Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – With coating – treatment or impregnation of shoe
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-08
2004-05-25
Cole, Elizabeth M. (Department: 1771)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
With coating, treatment or impregnation of shoe
C036S045000, C012S1420RS
Reexamination Certificate
active
06739076
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an artificial leather material exhibiting excellent performance characteristics such as softness, quality appearance, and peel strength. The present invention also relates to a method of producing the artificial leather and to a use of the artificial leather material in a shoe upper.
2. Discussion of the Background
Rapid developments have been made recently in the field of shoe upper materials, including foot protection, fitness and fashionability. Some upper materials that exhibit excellent fitness and fashionability, however, cannot be used as shoe uppers because of their insufficient peel strength and questionable suitability for shoemaking. Further, some kinds of shoe are required to have even higher peel strength. A method is known for sewing shoes using a material having low peel strength, but such a method is poor in productivity and is applicable only to limited types of shoes.
To increase the peel strength of shoes, JP Kokai H09-103303 proposes a method which includes adhering the shoe upper material to a shoe sole with through-holes and reinforcing the material with an adhesive. To attain a sufficient level of peel strength, however, a large number of through-holes must be provided and, as a result, the strength of the shoe upper is markedly decreased.
JP Kokai H10-192004 proposes a method which includes inserting an adhesive sheet between the sole and shoe upper faces and heating the sandwich structure under pressure. Such a method, however, impairs the softness of the shoe upper material.
Thus, with the conventional methods discussed above, it is difficult to produce shoes having a sufficient level of peel strength without impairing the softness, fashionability, quality appearance and the like of shoe upper materials.
SUMMARY Of THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe having a sufficient level of peel strength without impairing the softness, fashionability, quality appearance and the like of shoe upper materials.
These and other objects of the present invention may be accomplished with the present invention, the first embodiment of which includes a laminated sheet material, including, in order:
(A) a substrate layer having an inner surface and at least a partially napped outer surface and including:
an entangled nonwoven first fabric including ultrafine fibers having a fineness of not more than 0.01 decitex; and
a first elastomeric polymer impregnated in the first fabric;
(B) an adhesive layer; and
(C) a substrate layer, including:
an entangled nonwoven second fabric including fibers having a fineness of not less than 0.05 decitex; and
a second elastomeric polymer impregnated in the second fabric;
a wherein at least a portion of the napped outer surface is covered with a third polymer, the third polymer being solid at a temperature of 20-25° C. and having a melting point not lower than 60° C. and having an elongation at break of not more than 10%.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a shoe upper, that includes the above-mentioned laminated sheet material.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an artificial leather shoe, that includes the above-mentioned laminated sheet material.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an artificial leather shoe, that includes:
a shoe upper and a shoe sole; wherein
the shoe upper includes, in order:
(A) a substrate layer having an inner surface and at least an outer surface and including:
an entangled nonwoven first fabric including ultrafine fibers having a fineness of not more than 0.01 decitex; and
a first elastomeric polymer impregnated in the first fabric;
(B) an adhesive layer; and
(C) a substrate layer, including:
an entangled nonwoven second fabric including fibers having a fineness of not less than 0.05 decitex; and
a second elastomeric polymer impregnated in including second fabric;
wherein the outer surface of said substrate layer (A) forms an exterior surface of the shoe upper;
wherein the shoe sole is fixedly bonded to a portion of the shoe upper with an adhesive;
wherein, at the portion of the shoe upper that is fixedly bonded to the shoe sole, the substrate layer (A) and the adhesive layer (B) have been substantially removed such that the substrate layer (C) is directly bonded to the shoe sole with the adhesive.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of making an artificial leather shoe, which includes:
bonding a portion of a shoe upper to a shoe sole together with an adhesive;
wherein the shoe upper includes, in order:
(A) a substrate layer having an inner surface and at least an outer surface and including:
an entangled nonwoven first fabric including ultrafine fibers having a fineness of not more than 0.01 decitex; and
a first elastomeric polymer impregnated in the first fabric;
(B) an adhesive layer; and
(C) a substrate layer, including:
an entangled nonwoven second fabric including fibers having a fineness of not less than 0.05 decitex; and
a second elastomeric polymer impregnated in the second fabric;
wherein the outer surface of the substrate layer (A) forms an exterior surface of the shoe upper;
wherein, prior to bonding the portion of the shoe upper to the shoe sole together, the substrate layer (A) and the adhesive layer (B) are substantially shaved off in the portion of the shoe upper such that the substrate layer (C) is directly bonded to said shoe sole.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.
The invention preferably includes a shoe including a shoe upper made of a shoe upper material, which is a laminate composed of a substrate layer (A) including an entangled nonwoven fabric made of ultrafine fibers having a fineness of not more than 0.01 decitex and containing an elastomeric polymer, an adhesive layer (B) and a substrate layer (C) including an entangled nonwoven fabric made of fibers having a fineness of not less than 0.05 decitex and containing an elastomeric polymer, as layered in that order, with the surface of the layer (A) serving as the exterior, and a shoe sole material fixedly bonded to the shoe upper by means of an adhesive, which shoe is characterized in that the layer (A) and layer (B) of the shoe upper material have been substantially removed in that part which bonds the shoe upper material and sole material together, so that the layer (C) is directly bonded to the sole material by means of an adhesive.
The invention also includes a method of making artificial leather shoes which includes preparing a shoe upper from a laminate composed of a substrate layer (A) including an entangled nonwoven fabric made of ultrafine fibers having a fineness of not more than 0.01 decitex and containing an elastomeric polymer, an adhesive layer (B) and a substrate layer (C) including an entangled nonwoven fabric made of fibers having a fineness of not less than 0.05 decitex and containing an elastomeric polymer, as layered in that order, with the surface of the layer (A) serving as the exterior, and making a shoe using the shoe upper, which method is characterized in that, prior to bonding the shoe upper and sole material together, the layer (A) and layer (B) are substantially shaved of fin that part which bonds the shoe upper and sole material together and then the layer (C) is directly bonded to the sole material by means of an adhesive.
The invention further includes a leather-like sheet material which is a laminate composed of the above-mentioned substrate layer (A), adhesive layer (B) and substrate layer (C) and is characterized in that at least part of the outer surface of substrate layer (A) is napped and the ultrafine fibers thereof are covered with a polymer which is a solid at ordinary temperature and has a melting point of not lower than 60° C. and an elongation at break of not more th
Kobayashi Susumu
Matsui Mikihiro
Nobuto Yoshiki
Yamada Tomo
Yoneda Hisao
Cole Elizabeth M.
Kuraray Co. Ltd.
Pierce Jeremy R
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