Sole Unit For Footwear and Footwear Provided Therewith

Abstract

The invention provides a water vapor permeable sole unit ( 15 ) including an outsole ply ( 41 ) constructed using an outsole material, possibly formed from a plurality of pieces and/or provided with outsole portions arranged thereunder, which outsole ply is thickness reduced within a circumferential region by means of a recess ( 43 ) extending from an upper side of the outsole ply ( 41 ), and provided with outsole ply through hole openings ( 45 ) extending through the thickness thereof. The sole unit ( 15 ) possesses a water vapor permeable barrier ply ( 47 ) at least partly disposed in the recess ( 43 ) of the outsole ply ( 41 ), extending only over a partial height of the recess ( 43 ) and constructed using a barrier material configured against foreign bodies being forced through. The sole unit ( 15 ) possesses a water vapor permeable comfort ply ( 49 ) disposed above the barrier ply ( 47 ) in the recess ( 43 ) and constructed using a comfort ply material having a lower hardness and/or a lower specific density than the outsole material.

1 . Water vapor permeable sole unit including:
 an outsole ply constructed using an outsole material, possibly formed from a plurality of pieces and/or provided with outsole portions arranged thereunder, which outsole ply is thickness reduced within a circumferential region by means of a recess extending from an upper side of the outsole ply, and provided with outsole ply through hole openings extending through the thickness thereof,   a water vapor permeable barrier ply at least partly disposed in the recess of the outsole ply, extending only over a partial height of the recess and constructed using a barrier material configured to prevent foreign bodies being forced through;   and a water vapor permeable comfort ply disposed above the barrier ply in the recess and constructed using a comfort ply material having a lower hardness and/or a lower specific density than the outsole material.   
     
     
         2 . Sole unit according to  claim 1 , the comfort ply of which is constructed using a water vapor permeable material. 
     
     
         3 . Sole unit according to  claim 2 , the comfort ply of which is constructed using a material selected from the materials group consisting of leather, open cell foam material, water vapor permeable textile knitted material, water vapor permeable textile fleece material, water vapor permeable felt material and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . Sole unit according to  claim 3 , the comfort ply of which is constructed using a multi ply knit with the drawn loops being displaced relative to each other plywise. 
     
     
         5 . Sole unit according to  claim 3 , the comfort ply of which is constructed using water vapor permeable textile material selected at least partly from the materials group consisting of polyamide, polyester and polypropylene plastics material. 
     
     
         6 . Sole unit according to  claim 2 , the comfort ply of which is provided with comfort ply through hole openings extending through the thickness thereof and at least partly overlapping with the outsole ply through hole openings. 
     
     
         7 . Sole unit according to  claim 1 , the comfort ply of which is constructed using a non water vapor permeable material and provided with comfort ply through hole openings extending through the thickness thereof and at least partly overlapping with the outsole ply through hole openings. 
     
     
         8 . Sole unit according to  claim 7 , the comfort ply of which is constructed using a plastic, foamed or unfoamed material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane (PU) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). 
     
     
         9 . Sole unit according to  claim 6 , wherein the through hole openings of the comfort ply extend through the comfort ply at such an oblique angle relative to a tread surface of the sole unit that, for the comfort ply through hole openings, oblique wall portions are formed which counter the penetration of foreign bodies. 
     
     
         10 . Sole unit according to  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the outsole ply through hole openings and/or comfort ply through hole openings has an area of at least 0.5 cm 2 . 
     
     
         11 . Sole unit according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the outsole ply through hole openings and/or comfort ply through hole openings has an area of at least 5 cm 2 . 
     
     
         12 . Sole unit according to  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the outsole ply through hole openings and/or comfort ply through hole openings has an area of at least 20 cm 2 . 
     
     
         13 . Sole unit according to  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the outsole ply through hole openings and/or comfort ply through hole openings has an area of at least 40 cm 2 . 
     
     
         14 . Sole unit according to  claim 1 , the comfort ply of which is constructed using an air permeable ply in the form of an air permeable spacer structure. 
     
     
         15 . Sole unit according to  claim 14 , the air permeable spacer structure of which includes a sheetlike structure and a plurality of spacer elements extending away from the sheetlike structure perpendicularly and/or at an angle between 0° and 90°. 
     
     
         16 . Sole unit according to  claim 15 , wherein the spacer elements of the spacer structure are formed as tufts. 
     
     
         17 . Sole unit according to  claim 14 , wherein the air permeable spacer structure is constructed using two mutually parallel sheetlike structures connected to each other and held spaced apart in an air permeable manner by means of the spacer elements. 
     
     
         18 . Sole unit according to  claim 14 , the spacer structure of which is constructed using a consolidated formed-loop knit. 
     
     
         19 . Sole unit according to  claim 14 , the spacer structure ( 60 ) of which is constructed to be wave or sawtooth shaped. 
     
     
         20 . Sole unit according to  claim 1 , the barrier ply of which is configured for mechanical stabilization of the sole unit. 
     
     
         21 . Sole unit according to  claim 1 , the barrier ply of which is constructed using a fibrous assembly comprising at least two fibrous components which differ with regard to their melting temperature,
 wherein at least a portion of a first fibrous component has a first melting temperature and a lower first softening temperature range and at least a portion of a second fibrous component has a second melting temperature and a lower second softening temperature range and the first melting temperature and the first softening temperature range are higher than the second melting temperature and the second softening temperature range,   and wherein the fibrous assembly is thermally consolidated, as a consequence of thermal activation of the second fibrous component with a tackifying temperature in the second softening temperature range, while maintaining water vapor permeability in the thermally consolidated region.   
     
     
         22 . Sole unit according to  claim 1 , the outsole ply of which is constructed using a material selected from the materials group consisting of rubber, PU (polyurethane), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), TR (technical rubber) and leather or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         23 . Footwear comprising a shaft arrangement which includes a shaft bottom which is provided with a shaft bottom functional layer and hence is waterproof and water vapor permeable, and comprising a sole unit according to  claim 1  which is bonded to a sole side end region of the shaft arrangement. 
     
     
         24 . Footwear according to  claim 23 , the shaft of which is provided with a shaft functional layer which is bonded in a waterproof manner to the shaft bottom functional layer, making the footwear as a whole waterproof and water vapor permeable.