U.S. patent application number 12/733332 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-12 for sole including a system of blisters and devices for their deflation.
This patent application is currently assigned to PRONTOPHARMA-EUROPE S.R.L.. Invention is credited to Carmel A. Buttigieg.
Application Number | 20100199518 12/733332 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40329413 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100199518 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Buttigieg; Carmel A. |
August 12, 2010 |
SOLE INCLUDING A SYSTEM OF BLISTERS AND DEVICES FOR THEIR
DEFLATION
Abstract
This invention relates to a sole for shoes which lodge two or
more plastic blisters which can be deflated by the user with a
simple rotation of a special device, obtaining every time a
different inclination of the foot. This fact can be important for
shoes for diabetics and for sportsmen.
Inventors: |
Buttigieg; Carmel A.;
(Msida, MT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BUCKNAM AND ARCHER
1077 NORTHERN BOULEVARD
ROSLYN
NY
11576
US
|
Assignee: |
PRONTOPHARMA-EUROPE S.R.L.
Lucca
IT
|
Family ID: |
40329413 |
Appl. No.: |
12/733332 |
Filed: |
August 28, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
August 28, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2008/053477 |
371 Date: |
February 24, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/29 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/203 20130101;
A43B 13/206 20130101; A43B 7/28 20130101; A43B 7/147 20130101; A43B
3/0005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/29 |
International
Class: |
A43B 13/20 20060101
A43B013/20 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 28, 2007 |
MT |
4189 |
Claims
1. A sole including a system of blisters and devices for their
deflation, characterized in that one or more plastic blisters are
lodged into the sole, these blisters have a leaf spring shape and
are produced with a plastic material having a high elastic modulus,
each blister has a tube, internally this tube a pneumatic valve is
fixed, the valve has a push button, each valve is fixed to a
support, over this support a pushing roller with its horn is
engaged through a central pin, the push buttons of the valves are
settled in order to be pressed one by one by the horn every
rotation of the pushing roller, once said push button is pressed
the blister is deflated and it is maintained deflated until with
another rotation the horn of the pushing roller leaves it and goes
to press another valve's push button of the successive blister to
be deflated and the previous one becomes inflated.
2. A sole including a system of blisters and devices for their
deflation as defined in claim 1, where the plastic blister and its
external tube are produced with the process of blowing.
3. A sole including a system of blisters and devices for their
deflation, as defined in claim 1, where the plastic blister and its
external tube are produced with the process of injection, producing
separately two shells and after soldered together.
4. A sole including a system of blisters and devices for their
deflation, as defined in claim 1, where the plastic blister and its
external tube are four and lodged into the correspondent areas of
Inversion, Pronation, Supination and Eversion.
5. A sole including a system of blisters and devices for their
deflation, as defined in claim 1, where the pushing roller is a
complex formed by the following parts: its central body has a horn
whose concave part lodges the head of the push button of the valve,
in its centre has a hole for the entering of the centring pin made
on the centre of the fixing element, the pin has a cap mushroom
shaped which maintains in a firm position the pushing roller but
allows its rotation, the fixing element is glued into the hollowed
part of the sole or pre-formed into it, a segment of the pushing
roller goes out through the slit pre-formed in the correspondent
part of the sole, this segment will show to the user the number
which corresponds to the deflated blister.
6. A sole including a system of blisters and devices for their
deflation, as defined in claim 1, where the system is activated by
an engine, whose correspondent circuit works as follows: when a
sensor informs a microchip that the shoe is worn and the foot is
raised the microchip activates the engine for moving the pushing
roller from a blister to the nearest with the same effects
mentioned for the manual operation, the power is supplied by a
battery which has only to move three-four times a day and for few
millimetres the pushing roller, this electric system does not need
a switch because the sensor closes the circuit when the shoe is not
worn and put in motion it only when the foot is raised.
7. A sole including a system of blisters and devices for their
deflation, as defined in claim 1, where the blisters are only two
lodged into the plantar area and the correspondent tubes including
their pneumatic valves are addressed to the external side of the
sole, their push button is pressed manually by the user.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention refers to a plurality of plastic blisters
located into a sole which can be deflated one by one rotating a
pushing roller whose horn presses one by one the push button of the
pneumatic valves inserted into the tubes of the plastic
blisters.
PRIOR ART AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention refers to a previous patent filed by
the same inventor titled "Plastic bellows inserted into soles"
registered at the Industrial Property of the Ministry for Economic
Services in Malta, with the number 1389 on the date of Oct. 21,
1999 and consequently filed in the U.S.A. with the number U.S. Pat.
No. 6,519,873, issued on Feb. 18, 2003, and in Europe with the
number 1093730, issued on Dec. 22, 2004.
[0003] The main claim of this patent teaches about a shoe with a
system of plastic bellows inserted into the sole of a shoe where
each bellows is connected with a pneumatic valve whose button is
external in order, when pressed with a finger, to deflate or
inflate the external air, the user simultaneously had to press with
the foot the area to be deflated.
[0004] The experience made adopting the invented previous system
teaches that it was too complicate for diabetics, the main
application of the invention.
[0005] Another aspect that restricted its application was the
compulsory use of plastic bellows.
[0006] The present invention has the aim to enlarge and to improve
the essential concepts reached with the previous cited patent
solving the problems found with the use of the bellows and to
facilitate its use for diabetics.
[0007] Other advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description
and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 Is the sole of the previous patent showing the
bellows and the position of the pneumatic valves;
[0009] FIG. 2 Shows the exploded view of the new sole incorporating
the whole system;
[0010] FIG. 3 Shows the pushing roller where its horn presses the
push button;
[0011] FIG. 4 Is the plantar view with all the elements of the
system;
[0012] FIG. 5 Shows the pushing roller and the valve in the closed
position;
[0013] FIG. 6 Is the same but in the opened position;
[0014] FIG. 7 The four positions of the pushing roller;
[0015] FIG. 8 The user while is rotating the rolling button;
[0016] FIG. 9 Is the exploded view of the system moved by an
engine;
[0017] FIG. 10 Shows the application of two blisters into sport
shoes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] With reference to the state of the art concerning this
invention, the inventor refers to the previous mentioned patent
where the examiners cited other patents which treat similar
subjects.
[0019] In the prior art, FIG. 1 shows the essential components of
the previous cited patent , where the plastic bellows (1a-1b-2a-2b)
inserted into the midsole (4) of the sole (5) may be inflated or
deflated pressing with the foot the area where the user wants to
move the air and simultaneously touching the button (6) of the
pneumatic valve (3).
[0020] The aim of this new patent is to avoid this double movement
which for some people, especially diabetics, is too complicate.
[0021] With reference to the above mentioned background out the
necessity of a new patent concerning the possibility to alternate
the pressure on the plantar foot comes out, having for target two
essential considerations :
[0022] A) An improved use of the system for shoes for
diabetics;
[0023] B) The use of plastic blisters instead of plastic
bellows.
[0024] A) Use of the system for shoes for diabetics : the main
target of the patent.
[0025] Diabetics generally are aged people and with some of
problems in their movements, especially if obese. Therefore using
the shoes adopting the previous patented system they were obliged
to bend down for touching the button of the pneumatic valves for
deflating or inflating the air of the bellows, this operation was
very difficult for them, in some cases impossible, considering that
they had to press contemporaneously with the foot the area to be
deflated.
[0026] Adopting the same system in the sport shoes, this problem
did not come out, obviously because the wearers were agile enough
for making the same operation.
[0027] The present invention intends to solve this very negative
aspect adopting a rotating system which makes the process of
deflating the blisters easier.
[0028] B) Use of blisters instead of bellows.
[0029] Designing the whole system of the cited previous patent, the
inventor studied the best reaction which a plastic insert could
give the system and the first idea which came out was evidently the
plastic bellows.
[0030] The application of bellows into a sole limits its use
because a bellows, due to its two or more convolutions, needs high
soles in the heel area but more important in the plantar area where
the sole must have low thickness.
[0031] Another negative aspect which came out after the experience
made with the bellows was that they lost the reactive memory after
a short period of use and this fact made useless the whole
system.
[0032] In order to obviate to this aspect it was found that instead
of bellows it is possible to use plastic blisters.
[0033] These plastic blisters are essentially air chambers with a
tube which comes out and can be produced with the following
processes: [0034] A--Blowing, in this case the blister with its
tube is ready for its use, [0035] B--Injection, in this case two
shells will be produced and after welded together,
[0036] The use of blisters is possible only if they can react
instantaneously and this fact can happen if:
[0037] The material used for their production is a plastic material
with an high elastic modulus,
[0038] The shape of the blister is similar to a leaf spring,
[0039] The possibility, only producing the blisters with injection
machines, to insert a spring or a real leaf spring in order to
increase the immediate reaction,
[0040] The soles (50) adopted for this patent are produced with
rubber, foamed polyurethane, or other materials normally used for
soles which can be compressed during its normal use, evidently only
in this case the blisters, lodged into the defined points, can
react.
[0041] Number and Location of the Blisters (FIG. 4).
[0042] The new invented application works with two, three or four
blisters, but the best number of the blisters is four because it is
the number of the basic points where the plantar foot makes its
main pressure:
[0043] (14-I) is the Inversion area, where the foot touches the
ground internally,
[0044] 14-E) is the Eversion area, where the user touches the
ground externally,
[0045] (13-P) is the Pronation area, where the user pushes for
leaving the ground internally,
[0046] (13-S) is the Supination area, where the user pushes for
leaving the ground externally.
[0047] Elements of the Deflating System.
[0048] The blisters are produced with their tube (12), internally
this tube a pneumatic valve (15) is inserted. If this tube is far
from the deflating system or curves, an additional pipe fitting
connects the blister's tube with the valve.
[0049] The valve (15) is composed by the following elements (FIG.
5-6): the structure has a plurality of external teeth (15a) for its
grip to the internal part of the tube, internally it has the body
of the push button (16) which is hold in tension by a spring (17)
and, in the downward side by an o-ring (19) inserted into its
channel (18).
[0050] In FIG. 5 the position of the inflated blister is shown: the
horn (2) of the pushing roller (1) does not touch the push button
(16) and consequently it is in the closed position : no air can
circulate.
[0051] When the pushing roller (1) rotates, (FIG. 6) the horn (2)
compresses the push button (16), the concave side (3) enters it,
and the air of the blister can go out because the push button
compresses the spring (17), takes the o-ring (19) away from the
valve's body allowing the entering of the air from the blister
(20a) which flows outside from the discharging point (20b).
[0052] Externally the pushing roller (FIG. 7) the numbers of each
blister which is deflated one by one are shown.
[0053] The pushing roller (1) is a complex formed by the following
parts (FIG. 2-3): its central body has a horn (2) with its concave
part (3) for lodging the head of the push button (16) of the valve
(15), in its centre has a hole (4) for the entering of the centring
pin (6) made on the centre of the fixing element (7), the pin has a
cap mushroom shaped (5) which maintains in a firm position the
pushing roller but allows its rotation. On its surface in contact
with the pushing roller a plurality of little semispheres are
produced in order to block the rotation when the horn enters the
push button. The fixing element (7) is glued into the hollowed part
(10) of the sole or can be pre-formed into the same sole.
[0054] A segment of the pushing roller goes out through the slot
(11) pre-formed in the correspondent part of the sole, that will
show to the user the number which corresponds to the deflated
blister.
[0055] FIG. 8 shows the simple manual operation for deflating a
blister.
[0056] This system (FIG. 9) can work also with an engine (30a), in
order to facilitate the use of the invented system.
[0057] The correspondent circuit works as follows. When a sensor
(37) informs a microchip (36) that the shoe is worn and the foot is
raised the microchip activates the engine for moving the pushing
roller (30b) from a blister to the nearest with the same effects
for the manual operation above mentioned. The power is supplied by
a battery (35), lodged into a hollowed space of the sole (38),
which has only to move the pushing roller three-four times a day
and for few millimetres.
[0058] The pushing roller (30b) is joined to the engine (30a)
through a screw (34) which joins the hole (33) of the pushing
roller with the screwed pin (31) of the engine. This electric
system does not need a switch because the sensor (37) closes the
circuit when the shoe is not worn and put in motion the circuit
only when the foot is raised.
[0059] FIG. 10 shows the disposition of two blisters lodged in the
plantar area but with the valve directed outside the sole, as the
previous cited patent and working in the same way. This case is
planned for sport shoes which do not need the system for deflating
the blisters and will be produced for adjusting defects of the foot
as pronation or supination.
* * * * *