CN103300536A - Footwear with air circulation system - Google Patents

Abstract

A shoe with an air circulation system having a perforated ventilated upper and a compressible pumping chamber in the heel that pumps cooled ambient air from an external air inlet port into a three dimensional mesh air distribution pad and out through the perforated ventilated upper to provide cooling and reduce moisture in the cavity containing the wearer's foot.

Description

Footwear with air circulation system

technical field

The present invention relates to the field of shoes and footwear structures.

Background technique

Modern footwear is available in many materials and manufacturing processes. Despite many advances in support, there has been relatively little development in thermal management of footwear. Feet generate heat while walking, running or even while resting. As the foot generates heat, the temperature of the shoe begins to rise and the foot begins to sweat. Excessive sweat around the feet leads to smelly feet and shoes, among other problems.

Specifically, the heat and sweat released by the feet cause some problems. A wet and hot shoe interior is uncomfortable for the user to wear. Further, the sweat released from the feet contains sodium chloride and urea, which can stain or discolor the outer surface of the shoe, reducing the impression value of the shoe to the wearer. Additionally, the sweat and heat around the feet create an ideal environment for fungus and bacteria to grow. Fungi and bacteria consume dead skin cells and produce waste that is the source of foot odor. Fungi and bacteria convert the amino acid methionine to methylmercaptan, which has a sulfurous odor. When physical activity increases, foot sweat, bacterial growth, and production of bacterial waste all increase, leading to enhanced odor. Finally, hot and humid shoes provide an ideal environment for the development of foot diseases such as athlete's foot.

One way to minimize the problems described above is to provide a shoe ventilation structure to transfer heat and moisture away from the foot. The principle of the shoe ventilation structure is to reduce the temperature and humidity inside the shoe by transferring the heat and sweat generated by the foot away from the inside of the shoe. Because sweating decreases with lower temperatures, the lower temperature inside the shoe reduces the rate of sweating around the foot. Thus, the goal of the shoe ventilation structure is to maintain the internal shoe temperature as close as possible to the ambient air temperature. By forcing the air around the foot into the shoe cavity, the heat and moisture generated by the foot is transferred away from the foot through the circulating air.

Systems for ventilating the area under the foot have been proposed in the prior art. These systems are systems in the sole of a shoe that are actuated by foot movement to circulate air inside the shoe during walking or running. Although these systems are helpful in removing excess heat from the bottom of the foot surface, they are not effective because they cannot remove heat from the top, rear and sides of the foot. This allows excess heat and moisture to collect inside the shoe. Uppers can be constructed from mesh or other relatively breathable materials, however, these constructions are only suitable for certain types of running or water shoes and are not suitable for street walking shoe construction or for office wear.

Contents of the invention

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a shoe with an air circulation system that cools the foot by incorporating an air circulation system for transferring heat from the interior of the shoe to the ambient atmosphere.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved in one embodiment by a shoe having an air circulation system having a perforated ventilating upper and a compressible pumping chamber in the heel that cools the Ambient air from the outside air intake is pumped into the three-dimensional mesh air distribution pad and out through the perforated vented upper, providing cooling and reducing moisture in the cavity containing the wearer's foot.

The invention, together with specific features and advantages thereof, may be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a left elevational view of an embodiment of a shoe with an air circulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a left sectional view of the sole of a shoe with an air circulation system according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the heel area of the sole of the shoe having the air circulation system of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a left vertical view of the sole of the shoe having the air circulation system of Fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the sole of the shoe having the air circulation system of Figure 2;

6 is a cross-sectional view of the forefoot region of the sole of the shoe having the air circulation system of FIG. 2;

7 is a cross-sectional view of the forefoot region of the sole of the shoe having the air circulation system of FIG. 2 with peripheral and upwardly extending channels within the midsole;

8 is a top plan view of the sole of the shoe having the air circulation system of FIG. 2 with peripheral and upwardly extending channels within the midsole;

9 is a cross-sectional view of the forefoot region of an embodiment of a shoe with an air circulation system;

Figure 10 is a rear elevational view of the vent tube of the shoe with the air circulation system.

Detailed ways

The contents of our prior US Patents 7,793,426 and 8,127,465 are hereby incorporated by reference. Also, the contents of US Patents 5,893,219 and 5,826,349 are hereby incorporated by reference.

Referring to Figures 1-10, there is shown a shoe 10 with an air circulation system according to the present invention. The shoe 10 with an air circulation system includes an upper 20 and a sole 40 . Upper 20 and sole 40 are positioned together to form shoe 10 with an air circulation system. The sole 40 and upper 20 work together to provide a ventilation system that circulates ambient air through the sole 40 and upper 20 to cool the interior cavity 12 of the shoe 10 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 9 , upper 20 includes an outer layer 22 , an apertured middle layer 24 , and an inner layer 26 . Inner layer 26 is adjacent to interior cavity 12 of shoe 10 . The outer layer 22 is adjacent to the ambient atmosphere 14 . Outer layer 22 , apertured middle layer 24 , and inner layer 26 are positioned together to form upper 20 . Layers 22, 24, 26 may be positioned together by any means known in the art, including sewing or bonding with adhesives. It should be understood that upper 20 may include a greater or fewer number of layers, and may include additional components, such as laces.

Preferably, the outer layer 22 is made of leather. However, the outer layer 22 may be fabricated from canvas, synthetic leather, EVA, denim, wool, felt, or any other material or combination of materials known in the art. The apertured intermediate layer 24 is made of an apertured material through which air passes with little or no resistance. Preferably, the apertured middle layer 24 is made of a synthetic mesh fabric material. However, the apertured intermediate layer 24 may be fabricated from any material or combination of materials that allows air to pass therethrough with little or no resistance. Preferably, the inner layer 26 is made with a soft lining.

The inner layer 26 is preferably provided with a plurality of perforations 28 to provide fluid communication between the interior cavity 12 of the shoe 10 and the perforated mid layer 24 for ventilating the interior of the upper 10 to the mid layer 24 . A plurality of small pinholes applied evenly is preferred, however, any suitable number and size of perforations 28 may be used.

The outer layer 22 is provided with one or more ventilation openings 30 for venting air outside the perforated middle layer 24 to the atmosphere 14 outside the upper 20 . Desirably, the vent opening 30 is in the form of a plastic eyelet having the desired design or appearance feature. The upper may optionally include typical fasteners, such as lace holes 32 and laces, or hook and loop fasteners, or buckles, or elastic elements.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 , upper 20 is positioned on sole 40 . Preferably, upper 20 is secured to sole 40 . In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 , upper 20 is stitched directly to sole 40 . It is preferred to attach upper 20 directly to sole 40 using stitching. However, upper 20 may be secured to sole 40 by adhesives, fasteners, or any other means known in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 1-10 , the sole 40 includes an outsole 42 , a midsole 44 and an insole 46 . Preferably, a thermoplastic shank 48 is disposed in the central region of the shoe between midsole 44 and insole 46 .

The air circulation system includes a compressible pumping chamber 50 located within a heel region 52 of the shoe, between the insole 46 and the midsole 44 . The pumping chamber 50 is a sealed chamber made of elastic material. Desirably, the heel region 52 has downwardly extending protrusions or bumps 53, and the heel region includes a thin outsole 43 and a thin deformable portion 54 of the midsole 44 so that, by the pressure exerted by the wearer walking in the shoe 10, the pump The delivery chamber 50 is periodically compressed. This cyclical compression pumps air through the air circulation system of the shoe 10 . The thin deformable midsole portion 54 is desirably formed as a series of concentric ribs or rings, as best shown in FIG. 5 , or it may be formed as another ribbed or perforated portion to enhance deformation and Pumping of chamber 50 .

Air enters the air circulation system through the outside air intake 60 (which may include a plurality of openings). An inlet fluid passage 62 connects the outside air inlet 60 to the pumping chamber 50 . Preferably, the external air inlet 60 is located at a level above the level of the pumping chamber 50 and the inlet fluid channel 62 includes an upwardly extending vent tube 64 as shown in FIG. 10 . The vent tube 64 is preferably positioned at the rear end 11 of the shoe 10, however, in alternative embodiments, one or more vent tubes and/or access ports may be located on the side of the shoe or on the front of the shoe.

One or more outlet fluid channels 66 connect the pumping chamber 50 with an air distribution pad 70 . The air distribution pad 70 is a three-dimensional spacer mesh fabric and is located in a cavity 71 in the insole 46 in the forefoot region of the shoe. The upper surface of air distribution pad 70 is flush with the upper surface of insole 46 . The three-dimensional spacer mesh air distribution pad is preferably formed from a polyester material and provides both underfoot comfort and a breathable material that distributes air that circulates under the wearer's feet. Examples of three-dimensional spacer mesh fabrics that may be used in the present invention include, for example, those fabrics disclosed in US Pat. The spacer mesh fabric should have a compression set that is generally comparable to that of the foam used in the insole 46, and should be durable enough to maintain usability over the expected life of the shoe, while being comparable in thickness to the surrounding Compared with the insole 46, there is no great deviation.

To provide the desired pumping of air through the air circulation system, an inlet check valve 80 is located in the midsole 44 between the outside air intake port 60 and the pumping chamber 50, and an outlet check valve 82 is located in the pumping chamber. 50 and the air distribution pad 70 in each of the more outlet fluid channels 66 .

As best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , one or more peripheral and upwardly extending channels 90 are provided in the insole 46 and/or midsole 44 and extend from the cavity 71 to provide a perforated mid-layer of the upper 20 24 and the pumping chamber 50 in fluid communication. In other embodiments, peripheral and upwardly extending channel 90 may also or alternatively be directly connected to outlet fluid channel 66 and extend through the insole and/or midsole and from cavity 71 to its perimeter to provide Fluid communication between the perforated mid layer 24 of the upper 20 and the pumping chamber 50 .

The pumping chamber 50 is operable by cyclical pressure exerted by a wearer walking on the shoe 10, which causes air to be drawn into the pumping chamber 50 from the external air inlet 60 through the inlet fluid channel 62, and then through Outlet fluid channels 68 exit from pumping chamber 50 to air distribution pad 70 and from upper 20 through inner layer perforations 28 to perforated mid layer 24 of upper 20 to outer layer ventilation openings 30 .

The present invention provides a shoe with an air circulation system that circulates cooling air under the foot and through the layers of the upper through the pumping action of the pumping chambers.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific arrangements of components, features, etc., these are not meant to exhaust all possible configurations or features, and in fact many other modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art.

Claims (6)

1. footwear with air flow system, it comprises:

Upper of a shoe, it has skin (22), the porose formed porose intermediate layer of material (24) and internal layer (26), internal layer has the ventilation that one or more internal layer openings (28) are used for inside to the intermediate layer of upper of a shoe, and skin has one or more vent openings (30) and is used for allowing air outside the porose intermediate layer be vented to the outside of upper of a shoe; With

Sole (40), it comprises outer bottom (42), the middle end (44) and the interior end (46);

It is characterized in that: described sole has

Extraneous air inlet port (60),

Compressible pumping chamber (50), it is arranged in the heel area of footwear,

Inlet fluid passage (62), it is connected the extraneous air inlet port with the pumping chamber,

Inlet one-way valve (80), its between pumping chamber and extraneous air inlet port,

Air distribution pad (70), it is arranged in footwear,

Outlet fluid passage (66), it is connected chamber with the air distribution pad,

The outlet check valve (82), its between pumping chamber and air distribution pad,

The pumping chamber, it is worn the footwear walking by wearer its cycle pressure that applies is operated, this so that air be drawn into the pumping chamber by the inlet fluid passage from the extraneous air inlet port, and be discharged to the air distribution pad by the outlet fluid passage from chamber, and be discharged to outer vent openings from the porose intermediate layer of upper of a shoe by upper of a shoe.

2. footwear with air flow system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, air distribution pad (70) is three-dimensional mesh material.

3. footwear with air flow system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, the air distribution pad is three-dimensional polyester mesh fabric.

4. footwear with air flow system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, the extraneous air inlet port is positioned at the At The Height more than the pumping chamber height in upwardly extending breather pipe (64).

5. footwear with air flow system as claimed in claim 4, wherein, breather pipe is positioned at the rear end of footwear.

6. such as claim 1,2,3,4 or 5 described footwear with air flow system, wherein, the pumping chamber is communicated with the porose intermediate layer fluid of upper of a shoe by peripheral and upwardly extending one or more passage (90), and described channel setting is in the interior end or the middle end.

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