FR3086510A1 - INNER SOLE FOR SHOE - Google Patents

Description

Description

Title of invention: Half insole for shoe

TECHNICAL FIELD AND OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of internal shoe soles also called "comfort soles, insoles or removable insoles" and more particularly relates to an internal half-sole comprising a housing for an electronic device as well as a set of soles comprising such an insole half and an insole.

The invention aims in particular to provide an internal half-sole for easily inserting and removing an electronic device from a shoe.

PRIOR ART Nowadays, it is known to mount an electronic device in a shoe sole in order to perform one or more functions such as, for example, geolocating the wearer of the shoe, measuring his speed of movement, the distance that he travels, etc. To this end, the device is placed in a housing formed in a sole of the shoe.

In an existing solution, the housing is formed in the sole called "walking" of the shoe, which has the disadvantage of having to use an electronic device whose dimensions are compatible with said housing, otherwise it is necessary to change the shoe, or to have to modify the shoe so that it adapts to the electronic device, which represents a significant cost.

In another existing solution, the housing is formed in an inner sole positioned in the shoe and which is accessible from the upper face of the inner sole, this may prove to be uncomfortable for the user of the shoe and has a risk of damage to the device by the user who applies his weight directly to the device.

In yet another solution, the housing is formed in the inner sole and is accessible from the underside of the inner sole. In this case, the device is in contact with the upper face of the outer sole, which can damage it, especially in the event of an impact.

There is therefore a need for a simple, reliable and effective sole solution which makes it possible to at least partially remedy these drawbacks.

GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION For this purpose, the invention firstly relates to an internal half-sole for a shoe, said shoe comprising an external sole and a rod connected to said external sole so as to form a space internal to the shoe, said external sole comprising a lower face forming the walking face of the shoe and an upper face extending in said internal space, said internal half-sole being remarkable in that it comprises an upper face intended to be placed in the internal space of the shoe and to come into abutment against the underside of an inner sole (called insole), a lower face, opposite to said upper face, intended to come into contact with the face upper of the outer sole of the shoe, and a housing, formed in the upper face of said inner half sole, adapted to receive an electronic device.

The terms "lower" and "upper" mean respectively above or below in the position of use of the inner half-sole in the shoe and / or when the shoe is placed on the ground and the insole is inserted into the shoe.

Preferably, the internal half-sole consists of a single piece made from the same material, which makes it easy to manufacture. Alternatively, the insole half may consist of an assembly of several portions or layers.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the housing is formed integrally inside the inner half-sole, that is to say that the housing is accessible only by the upper face of the half insole but not by its edge or its underside. This in particular makes it possible to protect, around its entire periphery, an electronic device placed in the housing while providing a bearing surface for the insole on the half-sole over the entire periphery of the housing.

Preferably, the internal half-sole is a rear internal half-sole intended to be positioned in line with the heel of the wearer of the shoe. By the terms "front" and "rear" in the present document is meant respectively front and back in the usual sense of use of an inner sole of a shoe (front on the side of the toes, behind on the side of the heel of the user).

Advantageously, the length of the inner half-sole is between 8 and 20 cm. Preferably, the insole half is adapted to extend along its length in the order of 50 to 75% of the length of the insole, preferably in the order of 60 to 70%.

More preferably, the insole half is made of polyurethane foam (PU) and / or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or a mixture of polyurethane and ethylene vinyl acetate. Other materials, such as, for example, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or nylon could also be used.

According to one aspect of the invention, the internal half-sole may comprise a layer of fabric or of any other suitable material extending over its upper face in order to cover the housing and thus protect and hold a device in place. electronics placed in said housing.

Advantageously, the internal half-sole can comprise one or more portions delimiting one or more orifices making it possible to display the indicator lights of the electronic device, for example formed by light-emitting diodes.

The invention also relates to a set of inner soles for a shoe comprising an inner half-sole, as described above, and an inner sole, said inner sole comprising an upper face, constituting the bearing face of the foot. of the shoe wearer, and a lower face which is intended to come at least in part into contact with the upper face of the internal half-sole. When the length of the inner sole is greater than the length of the half-sole, a portion of the underside of the inner sole is intended to come into contact with a portion of the upper face of the outer sole.

The internal half-sole may be free (ie independent) with respect to the internal sole or else connected to said internal sole, for example by bonding all or part of the upper face of said half-sole to the lower face of the insole. Access to the housing is provided between the insole and the insole half, in the thickness of the sole assembly, in an easy manner. The structure of the sole assembly thus makes it possible to separate the internal sole and the internal semi-sole from one another in order to insert the electronic device into the housing formed inside the internal semi-sole. . This advantageously makes it possible to easily insert or remove the electronic device easily while retaining the integrity of the upper face of the insole for better comfort of the foot.

In one embodiment, the upper face of the inner half-sole can be bonded to the underside of the inner sole over the entire periphery of the housing so that said housing is no longer accessible after bonding, in particular to consolidate the set of insoles.

The structure of the set of soles in two separate parts, connected or not, in which the housing is formed in the internal half-sole has the advantage of making the set of internal soles comfortable for the user, in particular when it is made of a viscoelastic material (for example viscolatex), and to better protect the device, in particular when the material in which the inner half-sole is made is solid and resistant, for example polyurethane (PU) or a mixture of polyurethane and EVA.

The electronic device can be delivered separately from the inner half-sole and the inner sole in order to insert it later, for example in the event of replacement or else to adapt the type of device to the type of shoe or to a use. specific. In addition, the insole half according to the invention allows easy insertion of the device while making it possible to be able to adapt the size of the insole according to the user and therefore to deliver the device and the set of insoles separately to the user, which for example is not possible with a sole molded around the device. It will also be noted that the set of soles according to the invention allows the insertion and therefore the reuse of a device which has been extracted from a used sole. In one embodiment, the insole half is free, that is to say is not connected by a fastening means to the insole and is independent of the insole. In this case, the wearer of the shoe can in particular use an insole of the “podiatric” type in place of a standard insole. In this configuration, the insole half is configured to be positioned under the insole in the internal space of the shoe, preferably under the rear part of the insole, at the level of the heel of the shoe wearer. In this embodiment, the internal half-sole constitutes a shell (or a container) comprising the housing and which can be positioned independently in the internal space of the shoe before an internal sole is placed on top said shell, superimposed.

In another embodiment, the inner sole and the inner half-sole are connected at the level of a connecting portion in order to form a one-piece assembly (ie in one piece), said connecting portion allowing the 'articulation of the internal semi-sole with respect to the internal sole between a so-called "joint" position, in which the lower face of the internal sole and the upper face of the internal semi-sole are in contact with each other, and an open position in which the inner sole and the inner half-sole are separated from one another in order to allow the insertion of an electronic device into the housing. In this case, the housing is exclusively accessible by spreading the inner sole and the inner half-sole from one another.

Advantageously, the connecting portion is located in the front part of the inner sole so that the inner sole and the inner half-sole can be separated from each other at the rear part of the sole. internal.

Preferably, the inner sole and the inner half-sole are connected by gluing at the connection portion.

Advantageously, the connecting portion is located in the middle area of the inner sole. For example, the length of the insole half may be between 8 and 20 cm.

In one embodiment, the rear part of the inner sole is flexible so as to be separated from the inner half-sole when the set of soles is placed in the internal space of a shoe. Such an arrangement allows access to the housing by lifting the rear part of the insole.

According to one aspect of the invention, the inner sole and the inner half-sole are made of materials of different density. Preferably, the insole is more flexible (for example with a hardness of the order of 30 on the Shore scale) and the insole half is more rigid for more solidity and stability (for example a hardness of the order of 60 on the Shore scale). For example, the insole can be made of polyurethane foam, latex, foam or a viscoelastic material and the insole half can be made of polyurethane foam (PU) or a mixture of polyurethane foam and ethylene-acetate vinyl (EVA).

Alternatively, the inner sole and the inner half-sole can be made of two (or more) different materials of the same density or different densities.

In another variant, the insole and the insole half can be made of the same material, for example by being made of the same material in order to manufacture the set of insoles in a single step.

According to one aspect of the invention, the upper face of the insole can be covered with fabric to improve the comfort of the user.

The insole can in particular be personalized, for example with the application of alphanumeric characters or logos on its upper or lower face.

The upper part of the inner sole can be pierced with small holes to the right of the electronic device or be partly made of a transparent or translucent material in order to view light-emitting diodes (or any other light device) which may be provided if necessary the electronic device. The user can thus have access to various information by looking directly into the shoe, such as, for example, the level of charge of the supply battery of the electronic device or any other indication linked to the functioning of the module. the invention, the sole assembly comprises an electronic device placed in the housing, for example an electronic communication device.

The invention also relates to a shoe comprising a set of soles as described above.

The invention also relates to a method of inserting an electronic device into a set of soles as described above. Said method comprising a step of spacing the insole and the insole half, a step of inserting the electronic device in the housing of the insole half and a step of joining the insole and the internal insole.

The method can include a step of bonding the insole and the insole to consolidate the set of insoles.

The method can then include a step of inserting the set of insoles thus formed in a shoe.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example, and referring to the appended drawings given by way of nonlimiting examples, in which references identical are given to similar objects and on which:

[fig.l] schematically illustrates an embodiment of the shoe according to the invention; [fig-2] schematically illustrates an embodiment of a set of insoles according to the invention;

[fig-3] illustrates the insole of Figure 2 in which the insole and the insole are in the open position;

[fig-4] illustrates the insertion of an electronic device into the housing of the inner sole of Figure 3;

[fig-5] describes an exemplary mode of implementation of the method according to the invention.

Note that the figures show the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures can of course be used to better define the invention if necessary.

DESCRIPTION PETAIT, LEE OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows an example of shoe 1 according to the invention.

Shoe 1 The shoe 1 comprises from bottom to top an outer sole IA called "walking sole", a set of inner soles IB and a rod IC fixed on the outer sole IA so as to delimit an internal space 1D to shoe 1 and intended to receive the foot of the user of shoe 1.

IA outer sole includes a lower face 1A1 adapted to come into contact with the ground and an upper face 1A2 extending in the internal space 1D of shoe 1.

IB insole assembly [0047] FIG. 2 shows an example of an IB insole assembly according to the invention. The IB insole set includes a 1B1 (or insole) insole and a 1B2 half insole. The internal sole 1B1 comprises an upper face 1B11 and a lower face 1B12, opposite the upper face IB 11. The internal semi-sole 1B2 comprises an upper face 1B21 and a lower face 1B22.

Inner sole 1B1 The upper face 1B11 of the inner sole 1B1 constitutes the bearing face of the foot of the wearer of the shoe 1. In this example, the rear portion of the lower face 1B12 of the inner sole 1B1 is in contact with the upper face 1B21 of the internal half-sole 1B2 while the front portion of the lower face 1B12 of the internal sole 1B1 is in contact with the upper face 1A2 of the external sole IA of shoe 1.

The upper face 1B11 of the inner sole 1B1 can be covered with a layer of fabric making it possible in particular to improve the comfort and hygiene of the shoe 1. In addition, the inner sole 1B1 could be personalized, for example with the application of alphanumeric characters or logos on its upper face 1B11 or on said layer of fabric.

1B2 internal half-sole The internal 1B2 half-sole comprises a housing 1B30 formed in the upper face 1B21 of said internal half-sole 1B2 and capable of receiving an electronic device 10.

The housing 1B30 is formed integrally inside the internal half-sole 1B2, that is to say that the housing 1B30 is only accessible by the upper face 1B21 of the internal half-sole 1B2 but not by its edge or its underside, in particular so that the device 10 is invisible when the internal sole 1B1 and the internal semi-sole 1B2 are pressed against one another. This makes it possible in particular to protect a device 10 placed in the housing 1B30 over its entire periphery while providing a bearing surface for the lower face IB 12 of the internal sole 1B1 on the upper face 1B21 of the internal half-sole 1B2 over the peripheral zone surrounding the housing 1B30 of said upper face 1B21 of the internal half-sole 1B2. The internal half-sole 1B2 thus constitutes a shell (or a tank) comprising the housing 1B30. The internal half-sole 1B2 may comprise one or more portions delimiting one or more orifices (not shown) making it possible to display the state of light-emitting diodes of the electronic device 10 so as to know for example whether the device 10 is in the on state or off or to know the charge level of its supply battery, etc.

In this preferred example, the internal half-sole 1B2 is a rear internal half-sole intended to be positioned in line with the heel of the wearer of the shoe 1. By the terms "front" and "rear", we mean in the present document respectively in front and behind according to the usual direction of use of an internal sole of a shoe 1 (in front of the side of the toes, behind of the heel side of Γ user).

The internal sole 1B1 and the internal half-sole 1B2 can be free or linked.

The internal half-sole 1B2 is preferably made of polyurethane foam (PU) or a mixture of polyurethane foam and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), but could be made of any other suitable material (latex or any other particularly suitable viscoelastic material). The internal half-sole 1B2 may comprise a layer of fabric or of any other material extending on its upper face 1B21 in order to cover the housing 1B 30 and thus protect and hold in place an electronic device 10 placed in said housing 1B30.

As illustrated in particular in Figures 3 and 4, the opening (shown in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2) for inserting the electronic device 10 in the housing 1B30 is formed between the inner sole 1B1 and the half insole 1B2, in the edge, that is to say in the thickness, of the set of insoles IB. The structure of the set of internal soles IB thus makes it possible to separate the internal sole 1B1 and the internal semi-sole 1B2 from one another in order to insert the electronic device 10 into the housing 1B30. This advantageously makes it possible to easily insert or remove the device 10 while retaining the integrity of the upper face 1B11 of the inner sole 1B1 for better comfort of the foot.

The structure of the set of internal soles IB in two separate parts, connected or not, in which the housing 1B30 is formed in the internal half-sole 1B2 has the advantage of making the internal sole 1B1 comfortable for the user and better protect the device 10, in particular when the material from which the internal half-sole 1B2 is made is solid and resistant, such as for example polyurethane foam (PU) or nylon.

When the internal half-sole 1B2 is free, that is to say is not fixed to the internal sole 1B1, the wearer of the shoe 1 can in particular use several different types of internal soles 1B1 and half - internal soles 1B2, in particular an internal sole of the "podiatric" type. In this case, the internal half-sole 1B2 can be positioned independently in the internal space 1D of the shoe 1 before the internal sole 1B1 is placed over said internal half-sole 1B2, in a superimposed manner.

When the insole 1B1 and the insole half-sole 1B2 are fixed to each other at a so-called "connection" portion, said connection portion can constitute a joint of the insole half-sole 1B2 with respect to the insole 1B1 (and vice-versa) between a so-called "joint" position, in which the lower face 1B12 of the insole 1B1 and the upper face 1B21 of the insole half 1B2 are in contact with the one with the other, and an open position in which the internal sole 1B1 and the internal semi-sole 1B2 are spaced from one another in order to allow the insertion of the electronic device into the housing 1B30. In this case, the housing 1B30 is exclusively accessible by spreading the internal sole 1B1 and the internal semi-sole 1B2 from one another. In this case, preferably, the connecting portion is located in the front zone of the internal sole 1B1 and of the internal semi-sole 1B2.

Alternatively, the connecting portion may correspond to the upper face of the internal half-sole 1B2 so that once the device 10 is placed in the housing 1B30, the internal sole 1B1 and the internal semi-sole 1B2 are bonded to it. one against the other, thus making it possible to protect and consolidate the device 10.

The insole 1B1 and the insole half-sole 1B2 can be connected at the level of the connection portion by bonding or by any other suitable means.

Preferably, the length of the internal half-sole 1B2 is of the order of 60 to 70% of the length of the internal sole 1B1 in order to allow a large spacing and thus easy insertion of the device 10 into the housing 1B30, in particular when the internal sole 1B1 and the internal semi-sole 1B2 are linked at the level of a connection portion, for example by bonding. For example, the length of the internal half-sole 1B2 can be between 8 and 20 cm. As a variant, the internal half-sole 1B2 could be substantially the same length as the internal sole 1B1 and, for example, be bonded together at least at their respective front parts.

In one embodiment, the rear part of the internal sole 1B1 is flexible so as to be separated from the internal semi-sole 1B2 when the set of internal soles IB is placed in the internal space 1D of the shoe 1. Such an arrangement allows easy access to the housing 1B30 by lifting the rear part of the inner sole 1B1. In particular, the insole 1B1 can be foldable on its upper face 1B11 in order to allow easy insertion of the electronic device 10 from above, in particular when the insole 1B1 is inserted in a shoe 1, which makes it possible not to remove from shoe 1 in order to proceed with the insertion or removal of device 10.

The insole 1B1 and the insole half 1B2 can be made of materials of different density. Preferably, the insole 1B1 is more flexible than the insole half 1B2 for more solidity and stability. For example, the insole 1B1 can be made of a material whose hardness is of the order of 30 on the Shore scale and the insole half 1B2 can be made of a material whose hardness is around 60 on the Shore scale. For example, the insole 1B1 can be made of polyurethane foam, latex, foam or a viscoelastic material and the insole half 1B2 of polyurethane foam (PU) or EVA.

Alternatively, the inner sole 1B1 and the inner half-sole 1B2 could be made from two (or more) different materials of the same density. In another variant, the insole 1B1 and the insole half-sole 1B2 could be made of the same material, for example by being made of the same material in order to manufacture the set of insoles IB in a single step.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the IB insole assembly includes an electronic device 10 placed in the housing 1B30, for example an electronic communication device 10.

In the preferred example described below, the device 10 is an electronic communication device but, in another embodiment, the device 10 could be another type of electronic device.

The device 10 may for example comprise an electronic card comprising an electrical circuit, of the printed circuit type, and electronic components mounted on one of the faces of the electronic card and electrically connected via said printed circuit.

The electronic components can include a processor or a microcontroller, chips, semiconductors, resistors, capacitors or any other component suitable for implementing one or more functions, in particular an external communication antenna enabling the device to communicate with an external communication device.

For example, a function implemented by the electronic components can be a geolocation function, for example of the GPS (Global Positioning System) type, making it possible to determine the geographic position of the device 10, and therefore of the shoe 1. Still by way of example, a function implemented by the electronic components can be a sensor function, for example of the MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) type, making it possible to determine the speed of movement of the wearer of shoe 1 or the distance traveled by the wearer of shoe 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the electronic components include in particular a microcontroller, an external communication antenna, a battery for supplying the microcontroller and a charging coil enabling said battery to be recharged by charging means without wire, for example of the induction charge type, in particular according to a Qi type protocol, known per se.

An example of implementation of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 2 to 5.

First, in a step E1 (Figure 3), the user spreads the insole 1B1 at its rear part to a sufficient open position, for example by folding it back on itself , then places the device 10 in the housing 1B30 in a step E2 (FIG. 4).

Glue can be applied to the junction interface of the insole 1B1 and the insole half 1B2 in a step E3 in order to bond them together if necessary. The user then closes, in a step E4, the internal sole 1B1 on the internal semi-sole 1B2 so as to place them in a joined position in which the device 10 is invisible and then inserts the set of internal soles IB thus formed into the internal space 1D of the shoe 1 in a step E5 (as illustrated in FIG. 2).

In the embodiment described, the device 10 can be inserted into the housing 1B30 before the insole 1B1 is placed in the shoe or inserted into the housing 1B30 without it being necessary to remove the internal sole 1B1 of the internal space 1D of the shoe 1. In this case, it suffices to lift the rear part of the internal sole 1B1, to remove or insert the device 10 then to replace the rear part of the internal sole 1B1 on the 1B2 insole half.

In the case where the internal sole 1B1 and the internal half-sole 1B2 are free, the device 10 is firstly placed in the housing 1B30 and then the internal semi-sole is inserted into the internal space 1D of the shoe 1 (or vice versa) then the internal sole 1B1 is positioned in the internal space 1D of the shoe 1, on the upper face 1B21 of the internal half-sole 1B2 so as to completely cover said upper face 1B21 and thus protect the device 10. The device 10 can be removed from the housing 1B30 very easily by carrying out the reverse operations.

The set of IB insoles according to the invention makes it possible to insert an electronic device 10 easily and quickly while retaining the integrity of the upper face IB 11 of the insole IB 1, which makes it possible to maintain the comfort of the shoe user 1.

In addition, the electronic device 10 being positioned integrally inside the set of internal soles IB, it is protected on all of its faces, in particular upper, lower and lateral, which reduces the risk of damage. . The IB insole assembly can be delivered with a device 10 already mounted in the housing 1B30 or delivered alone and the electronic device 10 can then be inserted into the insole half 1B2.

The scope of the invention is not limited to the modes and embodiments described above. In particular, the dimensions and the shapes of the insole and of the device cannot constitute a limitation of the scope of the present invention.

Claims (1)

Claims [Claim 1] Internal half-sole (1B2) for shoe, said shoe (1) comprising an external sole (IA) and a rod (IC) connected to said external sole (IA) so as to form an internal space (1D) in the shoe ( 1), said outer sole (IA) comprising a lower face (1A1) forming the walking face of the shoe (1) and an upper face (1A2) extending in said internal space (1D), said internal semi-sole (1B2 ) being characterized in that it comprises: - an upper face (1B21) intended to be placed in the internal space (1D) of the shoe (1) and to come into abutment against the lower face (1B12) of an internal sole (1B1), - a lower face (1B22), opposite said upper face (1B21), intended to come into contact with the upper face (1A2) of the outer sole (IA) of the shoe (1), and - A housing (1B30), formed in the upper face (1B21) of said internal half-sole (1B2), capable of receiving an electronic device (10). [Claim 2] Internal half-sole (1B2) according to claim 1, said internal half-sole (1B2) being a rear internal half-sole (1B2) intended to be positioned in line with the heel of the shoe wearer (D- [Claim 3] Internal half-sole (1B2) according to the preceding claim, said internal half-sole (1B2) being made of polyurethane foam and / or ethylene-vinyl acetate. [Claim 4] Set of insoles (IB) for shoes (1) comprising a half insole (1B2) according to one of the preceding claims and an insole (1B1), said insole (1B1) comprising an upper face (1B11), constituting the bearing face of the foot of the shoe wearer (1), and a lower face (1B12) which is intended to come into contact with the upper face (1B21) of the internal half-sole (1B2). [Claim 5] Internal sole assembly (IB) according to the preceding claim, in which the internal sole (1B1) and the internal half-sole (1B2) are connected at a connection portion in order to form a one-piece assembly, said connection portion allowing the articulation of the insole half (1B2) relative to the insole (1B1) between a position called "joint", in which the insole (1B1) [Claim 6] [Claim 7] [Claim 8] [Claim 9] [Claim 10] and the insole half (1B2) are in contact with each other and an open position in which the insole (1B1 ) and the internal semi-sole (1B2) are separated from one another in order to allow the insertion of the electronic device (10) into the housing (1B30). Set of insoles (IB) according to the preceding claim, wherein the connecting portion is located in the front part of the insole (1B1). A set of insoles (IB) according to any one of claims 5 and 6, in which the insole (1B1) and the insole half (1B2) are connected by bonding at the connection portion. An insole assembly (IB) according to any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the insole (1B1) is made of latex, foam or a viscoelastic material. An insole assembly (IB) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, comprising an electronic device (10) placed in the housing (1B30). Shoe (1) comprising a set of insoles (IB) according to any one of claims 4 to 9.