U.S. patent application number 10/685014 was filed with the patent office on 2004-04-29 for footwear with breathable sole.
This patent application is currently assigned to Jeffrey S. Brooks, Inc.. Invention is credited to Brooks, Jeffrey S..
Application Number | 20040078996 10/685014 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32176459 |
Filed Date | 2004-04-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040078996 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brooks, Jeffrey S. |
April 29, 2004 |
Footwear with breathable sole
Abstract
Footwear having a ventilated sole system to cool the foot is
provided. The footwear includes a generally horizontal sole having
an outer sole and an insole providing a surface adjacent the foot.
The footwear also includes an air flow pump positioned between the
outer sole and the insole. The air flow pump includes a generally
horizontal tubular pump element extending generally transverse of
the footwear from a medial side of the sole to a lateral side of
the sole. The pump element defines an interior volume and has
opposite ends open to ambient air. The pump element also has a
plurality of holes therein providing fluid communication between
the interior volume and the surface adjacent the foot. The pump
element is resiliently compressible in a generally vertical
direction upon impact of the footwear during walking or running and
expansible upon liftoff causing ambient air to flow through the
holes in the pump elements to cool the foot.
Inventors: |
Brooks, Jeffrey S.; (St.
Louis County, MO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SENNIGER POWERS LEAVITT AND ROEDEL
ONE METROPOLITAN SQUARE
16TH FLOOR
ST LOUIS
MO
63102
US
|
Assignee: |
Jeffrey S. Brooks, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
32176459 |
Appl. No.: |
10/685014 |
Filed: |
October 14, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60417895 |
Oct 11, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/3B ;
36/3R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 7/144 20130101;
A43B 13/125 20130101; A43B 7/081 20130101; A43B 7/142 20130101;
A43B 7/125 20130101; A43B 13/203 20130101; A43B 13/206 20130101;
A43B 7/148 20130101; A43B 1/0018 20130101; A43B 7/1445
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
036/003.00B ;
036/003.00R |
International
Class: |
A43B 007/06 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Footwear comprising a generally horizontal sole having at least
one air flow pumps therein, each air flow pump comprising a
generally horizontal tubular pump element defining an interior
volume and having opposite ends open to ambient air, and holes in
the pump element providing fluid communication between said
interior volume and a surface of the footwear adjacent a foot in
the footwear, each pump element being resiliently compressible in a
generally vertical direction upon impact of the footwear during
walking or running and expansible upon liftoff during walking or
running, said resilient compression and expansion causing ambient
air to flow through the holes in said one or more pump elements to
cool the foot.
2. Footwear as set forth in claim 1 wherein said at least one air
flow pump comprises a plurality of tubular pump elements having
ends open to ambient air.
3. Footwear as set forth in claim 2 wherein said plurality of pump
elements extend generally transverse of the footwear from a medial
side of the sole to a lateral side of the sole.
4. Footwear as set forth in claim 2 wherein the open ends of the
pump elements are covered with a barrier pervious to the flow of
air but substantially impervious to the flow of water.
5. Footwear as set forth in claim 2 wherein the open ends of the
pump elements are covered with a valve having movable flaps making
the valve substantially impervious to the flow of water when the
flaps are in a closed position.
6. Footwear as set forth in claim 2 wherein said sole comprises an
outer sole and a midsole, said midsole having at least one recess
defined therein, wherein said at least one air flow pump is located
in said recess.
7. Footwear as set forth in claim 6 wherein said midsole has a
plurality of holes in the medial side and in the lateral side
thereof, said holes being in registration with the open ends of the
pump elements for communication of the pump elements with ambient
air.
8. Footwear as set forth in claim 7 wherein said holes in the
midsole have a decorative shape.
9. Footwear as set forth in claim 7 wherein said sole further
comprises a liner, said liner having a plurality of openings
therein, said openings in communication with the holes in the pump
elements such that air can pass out of said holes and through said
openings in the liner.
10. Footwear as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pump elements are
accordion-shaped in transverse cross section.
11. Footwear as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pump elements are
circular in transverse cross section.
12. Footwear as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pump elements
have enlarged portions to increase the size of said open ends.
13. Footwear as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sole has heel,
arch and forefoot sections, with air flow pumps being disposed in
said arch and forefoot sections.
14. Footwear having a ventilated sole system to cool a foot in the
footwear, the footwear comprising: a generally horizontal sole
having an outer sole and an insole providing a surface adjacent the
foot; an air flow pump positioned between the outer sole and the
insole, the air flow pump comprising a plurality of generally
horizontal tubular pump elements extending generally transverse of
the footwear from a medial side of the sole to a lateral side of
the sole, each pump element defining an interior volume and having
opposite ends open to ambient air, each pump element having a
plurality of holes therein providing fluid communication between
said interior volume and the surface adjacent the foot, and each
pump element being resiliently compressible in a generally vertical
direction upon impact of the footwear during walking or running and
expansible upon liftoff, said resilient compression and expansion
causing ambient air to flow through the holes in said pump elements
to cool the foot.
15. Footwear as set forth in claim 14 wherein said sole comprises a
midsole between said outer sole and insole, said midsole having a
recess therein, and wherein said air flow pump is located in said
recess.
16. Footwear as set forth in claim 15 wherein said midsole has a
plurality of holes in sides thereof, said holes being in
registration with the open ends of the pump elements for
communication of the pump elements with ambient air.
17. Footwear as set forth in claim 14 wherein said sole has heel,
arch and forefoot sections, and said air flow pump is a first air
flow pump, the footwear further comprising a second air flow pump,
said air flow pumps being disposed in said arch and forefoot
sections to cool the foot.
18. Footwear as set forth in claim 17 further comprising a third
air flow pump, said third air flow pump being disposed in said heel
section to cool the foot.
19. Footwear as set forth in claim 14 wherein said pump elements
have enlarged portions to increase the size of said open ends.
20. Footwear as set forth in claim 14 wherein the open ends of the
pump elements are covered with a barrier pervious to the flow of
air but substantially impervious to the flow of water.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/417,895, filed Oct. 11, 2002, titled FOOTWEAR
WITH BREATHABLE SOLE.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] While shoes provide protection and cushioning, they also
tend to trap heat and inhibit circulation of air around the foot.
As the temperature of the foot rises, the natural cooling system of
the body triggers sweat glands in the skin to release sweat to cool
the foot. The warm, moist environment in the shoe promotes the
growth of a normal flora of bacteria, yeast and fungus found around
the foot and the added moisture from sweaty feet causes the normal
flora to multiply more rapidly, leading to foot odor. Typical
synthetic shoe uppers and liners commonly used compound this
problem because they are made of material that doesn't allow air to
pass through. The air has a cooling effect that helps maintain a
comfortable foot temperature. Reducing the amount of air
circulating around the foot causes the foot temperature to rise and
leads to sweaty feet and foot odor
[0003] Attempts have been made to address this issue by making at
least a portion of the shoe upper out of a "breathable" material
(i.e., air permeable material) or by providing perforations in the
shoe upper. While these measures are helpful, their effectiveness
leaves much to be desired. One reason is that there is not much to
compel air to actually flow through the breathable material or
perforations. Additionally, about 60 percent of the pores on the
foot are on the bottom or sole of the foot.
[0004] Air circulation systems including a pumping device contained
within the sole of the footwear have been attempted to address this
problem by bringing in additional air to cool the foot. As the
wearer steps down on the footwear, the pumping device is compressed
forcing air contained therein to circulate over the foot through
openings in the insole. When the wearer's weight is lifted from the
footwear, the pumping device expands to refill with air. However,
conventional air circulation systems often fail to provide the
desired balance between resiliency, flexibility, durability, visual
aesthetics, and cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Among the several objects of this invention may be noted the
provision of footwear having a sole (e.g., outer sole, midsole
and/or insole) which provides for the forced flow of ambient air to
the foot inside the footwear to cool it; the provision of such
footwear which provides good foot support while cushioning the
foot; the provision of such footwear which is economical to
manufacture; and the provision of such footwear which is attractive
in appearance.
[0006] In general, footwear of the present invention comprises a
generally horizontal sole having one or more air flow pumps
therein. Each air flow pump comprises a generally horizontal
tubular pump element defining an interior volume and having
opposite ends open to ambient air. Holes along the pump element
provide fluid communication between the interior volume of the
element and a surface of the footwear adjacent a foot in the
footwear. Each pump element is resiliently compressible in a
generally vertical direction upon impact of the footwear during
walking or running and expansible upon liftoff during walking or
running. This resilient compression and expansion causes ambient
air to flow through the holes in the one or more pump elements to
cool the foot.
[0007] In another aspect, the invention is directed to footwear
having a ventilated sole system to cool a foot in the footwear. The
footwear includes a generally horizontal sole having an outer sole
and an insole providing a surface adjacent the foot. The footwear
also includes an air flow pump positioned between the outer sole
and the insole. The air flow pump includes a generally horizontal
tubular pump element extending generally transverse of the footwear
from a medial side of the sole to a lateral side of the sole. The
pump element defines an interior volume and has opposite ends open
to ambient air. The pump element also has a plurality of holes
therein providing fluid communication between the interior volume
and the surface adjacent the foot. The pump element is resiliently
compressible in a generally vertical direction upon impact of the
footwear during walking or running and expansible upon liftoff, the
resilient compression and expansion causing ambient air to flow
through the holes in the pump elements to cool the foot.
[0008] Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in
part pointed out hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a side elevation of footwear having a ventilated
sole system in accordance with this invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the sole of the footwear of
FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the midsole of the footwear
with the liner removed illustrating the ventilated sole system;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the midsole with parts
broken away to show detail of the ventilation system;
[0013] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the midsole
similar to FIG. 4;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an air flow
pump of the ventilated sole system;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an air
flow pump of the ventilated sole system; and
[0016] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an air
flow pump of the ventilated sole system having a waterproof
barrier.
[0017] Corresponding parts are indicated by corresponding reference
numbers throughout the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, footwear
incorporating the construction of the present invention is
indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 1. In the
embodiment shown, the footwear 1 comprises a sole, indicated
generally at 3, and a shoe upper 5 (shown in phantom), such as the
upper of a running shoe, but it will be understood that the
teachings of the present invention are applicable to other types of
footwear, such as boots, sandals, dress shoes, etc. In one
embodiment, the sole comprises multiple parts, including a lower
outer sole 7, a midsole 9 above the outer sole, and an insole 11
(e.g., a liner or sock) above the midsole. The sole 3 also has
heel, arch, forefoot and toe sections indicated at 17, 19, 21 and
23, respectively. Preferably, the sole 3 is contoured to provide
support for the foot in accordance with the teachings of
co-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,899 entitled "FOOTWEAR", which is
incorporated by reference in a manner consistent with this
disclosure.
[0019] The outer sole 7 is of a durable material, such as rubber,
for example, having a suitable tread pattern. The insole 11 is of a
suitable insole material (e.g., cotton, felt, nylon, EVA, poron
(foams) or a "Gor-Tex" material) and configured to engage the foot
of the wearer. Except as further described below, the shoe upper 5,
outer sole 7 and insole 11 may be of conventional construction
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly,
additional details of construction and operation of the upper 5,
outer sole 7 and insole 11 will not be described herein.
[0020] The midsole 9 is fabricated from a suitable compressible and
resilient material or materials to provide cushioning to the foot
while walking or running. In one embodiment, the midsole 9 is
fabricated in accordance with the teachings of co-assigned U.S.
Pat. No. 5,787,610 entitled "FOOTWEAR" and U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,046
entitled "FOOTWEAR", both of which are incorporated by reference in
a manner consistent with this disclosure.
[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the midsole 9 is constructed
with one or more recesses therein, suitably a first recess 27 in
the arch section 19, and a second recess 29 in the forefoot section
21 for receiving a corresponding number of air flow pumps, each
generally designated 31. In the embodiment described above, the air
flow pumps 31 are located in the arch section 19 and forefoot
section 21 of the midsole 9, but it will be understood that they
may be located in other areas of the sole, including the heel
section 17 and the toe section 23, or any combination of sections.
In the embodiment shown, each air flow pump 31 comprises a
plurality of elongate generally horizontal tubular pump elements 33
mounted on a substrate 35 that overlies the outer sole 7. The pump
elements 33 are arranged to extend generally transversely of the
sole 3 from a medial side 36 to a lateral side 37 of the sole.
Alternatively, the pump elements 33 can extend longitudinally of
the sole or in some other direction. Preferably, the pump elements
33 and substrate 35 are molded as an integral unit, but this is not
essential; in fact, the substrate can be eliminated entirely, if
desired. Alternatively, the pump elements 33 can be molded as part
of the midsole 9. Further, the pump elements 33 may be formed as
part of a sole 3 which does not include a midsole.
[0022] As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, each pump element 33 defines
an interior volume 38 and has opposite open ends 39. The pump
elements 33 may have various compressible shapes and forms. For
example, the pump elements 33 in FIG. 6 are accordion-shaped in
vertical cross section, and the pump elements 33 in FIG. 7 are
circular in vertical cross section. Other shapes are possible.
Optionally, the end portions of the elongate pump elements 33 may
be enlarged to increase the flow of air through the pump elements
to the foot. The open ends 39 are in registration with holes 45
(FIG. 3) in the sides 36, 37 of the midsole 9 so that the open ends
39 of the pump elements 33 are open to ambient air. The holes 45
may have an ornamental shape (e.g., star shaped as shown in FIG. 1
or circular as shown in FIG. 3), if desired, to enhance the
appearance of the footwear 1. The pump elements 33 are fabricated
from a resiliently compressible material such as polyurethane, TPR,
PVC or EVA or other suitable material having a Type C (commonly
referred to as "Shore C scale") durometer hardness measured in
accordance with American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM)
standard D 2240-97 in the range of about 45-65, for example.
[0023] A row of holes 47 is provided along the top of each pump
element 33. The recesses 27, 29 in the midsole 9 containing the air
flow pumps 31 are covered by a suitable liner 51 having openings 53
therein (see FIG. 2). The openings 53 are suitably in communication
with the holes 47 in the pump elements 33 such that air can pass
out of holes 47 and through openings 53. The insole 11 (FIG. 2) is
made of a breathable material or also may have perforations. The
arrangement is such that each pump element 33 is resiliently
compressible in a generally vertical direction upon impact of the
footwear during walking or running and expansible upon liftoff
during walking or running. This repeated compression and expansion
causes ambient air to be pumped into the open ends 39 of the pump
elements 33 and to flow up through the holes 47 in the pump
elements 33, through the holes 53 in the liner 51 and then through
the insole 11 to provide ventilation to the foot. The ventilation
cools the foot, thus decreasing the amount of perspiration produced
and reducing foot odor.
[0024] Referring now to FIG. 8, in one embodiment, the open ends 39
of the pump elements 33 are covered by appropriate moister barriers
60. In one embodiment, the barriers 60 are of a suitable material
pervious to the inflow of air but substantially impervious to the
flow of water, such as a polytetrafluoroethylene material sold
under the "Gor-Tex" trademark owned by W. L. Gore and Associates of
Newark, Del., to prevent the flow of water into the pump elements
33. Alternately, the barriers 60 can be valves having multiple
movable flaps that open and close with pressure on the sole 3
without departing from the scope of the invention. Such barriers 60
can have flaps similar in design to flaps in venous valves that
permit flow in one direction when in an open position and prevent
flow in a closed or sealed position. Such a barrier 60
substantially prevents backflow thus creating a vacuum in the pump
element 33 to recapture air from around the foot. Additionally, the
barrier 60 can be a strip of suitable material (not shown)
extending along outer sides of the midsole 9 covering the open ends
39 of the pump elements 33.
[0025] When introducing elements of the present invention or the
preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the" and
"said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the
elements. The terms "comprising", "including" and "having" are
intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional
elements other than the listed elements.
[0026] As various changes could be made in the above constructions
without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended
that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the
accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
* * * * *