ES2351245B1 - PLANT FOR FOOTWEAR AND FOOTWEAR THAT INCLUDES SUCH PLANT - Google Patents

Abstract

Plant for footwear and footwear comprising said plant. # Particularly for open footwear (3) of anatomical design, of the type that are constituted from a single piece (1a) of flexible material obtained by molding. The plant is characterized by the fact that it comprises a plurality of slits (4) made in the upper face (2) of said piece (1a), said slits (4) being arranged radially in the contour corresponding to the area of the heel (5), and presenting the surface of said face (2), between each of said recesses (4), a substantially convex shape (7) intended to collect the user's heel in the articulation areas of the plant (1) ) corresponding to said grooves (4).

Description

However, the greater flexibility you provide

Plant for footwear and footwear comprising said plant.

The present invention refers to a plant for footwear, in particular for open footwear of anatomical or semi-anatomical design, of the type that are constituted from a single piece of flexible material obtained by molding. A footwear comprising said footwear is also referred to. plant. Background of the invention

It is known that comfort and comfort in footwear are valued more.

In open sandal type footwear, plants of flexible material are used that are obtained by molding from a single piece. Said flexible plants are designed with an upper face of anatomical or semi-anatomical configuration adapted to the user's foot. Among the flexible materials used for the manufacture of flexible templates, rubber and cork agglomerates are highly appreciated for being products of natural origin that favor the perspiration of the user's foot.

In order to achieve maximum adaptation of the plant to the user's foot and maximum comfort when walking, it is desirable that the template, in addition to being flexible and having a semi-anatomical anatomical or con fi guration, possesses a certain degree of articulation.

For this purpose, flexible footwear plants have been designed, which have a certain degree of articulation, while still having an anatomical configuration adapted to the user's foot. Specifically, the Spanish patent of application number P0545209 will be a flexible flexible wood template comprising transverse elastic rubber inserts in the upper face of the plant, designed to facilitate its articulation with the movement of the user's foot.

However, the aforementioned wooden anatomical plants have the disadvantage that they have a very limited degree of articulation and that they are complex and expensive to manufacture. Description of the invention

The objective of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned drawbacks, developing a footwear plant of flexible material that, in addition to having an anatomical or semi-anatomical configuration adapted to the user's foot, has the advantages that will be described below.

According to this objective, according to a first aspect, the present invention provides a shoe plant, in particular for open footwear of anatomical or semi-anatomical design, of the type that is constituted from a single piece of flexible material obtained by molding, which is characterized by the fact that it comprises a plurality of grooves made in the upper face of said piece, said grooves being arranged radially in the corresponding contour to the heel area, and presenting the surface of said face, between each two of said grooves, a substantially shaped convex intended to collect the user's heel in the articulation areas of the plant corresponding to said grooves.

The slits made in the upper face of the piece provide points or areas of articulation that significantly increase the degree of flexibility of the plant in the heel area that is said slits could end up affecting the stability of the user's heel, in special in sandal type open shoes.

To avoid this, the surface of the upper floor face, between each of said recesses, has been designed with a substantially convex, wave-shaped shape, designed to collect or hold the user's heel.

Thanks to the aforementioned characteristics, the plant of the present invention, allows to reduce in a very significant way the possibility of soft or open heels, very typical of sandal type open footwear, while maintaining the degree of articulation or flexibility required in the heel area. The result is a flexible and comfortable sole that adapts very optimally to the movement of the foot, and which reduces the formation of stretch marks on the heel.

According to a preferred embodiment, the plant of the present invention further comprises a plurality of said grooves radially arranged in the contour corresponding to the area of the user's half-floor and fingers. In this way, the widening or dilation that occurs generally in the feet is reduced, especially when wearing open sandal type footwear, since the waves and crevices made in the front and back of the upper face of the piece that constitutes the plant, They produce a wraparound effect that affects all areas where the foot rests.

Advantageously, the surface of the side face of the piece that constitutes the plant, between each of said recesses, also has a substantially convex shape. In this way, the flexibility of the plant is further accentuated.

Preferably, the plant comprises a plurality of transverse grooves made in the front part of the lower face of said piece. These grooves increase the comfort of the floor even further, since they also provide a degree of articulation in the transverse direction at the points of flexion of the foot.

Again preferably, the upper face of said piece comprises a plurality of through holes in correspondence with a plurality of ventilation channels arranged on the lower face of the same piece.

The aforementioned holes and ventilation channels allow moisture from the foot perspiration to be evacuated, so that they give the plant a cooling effect, in addition to avoiding problems of bad odors caused by the lack of perspiration of the foot.

Advantageously, the flexible material comprising the plant is of natural origin, for example, a mixture of rubber and cork.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a footwear, in particular an open-type and semi-anatomical or open-type footwear, which is characterized by the fact that it comprises the plant of the present invention.

Preferably, the sole of said footwear comprises openings that leave areas of the piece that constitutes the floor uncovered. In this way, the stiffness of a conventional sole covering the entire plant is reduced, while making it easier

3 ES2351 245A1 4

the evacuation of perspiration through the mentioned orifices and channels.

Advantageously, said openings leave uncovered areas of the lower face and / or the side face of the piece, and are located at least in the area of the heel and / or the toe. Brief description of the drawings

For a better understanding of how much has been exposed, some drawings are attached in which, schematically and only a limited exemplary title, a practical case of realization is represented.

In these drawings,

Figure 1 shows a view of a sandal type shoe comprising an embodiment of the plant of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the upper face of the embodiment of the plant of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the same plant as Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a cross section of the heel area of the floor of Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows a plan view of the underside of the floor of Figure 1.

Figure 6 shows a plan view of the sole of the footwear of Figure 1. Description of a preferred embodiment

The footwear plant of the present invention is of the type that is constituted from a single piece 1a of flexible material obtained by molding, whose upper face2 presents a configuration that adapts to the anatomy of the user's skin.In the embodiment described, the flexible material used To manufacture the plant is a natural agglomerate based on rubber and cork.

As can be seen in fi gure1, this plant has been specially designed for sandal-type open footwear 3, however, it can also be used as an extractable plant, in other types of footwear, such as closed-type footwear.

Figure 2 shows how the upper face 2 of the piece 1 comprises a plurality of grooves 4 arranged radially in the corresponding contour of the heel area 5 and in the contour of the area of the middle floor and of the user's fingers.6 The aforementioned grooves 4 provide joint areas, especially effective in the area of the heel 5 which receives the largest User foot pressure when walking.

As mentioned in the description of the invention, the greater flexibility provided by the aforementioned grooves4 could end up affecting the stability of the user's heel unless it was due to the fact that the surface of the upper face 2, between each two of said grooves 4, It has been designed with a convex shape, like waves 7, that pick up the user's foot. In this way, the plant maintains a very wide degree of articulation and flexibility, exerting at the same time an enveloping effect on the foot of the user that translates into maximum comfort, since the widening or dilation that occurs in the areas is very significantly reduced. feet, especially when wearing open sandal type shoes 3.

In the described embodiment, the surface of the lateral face 8 of the piece 1a, between each of said recesses 4, has also been designed with a convex shape, which con fi gures a general contour seen in plant-shaped models. plant.

Figure 4 shows a cross-section of the heel area 5 of the cleaning part 1a, in which the aforementioned grooves 4 can be seen in detail, as well as the substantially convex shape of the surface of the face 2 disposed between each two of said grooves

Four.

In the same figure, we also see a sectional view of the through holes9 that has the 1st part. Said holes9 are in correspondence with a plurality of ventilation channels 10 arranged on the lower face 11 of the same piece 1a (see Figure 5), in order to enable the perspiration and cooling of the foot.

In the described embodiment, the lower face 11 of the part 1a that constitutes the plant, has been designed with transverse grooves 12 designed to facilitate the articulation of the plant in the front, just at the points or areas of flexion of the user's foot . In this way an innovative design plant with a very complete degree of articulation is achieved, creating a comfort effect far superior to the plants that exist in the market.

As mentioned in the description of the invention, for this plant a specific sole 13 has been designed in which openings 14 are planned that leave areas of the piece 1a that constitutes the plant uncovered.Of this way, it facilitates the perspiration of the ground through the holes9 and channels of ventilation10y, by On the other hand, the stiffness of a conventional sole that usually covers the entire plant is reduced.

In Figures 1 and 6, it can be seen how said openings 14 can affect either the lower face 11 of the floor 1 or the lateral face 8.

Despite the fact that a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described and represented, it is clear that the person skilled in the art may introduce variations or modifications, or replace them with other technically equivalent ones, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

5 ES2351 245A1 6

Claims (10)

one.

Floor for footwear, in particular for open footwear (3) of anatomical or semi-anatomical design, of the type that are constituted from a single piece (1a) of flexible material obtained by molding, characterized by the fact that it comprises a plurality of indentations ( 4) made on the upper face (2) of said piece (1a), said slits (4) being arranged radially in the corresponding contour to the heel area (5), and presenting the surface of said face (2), between each two of said grooves (4), a substantially convex shape (7) intended to collect the user's location in the articulation areas of the plant (1a) corresponding to said grooves (4).

2.

Plant according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of said grooves (4) radially arranged in the corresponding contour of the user's half-floor and fingerprint (6).

3.

Plant according to any one of claims 1o2, wherein the surface of the side face (8) of the piece (1a), between each of said recesses (4), also has a substantially convex shape.

4. Plant according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of grooves (12) cross-sections made on the underside (11) of said piece (1a). 5. Plant according to any of the preceding claims, the upper face (2) of the cleaning part (1a) comprises a plurality of through holes (9) in correspondence with a plurality of ventilation channels (10) arranged on the underside (11) of the same piece (1a). 6. Footwear, in particular open-type footwear and anatomical or semi-anatomical design (3), characterized in that it comprises the plant according to any of the preceding claims. 7. Footwear according to claim 6, whose sole (13) includes openings (14) that leave areas of the piece (1a) that constitutes the plant uncovered.

8.

Footwear according to claim 7, wherein the openings (14) of said sole (13) leave uncovered areas of the lower face (11) of the piece (1a) that constitutes the plant.

9.

Footwear according to any of claims 7 or 8, in the openings (14) of said sole

(13) leave uncovered areas of the side face (8) of the piece (1a) that constitutes the plant. SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 200801674 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 28.05.2008 Priority Date: 00-00-0000 REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: A43B3 / 12 (2006.01) A43B7 / 06 (2006.01) RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

Documents cited Claims Affected

X

US 2002092201 A1 (KRAEUTER CHARLES D ET AL.) 07/18/2002 description: paragraphs [12, 19, 40, 42, 45, 48, 49, 53, 54]; claim 26; figures. 1-3

Y

4-9

Y

ES 1062588 U (NORDIKA S S L) 07/01/2006 Description: column 1, line 49-column 2, line 1; column 2, lines 23-27; figures. 4

Y

US 2006137216 A1 (AHLBAUMER GEORGE) 06/29/2006 description: paragraph [24], lines 42-46; figures. 5

Y

US 2007240333 A1 (LE TUAN ET AL.) 10/18/2007 Description: paragraphs [4, 15, 22] figures. 6-9

TO

WO 2004012545 A1 (BARRY R G CORP) 02/12/2004 Description: page 1, line 21 -page 2, line 2; page 5, lines 6 -13; page 5, line 37 -page 6, line 12; page 9, lines 22-26; figures. 1-5

TO

US 6199304 B1 (LUDEMANN JOHN F) 03/13/2001 Description: column 2, line 50-column 3, line 25; figures. 1-5

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims □ for claims no: ALL

Date of realization of the report 17.11.2010

Examiner E. Pértica Gómez Page 1/6

SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 200801674 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 28.05.2008 Priority Date: 00-00-0000 REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: A43B3 / 12 (2006.01) A43B7 / 06 (2006.01) RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

Documents cited Claims Affected

TO

WO 9905928 A1 (VANS INC) 02/11/1999 description: page 4, lines 27-35; page 5, lines 20 24; page 8, lines 10 -33; Fig 1A-1C. 1-4

TO

GB 2250417 A (TENG CHAO PAO) 06/10/1992 Description: page 3, figure 1. 5

TO

CN 2819865 Y (ZHIMINGDU INTERNAT CO LTD) 09/27/2006 Summary of the EPODOC database. Recovered from EPOQUE; AN CN-200520110014-U 1-4

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims □ for claims no: ALL

Date of realization of the report 17.11.2010

Examiner E. Pértica Gómez Page 2/6

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE CLASSIFICATION OBJECT OF THE APPLICATION Minimum documentation sought (classification system followed by classification symbols) A43B Electronic databases consulted during the search (name of the database and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENES, EPODOC, WPI  WRITTEN OPINION Date of Written Opinion: Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 1-9 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims 1-9 IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published.  WRITTEN OPINION 1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

US 2002092201 A1 (KRAEUTER CHARLES D ET AL.) 18.07.2002

D02

ES 1062588 U (NORDIKA S S L) 01.07.2006

D03

US 2006137216 A1 (AHLBAUMER GEORGE) 06.29.2006

D04

US 2007240333 A1 (LE TUAN ET AL.) 18.10.2007

2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement The present invention relates to a plant for footwear and open-type footwear comprising said plant, where the plant is constituted from a single piece of flexible material obtained by molding and comprising a plurality of slits made in the upper area where The space between each 2 indentations gives it a substantially convex surface. Document D01 is considered the closest in the state of the art to the object of the invention claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3 (references and comments in brackets correspond to this document). Thus, with respect to the features described in claim 1, it discloses a shoe plant constituted from a single piece (52) of flexible material obtained by molding (claim 19) comprising a plurality of grooves (70, 72, description paragraph 54, figure 5) practiced on the upper face of the piece. The difference found in document D01 with respect to the invention is that of the radial configuration of the grooves in the contour of the heel on the floor. But if we find the radial configuration in the sole area (description: paragraph 42, figure 3), it is also revealed in document D01 (paragraph 54) that the grooves in the heel area can adopt any configuration depending on the flexibility that you want to confer to the area. It should be added that throughout the text the aspect of convexity is mentioned in these formations (for example in paragraph 40) that can also be seen in the drawings; this conformation provides the same advantages as the present application, so this difference is not considered to confer any element of inventive significance with respect to the state of the art described in document D01 in any essential way. With respect to the characteristics described in claim 2, document D01 discloses that the plant further comprises a plurality of said grooves radially arranged in the contour corresponding to the half-floor area (56, 58) and fingers (68) of the user (description paragraph 49 and 53). With respect to claim 3, document D01 (in the light of Figures 5, 6, 9) discloses that the surface of the side face of the piece, between each 2 of said grooves also has a substantially convex shape. Therefore, the invention according to claims 1, 2 and 3 does not differ from the known technique described in document D01 in any essential way and is not considered to imply inventive activity, not meeting the criteria established in Article 8.1 of the Law 11/86 of March 20 of Patents. Claim 4 describes that it comprises a plurality of transverse grooves made in the lower face of said piece. Document D02 describes transversal grooves (5) made in the lower face of the plant. This feature provides the same advantage as the present application. The person skilled in the art could therefore consider as a normal design option to include this characteristic in that described in document D01 to solve the problem posed, so that the object of claim 4 does not imply inventive activity and does not meet the criteria established in Article 8.1 of Law 11/86 of March 20 on Patents. With respect to the features described in claim 5, we find a document D03 which discloses that a plant comprises on the upper face a plurality of through holes (3) in correspondence with a plurality of ventilation channels (4) arranged on the face bottom of the same piece. The person skilled in the art could therefore consider as a normal design option to include this characteristic in that described in document D01 to solve the problem posed, so that the object of claim 5 does not imply inventive activity and does not meet the criteria established in Article 8.1 of Law 11/86 of March 20 on Patents. Claim 6 describes an open-type and anatomically designed footwear comprising the floor according to any of the preceding claims. Document D04 describes an open type footwear and anatomical design with a plant (10). The person skilled in the art could consider as a normal design option to include this characteristic in that described in document D04 to solve the problem, so that the object of claim 6 does not imply inventive activity.  WRITTEN OPINION With respect to claim 7, document D04 discloses a shoe whose sole comprises openings (see figures) that leave areas of the piece that constitutes the plant uncovered. With respect to claim 8, document D04 discloses a shoe in which the openings (35) of said sole leave areas (56) of the underside of the part that constitutes the plant uncovered. Claim 9 discloses that the openings of said sole leave areas of the side of the piece that constitutes the plant uncovered. In the light of the features disclosed in claim 8 and described in document D04, it is considered that the design feature disclosed in claim 9 is a mere obvious particular execution for a person skilled in the art. It would be obvious to the person skilled in the art, especially when the same result is to be obtained, to apply these characteristics disclosed in document D04 with its corresponding effect to document D01, so that the invention is obtained according to claims 6 a 9. Therefore, the object of claims 6, 7, 8 and 9 does not imply inventive activity and does not meet the criteria established in Article 8.1 of Law 11/86 of March 20 of Patents.