EP0383685B1 - Hollow sole filled with resilient beads for shoes for massaging the feet - Google Patents

Abstract

Beads (5) in firm flexible material with elastic return are accommodated in at least one cavity (3; 16) of the sole which extends over at least a part of the length, the beads being distributed in at least one layer (8; 9; 10) with a clearance which is sufficient but restricted so that they can roll over a short distance. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a sole assembly for various shoes, city, sports, apartment, security or other, for massaging the foot.

French patents no. 1,407,004 and no. 2,095,495 describe soles, in particular for sandals, the upper of which has projections, such as studs made of flexible material, on which the sole of the foot rests.

The projections are intended to exert on the foot a corrective therapeutic action and, concomitantly, a massage.

This massage is intended to reduce plantar pain, activate blood circulation and strengthen muscles.

In reality, the result obtained is not as satisfactory as it was hoped. This seems to be due to the fact that the contact of each spike with the foot is punctual and practically does not move when walking under the sole of the foot. In addition, the action of the pins is not permanent, because the sandals are not intended to be worn all day, the foot resting on the sole being bare.

Other disadvantages appear during prolonged use: plantar heating, risk of skin diseases, wear of the pins ...

European patent application No. 0 295 219 describes a sole assembly for massaging the foot. The sole assembly delimits at least one internal cavity extending over at least part of the length of the sole assembly. The cavity is covered by a first deformable and elongated sticks with rounded ends are housed at an angle in said cavity.

The foot massage is obtained by the elastic reaction due to the deformation of the sticks and the compression of the air in the spaces between the sticks.

This massage is limited to a substantially vertical pressure and is not accompanied by a horizontal displacement as it is usual to do to massage.

British Patent No. 223,748 describes a shoe equipped of a damping device. The device comprises sponge, rubber foam, etc. balls each disposed in a housing in the sole, the depth of which is less than the diameter of the corresponding ball and the extent of which is greater than this diameter so that said ball can be free to crash further in the compressed state. Such a device makes it possible to absorb shocks and vibrations but not to massage the foot.

The main object of the present invention is to truly and effectively massage the foot, while a sock is slipped over the foot and the means used are incorporated in a shoe intended to be worn all day.

To achieve this goal, the sole assembly delimits, in known manner, at least one internal cavity extending over at least part of the length of the sole assembly, the cavity being covered by a first and deformable elements being housed in the cavity.

Still for this purpose and in accordance with the invention, the deformable elements are balls of flexible material with firm elastic return distributed in at least one layer and spaced from one another as well as from the wall of the cavity in order to be able to initiate a rolling in flattening and thus massaging the foot; the first is flexible to transmit pressure from the foot to the balls and the elastic return rolling from the balls to the foot.

The balls have a coefficient of adhesion such relatively to the bottom of the or each cavity, that they roll without sliding.

In particular, the beads can consist of a styrene-butadiene-styrene base polymer, modified by styrene resins, plasticizers, fillers and protective agents.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the balls are independent before being placed in the cavity or cavities.

According to another advantageous embodiment, the balls remain united to form at least one cluster before their installation in the cavity or cavities, by molding appendages, these appendages being thinned near the balls to break during the first use. shoe and thereby release said balls.

The balls can be of the same diameter or of different diameters.

Advantageously, they are distributed in staggered rows on at least two layers in line with the heel and side by side on a layer in line with the forefoot.

Various other characteristics and advantages of the invention will also emerge from the detailed description which follows.

Embodiments of the subject of the invention are shown, by way of nonlimiting examples, in the accompanying drawing.

• la figure 1 est une coupe longitudinale d'une chaussure faisant application d'une première forme de réalisation du semelage selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une perspective vue de dessus de ce semelage selon la figure 1,
• les figures 3 et 4 sont des coupes prises suivant les lignes III-III et IV-IV respectivement de la figure 2,
• les figures 5 et 6 sont des vues analogues à la figure 3, illustrant des variantes de réalisation du remplissage en billes,
• les figures 7 à 10 sont des vues analogues à la figure 1, montrant d'autres formes de réalisation du semelage proprement dit.
• la figure 11 est une perspective de la première de montage concernant une variante,
• la figure 12 est une perspective d'un autre mode d'exécution du remplissage en billes,
• la figure 13 est une coupe prise suivant la ligne XIII-XIII de la figure 12.
• les figures 14 à 16 sont des vues partielles analogues à la figure 1, faisant ressortir d'autres modes d'exécution du remplissage de la ou des cavités avec des billes.

On this drawing :

• FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a shoe applying a first embodiment of the sole assembly according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of this sole assembly according to FIG. 1,
• FIGS. 3 and 4 are sections taken along lines III-III and IV-IV respectively of FIG. 2,
• FIGS. 5 and 6 are views similar to FIG. 3, illustrating alternative embodiments of filling with balls,
• Figures 7 to 10 are views similar to Figure 1, showing other embodiments of the sole assembly itself.
• FIG. 11 is a perspective of the first assembly concerning a variant,
• Figure 12 is a perspective of another mode execution of ball filling,
• FIG. 13 is a section taken on the line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12.
• Figures 14 to 16 are partial views similar to Figure 1, showing other embodiments of the filling of the cavity or cavities with balls.

According to a first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sole assembly includes a outsole 1 molded with a thick surround 2 delimiting a cavity 3. This surround is non-deformable under the pressure of the foot. It has a substantially horizontal upper surface 4 on which is placed and fixed, after filling of the cavity 3 with balls 5, a first mounting 6 being integral with a shoe upper 7.

The balls 5 to fulfill their massage function are made of a flexible material with firm elastic return. Advantageously, it may be a styrene-butadiene-styrene base polymer. In particular, this polymer can be modified by styrenic resins, plasticizers, fillers, protective agents.

Such a product is known in the trade under the brand MORVANFLEX and the reference CT 601. Its characteristics are a density of 0.99, a Shore A hardness of 40/45, a tensile strength of 64 daN / cm2, and a elongation% of 800.

It is suitable for the manufacture of balls 5 which then have the required elastic flexibility and which also have an adhesion such that they do not slip but can roll due to their sphericity.

The first mounting 6 is relatively flexible so that it transmits at all points to the balls 5 the pressure that the foot applies to it during changes.

The balls must intervene so that the reactions to shocks and vibrations inevitably sent back to the body through the first are not unpleasant and do not generate fatigue, even less trauma such as tendonitis; at on the contrary, these reactions make it possible to massage the foot permanently while bringing a feeling of well-being. To this end, said balls 5 are not contiguous, but arranged with a slight clearance so that they can crush and move slightly while rolling.

In this first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 4), the balls 5 are independent of each other before they are placed in the cavity 3. They are identical to each other and have the same diameter. They are distributed in staggered rows in two layers 8, 9 (Figures 1 and 3) to the right of the heel and side by side (Figures 1 and 4) in a layer 10 to the right of the forefoot; at the level of the camber, the two layers gradually interpenetrate.

According to a second embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, the sole assembly has a relatively high heel 30 and the sole 1 projecting upwardly transverse ribs 31 and longitudinal ribs 32 delimiting between them lightening cavities 33 s' extending from the camber to the back of the heel.

Since the cavity 3 extends over the entire length of the sole assembly, a plate 34 rests on the ribs 31 and 32 and constitutes the bottom of said cavity at the rear. As shown in FIG. 7, the balls 5 are distributed in a single layer 10 from one end to the other of the sole assembly and are covered by the first mounting 6.

In the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the sole assembly is similar to that of FIG. 7, with the only difference that the first mounting 6 rests on the ribs 31 and 32 at the location of the heel. Consequently, the cavity 3 is limited to the forefoot and contains a single layer of balls 5.

According to the fourth embodiment illustrated by FIG. 9, the sole assembly is that of a woman's shoe with heel 35. The sole 1 delimits at the forefoot a cavity 3 containing a single layer of balls 5, this cavity s '' stopping at the arched part of the sole which joins the heel 35 and delimits a hollow 36.

Whatever the embodiment chosen and as can be seen from FIG. 5 relating, for example, to the first embodiment according to FIG. 1, the relatively large balls 5 can cooperate with small balls 11, even with medium balls not shown.

It can be a mixture leading to a random distribution, the model of which changes with the movement of the foot.

However, it seems more advantageous to distribute the small balls 11 along an intermediate layer 12 inserted in staggered rows between the overlying layers 8 and the underlying layers 9 of large balls (FIG. 5).

According to another variant illustrated by FIG. 6, a relatively flexible intermediate plate 13 can be placed between the layers 8 and 9. This plate can have cells 14 whose extent is such that the balls which are housed therein can not not only crash, but also roll.

Of course, the balls 5 located in the wedge-shaped part of the cavity 3 at the right of the camber must not accumulate, become mutually jammed and lift the first by deforming it.

To this end, the first mounting 6 which on the whole is flexible can be stiffened over part of its extent. In particular, and as is apparent from FIG. 11, longitudinal ribs 15 can be formed under the first 6. The stiffening is obtained by increasing the thickness of the flexible material. If the stiffness must be increased, the ribs 15 are made of a harder material and are fixed under the first by gluing, welding or the like. The ribs are advantageously shaped into gutters (Figure 11) to properly guide the balls and prevent their accumulation.

In the abovementioned embodiments (FIGS. 1 to 4, 7 to 9) the balls 5, 11 are placed in the cavity 3 with or without intermediate plate 13 and the first mounting 6 is integral with the rod 7 by gluing, stitching or other, is placed on the upper surface 4 of the surround 2, then is fixed there by any appropriate means: bonding, welding ...

In the example chosen (Figures 1 and 2), the cavity 3 extends over the entire length of the sole assembly and is unique.

However, according to a variant illustrated in Figure 10, it may be advantageous to provide several cavities 16 separated from each other by transverse partitions 17 connecting the longitudinal sides of the surround 2 and projecting on the outsole 1 up to 'at a level lower than that of the upper range 4 of said entourage.

Whether the sole assembly comprises a single cavity extending over at least part of its extent or whether it comprises several, the sides 18 of these cavities can advantageously be sloping and converge upward in order to better contain the balls when filling and when they are stressed by the foot.

In the embodiments described in the foregoing, the balls 5, 11 are independent of each other before they are placed in the cavity 3 or the cavities 16.

However, it may be advantageous, in particular to facilitate filling and make it faster, to implement the other embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13.

According to this other embodiment, the balls 5 or 5 and 11 remain united, before their installation in the cavity or cavities 3, 16, by the appendages 19 which fill after injection the channels connecting the mold cavities, the balls thus united forming a cluster 20. It is interesting to note that near the balls, the appendages 19 are thinned. Thanks to this feature, the cluster of beads can be placed in the cavity or cavities as a monolithic piece from which no element can be detached during the manufacture of the shoe; on the other hand, at least during the first use of this shoe, the appendages 19 break flush with the balls so that these balls become free and behave as indicated in the above, independently of each other.

When the logs are grouped in a cluster, the cluster can be deposited in the cavity or cavities 3, 16 of the sole assembly according to FIG. 1, before the first 6 mounted on the rod 7 is fixed by any suitable means to the bearing surface 4 of said sole assembly.

In the same way, when the sole assembly 1, 2 is injected on the rod 7, lifts 21 of this sole assembly covering the bottom of this rod (FIG. 16) the cavity or cavities 3, 16 of said sole assembly are accessible from above through said rod for receiving independent balls 5, 11 or a cluster 20 of such balls. The first cleanliness 22 which in this case has a certain resistance despite its flexibility, is then placed and glued to the bearing surface 4 of the sole assembly.

Other embodiments illustrated in Figures 14 and 15 can be implemented to facilitate the filling of the cavity 3 with independent balls 5, 11 when the first 6 mounted on the rod 7 is fixed.

The surround 2 (FIG. 14) may have at least one posterior orifice 23 through which the balls can be introduced. After correct filling, the orifice 23 is closed by means of a plug 24.

The first 6 (FIG. 15) may have an opening 25 through which the balls or suitably divided clusters are introduced. After filling, the opening 25 is covered by a flexible finishing heel 26.

Claims (17)

1. Sole for various footwear allowing massage of the foot, the sole defining at least one inner cavity (3, 16) extending over at least part of the length of the sole, the cavity being covered by an insole and deformable elements being accommodated in the cavity, characterised

   - in that the deformable elements are spherules (5, 11) made of firm, flexible material with elastic return and distributed in at least one layer and spaced apart from each other as well as from the wall of the cavity (3, 16) in order to be able to initiate rolling while being flattened and thus massage the foot, and

   - in that the insole (6) is flexible for transmitting the pressure of the foot to the spherules and the rolling elastic return from the spherules to the foot.
2. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the spherules (5, 11) have a coefficient of adhesion relative to the bottom of the or each cavity such that they roll without slipping.
3. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the spherules (5, 11) are made of a thermoplastic rubber.
4. Sole according to claims 2 and 3, characterised in that the spherules (5, 11) are made of a polymer based on styrene-butadiene-styrene.
5. Sole according to claim 4, characterised in that the polymer based on styrene-butadiene-styrene is modified by styrene resins, plasticisers, fillers and protective agents.
6. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the spherules (5, 11) are independent before positioning them in the cavity or cavities.
7. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the spherules (5, 11) remain joined to form at least one cluster (20) before they are positioned in the cavity or cavities (3; 16) by moulding appendages (19), these appendages being thin close to the spherules in order to break on the first occasion of use of the footwear and thus release said spherules.
8. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the spherules (5, 11) have the same diameter.
9. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that it contains spherules (5, 11) of different diameters.
10. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the spherules (5, 11) are staggered over at least two layers (8, 9) opposite the heel and side by side over one layer (10) opposite the metatarsus.
11. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that an inserted plate (13) is placed freely between the superimposed layers (8, 9) of spherules (5, 11).
12. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the insole (6) is stiffened (at 15) over part of its extent, in particular at the location of the arch of the foot.
13. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that it is hollow and comprises transverse partitions defining several cavities (16).
14. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a wear sole (1) integral with a surround (2) non-deformable under the pressure of the foot and defining the aforementioned cavity or cavities (3, 16), an insole (6) for mounting the upper (7) being fixed, in particular by gluing, to the top of the surround in order to close said cavity after positioning the spherules (5, 11) therein.
15. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the heel (30) comprises ribs (31, 32) defining volume-reducing cavities (33), on which ribs (31, 32) rests a plate (34) forming at the rear of the footwear the bottom of the cavity (3) containing the spherules (5).
16. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the heel (30) comprises ribs (31, 32) defining volume-reducing cavities (33), on which ribs (31, 32) rests the mounting insole (6), the cavity (3) containing the spherules (5) being thus limited to the metatarsus.
17. Sole according to claim 1, characterised in that the flanks (18) of the cavity or cavities (3; 16) are sloping and converge upwardly.

Images