FR2692448A1 - Ventilated sole for shoe with pump under arch - has pump formed by air pocket and operated by movement of foot and having channels from air exit hole to holes under toes - Google Patents

Abstract

The sole has a pump (13) under the arch of the foot which is operated by the movement of the walker's foot. It is an air pocket (10) defined by a half convex disc (2) made in thin steel and the base sole (1). The disc has a hole (7), near its straight edge, through which air enters and which is closed by a non-return valve (4) and a spring (3). There is an air exit hole (12), with a non-return valve (11), in the base sole. Channels (5) are connected to the hole and lead to holes (6) that are under the toes. USE/ADVANTAGE - Ventilated sole for shoe with pump operated by alternate pressure and relaxation of foot and preventing perspiration.

Description

AIR SHOE SOLE
The present invention relates to an aerating sole for a shoe fitted with a pump in the area of the arch of the foot, actuated by alternating pressures and releases of the walker's foot, with air intake and expulsion orifices. , internal air circulation channels and non-return valves at said orifices.

The feet are constantly closed in shoes and suffer from perspiration and other inconveniences. The devices for ventilating the feet maintain the health of the feet, in particular in work shoes, sports shoes, walking shoes, boots, etc.

There are already ventilation devices, but they are generally provided during the manufacture of shoes. Patent application FR-A-2 614 510 describes a shoe sole incorporating in the heel support zone a shoe ventilation pump. Patent application FR-A-2 597 308 describes a shoe fitted with a pump intended to suck in air and to expel it by alternating pressures and releases of the walker's foot, the interior of the shoe being provided of air intake orifices in the peripheral zone of the heel and of air expulsion orifices in the zone of the toes. Patent application FR-A-2,532,158 relates to a shoe equipped with a distribution chamber, made of a flexible material but having a certain resistance to crushing, intended to receive the foot and provided with through orifices connected together by internal air circulation channels.

All these ventilation devices illustrating the prior art form an integral part of the shoes, which therefore require special and expensive manufacture. In addition, not all shoes are and cannot be equipped with such ventilating devices, in most cases for reasons of the aesthetics of the shoe. Only sports shoes have certain ventilation characteristics improving the comfort of the foot during efforts, notably running.

The object of the present invention is to provide an aerating sole which can be placed inside a majority of closed shoes and boots, or which can be incorporated into shoes during their manufacture.

The aerating sole object of the invention is characterized in that the air pocket is defined by a reinforcement, a base sole and a spring, and enclosed in a flexible envelope hermetic to one air.

Said air pocket is advantageously provided with air inlet and outlet openings equipped with non-return valves. The inlet and the non-return valve are preferably arranged in the reinforcement, and the expulsion orifice and the non-return valve are arranged in the base plate.

In a preferred embodiment, the base sole is equipped, in the zone situated under the toes, with ventilation openings communicating with the expulsion orifice by air circulation channels.

The airtight flexible envelope may be a sheet of heat welded plastic material surrounding the base sole and the air pocket.

Preferably, the upper face of the sole in contact with the foot is covered with leather.

The present invention and its advantages will appear better in the following description of an exemplary embodiment, with reference to the appended drawings, in which - FIG. 1 is a plan view of an aerating sole according to the invention, - FIG. 2 is a sectional view along 2-2 of the sole illustrated in Figure 1, and - Figure 3 is a sectional view along 3-3 of the sole of Figure 2, illustrating the aeration pump.

With reference to the figures, the aerating sole comprises a base sole 1, made of pressed cardboard, of plastic or any other suitable material, having a constant thickness over its entire length and fairly fine (for example 2 mm). This base sole 1 is equipped with an air expulsion orifice 12, closed by a non-return valve 11, said orifice being located more or less in the middle part of said sole, of at least two orifices ventilation 6 in its front part and air circulation channels 5 connecting the expulsion orifice 12 to the ventilation orifices 5. In said median part of the base sole 1, in correspondence with the arch of the foot foot of the user, a ventilation pump 13 is arranged to suck in air when the foot is released and to discharge it in the direction of the toes when the foot is pressed. Said ventilation pump 13 is produced by an air pocket 10 defined by a reinforcement 2, a part of the base sole 1 and a spring element, enclosed in a flexible envelope 8 hermetic to air. Said reinforcement 2 has the shape of a convex half-disc, preferably made of thin stainless steel sheet (for example 0.1 mm) or other material having sufficient strength, this reinforcement 2 playing the role of a piston controlled by the successive presses of the walker's foot.

Said reinforcement 2 is equipped, in its upper part and approximately at the center of its rectilinear edge, that is to say near the inner edge of the sole, with an intake orifice 7 closed by a non-return valve 4 .

The non-return valves 4 and 11 can be constituted by small rigid plastic plates, glued respectively under the reinforcement 2 and on the base plate 1. The spring element is preferably a helical spring 3, placed in the part the highest of the air pocket 10, recalling said reinforcement 2 in the high position each time the walker's foot is released. The upper end of the spring 3 is fixed to the reinforcement not far from the intake orifice 12 and its lower end is in free contact with the base sole 1.

The flexible envelope 8 may consist of a sheet of synthetic plastic or imitation leather, or of another flexible material, surrounding said base sole 1 and the air pocket 10, and hermetically connected by hot welding or bonding. . The upper face of the base sole 1 thus covered with said flexible envelope 8, being in contact with the sole of the walker's foot, is advantageously covered with a thin layer of leather 14 for the well-being of the foot, this layer of leather being drilled with holes in correspondence with the ventilation holes 6 of the base sole 1.

The aeration sole as described above can be placed in all kinds of closed shoes or boots. At each step taken by the walker, each foot exerts pressure and relaxation on the respective aeration pump 13 in the area of the arch of said foot. Each time the foot is released, the air located at the level of the arch between the shoe and the foot is sucked in through the intake opening 7 into the air pocket 10 when the reinforcement 2 returns to the high position. by the spring 3. At each pressure of the foot, the air thus trapped in the air pocket 10, representing a few tens of cubic centimeters, is evacuated by the expulsion orifice 12 in the circulation channels 5 up to the top ventilation holes 6 located under the toes, and spring between the shoe and the top of the foot. In the example shown, the ventilation holes are three in number, thus allowing effective ventilation of the toes.

The aerating sole object of the invention has the advantage of preventing condensation of the moisture of the feet and therefore perspiration, by evacuating the humid air. In summer as in winter, the feet are always dry and ventilated. As the feet are no longer wet, they are also less cold in winter.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but extends to any modification or variant obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims (7)

Claims 1. Aerating sole for shoe equipped with a pump in the area of the arch of the foot, actuated by alternating pressures and releases of the walker's foot, air intake and expulsion orifices, channels internal air circulation and non-return valves at said orifices, characterized in that the pump (13) is an air pocket (10) defined by a reinforcement (2), a base sole (1) and a spring (3), and enclosed in a flexible envelope (8) airtight. 2. Sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the air pocket (10) is provided with air intake (7) and air expulsion (12) ports equipped with non-return valves (4 , 12). 3. Sole according to claim 2, characterized in that the intake orifice (7) and the non-return valve (11) are arranged in the reinforcement (2). 4. Sole according to claim 2, characterized in that the expulsion orifice (12) and the non-return valve (11) are arranged in the base sole (1). 5. Sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the base sole (1) is equipped, in the area located under the toes, with ventilation openings (6) communicating with the expulsion orifice ( 12) by air circulation channels (5). 6. Sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible envelope (8) hermetic to air is a plastic sheet heat welded, surrounding the base sole (1) and the air pocket (10 ). 7. Sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper face of the sole in contact with the foot is covered with a layer of leather (14).