# US 10,307,981 B2 · Methods for making a footwear article

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- Number: US 10,307,981 B2
- Document ID: US10307981B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/433,808
- Filed: 2017-02-15
- Published: 2018-08-16
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-15
- Assignees: VF Asia Limited
- Applicants: VF Asia Limited
- Inventors: Pairush Sermpongs
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10307981B2

## CPC

- B29D 35/122: {Soles}
- A43B 9/04: Welted footwear (welts A43B15/00)
- A43B 9/12: Stuck or cemented footwear
- A43B 13/04: Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre
- A43B 13/32: by adhesives
- A43B 13/42: Filling materials located between the insole and outer sole; Stiffening materials
- A43D 3/026: {Lasts for making rubber footwear or for vulcanizing rubber soles to footwear}
- B29D 35/065: {by compression moulding, vulcanising or the like}
- B29D 35/085: {by compression moulding, vulcanising or the like}
- B29D 35/142: {Soles}
- B29K 2021/00: Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
- B29K 2105/24: crosslinked or vulcanised
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)
- A43B: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43D: MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING OR REPAIRING FOOTWEAR
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS

## Abstract

A footwear article is formed according to a process that includes the steps of: forming a sheet including a rubber outsole material; forming an outsole component by passing the sheet through an extruder or calendar machine; applying a vulcanizing accelerant to the outsole component by dipping the outsole component in a liquid bath; forming a plurality of rubber outsoles from the outsole component by cutting the outsole component into the plurality of rubber outsoles; incorporating each of the plurality of rubber outsoles into the footwear article; and vulcanizing the footwear article. The vulcanizing accelerant includes a dithiocarbamate compound. The footwear article includes the rubber outsole, an insole and an upper. The vulcanizing accelerant allows the step of vulcanizing the footwear article to be performed substantially faster as compared to conventional footwear vulcanization methods.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for making a footwear article, comprising:
forming a mixture of rubber outsole material comprising one or more natural or synthetic rubber materials, a filler material, a wax material, and an activator;
compounding the mixture of rubber outsole material into a sheet;
cooling the sheet;
forming an outsole component by passing the sheet through an extruder or calendar machine;
cooling the outsole component;
applying a vulcanizing accelerant to the outsole component by dipping the outsole component in a liquid bath comprising about 15% to about 25% by weight of the vulcanizing accelerant for at least 5 seconds, the vulcanizing accelerant comprising a dithiocarbamate compound;
forming a plurality of rubber outsoles from the outsole component by cutting the outsole component into the plurality of rubber outsoles;
incorporating each of the plurality of rubber outsoles into the footwear article, the footwear article comprising the rubber outsole, an insole and an upper; and
vulcanizing the footwear article at a temperature of approximately 120 degrees Celsius for a time of approximately 40 minutes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the activator comprises zinc oxide.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of vulcanizing the footwear article is performed in an autoclave oven.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the vulcanizing accelerant has an average particle size of less than about 1.5 micrometers.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein substantially all of the vulcanizing accelerant has a particle size less than 20 micrometers.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the footwear article further comprises foxing tape.

### Claim 7

A method for making a footwear article, comprising:
forming a sheet comprising a rubber outsole material;
forming an outsole component by passing the sheet through an extruder or calendar machine;
applying a vulcanizing accelerant to the outsole component by dipping the outsole component in a liquid bath, the vulcanizing accelerant comprising a dithiocarbamate compound;
forming a plurality of rubber outsoles from the outsole component by cutting the outsole component into the plurality of rubber outsoles;
incorporating each of the plurality of rubber outsoles into the footwear article, the footwear article comprising the rubber outsole, an insole and an upper; and
vulcanizing the footwear article.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of vulcanizing the footwear article is performed at a temperature of approximately 120 degrees Celsius for a time of approximately 40 minutes.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the liquid bath comprises about 15% to about 25% by weight of the vulcanizing accelerant.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of applying the vulcanizing accelerant to the outsole component comprises dipping the outsole component in the liquid bath comprising the vulcanizing accelerant for at least 5 seconds.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the sheet comprising the rubber outsole material comprises one or more natural or synthetic rubber materials, a filler material, a wax material, and an activator.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, wherein the activator comprises zinc oxide.