U.S. patent application number 14/227860 was filed with the patent office on 2015-10-01 for footwear cushioning system.
This patent application is currently assigned to CHINOOK ASIA LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is CHINOOK ASIA LLC. Invention is credited to Robert K. Scofield.
Application Number | 20150272272 14/227860 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54188588 |
Filed Date | 2015-10-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150272272 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Scofield; Robert K. |
October 1, 2015 |
FOOTWEAR CUSHIONING SYSTEM
Abstract
An footwear cushioning system comprising a matrix of elongate,
hollow, elastomer tubes joined together in a honeycomb matrix which
extends laterally at least partially across selected portions of
the sole of the footwear. The tubes may or may not be enclosed in
an air bag.
Inventors: |
Scofield; Robert K.; (Lake
Oswego, OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CHINOOK ASIA LLC |
LAKE OSWEGO |
OR |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CHINOOK ASIA LLC
LAKE OSWEGO
OR
|
Family ID: |
54188588 |
Appl. No.: |
14/227860 |
Filed: |
March 27, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/29 ;
36/28 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/181 20130101;
A43B 13/206 20130101; A43B 1/0009 20130101; A43B 1/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A43B 13/20 20060101
A43B013/20; A43B 13/18 20060101 A43B013/18 |
Claims
1. A footwear cushioning system comprising: (a) a matrix of hollow
elastomeric tubes which extends at least partially across the
lateral extent of a sole of the footwear.
2. A footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes are
attached to one another.
3. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes are
circular in cross-section.
4. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes are
polygonal in cross-section.
5. The footwear cushioning system of claim 4 wherein said tubes are
hexagonal in cross-section.
6. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes are
made from a thermoplastic olefin.
7. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes
made from a thermoplastic elastomer.
8. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes are
located in a toe portion of the footwear.
9. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes are
located in a heel portion of the footwear.
10. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes
are located in both a heel and the portions of the footwear.
11. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes
are located within a sealed air bag.
12. The footwear cushioning system of claim 10 wherein the air in
said bag is at an elevated pressure.
13. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes
have a cross-sectional size which can vary depending on the
application.
14. The footwear cushioning system of claim 1 wherein said tubes
have a wall thickness which can vary depending on the application.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] It is well known to place an air bag in all types of
footwear to provide cushioning against impact of the footwear on
the ground. While air bags do provide cushioning, they can become
compromised such that the air escapes the air bag, which makes the
air bag ineffective. This leaking can either be slowly due to a
small amount of air leaking each time the foot bag impacts the
ground, or very quickly when a nail, or other sharp object,
penetrates the air bag. This latter event is particularly a problem
with work boots.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A cushioning system for footwear comprises a matrix of
hollow elastomeric tubes joined together to create a honeycomb
which is placed in footwear between the sole and upper. The tube
matrix may or may not be enclosed within an air bag.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is fragmentary portion of a boot, partially broken
away to show the subject invention.
[0004] FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views taken along the
line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing alternate embodiments of the subject
invention.
[0005] FIGS. 3-6 are side elevational views, similar to FIG. 1
showing different embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0006] Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a boot, or other
type of footwear, 10 has a cushioning system 12 located between its
outsole 14 and upper 16, in a location where air bags typically are
located. The cushioning system is a plurality of elongate, hollow,
elastomeric tubes 18 which preferably are attached to one another
to create an integral assembly in the nature of a honeycomb matrix.
The tubes can be made from any elastomeric material, and different
materials will provide different cushioning characteristics.
Materials that would work well for this purpose are thermoplastic
olefins or thermoplastic elastomers. The honeycomb typically would
be made by injecting molding.
[0007] The size of the tubes 18 and their wall thickness, or both,
can vary depending on where they were placed in the footwear and
the desired level of cushioning. For example, the tubes located in
the toe section of the boot illustrated in FIG. 1 are smaller than
the tubes located in the heel section, and have a smaller wall
thickness. While the drawing shows a specific uniform tube size and
thickness in the toe section and a specific uniform tube size and
thickness in the heel section, there could be multiple size tubes
in the toe section or the heel section. In addition, the cushioning
system may only be in the toe, FIG. 3, only be in the heel, FIG. 4,
or extend over the entire extent of the boot, FIG. 5.
[0008] The tubes can be polygonal in a cross-section, such as the
hexagonal tubes shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-5, or circular in
cross-section, as shown in FIG. 6. The tubes may or may not be
enclosed within an air bag 20, FIG. 2B. The air in the air bag can
either be at or around ambient pressure or at an elevated pressure.
When the tubes are enclosed in an air bag, the tubes provide some
of the cushioning effect and the air bag produces some of the
cushioning effect. However, unlike a boot with cushioning provided
only by an air bag, if the air bag is punctured the tubes still
provide some cushioning.
[0009] The terms and expressions which have been employed in the
foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description
and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such
terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features
shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that
the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the
claims which follow.
* * * * *