GB2314025A - Footwear deodoriser - Google Patents

Abstract

A footwear deodoriser comprising an absorbent pad of material impregnated with one or more phenolic essential oils, said pad being adapted to be placed in the toe portion of the footwear such that, in use, evaporation of the essential oil deodorises, disinfects and perfumes the footwear in one operation.

Description

Footwear Deodoriser Field of Invention This invention relates to a footwear deodoriser. It is particularly applicable to, but in no way limited to, a deodoriser for sports footwear.

Background to the invention Shoe odour is not only unpleasant and embarrassing but can also be problematic in leading to foot infections. During use, the warm, moist environment within the footwear promotes the growth of bacteria, mould and fungal infections which can produce odours. In serious cases these elements can lead to foot infections.

It is therefore desirable to disinfect and deodorise footwear, especially if it is necessary to share the footwear between several users. For example, ski-boot or ice-skating boots are often available for hire and may be used by many different people.

Known methods for disinfecting, deodorising and perfuming footwear are problematic in several respects. For example, it is possible to wash the footwear or the insoles from the footwear. However, this is often not practical and may lead to damage as well as requiring long drying periods. Alternatively, insoles can be replaced. This is an expensive option and does not remove the odours from the rest of the shoe.

Another possibility is to use insoles which contain deodorising substances.

However, this is problematic in that the deodorising substances can come into contact with the wearer's foot or socks and can cause allergic reactions or staining of clothing. Also, insoles may tend to ruck up inside the shoe making wearing uncomfortable. For footwear that is for hire, such as ski-boots or ice-skating boots, it may be necessary to replace these kinds of insoles between each use. Which, can be prohibitively expensive.

Footwear deodorising sprays are also known. These tend to contain a mixture of so called active ingredients and typically contain a quaternary ammonium salt as well as a perfuming agent. These are simply sprayed into the footwear and may not reach all areas of the shoe, especially the toe portions because of the difficulty of spraying the liquid down into the shoe. For boots, such as ski-boots it is even more difficult to spray such deodorising substances throughout the whole boot. The deodorising substances applied in this way inevitably come into contact with the wearers foot or sock. This can be dangerous if the wearer is allergic to the substance and can also be problematic if the substance stains the sock. Repeated use of these sprays also tends to leave a deposit inside the shoe which can be unsightly, uncomfortable for the wearer and also may stain the inside of the shoe.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a footwear deodoriser suitable for deodorising, disinfecting and perfuming footwear which overcomes or at least mitigates one or all of the problems noted above.

Summary of invention According to the present invention, there is provided a footwear deodoriser comprising an absorbent pad of material impregnated with one or more phenolic or terpene essential oils, said pad being adapted to be placed in the toe portion of the footwear such that, in use, evaporation of the essential oil deodorises, disinfects and perfumes the footwear in one operation. This has the advantage that the pad of material can be placed in the toe portion of the footwear, for example overnight, allowing the essential oil mixture to permeate slowly and evenly throughout the whole shoe. Any deposits left in the pad of material can then easily be removed when the pad is disposed of. Because the essential oils used are phenolic they have the advantage of disinfecting the footwear as well as perfuming it.

Advantageously the pad of material comprises a paper spill. This allows the pad to be easily inserted into the footwear; the paper spill can be pushed down into the toe of the footwear thus enabling the whole shoe to be deodorised.

Manufacturing costs are also kept to a minimum.

Alternatively, the pad of material may comprise a piece of non-woven absorbent fabric. This improves the ability of the fabric to hold the essential oil mixture and also enhances the transfer of this mixture into the footwear. In this way a substantial quantity of the essential oil mixture can be held within the fabric with the fabric remaining virtually dry.

In a preferred formulation the phenolic essential oils are selected from Tea Tree oil, Geranium oil, or a mixture thereof. These types of essential oil are particularly suitable for masking unpleasant footwear odours and create a pleasing, clean and fresh odour.

Advantageously the essential oil is diluted with a skin-safe carrier such as isopropyl alcohol or short chain volatile silicone oil. This helps to spread the essential oil evenly through the pad of material and helps to ensure that the mixture permeates evenly throughout the footwear. Use of these volatile carriers promotes the evaporation of the essential oils from the pad of material into the shoe. Any carrier that comes into contact with the footwear should evaporate away but any that remains in the footwear after the pad of material has been disposed of will be skin-safe.

The invention also encompasses an air-tight sachet containing at least one footwear deodoriser. This makes the footwear deodorisers easy to carry and keeps the deodorising mixture fresh and ready for use within the sachet. Advantageously, a resealable sachet containing a plurality of footwear deodorisers can be used. In this way the desired number of deodorisers can be used at any one time and the remainder kept fresh within the sachet once it is resealed.

Description of preferred embodiments Embodiments of the present invention are described below by way of example only. These examples represent the best ways of putting the invention into practice that are currently known to the Applicant although they are not the only ways in which this could be achieved.

The footwear deodoriser consists of an absorbent pad of material impregnated with one or more phenolic essential oils. The pad of material can be placed in the toe portion of the footwear, for example overnight, so that evaporation of the essential oil(s) deodorises, disinfects and perfumes the footwear in one operation. The pad of material can then either be disposed of or be reactivated by applying more essential oil(s) to it.

It has unexpectedly been discovered that, phenolic and terpene containing essential oils can be used to disinfect, deodorise and perfume in a single operation.

Phenolic essential oils have a disinfecting effect, being analogues of carbolic acid, and so act to destroy the odour producing bacteria, moulds or fungal elements that tend for form within footwear. Terpene containing oils have a similar effect. They do this at the same time as creating a pleasant smell to mask unpleasant odours.

Because of the warm, moist environment within footwear bacteria, moulds and fungal elements tend to form. This is especially problematic for sports footwear for example, trainers, running shoes, and ski-boots. These kinds of footwear tend to provide cushioning around the foot to give protection and support during sports. As the user takes part in exercise when wearing the footwear a warm, moist environment is especially likely to occur. Then because of the extra cushioning and protective layers of material in the shoe bacteria and other elements can easily form within this cushioning and still remain difficult to remove because they cannot be accessed easily. Not only are the odours that result unpleasant but the bacteria, moulds and fungal elements may lead to foot infections. The footwear becomes unpleasant to use and when stored may contaminate other items stored nearby with the same odours. There is a special problem for footwear that is shared where there is a risk of cross-infection as well as the risk that potential users may be put off by the odour. For example, ski-boots are often hired and may be used by many different people.

Other essential oils which are not phenolic or terpene containing can be included in order to give different perfumed effects. As long as at least one of the oils in the mixture is phenolic in nature then the required effect is achieved.

In a preferred embodiment the absorbent pad of material is a paper spill.

This has the advantage that the paper spill can easily be inserted into the toe portion of the footwear, even in the case of boots such as ski-boots or ice-skating boots. The paper spills are also inexpensive to produce and easy to store.

These spills can also be made from woven or other non-woven absorbent fabric. The fabric is able to hold the essential oil(s) plus any carrier liquids that are used so that the fabric remains virtually dry to the touch. This makes the spills easy to apply to the footwear without the essential oil mixture dripping or coming off onto the user's hands. In a preferred embodiment, the spills are of size 13 mm by 14 mm and made from a non-woven material. A pack of 20 spills has a total surface area in the order of 3600 mm2 which allows 1.5 ml of liquid to be absorbed whilst the spills still remain virtually dry to the touch.

The invention also encompasses footwear deodorisers which are packaged in an air-tight container. This keeps the deodorisers fresh and ready for use and also makes them easy to store and carry. Deodorisers can be packaged for example, with two spills in a pack for one pair of shoes or alternatively with larger numbers of spills. Resealable sachets can also be used. This has the advantage that if a large number of spills are packed any that remain can be kept for later use by resealing the sachet. The sachet can be made from aluminium foil, plastic or any other conventional air-tight material.

Preferred phenolic essential oils include Tea Tree oil and Geranium oil or a mixture of both. These oils have a clean, fresh perfume that is pleasing to both men and women and they have been found to be effective as footwear deodorising agents. In a preferred embodiment they are used in a mixture of equal proportions of both oils.

The phenolic essential oils are also volatile and this has the advantage that they evaporate easily and so are able to permeate throughout the footwear. The essential oils can be diluted in a skin-safe carrier liquid such as isopropyl alcohol or a short chain volatile silicone oil. Any such carrier liquid can be used as long as it is volatile and skin-safe. The use of a carrier liquid has the advantage that the essential oil mixture can be applied evenly over the spill or pad of material and also helps the oils to permeate evenly throughout the footwear.

In this context the term absorbent pad has a broad meaning. It is intended to encompass any material of any size or shape which will retain essential oils and which will fit into a shoe. The oil may be absorbed by the pad or simply spread over the surface of the pad i.e. adsorbed, providing the oil is free to evaporate.

After the user has finished wearing the footwear, a footwear deodoriser is placed into the toe portion of each shoe. The footwear is then left for some time, for example, overnight or during storage of the footwear, and during this time the essential oil mixture permeates, slowly and gradually throughout the whole shoe. If the deodorisers in the form of spills are placed into the footwear immediately after use then the footwear tends to be still warm. The warmth inside the shoe causes the essential oils to evaporate together with the carrier liquid. As the carrier liquid evaporates it also tends to carry the essential oil mixture with it which promotes the diffusion process. In this way the phenolic oils permeate the footwear and act to destroy any bacteria, moulds or fungal substances. The oils also perfume the footwear and help to mask any unpleasant odours. If the footwear is still warm, the warm air from inside the shoe tends to rise up and flow out of the shoe. This helps to carry the deodorising mixture up from the toe of the shoe and throughout the heel and neck of the footwear. This is especially desirable for boots where the neck of the footwear is high.

After the cleansing and deodorising process has taken place, the spill or pad of material is removed from the shoe. Thus no unwanted deposits or stains are left within the footwear. The carrier liquid will also have evaporated so that no carrier liquid remains in the footwear. The spill or pad of material can then either be disposed of or reactivated by applying more essential oil mixture.

The spill or pad of material can be reactivated in several different ways.

For example, essential oil mixture can be poured onto the spill or pad from a bottle with a dropper or pouring mechanism. The mixture can be sprayed onto the spill or pad using a aerosol dispenser, or alternatively the mixture can be dispensed from a fibre-tipped pen. The mixture is held in a reservoir in the body of the pen and is transmitted from the reservoir to the pen nib or tip. The user then applies the mixture to the pad simply by drawing the pen tip over the surface of the pad. An even distribution of mixture over the pad can then be achieved whilst the risk of the mixture spilling or dripping is reduced. By sealing the pen with a lid after use the essential oil mixture can be kept fresh and stored easily ready for use.

Reactivating the spill or pad by applying more essential oil mixture to it is advantageous in that the spills can be reused thus keeping costs down.

In this way the footwear is effectively disinfected, deodorised and perfumed without the need to wash the footwear or replace inner-soles and without leaving undesirable deposits within the footwear. It would also be possible to use the footwear deodorisers for other items, such as sports bags.

The invention has a particular advantage in that the pads are cheap to produce and are, in effect, a disposable item. The low cost means that they can economically be used after every occasion on which the shoes are worn. This can lead to a cumulative effect with infective agents given no real opportunity to colonise the shoe.

In a further aspect of this invention it has been discovered that the pad need not be absorbent. If the oil is placed on a plastic or metal dispenser, which is then placed in the shoe, then this also provides the desired result. In this way a drop of oil can be placed safely in each shoe without the need for an absorbent pad.

The dispenser in this case preferably has one or more indentations or recesses on the uppermost-in-use face such that the oil tends to remain contained until it has evaporated. This minimises the chances of direct contact of the oil with the shoe.

The dispenser in this embodiment can be any appropriate size or shape and could, for example, be incorporated into a shoe tree such that the footwear is shaped and disinfected and deodorised in a single operation.

This embodiment results in a particularly cost-effective option since the user only has to buy two dispensers and a bottle of oil.

Claims (8)

Claims

1. A footwear deodoriser comprising an absorbent pad of material impregnated with one or more phenolic essential oils, said pad being adapted to be placed in the toe portion of the footwear such that, in use, evaporation of the essential oil deodorises, disinfects and perfumes the footwear in one operation.

2. A footwear deodoriser as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the pad comprises a paper spill.

3. A footwear deodoriser as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the pad comprises a piece of non-woven absorbent fabric.

4. A footwear deodoriser as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the phenolic essential oils are selected from Tea Tree oil, Geranium oil, or a mixture thereof.

5. A footwear deodoriser as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the essential oil is diluted with a skin-safe carrier such as isopropyl alcohol or short chain volatile silicone oil.

6. A footwear deodoriser substantially as herein described.

7. An air-tight sachet containing at least one footwear deodoriser as claimed in any preceding Claim.

8. A resealable sachet containing a plurality of footwear deodorisers as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 6.