U.S. patent application number 12/218206 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-14 for shoe sole with forced ventilation.
This patent application is currently assigned to Immobiliare Ramadoro S.R.L.. Invention is credited to Franco Ramadoro (AN).
Application Number | 20100005687 12/218206 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41503828 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100005687 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ramadoro (AN); Franco |
January 14, 2010 |
Shoe sole with forced ventilation
Abstract
This invention relates to a shoe sole with forced ventilation
that incorporates an electrically-powered fan that creates a
depression to bring the air contained in the upper inside the sole,
and convey the same air into a duct that ejects it outside through
a suitable vent hole obtained in lateral position on the sole.
Inventors: |
Ramadoro (AN); Franco;
(Fabriano, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HODES, PESSIN & KATZ, P.A.
Suite 400, 901 Dulaney Valley Road
Towson
MD
21204
US
|
Assignee: |
Immobiliare Ramadoro S.R.L.
|
Family ID: |
41503828 |
Appl. No.: |
12/218206 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/3B ; 36/29;
36/30R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 7/082 20130101;
A43B 3/0005 20130101; A43B 3/0042 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/3.B ; 36/29;
36/30.R |
International
Class: |
A43B 7/06 20060101
A43B007/06; A43B 13/20 20060101 A43B013/20; A43B 13/12 20060101
A43B013/12 |
Claims
1. Shoe sole with forced ventilation, of the type provided with an
upper perimeter border (2) that supports an insole (3) provided on
the front half-sole with a plurality of through holes (3a) through
which the air contained in the upper is forced into the sole (1)
and then conveyed outside through a vent hole obtained on the side
of the sole (1), sole characterized by the fact that the front
half-sole is provided with a series of basically longitudinal small
channels (4a) that end in a depression chamber (C1) in
communication with a delivery chamber (C2), with the interposition
of a fan (7) powered by a battery (8) and controlled by a switch
(9) that can be accessed on the outside of the sole (1); it being
provided that the delivery chamber (C2) is closed by the insole (3)
and is provided on one of the walls with a small hole (11) that
takes the forced air flow produced by the fan (7) through a duct
leading to the external vent hole.
2. Sole as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the
depression chamber (C1) and the delivery chamber (C2) are obtained
inside a compartment (5) that houses the fan (7) with rotation axis
in vertical position at approximately half of its height.
3. Sole as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the
depression chamber (C1) and the delivery chamber (C2) are obtained
inside a compartment (5) that houses the fan (7) with rotation axis
in horizontal position at approximately half of its length.
4. Sole as claimed in claim 3, characterized by the fact that the
battery (8) of the fan (7) is housed inside a corresponding
compartment (6) adjacent to the aforementioned compartment (5) that
houses the fan (7).
5. Sole as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the
switch (9) used to control the battery (8) is contained in a
suitable housing (10) obtained on the side of the sole (1).
6. Sole as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the
channels (4a) obtained on the front half-sole are bordered by
basically longitudinal partitions (4) with the top positioned at a
lower height than the perimeter border (2) that surrounds the sole
(1).
7. Sole as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the
channels (4a) obtained on the front half-sole are bordered by
basically longitudinal partitions (4) with the top positioned at
the same height as the perimeter border (2) that surrounds the sole
(1).
8. Sole as claimed in claim 7, characterized by the fact that it is
provided with an insole (3) with through holes (3a) along basically
longitudinal lines that are situated in the same position as the
channels (4a) obtained on the upper side of the sole (1) under the
insole (3).
9. Sole as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the
lateral vent hole is provided with an air-permeable
water-impermeable membrane.
10. Sole as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the
battery (8) is an ordinary replaceable battery.
Description
[0001] This patent application for industrial invention relates to
a shoe sole with forced ventilation.
[0002] The so-called ventilated shoes are quite popular on the
market, that is to say shoes that are able to ensure air
circulation inside the upper during walking.
[0003] According to the manufacturers' intention, the said shoes
should increase the comfort and hygienic quality of the shoe, in
view of the air circulation that reaches the user's foot with
cooling effect.
[0004] To that end, the current models of ventilated shoes are all
inspired by the same technology, which is rather popular regardless
of the fact that it is not fully satisfactory from the
technical-functional viewpoint.
[0005] According to the said technology, one or more compartments
are provided on the lowered upper side of the sole in order to
house corresponding pumping pads with compressible structure
obtained from suitable plastic materials.
[0006] According to the same technology, the entire upper side of
the sole (and consequently the aforementioned compartments that
house the pumping pads) is closed with an insole provided with a
plurality of through holes.
[0007] The said pumping pads are cyclically subjected to a
compression phase induced by the user's weight, which is discharged
on the said pads during the impact of the shoe with the ground and,
to an expansion phase during the next movement in the air.
[0008] During the said compression phase, each pumping pad ejects
the air that was previously received into the corresponding housing
(by means of a suitable vent duct).
[0009] On the contrary, during expansion, the said pumping pad
spontaneously tends to "enlarge", thus introducing new air from the
upper inside the corresponding housing.
[0010] Of course, the forced circulation of the air contained in
the upper towards the sole is made possibly by the presence of the
insole between the upper and the sole and, more precisely, by the
presence of the through holes that cover the entire surface of the
insole.
[0011] Nevertheless, the long practical experience has shown that
traditional ventilated shoes are not able to provide, if not in
imperceptible extent, air exchange inside the shoe, due to the very
limited overpressure and depression values produced by the said
elastic pumping pads, and to the unavoidable load losses that occur
to the detriment of the air exchange flows.
[0012] Moreover, a similar traditional ventilated shoe also
requires the presence of a unidirectional valve in the proximity of
the vent hole designed to convey the air outside of the shoe, to
avoid receiving air from the outside of the sole every time the
pumping pads are subjected to expansion.
[0013] A careful examination of the said limitations of the
aforementioned prior technique has led to the development of an
alternative technical solution able to provide shoes with real
ventilation effect.
[0014] After acknowledging the functional inefficacy of the said
pumping pads, the applicant has decided to insert an
electrically-powered fan in the sole, which is finally able to
provide air exchange from the inside towards the outside of the
upper with sufficient strength and efficacy.
[0015] Of course, a similar device requires a battery and an
externally-operated switch that is actuated by the user to activate
the air exchange while wearing the shoe, and deactivated as soon as
the user takes the shoe off to avoid energy waste.
[0016] For the practical actuation of the said inventive idea, the
upper side of the sole is provided with a compartment to house the
fan with vertical axis and an adjacent compartment for the
battery.
[0017] Moreover, the bottom of the fan compartment is provided with
small channels on the surface of the upper side of the sole, and
the top of the fan compartment is provided with the opening of a
small duct that ends outside of the shoe in order to ensure the
necessary air flow.
[0018] The correct operation of the sole of the invention also
requires that the upper side is covered with an insole with a
plurality of through holes on the majority of the front surface,
which closes the fan compartment from above.
[0019] The actuation of the fan brings the air contained in the
upper of the shoe inside the bottom of the fan compartment.
[0020] In particular, because of the depression created by the fan,
the air contained in the upper is sucked towards the sole through
the holes provided on the insole; then, the air reaches the bottom
of the fan compartment, being conveyed by the small channels
obtained on the upper side of the sole of the invention.
[0021] Of course, the air flow that penetrates the bottom of the
fan compartment is additionally conveyed by the fan towards the top
of the compartment that is closed on top by the insole.
[0022] In view of the above, the forced air flow penetrates the
opening of the vent duct situated on the top of the fan
compartment, finally reaching the outside of the sole.
[0023] Based on this general description, the main advantages of
the sole of the invention with respect to the prior technique
appear evident, consisting in excellent functional efficacy
(meaning the actual capability of ventilating the user's foot) and
lower constructive complexity, with specific reference to the
configuration of the hole used for air outflow.
[0024] In fact, the presence of the "unidirectional" fan instead of
the traditional pumping pads with "double effect" allows to avoid
that the hole used for air outflow is subjected to depression, thus
attracting, rather than ejecting, air from the outside.
[0025] This eliminates the need to mount the unidirectional valve
that is typically mounted on the outflow hole of traditional
ventilated soles, contributing to cost increase and complex design
and construction.
[0026] In fact, in the sole of the invention the outflow hole can
be eventually provided with a simple air-permeable and
water-impermeable membrane designed to prevent the access of rain
inside the sole.
[0027] Another important advantage of the new sole of the invention
consists in the fact that foot ventilation is ensured also in
static position (i.e. without walking) unlike traditional
ventilated soles with compressible pads that, as mentioned above,
provide air circulation exclusively during walking.
[0028] Finally, it must be noted that the insole provided with the
sole of the invention can be easily removed by the user to access
the battery associated with the fan and replace it when
necessary.
[0029] For more clarity the description of the invention continues
with reference to the enclosed drawing, which is intended for
purposes of illustration only and not in a limiting sense,
whereby:
[0030] FIG. 1 is an exploded axonometric view of the sole of the
invention;
[0031] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same sole with a
longitudinal plane passing through one of the grooves provided on
the front half-sole.
[0032] Referring to the aforementioned figures, the sole of the
invention (1), which is preferably obtained with moulded plastic
materials, has the upper side surrounded by a perimeter border (2)
that supports a preferably anatomical insole (3) provided with a
plurality of through holes (3a) on the front half-sole.
[0033] In particular, the perimeter border (2) surrounds a surface
of the front half-sole provided with a series of basically
longitudinal partitions (4) that create a series of narrow
intermediate channels (4a).
[0034] As seen in the sole illustrated in the aforementioned
figures, the top of the partitions (4) is positioned at a lower
height than the perimeter border (2), with the consequence that the
insole (3) is only supported by the perimeter border (2).
[0035] In view of the above, the insole (3) basically closes a
compartment (V) provided with longitudinal channels (4a) on the
bottom on the front half-sole.
[0036] Consequently, the holes (3a) of the insole (3) occupy a
surface that is basically the same as the compartment (V) obtained
in the sole of the invention (1).
[0037] Considering that the insole (3) is situated between the sole
of the invention (1) and the inside of the upper, it appears
evident that the position of the holes (3a) of the insole (3)
ensures the desired air flow from the upper to the compartment (V)
of the sole (1).
[0038] The perimeter border (2) surrounds a pair of compartments
(5, 6) on the heel, the first compartment (5) being preferably
situated in the front to house an electrically-powered fan (7) with
rotation axis in vertical direction, and the second compartment (6)
being designed to house the corresponding battery (8).
[0039] The battery (8) is associated with a corresponding actuation
switch (9) that can be accessed by the user on the outside of the
sole (1), being contained in a corresponding housing (10) obtained
on the external side of the sole (1).
[0040] The fan (7) is situated at approximately half of the height
of the corresponding compartment (5), in such a way that it creates
a first chamber IS (C1) and a second chamber (C2) inside the same
compartment (5).
[0041] The small channels (4a) obtained on the front half-sole end
in the compartment (5) that houses the fan (7) on the bottom of the
first chamber (C1).
[0042] The second chamber (C2), which is closed on top by the
insole (3), is laterally provided with a small hole (11) that leads
to a duct ending outside on the side of the sole (1).
[0043] As mentioned above, the operation of the sole (1) is such
that the actuation of the external switch (9) enables to power the
fan (7) with the battery (8).
[0044] The actuation of the fan (7) creates a depression in the
first chamber (C1) and also in the entire compartment (V) situated
on the front half-sole of the sole (1) because of the presence of
the channels (4a) that end in the said first chamber (C1).
[0045] The depression created in the compartment (V) generates a
forced circulation of the air contained in the upper through the
holes (3a) obtained in that area of the insole (3).
[0046] Because of the presence of the channels (4a), the air
received in the compartment (V) penetrates the depression chamber
(C1) and is pushed by the fan (7) into the second chamber (C2) that
is closed on top by the insole (3), which is not provided with
through holes in this area.
[0047] The forced air flow that reaches the closed chamber (C2) is
forced to pass through the said hole (11) and is ejected outside of
the sole (1) through the vent hole situated on the side of the sole
(1).
[0048] Alternative constructive solutions for the sole of the
invention (1) are possible without leaving the scope of the present
inventive idea.
[0049] For instance, the top of the partitions (4) obtained on the
upper surface of the front half-sole may be situated at the same
height as the perimeter border (2) that surrounds the said
surface.
[0050] In such a case, the insole (3) rests on the longitudinal
partitions (4), and not only on the perimeter border (2), thus
limiting the useful space for air circulation to the channels (4a)
between the said partitions (4).
[0051] In view of the above, the holes (3a) of the insole (3) are
no longer situated on the entire front surface of the insole (3),
but only along basically longitudinal lines that occupy the same
position as the channels (4a) of the sole under the insole (3).
[0052] According to another constructive version, the fan (7) is
mounted inside the compartment (5) with rotation axis in horizontal
position.
[0053] In this way, the depression chamber (C1) and the delivery
chamber (C2) have a basically vertical development, with the fan
(7) in intermediate position between them.
[0054] Finally, the battery (8) preferably consists in an ordinary
battery that can be inserted or extracted from the corresponding
housing (6) by temporarily removing the insole (3).
* * * * *