GB2550565A

GB2550565A - Footwear with a fabric-like soft touch and textured feel

Info

Publication number: GB2550565A
Application number: GB1608706.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Su Lin Goh Carol; Lai Ching Ho Helen
Original assignee: Meiban International Pte Ltd
Current assignee: Meiban International Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2016-05-18
Filing date: 2016-05-18
Publication date: 2017-11-29
Also published as: GB201608706D0; SG10201604019SA

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of making customizable footwear, with its individual components modular in nature and can be assembled by attachment means. More particularly, the present invention relates to a manufacturing method of injection molded customizable footwear which has a soft-touch feel and has texturing on it. The soft-touch feel is from the polymeric material which exhibits fabric-like soft-touch feel after molding. The textured feel is from the laser texturing process as well as to provide a form of visual authentication to differentiate the footwear from the rest of the players. This process is executed using 2K or two component or double-shot injection molding process with the fabric-feel polymeric material over-molded onto the plastic footwear. Essentially the footwear 1 described here in the embodiment of the present invention consists of the footwear platform 3, the inner sole 2, the outer sole 4, strap 5 and heel 6. All these different parts are modular in nature and can be molded separately. After molding out, all these parts can then be assembled together using attachments such as clip-on or snap-on types.

Description

FOOTWEAR WITH

A FABRIC-LIKE SOFT TOUCH AND TEXTURED FEEL

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention here relates to a method of making customizable footwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to a unique manufacturing method of injection molded footwear with a fabric-like soft touch and textured feel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally and even up till now, a lot of the footwear has parts that are fabricated separately and then glued and/or stitched together as part of the assembly process. Hence this means that several steps are involved in fabricating a pair of footwear, thus it can be time consuming and unproductive.

Footwear has parts that can either be traditionally hand-made or semi-automated for mass production. Footwear defined here includes high-heel shoes, sandals, slippers, loafers, sports shoes, working shoes, etc. Footwear fabricated with parts that are stitched or joined together using adhesives are not very durable. With footwear being frequently exposed to repeated flexing, abrasion as well as exposure to harsh weather and moisture conditions an average pair of footwear does not last more than 2 years. Usually a pair of footwear may be broken at certain parts only, for example, the sole may be worn out but end-users tend to throw away the whole footwear. The footwear can also be worn out at the top area and the sole intact, and yet the end-user will still throw away the whole pair of footwear. This leads to wastage and increase of global garbage which is not an environmentally friendly situation. Our solution is to have a modular footwear that can allow end-users to change and replace what is broken and continue to use what is still intact. Thus providing a solution that is environmentally-friendly since less wastage is produced.

Our current end-user global profile has become a social media inclined and personalized profile that demands customization. The current state of the art technology doesn’t allow or provide the end-user with the flexibility to mix and match certain modular parts of the footwear with different textured feel to it and to assemble it on their own. Our solution allows the modern end-user to do that. Therefore it is desirable to have a footwear fabrication process that is able to solve the problems mentioned in the previous paragraphs. This would mean mass producing the footwear using less assembly methods and with the end product being more durable and longer lasting. In addition, our solution allows users all over the world to customize their footwear as well as having their footwear that can be worn straightaway without the need for additional secondary processes.

The embodiment of the present invention discloses a method of fabricating footwear using 2K (or two component or double-shot) injection molding process, with the whole footwear including the outer footwear surface layer and the outer ground contacting sole having a fabric-like soft touch and textured feel. Each part of the footwear, e.g. the sole, heel etc. is modular and can be individually fabricated using 2K (or two component or double-shot) injection molding process and then having these individual parts to be attached together via attachments such as click or snap-on attachments.

In order to fulfill the two objectives which are, i.e. to allow customization as well as to enable end-users to be able to replace the parts of the footwear that are worn out, our unique solution described here in the invention can fulfill that. The “fabric-feel polymeric material” is the material that provides the fabric-like soft touch to the footwear after the poiymeric material has been injected out and cooled down during the injection molding process. Hence the term “fabric-feel polymeric material” shall be used for the rest of the description here to refer to such a material. Having texturing would also enable the manufacturers to create authenticity on the footwear in order to give personalization and also embrace originality. Authentication can also help brand owners to prevent counterfeiting products. Texturing can also create infinite styles to the footwear, giving more customizable options to the end-user.

The mold is laser-textured with pre-defined patterns before assembling it onto the relevant core or cavity side of the 2K (or two component or double-shot) injection molding machine. Using the 2K (or two component or double-shot) injection molding process, the plastic substrate is first shot out, followed by having the fabric-feel polymeric material over-molded onto the plastic substrate. Once the injection is completed, the mold is then opened with the injected end product (i.e. could be a component or a part of the footwear) being removed from the mold.

The embodiment of the present invention offers many comparative advantages over the prior art, namely as follows: (a) The footwear would be lighter, with the lightness coming from the plastic substrate with the fabric-feel polymeric material over-molded over the plastic substrate; (b) The footwear would also be more durable since the individual parts of the footwear utilized 2K (or two component or double-shot) injection molding process, instead of traditional means such as stitching or gluing; (c) The design of the footwear would also be more customizable allowing the end user to be able to mix and match their preferred design. And at the same time be able to replace parts that are broken easily instead of throwing the whole pair of footwear. (d) The overall fabrication process for the footwear would also be much faster as compared to conventional or traditional process, thus resulting in higher productivity in footwear fabrication.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the process or method disclosed is applicabie for any footwear ranging from casual to formal footwear or even industrial-type of footwear. The process or method used is able to produce a footwear with a fabric-iike soft-touch textured feel, with authentication abiiity, with customizable abilities, and produced in a mass manufacturable method that can ensure better durability and less assembly time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings attached here are to aid in better understanding the description of the invention here. The drawings are not to scale and they are to be used for merely illustrating the principles and concepts of the invention.

To aid in the description of the invention, the drawings are broken up into the various Figures as described below:

Figure 1A illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention, i.e. typical footwear which in this case is a high heel shoe.

Figure 1B illustrates another perspective view of the different individual parts or components of the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2A illustrates a perspective view of a textured strap for the high heel shoe.

Figure 2B illustrates a perspective view of the different textured patterns on the heel for the high heel shoe.

Reference numbers 1 Footwear 2 Inner Sole 3 Footwear Platform 4 Outer Sole 5 Strap 6 Heel 7 Fabric-feel textured polymeric material 8 Plastic substrate

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following description, details are provided to describe the embodiment of the application. It shall be apparent to the person skilled in the art, however, that the embodiments may be practiced without such details.

The present invention here relates to a method of making customizable footwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to a unique manufacturing method of injection molded footwear which has a soft-touch feel due to the presence of fabric-feel polymeric material over-molded onto the plastic substrate. The footwear will also have a textured feel to it due to the laser texturing process as well as to provide a form of visual authentication to differentiate the product from the others.

Figure 1A illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention, i.e. typical footwear 1 which in this case is a high heel shoe. Do note that the footwear described in the embodiment of the present invention do include other types of footwear such as track sports footwear, casual footwear, etc. This footwear 1 highlighted here is fabricated using the method or process here as described in the prevent invention, whereby it can be fabricated using the 2K (or two component or double shot) injection molding process.

Figure 1B illustrates another perspective view of the different individual parts or components of the embodiment of the present invention. Essentially the footwear 1 described here in the embodiment of the present invention consists of the footwear platform 3, the inner sole 2, the outer sole 4, strap 5 and heel 6. All these different parts are modular in nature and can be molded separately using 2K (or two component or double shot) injection molding process. After molding out, all these parts can then be assembled together using attachments such as clip-on or snap-on types. Different areas or portions of the footwear platform 3 can have different types of textured feel on it. For example the heel portion 6 for the footwear platform 3 for the footwear 1 described here can have a different form of texturing feel as compared to the front portion outer sole 4 along footwear platform 3. Moreover the outer sole portion 4 of the footwear 1 can be a bit rough in textured feel and the inner sole portion of the footwear 1 can be given a smoother textured feel to it. The textured feel is achieved by means of laser texturing done on the mold itself, which means that depending on the shape of the footwear 1 to be molded out, the laser texturing process can be applied on that area or portion to be textured. The texturing pattern can be in the form of an artwork created via Computer Aided Drawing (CAD). Such artwork is typically a patterned design, which can be straight line type of design, a series of triangular-shape designs or even a series of polygons at micron and/or nano-level.

To illustrate further the concept highlighted in the present invention. Figure 2A illustrates a perspective view of a textured pattern strap 5 for the footwear 1, i.e. high heel shoe. Figure 2B illustrates a perspective view of the different textured patterns on the heel 6 for the high heel shoe. As illustrated in both Figures 2A and 2B, the present invention presents the opportunity to have different pre-defined textured patterns/grains with different fabric-feel coming from the fabric-feel textured polymeric material 7 which is being over-molded onto the plastic substrate 8.

Other than texturing feel, it can also be used for authentication purposes. For authentication purposes, the texturing process will enable typically a hidden image (example from an artwork) to be embedded onto the metal mold, hence making it not easily visible by mere sight. It needs to be viewable at different angles to the human eye, thus creating a form of authenticity to the footwear 1. Thus this means that unique patterns pertaining to a specific model of footwear 1 can be created not just to have a textured feel but at the same time, being able to provide a form of unique authenticity for the specific model of footwear 1.

To achieve this, the necessary injection molding apparatus and setup will need to be ready. It also includes getting the mold to be laser textured to give the desired pattern or authentication on the final end product (i.e. footwear) later on. Essentially, the basic steps for the process or method of the present invention are as follows, utilizing a 2K (or two component or double-shot) injection molding machine: 1. To laser texture an injection mold with the pre-defined desired pattern/grain or authentication applied on certain parts or areas of the footwear. 2. The injection mold (i.e. previous point 1) is then mounted onto the relevant core or cavity side of the 2K (or two component or double-shot) injection molding machine, especially more so for the side in which texturing is to be applied onto the fabric-feel polymer. 3. The mold is then closed and then the moldable plastic substrate is first shot out, followed by having the fabric-feel polymeric material being shot out and overmold onto the plastic substrate. 4. Once the injection is completed, the mold is then open with the injected end product (i.e. could be a component or a part of the footwear) being removed from the mold. No other secondary processes are required.

The term “fabric-feel polymeric material” disclosed in the invention is a polymeric material which, after molding It out, has a fabric-like soft-touch feel such as felt, suede, smooth rubbery or anything similar to that kind of effect. Such polymeric materia! vviii have good water, oil and chemicai resistance since it is for footwear fabrication. Moreover, the properties for such a “fabric-fee! polymeric materia!” wouid need to be compatibie and adhere easily to the plastic substrate layer that would be first shot out during the 2K injection molding proc-ess.

The term “plastic substrate” mentioned in this embodiment of the present invention is typicaiiy thermoplastics, or it can be any polymeric material that is suitable for injection molding and is capable of bonding to the “fabric-feel polymeric materiai” when the “fabric-feel polymeric material” over-molds onto the plastic substrate during the 2K injection molding process.

Laser texturing is done on the mold itself such that after the whole injection molding process has been completed, the end product will have a textured feel to it in addition to the soft-touch feel. For the embodiment of the present invention, different parts of the footwear, e.g. the heel, sole, etc can have different laser texturing grains./patiems which is customizable depending on the preferences of the end-user. Hence this gives the end-user an opportunity to have different styles and choices to choose from for his/her footwear. Other than giving the footwear a textured fee! to it, laser texturing can aid in creating a fonri of visual authentication for the footwear product itself. Laser texturing involves using typically laser energy to modify the surface texture of a material, i.e. in this case on the metal mold, with an original artwork for visual authentication. Such artwork is typically a patterned design, a series of triangular-shape designs or even a series of polygons at micron and/or nano-level. For authentication purposes, typically a hidden image (example from an artwork) can be embedded within a material (i.e. in this case on the metal mold), hence making it not easily visible by mere sight. It needs to be viewable at different angles to the human eye. Hence by utilizing this concept mentioned earlier, the user can create a form of authentication on the material itself that can only be viewed at a certain angle, thus distinguishing the material from other materials in the market. This concept is useful in trying to prevent counterfeiters in the market, whereby branded players can employ this technique to help differentiate themselves from the rest of the players.

While what has been described hereinabove is the preferred embodiment of the invention, those skilled in the art will understand that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The embodiments described herein are meant to be illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the invention, which can be expressly set forth in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating footwear, wherein a. each component of the footwear is modular in nature, with a fabric-like soft-touch laser-textured feel: b. can be individually molded out using 2K or two component or double-shot injection molding process using fabric-feel polymeric material and plastic substrate; with the key steps comprising of: i. laser texturing an injection mold with the selected desired pattern/grain or authentication on certain parts or areas of the footwear; ii. mounting the laser textured injection mold onto the relevant core or cavity side of the 2K (or two component or double-shot) Injection molding machine, especially more so for the side In which texturing Is to be applied onto the fabric-feel polymer; III. closing the mold and then the moldable plastic substrate is first shot out, followed by having the fabric-feel polymeric material being shot out and over-mold onto the plastic substrate; iv. opening the mold and then having the injected end product (i.e. could be a component or a part of the footwear) to be removed from the mold, followed by any secondary processes to provide the necessary finishing if it is required. c. followed by assembling all the components back via attachment means such as dip-on, or snap-on type of attachment.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the fabric-feel polymeric material is a polymeric material which, after molding it out, has a fabric-like soft-touch feel such as felt, suede, smooth rubbery or anything similar to that kind of effect: and has good water, oil and chemical resistance; and is compatible and adhere easily to the plastic substrate layer that would be first shot out during the 2K injection molding process,

3. A method of fabricating footwear, wherein a. each component of the footwear is modular in nature, wherein it i. is easily replaced if necessary; ii. resulting in less wastage and more environmentally friendly; and ill. allows end-user to mix and match the preferred design; b. each component can be individually molded out using 2K or two component or double-shot injection molding process using fabric-feel polymeric material and plastic substrate; wherein i. the fabric-feel polymeric material incorporates texturing feel with the ability to customize different textured patterns/grains, and ii. the texturing feel creates authenticity to the footwear