MODULAR SHOE CONSTRUCTION
A modular footwear construction includes an upper with a removable outsole. The upper and the outsole both include bottoms having tread surfaces. A removable footbed fits inside the upper, and includes both a cushioning midsole and a structural plate. The outsole is removably secured to the upper without adhesives. In one embodiment, the midsole and the plate each have structure that enables a mechanical interlock therebetween. In another embodiment, a heel strap extends from the outsole and fits over a protrusion on the upper to removably secure the outsole to the upper.
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The present invention relates to footwear, and more particularly to an environmentally friendly modular footwear construction.
It is well known that issues arise with footwear when it gets dirty, especially when a wearer travels indoors after participating in outdoor activities such as hiking and trail running. These activities typically result in dirt or mud collecting on the outsole of the footwear, and often force the wearer to remove the footwear before stepping indoors. This removal of footwear can be undesirable for the wearer, as they will either have to come prepared with a second set of footwear or proceed without any footwear at all.
In addition to the above-noted issues, in recent years, there has been an increased focus on developing environmentally friendly footwear constructions. For instance, the leather used in constructing footwear uppers is now often selected based on the environmental footprint of its tanning process. And some outsoles are now produced from recycled rubber materials, such as re-ground waste rubber that was cut away during a molding process (flashing) or recycled crumb rubber from industrial sources, like old tires.
Other environmental aspects of footwear have not yet been addressed in great detail, including the processes for attaching the upper, outsole and midsole. Footwear including a midsole typically is constructed with a process in which the midsole is “direct attached” to the upper in a mold. To complete the footwear construction, an outsole is glued to the midsole, opposite the upper. Other attachment methods include various combinations of stitching and adhesive between one or more of the upper, outsole and midsole. Many of these methods are longstanding, but some concerns have been raised with regard to their environmental impact, particularly with regard to the nature of the adhesives that are commonly used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a modular footwear construction including an upper and a removable outsole that can be secured together without adhesives.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a footwear construction including an upper, a removable outsole and a removable footbed. The upper includes a bottom having a tread surface. The outsole includes a bottom that extends underneath the bottom of the upper and also includes tread surface. The footbed fits inside the upper and includes both a cushioning midsole and a structural plate. The midsole and the plate each have structure that enables a mechanical interlock therebetween.
In another embodiment, the footwear construction includes an attachment mechanism for removably attaching the outsole to the upper. The attachment mechanism includes a first position in which the outsole is secured to the upper and a second position in which the outsole can be manually removed from the upper by the wearer. The attachment mechanism may be a heel strap that extends between the outsole and the upper and interfits with a protrusion on the upper. In another embodiment, the attachment mechanism includes a toe cap on the outsole that extends over a toe portion of the upper, and a forefoot strap on the outsole that extends over a forefoot portion of the upper.
The removable outsole allows the wearer to convert back-and-forth between a rugged, outdoor shoe with the outsole attached, and a slipper-like, indoor shoe with the outsole removed. The tread surface on the bottom of the upper provides an attractive, functional and clean, article of footwear for the wearer to wear while indoors. In addition, the mechanical interlock between the midsole and the structural plate, and the attachment mechanism between the upper and the outsole provide a glueless, and therefore environmentally friendly, footwear construction.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
One embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The outsole 12 may be manufactured from a wide variety of conventional sole materials, such as natural and synthetic rubbers, leather, PVC, EVA and polyurethane. In one embodiment, the outsole 12 is formed by injection molding, but it may be formed by a variety of methods. As shown in
In one embodiment, the outsole 12 includes a strap 46 that extends from the upper edge 40 of the sidewall 30 over the top of the user's foot in the forefoot portion 32 of the outsole 12. As illustrated in
The outsole 12 may also include connector for connecting the outsole 12 to the upper (described in more detail below). As shown in
In one embodiment, the upper 14 includes a bottom 80, vamp 82, quarters 84, 86, and a heel panel 88. The upper 14 may be comprised of a wide variety of materials, such as fabric, leather, vinyl, and other known materials, and is generally sized to fit snugly within the sidewall 30 of the outsole 12. The bottom 80 of the upper 14 includes an upper surface 90 (shown in
The midsole 16 and the plate 18 fit inside the upper 14 to form a cushioned, stabilizing footbed. In one embodiment, the midsole 16 is formed from EVA or another cushioning material, and includes a peripheral edge 102 having the general shape of the bottom 80 of the upper 14. The midsole 16 further includes an upper surface 104, a lower surface 106, a heel portion 108, an arch portion 110 and a forefoot portion 112. In one embodiment, a sock liner (not shown) is attached to the upper surface 104. The sock liner may be comprised of fabric, and may be attached to the upper surface 104 by one of a variety of conventional methods, such as an adhesive, or by direct attach molding the midsole 16 to the sock liner 114. As shown in
The plate 18 fits within the upper 14 between the midsole 16 and the bottom 80 if the upper 14. In one embodiment, the plate 18 is comprised of a rigid or semi-rigid material to add a degree of stiffness to the upper 14 and midsole 16. For example, the plate 18 may be injection molded from TPU, TPR or PVC. The plate 18 may alternatively be manufactured from other materials, such as nylon, rubber, synthetic rubber or silicone, but it is likely that the insert 16 would not be manufactured by injection molding if any of these alternative materials was used. In one embodiment, the plate 18 includes an upper surface 117, a lower surface 119, a forefoot portion 120, an arch portion 122 and a heel portion 124, and is generally shaped to correspond to the shape of the midsole 16. Alternatively, the plate 18 could be smaller than the midsole, for instance, by not extending into the forefoot portion 120.
In one embodiment, the plate 18 is designed to mechanically interlock with the midsole 16. This allows the midsole 16 and plate 18 to be connected, if desired, without the use of adhesives. As illustrated, the plate 18 includes a plurality of holes 123 that align with the protrusions 116 on the midsole 16, such that each hole 123 can receive a protrusion 116 to interlock the midsole 16 and the plate 18. As shown in
Manufacture of the shoe construction 10 includes forming each of the outsole 12, upper 14, midsole 16 and plate 18 separately, and then assembling the components together. In one embodiment, the components may be assembled into the shoe construction 10 without the use of glue. In this embodiment, the midsole 16 and plate 18 are mechanically interlocked, for instance, by fitting the protrusions 116 on the midsole 16 into corresponding holes 123 on the plate 18 (shown in
The above description is that of the current embodiment of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
Claims
1. A modular footwear construction comprising:
- an upper having a bottom, said bottom having a tread surface;
- a removable outsole having a bottom, said bottom of said outsole extending underneath said bottom of said upper, said bottom of said outsole including a tread surface; and
- a removable footbed inside said upper, said removable footbed including a midsole and a plate, said midsole and said plate each including structure to form a mechanical interlock between said midsole and said plate.
2. The modular footwear construction of claim 1 wherein one of said midsole and said plate includes a protrusion and the other one of said midsole and said plate includes a cutout sized to receive said protrusion, said protrusion inserted in said cutout to mechanically interlock said midsole and said plate.
3. The modular footwear construction of claim 2 wherein each said protrusion is undercut, and wherein each cutout is defined by an angular cut wall that interfits with said undercut of said protrusion.
4. The modular footwear construction of claim 3 wherein said one of said midsole and said plate includes a heel portion and a forefoot portion, and wherein said one of said midsole and said plate includes a plurality of said protrusions, at least one of said protrusions located in said heel portion and at least one of said protrusions located in said forefoot portion.
5. The modular footwear construction of claim 4 wherein said midsole is formed from a cushioning material and wherein said plate is formed from a rigid or semi-rigid material.
6. The modular footwear construction of claim 5 wherein said midsole is formed from EVA and wherein said plate is formed from one of TPU, TPR and PVC.
7. The modular footwear construction of claim 6 including a heel strap for removably connecting said outsole and said upper, said heel strap having an attached position in which a portion of said heel strap interfits with a portion of said upper and an unattached position in which said outsole can be separated from said upper.
8. A modular footwear construction comprising:
- an upper having a bottom, said bottom including a tread surface;
- an outsole covering at least a portion of said upper, said outsole including a tread surface;
- attachment means for removably attaching said upper to said outsole, said attachment means having an attached position wherein said upper is secured to said outsole and an unattached position wherein said upper is unattached from said outsole, such that said outsole can be manually removed from said upper to expose said bottom of said upper; and
- a footbed positioned inside said upper.
9. The modular footwear construction of claim 8 wherein said attachment means includes a heel strap extending from one of said outsole and said upper and a connector extending from the other of said outsole and said upper, said heel strap fastened to said connector when said attachment means is in said attachment position, said heel strap not fastened to said connector when said attachment means is in said unattached position.
10. The modular footwear construction of claim 9 wherein said heel strap includes a first end connected to said outsole and a second end defining a hole, said connector comprising a protrusion extending from said upper, said protrusion extending through said hole when said attachment means is in said attached position.
11. The modular footwear construction of claim 10 wherein said upper and said outsole each include a heel portion, said first end of said heel strap connected to said heel portion of said outsole, said protrusion extending from said heel portion of said upper.
12. The modular footwear construction of claim 11 wherein said upper includes a forefoot portion and a toe portion, and said outsole includes a forefoot strap extending over said forefoot portion and a toe cap extending over said toe portion.
13. The modular footwear construction of claim 12 wherein said removable footbed includes a cushioned midsole and a structural plate, one of said midsole and said plate including a plurality of protrusions and the other of said midsole and said plate including a plurality of holes aligned with said protrusion, said protrusions extending into said holes to mechanically interlock said midsole and said plate.
14. A modular footwear construction comprising:
- an upper having sides and a bottom;
- an outsole including a bottom and a sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom, said bottom and said sidewall of said outsole cooperating to enclose at least a portion of said upper;
- an attachment mechanism removably attaching said outsole and said upper, said attachment mechanism having a first connector attached to said outsole and a second connector attached to said upper, said first and second connectors interfitting with each other to secure said outsole to said upper, said first and second connectors capable of being manually separated to allow said outsole to be removed from said upper to expose said bottom of said upper; and
- a removable footbed within said upper, said footbed including a cushioned midsole and a structural plate, said midsole and said plate including structure to mechanically interlock said midsole and said plate.
15. The modular footwear construction of claim 14 wherein said bottom of said upper includes a first tread surface and wherein said bottom of said outsole includes a second tread surface.
16. The modular footwear construction of claim 14 wherein said footwear construction includes a heel region, and wherein said first connector is a heel strap extending from said outsole in said heel region, wherein said second connector is a protrusion extending from said upper in said heel region.
17. The modular footwear construction of claim 16 wherein said outsole is formed from a first material, and wherein said upper and said heel strap are formed from a second material different from said first material.
18. The modular footwear construction of claim 14 wherein one of said midsole and said plate includes a plurality of protrusions and the other of said midsole and said plate includes a plurality of holes aligned with said protrusions, said protrusions extending into said holes to interlock said midsole and said plate.
19. The modular footwear construction of claim 14 wherein said upper includes a forefoot portion, said attachment mechanism including a forefoot strap attached to said outsole and extending over said forefoot portion of said upper.
20. The modular footwear construction of claim 19 wherein said upper includes a toe portion, said outsole including a toe cap extending over said toe portion of said upper.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 14, 2008
Publication Date: Jul 17, 2008
Applicant: WOLVERINE WORLD WIDE, INC. (Rockford, MI)
Inventors: Deborah H. Andersen (Prevost), Grant A. Urie (Shelburne, VT), Federica Elmo (Rome)
Application Number: 12/013,695
International Classification: A43B 3/24 (20060101); A43C 13/00 (20060101); A43C 11/00 (20060101);