U.S. patent application number 11/224008 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-15 for shoe pad structure having an air chamber.
Invention is credited to Shuang-Chu Tsai.
Application Number | 20070056188 11/224008 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37853607 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070056188 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsai; Shuang-Chu |
March 15, 2007 |
Shoe pad structure having an air chamber
Abstract
A shoe pad structure having an air chamber, particularly a shoe
pad structure having an air chamber with cushion effects and
applicable to the heel or ball on a shoe sole, comprising a
flexible unit installed in an air chamber composed of two flexible
plastic films with depressed centers thereof, characterized in
that: the flexible unit is installed in the center depression of
the air chamber, forming a ring-shaped buffer air chamber at the
rim of the flexible unit in the air chamber, thereby enabling
better cushion effects to prevent possible injury from
exercise.
Inventors: |
Tsai; Shuang-Chu; (Ta-Li,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Liberty Patent and Trademark Office
P.O. Box590
Taichung City
Taichung
400
TW
|
Family ID: |
37853607 |
Appl. No.: |
11/224008 |
Filed: |
September 13, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/29 ;
36/35B |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 21/28 20130101;
A43B 13/20 20130101; A43B 1/0009 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
036/029 ;
036/035.00B |
International
Class: |
A43B 13/20 20060101
A43B013/20; A43B 21/28 20060101 A43B021/28 |
Claims
1. A shoe pad structure having an air chamber, comprising of a
flexible unit installed inside an air chamber composed by two
flexible plastic films, characterized in that; the flexible plastic
film has a depression in the center thereof, the flexible unit
being installed in the depression in the center, forming a
ring-shaped buffer air chamber at the rim of the flexible unit in
the air chamber; thereby contributing a superior buffer effect to
prevent possible injury during exercise.
2. The shoe pad structure of claim 1, wherein the flexible unit is
one of two options, a flexible plastic block and a flexible air
bag.
3. The shoe pad structure of claim 1, wherein the flexible unit is
one of two options, a flexible plastic block having a through hole
and a flexible air bag having a through hole.
4. The shoe pad structure of claim 1, wherein the flexible unit is
one of two options, a serial combination of a plurality of flexible
plastic blocks, and a serial combination of a plurality of flexible
plastic air bags.
5. The shoe pad structure of claim 1, wherein the flexible unit is
one of two options, a serial combination of a plurality of flexible
plastic blocks having through holes, and a serial combination of a
plurality of flexible plastic air bags having through holes.
6. The shoe pad structure of claim 1, wherein the flexible unit is
one of two options, a web-shaped and flexible plastic block and a
web-shaped and flexible air bag.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a shoe pad structure having
an air chamber, particularly a shoe pad structure having an air
chamber with cushion effects and applicable to the heel or ball on
a shoe sole.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Due to better living standards in recent years, people have
placed an increasing emphasis on their physical health. As a
result, it has become a fad for people to engage in sports or
exercise, which has resulted in increasing cases of injury during
exercise or sporting activities. Most injuries sustained during
exercise or sport are caused by either insufficient warm-up or
poorly designed sports shoes. Insufficient warm-up can be corrected
by the person doing the exercise, but poor design of sports shoes
will have to be addressed by manufacturers. To date, the shoe
industry has spent an extended period of time researching a design
to prevent injury during sports activities or exercise. Most
designs have divided a sports shoe pad into a pad unit and an air
pad, the air pad serving to withstand and buffer the gravity of the
user. In most cases, the air pad is installed in the heel of a shoe
where most part of a body weight falls during exercise.
Conventional air pad structures involve primarily a support block
12 installed in an air chamber 11 composed of two plastic films 10.
The support block 12 is a serial combination of a specified number
of hard and hollow plastic blocks 13, the support block 12 filling
the space in the air chamber 11.
[0005] However, while conventional air pad structures in athletic
shoes do have a buffer effect and are widely adopted in the
industry for use by the general consumers. In actual application,
it does have the following shortcomings:
[0006] 1. In the conventional shoe's air pad structure, the support
block 12 fills the space in the air chamber 11, so there is but a
slight buffer distance between the flexible plastic films 10 on
upper and lower sides and the support block 12. As a result, when
the user jumps up and down on a surface, it produces a large
compression force from the user's heels. So, the flexible plastic
films 10 on the upper and lower sides of the air chamber 11 are
compressed by that downward force to directly press against the
support block 12 by the heels, resulting in the direct impact of
the heels on the support block 12. Also, because the support block
12 is composed of several hard and hollow plastic blocks 13 in
serial combination, injury can easily be sustained during sports
activities.
[0007] 2. Furthermore, due to the fact that there is just a slight
buffer distance between the support block 12 and the flexible
plastic films 10 on upper and lower sides, after a certain period
of use of the air pad, the flexible plastic films 10 on upper and
lower sides of the support block 12 will experience flexible
fatigue caused by compression force from the heels. As a result,
the flexible plastic films 10 on upper and lower sides of the air
chamber 11 are pressed tightly against the support block 12, losing
their buffer effect. So the heels of the user will directly come
into impact the support block 12 during sports activities and
suffer injury.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The objective of the present invention is to provide a type
of shoe pad structure having an air chamber with a buffer effect
and applicable to the heel or ball on a shoe sole, comprising of a
flexible unit installed in an air chamber composed of two flexible
plastic films having slightly depressed centers, particularly the
flexible unit is installed in the center depression of the air
chamber, forming a ring-shaped buffer air chamber at the rim of the
flexible unit in the air chamber, thereby providing better buffer
effect, to prevent injury during sports and exercise
activities.
[0009] For full understanding of the structure, characteristics and
applicability of the present invention, please refer to the
following description of the preferred embodiment and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective exterior view of a prior art.
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a section view of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective exterior view of the present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE NUMERALS
[0014] TABLE-US-00001 10 plastic film 11 air chamber 12 support
block 13 plastic film 20 plastic film 21 air chamber 22 flexible
unit 23 plastic block 24 buffer air chamber
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] Please refer to FIGS. 2 to 4. The present invention is a
shoe pad structure having an air chamber, particularly a shoe pad
structure having an air chamber providing buffer function,
applicable to the heel or ball of a shoe sole, comprising an air
chamber 21 consisting of two flexible plastic films 20 with
slightly depressed center parts, containing a flexible unit 22. The
flexible unit 22 is a flexible plastic block 23, or a serial
combination of more than one flexible plastic block 23. The
flexible unit 22 is installed in the center depression of the air
chamber 21, forming a ring-shaped buffer air chamber 24 at the rim
of the flexible unit 22 in the air chamber 21.
[0016] Because of the special structural design of the present
invention as described above, the present invention has the
following characteristics in application: [0017] 1. Because of the
present invention of shoe pad structure, the flexible unit 22 is
installed at a central depression of the air chamber 21, forming a
ring-shaped buffer air chamber 24 at the rim of the flexible unit
22 of the air chamber 21, the flexible unit 22 being installed at
the center of the ring-shaped buffer air chamber 24, having a
clearance on an upper and lower part thereof, so when a user jumps
down on a hard surface, the force pressing onto the user's heel can
be absorbed by the buffer air chamber 24, thereby avoiding direct
impact of the user's heel onto the flexible unit 22, and reducing
the possibility of exercise injury. [0018] 2. Furthermore, due to
the shoe pad structure in the present invention, the flexible unit
22 is installed in the center depression of the air chamber 21,
forming a ring-shaped buffer air chamber 24 at the rim of the
flexible unit 22 in the air chamber 21, so even after an extended
period of use of the shoe pad unit, the buffer air chamber 23 is
capable of maintaining an appropriate buffer distance, though the
flexible plastic film 10 wrapping the upper and lower sides of the
flexible unit 22 may have flexible fatigue caused by long-time
compression from the downward force of the heel, thereby
maintaining excellent flexible effects.
[0019] It is to be understood that the preferred embodiment and
design drawings described above are for reference purposes, and
shall not be a basis to restrict the scope of claim of the present
invention, and that all equivalent modifications or variations made
without departing from the above description shall be included in
the following claim.
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