consists of an expanded polyurethane poured into a mold. 11.- sole assembly according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 10, characterized in that each damping pad (5, 6) has a lateral groove (25) intended to be fitted on the edge (26) of a range steep (27) of the sole body (1) delimiting the corresponding opening (8, 18) and in that the bearing considered has a peripheral flap (28) intended to be glued to said pad.

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