Method of making a composite material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12220018-B2
Application number	US-202318131023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2023
Priority date	May 26, 2006
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for making a shoe outsole and to shoe outsoles made using such techniques. In one such technique, a sheet of composite material is produced by extruding a base material together with a sheet of fabric material. The sheet of composite material is then cut into an outsole component, and a shoe outsole is fabricated using the outsole component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a composite material, comprising:
(a) extruding a base material into a sheet of base material;
(b) depositing a plurality of individual fibers onto a surface of the sheet of base material before the sheet of base material has fully hardened; and
(c) pressing the individual fibers into the surface of the sheet of base material in order to form a sheet of composite material,
wherein the sheet of composite material has a bottom layer of the base material alone and a thinner top layer into which the individual fibers have been embedded.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual fibers are sprayed onto the surface of the sheet of base material.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual fibers are deposited only on a top surface of the base material.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the base material comprises at least one of: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the base material comprises a polymer.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual fibers are comprised of a natural material.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual fibers are made of a fabric material.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein only a single side of the base material is embedded with the individual fibers.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual fibers are pressed into the surface of the sheet of base material using a roller.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the extruding is performed in an extrusion device, wherein the sheet of base material exits the extrusion device and is carried along a conveyor belt, and wherein the pressing step occurs while the sheet of base material still is on the conveyor belt.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein upon completion of step (a), the sheet of base material is approximately 6-7 millimeters (mm) thick.

12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet of composite material is approximately 4-5 millimeters (mm) thick.

13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual fibers are sprinkled onto the surface of the sheet of base material in the depositing step.

14. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the individual fibers are natural fibers.

15. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the roller also impresses a three-dimensional pattern into the surface of the sheet of base material.

16. A method according to claim 1 , wherein during said extruding step (a), the base material is formed into said sheet by at least one of pushing or drawing said base material through an extrusion die having a profile shape that is appropriate for producing said sheet.

17. A method of making a composite material, comprising:
(a) extruding a base material into a sheet of base material by at least one of pushing or drawing said base material through an extrusion die having a profile shape that is appropriate for producing said sheet;
(b) depositing a plurality of individual fibers onto a surface of the sheet of base material before the sheet of base material has fully hardened; and
(c) pressing the individual fibers into the surface of the sheet of base material in order to form a sheet of composite material,
wherein the extrusion die is shaped so as to form a three-dimensional pattern in a surface of the sheet of base material that is being extruded.

18. A method according to claim 17 , wherein the individual fibers are natural fibers.

Assignees

• Dynasty Footwear Ltd

Inventors

• Koo John
• Goldberg Jonathan

Classifications

• B29K2105/12

  of short lengths, e.g. chopped filaments, staple fibres or bristles · CPC title

• B29K2105/0809

  Fabrics · CPC title

• B29K2105/06

  containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts · CPC title

• B29C48/355

  Conveyors for extruded articles · CPC title

• B29C48/0019

  combined with shaping by flattening, folding or bending · CPC title