Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 17/830,706, filed June 2, 2022, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 17/527,306, filed November 16, 2021 , which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63/237,877, filed August 27, 2021 , all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Statement Regarding Federally Sponsored Research or Development

[0002] Not Applicable.

Appendix

[0003] Not Applicable.

Background of the Invention

Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention pertains to articles of footwear comprising dandelion foam latex materials.

SUMMARY

[0005] One aspect of the disclosure is an article of footwear comprising a sole and an upper on the sole. The sole comprises a dandelion latex foam material. The dandelion latex foam material comprises dandelion latex and at least one other natural or synthetic polymer. The dandelion latex foam material is between 20% and 80% dandelion latex.

[0006] Another aspect of the disclosure is an article of footwear comprising a sole and an upper on the sole. The sole comprises a foam material. At least one of the upper or the sole comprises a dandelion latex material. The dandelion latex material comprises dandelion latex and at least one other natural or synthetic polymer.

[0007] Further features and advantages, as well as the operation, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an article of footwear.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a section view of the article of footwear of Figure 1 taken along the centerline of the article of footwear.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a section view of the article of footwear of Figure 1 taken through the heel of the article of footwear.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an article of footwear.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the article of footwear of Figure 4.

[0013] Reference numerals in the written specification and in the figures indicate corresponding items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] An embodiment of an article of footwear in accordance with the present disclosure is indicated generally by reference number 20. The article of footwear 20 comprises a sole, generally indicated by reference number 22, and an upper on the sole, generally indicated by reference number 24. The sole 24 has a sole heel end 26 and a sole toe end 28. The sole 22 extends longitudinally from the sole heel end 26 to the sole toe end 28. The sole 22 has a lateral side 30 extending longitudinally from the sole heel end 26 to the sole toe end 28, and a medial side 32 extending longitudinally from the sole heel end 26 to the sole toe end 28. The sole 22 extends transversely from the lateral side 30 to the medial side 32.

[0015] The sole 22 includes a sole heel region 34, a sole midfoot region 36, a sole forefoot region 38, and a sole toe region 40. The sole heel region 34 extends longitudinally from the sole heel end 26 to the sole midfoot region 36. The sole midfoot region 36 extends longitudinally from the sole heel region 34 to the sole forefoot region 38. The sole forefoot region 38 extends from the sole midfoot region 36 to the sole toe region 40. The sole toe region 40 extends longitudinally from the sole forefoot region 38 to the sole toe end 28.

[0016] The sole may comprise a dandelion latex foam material. As used herein, dandelion latex foam material refers to an elastic foam material that comprises dandelion latex. The dandelion latex foam material may additionally include other polymers (natural or synthetic), such as natural or synthetic rubber. The synthetic rubber may be a thermoplastic elastomer such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or the like. Between 0% and 70% of the dandelion latex foam material may be a thermoplastic elastomer, with the remainder comprising dandelion latex or a combination of dandelion latex and other natural or synthetic polymers. For example, at least 10% of the dandelion latex foam material may be a thermoplastic polymer. As another example, at least 20% of the dandelion latex foam material may be a thermoplastic polymer. As a third example, at least 30% of the dandelion latex foam material may be a thermoplastic polymer. As a fourth example, at least 40% of the dandelion latex foam material may be a thermoplastic polymer. As a fifth example, at least 50% of the dandelion latex foam material may be a thermoplastic polymer. [0017] Preferably, 20% to 80% of the dandelion latex foam material is dandelion latex, with the percentage varying based on the use case of the article of footwear 20. For example, dandelion latex foam material used for the midsole of an article of footwear may comprise a lower percentage of dandelion latex than the outsole of an article of footwear. It should be understood that the percentage of dandelion latex comprising the dandelion latex foam material is not limited to the 20% to 80% range, and that different percentages outside that range may be employed depending on the use case of the article of footwear 20 and the method of manufacturing employed. For example, different percentages of dandelion latex may be used in the dandelion latex foam material depending on whether injection molding or compression molding is employed.

[0018] Depending on the desired physical characteristics, the dandelion latex foam material may or may not be a cross-linked elastomer.

[0019] An advantage of the dandelion latex foam material is that it has a reduced carbon footprint when compared with conventional materials known in the art. For instance, use of the dandelion latex foam material recited herein may result in a CO2 reduction as large as 3 kilograms per kilogram of material produced.

[0020] The upper 24 may also comprise a dandelion latex foam material.

[0021] The sole 22 may further comprise a midsole 42 and an outsole 44. The midsole 42 is between the outsole 44 and the upper 24. The midsole 42 may comprise a first dandelion latex foam material, and the outsole 44 may comprise a second dandelion latex foam material. The first dandelion latex foam material may be different from the second dandelion latex foam material. For example, the second dandelion latex foam material may be harder than the first dandelion latex foam material. The first dandelion latex foam material may have a specific gravity of 0.08 to 0.30 and a hardness of 25 to 90 asker C. The second dandelion latex foam material may have a specific gravity of 0.20 to 0.50 and a hardness of 30 asker C to 75 shore A.

[0022] Alternatively, the outsole 44 may comprise a dandelion latex non-foam material. As used herein, dandelion latex non-foam material refers to a non-foam material that comprises dandelion latex. The dandelion latex non-foam material may additionally include other polymers (natural or synthetic), such as natural or synthetic rubber. The dandelion latex non-foam material may have a hardness of 40 to 80 shore A, and a specific gravity of 0.5 to 1.3. Preferably, the dandelion latex non-foam material may have a hardness of 55 to 70 shore A, and a specific gravity of 0.8 to 1.3. Generally, the dandelion latex non-foam material is denser than the dandelion latex foam material. As yet another alternative, the outsole 44 may comprise both a dandelion latex non-foam material and a dandelion latex foam material.

[0023] The sole 22 may further comprise an insole 46. The insole 46 is above the midsole 42. The insole 46 may comprise a third dandelion latex foam material. The third dandelion latex foam material may be different from the first and second dandelion latex foam materials. For example, the first dandelion latex foam material may be harder than the third dandelion latex foam material. The third dandelion latex foam material may have a specific gravity of 0.08 to 0.20 and a hardness of 10 to 90 asker C.

[0024] The sole 22 of the article of footwear 20 may be of one piece unitary construction or may be of multiple components.

[0025] Another embodiment of an article of footwear, indicated generally at 120, is shown in FIGS. 4-5. The above description of the article of footwear 20 of FIGS. 1-3 applies equally to the article of footwear 120 of FIGS. 4-5, except for the differences noted in the description of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 or as shown in the drawings of FIGS. 4-5. It is also to be understood that components, elements, features, or regions of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 have reference numbers corresponding to the reference numbers of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, except the reference numbers of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 include a prefix “1.”

[0026] The article of footwear 120 has an upper 124, a midsole 142, and an outsole 144. The upper 124 is of one piece unitary construction with the midsole 142. The upper 124 and midsole 142 may comprise a first dandelion latex material, and the outsole 144 may comprise a second dandelion latex material. The first dandelion latex material may be a dandelion latex foam material. The second dandelion latex material may be a dandelion latex foam material. The second dandelion latex material may be harder than the first dandelion latex material. For example, the first dandelion latex foam material may have a specific gravity of 0.08 to 0.30 and a hardness of 25 to 90 asker C, and the second dandelion latex foam material may have a specific gravity of 0.20 to 0.50 and a hardness of 30 asker C to 75 shore A.

[0027] In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the invention has several advantages over the prior art.

[0028] It should also be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term "portion" should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations.

[0029] As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.