Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/06—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements ventilated
  • A43B7/08—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements ventilated with air-holes, with or without closures
  • A43B7/081—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements ventilated with air-holes, with or without closures the air being forced from outside
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
  • A43B13/18—Resilient soles
  • A43B13/20—Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas
  • A43B13/203—Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas provided with a pump or valve

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an article of footwear with an air-pneumatic sole.
• the present invention proposes to remedy these drawbacks by proposing an article of footwear with an air-pneumatic sole comprising a circuit for suction and discharge of air outside towards the interior of the shoe, formed by a suction channel produced in the sole assembly and opening outwards through at least one suction orifice and discharge channels debou ⁇ song by air discharge orifices towards the interior of the shoe as well as a means of ventilation and d cushioning placed between the suction channel and the discharge channels and deforming under the effect of periodic pressures of the foot during walking or running.
• the invention thus seeks to provide the user with a footwear item capable of simultaneously remedying the problems associated with excessive sweating of the feet and consecutive to the shocks generated during walking or running.
• This footwear is characterized in that that it consists of an outwardly domed outsole intended to come into contact with the ground and cooperating with a midsole to define a pneumatic pocket at the level of the user's forefoot, this pneumatic pocket constituting the aeration and damping means, and the midsole comprising, at the level of the pocket, perforations constituting the channels and the discharge orifices and the size and position of which are chosen from so as to ensure satisfactory ventilation of the foot of the user.
• the outsole and the midsole are made of elastic materials and define, on either side of the pneumatic pocket, a "floor” and a “ceiling" which cooperate to "amplify” the movements of the user: in fact, under the effect of the elasticity of its envelope, the pneumatic pocket crashes under the weight of the user when he asks his legs and feet to pro ⁇ pulsate forward and bend the front part of his shoe, and resumes its place during the time of suspension of the foot.
• the assembly constituted by the pneumatic pocket, its "ceiling" and its "floor” has a behavior similar to that of a tire since it helps the transmission of transverse and longitudinal forces, as well than braking accelerations.
• This action is accompanied, of course, by shock absorption capable of largely avoiding the appearance of problems of the tendinitis or similar type.
• the above-mentioned particular configuration of the pneumatic bag also makes it possible to notably improve the characteristics of the footwear with regard to the ventilation possibilities. : in fact, the pocket "draws" air towards the foot when it is erased, then sucks in the outside air when it returns to its original volume.
• the footwear article comprises one-way valves allowing the passage of air in the direction going from the outside of the shoe towards the inside, these valves being provided at the suction orifice and, if necessary, at the discharge orifices.
• the pneumatic pocket contains at least one elastic cushion acting as a spring.
• the presence of this or these elastic cushions which is optional is likely to reinforce the ventilation following the crushing of the pneumatic pocket.
• This or these elastic cushions are, in accordance with the invention, preferably made of a closed-cell foam coated in a gangue in an air-impermeable synthetic material; it is, of course, essential that the material constituting the gangue is chosen so as not to deteriorate under the effect of humidity and sweat.
• a variant of the invention consists in inserting, in the pneumatic pocket, a cushion made of a synthetic foam with open cells similar to that described in French patent 83 10 601.
• the sole of wear has a U-shaped section and consists of a central or support part curved outwards and intended to come into contact with the ground and of a peripheral lateral part approximately perpendicular to the support part .
• the outsole includes, to the right of the heel of the user, a cavity containing a heel made of a resistant elastomer.
• This heel can advantageously be made of an elastomer of the MEPSOLE type (trademark registered by the company W00LD MILNE).
• This elastomer has the advantage of not tearing and of having an excellent elasticity, which is essential given the constraints to which it must be subjected.
• the midsole is made up to the right of the user's heel by a cushion made of a shock-absorbing synthetic material, preferably a visco-elastic material which reshapes with a certain offset after deformation.
• the midsole is formed in line with the user's forefoot by an elastic layer, in particular of pure latex, surmounted by a layer of an elastomer.
• an elastic layer in particular of pure latex
• elastomer we can again choose MEPSOLE (registered trademark).
• the footwear according to the invention therefore combines qualities of comfort with qualities directly linked to the protection of the skeleton and the joints, therefore touching on a field close to medicine.
• the article of footwear according to the invention can be a shoe intended for the intensive practice of sport, but also a city shoe, a work shoe, a weekend shoe or even a boot.
• the footwear comprises a first assembly covering the midsole, and formed from the shoe to the foot of the user, of a lower layer of a synthetic material with hollow fibers capable of absorb a large amount of water, a middle layer of polyurethane foam favoring the passage of moisture towards the lower layer and an upper layer of cleanliness in particular in a synthetic cotton permeable to air and humidity and intended to be in direct contact with the foot of the user, these different layers being joined together thanks to the presence of a large quantity of very small diameter holes drilled by means of a large number of punches, and this first assembly comprising, moreover, over its entire surface, orifices of relatively large diameter, corresponding to the perforations in the midsole.
• hydrophilic material it is possible to use a synthetic material with hollow fibers capable of absorbing about 180% of its volume of water similar to the material commonly used in the layer of infants, in conjunction with foam. cellulose.
• Such a material is, in fact, capable of pumping the sweat supplied by the sweat glands as it is formed.
• This first assembly therefore has an extremely simple configuration; she is, despite everything susceptible to give complete satisfaction since the air discharged at the perforations of the midsole comes into contact with the hydrophilic lower layer of the first mounting which retains moisture to allow it to dry very quickly; experience has shown that even a user who sweats particularly profusely at the level of his feet can immediately re-use his shoes, even after intense sports effort or prolonged use in hot weather.
• the footwear according to the invention could include a first assembly other in particular constituted by two thicknesses of very absorbent fabric separated by a layer of foam.
• the first assembly may or may not be directly sewn onto the upper of the footwear: as it is designed, it plays at the same time, in particular as regards the user's forefoot, the role of the first interior on which the foot rests in sports or city shoes.
• this first mounting is topped by an elastic heel block, in particular polyester, on which the foot rests.
• the pneumatic bag contains, in the self, an elastic tube filled with compressed air closed at its two ends.
• This or these tubes are most often made of natural rubber, a material which exhibits great nervousness.
• the inside and outside diameters of these tubes and their arrangement are essentially variable although results have been obtained which are particularly advantageous by using tubes having an outside diameter of the order of 8 to 10 mm and an inside diameter of the order of 5 to 6 mm.
• the tubes must, in fact, only meet two conditions: perfectly support the "ceiling" of the pneumatic bag throughout its width and allow a volume of sufficient free air for the bag to be able to play the role of an empty air reservoir filling and filling each time it is pressed.
• the damping effect obtained thanks to the elastic tube (s) according to the invention depends, of course, on the weight of the user of the footwear; to remedy its decrease, it is possible to consider • increasing the air pressure contained in the "elastic tube (s)" to adapt the article to particularly heavy users.
• a single tube folded back on itself is used approximately. ve elliptical.
• This configuration although by no means limiting of the invention, has in fact proved to be particularly satisfactory.
• This tube which forms, in a way, a
• valve crown around the pneumatic pocket has, in effect, an action similar to that of an inner tube: when walking or running, the weight of the user is distributed uniformly thereon , thanks to the suspension following the effect of compressed air.
• the external diameter of the tube corresponds to the depth of the pneumatic bag.
• the tube can, of course, be closed in on itself tightly by any means (bonding, welding, etc.).
• the dimensions of the ellipse thus produced are of the order of 8 centimeters for the major axis and 2 centimeters for the minor axis;
• the elastic tube closed on itself in the shape of an ellipse 'cooperates with a rectilinear annex tube integral with the el ⁇ lipse by its two ends in particular at its major axis and communicating with this one.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sole assembly of the footwear
• FIG. 2 is a view of Figure 1 along the axis II-II, - Figure 3 shows the midsole,
• FIG. 5 is a top view of the first assembly of the footwear according to the invention.
• FIG. 6 is a section of FIG. 5, along the axis VI-VI,
• FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the heel surmounting the first mounting and on which the foot rests
• FIG. 8 is a perspective similar to FIG. 4 showing a particularly advantageous variant of the invention.
• FIG. 9 is a top view showing the elastic tube
• the footwear to be aeropneumatic according to the invention comprises, so c in itself, a suction and discharge circuit of outside air to the inside of the shoe.
• this circuit is provided with a suction channel 1 opening outwardly through a suction port 2 provided with a unidirectional valve, not shown, which allows the passage of air in the direction going from the outside of the shoe towards the interior but prevents its passage in the opposite direction.
• the suction channel 1 as well as the suction orifice 2 cooperate with delivery channels opening out through air delivery orifices towards the interior of the shoe which will be described in more detail in the remainder of this description.
• the sole assembly consists by a outsole 3 shown in more detail in Figure 4, intended to come into contact with the ground and a midsole 4 shown more precisely in Figure 3.
• the midsole 4 can rest either directly on the central part 30, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, or on an internal rim 32 provided for this purpose at the upper part of the side part 31, as shown in solid lines on the figure 2.
• the "bulging" of the central portion 30 of the outsole 3 relative to the horizon is materialized by the axis x-x '.
• the arrow h of this "convex" is preferably equal to 5 to 10 mm.
• this tailgating comprises a cavity 18 which encloses a heel piece 19 made of a resistant elastomer.
• the midsole 4 and the outsole 3 define a pneumatic pocket 6 which constitutes the means of ventilation and damping.
• the volume of the pneumatic pocket 6 can be of the order of 40 cm; this volume can be increased thanks to the presence of the rim 32. In this case, it is the height of the rim, the width of which is generally of the order of 6 mm, which determines the volume of the pneumatic pocket 6.
• the pneumatic pocket 6 is deformed under the effect of the periodic pressures of the foot, during walking or running, so as to send the air sucked in through the orifice 2 and the channel 1 towards the 'interior of the shoe by perforations 7 of the midsole 4 which constitute the channels and discharge ports mentioned above; these orifices which can be, if necessary, provided with unidirec ⁇ tional valves not shown, must have a size and a position chosen so as to guarantee sufficient damping while ensuring satisfactory ventilation of the foot of the user. So that the whole thus constituted can have satisfactory behavior, it is essential that the midsole 4 and the outsole 3 are made of elastic materials with excellent "memory" For this purpose, and as shown more precisely in FIG.
• the midsole 4 is constituted, in line with the user's forefoot, by an elastic layer 10 surmounted by a layer 11 in an elastomer such as for example the MEPSOLE elastomer (trademark registered by the company W00LD MILNE).
• MEPSOLE elastomer trademark registered by the company W00LD MILNE.
• This elastomer has a worse memory than latex, but has the advantage of being particularly soft.
• the two layers 10 and 11 constituting the midsole 4 in line with the user's forefoot are welded together, and provided, as already indicated, with perforations 7. According to FIG.
• the midsole 4 in line with the heel of the user, is constituted by a shoe 12 made of a shock absorbing synthetic material, in particular of a visco-elastic material which reshapes with a certain offset after deformation similar to the product sold under the brand "S0RB0THANE" mentioned above.
• an elastic cushion 8 made of a closed cell foam encased in a gangue in a synthetic material impermeable to air and moisture.
• the footwear defined above comprises a first mounting 13 which covers the midsole 4. This first mounting 13 is directly sewn onto the upper of the footwear.
• this first assembly consists, going from the shoe to the foot of the utility. sator, a hydrophilic lower layer 14 of a hollow fiber synthetic material capable of absorbing a large amount of water, a middle layer 15 of polyurethane foam promoting the passage of moisture to the lower layer 14 and an upper cleanliness layer 16 made of a breathable synthetic cotton; this layer 16 is intended to be directly in contact with the user's foot at the level of the forefoot.
• the hydrophilic layer 14 can either extend to the heel or be provided only in line with the areas of the user's feet in which sweating is most abundant, that is to say ie the forefoot; this diaper is made of a material of the type commonly used for infant diapers.
• This first assembly corresponds, in fact, to a product known in itself and already commercially available: the various layers which constitute it are secured by means of a large quantity of very small diameter holes drilled by means of '' a large number of punches, and to a large extent allowing air and humidity to circulate from one layer to another.
• the first mounting 13 mentioned above also comprises orifices 17 of relatively large diameter, which correspond to the perforations 7 of the midsole 4.
• the first mounting 13 is covered, on the side of the foot of the user, by a heel 20 of an elastic polyester which plays, at this level, the first role of cleanliness and- support of the arch of the foot.
• this talon ⁇ net is curved in its central part.
• the pocket 6 of the footwear located at the level of the shoe of the user, contains an elastic tube 60 filled with compressed air which is closed in on itself tightly approximately in the shape of an ellipse.
• This tube is, in fact, made up of two main lateral branches 61, 61 'defining the ellipse pro ⁇ prement said and cooperates with a rectilinear annex tube 62 forming a central branch communicating with the branches 61 and 61' and of the same kind as these.
• the annex branch 62 extends approximately along the median longitudinal axis xx 'of the footwear and joins the branches 61, 61' defining the ellipse at the ends A and A 'of its major axis.
• the tube 60 defines an ellipse whose major axis has a length D of the order of 8 centimeters, while the minor axis has a length d_ of the order of 2 centimeters.
• the midsole 4 is provided, at the back of the shoe 12, with two not shown orifices provided with one-way flaps opening out at the points referenced A and B da a system of channels 50 formed in an elastic surface 51 of thickness approximately equal to 2 mm fixed on the face of the first mounting 13 in contact with the interlayer sole 4.
• Each of these channels 50 is provided, at its end 52, with a through hole 53 allowing the ventilation of the foot of the user.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26225127

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1987
  • 1987-03-31 EP EP19870902112 patent/EP0261192A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1987-03-31 WO PCT/FR1987/000101 patent/WO1987005784A1/fr unknown
  • 1987-03-31 AU AU71678/87A patent/AU7167887A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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