Rothy’s shoes are vibrantly colored and green all over– with no contradiction in terms. Indeed, Rothy’s
shoes are green because the uppers
are knitted with fibers made from recycled plastic bottles. As a result, more
than 30 million plastic bottles have been recycled and diverted from landfills
since the shoemaker set up shop, three years ago. In turn, this manufacturing process
contributes to the planetary effort to reduce the production of greenhouse
gasses, assumed responsible for global warming and its effect on climate change.
The shoe knitting process, now commonly used by big brand name
sports shoes (e.g. Nike flyknit), enables the manufacturing of uppers as a single piece, with no
leftovers. This saves on all the waste associated with the prior state of the
art of upper manufacturing, consisting in a cut-out process. A cut-out process,
where shoe uppers are templated on a large sheet of leather, fabric or man-made
leather, leaving many pieces of the sheet unused between each cut-out upper.
Rothy’s soles are also green,
made of carbon-free, recyclable rubber and TPU (Thermolastic PolyUrethane),
while the insoles are made from recycled foam, which is also washable. Indeed,
Rothy’s shoes are completely machine-washable!
Rothy’s adult shoes come in just four styles: point, loafer, slip-on
sneaker and flat. However, the new knitting process allows for a striking array
of different colors and computer–generated patterns and stitches.
The basic design of Rothy’s shoes is patented in the family of US
design patents, listed below.
- USD768366S Shoe
- USD804156S Shoe
- USD805276S1 Shoe
- USD831313S Shoe
- USD831325S Shoe
- USD833729S1 Portion of a shoe
- USD836314S Portion of a shoe
- USD844313S Portion of a shoe
As a
reminder: “a utility patent” protects the way an
article is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an
article looks (35 U.S.C.
171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]].
Included below, the patent Figures 1 and 3, respectively showing a front right perspective and rear heel perspective of the Rothy's shoe design, together with corresponding images of the marketed Rothy's shoes. Both patent Figures are extracted from USD844313S, the
most recent member of the Rothy's US design patent family.
Reference
Rothy’s shoes
MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent
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