Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B17/00—Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined
  • A43B17/04—Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined with metal insertions or coverings
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B1/00—Footwear characterised by the material
  • A43B1/0045—Footwear characterised by the material made at least partially of deodorant means
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
  • A43B13/16—Pieced soles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/38—Built-in insoles joined to uppers during the manufacturing process, e.g. structural insoles; Insoles glued to shoes during the manufacturing process

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an insole as generally used in footwear items, which comprises at least a layer of antibacterial material.
• moulds and bacteria tend to proliferate inside footwear items, which are.
• the presence of such moulds and bacteria inside the footwear is the cause of an emanation of bad smells therefrom, as well as it can affect the skin of the foot by exposing it to such disease conditions as the onset of mycoses or eczemas.
• an insole of the above-noted kind which includes at least one layer of antibacterial material therewithin.
• Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an insole of the above- noted kind, in which the coupling thereof with the layer of antibacterial material is capable of being obtained in a simple, convenient and cost-effective manner.
• a further purpose of the present invention is to provide an insole of the above- noted kind, which is reliable, and in which the effectiveness of the antibacterial material remains unaltered in the long term and during use.
• Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an insole of the above- noted kind that is capable of being manufactured at competitive costs with the use of readily available tools and machines.
• FIG. 1 is a plan view of an insole made according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a similar view as the one of Figure 1 wherein the component parts of the insole according to the present invention are shown;
• FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the plane Ill-Ill of Figure 1.
• the insole further comprises a mid-portion extending between the top portion 1 and the bottom portion 3, wherein such mid-portion is formed of at least a metal support 6 comprising at least a layer of antibacterial material, in particular silver in its pure state.
• the metal support 6, which may be for instance in the form of an either perforated or unperforated thin plate or a metal grid, may be formed by a copper base on which a layer of pure silver is fused and then subjected to one or more hot-rolling runs on one or both the sides of the copper base, so as to obtain a large antibacterial surface at reasonably low costs.
• Such high-temperature fusion process is effective in enabling pure silver to firmly couple onto the copper, where silver then closely packs together by sintering.
• the subsequent, possibly repeated hot-rolling process enables a very compact, high-strength silver surface layer to be obtained upon the supporting surface of the copper baseplate extending thereunder.
• thin metal plate 6 shall be used hereinafter to designate the metal support 6 that comprises a layer of antibacterial material on either one or both sides thereof, wherein not only a solid plate shall be understood as being referred to by this term, but also a plate provided with a plurality of perforations or a metal grid formed of one or more pieces or elements.
• an insole calls for the use of a method including the steps of making a first sub-assembly by permanently coupling, e.g. by bonding or similar process, the bottom portion 3 to the thin metal plate 6, followed by coupling said first sub-assembly to the top portion 1 ; preferably, the attachment of the top portion 1 is carried out by sewing it onto the bottom portion along the periphery of the thin metal plate 6 externally thereto, so as to leave the surface of the same metal plate 6 lying between said two portions fully unaffected and clear to thereby ensure that the antibacterial effectiveness of the layer or layers of silver is not reduced to any extent.
• one or more apertures 7 may be provided in the top portion 1 so as to promote a direct contact of the foot plant with the thin metal plate 6 in view of making the most out of the existing antibacterial properties of silver.
• a support 8 for the plantar arch of the foot wherein such support would be made of elastically deformable material, and be comprised between the top portion 1 and the bottom portion 3.
• the insole comprises at least two thin metal plates, both of them provided with a layer of silver on one or both sides thereof; a first such metal thin plate 6a being arranged so as to ensure support to the heel, plantar arch and metatarsus regions of the foot, whereas a second metal thin plate 6b being arranged so as to ensure support to the toe region of the foot.
• a first such metal thin plate 6a being arranged so as to ensure support to the heel, plantar arch and metatarsus regions of the foot
• a second metal thin plate 6b being arranged so as to ensure support to the toe region of the foot.
• the double advantage is obtained - as compared with a solution based on the use of a single, continuous thin metal plate - that, on the one side, the thin metal plate is effectively prevented from deteriorating or damaging due to the foot repeatedly bending during walking, so that the peculiar antibacterial properties remain practically unaltered in time, while, on the other side, the insole itself turns out as being less stiffened to therefore facilitate the movement of the foot during walking.
• the attachment of the top portion 1 to the bottom portion 3, preferably by sewing, is done by externally following the periphery of both the first and the second thin metal plate 6a, 6b, to thereby obtain an attachment region 9 that moves across the insole along the bending line of the foot.
• the construction of the insole as it has been described above enables a fully reliable product to be obtained, in which the effectiveness of the antibacterial material remains unaltered in the long time and during use.
• insole comprising an antibacterial material as described above may be subject to a number of modifications or it may be embodied in a number of different manners or it can be used in a number of different applications, without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in claim 1.

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• Materials For Medical Uses (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=39797044

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (2)

Citations (6)

• 2007
  • 2007-06-19 IT ITPN20070044 patent/ITPN20070044A1/it unknown
• 2008
  • 2008-06-04 WO PCT/EP2008/056930 patent/WO2008155223A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (6)

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