RS56065B1 - STAINLESS SHOES WITH WATERPROOF AND STEAM FLOOR - Google Patents

Description

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a vapor-permeable shoe with a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole.

Prior art

It is a well-known fact that the sole is the part of the foot with the greatest sweating effect.

Therefore, the part of the shoe where the moisture caused by sweating accumulates to the greatest extent is the contact surface between the sole of the foot and the sole of the shoe.

At that point, the sweat that is produced saturates the air with moisture and is mostly condensed and retained on the sole of the foot.

Only a small amount of moisture produced by perspiration spreads to the sides of the upper part of the shoes and out of them if they are waterproof.

This effect of retaining sweat in the sole area is particularly noticeable in shoes with rubber soles; in those cases, vapor permeability through the sole of the shoe is essentially prevented by its complete impermeability.

The fact is that the retention of sweat in the sole area leads to the person wearing the shoe feeling uncomfortable and also represents a suitable place for the development of bacterial cultures, which are known to be the cause of unpleasant odors.

Therefore, the need to prevent retention of moisture caused by perspiration on the soles of shoes is generally accepted.

The solution set forth in EP 0382904 represents a first attempt to meet this need.

The explanation contained in that patent is that the rubber sole is divided into two layers, with the lower one containing microperforations, and between them there is a semi-permeable membrane that is attached to both layers around the edge in order to avoid the penetration of water and thus obtain a sole that is impermeable to water in its liquid state and permeable to water vapors.

For the sake of simpler explanation, in the following text, an element with the property of impermeable to water in the liquid state and permeable to water vapors will be called waterproof and vapor permeable.

The semi-permeable membranes that EP 0382904 mentions for use are, for example, of the type disclosed in US 4,187,390 and US 4,194,041 by W. L Gore or US 6,228,477 by BHA Technologies.

Such membranes are obtained from thin films made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, e-PTFE, whose thickness generally varies from 19 microns to 70 microns, which are waterproof and vapor permeable.

Their microstructure is characterized by the presence of thicker zones called nodes that are interconnected by stretched threads called fibers.

These semi-permeable membranes, originally designed for military use, have been developed and used in clothing and footwear to prevent the deposition of sweat vapor in garments and to make shoes with uppers that have a waterproof and vapor permeable lining.

Since the clothing and footwear market always demands soft and comfortable articles, in the described applications there is a strong need to ensure that the membrane, intended to be a functional layer, does not compromise such characteristics.

This need is expressed in a true technical assumption that required the use of membranes that have a small thickness to be laminated with supporting and/or aesthetic finishing materials, such as textiles or leather, to obtain processed laminated elements that significantly possess the properties of flexibility, easy bending, softness, surface smoothness, compressibility and extensibility, and low weight per unit area.

However, the films yielding such membranes have poor mechanical strength characteristics due to their small thickness.

In essence, it should be noted that the value of the lamination strength is mainly based on the characteristics of the textile layer or the support layer with which the membrane is connected.

In particular, the available films made of polymeric materials, which are used to obtain such mentioned membranes, are generally between 19 and 70 microns thick, which gives them poor resistance to penetration, i.e. less than 5 N.

The term "penetration resistance" means a characteristic defined by a measurement carried out in accordance with the procedure described in ISO standard 20344 - 2004, chapter 5.8.2 "Determination of sole penetration resistance" related to footwear safety.

This poor resistance to mechanical penetration led the inventor of EP 0382904 to prevent contact of the membrane with foreign bodies by limiting the diameter of the holes towards which the membrane faces.

However, this solution has been shown to limit the part of the sole that is designated for vapor permeability and on top of that, the holes can be blocked.

The explanation described in EP 858,270 by the same applicant provides a solution aimed at overcoming these shortcomings, but there are still aspects that require improvement.

Said patent relates to a shoe with a sole made of perforated elastomer and comprising a midsole comprising a waterproof and vapor permeable membrane placed over a lower protective layer, preferably felt, which is treated to make it waterproof.

Since the protective layer is not made of waterproof materials, it is not possible to directly seal the midsole with the sole, but a waterproof peripheral element is used that creates a sealing bridge between the waterproof and vapor permeable membrane and the sole.

As mentioned, this invention, although it provides effective protection of the membrane against the penetration of foreign bodies, has some aspects that can be improved.

In particular, the protective element progressively loses its waterproofing properties and therefore tends to become saturated with water and/or mud or other types of dirt, which are absorbed through the thread holes, compromising the ability of the sole to breathe and creating, above all, an environment suitable for the reproduction of microorganisms, such as mold and bacteria, which can cause the shoe to smell unpleasant.

Another drawback is that during use, the cyclic flexion and friction to which the midsole is subjected during walking tends to cause progressive wear of the membrane, leading to a loss of waterproofing of the sole.

An additional solution is proposed in US 6508015 by Rauch Max, which brings a structure of the sole with two layers on top of each other, where the upper one which is designed to face the upper part of the shoe is elastic and permeable to water vapors.

The lower layer, which covers less than 70% of the upper layer, has the function of supporting it and providing a tread.

The top layer is made, for example, of sintered plastic or non-woven textile in order to have a microporous structure which is in any case not waterproof.

The disadvantage of this solution is that during the wearing of the shoe, the microporous upper layer, which is left largely exposed due to the lower layer, tends to become saturated with water when it comes into contact with it, absorbing it, retaining it and partially releasing it over time, soiling the walking surfaces.

In addition, the top layer is prone to deterioration if it comes into contact with absorbed water.

In order to ensure its waterproofness, such a patent provides instructions on treating the upper layer to make it impermeable or covering it with a waterproof and vapor-permeable membrane that is placed above it.

However, the hydrophobic treatment is short-lived because it causes it to lose its water-tightness, while the installation of a vapor-permeable and waterproof membrane over the top layer essentially reproduces a structure that can be compared to the one already described in which the membrane is reinforced with one or more protective layers and therefore we are again faced with the same disadvantages and limitations in quantitative terms of vapor permeability.

Document WO 2008/061710A1 describes a vapor permeable shoe according to the preamble of appended claim 1.

Invention announcement

The aim of this invention is to create a vapor-permeable shoe with a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole that allows to overcome the limitations of currently known shoes and soles, in particular, by preventing the retention and release of water that can come into contact during wearing the shoes, while simultaneously achieving effective and permanent vapor permeability and waterproofing.

Within this objective, the object of the invention is to design a vapor-permeable shoe with a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole which, compared to currently known products, has a greater resistance to damage caused by foreign bodies which, during wear, can penetrate through the sole such as, for example, stones, especially if they are sharp, or the like.

Another object of the invention is to make a vapor-permeable shoe with a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole whose waterproofness and vapor permeability are more durable than currently known products.

This goal and this and other objects that will be more obvious in the following text are achieved by means of a vapor-permeable shoe in accordance with the attached claim 1.

Brief description of the drawing

Additional features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of a waterproof and vapor permeable garment according to the invention, shown by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a cross-sectional view of a vapor-permeable shoe in accordance with the invention, in a first embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a vapor-permeable shoe according to the invention in a second embodiment;

Figure 3 represents a cross-sectional view of a vapor-permeable shoe according to the invention in a variation of the second embodiment;

Figure 4 represents a cross-sectional view of a vapor-permeable shoe according to the invention in the third embodiment;

Methods for carrying out the invention

Based on the figures, a vapor permeable shoe with a waterproof and vapor permeable sole is generally designated by reference number 10 in a first embodiment comprising

- Upper segment 11,

- The sole 12, which is connected to the upper segment 11 and contains a main part 13 made of a waterproof material that has a tread 14 and has at least one region 15 that is permeable to water vapors,

- Waterproof and vapor-permeable membrane 16, which covers the region 15 towards the inside of the shoe 10,

- Protective element 17 that covers the lower face 16a of the membrane 16.

In accordance with the invention, the shoe 10 has the peculiarity that, above all, it also contains a safety guard 18 which is waterproof and vapor permeable, covers the region 15 and is placed to a significant extent between that region and the protective element 17, whereby the safety guard 18 is sealed in a watertight manner against the main part 13 in the zone 13a of the main part 13 which is peripheral to the region 15, preferably as described below.

The tread 14 conveniently represents the lower surface of the main part 13 which, when worn, comes into contact with the ground, but equally in alternative embodiments of the invention it can be an element that is separate from said main part 13 and connected to it in the lower region.

Conveniently, the region 15 is defined by a plurality of holes 15a passing through the portion 13.

In alternative embodiments of the invention, in an essentially identical manner, said region may be defined by at least one wide opening in which structural elements for reinforcement and support for said safety guard, for example to form a mesh, may be provided.

Depending on the unforeseen requirements, in alternative embodiments of the waterproof shoe according to the invention, the shoe comprises a sole that generally has at least one region that is permeable to water vapor and is covered with at least one waterproof and vapor-permeable membrane, under which there is at least one protective element and at least one of said safety guards is additionally present at at least one said region.

Advantageously, the security shield 18 is microporous and contains holes with an average slot of less than 1 µm; it is preferable that said holes have an average slot of less than 0.5 µm and it is particularly suitable that at least 50% of said holes have an average slot of less than 0.5 µm.

Advantageously, the safety guard is made from a tile made from a material obtained from a substantially uniform mixture composed of

- Polyolefin with a high molecular weight, in a percentage concentration by volume of the said mixture containing between 8% and 98%,

- Fillers, which are adapted to promote the formation of microholes, in a percentage concentration by volume of the said mixture containing between 1% and 92%,

- Plasticizer, in a percentage concentration by volume of the specified mixture containing between 1% and 40%,

In cases where said polyolefin is preferably UHMW polyethylene (UHMW stands for Ultra High Molecular Weight) and it is convenient for said filler to be selected from silica and silicic acid, said plasticizer is a water-insoluble oil, and preferably petroleum oil.

Alternatively, the safety shield 18 is suitably made of a material selected from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, e-PTFE, polyurethane, PU, polyester, PES, polypropylene, PP, polyethylene, PE, and the like.

It is preferred that the safety shield 18 has a structure selected from

- Structures consisting of one integral layer, preferably extruded, whose thickness is essentially between 0.1 and 5 mm,

- Structures made up of a plurality of layers joined by lamination to form a multi-layered element whose thickness is essentially between 0.1 and 5 mm,

- Structures made up of many laminated layers, the permeable material that is between them and that is cohesive with them.

The protective element 17 is suitably made of a material which is resistant to hydrolysis and is vapor permeable, and is selected from felt, non-woven material and the like, treated to become impermeable and having a suitable thickness essentially between 0.5 and 5 mm.

The membrane 16 suitably belongs to the type of commonly commercially available vapor-permeable and waterproof membranes, for example, made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, e-PTFE, polyurethane, PU, or similar material, and at least one network serving as their reinforcement is suitably connected to them.

In addition, it is advantageous that an element 19 is provided for sealing the peripheral part 16b of the membrane 16 of the main part 13 which conveniently bridges its lateral adjacent edges, sealing them together.

By way of non-limiting example, the part where the sealing element 19 provides a watertight seal of the peripheral part 16b of the membrane 16 against the main part 13 is shown in Fig. 1 by means of a broken line segment with dots and dashes, designated by the reference letter A.

The sealing element 19 is suitably made of a waterproof polymer material and hermetically adheres to the peripheral part 16b of the membrane 16 and the main part 13 with a layer of adhesive which is resistant to hydrolysis and capable of providing an effective seal, preferably a type of polyurethane.

The waterproof polymer material of which the sealing element 19 is made is suitably polyvinyl chloride, PVC, or thermoplastic polyurethane, TPU, or a similar material.

In alternative and essentially identical embodiments, it is useful for the sealing element to be a film of hot-melt thermoplastic adhesive, made of polyurethane or polyester, polyamide or polyolefin, activated by heat and pressure.

A film particularly suitable for providing said sealing element is sold by Bemis Associates Inc under product code 3218, or by Collano AG, XIRO Adhesive Films under product code XAF 36.004 (Puro).

In addition, in an additional and alternative method of producing a sealing element, in an essentially identical manner, such an element is obtained from the material from which the main part of the sole is made, joined to form a watertight seal in the peripheral region of the membrane.

It is useful for the safety shield 18 and the main part 13 to be joined to form a watertight seal, preferably in the zone 13a which is peripheral to the region 15.

The specified joint using a waterproof seal is preferably made by adhesive bonding or high-frequency welding.

Alternatively, depending on the unforeseen requirements of carrying out the invention, said sealing joint is conveniently made by clinging to the safety guard 18 of the material to allow the main part 13 to be injected into the mold during the forming step.

In particular, in this case said sealing joint is obtained by simultaneously injecting into the molds on the safety guard 18 the material from which the main part 13 is made, or its component such as, for example, if it is formed by means of the lower part or the midsole.

In this way, essentially, the material forming the main part 13, or its components, is pressed against the safety shield 18 to obtain a watertight seal, preferably in the zone 13a of the main part 13, which is peripheral to the region 15 which is permeable to water vapors.

In the accompanying figures, by way of non-limiting example, said sealing joint is shown by means of a dashed dotted line marked with the letter B.

It is useful that the upper segment 11 whose profile is shown schematically by broken lines in figures 1, 2 and 3, depending on the requirements of the activation of the invention, contains at least

- Outer vapor permeable upper part,

- Internal vapor-permeable lining, i

- A vapor-permeable insole, with which the lower tongues of the upper part of the shoe are connected and the lining itself, for example, according to permanent construction or sewing, for example, in the Strobel way.

In figures 1, 2 and 3, the upper segment 11 is shown schematically in broken lines, and the upper part, the lining and the insert are not shown, since they are known elements in themselves, the structure of which is preferably selected from among known structures in a way that is consistent with the unforeseen requirements of performing the invention.

It is preferable to put an insert 20 covering the upper face 16c of the membrane 16.

The main purpose of the insert 20 is to protect the membrane 16 from the possible abrasive effect of the insert located between them.

Suitably, the insert 20 is made of a vapor-permeable or perforated material, for example, felt or fabric or polymeric material or cellulosic material.

In another embodiment of the shoe according to the invention, which is shown by way of non-limiting example in figure 2, where it is designated by the reference number 100 and where the elements corresponding to those described so far are also designated by the same reference numbers, the main part 13 is advantageously composed of a lower part 21 and an upper part 22, a safety guard 18 which is sealed against the lower part 21, in which the zone 13a is peripheral to the region 15.

Suitably, the upper portion 22 is joined to form a watertight seal to the peripheral portion 16b of the membrane 16.

Said joint of the watertight seal, which is shown by way of non-limiting example in Figures 2 and 3 by means of a dashed dot-and-dash line designated by the reference letter C, is preferably made by gluing or, alternatively, in accordance with the unforeseen requirements of the practice of the invention, is conveniently made by clinging to the peripheral part 16b of the membrane 16 of material to allow the upper part 22 to be injected into the mold during the step of making the sole. 13.

In particular, in this case, said sealing joint is obtained by simultaneous injection into the mold on the peripheral part 16b of the material that forms the upper part 22.

In particular, the sole 100 preferably includes an insert 20 that is permeable to water vapor and is located above the membrane 16 to cover it and thus protect it from any abrasive action that the insole may exert on it during the wearing of the shoe 10.

It is useful for the insert 20 to be made of a vapor-permeable or perforated material, for example, felt or fabric or plastic or cellulosic material.

If the upper part 22 is made by simultaneous injection into the mold, it is useful that the insert 20 also acts as an obstacle to the access to the membrane 16 of the material for making the upper part 22 during the injection into the mold.

In an alternative embodiment, which is not shown in the attached figures, the insert is replaced by a central part of said upper part, which has holes or openings to be permeable to water vapors, in order to define a part of said region, said main part of the sole, which is permeable to water vapors.

In said alternative variant, the lower part of the main part of the sole is completely covered by the upper part of the main part of the sole.

With special reference to Figure 3 in the variant of the second embodiment, in the shoe made in accordance with the invention, marked with the reference number 100a, it is useful that the safety guard 18 has a circumferential belt 18a which is exposed by the protective element 17 and the membrane 16 which it covers in the lower region.

In said circumferential belt 18a, the safety guard 18 is connected to provide a watertight seal to the upper part 22 of the main part 13 of the sole 12.

Said watertight sealing connection, shown by way of non-limiting example by means of the broken line with dots and dashes designated by the reference letter D in Figure 3, is conveniently achieved by gluing or, in the case of forming the upper part 22 by means of simultaneous injection into the mold, by clinging to the circumferential band 18a of the material to inject the upper part 22 into the mold.

In a third embodiment of a vapor-permeable shoe with a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole according to the invention, shown by non-limiting example in Figure 4, where it is generally indicated by the reference number 200 and where the elements corresponding to those described so far are indicated by the same reference numbers, the upper segment 11 suitably includes the outer vapor-permeable upper part of the shoe 23, the vapor-permeable lining 24 and the vapor-permeable insole 25.

Generally speaking, depending on the unforeseen requirements, the upper segment suitably includes at least one upper part, one lining and one insole that are vapor permeable.

It is useful that the membrane 16 represents the bottom layer of the insole 25 or, in an essentially identical manner, is suitably connected to the layer of the insole 25.

The lower tabs of the upper face of the shoe 23 and the lining 24 are conveniently joined to the insole 25 preferably by means of stitched seams.

In this case, the peripheral part 16b of the diaphragm 16 and the main part 13 of the cartridge 12 are joined to provide a watertight seal, preferably by means of a material for making the main part 13 or a component thereof, which is adhered to ensure a watertight seal of the peripheral part 16b when the main part 13 is formed by simultaneous injection molding on the upper segment 11.

Alternatively, the peripheral portion 16b of the membrane 16 and the main portion 13 of the sole 12 are connected to form a watertight seal, conveniently by gluing the membrane 16 to the main portion 13 of the sole 12 or to a component thereof such as a midsole.

In addition, the safety shield 18 and the main part 13 are advantageously joined to form a watertight seal in the zone 13a which is peripheral to the region 15 which is permeable to water vapor.

The sealing connection between the membrane 16 and the main part 13 of the 12 is shown by a non-limiting example in Figure 4 by means of a broken line segment with a dot and a line marked with the reference letter E.

Therefore, the sealed connection between the safety guard 18 and the main part 13 is shown by way of non-limiting example in Fig. 4 by means of a dash-dotted line segment designated by the reference letter B compared to what has been described so far.

It is useful that the watertight sealed connection of the main part 13 to the safety guard 18 is formed by gluing or simultaneous injection into the mold of the material that makes up the main part 13, as already described with reference to the sealed connection of the main part 13 to the membrane 16.

In practice, it has been established that the invention achieves the intended goal and object by giving the vapor-permeable shoe a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole that allows overcoming the limitations of currently known shoes and soles, especially enabling the prevention of retention and release of water with which the sole may come into contact while wearing the shoes, thanks to the presence of a safety guard that, by being impermeable to water and sealed to the main part of the sole, prevents water from penetrating to the protective element of the membrane even though it is vapor-permeable.

In addition, the vapor-permeable shoe with a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole according to the invention, in comparison with currently known products, has a greater resistance to damage that can be caused by foreign bodies that, during wear, can more easily penetrate through its sole, such as stones, especially if they are sharp, or the like; basically, even in case of penetration through the safety guard, the membrane protected by the protective element preserves the waterproofness and vapor permeability of the sole.

A shoe with a waterproof and vapor-permeable sole according to the invention also has a more permanent waterproofness and vapor permeability than currently known products, thanks to the combination of a membrane and a safety guard, which work together to protect the waterproofness of the sole and, above all, are vapor-permeable.

The invention thus devised is subject to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all details can be additionally replaced with other technically identical elements.

In practice, the materials used, as long as they are compatible with the specific purpose, as well as the unforeseen shapes and dimensions, can be any according to the requirements and modern approaches.

In cases where the technical features mentioned in any claim are accompanied by reference marks, those reference marks are inserted for the sole purpose of increasing the comprehensibility of the claim and accordingly such reference marks have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by the example based on those reference marks.

Claims (14)

Patent claims 1. Vapor permeable shoe (10, 100, 100a, 200) with a waterproof and vapor permeable sole that includes - Upper segment (11), - The sole (12) which is connected to the said upper segment (11) and includes the main part (13) made of a waterproof material which has a tread (14) and has at least one region (15) which is permeable to water vapors, - At least one waterproof and vapor-permeable membrane (16) covering at least one specified region (15) towards the interior of said shoe (10, 100, 100a, 200), - At least one protective element (17) that covers at least partially the lower face (16a) of at least one of the mentioned membranes (16), Wherein said shoe (10, 100, 100a, 200) comprises at least one safety guard (18) which is vapor permeable, includes at least one said region (15) and is substantially inserted between said region and at least one said protective element (17), said safety guard (18) being sealed in a watertight manner to said main part (13) on at least one zone (13a) of said main part (13) which is peripherally with respect to at least one said region (15), wherein the peripheral part (16b) of at least one said membrane (16) is hermetically sealed to said main part (13), said shoe indicated by said safety guard (18) is waterproof. 2. A shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the permeable insert (20) is placed above at least partially on said membrane (16) to protect it. 3. A shoe according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of said safety protectors (18) is microporous and has holes with an average diameter of less than 1 µm. 4. A shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of said safety guards (18) comprises a plate made of a material obtained from a substantially uniform mixture consisting of - Polyolefin with a high molecular weight, in a percentage concentration by volume of the said mixture containing between 8% and 98%, - Fillers, which are adapted to promote the formation of microholes, in a percentage concentration by volume of the said mixture containing between 1% and 92%, - Plasticizers, in a percentage concentration of the volume of the specified mixture, which contains between 1% and 40%, 5. A shoe according to claim 4 characterized in that said polyolefin is UHMW polyethylene (UHMW stands for ultra high molecular weight). 6. A shoe according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said filler is selected from silicon dioxide and silicic acid, and said plasticizer is an oil insoluble in water. 7. A shoe according to claim 1 characterized in that at least one safety guard (18) is made of a material selected from polytetrafluoroethylene, polyurethane, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene and the like. 8. A shoe according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of said safety guards (18) has a structure selected from - a structure made of one integral layer whose thickness is essentially between 0.1 and 5.0 mm, - a structure that is made of many layers that are joined by lamination to form a multi-layered element whose thickness is essentially between 0.1 and 5.0 mm, - a structure that is made of many laminated layers, a permeable material that is between them and that is cohesive with them. 9. A shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least one safety guard (18) is hermetically sealed to said main part (13) at at least one said zone (13a) of said main part (13), which is peripheral to at least one region (15), with an adhesive joint. 10. A shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the material forming at least one component of said main part (13) is simultaneously injected into the mold on at least one safety guard (18) so that it adheres to it and forms a watertight seal on at least one zone (13a) of said main part (13) which is peripheral to at least one region (15). 11. A shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a lower part (21) and an upper part (22) of the main part (13), at least one safety guard (18) which is sealed against said lower part (21) having at least one zone (13a) which is peripheral to at least one region (15). 12. A shoe according to claim 11, characterized in that the safety protector (18) has a peripheral belt (18a) which is shown by said protective element (17) and said membrane (16), said safety protector (18) at said peripheral belt (18a) which is connected to provide a watertight seal with said upper part (22). 13. A shoe according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that said upper position (22) has a central part having openings or holes forming part of said region (15). 14. A shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the upper segment (11) comprises at least one outer vapor-permeable upper part (23), a vapor-permeable lining (24) and a vapor-permeable insole (25) and includes said membrane (16), lower tabs of at least one upper part (23) and at least one lining (24), which is connected to said insole (25) and said main part (13) which is further joined to form a watertight seal. - in the lower region towards the peripheral part (16b) of at least one membrane (16) and - according to said at least one safety shield (18) in said zone (13a), which is peripheral to said region (15) which is permeable to water vapors.