US20090151203A1

US20090151203A1 - Ventilating shoe

Info

Publication number: US20090151203A1
Application number: US11/956,829
Authority: US
Inventors: David S. Boyer; Tsung Jung Wu
Original assignee: RACON INTERNATIONAL Co
Current assignee: RACON INTERNATIONAL Co
Priority date: 2007-12-14
Filing date: 2007-12-14
Publication date: 2009-06-18

Abstract

A ventilating shoe configured to absorb air from the interior of the shoe when a ventilation component is not compressed by a wearer's foot and configured to expel the air out of the heel region of the shoe when the ventilation component is compressed by a wearer's foot. The ventilation component is configured to be produced quickly and conveniently and to preserve the comfort and support necessary for the activity or purpose for which the ventilating shoe was designed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a ventilating shoe. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shoe with a ventilation component configured to draw air from the interior of the shoe when the ventilation component is not compressed by a wearer's foot and to expel the air out of the heel of the shoe when the ventilation component is compressed by a wearer's foot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shoes in general are worn for a variety of activities. Athletic shoes, for example are worn to protect the feet, provide support, and to provide adequate grip with a playing surface depending on the particular athletic activity for which the shoe is designed. Shoes are also worn for fashion, comfort, protection of the feet, and other purposes.
Most shoes have two main components, a shoe upper and a sole. The shoe upper operates to secure the wearer's foot to the sole and to provide some ventilation to the outside air. The sole is designed to grip the wearer's foot to a particular surface. A sole is often composed of several layers such as a footbed, an insole and an outsole. The footbed is a thin layer formed from padded material placed within the shoe upper to enhance comfort. The insole is attached to the shoe upper so as to form a shoe interior and operates to cushion a wearer's foot during ambulatory movement. The outsole is usually constructed from a durable material to resist wear during use. The outsole may be designed for running, walking, dancing, fashion, comfort or other purposes.
A shoe typically encloses a wearer's foot for an extended period of time. Due to poor ventilation in the shoe, heat becomes trapped in the interior of the shoe causing the foot to sweat and possibly produce a foul odor. A wearer of a shoe may become embarrassed when taking off the shoe due to the release of foul odor. Further, the hot and wet environment of the shoe interior shoe may cause the skin to suffer from a skin disease or bacterial or fungal infection such as athlete's foot. The hot and wet environment of the shoe interior also leads to discomfort which is undesireable.
Ventilating shoes known in the art are often inadequate either because they are too expensive to mass produce or because the do not provide the necessary comfort and support to correspond with the activity for which the shoe was designed. Thus, a need exists for a shoe with a ventilation component that removes air (including foul air) from the shoe interior that can be produced quickly and inexpensively. It is desirable to have the ventilation component be operated by the ambulatory movement of the wearer's foot. It is also desirable that the ventilation component provide the necessary comfort and support to correspond with the activity for which the shoe is designed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A summary of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be set forth here. Using the description provided herein, one skilled in the art will understand that additional exemplary embodiments are within the scope of the present invention.
One exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a ventilating shoe defining a forefoot region and a heel region. The ventilating shoe has a shoe upper, an insole connected to the shoe upper so as to define a shoe interior, and an outsole. A ventilation component is located between the insole and the outsole. The ventilation component has an air bladder in the heel region and a breather pad having a top surface in the forefoot region. The air bladder is configured to expel air out of the heel region when compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot. The air bladder is further configured to draw air out of the shoe interior through the top surface of the breather pad when the air bladder is not compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot.
In variations of this exemplary embodiment, the breather pad may have a plurality of operatively connected air channels and a plurality of openings disposed along the top surface of the breather pad. In another variation, the air bladder is operatively connected to the breather pad by at least one air conduit. In yet another variation, the air bladder has a plurality of supports configured to return the air bladder to its original position when the air bladder is not compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot. In still a further variation of this exemplary embodiment, the air bladder may have at least one air intake and at least one exhaust port. The air intake has a one-way valve configured to let air flow into the air bladder but not out of the air bladder. The exhaust port has a one-way valve configured to let air flow out of the air bladder but not into the air bladder. The air intake may be connected to the air bladder by inserting an end of the air intake into a sleeve. The exhaust port may also be connected to the air bladder by inserting an end of the exhaust port into a sleeve.
In further variations of this exemplary embodiment, the ventilating shoe may have a footbed with a plurality of openings in the forefoot region. The ventilating shoe may have an insole comprising a plurality of perforations configured to allow air to flow through the insole. The shoe upper may also comprise a plurality of perforations configured to allow air to flow from outside the shoe upper into the shoe interior.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the ventilating shoe defines a forefoot region and a heel region. The ventilating shoe has a shoe upper, an insole connected to the shoe upper so as to create a shoe interior, and an outsole. Located in between the insole and the outsole is a ventilation apparatus. The ventilation apparatus has an air bladder in the heel region and a breather pad in the forefoot region. The air bladder is operative connected to the breather pad by at least on air conduit. The breather pad defines a top surface and a bottom surface and has a plurality of operatively connected air channels and a plurality of openings disposed along the top surface of the breather pad. In a variation of this particular embodiment, the plurality of air channels may be operatively connected at intersections with the plurality of openings disposed along the top surface of the breather pad located at the intersections. In another variation of this embodiment, a plurality of openings may be disposed along the bottom surface of the breather pad. In yet another variation of this embodiment, a plurality of openings may be disposed along the bottom surface of the breather pad at the intersections.
In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the ventilating shoe has a shoe upper, an insole connected to the shoe upper so as to define a shoe interior, and an outsole. Located between the insole and the outsole is a ventilation device having a means for drawing air out of the shoe interior when said ventilation device is not compressed by a wearer's foot and a means for expelling air out of the heel region of the shoe when said ventilation device is compressed by a wearer's foot.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an outsole with embedded ventilation component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a ventilation component of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the heel region of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a ventilating shoe 100 according to the present invention is shown therein. The ventilating shoe 100 depicted in FIG. 1 is an athletic shoe. However, the present invention is not limited to any particular type of shoe, and using the teachings disclosed herein, one of skill in the art will understand that the present invention may be used with a variety of different types of shoes.
Ventilating shoe 100 defines a heel region 120 and a forefoot region 130. The ventilating shoe 100 includes a shoe upper 200. The shoe upper 200 is designed to secure a wearer's foot to the outsole 600. The shoe upper 200 depicted in FIG. 1, has a plurality of perforations 210 located on the surface of the shoe upper 200. The perforations 210 may be located in the vamp 220 of the shoe upper and also along the sidewall 230 or the heel support 240 of the shoe upper 200. The perforations 210 facilitate the flow of air from outside the ventilating shoe 100 into the shoe interior 150.
An insole 400 is attached to the bottom of the shoe upper 200 so as to define a shoe interior 150. The insole 400 operates to cushion a wearer's foot during ambulatory movement. The insole 400 depicted in FIG. 1 has a plurality of perforations 410. The perforations 410 allow air to flow through the insole 400.
A footbed 300 is inserted into the shoe interior 150 and is located parallel to and above the insole 400. The footbed 300 is a thin layer constructed from a padded material to enhance comfort and support for a wearer's foot. The footbed 300 depicted in FIG. 1 has a raised heel section 320 to provide added support to a wearer's foot. The footbed 300 includes a plurality of openings 310 located in the forefoot region 130 of the footbed 300. The plurality of openings 310 allows air to flow from the shoe interior 150 through the footbed 300.
An outsole 600 is located parallel to and beneath the insole 400. The outsole 600 is preferably composed of a durable material, such as rubber, to resist wear during use. The outsole 600 may have treads 610 designed to grip the ventilating shoe 100 to a surface. The design of the treads 610 may vary depending on the purpose for which the ventilating shoe 100 is designed. The outsole 600 includes a depression 620 in the heel region 120 and a depression 630 in the forefoot region 130. These depressions 620 and 630 are designed to partially secure the ventilation component 500 of the ventilating shoe 100 to the outsole 600.
The ventilation component 500 is located between the insole 400 and the outsole 600. Other sole layers not shown or described herein may be located between the insole 400 and the outsole 600 without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. The ventilation component includes an air bladder 510 located in the heel region 120 of the ventilating shoe. The air bladder 510 is partially secured to the outsole 600 by depression 620. The ventilation component further includes a breather pad 520 located in the forefoot region 130 of the ventilating shoe 100. The breather pad 520 is partially secured to the outsole 600 by depression 630. The breather pad 520 is operatively connected to the air bladder 510 by air conduits 530. Air conduits 530 are operatively connected to the air bladder 510 at air intakes 512. Air is expelled from air bladder 510 through exhaust port 514.
With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the exhaust port 514 of the ventilating shoe 100 is connected to heel opening 650. The heel opening 650 is located in the heel support 640 of the outsole 600. Air from the air bladder 510 is expelled through the exhaust port 514 and through the heel opening 650 to the outside of the ventilating shoe 100.
Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the ventilation component 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in additional detail. The ventilation component 500 includes an air bladder 510 located in the heel region 120 of the ventilating shoe 100. The air bladder 510 may be composed of any material capable of being compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot. The air bladder 510 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 includes a plurality of supports 515. The supports 515 are cylindrical columns configured to return the air bladder to its original position when the air bladder 510 is not compressed by a wearer's foot. The supports 515 also provide enhanced support and shock absorption capabilities to the ventilating shoe 100. The air bladder 510 includes sleeves 511 and 513.
The air bladder 510 is operatively connected to breather pad 520 by air conduits 530. Air conduits 530 are operatively connected to air bladder 510 at air intakes 512. Air intakes 512 include one-way valves 540 designed to allow air to flow into the air bladder 510 from air conduits 530 and to prevent air from flowing out of the air bladder 510 into air conduits 530. One-way valves 540 may be standard ball-valves in which a ball operates to restrict the air flow from the air bladder 510 to the air conduits 530. However, the present invention is not limited to any particular type of one-way valve, and using the teachings disclosed herein, one of skill in the art will understand that the present invention may be used with a variety of different types of one-way valves designed to restrict the flow of air from the air bladder 510 to the air conduits 530.
The air bladder 510 includes an exhaust port 514. The exhaust port 514 has a one-way valve 550 designed to allow air to flow out of the air bladder 510 into the heel opening 650 and to prevent air to flow from the outside of the ventilating shoe 100 through the heel opening 650 into the air bladder 510. Similar to one-way valves 540, the one-way valve 550 may be a standard ball-valve in which a ball operates to restrict the air flow from the heel opening 650 to the air bladder 510. However, the present invention is not limited to any particular type of one-way valve, and using the teachings disclosed herein, one of skill in the art will understand that the present invention may be used with a variety of different types of one-way valves to restrict the flow of air from the heel opening 650 to the air bladder 510.
One- way valves 540 and 550 are connected to the ventilation component 500 by complementary male-female connections. Specifically, one-way valves 540 are connected to air conduits 530 by inserting the ends of the one-way valves 540 into the air conduits 530. One-way valves 540 are connected to the air bladder 510 by inserting the opposing ends of the one-way valves 540 into sleeves 511. The one-way valve 550 is connected to the air bladder 510 by inserting the end of the one-way valve 550 into sleeve 513. The one-way valve 550 is connected to the heel opening 650 by inserting an opposing end of the one-way valve 550 into the heel opening 650. This arrangement facilitates the assembly of the ventilation component 500.
The breather pad 520 is located in the forefoot region 130 of the ventilating shoe 100 and is operatively connected to the air bladder 510 by air conduits 530. The air conduits 530 are connected to the breather pad 520 by a complementary male-female connection. Specifically, the ends of the air conduits 530 are inserted into sleeves 521 located on the breather pad 520. This arrangement further facilitates the assembly of the ventilation component 500
The breather pad 520 has a top surface 526 and a bottom surface 528 and includes a plurality of operatively connected air channels 522. FIG. 4 shows a side view of the breather pad 520 and the plurality of operatively connected air channels 522. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the air channels 522 are connected to each other at intersections 525. A plurality of openings 524 is disposed along the top surface 526 of the breather pad 520. The breather pad 520 absorbs air from the shoe interior 150 during ambulatory movement of a wearer's foot through the plurality of openings 524. In alternate embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of openings 524 may be located on the bottom surface 528 of the breather pad 520 or located on both the top surface 526 and the bottom surface 528 of the breather pad 520. In the embodiment of the breather pad 520 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the openings 524 are placed at the intersections 525 of the air channels 522. This allows air absorbed by an opening 524 to flow into multiple air channels 522.
The breather pad 520 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is configured to prevent or minimize any discomfort to the wearer of the ventilating shoe 100 caused by the presence of a ventilation component 500. The breather pad 520 substantially conforms to the shape of the forefoot region 130 of the ventilating shoe 100 so as not to create an irregularity that can be felt by a wearer of the ventilating shoe 100. The depressions 527 in the breather pad 520 further minimize the amount of contact the breather pad 520 has with the bottom of a wearer's foot through the insole 400 and the footbed 300.
Referring now to FIG. 4, the operation of the ventilating shoe 100 will be described in detail. During the compression phase, the downward pressure of a wearer's foot compresses the air bladder 510 forcing air located in the air bladder 510 out of the exhaust port 514 through one-way valve 550 and through heel opening 650. By forcing the air out of air bladder 510, the downward pressure of a wearer's foot creates a temporary vacuum inside air bladder 510.
During the absorption phase, the air bladder 510 is not compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot and the supports 515 cause the air bladder 510 to return to its original position. The temporary vacuum inside air bladder 510 draws air from the shoe interior 150 into the ventilation component 550 through the breather pad 520. In this manner, air from the shoe interior 150 is absorbed by the ventilation component 500.
The air flow associated with both the compression phase and the absorption phase will now be discussed in detail. During the absorption phase, air from the shoe interior 150 is drawn by the breather pad 520 through openings 310 in footbed 300 and through the perforations 410 in the insole 400. The air of the shoe interior 150 is replaced by outside air that flows through perforations 210 in the shoe upper 200. The removed air flows into the breather pad 520 through the plurality of openings 524. Once the air from the shoe interior 150 has been absorbed by the breather pad 520, it flows through air conduits 530 toward the air bladder 510. The air flows through one-way valves 540 disposed in the air intakes 512 into the air bladder 510. The flow of air into the air bladder 510 assists the supports 515 in returning the air bladder 510 to its original position.
Once the absorption phase is complete, the compression phase is re-initiated by downward pressure from a wearer's foot applied to the air bladder 510. This forces the recently absorbed air from the air bladder 510 out of the heel opening 650. Thus, during the ambulatory movement of a wearer's foot, air from the shoe interior 150 is repeatedly absorbed by the breather pad 520 and forced out of the air bladder 510 through heel opening 650. Fresh air replenishes the removed air in the shoe interior 150 through perforations 210 in the shoe upper 200.
While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific exemplary embodiments and methods thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. A ventilating shoe defining a forefoot region and a heel region, comprising

a shoe upper;

an insole connected to the shoe upper so as to define a shoe interior;

an outsole; and

a ventilation component located between said insole and said outsole, said ventilation component comprising an air bladder in the heel region and a breather pad having a top surface in the forefoot region,

said air bladder configured to expel air out of said heel region when compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot; and

said air bladder further configured to draw air out of said shoe interior through said top surface of the breather pad when said air bladder is not compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot.

2. The ventilating shoe of claim 1, wherein said breather pad comprises a plurality of operatively connected air channels and a plurality of openings disposed along the top surface of the breather pad.

3. The ventilating shoe of claim 1, wherein said air bladder is operatively connected to said breather pad by at least one air conduit.

4. The ventilating shoe of claim 1, wherein said air bladder comprises a plurality of supports designed to return the air bladder to its original position when said air bladder is not compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot.

5. The ventilating shoe of claim 1, wherein the air bladder comprises at least one air intake and at least one exhaust port;

the air intake comprising a one-way valve configured so that air flows into said air bladder through said air intake but not out of said air bladder through said air intake;

the air outtake comprising a one-way valve configured so that air flows out of the air bladder through said exhaust port but not into said air bladder through said exhaust port.

6. The ventilating shoe of claim 5, wherein said air intake is connected to the air bladder by inserting an end of said air intake into a sleeve.

7. The ventilating shoe of claim 5, wherein said exhaust port is connected to the air bladder by inserting an end of said exhaust port into a sleeve.

8. The ventilating shoe of claim 1, wherein the ventilating shoe further comprises a footbed, the footbed comprising a plurality of openings in the forefoot region.

9. The ventilating shoe of claim 1, wherein said insole comprising a plurality of perforations configured to allow the flow of air through said insole.

10. The ventilating shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe upper comprises a plurality of perforations configured to allow air to flow from outside said shoe upper into said shoe interior.

11. A ventilating shoe defining a forefoot region and a heel region, comprising:

a shoe upper;

an insole connected to the shoe upper so as to define a shoe interior;

an outsole; and

a ventilation apparatus located between said insole and said outsole, said ventilation apparatus comprising an air bladder in the heel region and a breather pad in the forefoot region, said air bladder operatively connected to said breather pad by at least one air conduit,

wherein said breather pad has a top surface and a bottom surface and comprises a plurality of operatively connected air channels and a plurality of openings disposed along said top surface of said breather pad.

12. The ventilating shoe of claim 11, wherein the plurality of air channels are operatively connected at intersections and said plurality of openings are disposed along said top surface of the breather pad at said intersections.

13. The ventilating shoe of claim 11, wherein a plurality of openings is disposed along the bottom surface of said breather pad.

14. The ventilating shoe of claim 12, wherein a plurality of openings is disposed along the bottom surface of the breather pad at said intersections.

15. The ventilating shoe of claim 11, wherein said air bladder comprises a plurality of supports designed to return the air bladder to its original position when said air bladder is not compressed by the downward pressure of a wearer's foot

16. The ventilating shoe of claim 11, wherein the air bladder comprises at least one air intake and at least one exhaust port;

the air intake comprising a one-way valve configured so that air flows into said air bladder through said air intake but not out of said air bladder through said air intake, the air intake connected to the air bladder by inserting an end of the air intake into a sleeve;

the exhaust port comprising a one-way valve configured so that air flows out of the air bladder through said exhaust port but not into said air bladder through said exhaust port, the exhaust port connected to the air bladder by inserting an end of the exhaust port into a sleeve.

17. The ventilating shoe of claim 11, wherein the ventilating shoe further comprises a footbed, the footbed comprising a plurality of openings in the forefoot region.

18. The ventilating shoe of claim 11, wherein said insole comprises a plurality of perforations.

19. The ventilating shoe of claim 11, wherein the shoe upper comprises a plurality of perforations.

20. A ventilating shoe, comprising:

a shoe upper;

an insole connected to the shoe upper so as to define a shoe interior;

an outsole; and

a ventilation device located between said insole and said outsole, said ventilation device comprising means for drawing air out of said shoe interior when said ventilation apparatus is not compressed by a wearer's foot and means for expelling air from said shoe interior when said ventilation apparatus is compressed by a wearer's foot.