US20160309836A1

US20160309836A1 - Waterproof and breathable shoe sole and shoes with same

Info

Publication number: US20160309836A1
Application number: US15/105,586
Authority: US
Inventors: Dongqiang Liu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-12-20
Filing date: 2014-02-14
Publication date: 2016-10-27
Also published as: WO2015089887A1; CN203748754U

Abstract

A waterproof and breathable shoe sole comprises a shoe undersole (1) and a waterproof and breathable film assembly (2). At least one through hole (12) is formed on upper surface of the shoe undersole (1). The waterproof and breathable film assembly (2) comprises a waterproof and breathable film (21) and an upper waterproof bearing plate (22) and a lower waterproof bearing plate (23) attached to upper side and lower side of the waterproof and breathable film (21). The lower waterproof bearing plate (23) is positioned above the at least one through hole (12). An upper breathable groove (221) and a lower breathable groove (231) are respectively formed at corresponding positions on the upper waterproof bearing plate (22) and the lower waterproof bearing plate (23), and the lower breathable groove (231) corresponds to at least one through hole (12). A shoe with the waterproof and breathable shoe sole is also disclosed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shoe sole, more particular to a waterproof and breathable shoe sole and a pair of shoes with the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sweat glands of the foot sole, which are mainly located between the toes, and at the anterior and central area of the foot sole, form an important sweating part of the human body. What is more, the sweat secreted by human's foot skin usually gathers on the foot sole. As the shoe sole absorbs the sweat for a long time and the sweat gathered on the shoe sole cannot be timely evaporated, it is unavoidable that stink rises, bacterium grows and people suffer from foot disease. Stink is particularly easy to happen to teenagers who often wear sport shoes. The existing shoes, taking sport shoes for example, achieve the function of sweat evaporation by improving the breathability of shoe uppers.
As sweat glands of human's foot are largely located at the foot sole, the best way to solve such kinds of problems is to evaporate sweat through the shoe sole. I, as the inventor, filed a utility model patent application No. 202456701U on Nov. 30, 2011. It discloses a waterproof and breathable shoe sole, comprising a plurality of grooves distributed on the upper surface of the shoe sole. The grooves are respectively formed at the bottom with at least one through hole passing through the shoe sole. A film buckle structure with a waterproof and breathable film is mounted inside the groove, and the film buckle structure is an improvement over the buffered-and-tiled-style waterproof and breathable film placed on the shoe sole. However, during the application process of mass production, it has disadvantages as follows: 1. Since each film buckle corresponds to a retaining groove, repeating gluing is required in order to fix the film buckle, and the operation of waterproof fixing is complicated; 2. The production has low degree of automation. I, as the inventor, filed another utility model patent application No. 203234113U on Apr. 8, 2013. It discloses a waterproof and breathable shoe sole internally installed with a breathable film buckle, comprising a plurality of grooves distributed on the upper surface of the shoe sole. The grooves are respectively formed at the bottom with at least one through hole passing through the shoe sole to the bottom surface. A film buckle is mounted inside the groove, and the film buckle structure comprises a ring corresponding to the groove and at least one piece of waterproof and breathable film stretched over the ring. Also, upper end of the film buckle is provided with a waterproof chamfer as an extension of outer edge of the upper end of the film buckle. In this patent application, as the shoe sole is separated into two layers which can be separately produced and press-fitted afterwards, the film buckle could be well fixed, and the waterproof effect is good and the level of automatic production is greatly raised. However, some problems still remain: 1. During the processes of pores opening and waterproofing, some special considerations for various kinds of shoe soles have to be taken into account in order to meet the requirement for design. Take rubber shoe sole for example, the previous keel inside the enclosed shoe sole can lighten its own weight effectively and also raw material is saved. As to the waterproof and breathable film buckle, since it needs the shoe sole to serve as a platform, a platform or a surface in a certain shape, e.g. circle, should be provided at the position where the keel lies instead of the keel. In this way, the waterproofing effect may be realized, but meanwhile the weight of the shoe sole may be increased. In addition, the highly targeted mold design may bring difficulties for the design. 2. The shoe undersole and the waterproof and breathable film are directly pressed, glued and integrated together, therefore, holes on the shoe undersole and hole locations of the film buckle shall be distributed in one-to-one correspondence, or else the mismatching of which may otherwise lead to rupture of the waterproof and breathable film.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to provide a waterproof and breathable shoe sole. With the design of a waterproof and breathable film assembly, it incorporates the waterproof and breathable film into the shoe sole with minimum changes for the existing enclosed-style shoe sole, and reaches a waterproof and breathable effect. Meanwhile, the present invention also provides shoes with the waterproof and breathable shoe soles.
In order to achieve the aims above, the present invention provides a technical solution as follows:
A waterproof and breathable shoe sole, comprising a shoe undersole and a waterproof and breathable film assembly. At least one through hole is formed on the upper surface of the shoe undersole, passing through the shoe sole to reach the bottom surface of the shoe sole. The waterproof and breathable film assembly comprises a waterproof and breathable film and an upper waterproof bearing plate and a lower waterproof bearing plate attached to the upper side and the lower side of the waterproof and breathable film. The waterproof and breathable film assembly is mounted on the upper surface of the shoe undersole, and the lower waterproof bearing plate is positioned above the at least one through hole. An upper breathable groove and a lower breathable groove are respectively formed at the corresponding positions on the upper waterproof bearing plate and the lower waterproof bearing plate, and the lower breathable groove corresponds to at least one through hole.
A groove is formed on the upper surface of the shoe undersole, the at least one through hole is positioned on the bottom surface of the groove, the waterproof and breathable film assembly is installed inside the groove, and the lower waterproof bearing plate is positioned at the bottom of the groove.
A layer of buffer fabric or a net structure for sand prevention is arranged between the lower waterproof bearing plate and bottom of the groove.
A waterproof strengthening layer is arranged in the gap between the upper waterproof bearing plate and upper surface of the shoe undersole.
The present invention also provides a pair of shoes comprising shoe uppers and shoe soles, wherein the shoe uppers and shoe soles are fixed with each other, the shoe soles are the waterproof and breathable shoe soles.
Making process is as follows: Firstly, forming a shoe undersole with breathable through holes;
Secondly, incorporating a waterproof and breathable film assembly, wherein the waterproof and breathable film assembly comprises a waterproof and breathable film, and waterproof bearing plates which have a certain thickness and are respectively fixed and attached to the upper side and the lower side of the waterproof and breathable film. Both the upper and lower waterproof bearing plates comprises corresponding breathable grooves with same or corresponding shapes. The outer edge of the grooves on the lower waterproof bearing plate could be slightly larger or smaller than the outer edge of the grooves on the upper waterproof bearing plate. That is, outer edges of the upper and lower waterproof bearing plates may be designed to be different. Regarding overall outer edge design of the waterproof bearing plates, improved waterproofing may be provided along the outer edges. Either the upper waterproof bearing plate or the lower waterproof bearing plate itself may strengthen the waterproofing.
Finally, forming an entire shoe sole. Such shoe sole has a good waterproofing effect, it is easy to manufacture and has stable property. Moreover, it is also applicable for plastic shaping of different shoes made from various materials like rubber, PU, EVA, TPR, TPU, etc.
Post shaping shoe sole is not limited to half foot sole.
The supporting surface of the shoe sole is not limited to any certain shapes. Also, shapes of the breathable grooves of the upper and lower bearing plates are not limited to regular shapes like circle, square, rectangle, ring, etc, but may also be irregular shapes which facilitate breathing in most cases.
Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:
1. The present invention makes an improvement over the existing waterproof and breathable film buckle. The shoe sole itself is not used as a supporting surface for waterproofing. Instead, the waterproof and breathable film buckle is replaced by a waterproof and breathable film bearing assembly, which comprises a waterproof and breathable film sandwiched between an upper waterproof bearing plate and a lower waterproof bearing plate. The waterproof and breathable film bearing assembly forms an entire waterproof and breathable unit, and the waterproof bearing plates are designed to support human's weight in order to protect the waterproof and breathable film from being crushed by human's weight and from leakage. Meanwhile, minimum changes are made to the structure and appearance of previous shoe sole, improving waterproofing, reducing production difficulty, and enlarging breathing area. Thereby, the design for waterproofing and breathing tends to be more simple, convenient, reasonable and efficient. Most shoe soles made from different materials could be easily incorporated with the waterproof and breathable film and the functions of waterproofing and breathing could be achieved.
2. As mentioned above, mismatching of holes on the shoe undersole and hole locations of the film buckle may easily lead to rupture of the waterproof and breathable film. At this point, the upper and lower bearing plates are easy to produce, and it may be applied to shoe soles of all kinds, with different materials, appearances, or even functions. Moreover, factories or production lines specialized in producing the waterproof and breathable film and the waterproof bearing plate may be set up, such that the production efficiency could be effectively increased.
3. Waterproofing achieved by one-to-one correspondence between the film buckle and retaining groove is abandoned, and it is not necessary for the shoe undersole to provide waterproofing on the upper surface of each breathable hole any more. Instead, a part of the upper surface is aimed at supporting only. The edges of the waterproof and breathable film assembly, the contact portion between the waterproof and breathable film assembly and the shoe undersole, and the waterproof strengthening mechanism, serve to realize the waterproofing function. Due to the absence of the one-to-one correspondence waterproofing between the film buckle and retaining groove, the applicability and practicability of the shoe sole could be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a section view illustrating a waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a breakdown structure view of the waterproof and breathable shoe sole shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the waterproof and breathable shoe sole shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section view illustrating a waterproof and breathable shoe sole without a groove of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a section view illustrating a waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a section view illustrating a waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a section view illustrating a waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to embodiment 4 of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a section view illustrating a waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to embodiment 5 of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a section view illustrating a waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to embodiment 6 of the present invention.

In the figures:

- 1 shoe undersole
- 11 groove
- 12 through hole
- 2 waterproof and breathable film assembly
- 21 waterproof and breathable film
- 22 upper waterproof bearing plate
- 221 upper breathable groove
- 23 lower waterproof bearing plate
- 231 lower breathable groove
- 3 buffer fabric
- 4 net structure
- 5 waterproof strengthening layer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Further description will now be described below in conjunction with the figures.

Embodiment 1

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a waterproof and breathable shoe sole comprises a shoe undersole 1 and a waterproof and breathable film assembly 2. A groove 11 is arranged on the upper surface of the shoe undersole 1, and at least one through hole 12 is formed at the bottom of the groove 11, passing through the shoe undersole 1 to reach the bottom surface of the shoe undersole 1. The waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 comprises a waterproof and breathable film 21, and an upper waterproof bearing plate 22 and a lower waterproof bearing plate 23 attached to the upper side and the lower side of the waterproof and breathable film 21. The waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 is installed inside the groove 11, and the lower waterproof bearing plate 23 is positioned at the bottom of the groove 11. An upper breathable groove 221 and a lower breathable groove 231 are respectively formed at corresponding positions on the upper waterproof bearing plate 22 and the lower waterproof bearing plate 23, and the lower breathable groove 231 corresponds to at least one through hole 12. A waterproof strengthening layer 5 used for sealing and waterproofing is arranged in the gap between the upper surface of the upper waterproof bearing plate 22 and upper surface of the undersole 1.
Upper surface of the undersole with through holes 12 is used for providing a support only, but not for realizing waterproofing. The edge of the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 and contact portion of the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 and shoe undersole 1 serve to realize the waterproofing function. Therefore, the breathable grooves are not necessary to be in one-to-one correspondence with the through holes 12. It is only necessary to make sure that one of the through holes 12 corresponds to one of the breathable grooves, and each breathable groove corresponds to at least one through hole 12.
It should be noted that, firstly, the groove 11 may be a very thin structure with a thickness that can be ignored, or it may be omitted in the shoe undersole at all. FIG. 4 shows an embodiment, in which the shoe undersole is not arranged with any groove. As shown in FIG. 4, the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 has a thickness properly magnified in order to show a detailed structure thereof. Actually, the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 may has a very thin thickness under the circumstances that the shoe undersole is not arranged with any groove or it is arranged with a very thin groove , as long as it is guaranteed that the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 and the shoe undersole 1 are pressed, glued and integrated together, and a breathable hole is formed in the shoe undersole 1, which corresponds to the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2, passing through the shoe sole to reach the bottom surface of the shoe sole. Therefore, the present embodiment may be applied to any shoe soles, including those with very thin undersoles. Secondly, the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 is not limited to be applied to half foot sole, but also may be applied to post forming of the whole shoe undersole 1. Thirdly, the present embodiment may contain a plurality of upper breathable holes 221 and lower breathable holes 231, and it is only necessary to make sure that one of the lower breathable grooves 231 communicates with one of the through holes 12. Finally, shapes of the breathable grooves of the upper and lower bearing plates are not limited to regular shapes like circle, square, rectangle, ring, etc, but may also be irregular shapes which facilitate breathing in most cases.
Embodiment 2
Embodiment 2 is a modification made on the basis of Embodiment 1. Referring to FIG. 5, instead of taking the shoe sole itself as a bearing surface for waterproofing, the embodiment is provide with a waterproof and breathable film sandwiched between an upper waterproof bearing plate and a lower waterproof bearing plate. Therefore, the groove 11 of the shoe undersole 1 may be formed in any forms, e.g. with a rough surface, an inclined surface, etc.
Embodiment 3
Embodiment 3 is a modification made on the basis of either embodiment 1 or embodiment 2. Regarding the overall outer edge design of the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2, as shown in FIG. 6, improved waterproofing may be provided along the outer edges of the shoe undersole, also the waterproof strengthening layer 5 may further strengthen the waterproofing. The overall outer edge design of the waterproof and breathable film assembly 2 may cover either of the upper waterproof bearing plate or the lower waterproof bearing plate, or both of them.
Embodiment 4
Embodiment 4 is a modification made on the basis of any one of embodiment 1 to 3. Referring to FIG. 7, both the upper and lower waterproof bearing plates comprise corresponding breathable grooves with same or corresponding shapes. The outer edge of the lower breathable groove could be slightly larger or smaller than the outer edge of the upper breathable groove. That is, outer edges of the upper and lower waterproof bearing plates may be designed to be different.
Embodiments 5 and 6
Embodiments 5 and 6 are modifications made on the basis of any one of embodiment 1 to 4. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 respectively, in embodiment 5, a buffer fabric 3 mainly used for sand prevention is arranged between the lower waterproof bearing plate 23 and bottom of the groove 11, and in embodiment 6, a net structure 4 is arranged between the lower waterproof bearing plate 23 and bottom of the groove 11.
All the above are the preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are not used to limit the present invention. For a skilled person in this field, the present invention may contain all kinds of modifications or changes. The invention is intended to cover various modifications, equivalent arrangements and improvements included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A waterproof and breathable shoe sole, characterized by comprising a shoe undersole (1) and a waterproof and breathable film assembly (2); wherein at least one through hole (12) is formed on an upper surface of the shoe undersole (1), passing through the shoe undersole (1) to reach to a bottom surface of the shoe undersole (1); wherein the waterproof and breathable film assembly (2) comprises a waterproof and breathable film (21), and an upper waterproof bearing plate (22) and a lower waterproof bearing plate (23) attached to an upper side and a lower side of the waterproof and breathable film (21); wherein the waterproof and breathable film assembly (2) is mounted on the upper surface of the shoe undersole (1), and the lower waterproof bearing plate (23) is positioned above the at least one through hole (12); wherein an upper breathable groove (221) and a lower breathable groove (231) are respectively formed at corresponding positions on the upper waterproof bearing plate (22) and the lower waterproof bearing plate (23), and the lower breathable groove (231) corresponds to at least one through hole (12).

2. The waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 1, characterized in that: a groove (11) is formed on the upper surface of the said shoe undersole (1), the at least one through hole (12) is formed on a bottom surface of the groove (11), the waterproof and breathable film assembly (2) is installed inside the groove (11), and the lower waterproof bearing plate (23) is positioned at the bottom of the groove (11).

3. The waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 1, characterized in that: a buffer fabric (3), or a net structure (4) for sand prevention, is arranged between the lower waterproof bearing plate (23) and bottom of the groove (11).

4. The waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 1, characterized in that: a waterproof strengthening layer (5) is arranged in a gap between an upper surface of the upper waterproof bearing plate (22) and the upper surface of the undersole (1).

5. A shoe comprising a shoe upper and a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper and the shoe sole are fixed with each other, characterized in that: the shoe sole is the waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 1.

6. The waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 2, characterized in that: a buffer fabric (3), or a net structure (4) for sand prevention, is arranged between the lower waterproof bearing plate (23) and bottom of the groove (11).

7. The waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 2, characterized in that: a waterproof strengthening layer (5) is arranged in a gap between an upper surface of the upper waterproof bearing plate (22) and the upper surface of the undersole (1).

8. A shoe comprising a shoe upper and a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper and the shoe sole are fixed with each other, characterized in that: the shoe sole is the waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 2.

9. A shoe comprising a shoe upper and a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper and the shoe sole are fixed with each other, characterized in that: the shoe sole is the waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 3.

10. A shoe comprising a shoe upper and a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper and the shoe sole are fixed with each other, characterized in that: the shoe sole is the waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 4.

11. A shoe comprising a shoe upper and a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper and the shoe sole are fixed with each other, characterized in that: the shoe sole is the waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 6.

12. A shoe comprising a shoe upper and a shoe sole, wherein the shoe upper and the shoe sole are fixed with each other, characterized in that: the shoe sole is the waterproof and breathable shoe sole according to claim 7.