Ventilated Shoe or Insole

Abstract

A ventilated shoe or insole having a uniform and continuous air channel extending from the heel portion of the sole portion or insole to the toe portion and opening, at the rear end thereof, into the air space outside the shoe or outside the insole, and at the front end thereof, into the inside of the shoe or onto the upper surface of the insole. According to the invention, the air channel is a channel formed by an elastic supporting structure and having a substantially standard cross section that as the stepping motion proceeds, closes tightly phase by phase substantially along the entire stretch thereof under the weight of the foot for transferring air according to the hose pump principle from outside of the shoe or insole into the inside of the shoe or into the upper surface of the insole along the air channel.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a ventilated shoe or insole as defined in the preamble of claim 1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Several technical implementations have long been known for ventilating various types of shoes to reduce the temperature in foot and to remove the moisture caused by perspiration. Typical solutions include various combinations of pumping elements and valves preventing backflow of air, where a pumping element is used to transfer fresh air from the rear of the shoe or from outside to the front of the shoe. Due to their complicated structure, these are, however, laborious and expensive to manufacture, and thus are not suited for the mass production of cost-critical consumer products. In particular, valves incur additional expenses and also are susceptible to damage and clogging caused by impurities, after which the ventilation does not work any more. Simpler ventilation structures, that is to say ones to be implemented without actual pumps or valves have also been proposed.

[0003] Publication GB997950 describes a solution to be placed under the foot in a shoe, the solution consisting of two overlapping layers spaced from one another and having a continuous air slot between them. The operation is based on compression of the air slot caused by the weight of the foot, causing the air to move in the air slot. The upper layer has apertures in the heel and toe portion for intake and outflow of air into and from the air slot. Furthermore, the structure has, between the heel and toe portion, a cover member being closed by the foot arch for preventing backflow of air. A number of problems are associated with the functioning of the structure in practice. The wide standard-height air slot presented is difficult to implement in such a manner that it would be tightly compressed down to the very edges thereof under the weight of the foot, so a part of the air slot volume easily remains unused. Moreover, if the air slot is not closed along its entire width, the airflow can also be directed backwards, significantly weakening the effectiveness of the ventilation. The solutions presented in the publication for preventing backflow, in turn, require additional elements making the structure more complicated. For example, the location of the cover member on the front side of the heel portion is not optimal with regard to efficient air transfer. The solution presented has the special disadvantage that the intake of air cannot be implemented directly from outside the shoe, which especially for high-leg boots would be necessary to ensure efficient ventilation.

[0004] A solution of another kind has been presented in publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,661. Therein, as the pumping element functions a cavity arranged in an elastic material and disposed in the heel portion of a shoe or insole, the curved upper portion of the cavity yielding under the weight of the foot thereby partly compressing the cavity, making the air in the cavity penetrate a separate airflow passage toward the forepart of the shoe. In the solution presented the air is introduced along a separate air intake channel from behind the cavity of the pumping element. As the foot presses the upper surface of the air intake channel against the vertical wall of the rear end of the structure, the air intake channel closes while preventing air from flowing backward. The solution has significant disadvantages. The effectiveness of the air pumping in relation to the size of the cavity remains poor in the structure of the publication, because the cavity of the pumping element presented has such a shape that it is not compressed Entirely down to its very edges. The solution is also susceptible to complete closure of the air intake channel. As the pumping element is compressed, a channel that is left open even partially will result in air leaking backward along the air intake channel. The space required by the cavity of the pumping element inevitably makes the structure large-size; in the publication the thickness is said to be 20 or even 30 mm in the heel portion. Such a massive structure, for example, in a removable insole is impractical. The large space required by the cavity also in the horizontal direction causes, in addition, that absorption elements such as air cushions, adding to the comfort especially on hard surfaces or when running, cannot be fitted into the same shoe. A pumping element that is compressed relatively loosely underneath the heel is unpleasant to the wearer of the shoe especially when running, and the structure does not enable possible use of an absorption element in the same shoe. Making the structure rigid, however, would possibly cause that when walking, the air intake channel would not close properly, and on the other hand, the cavity of the pumping element would not be sufficiently compressed, both significantly weakening the ventilation efficiency.

OBJECTIVE OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an objective of the invention to eliminate the disadvantages referred to above.

[0006] One specific objective of the invention is to disclose a ventilated shoe or insole having a very simple ventilation structure which can be implemented with a limited number of elements, easily and at reduced cost, and which also is very versatile being suitable for most divergent shoes and insoles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The ventilated shoe or insole in accordance with the invention is characterised by what has been presented in claim 1.

[0008] The ventilated shoe or insole in accordance with the invention has a uniform and continuous air channel extending from the heel portion of the sole portion or insole to the toe portion and opening, at the rear end thereof, into the air space outside the shoe or outside the insole, and at the front end thereof, into the inside of the shoe or onto the upper surface of the insole. According to the invention, the air channel is a channel formed by an elastic supporting structure and having a substantially standard cross section. "Having a substantially standard cross section" means that the channel does not comprise any separate expansion or cavity functioning as the pumping element, as it typically is the case with the prior-art solutions. As the stepping motion proceeds, the air channel disposed in the sole portion of the shoe or in the insole fitted into the shoe closes tightly phase by phase substantially along the entire stretch thereof under the weight of the foot. To be more specific, as the heel portion of the shoe typically first hits the ground when walking, the channel closes at first at the rear part beneath the heel. As the shoe then lands on the ground substantially along the entire length of its sole, and the centre of gravity of the foot is shifted forward, the channel closes more and more farther ahead thereby pushing the air before it toward the front end of the air channel and finally into the toe portion of the shoe upon opening of the front end. At the end of the stepping motion, as the weight of the foot rests on the ball of the foot and on the toes and as the rear part of the shoe is lifted off the ground, the channel closes down to its front end, and the rest of the air flows inside the shoe upon opening of the channel. At the same time the rear end of the elastic air channel opens making replacement air flow into the channel from outside the shoe or insole upon opening of the rear end of the air channel. Thus, a pumping mechanism which is based on tight closure of the air channel and progress of the closure point along the channel and which functions without separate pumping elements or valves is known e.g. from hose pumps generally used in foodstuffs, pharmaceutical and process industry. The solution functions equally well when walking to the opposite direction, e.g. backward, transferring air along the air channel from the forepart of the shoe to the outside of the shoe. There can be several air channels in the same shoe or insole, and their size can be dimensioned to suit the environment or shoe type each time concerned. It is also possible to provide the orifice of the air intake channel with an adjustment element of air flow intensity, enabling one to adjust the ventilation efficiency, for example, according to the seasons. The ventilation solution of the invention is suited for the most divergent shoes. In addition to sporting shoes, boots and other apparent applications, the solution of the invention can also be utilised in sandals. Especially work sandals, usually having a closed toe portion, can benefit from the improved comfort achieved by means of the invention.

[0009] The upper surface of a sole portion or insole of a shoe that comes against the foot preferably is shaped to follow the curved shapes of the sole. With this kind of arrangement, the weight unevenly distributed over the shoe or insole due to the uneven shape of the sole can be distributed more evenly so that in each phase of the stepping motion, the air channel closes properly.

[0010] In one embodiment of the invention, the air channel preferably consists of two elastic material stripes forming a single uniform body on the sides of the air channel, the stripes being disposed, near the air channels, in the vertical direction at a distance from one another and having complementary cross sections with respect to one another. "Complementary" is used to mean that the cross sections are opposed with respect to one another. In other words, if in the one stripe, the channel wall is formed by a recess, then in the other stripe, there is a protrusion having the size and shape of the recess, respectively. Stripes such as this give away under the weight of the foot and are pressed accurately against one another thereby tightly closing the air channel, making the air flow forward in the channel away from the closure point. Joining the stripes to one another on the sides of the air channel ensures that the upper and lower portions of the supporting structure forming the channel are prevented from moving horizontally with respect to one another, which could impede tight closure of the air channel. The stripes joined to another also prevent litter, pebble and other impurities from entering the space between them, which could impede the functioning of the structure. The material forming the air channel preferably consists of cellular rubber or similar material that has the same elasticity and resiliency properties. Cellular rubber also is an advantageous material with respect to the manufacture, and enables one to easily and accurately implement an air channel therein.

[0011] In another embodiment of the invention, the air channel is a hose made of an elastic material. The hose can have, for example, a round or an elliptical cross section. Even a hose with a round cross section closes tightly when the elasticity of the material in relation to the weight caused by the foot is suitable. This kind of ventilation structure which is based, for example, on a conventional rubber hose is particularly simple in respect to the manufacture. For the implementation one needs just an elastic removable insole with a hole arranged in the toe portion for the front end of the hose and with a groove arranged in the lower surface to keep the hose in place.

[0012] One embodiment of the invention comprises, in addition, a cover member that closes the air channel by undergoing a transformation in the horizontal direction under the weight of the foot to ensure the closure of the air channel at the beginning of the stepping motion. This kind of cover member is preferably disposed in the heel portion of a sole portion or insole of a shoe. At the beginning of the stepping motion, the cover member ensures that the air channel is tightly closed thus preventing air from flowing backward in the channel. The cover member is beneficial e.g. where the weight of a wearer who is slenderer than normally would not otherwise be sufficient to close the channel from the very beginning of the stepping motion, resulting in partial loss of the ventilation efficacy as the air channel only moves air along a portion of its length. Horizontal operation of the cover member enables a structure of the cover member that is comfortable to use and rigid in the vertical direction without the loose motion reducing wearer comfort, typical of cover members.

[0013] One embodiment of the invention comprises, in addition, an absorption element for reducing the shock effect caused to the foot as the shoe touches the ground. Particularly in sporting shoes used for running, this adds to the wearer comfort. The air channel and the possible cover member of the invention that only take up a little space give a possibility to provide the same shoe or insole with absorption elements with suitable shapes, sizes and effects according to the purpose of use.

[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, the absorption element is a cushion-like structure made of an elastic material, e.g. cellular rubber, and preferably filled with air, fluid or gel. It can also be a closed structure made of an elastic material.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the absorption element and the air channel have been arranged and placed with respect to one another so that when acting under the foot, the absorption element also ensures closure of the air channel at the beginning of the stepping motion. Thus, the absorption element acts as a combined absorption and cover member replacing the separate cover member described above. This is a very advantageous solution in respect of space utilization and minimisation of the number of separate parts. This kind of structure can be implemented in various ways. For example, a cushion-like absorption element typically gets a little wider in the lateral direction by the effect of the weight of the foot. By placing the air channel so as to proceed, suitably shaped, past this kind of absorption element it is possible to achieve an expandable absorption element, possibly together with a sole portion or insole enclosing it, to tightly close the air channel. On the other hand, in the case of a gel-filled absorption cushion, near the absorption cushion, the air channel can be formed as a channel that is narrowed in diameter and proceeds through the absorption cushion. As the absorption cushion is compressed, also the channel is flattened thereby tightly closing the more easily, the smaller is the diameter of the air channel proceeding through the absorption cushion. A diameter that has only been narrowed through a short stretch does not affect the amount of air transferable by means of the air channel. The absorption element can also be an element that moves vertically with respect to the rest of the sole portion or insole, which absorption element while giving away under the weight of the foot also closes the air channel.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the air channel is connected, at the rear end thereof, to a continuation channel opening into an air space outside the shoe substantially at the height of the upper edge of the shoe leg. In this manner, the air channel opens outside the shoe via the aforementioned continuation channel. This embodiment prevents the water and other impurities on the ground surface from entering the air channel. The solution is particularly usable in high-leg rubber, leather or similar boots generally used in humid and snowy conditions, but is equally well applicable to low-leg shoes. When the air channel consists, for example, of a rubber hose, the air channel proceeding in the sole portion or insole of the shoe can together with the continuation channel form a single uniform hose. Preferably, the continuation channel has been so arranged as to rise from the sole portion or insole of the shoe upward from the side of the heel portion so as to pass between the malleolus and the Achilles tendon of a foot to be slipped into the shoe. Chafing of the foot is thus avoided by placing the continuation channel into the shoe in this manner, which could be a problem if the continuation channel passed e.g. directly near the malleolus or behind the heel.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the opening of the rear end of the air channel is provided with a connector means to connect an external ventilation device to the ventilation structure to blow air into the air channel. This enables one to easily dry a shoe with the ventilation structure of the invention between times of use by blowing hot air into the shoe along the air channel. The possibility to efficient ventilation is a particularly important feature in a situation where water has penetrated the shoe from outside.

[0018] As described above, the invention enables one to achieve a number of benefits compared to the prior-art solutions. The ventilated shoe or insole necessitates no separate pumps or valves. The sufficient ventilation is achieved by means of air channels only requiring a little space, because in the invention, to pump the air, the channels are taken advantage of substantially along their entire length, according to the hose pump principle. The ventilation structure can be implemented in the sole portion of a shoe, in an insole to be fixedly placed into the shoe, or in a separate removable insole. In its simplicity, the ventilation structure of the invention is particularly advantageous to manufacture, making it also applicable to consumer products only allowing few additional costs. The invention is suited to be used in the most divergent shoes, and the material of the air channels, the shape, size and number of the air channels can be chosen to suit an embodiment each time concerned. The invention is very pleasant to the wearer because it does not contain pump cavities being loosely compressed under the foot. Moreover, a ventilation structure that only takes up a little space enables fitting of separate absorption elements into the same shoe or insole with the ventilation structure. The air intake can be implemented at the height of the upper edge of the shoe leg, significantly reducing the possibility of clogging of the air channels. The air channel can also be connected to an external ventilation device that blows air into the channel to effectively dry the shoe.

LIST OF FIGURES

[0019] In the following section, the invention will be described in detail by means of examples of its embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0020] FIG. 1 is a cross section illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a cross section illustrating one alternative for the air channel of a ventilated shoe or insole of the invention;

[0022] FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c illustrate the operating principle of the invention in three cross sections of a shoe in different phases of the stepping motion;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a cross section illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

[0024] FIGS. 5a and 5b are cross sections illustrating the structure as shown in FIG. 4 and its operation;

[0025] FIGS. 6a and 6b, 7a and 7b, and 8a and 8b are cross sections illustrating absorption elements of the invention that also act to ensure the closure of the air channel; and

[0026] FIG. 9 schematically shows a cross section illustrating a ventilated high-leg boot of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] FIG. 1 is a cross section illustrating a ventilated shoe 1. The shoe includes a top portion 2 of the shoe, a sole portion 3, as well as an insole 4 following the contours of a wearer's foot and made of an elastic material. In the insole there is an elastic air channel 5. The air channel proceeds continuously from the heel portion 6 of the shoe to the toe portion 7. It opens, at the rear end thereof, directly into an air space outside the shoe and at the front part thereof inside the shoe. It would also be possible that the air channel would open into the air space outside the shoe via a continuation channel at the height of the upper edge of the shoe leg, as illustrated by a dash line in the figure. The possible continuation channel can also proceed outside the shoe. The figure illustrates a situation where no weight rests on the shoe 1. In that case, the elastic air channel is open along its entire stretch. The air channel has been so implemented that under weight, it closes tightly thereby forcing the air to move in the air channel away from the closure point. The top portion 2 of the shoe may also be provided with discharge channels (not shown in the figure) enhancing the ventilation, via which the air, introduced into the shoe from the air channel 5, can further move out of the shoe.

[0028] The air channel 5 shown in FIG. 2 consists of two stripes 8 made of an elastic material, such as cellular rubber, and placed against each other, the stripes being disposed, near the air channel, in a vertical direction at a distance from each other. On the flanks of the air channel the stripes meet being tightly connected to one another. The stripes have complementary cross sections, i.e. opposite ones with respect to one another. The operation of the structure is based on the fact that under the weight of the foot, the stripes are pressed closely against each other thereby tightly closing the air channel. The material of the stripes can be, for example, cellular rubber or similar.

[0029] FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c represent the functioning of the ventilated shoe. FIG. 3a represents the initial situation of the stepping motion in which the shoe has just touched the ground with the heel portion ahead. The weight of the foot 9 rests on the shoe and on the insole therein mainly via the heel 10, making the elastic air channel 5 close at its rear end beneath the heel. As the stepping motion proceeds, the sole portion 3 of the shoe lands on the ground along an increasingly longer stretch, as shown in FIG. 3b. The centre of gravity of the foot and the closure point 11 of the air channel move forward, thereby forcing the air to flow ahead toward the front end of the air channel and its opening 12. At the end of the stepping motion, the weight of the foot rests on the ball of the foot 13, as shown in FIG. 3c, and the sole portion 3 of the shoe only touches the ground at its front part. The closure point 11 of the air channel has moved so as to be beneath the ball of the foot. In this manner, as the stepping motion proceeds, the closure point of the air channel has progressed from beneath the heel substantially across the entire stretch of the air channel up to the toe portion of the shoe thereby pushing the air ahead into the shoe upon opening 12 of the front end of the air channel. As the weight of the foot and the closure point of the air channel together with it shift forward, the elastic air channel re-opens starting from behind. This forces fresh air to flow from outside the shoe into the channel upon opening 14 of the rear end thereof. The same phases are repeated in conjunction with the next step. In this manner, air is pumped, according to the operating principle of a hose pump, from outside the shoe inside the shoe without any separate pump elements or valves.

[0030] The embodiment as shown in FIG. 4 comprises an insole 15 of an elastic material to be fitted into a shoe. Arranged in the insole are two air channels 5 extending from the rear end of the insole to the toe portion. The heel portion of the insole has a bend and a narrowing in both air channels. Near the bends the air channels have been so shaped that the portion of the insole left between them forms a cover member 16 that closes the channels by undergoing a transformation in the vertical direction under the weight of the foot. The cover member ensures that the air channel closes properly beneath the heel right at the beginning of the stepping motion, and that the air moves forward in the channel.

[0031] FIGS. 5a and 5b represent cross sections illustrating the insole 15 of FIG. 4 near the cover member 16. In FIG. 5a, the insole made of an elastic material 5a is in the rest position, i.e. the weight of the foot does not rest on it. The open air channels 5 have been placed onto the flanks of the cover member 16. When the foot presses down on the insole, the cover member and the entire insole are compressed together in the vertical direction while at the same time expanding in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. 5b. The air channels have such a shape that as a result of the horizontal expansion of the cover member, the edges of the channels are pressed tightly against each other thereby closing the air channels 5. By choosing the material and elasticity of the cover member 16 to be suitable, it can also be made to act as an absorption element. The material of the insole can include e.g. cellular rubber.

[0032] The absorption element 17a shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b has been placed into an insole 15 made of an elastic material. The absorption element is an air cushion stiffer than the insole. On the flanks of the absorption element, between the insole and the absorption element, there are air channels 5. On the flanks of the absorption element, the absorption element is higher than the air cushion in the rest position, as shown in FIG. 6a. When the weight of the foot rests on the insole, the insole is compressed together on the flanks of the air cushion, as shown in FIG. 6b, so that the foot comes into contact with the absorption element. When being compressed together, both the insole and the absorption element expand at the same time in the horizontal direction pushing-against each other so that the air channels 5 close.

[0033] The absorption element 17b shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b is a fluid- or gel-filled cushion-like structure. Through the absorption element passes an air channel 5 formed by a hose-like structure. As the absorption element undergoes a transformation under the weight of the foot, the air channel that passes through it is flattened thereby tightly closing. Along its length that extends through the absorption element the air channel can have a smaller cross section than the rest of the channel, which for its part facilitates the closure.

[0034] FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate a third implementation form of an absorption element that ensures the closure of the air channel at the beginning of the stepping motion. The absorption element consists of two edge portions 17c1 and a middle portion 17c2 between them that is disposed higher than the edge portions. The middle portion extends partly beyond the edge portions resting on top of them on the hoses that form the air channels 5. As the foot is pressed against the absorption element, the middle portion is pressed down toward the edge portions thereby compressing the air channels disposed between the edge portions and the middle portion. Instead of a separate hose, an air channel that has been arranged to be closable in a similar manner can also be implemented with a channel arranged directly in conjunction with the absorption element.

[0035] The cross section of the high-leg ventilated boot 18 depicted in FIG. 9 shows an air channel 5 disposed in the sole structure 19 of the boot, the air channel being formed from a rubber hose 20. The same hose extends continuously after the actual air channel 5 disposed in the sole structure 19, thereby forming a continuation channel 21 rising upward within the boot, along the leg 22 thereof up to the upper edge of the leg. In this manner, the air channel thus opens into the open air via the continuation channel, but not until at the height of the upper edge of the boot leg. This arrangement prevents the water and other impurities on the ground surface from entering the air channel. The solution is particularly usable in rubber boots to be used on wet ground or in winter boots designed for snowy conditions. The hose rises from the sole structure on the flank of the heel portion 23 of the shoe so that it propagates in the shoe across the area between the malleolus and the Achilles tendon of a foot to be slipped into the shoe. In this manner a hose that is placed into a recess formed by the foot's natural shape prevents chafing of the foot caused by the hose. The continuation channel can also be arranged to propagate in a similar manner in high-leg shoes other than those shown in the figure. The continuation channel can also propagate outside the shoe. Depending on the need for ventilation, there can be several air channels in the same shoe. The figure also shows a connector means 24 arranged at the end of the hose, enabling one to connect a separate ventilation device to the air channel for efficiently blowing air into the boot along the air channel. This enables one to efficiently dry the boot between times of use. This is useful particularly when water has penetrated a rubber boot which has poor ventilation per se. It is also possible to connect to the connector means an adjustment element that adjusts the air flow in the air channel. This enables one to adjust the ventilation efficiency to be lower in winter use than in the summer time.

[0036] The invention is not limited merely to the examples of its embodiment referred to above; instead many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive idea defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A ventilated shoe or insole having a uniform and continuous air channel extending from the heel portion of the sole portion or in-sole of a shoe to the toe portion and opening, at the rear end thereof, into the air space outside the shoe or outside the insole, and at the front end thereof, into the inside of the shoe or onto the upper surface of the insole, characterised in that the air channel is a channel formed by an elastic supporting structure and having a substantially standard cross section that as the stepping motion proceeds, closes tightly phase by phase substantially along the entire stretch thereof under the weight of the foot for transferring air according to the hose pump principle from outside of the shoe or insole into the inside of the shoe or onto the upper surface of the insole along the air channel.

2. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the air channel is formed from two elastic material stripes having complementary cross sections that are joined to one another on the flanks of the air channel and disposed at a distance from one another near the air channel.

3. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the air channel is formed from a hose made of an elastic material.

4. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the shoe or insole comprises a cover member that closes the air channel by undergoing a transformation in the horizontal direction under the weight of the foot to ensure the closure of the air channel at the beginning of the stepping motion.

5. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the shoe or insole includes an absorption element to reduce the shock effect caused to the foot as the shoe touches the ground.

6. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 5, characterised in that the absorption element is a cushion-like structure made of an elastic material and preferably filled with air, fluid or gel.

7. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the absorption element and the air channel have been arranged and placed with respect to one another so that when acting by the effect of the weight of the foot, the absorption element also ensures closure of the air channel at the beginning of the stepping motion.

8. The ventilated shoe as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the air channel is connected, at the rear end thereof, to a continuation channel opening into an air space outside the shoe substantially at the height of the upper surface of the shoe leg to prevent the water and other impurities on the ground surface from entering the air channel.

9. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 8, characterised in that the continuation channel has been so arranged as to rise from the sole portion or insole of the shoe upward from the flank of the heel portion so that it proceeds between the malleolus and the Achilles tendon of a foot to be slipped into the shoe to prevent chafing of the foot.

10. The ventilated shoe or insole as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the opening of the rear end of the air channel is provided with a connector means to connect an external ventilation device to the ventilated shoe or insole to blow air into the air channel.