THERMOPLASTIC PROTECTIVE SHOE TOE PROVIDING EASY ASSEMBLY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the protective shoe toe, in particular in work shoes. This protective shoe toe, which is described as the shoe toe in shoe production, is sewn or adhered in various ways in shoes.

STATE OF THE ART

TFP (tailored fiber placement) is a production method with advantages such as processing various fibers such as glass, aramid, carbon and ceramic fibers, embroidering a plurality of layers in the same area in accordance with the preforming of the composite component, making maximum use of reinforcing fibers, low production cost, reproducibility etc.

The shoe toe is produced in aluminum or similar metal alloy materials in the state of the art. This situation causes the shoes to have extra weight and thus makes the work shoes non-ergonomic.

In addition, shoe toes made of thermoset composite are produced in the state of the art. These products, which are lighter than metal, require extra labor at the point of adhering/mounting them to the shoes. In addition, the protective shoe toe made of thermoset composite cannot be recycled.

The file numbered US2004009337A1 regarding the subject in the state of the art relates to a resin safety protective shoe toe made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, relates to a shoe toe that adapts to the wearer's foot by forming the curved surface with different curvatures and the front end part to rise perpendicular to each other. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to protect the user's toes against possible impacts and injuries by forming thermoplastic and plastic layers.

Another aim of the present invention is to comprise of a composite shell and at least one rigid plastic with variable rigidity and at least one elastic layer thereon.

Another aim of the present invention is to be recyclable and easy to assemble with the help of its thermoplastic structure.

Description of the Figures

Figure 1. Bottom view of the protective shoe toe

Figure 2. Isometric view of the protective shoe toe

Figure 3. Back view of the protective shoe toe

Figure 4. Front view of the protective shoe toe

Figure 5. Section view of the protective shoe toe

Reference List

10 Protective shoe toe

1 1 Centering point

20 Thermoplastic shell

30 Rigid layer

31 Connecting section

40 Elastic layer

41 Folding opening

42 Referencing point DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this detailed description, the preferred embodiments of the inventive protective shoe toe (10) are described by means of examples only for clarifying the subject matter.

The inventive thermoplastic protective shoe toe providing easy assembly is manufactured in a three-layer structure. It is a composite shell made of recyclable material since it is thermoplastic, and two plastic layers that will come on top of it, with variable rigidity.

The first of the plastic layers mentioned in the invention is preferably the rigid plastic layer, and the second is the elastic plastic layer. Assembling the inventive shoe toe with said rigid plastic and elastic plastic layers is reduced to a single process. Rigid plastic and elastic plastic are injected on the thermoplastic in an injection press, preferably by back injection method.

The protective shoe toe (10) is a shock absorber that is developed to protect the user's toes from impacts in shoes and especially in work shoes. The protective shoe toe (10) comprises at least one centering point (11). Said centering point (11) is essentially an opening, slot or channel-like point. The protective shoe toe (10) comprises at least one thermoplastic shell (20). Said thermoplastic shell (20) is mainly produced by hot forming under pressure of the preform prepared from carbon fiber structures processed in layers with thermoplastic yarns in the TFP (tailored fiber placement) method. After the preform is placed in the female mold, integrity is ensured by closing the male mold. After the mold is heated up to 310°C and then after 600-780 s of printing time has passed, the mold is cooled and cold opened. The preform becomes a rigid form by taking the shape of the mold. The thermoplastic shell (20) provides lightness and rigidity simultaneously with increased impact resistance by fiber methods.

The protective shoe toe (10) comprises at least one rigid layer (30). Said rigid layer (30) is preferably plastic. The rigid layer (30) is a surface provided all around on the thermoplastic shell (20) in the injection press.

The rigid layer (30) comprises at least one connecting section (31). Said connecting section (31) is essentially a protrusion with L-like geometry on the lower part of the protective shoe toe (10) so as to allow the same to be connected with the sole of the shoe.

The protective shoe toe (10) comprises at least one rigid layer (40). Said elastic layer (40) is essentially plastic and is a partially skirt-like structure formed on the rigid layer (30). The elastic layer (40) comprises at least one folding opening (41). Said folding opening (41) is an opening formed in at least one of the long sides of the elastic layer (40) relative to the referencing point (42). The folding opening is provided in a conical form in the possible embodiment of the invention.

The protective shoe toe (10) consists of a three-layer compact structure as the thermoplastic shell (20), the hard layer (30) and the elastic layer (40) with all this configuration. The protective shoe toe (10), which has increased impact resistance with fiber orientations, is recyclable and lightened, is mounted on the shoe in a single operation with the help of the elastic layer (40) and the rigid layer (30) produced in a compact manner.