Footwear manufacturing process
OwnerLana S. Krauseinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of reclaiming used tennis balls and transforming the material reclaimed from the tennis balls into soles for footwear. This multi-step process requires acquiring used tennis balls, grinding the tennis balls into ground rubber bits (usable elements) and tennis ball “fuzz” (unusable elements). The rubber and fuzz are passed through a screen which allows the rubber bits to exit the screen but retains the fuzz. The rubber is then mixed with an H2O and Polyurethane mixture to form a rubber mixture. This mixture is then pressed to a desired thickness in a hydraulic press, cured, and then cut out into a desired shoe sole shape and size which can be used to manufacture footwear.
Claims9
A method of manufacturing a shoe sole, the method comprising the steps:
- acquiring a plurality of tennis balls
- grinding the tennis balls in a granulator, thereby generating felt fuzz and rubber granules;
- passing said felt fuzz and rubber granules through a screen, thereby separating said rubber granules from said felt fuzz;
- combining water and polyurethane, resulting in a water and polyurethane mixture;
- combining said water and polyurethane mixture with said rubber granules;
- mixing said rubber granules and said water and polyurethane mixture into a rubber mixture;
- placing said rubber mixture into a hydraulic press;
- pressing said rubber mixture into a sheet;
- curing said sheet;
- selecting a cut-out die, said cut-out die shaped for forming a footwear sole;
- cutting a sole from said sheet with said cut-out die;
- and
- applying said sole to a piece of footwear.
A method of manufacturing a shoe sole, the method comprising the steps:
- acquiring a plurality of tennis balls
- grinding the tennis balls in a granulator, thereby generating felt fuzz and rubber granules;
- passing said felt fuzz and rubber granules through a screen having ⅛″ holes, thereby separating said rubber granules from said felt fuzz;
- combining 0.6 oz of water and 5.2 oz of polyurethane, resulting in a water and polyurethane mixture;
- combining said water and polyurethane mixture with one pound of said rubber granules;
- mixing said rubber granules and said water and polyurethane mixture into a rubber mixture and adding 0.5 oz of said felt fuzz to said rubber mixture;
- lubricating two plates of a hydraulic press;
- placing said rubber mixture into said hydraulic press between said two plates;
- pressing said rubber mixture into a sheet;
- curing said sheet for three hours;
- selecting a cut-out die, said cut-out die shaped for forming a footwear sole;
- cutting a sole from said sheet with said cut-out die;
- and
- applying said sole to a piece of footwear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.