U.S. patent application number 10/520178 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-03 for sole for shoes including transpiration side valves formed by moulding.
Invention is credited to Squadroni, Onifares Elpidio.
Application Number | 20050241180 10/520178 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11456394 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050241180 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Squadroni, Onifares
Elpidio |
November 3, 2005 |
Sole for shoes including transpiration side valves formed by
moulding
Abstract
A sole for shoe of elastic material is provided with valves
placed at its sides for discharging inner air, each said valve
consisting of a through channel (4) formed in the thickness of the
sole and not involving the tread of the sole, which channel (4)
connects the interior of the shoe to the outside and is closed by a
perforated diaphragm or membrane (2) of elastic material provided
with a convexity directed to the outside and forming a check valve.
Advantageously, said valves are made in one piece of elastic
material with the sole during the same moulding step, the membrane
being provided with microholes in a later step.
Inventors: |
Squadroni, Onifares Elpidio;
(Civitanova, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YOUNG & THOMPSON
745 SOUTH 23RD STREET
2ND FLOOR
ARLINGTON
VA
22202
US
|
Family ID: |
11456394 |
Appl. No.: |
10/520178 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
June 26, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IT03/00398 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/3B |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 7/081 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
036/003.00B |
International
Class: |
A43B 007/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 5, 2002 |
IT |
RM2002A000363 |
Claims
1. A sole for shoe provided with valves placed at its sides for
discharging inner air characterized in that each said valve
consists of a through channel (4) formed in the thickness of the
sole and not involving the tread of the sole, which channel (4)
connects the interior of the shoe to the outside and is closed by a
perforated diaphragm or membrane (2) of elastic material provided
with a convexity directed to the outside and forming a check
valve.
2. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that a
peripheral channel (21) is provided conveying to one or more valves
the air blown during walking by a plurality of protrusion or igloos
(15), on which the foot of the walker rests with the interposition
of a perforated transpiration sole (16), said igloos (15) being
hollow and open to the top (14) to the interior of the shoe.
3. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that said
channels and said membranes are of elastic material and are made in
one piece with the sole during the same moulding step.
4. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality
of microholes is formed in each diaphragm or membrane (2) after the
moulding step.
5. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that there is
provided: a generally vertical side (10) extending in height from
foot bearing ground above the tread (18) and to which the upper of
the shoe is partially secured; a plurality of dome-shaped chambers,
igloos, protrusions or the like (15), on which the foot rests with
the interposition of a perforated transpiration sole (16), each
chamber or igloo being provided with a hollow (19) and at the upper
side with a through hole (14) allowing the aeration of the shoe
whenever the igloos are pressed during walking; a small channel
(21) which follows the periphery of the area containing the igloos
and conveys the air blown from the igloos during walking; a
plurality of check valves embodied in the sole, each of them
consisting of a thin membrane (2) which is provided with a
microhole (2a) and closes a conduit (4) passing through the side of
the sole and connecting the interior of the shoe to the outside
through a side opening (3).
6. The sole according to claim 5, wherein the protrusions (15) have
an elliptical plan.
7. The sole according to claim 5, wherein the protrusions have a
plan with different shape and size and are distributed in irregular
manner.
8. The sole according to claim 5, characterized in that it is made
of elastic material such as rubber or the like.
9. The sole according to claim 5, characterized in that the side
(10) is made of polyurethane and tread (18), protrusion (15) and
side valves are of rubber.
10. The sole according to claim 5, wherein a generally horizontal
resting surface (17) which can be used to secure the upper is
disposed between side (10) and small channel (21).
11. The sole according to claim 9, wherein in order to prevent the
polyurethane from entering the small channel (21) and the area of
the protrusions (15), a vertical small wall (23) following the
small channel (21) and having a height equal to the protrusions
(15) is provided integral with the tread (18).
12. The sole for shoe according to claim 5, wherein the aeration
chambers formed by the protrusions or igloos (15) are replaced by a
layer (27) of elastic transpiration material with a low specific
gravity to reduce the weight of the sole and/or its size.
13. The sole for shoe according to claim 12, characterized in that
the layer (27) can be provided with a plurality of channels or
grooves (28) to help the air circulation.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a sole for shoe including a
plurality of valves distributed along its outer sides that allow
the shoe to transpirate and to keep its impermeable property
unchanged.
[0002] It is known that the basic problem of shoes provided with
sole of plastic material consists in that the sole of the foot is
not able to perspire in a suitable way.
[0003] To overcome such problem a number of solution have been
proposed to improve the foot aeration and to allow the interior of
the shoe to communicate with the outside.
[0004] Italian Patent No. 1,296,111 in the name of the same
Applicant discloses a sole for shoe having a plurality of check
valves in the thickness of the sole for discharging the inner air
which are made of membranes of elastic material in which microholes
are formed. The membranes have a concavity directed to the sole of
the foot under which a room or a pre-chamber is formed
communicating at the lower side with the outside of the sole.
[0005] During walking, when the pressure in the outer pre-chamber
exceeds the inner pressure of the membrane, the holes in the
concave membranes are closed, thus making the shoe impermeable.
[0006] Such a solution offering, however, the maximum reliability,
has only one limit: it cannot be used in many cases where the
design of the tread of the shoe sole cannot be modified because it
is conditioned by the function performed. Reference should be made
for instance to the shoe soles for trekking and climbing boots that
have treads provided with prominent raised patterns indispensable
for the shoe to grip the soil upon walking. It should also be
mentioned the case in which metallic or plastic means are secured
to the shoe sole or heel to provide anti-slipping or anti-ice
functions with respect to the road, as taught for example by Patent
IT 1,229,575.
[0007] There is also the need to find alternative solutions not
involving the tread of the sole. Patent GB 2 290 016 discloses an
aerated sole which is fully made of elastic material and has at the
upper side a plurality of protrusions provided with through holes
which communicate at the lower side with a plurality of horizontal
channels extending within the sole and reaching side openings.
However, such solution allows on one side foul air to flow out of
the interior of the shoe to the outside, thus ensuring the aeration
without passing through the sole of the shoe, on the other side
disregards at all the problem of the impermeability of the shoe
which is at least compromised as there is no means that prevents
liquids from entering the sole.
[0008] Such a trouble does not exist in a commercially available
sole which is provided with inner channels conveying air to an
output side opening which is closed by a plastic valve that
prevents liquid from entering. Such plastic valve is anchored to
the side of the sole in a step after its moulding, which involves
an additional cost which is added to the s inherent cost of the
valve and makes such a solution uneconomic. Further, the overall
dimension of this valve is such that only one valve can be used
only at the plantar area with the result that its effectiveness in
exchanging foul air inside the shoes is compromised.
[0009] The present invention seeks to overcome all of the problems
and the limits described above by providing a sole with air
discharging valves of elastic material which are disposed at the
sides along the periphery of the sole and can be easily made in
only one step upon moulding the sole.
[0010] This has been accomplished according to a first embodiment
by providing a sole with a peripheral channel conveying air moved
during walking to one or more valves embodied in the side of the
sole from a plurality of aeration chambers, consisting of
protrusions, dome-shaped chambers or igloos which are hollow and
opened at the upper side towards an inner perforated transpiration
sole of the shoe. Advantageously, such valves consist merely of a
membrane or diaphragm provided with microholes and having a
convexity to the outside and closing a channel passing through the
side of the sole. Advantageously, such valves can be made in one
piece and in one moulding step together with the sole, the membrane
being perforated mechanically in a later step.
[0011] In a second embodiment the protrusions or igloos are
replaced by a sole of elastic material with the same thickness and
a low specific gravity, on which the inner perforated transpiration
sole of the shoe can rest, provided that the peripheral channel and
the valves still remain. With regard to this, it should be
appreciated that air is expelled during walking even if the
aeration chambers are not present as a temperature above that of
the foot of the walker is reached inside the shoe so that the sweat
produced by the sudoriparous glands of the foot sole in the
presence of enzymatic or bacterial flora helps a fermentation which
produces an inner pressure inside the shoe which is higher than the
outside pressure, thus causing air to escape through the side
valves.
[0012] A better understanding of the invention will follow from the
following description with reference to the accompanying drawings
that show only by way of a not limiting example a preferred
embodiment thereof.
[0013] In the drawings:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a shoe with a sole
provided with side discharging valves according to the present
invention during walking;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an elevation side view of the outside of a sole of
FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a view of the same sole of FIG. 2 with a length of
the sole broken away;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of the sole;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a partially sectioned top plan view of the sole of
the preceding Figures showing the shape of the valves inside the
side of the sole;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a cross section of the preceding sole along the
plane VI-VI of FIG. 5;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a cross sectioned portion of a variation of the
sole of FIG. 6 where it is shown that an inner sole of the shoe
which is perforated and able to perspire lies on a plurality of
protrusions;
[0021] FIG. 8 shows a top plan view of another variation of a
partially sectioned sole with a different shape of the igloos;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a cross section of the sole of FIG. 8;
[0023] FIG. 10 shows a sports shoe in which the sole consists of a
rubber tread to which the side valves open and above which a
polyurethane member is placed;
[0024] FIGS. 11a-11d show plan views of a set of shapes of shoe
soles with different designs of the protrusions or igloos;
[0025] FIG. 12 shows a variation of the invention in which the
plurality of protrusions are replaced by a layer of light
material;
[0026] FIG. 13 is a longitudinal section of a variation of the sole
of FIG. 12.
[0027] With reference to the Figures, in a first embodiment the
sole designated by 1 and fully made of elastic material
provides:
[0028] a generally vertical side 10 which extends in height from
the foot bearing ground and to which the upper of the shoe is
partially secured;
[0029] a plurality of dome-shaped chambers, igloos, protrusions or
the like 15, on which the foot rests with the interposition of a
perforated transpiration sole 16. Each chamber or igloo is provided
at the upper side with a through hole 14 connecting the interior 19
thereof to the outside and allows air in the shoe to be expelled
whenever the igloos are pressed during walking;
[0030] a small channel 21 which follows the periphery of the area
containing the igloos and conveys the air from the igloos during
walking;
[0031] a plurality of check valves embodied in the sole, each of
them consisting of a thin membrane 2 which is provided with a
microhole 2a and closes a conduit 4 passing through the side of the
sole and connecting the interior of the shoe to the outside through
a side opening 3.
[0032] Such a solution allows a quite impermeable sole provided
with side transpiration valves to be provided easily and
economically in only one processing step by resorting to common
devices which are known to those skilled in the art of moulding
(such as moulds with opposing pins to provide through conduits and
membranes 2), thus strongly reducing the cost. In the embodiment
shown in FIG. 5 the valves are six, four of which near the tip and
two at the heel. As can be seen from the cross section of FIG. 6 at
the middle of the sole, small channel 21 and vertical side 10
define a level surface which is used to secure the upper
[0033] FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a portion of another sole
where the valves are right opposing on both sides. The same Figure
also shows by way of example the securing of the upper to the shoe,
designated by 20, in part to the vertical side and in part to area
17.
[0034] All of these cases refer to soles of elastic material,
particularly rubber, made in only one moulding step. The sole
described, however, has also the advantage of being made of two
materials with different densities, for example rubber and
polyurethane, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this case, apart from
the fact that the protrusions or igloos 15 have a generally
elliptical shape with a wide upper opening 14, the side 10 is made
of polyurethane, and tread 18, protrusions 15 and side valves are
made of rubber by moulding. This is accomplished by the insertion
of the tread and its components after moulding into the lower plane
of a mould before the polyurethane which is a material with a lower
specific gravity is injected. In order to prevent the polyurethane
from entering the small, channel 21 and the area of the protrusions
15, a vertical small wall 23 following the small channel 21 is
provided integral with the tread 18 and having a height equal to
the protrusions 15.
[0035] It is evident that a sole of such type is much lighter than
the sole of rubber which is made in only one moulding step. This
feature has become most important upon coming of sports articles
such as tennis, chopping, running, trekking, etc. where the soles
have high thickness as well as large volumes. FIG. 10 shows by way
of example a shoe of this type where the thickness of the sole does
not lay heavy on the weight of the shoe as only the tread 18 is of
rubber while the layers 25 are of polyurethane.
[0036] In order to provide a much lighter sole, as its thickness
cannot be reduced by aesthetic reasons, especially in soles for the
winter collection, or to provide a sole with a thin thickness,
especially in soles for the summer collection., the aeration
chambers which are formed by protrusions or igloos 15 can be
avoided and replaced by a layer 27 of plastic material which is
elastic and much lighter than rubber, as can be seen in FIG. 12. In
case such material is not transpirating, the layer can be provided
with a plurality of channels or grooves 28 to ensure a correct air
circulation. As already mentioned, the lack of igloos does not
impair the function of the side valves to expel the air flowing
inside the shoe and conveyed from the small channel 21 through the
perforated transpiration sole 16, as the pressure of the air inside
the shoe is still greater than the outside pressure because of
fermentation processes. In conclusion, the aerated sole according
to the invention resorting to valves located sidewise and made by
moulding has a number of advantages:
[0037] as the plane area of the sole has no valve, the tread of
both summer and winter soles can have any design;
[0038] the side valves allows the air to flow from the interior of
the shoe to the outside even at the heel and also without aeration
chambers;
[0039] the side valves do not interfere with the designs of the
treads that can also be very prominent and deeply carved;
[0040] the plane area of the sole without valves can be provided
with anti-slipping means according to the current technology.
* * * * *