Article of footwear with soil-shedding performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10064447-B2
Application number	US-201514814123-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2015
Priority date	Aug 27, 2014
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

The disclosure relates to articles of footwear and components thereof, including outsoles, which can be used in conditions normally conducive to the accumulation of soil on the outsoles. In particular, the disclosure relates to articles of footwear and components thereof including an outsole having a dispersion present on a ground facing surface of the outsole. The dispersion compositionally includes a polymeric continuous phase and a hydrophilic dispersant, and exhibits a water uptake capacity at 24 hours greater than 40% by weight. The outsoles can prevent or reduce the accumulation of soil on the footwear during wear on unpaved surfaces such as sporting fields. When the outsoles are wetted with water, the outsoles can become more compliant and/or can rapidly uptake and/or expel water, which can prevent soil from adhering to the outsole and/or can assist in shedding soil present on the outsole.

First claim

We claim:

1. An outsole for an article of footwear, the outsole comprising:
an outsole substrate comprising a ground-facing side and an opposing second side configured to be secured to an upper for an article of footwear, one or more traction elements operably secured to the ground-facing side of the outsole substrate, a dispersion present on at least a portion of the ground facing side of the outsole substrate, and a water-permeable membrane, wherein the water-permeable membrane is present on at least a portion of the ground-facing side of the outsole substrate, wherein the dispersion comprises a polymeric continuous phase and a hydrophilic dispersant, and the dispersion has a water uptake capacity at 24 hours greater than 40% by weight, as characterized by the Water Uptake Capacity Test with the Footwear Sampling Procedure.

2. The outsole of claim 1 , wherein the dispersion has a water uptake capacity at 24 hours of from 100% by weight to 900% by weight.

3. The outsole of claim 1 , wherein the dispersion is present on at least 80% of the ground-facing side of the outsole.

4. The outsole of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant is present in the dispersion in an amount of about 5% by weight to about 85% by weight, based on the total weight of the dispersion.

5. The outsole of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises one or more of a polyether, a derivative of polyether, a polyacrylic acid, a derivative of polyacrylic acid, and any combination thereof.

6. The outsole of claim 5 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises a polyacrylic acid.

7. The outsole of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric continuous phase comprises a polyurethane, a polyamide, or combinations thereof.

8. The outsole of footwear of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more traction elements comprises a terminal edge, and wherein the dispersion is not present on the terminal edges of any of the one or more traction elements.

9. The outsole of footwear of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the traction elements is selected from the group consisting of: a cleat, a stud, a spike, and a lug.

10. The outsole of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the traction elements are integrally formed with the outsole substrate.

11. The outsole of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the traction elements are removable traction elements.

12. The outsole of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises a crosslinked polymeric network.

13. The outsole of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the crosslinked polymeric network is a physically crosslinked polymeric network.

14. An outsole for an article of footwear, the outsole comprising:
an outsole substrate comprising a ground-facing side and an opposing second side configured to be secured to an upper for an article of footwear, one or more traction elements operably secured to the ground-facing side of the outsole substrate, and a dispersion is present on at least a portion of the ground facing side of the outsole substrate, wherein one or more of the traction elements is selected from the group consisting of: a cleat, a stud, a spike, and a lug, wherein the dispersion comprises a polymeric continuous phase and a hydrophilic dispersant, and the dispersion has a water uptake capacity at 24 hours greater than 40% by weight, as characterized by the Water Uptake Capacity Test with the Footwear Sampling Procedure.

15. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the dispersion has a water uptake capacity at 24 hours of from 100% by weight to 900% by weight.

16. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the dispersion is present on at least 80% of the ground-facing side of the outsole.

17. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant is present in the dispersion in an amount of about 5% by weight to about 85% by weight, based on the total weight of the dispersion.

18. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises one or more of a polyether, a derivative of polyether, a polyacrylic acid, a derivative of polyacrylic acid, and any combination thereof.

19. The outsole of claim 18 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises a polyacrylic acid.

20. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the polymeric continuous phase comprises a polyurethane, a polyamide, or combinations thereof.

21. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the outsole further comprises a water-permeable membrane, and the water-permeable membrane is present on at least a portion of the ground-facing side of the outsole substrate.

22. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more traction elements comprises a terminal edge, and wherein the dispersion is not present on the terminal edges of any of the one or more traction elements.

23. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the traction elements are integrally formed with the outsole substrate.

24. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the traction elements are removable traction elements.

25. The outsole of claim 14 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises a crosslinked polymeric network.

26. The outsole of claim 25 , wherein the crosslinked polymeric network is a physically crosslinked polymeric network.

27. An outsole for an article of footwear, the outsole comprising:
an outsole substrate comprising a ground-facing side and an opposing second side configured to be secured to an upper for an article of footwear, one or more traction elements operably secured to the ground-facing side of the outsole substrate, and a dispersion is present on at least a portion of the ground facing side of the outsole substrate, wherein the traction elements are integrally formed with the outsole substrate, wherein the dispersion comprises a polymeric continuous phase and a hydrophilic dispersant, and the dispersion has a water uptake capacity at 24 hours greater than 40% by weight, as characterized by the Water Uptake Capacity Test with the Footwear Sampling Procedure.

28. The outsole of claim 27 , wherein the dispersion has a water uptake capacity at 24 hours of from 100% by weight to 900% by weight.

29. The outsole of claim 27 , wherein the dispersion is present on at least 80% of the ground-facing side of the outsole.

30. The outsole of claim 27 , wherein the outsole further comprises a water-permeable membrane, and the water-permeable membrane is present on at least a portion of the ground-facing side of the outsole substrate.

31. The outsole of claim 27 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant is present in the dispersion in an amount of about 5% by weight to about 85% by weight, based on the total weight of the dispersion.

32. The outsole of claim 27 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises one or more of a polyether, a derivative of polyether, a polyacrylic acid, a derivative of polyacrylic acid, and any combination thereof.

33. The outsole of claim 32 , wherein the hydrophilic dispersant comprises a polyacrylic acid.

34. The outsole of claim 27 , wherein the polymeric continuous phase comprises a polyurethane, a polyamide, or combinations thereof.

35. The outsole of claim 27 , wherein each of the one or more traction elements comprises a terminal edge, and wherein the dispersion is not present on the terminal edges of any of the one or more traction elements.

36. The

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Wright Zachary C
• Dyer Caleb W
• Walker Jeremy D
• Maurer Myron
• Schiller Denis

Classifications

• A43B13/22

  Soles made slip-preventing or wear-resisting, e.g. by impregnation or spreading a wear-resisting layer · CPC title

• Y10T428/24802

  Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.] · CPC title

• A43B13/04

  Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre · CPC title

• A43B3/0036

  characterised by a special shape or design · CPC title

• A43B13/26

  projecting beyond the sole surface · CPC title