Abstract:
A method of manufacturing an article that includes providing an element formed of an elastomeric material or composite; placing the surface of the element in contact with a substrate; and affixing the element to the substrate. The element includes an uncured, partially cured, or fully cured UV radiation curable elastomeric material and optionally one or more regions of an adhesive material. The element is affixed to the substrate while the surface of the element is in contact with a surface of the substrate by increasing a temperature of at least a portion of the element, applying pressure to at least a portion of the element, or exposing the uncured or partially cured UV radiation curable material to UV radiation in an amount and for a duration of time that is sufficient to partially cure the uncured material or to fully cure the partially cured material.
Abstract:
A rubber footwear product and method of making such products is provided. The rubber footwear product includes a molded rubber midsole having an integrally formed raised rubber welt portion around its periphery. By molding in a compression mold, injection mold, or the like, the midsole and welt may be formed in a variety of designs and will be accurately formed in the desired size and shape. The molded midsole is made of substantially cured rubber, and is secured to an uncured rubber upper by applying an uncured rubber coating onto the midsole and then vulcanizing to form a unitary rubber footwear subassembly. To this subassembly may separately be secured a variety of compositionally different outsoles made of various materials, and having various colors, designs, and specific utilities. The outsole may be attached to the subassembly by vulcanization, by conventional shoemaking cementing processes using adhesive compositions, or by injection molding directly onto the molded midsole.
Abstract:
This invention is directed to a mold for injection molding a sole onto an upper made of textile, vinyl, suede, leather, or any other suitable materials in which the lower periphery of the sole slopes downwardly and inwardly and forms a downwardly extending continuation of the peripheral face of the bumper. The mold is capable of using a single sole plate to produce a shoe in which the bumper and integral first sole part is formed of one color, a second sole part is formed of another color and the periphery of the second sole part is visible from the sides and ends of the shoe beneath the bumper. The upper surface of the sole plate of the mold includes an upstanding peripheral fin. The sole plate is capable of producing a skid-resistant surface on the bottom of the second sole part.
Abstract:
An article of footwear having a two-color rubber sole construction which includes a unitary midsole-foxing component having upper and lower lip-shaped foxing section surrounding and engaging, respectively, the lower periphery of the upper and the outer peripheral edge of an outsole component which is vulcanized to the midsole-foxing component at all points of contact therebetween, is disclosed. The rubber used for the midsolefoxing component has a higher modulus than the rubber used for the outsole component. The sole is formed in a mold cavity defined between the bottom of a last carrying a lasted upper and the top surface of a movable sole plate which has, at its end region closest to the last, a downwardly and outwardly slanted peripheral recessed side surface terminating in a peripheral transverse shoulder. The inner surface of the lower lip-shaped section of the foxing, when the same is formed upon injection of the higher modulus rubber into the mold cavity, thus has a corresponding slant, and the lower modulus rubber, when the same is injected into the cavity, is forced against the so-slanted inner surface of the lower lip-shaped foxing section. The outsole thus is formed without any intermixing of the two rubbers and with a slanted peripheral edge along which it is vulcanized to the inner surface of the lower lip-shaped foxing section. Upon subsequent trimming, the sole has a sharply defined junction line between the two rubbers at the interface of the sole components. This abstract is not to be taken either as a complete exposition or as a limitation of the present invention, however, the full nature and extent of the invention being discernible only by reference to and from the entire disclosure.
Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a shoe body having a mottled outsole has steps of preparing first plastic pellets, preparing an upper member intermediate, preparing second plastic pellets of multiple colors, foam molding and shaping. A shoe body formed from the method has an upper member and an outsole. The upper member has multiple foam elements connected integrally to each other. The outsole is connected to the upper member and has multiple foam elements having multiple colors and connected integrally to each other.
Abstract:
A method of manufacture of footwear and the footwear comprising the steps of providing a last with an upper thereon, providing a mold insert on the bottom of the last, providing a mold having a mold cavity for a tread sole, disposing the last and upper against the mold with the mold insert disposed within the mold cavity, forming a sole in the mold cavity having a depression therein in the shape of the mold insert, providing an insole with a first portion in the shape of the depression and a second portion substantially in the shape of the sole and securing the first portion of the insole in the depression. The tread sole and insole are formed of materials preferably having different physical properties. The tread sole can include one of tongues and grooves and the insole would then have the other of tongues and grooves, said tongues and grooves mating with each other. The step of providing an insole can include removing the mold insert from the mold cavity, disposing the last spaced from the tread sole and then forming the insole in the cavity formed by the removal of the weight relief and the spacing of the last from the tread sole.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a rubber footwear vulcanizate to which there may be separately affixed an outsole. The vulcanizate may be suitably manufactured from an assembly of an uncured rubber upper, insole, welt and a vulcanized midsole base article. The inner and outer surfaces of the midsole base article may be suitably roughened and the surface interfacing the uncured assemblage precoated with an uncured rubber. The assembled uncured rubber footwear components may be vulcanized into a vulcanizate footwear product of a unitary construction. The outer surface midsole surface permits a wide variety of compositionally differing outer soles to be separately secured thereto.
Abstract:
A method of injection molding a multilayer sole of elastomers onto an upper of a shoe by means of a multi-part mold which includes a last carrying the upper of the shoe. Side cheeks are movable relative to each other and a sole plate is displaceable relative to the last. The sole plate provided with a sprue channel, extending in the longitudinal direction of the sole plate, and further provided with a plurality of junction channels distributed along the length of the sprue channel and terminating in a hollow space of the mold. The method comprises the steps of injecting elastomer material for a first sole layer into the hollow space of the mold upon enlarging the hollow space by displacement of the sole plate, without filling up completely the hollow space. The elastomers are distributed over the length of the sole plate in dependence upon the number of the junction channels chosen. The cross-sections of the junction channels and the injection speed relative to each other, are adjusted such, that the distribution takes place in quantities of said elastomer material required for the formation of the toe end, the heel end and the center part of that sole layer, respectively. The elastomer material is pressed onto the upper of the shoe by slow displacement of the sole plate towards the last. A sole layer is formed by slow build-up of pressure in the hollow space of the mold, and by injecting thereafter again elastomer material into the enlarged hollow space of said mold, a second sole layer is formed by renewed slow displacement of the sole plate towards the last.
Abstract:
An article of footwear having a two-color rubber sole construction, and a method and apparatus for manufacturing the article. The sole construction includes a midsole-foxing component having foxing surrounding and engaging an outsole component which is vulcanized to the midsole-foxing component. The rubber used for the midsole-foxing component has a higher modulus than the rubber used for the outsole component. The higher modulus rubber is injected into a mold cavity having a column considerably greater than the volume of the injected rubber and a movable soleplate spreads the injection rubber against the underside of a lasted upper. The soleplate has a peripheral shoulder which determines the lower end and inner surface of the foxing. The lower modulus rubber is also injected into a mold cavity of considerably greater volume. The soleplate is again advanced toward the lasted upper to spread the outsole rubber against the midsole rubber to be vulcanized thereto.
Abstract:
A shoe body has an upper member and an outsole. The upper member comprises multiple foam elements connected integrally to each other. The outsole is connected to the upper member and comprises multiple irregular foam elements having multiple colors and connected integrally to each other meaning the shoe body will not lose aesthetic value with usage.