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EP-3970548-B1 - CUSHIONING ELEMENT FOR SPORTS APPAREL

EP3970548B1EP 3970548 B1EP3970548 B1EP 3970548B1EP-3970548-B1

Inventors

  • WARDLAW, ANGUS
  • Le, Huu Minh Tru
  • Holmes, Christopher Edward
  • Reinhardt, Stuart David

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20140128

Claims (13)

  1. Cushioning element (100; 300; 400; 505; 600; 700; 800; 905) for sports apparel, comprising: a. a first deformation element (110; 310; 410; 510; 610; 710; 810; 910) comprising a plurality of randomly arranged particles (120; 200; 320; 820; 920) of an expanded material; b. wherein there are first voids (130; 230; 330; 830; 930) between the particles (120; 200; 320; 820; 920), and c. wherein the first deformation element (110; 310; 410; 510; 610; 710; 810; 910) is manufactured by intermixing the particles (120; 200; 320; 820; 920) of the expanded material with a further material which remains at least partially within the first voids of the first deformation element (110; 310; 410; 510; 610; 710; 810; 910), characterised in that d. a solidified liquid (330) resides in the first voids (330) of the first deformation element (310).
  2. Cushioning element (100; 300; 400; 505; 600; 700; 800; 905) according to claim 1, wherein the particles (120; 200; 320; 820; 920) of the expanded material comprise one or more of the following cross-sectional profiles: ring-shaped, oval, square, polygonal, round, rectangular, star-shaped.
  3. Cushioning element (100; 300; 400; 505; 600; 700; 800; 905) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first deformation element (110; 310; 410; 510; 610; 710; 810; 910) is manufactured by inserting the particles (120; 200; 320; 820; 920) of the expanded material into a mold and, after the inserting into the mold, subjecting the particles of the expanded material to a heating- and / or a pressurization- and / or a steaming process.
  4. Cushioning element (100; 300; 400; 505; 600; 700; 800; 905) according to claim 3, wherein, before inserting into the mold, the particles (120; 200; 320; 820; 920) comprise a density of 10 - 150 g/l, preferably 10 - 100 g/l and particularly preferably 10 - 50 g/l.
  5. Cushioning element (100; 400; 505; 600; 700; 800; 905) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first voids (130; 230; 830; 930) form one or more cavities in which air is trapped.
  6. Cushioning element (100; 400; 505; 600; 700; 800; 905) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first voids (130; 230; 830; 930) form one or more channels through the first deformation element (110; 410; 510; 610; 710; 810; 910) that are permeable to air and / or liquids.
  7. Cushioning element (400; 505; 905) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a reinforcing element (420; 430; 520; 950), in particular a textile reinforcing element (420) and / or a foil-like reinforcing element (430) and / or a fiber-like reinforcing element (420).
  8. Cushioning element (400) according to claim 7, wherein the reinforcing element is provided as a foil (430) comprising thermoplastic urethane.
  9. Cushioning element (400; 505) according to claim 6 or 8 in combination with claim 7, wherein the reinforcing element (420; 430; 520) comprises at least one opening (530) which is arranged in such a way that air and / or a liquid passing through the one or more channels in the first deformation element (410; 510) can pass in at least one direction through the at least one opening (530) in the reinforcing element.
  10. Cushioning element (600; 700) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first deformation element (610; 710) takes up a first partial region of the cushioning element (600; 700) and wherein the cushioning element further comprises a second deformation element (620; 720).
  11. Cushioning element (600; 700) according to claim 10, wherein the second deformation element (620; 720) comprises a plurality of randomly arranged particles of an expanded material, wherein there are second voids within the particles and / or between the particles of the second deformation element (620; 720), and wherein the second voids are smaller on average than the first voids of the first deformation element (610; 710).
  12. Cushioning element (505; 905) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cushioning element (505; 905) is provided as at least a part of a sole of a shoe (500; 900), in particular as at least a part of a midsole or as at least a part of an insole.
  13. Shoe (500; 900) comprising at least one cushioning element (505; 905) according to claim 12.

Description

1. Technical Field The present invention concerns cushioning elements for sports apparel, in particular a sole for a sports shoe. 2. Prior Art Cushioning elements play a great role in the field of sports apparel and are used for clothing for the most varied types of sports. Exemplarily, winter sports clothing, running wear, outdoor clothing, football wear, golf clothing, martial arts apparel or the like may be named here. Generally, cushioning elements serve to protect the wearer from shocks or blows, and for padding, for example, in case the wearer falls down. For this, the cushioning elements comprise typically one or more deformation elements which deform under an external effect of pressure or a shock impact and thereby absorb the impact energy. A particularly important role is to be attributed to the cushioning elements in the construction of shoes, especially sports shoes. By means of cushioning elements in the form of soles, shoes are provided with a large number of different properties which can vary considerably, according to the specific type of the shoe. Primarily, shoe soles have a protective function. By their stiffness, which is higher than that of the shoe shaft, they protect the foot of the respective wearer against injuries caused, e.g., by pointed or sharp objects which the wearer of the shoe may step on. Furthermore, the shoe sole, due to its increased abrasion resistance, usually protects the shoe against an excessive wear. In addition, shoe soles may improve the contact of the shoe on the respective ground and thereby enable faster movements. A further function of a shoe sole may consist in providing certain stability. Moreover, a shoe sole may have a cushioning effect in order to, e.g., cushion the effects produced by the contact of the shoe with the ground. Finally, a shoe sole may protect the foot from dirt or spray water and/or provide a large variety of other functionalities. In order to accommodate the large number of functionalities, different materials are known from the prior art which can be used for manufacturing cushioning elements for sports apparel. Exemplarily, reference is made here to cushioning elements made of ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), rubber, polypropylene (PP) or polystyrene (PS), in the form of shoe soles. Each of these different materials provides a particular combination of different properties which are more or less well suited for soles of specific shoe types, depending on the specific requirements of the respective shoe type. For instance, TPU is very abrasion-resistant and tear-resistant. Furthermore, EVA distinguishes itself by a high stability and relatively good cushioning properties. Furthermore, the use of expanded materials, in particular, of expanded thermoplastic urethane (eTPU) was taken into account for the manufacture of a shoe sole. Expanded thermoplastic urethane has a low weight and particularly good properties of elasticity and cushioning. Furthermore, according to WO 2005/066250, a sole of expanded thermoplastic urethane can be connected to a shoe shaft without additional adhesive agents. Moreover, US 2005/0150132 A1 discloses footwear (e.g., shoes, sandals, boots, etc.) that is constructed with small beads stuffed into the footbed, so that the beads can shift about due to pressure on the footbed by the user's foot during normal use. WO 2007/082838 A1 discloses foams based on thermoplastic polyurethanes. US 2011/0047720 A1 discloses a method of manufacturing a sole assembly for an article of footwear. WO 2006/015440 A1 discloses a method of forming a composite material. WO 89/06501 discloses a resilient or padded insert for footwear. The insert is composed of individual beads of a thermoplastically deformable resilient foam material. The beads have a closed surface essentially impermeable to air and are fixed in their mutual positions under the influence of heat during sintering. DE 36 05 662 C1 relates to a method for the manufacture of a malleable, elastic damping- or cushioning body. DE 10 2011 108 744 A1 relates to a method for the manufacture of a sole or part of a sole of a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, comprising the following steps: a) producing plastic bodies with dimensions in the three directions of space between 2 mm and 15 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 9 mm, wherein the plastic bodies consist of a foamed thermoplastic elastomer on the basis of urethane (TPU, E-TPU, TPE-U) and/or on the basis of polyetherblockamide (PEBA), b) loading the plastic bodies into a molding tool comprising a cavity corresponding to the shape of the sole or part of the sole to be manufactured, and c) connecting the plastic bodies which abut each other in the molding tool, wherein a binder is introduced into the molding tool and/or heat is applied to the plastic bodies for the connecting. US 2010/222442 A1 relates to an expandable thermoplastic polyurethane comprising blowing agent, wherein the Shore hardness of