CN114652047B

CN114652047B - Sole element

Info

Publication number: CN114652047B
Application number: CN202210417254.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 本杰明·亚历山大·汤姆森特; 詹姆斯·斯莱克; 大卫·阿特纳; 汤姆森·王; 朱纳斯·阿林·卡恩; 阿尔俊·山克
Original assignee: Adidas AG
Current assignee: Adidas AG
Priority date: 2019-09-03
Filing date: 2019-09-03
Publication date: 2024-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-03
Also published as: CN112438463B; CN112438463A; CN114652047A

Abstract

The invention relates to a sole element (10) for an article of non-slip footwear, in particular for a football shoe, comprising: (a) A composite element (11) having anisotropic bending properties; and (b) a polymeric element (12) at least partially covering the composite element (11).

Description

Sole element

The application is a divisional application of Chinese application patent application with the application date of 2019, 09 and 03, the application number of 201910826126.7 and the name of sole element.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to sole elements for footwear, footwear and methods of producing the same.

Background

The soles of articles of footwear, such as shoes, are extremely important to both the perceived comfort of wear by an athlete as well as to maximize performance. One aspect important to both comfort and performance is the stiffness of the sole. For example, an athlete may feel a more comfortable resilient sole while walking or running at a slow running speed. But harder soles are advantageous for preventing injuries and improving performance for athletes when running at high speeds. Often, developers are therefore faced with a tradeoff to provide soles that are comfortable, protect the foot of the wearer, and maximize performance.

US2017/0157893A1 discloses an anisotropic composite assembly comprising a first layer, which has a tensile modulus different from its compressive modulus and which exhibits a variable modulus behaviour. The first layer is elastically bendable under compression. The tensile modulus of the second layer is substantially the same as its compressive modulus. The first and second layers are bonded together and the assembly is flexible in a first direction and an outer surface of the first layer is in compression and the assembly has a first bending stiffness during bending in the first direction. The assembly is bendable in a second direction opposite the first direction and the outer surface of the first layer is in tension, and the assembly has a second bending stiffness during bending in the second direction that is greater than the first bending stiffness.

Such anisotropic composites are not suitable for providing a complete sole due to their weight and thickness. Unfortunately, such anisotropic composites tend to combine poorly with other materials.

WO2018/118430A1 discloses a sole plate for an article of footwear comprising a plate body having a first side, a second side, an outer periphery, at least one opening extending through the plate body from the first side to the second side, and an inner periphery defining the at least one opening. The plate is biased relative to the outer periphery to a first direction of the inner periphery. Such sole plates do not provide anisotropic bending properties.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages described in the prior art and to provide an improved sole for an article of footwear.

This object is achieved by the teaching of the independent claims, in particular a sole element for an article of non-slip footwear, in particular for a football shoe, comprising: (a) A composite element having anisotropic bending properties, and (b) a polymeric element at least partially covering the composite element. The anisotropic bending properties of the composite element thus impart to the sole element anisotropic bending properties for maximizing wear comfort and performance.

The polymeric element may comprise at least one opening on its earth facing side for exposing at least a portion of the composite element.

The polymer element may comprise at least one spike dome for carrying a spike tip, wherein the spike dome and/or the spike tip does not substantially overlap the composite element.

One embodiment of the invention relates to a sole element for an article of non-slip footwear, in particular for a football shoe, comprising: (a) a composite element; (b) A polymeric element at least partially covering the composite element, and wherein the polymeric element includes at least one opening to expose at least a portion of the composite element. The opening allows for engineered flex performance because the sole element will flex more easily at the opening than away from the opening. By the shape of the opening, e.g. oval or circular, the easy bending direction can be engineered as desired. Thus, the anisotropic bending properties may be engineered into the sole element such that the sole element includes anisotropic bending properties even when using a composite element that itself may not include anisotropic bending properties.

The polymer element may comprise at least one spike dome for carrying a spike, wherein the spike dome may not substantially overlap the composite element.

The composite element may include anisotropic bending properties.

Another embodiment relates to a sole element for an article of non-slip footwear, in particular for a football shoe, comprising: (a) a composite element; (b) A polymer element at least partially covering the composite element, wherein the polymer element comprises at least one spike dome for carrying a spike tip, and wherein the spike dome may not substantially overlap the composite element. The inventors have found that such a configuration reduces the overall weight of the article of footwear and simplifies its construction. The polymeric element may include at least one opening to expose at least a portion of the composite element.

Substantially no overlap would mean that there is substantially no overlap when the sole element is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sole plate, for example when viewed at right angles to the ground-facing surface of the sole element. In particular, "substantially" means that the overlap may be less than 20%, preferably 10% of the cross-sectional area when viewed at right angles to the ground-facing surface of the sole element.

In any embodiment, at least one opening in the polymer element may extend in a longitudinal direction of the sole element. The length along the longitudinal direction of the at least one opening may be greater than the width of the sole element along a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. In this way, the sole element may allow the right side of the sole element to laterally bend about the longitudinal axis of the sole element relative to the left side of the sole element to improve mobility of the player. The at least one opening may be located in a metatarsal region of the sole element.

All of the described embodiments relate to an improved way to provide optimal bending properties, such as bending stiffness, in a sole element.

The article of non-slip footwear is preferably a football shoe or football boot. Alternatively, the sole element according to the invention may be used for any other kind of shoe or boot, in particular for sports activities, such as running shoes, tennis shoes, hiking boots and the like.

The anisotropic bending property may be bending stiffness. Thus, the bending stiffness of the sole element in one direction may be lower than the bending stiffness in the other direction. The bending stiffness of the composite element in one direction may be lower than the bending stiffness in the other direction.

The composite element may thus allow for optimally adjusting the bending properties of the sole element to match specific requirements with respect to specific requirements. The polymer element bonds well to the composite element, which allows the formation of a full sole element having a suitable thickness and low weight.

The bending direction of the sole plays an important role in the wearing comfort and performance of the shoe. The composite element, sole element, or both the composite element and sole element may have a first bending stiffness for bending upwardly in a toe region of the sole element, and a second bending stiffness for bending downwardly in a toe region of the sole element, wherein the second bending stiffness is lower than the first bending stiffness.

Thus, the composite element, sole element, or both the composite element and sole element may flex more easily in a downward direction than in an upward direction in the toe region of the sole element to enable the sole to perform optimally during running, but to prevent injury to the foot due to excessive upward flexing of the toe. Downward is in the direction toward the ground when the article of footwear is worn in its normal configuration. Upward is the direction toward the sky when the article of footwear is worn in its normal configuration. In other words, the sole element more readily allows for foot extension than for foot dorsiflexion.

The inventors have found that limited dorsiflexion helps to reduce foot injury while easier extension allows for optimal performance, for example during running.

In the toe region of the sole element, the sole element may bend more easily in the downward direction than in the upward direction, but only up to a certain bending angle. The geometry of the ground-facing surface of the sole element may limit downward bending of the sole element. At some point, the cleats of the sole element may interact with each other and affect further flexing of the sole element. Also, in the upward direction, the sole element becomes stiffer when you reach a certain bending range, e.g. 40 to 45 ° bending upwards. It is also possible that the bending stiffness is the same for a certain bending range of bending upwards and downwards. Such a bending range may be 20 deg. up to 20 deg. down bending.

The composite element may be arranged only in the forefoot region of the sole element. The inventors have found that the stiffness provided by the composite element is most important in the forefoot region of the sole element. This configuration thus allows to provide a preferred degree of rigidity and still allows the total weight of the sole element to be low.

The length of the composite element may be varied for specific purposes. For example, it may be advantageous for the composite element to be used on hard floors (e.g. asphalt or polymer coated concrete or tarmac e.g. compared to non-slip footwear for soft floors such as grass) May be longer. By varying the length of the composite element, the overall stiffness of the sole element may be varied, which may affect the performance.

As described above, in some embodiments, the polymeric element may include at least one spike dome for carrying a spike tip. The stud may be any ground engaging element, such as for a football boot. The stud dome is preferably manufactured and provided integrally with the polymer element. In addition, spikes may be injected on top of the spike dome. Alternatively, the spike tip is inserted into a recess of a mold in a first step, and then the spike dome and polymer element are injected onto the spike tip. Alternatively, the spike tip may be threaded into threads provided in the spike dome. The spike tip may comprise a different material than the spike dome, preferably the spike tip comprises a TPU material having a high wear resistance.

The stud dome may not overlap the composite member, i.e. the stud dome may not be arranged under the composite member in the general direction of the article of footwear during use. Alternatively, the spike tip may not overlap the composite element, i.e. the spike tip may not be arranged below the composite element in the general direction of use of the article of footwear, while at least one of the spike domes is at least slightly overlapping with the composite element in at least one region, in particular in the outer periphery of the spike dome.

In order to provide a lightweight but strong sole element, a technique called "coring" is required to be applied to the rear of the stud to provide a hollowed out stud area. This allows providing a sole of uniform material thickness. If the stud dome were to substantially overlap the composite member, particularly beyond the periphery of the stud dome, it would be desirable to apply a coring technique to the composite member that would be difficult and expensive and would reduce the stiffness provided by the composite member.

The polymeric element may comprise polyamide. Polyamides such as polyamide 12 have excellent bonding properties.

The composite element may comprise carbon fibres. Carbon fiber composites are lightweight and still are additionally strong.

The composite element may be at least partially covered by the polymeric element on its ground-facing surface, for example 50-65% coverage over the surface area. Conversely, the top surface of the composite element may be substantially uncovered by the polymeric element 12.

Alternatively, the composite element may be substantially entirely encapsulated in the polymeric element. This arrangement allows optimizing the protection of the composite element against dirt and abrasion. Full encapsulation does not necessarily mean that 100% of the composite element surface is covered by the polymer element. For example up to 10%, preferably up to 20% of the surface of the composite element may be uncovered by the polymer element, for example to provide openings as described below.

The polymer element may comprise at least one opening to expose a portion of the composite element, for example on a bottom side (e.g. a ground facing side) of the composite element. The opening supports providing sufficient elasticity in the downward bending direction, i.e. a sufficiently low bending stiffness. Furthermore, such an opening is advantageous from a production point of view, as it allows the composite element to be fixed into a mould when the polymer element is injected onto the composite element, as will be discussed further below.

The top surface of the sole element may be substantially planar. For example, the top surface may be substantially smooth, i.e., substantially untextured. Such a top surface allows for easier bonding to additional components, such as components of an upper or other sole element.

The profile of the composite element may be substantially smooth. Substantially smooth means that the composite element may be substantially free of any sharp features. The sharp feature may be any feature having a width of less than 1mm, preferably less than 2mm, most preferably less than 5 mm. The composite element experiences significant stress and strain. A sharp profile will likely be the breaking point of the composite element. Thus, this configuration allows for a more resilient composite element.

The term "substantially" is understood herein to include normal production deviations known to those skilled in the art.

The sole element may further include an insole board connected to the polymer element. The insole board may provide additional rigidity to the sole element. The inner bottom plate bonds very well to the polymer element due to the excellent bonding properties of the polymer, such as polyamide.

The insole board may be arranged as a forefoot insole board. The forefoot insole board and the first forefoot region may partially or completely overlap. Thus, the bending stiffness of the sole element can be further adjusted.

The inner bottom panel may comprise polyether block amide or thermoplastic polyurethane. These materials have good bonding properties and durability.

The sole element and/or the composite element may include a non-linear bending stiffness. Thus, the torque required to flex the sole element and/or the composite element may increase in a non-linear manner as a function of the flex angle.

The bending stiffness of the sole element and/or the composite element may be less in the first bending range than in the second bending range. For example, bending stiffness at bending angles below 45 degrees (first bending range) will be lower than bending angles above 45 degrees (second bending range).

The rear portion of the composite element may be wider than the front portion of the composite element. The front portion of the composite element may be closer to the toe region and the rear portion of the composite element may be closer to the heel region.

The composite element may further comprise at least one slit. The at least one slit may contribute to a better and more suitable flex performance of the sole element. The slit is also advantageous from a production point of view, as it can act as an injection port. The slits may be arranged in another area, but are preferably not arranged in an area between the studs of the second front row and the third front row, to simplify production and to ensure adequate support and comfort for the wearer's foot. In other words, the slits may not be arranged in the metatarsal region of the sole element.

The slits may be arranged substantially in the longitudinal direction of the sole element. The slit in the composite element may extend in the longitudinal direction from a front end of the composite element to a rear end of the composite element. In this way, for example, the big toe may have a different curvature than the other toe heads. Thus, the bending stiffness of the sole element may be further adjusted to better match the needs of a particular athletic activity. The term "substantially" as used herein refers to requirements that are within predetermined tolerances as understood by those skilled in the art to meet the intended purpose. In different cases, it may be, for example, within a 5% tolerance, a 10% tolerance, etc.

The invention further relates to a shoe comprising a sole element as described herein. The shoe thus comprises a lightweight, durable sole element that provides optimal support and wear comfort.

The shoe may further comprise an upper, wherein a heel area of the upper may be connected to the sole element by stitching. The upper may be further lasted around the insole board in the forefoot region of the sole element. This configuration allows a low overall weight while maintaining a good level of stability of the vamp-to-sole element connection.

The invention further relates to a method of producing a sole element for an article of footwear, comprising: (a) Providing a composite element having anisotropic bending properties, and (b) secondarily injecting the polymer element onto the composite element to at least partially cover the composite element.

The method may further include forming at least one opening on a ground facing side of the polymeric element to expose a portion of the composite element.

The method may further include forming at least one spike dome on the polymeric element to carry a spike tip, wherein the spike dome may not overlap the composite element.

The invention also relates to a method of producing a sole element for an article of footwear, comprising: (a) providing a composite element; (b) Injecting a polymeric element secondarily onto the composite element to at least partially cover the composite element; and (c) forming at least one opening in the polymeric element on its ground-facing side to expose a portion of the composite element.

The method may further include forming at least one spike dome on the polymeric element for carrying a spike, wherein the spike dome does not substantially overlap the composite element.

The composite element may include anisotropic bending properties.

The invention also relates to a method of producing a sole element for an article of footwear, comprising: (a) providing a composite element; (b) Injecting a polymeric element secondarily onto the composite element to at least partially cover the composite element; and (c) forming at least one spike dome on the polymeric element to carry a spike tip, wherein the spike dome and/or spike tip does not substantially overlap the composite element.

The method may further comprise forming at least one opening in the polymeric element on its ground-facing side to expose a portion of the composite element.

The composite element may include anisotropic bending properties.

All of the described embodiments relate to an improved method of providing optimal bending stiffness in a sole element. Further details and technical effects and advantages are described in more detail above in relation to the sole element.

The secondary injection of the polymeric component onto the composite component may include any suitable technique known in the art, such as injection molding. The composite element may be secured into the mold at the same time as the liquid polymer element is injected into the mold.

In this way, a good level of bonding between the composite element and the polymer element can be achieved. In particular, small cracks and fissures in the composite component may be filled by the polymer component.

The composite element may have a first bending stiffness for bending upwards in a toe area of the sole element and a second bending stiffness for bending downwards in a toe area, wherein the second bending stiffness may be lower than the first bending stiffness, as described in the context of the above-mentioned product.

The method may further include forming at least one opening in the polymeric element to expose a portion of the composite element, as described above.

The method may further comprise arranging the composite element in a mould in such a way that the opening is formed during the secondary injection. For example, the composite element may be clamped at the clamping point during the secondary injection process with a clamping mechanism. This may be used to prevent unintentional movement of the composite element during the molding process and to provide a simple way to form an opening during the secondary injection. In particular, one or more openings described herein may be formed by placing the composite element at a placement point on a mold surface. During the secondary injection, the secondary injected material flows around the placement or clamping point, which results in an opening being formed at the placement or clamping point. In a preferred embodiment, elements raised on the inner surface of the first mould part press the composite element against the inner surface of the second mould part. Whereby the raised elements of the first mould element act as clamping elements.

The method may further comprise arranging the composite element only in the forefoot region of the sole element, as already described herein. Further details and technical effects are described in more detail above in relation to the sole elements.

The method may further comprise forming at least one spike dome on the polymeric element for carrying a spike tip, as described herein.

The stud dome may be arranged so as not to overlap the composite member, as described herein.

The polymeric component may comprise a polyamide, such as polyamide 12, as described herein.

The secondary injection may include substantially completely encapsulating the composite element in the polymeric element, as described herein.

The secondary injection may include forming a substantially planar top surface of the sole element, as described herein.

The method may further comprise forming a substantially smooth profile of the composite element, as described herein.

The method may further comprise connecting an inner bottom plate to the polymeric element, as described herein.

The method may further comprise disposing an insole board at the forefoot region, as described herein.

The inner bottom panel may comprise polyether block amide or thermoplastic polyurethane, as described herein.

The sole element and/or the composite element may include a non-linear bending stiffness. The bending stiffness of the sole element and/or the composite element may be less in the first bending range than in the second bending range. For example, a bending stiffness at a bending angle below 45 degrees (first bending range) will be less than a bending stiffness at a bending angle above 45 degrees (second bending range).

The rear portion of the composite element may be wider than the front portion of the composite element, as described herein.

The method may further comprise forming at least one slit in the composite element, as described herein.

The slits may be arranged substantially along the longitudinal direction of the sole element, as described herein.

The invention further relates to a method of producing a shoe, comprising producing a sole element by the method described herein.

The method of producing a shoe may further include providing an upper and attaching a heel region of the upper to the sole element by stitching. The toe area of the upper may be attached to the sole element by last machining the upper around the sole element, as described herein.

Drawings

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1: a bottom view of an exemplary sole element according to the present invention is shown;

fig. 2: a top view of an exemplary sole element according to the present invention is shown;

Fig. 3: an exemplary side view of an exemplary sole element according to the present invention is shown;

Fig. 4: two exemplary bottom views of an exemplary sole element according to the present invention are shown;

fig. 5: exemplary torque measurements of sole elements with and without composite elements are shown;

fig. 6: an exemplary torque measurement similar to that shown in fig. 5 is schematically shown to visualize the nonlinear bending stiffness of a sole element or composite element; and

Fig. 7: showing anisotropic bending properties of the sole element.

Detailed Description

Some embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments may be varied in many ways and be compatible as long as the exemplary embodiments may be combined with each other and certain features may be omitted as long as they appear to be present or absent.

Fig. 1 shows a bottom view of an exemplary sole element 10 according to the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a top view of an exemplary sole element 10. Fig. 3 shows a side view of an exemplary sole element 10.

Here, the ground-facing surface of the sole element 10 may be considered a bottom surface, and the opposite surface of the sole element 10 (which is used for connection to the upper) may be considered a top surface, which is shown in fig. 2.

Sole element 10 is for an article of footwear and includes: (a) A composite element 11 having anisotropic bending properties, and (b) a polymeric element 12 at least partially covering said composite element 11.

The bending stiffness of the composite element 11 with anisotropic bending properties is lower in one direction than in the other. In this example, the composite element 11 has a first bending stiffness for bending upwards in the toe area of the sole element, and a second bending stiffness for bending downwards in the toe area of the sole element 10, wherein the second bending stiffness is lower than the first bending stiffness. Thus, the composite element 11 bends more easily downwards than upwards in the toe region of the sole element 10. Therefore, the sole element 10 allows for foot extension more easily than for foot dorsiflexion.

The composite element 11 comprises carbon fibres and has a thickness of about 1.3mm.

The polymeric component 12 may comprise any thermoplastic material suitable for over-injection manufacture, such as polyamide 12. The polymer element 12 is injected twice to at least partially cover the composite element 11 on the bottom surface of the sole element 10, i.e. the ground-facing surface as shown in fig. 1.

The exemplary polymer element 12 includes two spike domes 53a for outboard two-shot spikes, three spike domes 53b for outboard two-shot spikes, two spike domes 54a for inboard two-shot spikes, three spike domes 54b for inboard two-shot spikes, and a center spike dome for carrying a center spike tip.

The combination of the spike dome and the spike tip is referred to as a spike. The two spike tips 51a are integrally connected with the two spike domes 53a of the spike for lateral reinjection, thereby forming a lateral reinjection spike 55a. The outside-tightenable spike tip is not shown, but is to be screwed to three spike domes 53b for the outside-tightenable spike to form the outside-tightenable spike 53b. The two medial re-injection spike points 52a are integrally connected with three spike domes 54a for the medial re-injection spike, thereby forming a medial re-injection spike 56a. The medial-tightenable spike tip is not shown, but is to be screwed to the three spike domes 54b for the medial-tightenable spike 56 b. The center spike tip 15b is integrally connected with the center spike dome 15a to form a center spike 16. In one embodiment, the spike tips 51a,52a,15b may be inserted into the recesses of the mold in a first step, and then the spike domes 53a,53b,54b,15a and the polymer element 12 are injected over the spike tips 51a,52a,15 b.

This arrangement is best shown in fig. 3. The stud dome is integrally manufactured with the other parts of the polymer element 12 and thus comprises the same polymer material as the polymer element 12, such as polyamide 12. The toe may be made of, for example, thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).

The composite element 11 is arranged only in the forefoot region 19 of the sole element 10. The forefoot region 19 is located in the front of the sole element 10, which is larger than and different from the forefoot region 19. The front portion of the sole element 10 may be closer to the toe region, as opposed to the rear portion of the sole element 10, which may be closer to the heel region.

The composite element 11 is arranged in such a way in front of said sole element 10: the composite element 11 does not substantially overlap any of the stud domes 53a,53b,54a,54b or 15a of the polymeric element 12. Therefore, the studs 55a,55b,56a,56b and 16 in the respective stud domes 53a,53b,54a,54b or 15a in the front part do not overlap with the composite element 11 either. As shown in fig. 1, in other words, the studs 55a,55b,56a,56b and 16 are not arranged on the composite element 11 when the sole element 10 is viewed from the ground-facing surface.

Alternatively, it is also possible that the composite element 11 is arranged in the front part of the sole element 10 in such a way that: the composite element 11 does not substantially overlap any of the spike tips 51a,52a,15b, but at least one spike dome 53a,53b,54a,54b or 15a of the polymer element 12 slightly overlaps the composite element 11 at its periphery.

The slits 13 are arranged substantially along the longitudinal direction of the sole element 10 and extend in the longitudinal direction from the front end of the composite element 11 to the rear end of the composite element 11. In this way, for example, the big toe may have a different curvature than the other toes.

As shown in fig. 1, the slit 13 is arranged in the toe area of said sole element 10 between the front two lateral stud domes 53b and the front two medial stud domes 54 b. It should be noted that the slit 13 extends to the location of the central spike 16 such that the central spike 16 does not substantially overlap with the composite element 11, as described above.

The slit 13 may be arranged in another area of the composite element 11. It is preferred that the slits are not disposed in the metatarsal region of the sole element to ensure adequate support and comfort for the wearer's foot. Alternatively, the composite element 11 may comprise more than 1 slit 13. For example two substantially parallel slits may be used. Of course, any other arrangement of more than 1 slit may be possible.

The slit 13 may furthermore act as an injection port during manufacturing.

In this example, the bottom surface of the composite element 11 (i.e., the ground-facing surface shown in FIG. 1) is covered by the polymer element 12 by approximately 50-65% of the surface area. In contrast, the top surface (shown in fig. 2) of the composite element 11 is substantially uncovered by the polymer element 12. The top surface of the composite element 11 is substantially smooth. In other embodiments, the composite element 11 may be fully encapsulated by the polymeric element 12 to any preferred percentage of surface area.

As shown in fig. 1, the polymer element 12 comprises two openings 14 to expose a portion of the composite element 11 on the bottom side of the polymer element 12. The bottom side is the ground facing side of the polymeric component 12. During production, the composite element 11 is fixed in the mould at the point of placement, while the polymer element 12 is injected onto the composite element 11, thus forming the opening 14. Alternatively, the polymeric element may include more or less than 2 openings 14.

On the top side of the sole element 10 shown in fig. 2, the composite element 11 is arranged substantially in the middle of the front part of the sole element 10 and is surrounded by the polymer element 12. The polymeric member 12 includes a first bonding edge at its periphery for connecting the upper to the sole member 10. The preferred width of the first joining edge at the periphery is 8 to 10mm to provide a strong bond of the sole element 10 to the upper.

The contour of the composite element 11 is substantially smooth. The composite element 11 is substantially free of any sharp features having a width of less than 2mm, wherein the width is measured between two parallel and opposite portions of the composite element 11. Note that the slit 13 has a width w, but does not have any sharp features. The composite element 11 has a smooth profile on either side of the slit 13 and a width greater than the width w.

In other embodiments, the sole element 10 may further include an inner sole plate connected to the polymer element 12. The insole board may provide additional rigidity to the sole element 10. Due to the excellent bonding of the polymer, such as polyamide, the inner bottom plate bonds very well to the polymer element 12.

The insole board may be arranged as a forefoot insole board. The forefoot insole board and the first forefoot region 19 may partially or completely overlap. Thus, the bending stiffness of the sole element can be further adjusted.

The sole element 10 may include a plurality of ribs 17 on the bottom surface in the midfoot region 27 to advantageously increase the stiffness of the midfoot region 27 without increasing the weight of the sole element 10.

The sole element 10 includes a lattice structure 18 in the midfoot region 27 that further provides improved stiffness while allowing some torsional movement of the anterior and posterior portions of the sole element 10 relative to each other. Furthermore, the weight of the sole element 10 is reduced compared to a more solid structure.

The combination of the ribs 17 and lattice structure 18 with the polyamide material using the polymer material 12 results in a very light sole element 10, which on the other hand has a suitable stiffness. By adjusting the ribs 17 and lattice structure 18, the stiffness and weight of the sole element 10 can be adjusted to any desired setting.

The top surface of the sole element 10 is substantially flat and substantially smooth, i.e. substantially free of texturing, as shown in fig. 2.

The second bonding edge 41 is formed around the opening 14 of at least 5mm and overlaps between the polymer element 12 and the composite element 11 to ensure good bonding strength.

Fig. 4 shows two exemplary bottom views of exemplary sole elements 10a,10b, which are similar to the sole elements shown in fig. 1-3. The composite element 11a of the sole element 10a is longer than the composite element 11b of the sole element 11b. Sole element 10a does not include any tightenable studs. Sole element 10b includes spike domes 53b and 54b for the screw-on spikes, while spike domes 53a and 54a of the corresponding sole element 10a are for the secondary injection spikes. Sole element 10a is configured for hard ground while sole element 10b is configured for soft ground.

FIG. 5 shows exemplary torque measurements for sole elements with and without composite elements. Vertical axis 63 shows the torque required to bend the sole element about bending axis 59 shown in fig. 3 by an angle shown on horizontal axis 64. Two curves are shown. Curve 61 shows the torque required to bend a sole element without a composite element about bending axis 59. Curve 62 shows the torque required to bend a sole element having a composite element about bending axis 59. For a given angle, a higher torque required indicates a higher bending stiffness. Thus, the bending stiffness is increased by the presence of the composite element.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary torque measurement similar to the torque measurement shown in FIG. 5 to visualize the nonlinear bending stiffness of a sole element or composite element. Vertical axis 63 shows the torque required to bend the sole element about a bending axis, such as bending axis 59 shown in fig. 3, at some angle on horizontal axis 64. For the example illustrated in fig. 6, the wedge element was placed under the heel portion of the sole prior to testing. The wedge element has an angle of 15 °. Which is why the horizontal axis 64 of fig. 6 starts at 15 deg. instead of 0 deg.; 15 ° is relative to a horizontal position, wherein 0 ° will correspond to the case where the rear part of the sole is horizontal. The wedge-shaped element is placed under the heel portion to create a normalized starting position, which is necessary because the sole element 10 is not perfectly horizontal from toe to heel in an unloaded condition. In other words, it is necessary to normalize the plates by means of wedge-shaped elements, since different sole elements have different toe elevations in the unloaded condition. Furthermore, it is considered that an outsole end use of 15 ° is a more realistic starting position. As can be seen in fig. 6, curve 62 has a nonlinear bending stiffness. The bending stiffness in region I is less than the bending stiffness after 45 ° in region II. This means that in region I (0 to 45 degrees) the sole element or composite element comprises a first stiffness and in region II it comprises a second stiffness (45 degrees and upwards).

Figure 7 illustrates the anisotropic bending properties of a sole element or composite element. Vertical axis 63 shows the torque required to bend the sole element about a bending axis, such as bending axis 59 shown in fig. 3, at an angle shown on horizontal axis 64. Two curves are shown. Curve 71 shows the torque required to bend the sole element around bending axis 59 by negative angle 64 b. Curve 72 shows the torque required to bend the sole element through positive angle 64a about bending axis 59. As can be seen, for a given angular magnitude, the torque required for the negative angle 64b is significantly higher than the torque required for the positive angle 64 a. The bending properties of the sole element, in this case the bending stiffness, are thus anisotropic. The positive angle may correspond to a downward curve or twist of the foot, while the negative angle may correspond to an upward curve or dorsiflexion of the foot.

Reference numerals

10: Sole element

11: Composite element

12: Polymer element

13: Slit(s)

14: An opening

15A: center spike dome

15B: center shoe spike

16: Center spike

17: Rib

18: Lattice structure

19: Forefoot region

26: Spike dome for center spike

27: Midfoot region

30: Shoes with wheels

31: Shoe upper

41: Second joint edge

42: Distance to side wall

51A: spike tip for outside secondary injection

52A: spike tip for inner secondary injection

53A: spike dome for a lateral secondary injected spike

53B: spike dome for an outside-tightenable spike

54A: spike dome for medial secondary injected spike

54B: spike dome for medial-tightenable spike

55A: spike for external secondary injection

55B: shoe spike capable of being screwed on outer side

56A: spike with secondary injection inside

56B: shoe spike with inner side capable of being screwed

59: Bending shaft

61: Torque without composite element

62: Torque with composite element

63: Vertical axis

64: Horizontal shaft

64A: positive angle of

64B: negative angle

71: Negative angle torque

72: Positive angle torque

Claims

1. A sole element (10) for an article of non-slip footwear, comprising:

(a) A composite element (11) having anisotropic bending properties; and

(B) -a polymeric element (12) at least partially covering the composite element (11);

Wherein the sole element (10) and/or the composite element (11) comprises a non-linear bending stiffness, the bending stiffness in the same bending direction in a first bending range being lower than the bending stiffness in a second bending range.

2. Sole element (10) according to claim 1, wherein said polymeric element (12) comprises at least one opening (14) on its ground-facing side to expose at least a portion of said composite element (11).

3. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said polymer element (12) comprises at least one spike dome (53 a,53b,54a,54b,15 a) for carrying a spike tip (51 a,52 a), wherein said spike dome (53 a,53b,54a,54b,15 a) and/or said spike tip (51 a,52 a) do not overlap with said composite element (11).

4. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said composite element (11) comprises anisotropic bending properties.

5. The sole element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the polymer element is injected twice onto the composite element.

6. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bending stiffness of the composite element (11) for bending upwards in the toe area of the sole element (10) is higher than the bending stiffness for bending downwards in the toe area of the sole element (10).

7. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said composite element (11) is arranged only in the forefoot region of said sole element (10).

8. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said polymer element comprises polyamide.

9. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ground-facing surface of said composite element (11) is at least partially covered by said polymeric element.

10. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the top surface of the sole element (10) is flat.

11. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the profile of said composite element (11) is smooth.

12. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an inner sole plate connected to said polymer element (12).

13. The sole element (10) according to claim 12, wherein said insole board is a forefoot insole board.

14. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear portion of the composite element (11) is wider than the front portion of the composite element (11).

15. Sole element (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said composite element (11) further comprises slits (13).

16. Sole element (10) according to claim 15, wherein said slits (13) are arranged along a longitudinal direction of said sole element (10).

17. Sole element (10) according to claim 1, wherein said shoe is a football shoe.

18. A shoe (30) comprising a sole element (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. The shoe (30) of claim 18, further comprising an upper, wherein a heel area of the upper is connected to the sole element (10) by stitching.

20. A method of producing a sole element (10) for an article of footwear, comprising:

(a) Providing a composite element (11) having anisotropic bending properties; and

(B) Injecting a polymeric element secondarily onto the composite element (11) to at least partially cover the composite element (11);

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising forming at least one opening (14) in the polymeric element on its ground-facing side to expose a portion of the composite element (11).

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, further comprising forming at least one spike dome (53 a,53b,54a,54b,15 a) on the polymer element (12) for carrying a spike tip (51 a,52 a), wherein the spike dome (53 a,53b,54a,54b,15 a) and/or the spike tip (51 a,52 a) do not overlap with the composite element (11).

23. A method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the composite element (11) comprises anisotropic bending properties.

24. Method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the bending stiffness of the composite element (11) for bending upwards in the toe area of the sole element (10) is higher than the bending stiffness for bending downwards in the toe area.

25. The method according to claim 20 or 21, further comprising arranging the composite element (11) only in a forefoot region of the sole element (10).

26. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein the polymeric element comprises polyamide.

27. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the secondary injection comprises at least partially covering a ground-facing surface of the composite element (11) with the polymer element.

28. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the secondary injection comprises forming a flat top surface of the sole element (10).

29. The method according to claim 20 or 21, further comprising forming a smooth profile of the composite element (11).

30. The method of claim 20 or 21, further comprising connecting an inner bottom plate to the polymeric element.

31. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the rear part of the composite element (11) is wider than the front part of the composite element (11).

32. The method according to claim 20 or 21, further comprising forming a slit (13) in the composite element (11).

33. A method according to claim 32, wherein the slits (13) are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the sole element (10).

34. A method of producing a shoe (30) comprising producing a sole element (10) by a method according to any one of claims 20 to 33.

35. The method of producing a shoe (30) according to claim 34, further comprising providing an upper and connecting a heel area of the upper to the sole element (10) by stitching.