TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention regards a sole for footwear, as well as a footwear comprising one such sole.

More particularly, the present invention regards a sole and a footwear that can be folded on themselves.

STATE OF THE ART

In the field of production of footwear or, more particularly, in the field of soles for footwear, soles for footwear are known which are easily foldable on themselves: either because they are made of suitable thin material, e.g. rubber that is easily windable or otherwise foldable on itself, or because they are provided with fold lines or weakening areas, at which they are foldable.

The foldable soles of this type are provided for making footwear which can occupy a rather limited volume, once the respective soles have been folded, so as to be easily transportable, for example in a small purse or handbag.

Nevertheless, such footwear items, even when the respective sole is folded on itself, maintain a volume that can at most reach at most half or one third of the volume that they normally occupy when the sole is open or unfolded, and in the field there is the need to be able to arrange a sole for footwear that can be folded on itself in an even more effective way, so as to allow making a shoe/footwear that can occupy, once folded, an even more limited volume and thus be even easier to transport.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is therefore that of providing a sole for footwear, as an alternative to the foldable soles for footwear of conventional type, which is easily foldable on itself.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable sole for footwear, which allows making footwear whose volume can be less than a third of the volume normally occupied by the footwear itself, when they are open or unfolded.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable sole for footwear which is strong and light.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable sole for footwear which is easy to make at competitive costs.

Not least object of the present invention is to provide a shoe/footwear provided with a 5 sole according to the present invention.

This and other objects are reached by a foldable sole for footwear according to the enclosed claim 1 and by a shoe/footwear according to the enclosed claim 32.

Further advantageous characteristics of the foldable sole according to the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

o BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more evident from the detailed description of some preferred embodiments of a foldable sole and of a shoe/footwear according to the present invention, given by way of a non-limiting example in the enclosed drawings, in which:

5 figure 1 is a bottom view of a sole for right shoe/footwear according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

figures 2 to 7 are cross section views of the sole for footwear of figure 1 taken, respectively, along the section lines II-II, III-III, IV-IV, V-V, VI- VI and VII- VII; figure 8 is a bottom view of the sole for right shoe/footwear of fig. 1, in a partial fold o step;

figures 9 to 13 are cross section views of the sole for footwear of fig. 8 taken, respectively, along the section lines IX-IX, X-X, XI-XI, XII-XII, and XIII-XIII; figure 14 is a bottom view of a sole for right shoe/footwear according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

5 figures 15 to 21 are cross section views of the sole for footwear of figure 14 taken, respectively, along the section lines XV-XV, XVI-XVI, XVII-XVII, XVIII-

XVIII, XIX-XIX, XX-XX and XXI-XXI;

figure 22 is a bottom view of the sole for footwear according to a variant of the second embodiment of the present invention, in a partial fold step;

0 figures 23 to 29 are cross section views of the sole for footwear of fig. 22 taken, respectively, along the section lines XXIII- XXIII, XXIV-XXIV, XXV-XXV, XXVI-XXVI, XXVII-XXVII, XXVIII-XXVIII, and XXIX-XXIX; figure 30 is a bottom view of a sole for right shoe/footwear according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

5 figures 31 to 37 are cross section views of the sole for footwear of figure 22 taken, respectively, along the section lines XXXI-XXXI, XXXII- XXXII, XXXIII- XXXIII, XXXIV-XXXIV, XXXV-XXXV, XXXVI-XXXVI, and XXXVII- XXXVII;

figure 38 is an enlarged view of a detail of figure 30;

i o figure 39 is a cross section view of the detail of figure 38, taken along the section line

XXXIX-XXXIX of such figure,

figure 40 is a perspective view of a sole made according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in an open or unfolded configuration thereof;

figure 41 is a perspective view of the sole of figure 40, in a folded configuration thereof; 15 figure 42 is a perspective view of a shoe/footwear provided with a sole according to the present invention, in a folded configuration thereof;

figure 43 is a side view of the footwear of figure 3 in a partially open step; and figure 44 is a side view of the footwear of figure 3 in a completely open configuration; In the enclosed figures, equivalent or similar parts or components are indicated with the

2 o same reference number.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

First with reference to the enclosed figures, it will be observed that a sole for footwear according to the present invention is generally indicated with the reference number 1. It is specified that in the present description and in the following claims, with the term

25 "sole" reference is made to a sole for footwear, intended during use to come into contact, on one side, with the external environment (e.g. a contact surface or the ground), and on the other side with the foot of a user or with a midsole or an insole of a footwear.

The sole for footwear 1 according to the present invention comprises at least one first 30 plurality of fold lines 2 and at least one second plurality of fold lines 3, at which it is foldable on itself.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the first plurality of fold lines 2 and the second plurality of fold lines 3 are made the one with respect to the other and configured on said sole, according to a fold pattern of "Miura" type.

As it is known, the fold pattern of "Miura" type is a fold pattern derived from the art of origami, applied also to the aerospace industry, which allows folding a laminar material, such as a paper sheet, in a very compact manner and to unfold it or extend it very easily, simply by moving away the two opposite ends of such material.

With particular reference to figures 1 to 13 which illustrate a first embodiment of a sole for footwear according to the present invention respectively in a configuration that is open or unfolded (figures 1 to 7) and in a configuration partially folded on itself (figures 8 to 13), it will be observed that, in accordance with the "Miura" fold pattern, at least the first plurality of fold lines 2 comprises fold lines (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27) which are extended substantially parallel to each other with a zigzag progression.

Such lines traverse the sole 1 from side to side, i.e. according to the version illustrated in figures 1 and 8, between an external lateral section 4 and an internal lateral section 5 of the sole itself, thus dividing the sole into a first plurality of parallel segments 6, indicated in figures 1 and 8 with the reference numbers 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66 and 67.

According to one variant of the sole for footwear of the first embodiment of the present invention, the first plurality of fold lines 2 is extended substantially transverse to an extension axis x-x of the sole 1 (in figure 1, the axis x-x coincides with the section line II-II), that is substantially longitudinal. As will be observed, such extension axis x-x is an axis that passes through a front section 7 and a rear section 8 of the sole 1 according to the invention and does not necessarily coincide with an axis passing through the most forward end 71 and the most receded end 81 of the sole itself.

In accordance with the fold technique of "Miura" type, the first plurality of fold lines 2 comprises fold lines of "raised" type (20, 22, 24 and 26) and "recessed" fold lines (21, 23, 25 and 27) alternated with each other.

With the term "raised fold line" in the present description and in the following claims, it is intended a fold line between two adjacent segments of the first plurality of segments 6, opposite with respect to such fold line (for example the segments 61 and 62 that are opposite with respect to the fold line 22 in figures 1, 2, 8 and 9), at which the sole 1, in its folded or partially folded configuration (figure 9), forms a crest with respect to such 5 segments.

Analogously, with the term "recessed fold line" in the present description and in the following claims it is intended a fold line between two adjacent segments of the first plurality of segments 6, opposite with respect to such fold line (for example the segments 62 and 63 that are opposite with respect to the fold line 23 in figures 1, 2, 8 i o and 9), at which the sole 1, in its folded or partially folded (see figure 9), forms a recess with respect to such segments (62 and 63).

In accordance with the fold of "Miura" type, the second plurality of fold lines 3 has a substantially orthogonal extension with respect to that of the first plurality of fold lines 2.

15 More particularly, the second plurality of fold lines 3 comprises fold lines (31, 32, 33, 34 and 35) which are extended substantially parallel to each other and to the extension axis x-x mentioned above, thus dividing the sole into a second plurality of parallel segments 9, some of which indicated by way of example in figures 1 and 8, with the reference numbers 91, 92 and 93.

20 Based on the fold of "Miura" type, each fold line (31, 32, 33, 34 and 35) of the second plurality 3 of fold lines in turn comprises a plurality of fold sections (see by way of example the sections 331 to 337 of the fold line 33 in figures 1 and 9), each delimited, on the sole 1, between two adjacent fold lines (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) of the first plurality of fold lines 2.

25 The fold sections of the second plurality of fold lines 3 comprise fold sections of "recessed" type (332, 334, 336) and fold sections of "raised" type (331, 333, 335 and 337).

The recessed fold sections (332, 334, 336) and the raised fold sections (331, 333, 335 and 337) are arranged alternated with each other along each fold line (33, for example) 30 of the second plurality of fold lines 3 and are also alternated with respected to corresponding sections on the fold lines of the second plurality of lines 3 adjacent thereto (e.g. the sections 321, 322, 323, etc. or 341, 342, 343, etc. of the fold lines 32 and 34).

Analogously to that stated above for the raised or recessed fold lines of the first plurality 5 of fold lines 2, with the term "raised fold section" in the present description and in the following claims, it is intended a fold section between two adjacent segments of the second plurality of segments 9 of the sole, opposite with respect to such fold section (e.g. the segments 91 and 92 that are opposite with respect to the fold section 333 of the fold line 33 in figures 1 and 9), at which the sole 1, in its folded or partially folded o configuration, forms a crest with respect to such segments.

In the same manner, with the term "recessed fold section" in the present description and in the following claims, it is intended a fold section between two adjacent segments of the second plurality of segments 9 of the sole, opposite with respect to such fold section (e.g. the segments 91 and 92 that are opposite with respect to the section 332 of the fold5 line 33 in figures 1, 2, 8 and 9), at which the sole 1, in its folded or partially folded configuration, forms a recess respect to such segments.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the second plurality of fold lines 3 comprises fold lines (31 to 37), each of which has a substantially rectilinear progression.

o Nevertheless, other embodiments of the present invention, in particular with reference to the enclosed figures 30 to 39, which illustrate a third embodiment of the present invention, provided that the second plurality of fold lines 3 comprises fold lines (from 31 to 33), having a substantially zigzag progression. In this case, two adjacent sections of each fold line (31, 32 and 33) can be angularly arranged staggered in a zigzag 5 manner, one with respect to the other, forming, at the point of junction between one section and the other, combinations of convex/concave angles comprised between 188 172° and 240 120°. According to other embodiments of the sole 1 of the present invention, the sole can comprise at least one rear extension 10, for covering, during use, a rear zone of the heel and the calcaneum of a user, and/or at least one front extension0 11, for covering, during use, a front zone of the toes of the foot or the tip of the foot of a user. For such purpose, reference is made to figures 14 to 39 which illustrate a second and a third embodiment of the present invention.

According to several further variants of the sole according to the present invention (not illustrated in the drawings), the first plurality of fold lines 2 can be extended 5 substantially parallel with respect to the substantially longitudinal extension axis x-x of the sole 1, or according to an extension axis that is tilted with respect to such extension axis x-x, provided that the second plurality of fold lines 3 has an extension substantially orthogonal with respect to that of the first plurality of fold lines 2. In other words, all the soles for footwear in which the first plurality of fold lines 2 is extended substantially i o orthogonally with respect to the second plurality of fold lines 3, as described above, are comprised in the present invention, regardless of the extension direction of the first plurality of fold lines with respect to the extension axis x-x of the sole 1.

So, a sole for footwear according to the present invention is made starting from at least one base layer 12 (reference is made, for example, to figures 14 to 21) having an

15 external face 121 opposite to an internal face 122. The external face 121 is during use directed towards the external environment or an abutment surface for the sole itself. The sole 1 according to the present invention comprises at least one plurality of blocks 13 associated with the base layer 12 at its external face 121. Such blocks are applied to the base layer in any suitable manner, for example according to known techniques such

20 as molding.

According to one aspect of the present invention, each block of the plurality of blocks 13 (see the reference numbers 130, 131, 132, 133, 134 and 135 as an example in figure 14) occupies a surface of the base layer 12 delimited in part or entirely by at least the first plurality of fold lines 2 and at least the second plurality of fold lines 3.

25 According to one aspect of the present invention, when the sole 1 according to the invention is in open configuration, the distance dl between two adjacent blocks of the plurality of blocks 13, at a raised fold line, is less than or equal to the distance Dl between adjacent blocks, at a recessed fold line.

Analogously, when the sole 1 according to the invention is in open configuration, the 30 distance d2 between two adjacent blocks of said plurality of blocks 13, at a raised fold section, is less than or equal to the distance D2 between adjacent blocks, at a recessed fold section.

For an example see figure 14, illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention. In such figure, the blocks 130 to 135 are shown, comprised between the fold lines 22, 23 and 24 of the first plurality of fold lines 2 and between the fold sections 323, 324, 325 and 333, 334 and 335 of the fold lines 32 and 33 of the second plurality of fold lines 3.

So, the distance dl between the adjacent blocks 133 and 135 of the plurality of blocks 13, which are opposite with respect to the raised fold line 24, is less than the distance Dl between adjacent blocks, for example 131 and 133 that are opposite with respect to the recessed fold line 23.

Analogously, the distance d2, between the adjacent blocks 131 and 132, opposite with respect to the raised fold section 333, is less than the distance D2 between the blocks 133 and 134, opposite with respect to the recessed fold section 334.

According to one particularly preferred aspect of the invention, with the sole in open configuration, the distance dl is equivalent to the distance d2 and the distance Dl is equivalent to the distance D2. In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the distance dl is equivalent to the distance d2 and is comprised between 2mm and 4 mm and the distance Dl is equivalent to the distance D2 and is comprised between 4mm and 7mm. Nevertheless, the man skilled in the art will have no difficulty in comprehending that the distances dl and d2 as well as the distances Dl and D2 can be different from each other, provided that the relations dl<Dl and d2<D2 are maintained. Preferably, dl is equal to about half of Dl and d2 is equal to about half of D2.

As will be therefore observed, the plurality of blocks 13 comprises blocks projecting upward with respect to the base layer 12 with a tapered progression in moving away from the layer 12 itself. Each block of the plurality of blocks 13 has, in fact, a top surface 14 that is substantially flat and parallel to the base layer 12 and lateral walls 15 that are substantially tilted with respect to the base layer 12 (in particular reference is made, by way of example, to figures 5, 7 and 12).

According to one aspect of the present invention, the tilt of the lateral walls 15, with respect to the base layer 12, is greater (i.e. the lateral walls 15 project upward more steeply with respect to the base layer 12) at the raised fold lines (20, 22, 24, 26), of the first plurality of fold lines 2, and at the raised fold sections (e.g. 331, 333, 335 and 337), of the fold lines of the second plurality of fold lines 3, with respect to the tilt of the lateral walls 15 of the blocks 13 at the recessed fold lines (21, 23, 25 and 27), of the first plurality of said fold lines 2, and at said recessed fold sections (e.g. 332, 334, 336), of the fold lines of the second plurality of fold lines 3.

The tilt of the lateral walls could also be equivalent among the various sections or the various fold lines, considering at any rate the fact that, since during the fold of the sole 1 the blocks at a recessed fold section or at a recessed fold line are brought close together, in order to allow an optimal fold of the sole, i.e. with minimum bulk, the tilt of the lateral walls of the blocks at one such fold line or fold section must be comprised between about 30° and 68°.

According to one variant of the present invention, see in particular figures 14 to 39, illustrating a second and a third embodiment of the sole 1, a plurality of recesses is made in the top surface 14 of the blocks of the plurality of blocks 13. Such recesses are extended towards the base layer 12 of the sole and make the external surface of the sole corrugated, so as to increase the adherence thereof with respect to a contact surface. Such recesses have a progression that is substantially parallel to sections in each block: such particular structure of the block is aimed to achieve a shape as similar as possible to the anatomy of the foot. Nevertheless, the man skilled in the art will not have difficulty in comprehending that other various configurations of the recesses are possible.

As illustrated with reference to the variant of the second embodiment of the sole 1 according to the present invention (figures 22 to 29), this comprises at least one plurality of shock-absorbing means 16, associated with the base layer 12 at its internal face 122, and indicated in figures 22, 23 and 26 with the reference numbers 161, 162, 163 and 165.

The shock-absorbing means are provided applied to the base layer 12 of the sole 1 according to the present invention in any one suitable manner, for example according to known techniques such as molding on the base layer 12.

According to one aspect of the present invention, each shock-absorbing means is arranged on the base layer 12 on opposite sides and at a respective block of the plurality of blocks 13 provided on the external face 121 of the base layer, and it too occupies a surface of the base layer 12 in part or entirely delimited by the first plurality of fold lines 2 and by the second plurality of fold lines 3.

On the contrary, nevertheless, regarding that provided for the blocks of the plurality of blocks 13, the distance D3 between two adjacent shock-absorbing means, opposite with respect to a raised fold line, is greater than or equal to the distance d3 between two adjacent shock-absorbing means, opposite with respect to a recessed fold line.

Analogously, the distance D4 between two adjacent shock-absorbing means, opposite with respect to a raised fold section, is greater than or equal to the distance d4 between two adjacent shock-absorbing means, opposite with respect to a recessed fold section. Merely by way of example, see figures 22, 23 and 26 which show blocks 131 to 135 and the shock-absorbing means 161, 162, 163 and 165 comprised between the fold lines 22, 23 and 24 of the first plurality of fold lines 2 and between the fold sections 323, 324, 325 and 333, 334 and 335 of the fold lines 32 and 33 of the second plurality of fold lines 3.

So, when the sole 1 according to the invention is in open configuration, the distance D3 between the adjacent shock-absorbing means 163 and 165 of the plurality of shock- absorbing means 16, opposite with respect to the raised fold line 24, is greater than or equal to the distance d3 between adjacent shock-absorbing means, e.g. 161 and 163 that are opposite with respect to the recessed fold line 23. Analogously, when the sole 1 according to the invention is in open configuration, the distance D4, between the adjacent shock-absorbing means 161 and 162 at the raised fold section 333 is greater than or equal to the distance d4 between the shock-absorbing means 163 and 164 that are opposite with respect to the recessed fold section 334.

According to one particularly preferred aspect of the invention, with the sole in open configuration, the distance d3 is equivalent to the distance d4 and the distance D3 is equivalent to the distance D4. In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, d3 is equal to d4 and is comprised between 2mm and 4 mm and the distance D3 is equivalent to the distance D4 and is comprised between 4mm and 7mm. The man skilled in the art, nevertheless, will not have difficulty in comprehending that the distances d3 and d4 along with the distances D3 and D4 can be different from each other, provided that the 5 relations d3<D3 and d4<D4 are maintained. Preferably d3 is equal to about half of D3 and d4 is equal to about half of D4.

Analogous to that described for the plurality of blocks 13, the plurality of shock- absorbing means 16 comprises shock-absorbing means (e.g. 161, 162, 163, 164 and 165 in figure 23 and 26) projecting upward with respect to the base layer 12 with a i o progression that is tapered in moving away from the base layer itself. The shock- absorbing means (161, 162, 163, 165) have a top surface 17, substantially flat and parallel to the base layer 12, and lateral walls 18 substantially tilted with respect to the base layer 12 (figures 27, 28 and 29).

According to one aspect of the present invention, the tilt of the lateral walls 18 of the 15 shock-absorbing means, with respect to the base layer 12, is smaller (i.e. the lateral walls 18 project upward not as steeply with respect to the base layer 12) at the raised fold lines (20, 22, 24, 26), of the first plurality of said fold lines 2, and at the raised fold sections (for example 331, 333, 335 and 337), of the fold lines of the second plurality of fold lines 3, with respect to the tilt of the lateral walls 18 of the shock-absorbing means 20 at the recessed fold lines (21, 23, 25 and 27), of the first plurality of said fold lines 2, and at the recessed fold sections (for example 332, 334, 336), of the fold lines of the second plurality of fold lines 3.

The tilt of the lateral walls 18 could also be equivalent among the various sections or the various fold lines, nevertheless considering the fact that, since during the fold of the

25 sole 1 the shock-absorbing means at a raised fold section or at a raised fold line are brought close to each other, in order to allow an optimal fold of the sole 1, i.e. with minimum bulk, the tilt of the lateral walls 18 of the shock-absorbing means at one such fold line or fold section must be comprised between 20° and 55°, preferably between 25° and 50, still more preferably between 31° and 44°.

30 That stated, according to one aspect of the present invention, the base layer 12 is made of a fabric material, selected from among the group comprising: synthetic fabric, natural fabric, leather, metal mesh, mesh made of synthetic fiber, microfiber or a combination thereof.

The blocks of the plurality of blocks 13 preferably comprise a synthetic based 5 compound and/or a natural rubber based compound.

The shock-absorbing means of the plurality of shock-absorbing means 16 preferably comprise synthetic based compound and/or a natural rubber based compound and/or various foam materials.

So, a sole 1 as described above can be preferably made by co-molding, in a suitable i o mold, the base layer 12 with the plurality of blocks 13 or with the plurality of blocks 13 and the plurality of shock-absorbing means 16 (figures 40 and 41).

A sole 1 thus conceived can be combined in a known manner with an upper, in order to make a shoe/footwear according to the present invention (see figures 42, 43 and 44).

Preferably, the upper will be made with an easily foldable material, for example a 15 polyester or microfiber fabric or a fabric made of cotton or leather or eco-leather, in a manner such that the upper itself does not obstruct the fold of the sole 1 according to the fold pattern of the above-described type.

Laboratory tests executed on several test specimens demonstrate that a shoe/footwear provided with a foldable sole 1 according to the present invention, when it is in folded

20 configuration, drastically reduces its own volume.

According to a non-limiting example, such reduction corresponds with attaining a volume of less than a third of the volume that it normally occupies, when it is open or unfolded. The foldable sole 1 according to the present invention, according to a further non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, can attain, when folded, a volume

25 equal to a fourth of the volume normally occupied when it is in open or unfolded configuration. Such volume reduction therefore makes the sole and the footwear obtainable therewith even more easily transportable with respect to the footwear with foldable soles of conventional type.

From what stated above, it is clearly understood that the sole 1 according to the present 30 invention is able to attain the pre-established objects. In addition, the sole 1 according to the present invention, due to its particular configuration which allows it to be folded according to a fold pattern of "Miura" type, has more limited bulk with respect to foldable soles of conventional type and, simultaneously, it is strong and light.

In addition, this is easily attainable with production techniques that are easy to implement and by means of the use of inexpensive materials. All this makes it possible to produce the sole 1 according to the invention at competitive costs.

With the sole 1 according to the present invention, casual footwear can be obtained, for example moccasins, slippers, sandals, or footwear adapted for driving (in particular provided with a sole 1 configured as in the second and in the third embodiment), or footwear adapted for walking, for running or for light sports in general, e.g. yoga, or footwear or sandals for the beach or sea.

Since such footwear can be easily folded on itself, it can be easily transported in a small purse or handbag and be used as spare or emergency footwear.

The present invention was described according to preferred embodiments, but equivalent variants can also be conceived without departing from the protective scope offered by the following claims.