Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B1/00—Footwear characterised by the material
  • A43B1/0063—Footwear characterised by the material made at least partially of material that can be recycled
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B1/00—Footwear characterised by the material
  • A43B1/02—Footwear characterised by the material made of fibres or fabrics made therefrom
  • A43B1/028—Synthetic or artificial fibres
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
  • A43B23/02—Uppers; Boot legs
  • A43B23/0205—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the material
  • A43B23/024—Different layers of the same material
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
  • A43B23/08—Heel stiffeners; Toe stiffeners
  • A43B23/088—Heel stiffeners

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to an upper that covers a foot of a wearer, a shoe, and a reuse method.
• a shoe includes an upper that covers a foot of a wearer, and a sole that supports the sole of the foot of the wearer (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
• the upper is made from a combination of a plurality of materials.
• Patent Literature 1 JP 2020-525088 A
• the present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to obtain an upper having improved recyclability while maintaining functionality.
• an upper comprising: a base member covering a foot of a wearer and disposed with a foot insertion opening into which the foot of the wearer is inserted; a cushioning portion joined to a joint region, the joint region being an inner surface of the base member and covering at least the foot of the wearer from a rear side, when a toe side of the foot of the wearer is defined as a fore side and a heel side is defined as the rear side; and a sewing thread to sew and join the cushioning portion to the joint region, wherein the cushioning portion includes a bag-shaped portion having an internal cavity and a cushioning member inserted into the cavity, and the base member, the sewing thread, the bag-shaped portion, and the cushioning member are all made from a same type material.
• FIG. 1 is a side view of a shoe according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.
• a shoe 1 for a left foot is illustrated. Since the shoe 1 has a left-right symmetrical structure for a left foot and a right foot, only the shoe 1 for a left foot is described in the present embodiment, and the description of the shoe 1 for a right foot is omitted.
• the toe side of a foot of a wearer of the shoe 1 is defined as a fore side
• the heel side is defined as a rear side.
• a direction orthogonal to the fore-rear direction in a plan view of the shoe 1 is referred to as a foot width direction.
• a vertical direction means a direction orthogonal to both the fore-rear direction and the foot width direction unless otherwise specified.
• the shoe 1 includes a sole 2 and an upper 3.
• the sole 2 is positioned below the upper 3.
• the sole 2 covers the sole of the foot of the wearer.
• the sole 2 is made from a material having a cushioning property in order to absorb an impact applied to the foot during walking and running.
• the upper 3 includes a base member 4 that covers the upper surface of the sole 2, with a space for the foot of the wearer between the base member 4 and the sole 2.
• the base member 4 is fixed to the sole 2 by stitching, welding, or bonding, or a combination thereof.
• the base member 4 is disposed with a foot insertion opening 4a.
• the foot insertion opening 4a is an opening for inserting the foot of the wearer into the base member 4.
• a notch 4b extending to the fore side is disposed at an edge on the fore side of the foot insertion opening 4a. By disposing the notch 4b, the foot insertion opening 4a can be widened. Since the foot insertion opening 4a can be widened, the wearer can put on the shoe 1 while widening the foot insertion opening 4a, making it easier to insert the foot into the base member 4, thereby improving the ease of putting on the shoe 1.
• a shoe tongue 5 is disposed so as to close the notch 4b. By disposing the shoe tongue 5, the foot of the wearer can be prevented from being exposed from the notch 4b.
• a plurality of holes 4c is disposed at an edge of the notch 4b.
• a shoelace 6 is passed through the holes 4c. By pulling the shoelace 6, the width of the notch 4b can be narrowed to improve the fit of the shoe 1.
• FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a foot insertion opening part of the shoe according to the first embodiment.
• the upper 3 includes a cushioning portion 8 joined to a joint region 7 that is the inner surface of the base member 4 and covers at least the foot of the wearer from the rear side.
• FIG. 3 is a developed view of the cushioning portion 8 in the first embodiment.
• FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3 .
• FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 3 .
• the cushioning portion 8 is formed by bonding a first fabric member 11 and a second fabric member 12.
• the first fabric member 11 and the second fabric member 12 are bonded together using, for example, a bonding agent.
• the cushioning portion 8 is disposed with a bag-shaped portion 9. In the bag-shaped portion 9, the first fabric member 11 and the second fabric member 12 are not bonded so as to have an internal cavity.
• a cushioning member 10 is inserted into the bag-shaped portion 9.
• the cushioning member 10 is formed by, for example, injecting a yarn into the bag-shaped portion 9.
• the bag-shaped portion 9 has a shape bulging toward the foot side of the wearer.
• the bag-shaped portion 9 is disposed at a position that comes into contact with slightly above the heel of the foot of the wearer. Since the cushioning member 10 is inserted inside the bag-shaped portion 9, the bag-shaped portion 9 has a cushioning property, thereby improving contact with the foot around the heel at which the cushioning portion 8 is disposed.
• the bag-shaped portion 9 is disposed with a first longitudinal groove 21 extending in the vertical direction.
• the first longitudinal groove 21 is recessed from other portions around the first longitudinal groove 21. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , the first longitudinal groove 21 is formed by bonding the first fabric member 11 and the second fabric member 12 that are parts of the bag-shaped portion 9 and face each other.
• the first longitudinal grooves 21 are disposed at two positions in a portion corresponding to the right side of the foot of the wearer and a portion corresponding to the left side. Note that the number of positions at which the first longitudinal grooves 21 are disposed is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more.
• a second longitudinal groove 22 extending upward from the lower end is disposed in the central portion of the bag-shaped portion 9 in the foot width direction.
• the second longitudinal groove 22 extends in the vertical direction similarly to the first longitudinal grooves 21.
• the second longitudinal groove 22 is formed by bonding the first fabric member 11 and the second fabric member 12 that are parts of the bag-shaped portion 9 and face each other.
• the cushioning member 10 is disposed above and below the first longitudinal grooves 21, but the structure of the second longitudinal groove 22 is different from that of the first longitudinal grooves 21 in that the cushioning member 10 is disposed only above the second longitudinal groove 22.
• the bag-shaped portion 9 is bent in a U shape. Therefore, wrinkles easily occur on the surface of the bag-shaped portion 9. The wrinkles cause unevenness in the bag-shaped portion 9, which makes it easier for the bag-shaped portion 9 to come into local contact with the foot of the wearer. When the bag-shaped portion 9 comes into local contact with the foot of the wearer, the wearer feels uncomfortable or a shoe sore occurs.
• the first longitudinal grooves 21 and the second longitudinal groove 22 are disposed in the bag-shaped portion 9 in the present first embodiment, wrinkles are less likely to occur even when the bag-shaped portion 9 is bent in a U shape. Therefore, in the shoe 1 according to the present first embodiment, the wearer is less likely to feel uncomfortable in the bag-shaped portion 9, and a shoe sore is also less likely to occur.
• the space inside the bag-shaped portion 9 is finely partitioned. This makes it difficult for the cushioning member 10 inserted inside the bag-shaped portion 9 to be unbalanced.
• the cushioning member 10 is a yarn
• the yarn moves easily inside the bag-shaped portion 9 and is likely to be unbalanced, but the first longitudinal grooves 21 and the second longitudinal groove 22 partition the space inside the bag-shaped portion 9, and the unbalance is less likely to occur.
• an upper end edge 8a of the cushioning portion 8 is positioned above the foot insertion opening 4a of the base member 4.
• the cushioning portion 8 is placed on the front side of the base member 4 and sewn.
• the cushioning portion 8 cannot be seen during sewing, and it is difficult to align the cushioning portion 8.
• the cushioning portion 8 can be sewn while the cushioning portion 8 is visible, and the cushioning portion 8 is easily aligned. This improves the workability of sewing the cushioning portion 8 to the base member 4.
• a belt-like portion 13 extending upward from the foot insertion opening 4a is disposed at an end portion on the rear side of the cushioning portion 8.
• the tip of the belt-like portion 13 is sewn and fixed to an end portion on the rear side of the base member 4. This allows a loop to be formed with the belt-like portion 13 at the end portion on the rear side of the shoe 1.
• the end portion on the rear side of the shoe 1 is easily pulled up by hooking the finger on the loop to easily put on the shoe 1.
• the loop is formed with a part of the cushioning portion 8, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with a case in which a separate member for forming the loop is disposed.
• each element constituting the upper 3 is made from a same type material. More specifically, the base member 4, the cushioning portion 8, the yarn inserted as the cushioning member 10, and the sewing thread for sewing the cushioning portion 8 are all made from the same type material.
• the same type material is a generic term for polymeric materials that contain a plurality of the same chemical bonds or functional groups in the molecular structure.
• Examples of the same type material include polyester-based materials containing ester bonds, polyurethane-based materials containing urethane bonds, and polyamide-based materials containing amide bonds.
• polyester-based materials are preferable as the material for the upper 3. Polyester-based materials have excellent strength and can make the upper 3 durable.
• polyester-based materials include polyethylene resin, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and polyester elastomer, such as thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE).
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• PBT polybutylene terephthalate
• PTT polytrimethylene terephthalate
• polyester elastomer such as thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE).
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• PBT polybutylene terephthalate
• PET polytrimethylene terephthalate
• polyester elastomer such as thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE).
• TPEE thermoplastic polyester elastomer
• Polyethylene resin has excellent strength and can make the upper 3 durable.
• Polyester elastomer has excellent stretchability and can make the upper 3 flexible.
• the upper 3 may be made from a single polyethylene resin or polyester elastomer, or may be made from a combination of a plurality of polyethylene resins and polyester elastomers. When a single polyethylene resin or polyester elastomer is used, the upper 3 can be made to have excellent recyclability. On the other hand, when a plurality of polyethylene resins and polyester elastomers are combined, it is easy to control the balance of characteristics required for the upper 3, such as durability and flexibility.
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• the upper 3 can be made to have excellent recyclability.
• each element constituting the upper 3 is made from the same type material described above, the recyclability of the upper 3 is improved. Furthermore, since the bag-shaped portion 9 having the cushioning property is also made from the same type material, it is possible to have a function of improving the contact of the shoe 1 with the foot of the wearer while improving the recyclability. Conventionally, the cushioning portion has been made from a sponge material or the like having a cushioning property, but the sponge material or the like is made from a material different from the same type material from which the base member 4 is made, and the recyclability has not been high. In the present first embodiment, since a yarn is used for the cushioning member 10, the cushioning member 10 can be made from the same type material, and the recyclability is improved.
• the yarn can be injected into the bag-shaped portion 9 after the first fabric member 11 and the second fabric member 12 are bonded to each other to form the bag-shaped portion 9, and the workability when the first fabric member 11 and the second fabric member 12 are bonded to each other is improved.
• the injection amount can be adjusted to adjust the cushioning property.
• a cushioning-portion-side reinforcing portion 14 is disposed in a reinforcing region 15 of the cushioning portion 8, which is positioned below the bag-shaped portion 9.
• the cushioning-portion-side reinforcing portion 14 is made from the same type material used for the upper 3, which has a melting point lower than that of the same type material used for the base member 4 and the cushioning portion 8 (hereinafter, referred to as a low-melting-point material).
• a yarn made from the low-melting-point material is woven into the reinforcing region 15, and the cushioning portion 8 is heated at a temperature higher than the melting point of the low-melting-point material and lower than the melting point of the same type material used for the base member 4 and the cushioning portion 8.
• the cushioning portion 8 is heated at a temperature higher than the melting point of the low-melting-point material and lower than the melting point of the same type material used for the base member 4 and the cushioning portion 8.
• the cushioning-portion-side reinforcing portion 14 is made to have a higher hardness than the other portions and surrounds the heel, and the heel can be prevented from moving inside the shoe 1, thereby improving the fit of the heel portion.
• a part made from resin is disposed in order to improve the fit of the heel portion, but the part made from resin is different from the material of the base member, and the recyclability is reduced.
• the cushioning-portion-side reinforcing portion 14 that improves the fit of the heel portion is made from the same type material as that of the other portions in the present first embodiment, it is possible to improve recyclability and have the function of improving the fit.
• the reinforcing portion using the low-melting-point material may also be disposed in the base member 4.
• a base-member-side reinforcing portion 17 may be formed by weaving a yarn made from the low-melting-point material also in a reinforcing region 16 of the base member 4 and melting and solidifying only the low-melting-point material.
• FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rear end portion of the shoe 1 according to the first embodiment.
• the cushioning portion 8 is illustrated and hatched as one member without distinguishing the first fabric member 11 and the cushioning member 10.
• the upper 3 further includes an intermediate layer 18 disposed between the base member 4 and the cushioning portion 8.
• the reinforcing portion may be disposed in the intermediate layer 18 disposed between the base member 4 and the cushioning portion 8.
• the intermediate layer 18 is a fabric member made from the same type material used for the base member 4 and the cushioning portion 8.
• An intermediate-layer reinforcing portion 19 is formed by weaving the low-melting-point material into the intermediate layer 18 and melting and solidifying the low-melting-point material.
• intermediate layer 18 may be bonded or sewn to the cushioning portion 8.
• the intermediate layer 18 may be bonded to or sewn to the base member 4.
• the reinforcing portion having high strength is disposed in the intermediate layer 18, and the cushioning portion 8, which comes into contact with the foot, can be made flexible without a reinforcing portion to improve contact with the foot.
• the reinforcing portion having high strength is in the intermediate layer 18, the fit of the heel portion is improved.
• a reinforcing portion using the low-melting-point material may be disposed in the intermediate layer 18, but also in at least one of the cushioning portion 8 and the base member 4.
• FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a modification of the cushioning portion in the first embodiment.
• lateral grooves 23 extending in the left-right direction are disposed in the bag-shaped portion 9 instead of the first longitudinal grooves 21.
• the unevenness formed in the bag-shaped portion 9 by disposing the lateral grooves 23 extending in the left-right direction can catch the foot of the wearer and prevent the heel from moving up and down inside the shoe 1. This prevents the heel from floating inside the shoe 1 and the shoe 1 from coming off.
• the sole 2 may be made from the same type material.
• the entire shoe 1 including the upper 3 and the sole 2 can be recycled directly, thereby improving the recyclability.
• the sole 2 When the sole 2 is made from a different material from the same type material, it is necessary to separate the upper 3 from the sole 2 to recycle the upper 3. At this time, it is preferable that the upper 3 and the sole 2 are joined using a bonding agent containing a thermal expansion type foaming agent.
• the shoe 1 When the upper 3 and the sole 2 are joined using the bonding agent containing the thermal expansion type foaming agent, the shoe 1 is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the decomposition temperature of the thermal expansion type foaming agent to break the layer of the bonding agent containing the thermal expansion type foaming agent, and the upper 3 and the sole 2 can be easily separated.
• FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a reuse procedure when the shoe 1 according to the first embodiment is formed by joining the upper and the sole using the bonding agent containing the thermal expansion type foaming agent.
• the shoe 1 is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the decomposition temperature of the thermal expansion type foaming agent (step S1). For example, the shoe 1 is heated using an oven.
• the shoe 1 is separated into the upper 3 and the sole 2 (step S2).
• the upper 3 in which each constituent element is made from the same type material is recycled (step S3). In this manner, when the upper 3 and the sole 2 are joined using the bonding agent containing the thermal expansion type foaming agent, the upper 3 can be easily separated and recycled, thereby improving the recyclability.
• An upper according to a first aspect includes, a base member covering a foot of a wearer and disposed with a foot insertion opening into which the foot of the wearer is inserted, a cushioning portion joined to a joint region, the joint region being an inner surface of the base member and covering at least the foot of the wearer from a rear side, when a toe side of the foot of the wearer is defined as a fore side and a heel side is defined as the rear side, and a sewing thread to sew and join the cushioning portion to the joint region, in which the cushioning portion includes a bag-shaped portion having an internal cavity and a cushioning member inserted into the cavity, and the base member, the sewing thread, the bag-shaped portion, and the cushioning member are all made from a same type material.
• the same type material is a polyester-based material in the upper according to the first aspect.
• the same type material is a single material of polyethylene terephthalate only in the upper according to the second aspect.
• the cushioning member is a yarn-like member formed in a yarn-like shape in the upper according to any one of the first to third aspects.
• the bag-shaped portion is disposed with a longitudinal groove extending in a vertical direction formed by joining parts of surfaces facing each other in the cavity in the upper according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.
• the bag-shaped portion is disposed with a lateral groove extending in a lateral direction formed by joining parts of surfaces facing each other in the cavity in the upper according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.
• an upper end edge of the cushioning portion is positioned above the foot insertion opening in the upper according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.
• a belt-like portion extending upward from the foot insertion opening is disposed at an end portion on a rear side of the cushioning portion in the upper according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, and a tip of the belt-like portion is fixed to an end portion on a rear side of the base member.
• the upper according to any one of the first to eighth aspects further includes a reinforcing portion made from the same type material is further included at an end portion on a rear side of the upper.
• the reinforcing portion contains the same type material with a lower melting point than a melting point of the same type material used for the base member in the upper according to the ninth aspect.
• the reinforcing portion includes a base-member-side reinforcing portion disposed in the base member and a cushioning-portion-side reinforcing portion disposed in the cushioning portion in the upper according to the ninth or tenth aspect.
• the reinforcing portion includes an intermediate-layer reinforcing portion disposed in an intermediate layer between the base member and the cushioning portion in the upper according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects.
• a shoe according to a first aspect includes the upper according to the first aspect, and a sole positioned below the upper, in which the sole is made from the same type material.
• a shoe according to a second aspect includes the upper according to the first aspect, and a sole positioned below the upper, in which the sole is made from a different material from the same type material.
• the upper and the sole are joined using a bonding agent in the shoe according to the second aspect, and the bonding agent contains a thermal expansion type foaming agent.
• a reuse method of an upper according to a first aspect includes heating a shoe including the upper and a sole positioned below the upper, separating the upper from the sole, and recycling the upper.
• the upper and the sole are joined using a bonding agent containing a thermal expansion type foaming agent in the reuse method of an upper according to the first aspect, and the shoe is heated to a decomposition temperature or higher of the thermal expansion type foaming agent in the heating the shoe.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

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Citations (1)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2023
  • 2023-03-31 EP EP23930664.0A patent/EP4670548A4/fr active Pending
  • 2023-03-31 WO PCT/JP2023/013621 patent/WO2024202030A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2023-03-31 CN CN202380096467.8A patent/CN121127157A/zh active Pending
  • 2023-03-31 JP JP2025509613A patent/JPWO2024202030A1/ja active Pending

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