Sole and Footwear Having the Sole

This application claims the benefit and priority to Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 202521405805.4, filed on Jul. 4, 2025, entitled “SOLE AND FOOTWEAR”, and the content of which is hereby fully incorporated by reference.

The subject matter relates to a technical field of daily necessities, and in particular to a sole and a footwear having the sole.

Shoes are indispensable daily necessities for human beings, especially for those who love outdoor activities, who have higher requirements for shoes. Since they walk or stand for a longer time during outdoor activities, it is often very important to choose a pair of comfortable shoes.

How to improve the comfort of the shoes is thus problematic.

The present disclosure provides a sole, including a first layer, a second layer, a third layer, and a fourth layer stacked from bottom to top. A hardness of the first layer is greater than a hardness of the third layer, the hardness of the third layer is greater than a hardness of the second layer, and the hardness of the second layer is greater than a hardness of the fourth layer.

The present disclosure further provides a footwear, including an upper and the above sole. The sole is connected to the upper.

Other aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are also expected. The above summary and the following detailed description are not intended to limit the present disclosure to any particular embodiment, but are merely intended to describe some embodiments of the present disclosure.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different FIGURES to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure.

Implementations of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of embodiments, with reference to the above FIGURES. The embodiments are obviously a portion but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms used in the present disclosure have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The terms used in the present disclosure are for describing specific embodiments but not intended to limit the scope of present disclosure. In addition, technical features involved in different embodiments of this application that are described below may be combined as long as they do not conflict with each other.

Referring to, a footwearis provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The footwearincludes a soleand an upperconnected to the sole.

The soleincludes a first layer, a second layer, a third layerand a fourth layerstacked from bottom to top. It can be understood that, during use, the fourth layeris closer to the bottom surface of the foot than the first layer, and the first layeris closer to the ground than the fourth layer. A hardness of the first layeris greater than a hardness of the third layer, the hardness of the third layeris greater than a hardness of the second layer, and the hardness of the second layeris greater than a hardness of the fourth layer. In this application, the hardness is measured by a Shore hardness tester of type C.

The first layerhas the greatest hardness, providing support and framework stability to the entire soleduring use. As the first layeris located at the bottom, its maximum hardness also helps to enhance the durability of the entire sole. The second layer, which is softer, is placed on a top of the first layerto absorb the impact of body weight, reducing the shock to the knees and ankles during use, and thus reducing the fatigue and the discomfort of the user. The third layerhas a relatively high hardness and, in combination with the first layer, further enhances the stability of support. The layered structure of the first layer, the second layerand the third layerwith different hardnesses not only achieves effective buffering but also ensures the stability of support. Moreover, the hardness of the third layeris less than that of the first layer, which is beneficial to improving the user's foot feel and comfort. The fourth layer, being the top layer, has the least hardness, which can directly enhance the effect of shock absorption, thereby reducing fatigue from prolonged walking or standing. Therefore, through the mutual cooperation of the first layer, the second layer, the third layerand the fourth layerwith different hardnesses, the overall support effect of the soleis guaranteed while enhancing the buffering effect, achieving the goal of not getting tired from standing for a long time and saving effort when walking for a long time, and ultimately improving the overall comfort of the footwear.

In some embodiments, the hardness of the first layermay be in a range of 51±3 degrees, the hardness of the second layermay be in a range of 45±3 degrees, the hardness of the third layermay be in a range of 49±3 degrees, and the hardness of the fourth layermay be in a range of 35±3 degrees. The combination of these hardness ranges is more conducive to enhancing the overall buffering effect of the solewhile ensuring the overall support effect of the sole, thereby improving the overall comfort of the footwear.

In some embodiments, a difference in hardness between the first layerand the second layermay be 10 degrees, and a difference in hardness between the third layerand the fourth layermay be 15 degrees, which is more conducive to eliminating fatigue and discomfort.

In some embodiments, the hardness of the first layermay be 50 degrees, the hardness of the second layer may be 45 degrees, the hardness of the third layer may be 49 degrees, and the hardness of the fourth layer may be 35 degrees.

The first layeris at least located in a rearfoot area and an arch area of the second layerto better support the bottom surface of the foot. In the illustrated embodiment, the first layeris located in the rearfoot area and the arch area of the second layer. In some embodiments, the first layermay further extend to a forefoot area of the second layerto support the entire forefoot area of the second layer.

The third layermay be but is not limited to a 4D printed layer. Due to its relatively high hardness, the layer formed by 4D printing is convenient for the third layerto conform to the shape, thereby better supporting the bottom surface of the foot of the user.

In some embodiments, the solemay further satisfy: a rebound rate of the second layermay be greater than a rebound rate of the fourth layer, the rebound rate of the fourth layermay be greater than a rebound rate of the first layer, and the rebound rate of the first layermay be greater than a rebound rate of the third layer. Since the fourth layerand the second layerare softer, but usually the thickness of the first layeris limited to be thinner, the second layerwith the largest rebound rate can be set to be thicker, which is beneficial for utilizing the rebound potential energy to enable the user to walk with less effort, thereby reducing fatigue. And since the fourth layeris closest to the bottom surface of the human foot, a larger rebound rate can directly act on the bottom surface of the human foot to provide a boost, thereby allowing walk to be more effortless. The third layer, which is sandwiched between the fourth layerand the second layer, has the lowest rebound rate, which is beneficial for better transmission of the rebound effect of the second layerand also helps to improve the durability of the sole. The first layerhas a lower rebound rate, which enhance the support and the stability of the sole. The cooperation of the layers with different rebound rates is beneficial for further enhancing the rebound effect while ensuring the overall support effect of the sole, thereby further achieving the goal of not getting tired from standing for a long time and walking with less effort, and improving the overall comfort of the footwear. The rebound rate can be measured according to JIS K 6255.

In some embodiments, the rebound rate of the first layermay be in a range of 55%±2%, the rebound rate of the second layermay be in a range of 65%±2%, the rebound rate of the third layermay be in a range of 50%±2%, and the rebound rate of the fourth layermay be in a range of 60%±2%. The cooperation of the layers within the above rebound rate ranges is more beneficial for enhancing the overall rebound effect of the solewhile ensuring the overall support effect of the sole, thereby improving the overall comfort of the footwear.

In some embodiments, a difference in rebound rate between any two adjacent layers among the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layermay be 10% to 15%, which is beneficial for better transmission of the rebound force and reduction of rebound force loss, thereby further improving the overall comfort of the footwear.

In some embodiments, the rebound rate of the first layermay be 55%, the rebound rate of the second layermay be 65%, the rebound rate of the third layermay be 50%, and the rebound rate of the fourth layermay be 60%.

In some embodiments, the solemay further satisfy: a density of the first layeris greater than a density of the third layer, the density of the third layeris greater than a density of the second layer, and the density of the second layeris greater than or equal to a density of the fourth layer. As the bottom layer, the first layerwith the maximum density is beneficial for providing better support effect, thereby providing better protection for the user. The third layerin the middle layer with a higher density can provide better support for the upper layers and thus better protection. Meanwhile, the higher density of the first layerand the third layeris beneficial for improving the durability of the footwear, thereby enhancing the commercial value of the footwear. The lower density of the second layerand the fourth layeris beneficial for the lightweight of the sole, thereby improving the overall lightness of the footwearand further enhancing the comfort of the footwear.

In some embodiments, the density of the first layermay be in a range of 200 G/L to 260 G/L, the density of the second layermay be in a range of 120 G/L to 160 G/L, the density of the third layermay be in a range of 190 G/L to 250 G/L, and the density of the fourth layermay be in a range of 120 G/L to 150 G/L. The cooperation of the layers within the above density ranges is more conducive to the lightweight of the soleand helps to ensure the overall support effect of the sole, thereby enhancing the comfort of the footwear.

In some embodiments, a difference in the density between any two adjacent layers among the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layeris greater than or equal to 50, which is beneficial for the soleto achieve better stability and durability.

In some embodiments, the density of the first layermay be 250 G/L, the density of the second layermay be 150 G/L, the density of the third layermay be 200 G/L, and the density of the fourth layermay be 150 G/L.

In some embodiments, the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layermay all be popcorn layers containing foamed thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, which is conducive to further reducing the weight of the soleand further enhancing the comfort of the footwear. In other embodiments, the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layermay also be other commonly used sole materials, which will not be elaborated in this application.

The solemay further include an outsole. In this embodiment, the outsoleis located on a side of the first layerfacing away from the second layerand in an area of a side of the second layerfacing away from the third layer, and the area is not supported by the first layer(i.e., the forefoot area of the second layer). When the first layersimultaneously supports the forefoot area of the second layer, the outsoleis only located on the side of the first layerfacing away from the second layer.

When using the above-mentioned footwear, the fourth layerwith the lowest hardness reduces the fatigue of long-term walking through buffering, and the softest fourth layeris closest to the bottom surface of the foot, thereby providing a more comfortable usage experience. When the force is transmitted from the fourth layerdownward, the third layerwith greater hardness provides an upward support effect, and the force transmitted through the third layerto the second layerwith lower hardness is further absorbed by the second layer, the second layerbuffers the third layer. When the force is transmitted from the second layerdownward, the first layerwith the greatest hardness provides sufficient upward support, thereby ensuring the overall stability of the footwearwhile dissipating the force from top to bottom, achieving the effect of not getting tired from standing or walking for a long time and saving effort when walking, and thus enhancing the comfort of the footwear.

Even though information and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the present embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present embodiments to the full extent indicated by the plain meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.