WO2009054669A1

WO2009054669A1 - Foot care functional indoor shoes

Info

Publication number: WO2009054669A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/006238
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yong Suk Choi
Original assignee: Cordi Art Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-10-23
Filing date: 2008-10-22
Publication date: 2009-04-30
Also published as: KR200438931Y1

Abstract

The present invention relates to functional indoor shoes formed of a functional material having proper thickness, weight and elasticity, heat-keeping and waterproof properties, water-vapor permeability, and durability. A bio-ceramic covered layer is disposed on inside and outside surfaces of the bottom piece forming the appearance, which are formed of a resin covered with a functional material having various colors or shapes so that warming, antibiotic, odor removal and electromagnetic wave shielding functions are performed using far-red light radiation and negative ion emission. The indoor shoes are sewed in consideration of the material property to correspond to the three-dimensional foot shape, health and design functions, and a simple appearance in the form of outer socks without having an ankle piece.

Description

[DESCRIPTION] [Invention Title]

FOOT CARE FUNCTIONAL INDOOR SHOES [Technical Field]

The present invention relates to foot care functional indoor shoes, and in particular, to functional indoor shoes, which are formed of a functional material having proper thickness, weight and elasticity, heat-keeping and waterproof properties, water-vapor permeability, and durability. A bio-ceramic covered layer is disposed on inside and outside surfaces of the bottom piece forming the appearance, which are formed of a resin covered with a functional material having various colors or shapes so that warming, antibiotic, odor removal and electromagnetic wave shielding functions are performed using far-red light radiation and negative ion emission. The indoor shoes are sewed in consideration of the material property to correspond to the three-dimensional foot shape, health and design functions, and a simple appearance in the form of outer socks without having an ankle piece, so that the shoes are closely put on for absorbing the impact and supporting the foot without sliding and the shoes are easy to put on, have a light weight, elasticity and smoothness, safely and comfortably protects the foot, and prevent the fatigue from occurring on the foot, thereby preventing foot disorders using a function of keeping heat and humidity constant, an antibiotic function, and a deodorizing function regardless of the season. [Background Art]

Shoes have been developed along with clothes as living necessaries for a long time, which typically include an upper piece that may be formed of various materials for covering the foot, and a bottom piece for supporting the foot, so that its basic function is to protect the foot and prevent the fatigue, and many kinds of shoes having a function of facilitating the wearing of the shoes and a function of meeting the aesthetic and economical efficiency appropriate for dress and its ornament are recently developed to meet various needs (e.g., fashion, individuality, functionality, and so on) of consumers.

The conventional shoes mentioned above provide a function of shielding the temperature from the ground to prevent the disorder by means of cold- resistant and heat-resistant effects and a function of protecting the sole of the foot or the top of the foot from external impact and stimulus, and also provides a function of helping the movement and walking. In this regard, it is important to put on the shoes that match the feet and make the user feel comfortable, however, the conventional shoes do not consider the functionality of the shoes, and cause the fatigue to be accumulated and the user to feel painful due to inappropriate shoes because of a tendency of preferring the fashion or design. In particular, when the user puts on shoes for a long time, bacteria and mold are generated within the shoes due to sweat so that the shoes cause bad odor, unpleasant feeling, athlete's foot bacteria, and so on.

The shoes are divided into indoor shoes and outdoor shoes depending on the location where the shoes are used. Sports shoes that do not cover the ankle are typically employed for the indoor shoes, which are formed of a light and flexible textile material in consideration of the simple wearing, foot skin and health.

The conventional indoor shoes 10 as shown in FIG.1 include an upper piece 11 formed of a light and smooth textile material for covering toes and the top of the foot, a flexible member 12 formed at one end of the upper piece, a bottom piece 14 formed of a rubber having the shape corresponding to that of the sole of the foot for absorbing the ground impact, a reinforced member 15 for protecting the heel, and a put-on space 13 for receiving the foot.

The conventional indoor shoes can fix the feet received in the shoes to some extents; however, they are light and thin compared to other shoes due to its textile material such as cotton or polyester. And the conventional indoor shoes do not have the good flexibility, permeability and heat-keeping property so that the shoes do not fit feet, are lack of impact absorption, make the user feel uncomfortable, and cause the knee to be under pressure because the shoes cannot sufficiently support the metatarsal in the sole of the foot due to the flat bottom shape of the shoes not matching the sole of the foot. In particular, the material mixed with cotton or polyester can absorb the sweat well, however, cannot fast discharge the humidity to cause bad odors and bacteria to be generated within the shoes, thereby worsening the feet health. In addition, in the case of students that must put on the indoor shoes, a shoes pocket must be prepared due to its heavy weight and big size that cannot be folded to cause the portability and keeping functions to be deteriorated, and the feet may be cold in a classroom that cannot be heated to worsen the health and make it difficult to perform laundry and drying and thus to change the shoes often. In particular, when the user puts on shoes without any socks, the shoes may be filled with the humidity to cause the skin disorder including the athlete's foot.

In addition, in view of the seating life in Korea that does not use the indoor shoes, thick outer socks, slippers, and shoes for living room are increasingly consumed for saving the cost of heating the bottom. However, the outer socks - A - that are smooth, light and easy to put on as an alternative of the indoor shoes, do not have good heat-keeping and cushion properties, cause the foot to be dried and chapped, so that foot protection, impact absorption, temperature keeping, and humidity keeping cannot be performed simultaneously. The slipper is apt to be put off so that many active users feel it comfortable.

The diabetic patients covering the foot with a smooth fabric for protecting the foot, women having cold feet due to a postpartum care aftereffect, and the old requiring the foot to be kept warm, are not satisfied with the conventional indoor shoes and the outer socks which do not have the good heat-keeping property. Therefore, the conventional shoes do not meet various needs of the consumers. [Disclosure] [Technical Problem]

As mentioned above, unlike the outdoor shoes such as sports shoes and running shoes used outside and formed of a leather, a foaming material, a synthetic resin, and so on, the conventional indoor sports shoes are formed of a textile material such as cotton or polyester which is light, thin and structurally stable. However, the conventional indoor sports need to improve wearing, heat- keeping property, portability, keeping, antibiotic, deodorizing, and constant humidity functions so that the shoes must meet daily needs upgraded by the consumers and the material and the structure of the shoes must be multifunctional to allow anyone to perform his or her functions depending on the purpose of using the shoes. [Technical Solution]

To solve the problems mentioned above, one aspect of the present invention is to provide functional indoor shoes, which have a three-dimensional appearance matching the foot shape using an elastic material having proper thickness, weight, elasticity, heat-keeping and waterproof functions, water-vapor permeability, durability, and a constant humidity property suitable for indoor activities. The shoes include a toe portion, a foot top portion, a put-on space, and a bottom piece which are divided by elastic sewed lines, and these components are organically combined with each other to implement the functions and structural stability. A bio-ceramic covered layer is formed on inside and outside surfaces of the bottom piece, which is formed of a material in which a resin is coated with functional materials having various shapes to perform warming, antibiotic, odor removal, electromagnetic wave shielding, and anti-sliding functions by means of far-red light radiation and negative ion emission.

The indoor shoes are sewed in consideration of the material property to correspond to the three-dimensional foot shape, health and design functions, and a simple appearance in the form of outer socks without having an ankle piece, so that the shoes are closely put on for absorbing the impact and supporting the foot without sliding and the shoes are easy to put on, have a light weight, elasticity and smoothness, safely and comfortably protects the foot, prevent the fatigue from occurring on the foot, and protect the end feet where the weight is concentrated at the time of walking, thereby preventing foot disorders using a function of keeping heat and humidity constant , an antibiotic function, and a deodorizing function regardless of the season. [Advantageous Effects]

According to indoor shoes of the present invention, considering various requirements of indoor shoes for meeting various needs of consumers in addition to the basic function of the shoes that must be light and easy to put on, the indoor shoes have gallant and various colors derived from the new generation, smooth and elastic properties, a heat-keeping property, a waterproof property, water-vapor permeability (air permeability), durability, and a constant humidity property.

In addition, the elastic property of the rubber material is employed to form the three-dimensional shape matching the foot shape so that the wearing sense of the shoes that are closely adhered to the foot, structural stability of preventing the product from being deformed, portability, keeping, and aesthetic can be implemented all together.

In addition, a bio-ceramic covered layer is formed with characters or patterns on upper and lower surfaces of the bottom piece, so that the warming, antibiotic, odor removal, electromagnetic wave shielding, and anti-sliding functions by means of far-red light radiation and negative ion emission can be performed by means of organic combination of the components of the shoes.

Therefore, the ergonomic shoes of the present invention allows the sole

impact to be reduced like a sponge and increases convenience without any

fatigue or inconvenience even when the user puts on the shoes for a long time. In addition, the shoes are in the form of outer socks, so that multi-

functions for indoor shoes, shoes for living room, outer socks, shoes for curing,

and so on, can be economically performed.

[Description of Drawings] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating indoor shoes according to the conventional art;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the whole structure of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a planar structure of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a structure of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a side portion and a bottom of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating shoes put on according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 7 is a view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

[Best Mode]

The configuration of the present invention for achieving the objects mentioned above will now be described and a description of well-known components that might unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

The present invention provides functional indoor shoes, which include an upper piece formed of a light and smooth elastic rubber for covering toes and the top of the foot, and a bottom piece as its bottom having the shape corresponding to the shape of the sole of the foot, wherein the upper piece and the bottom piece are integrated with each other so that the foot received by the put-on space formed on the upper portion of the shoes can be safely surrounded and fit. The indoor shoes of the present invention include: for its upper part, a toe portion 110 where the toes are positioned, a T-shaped outline 111 arranged on the upper piece, a foot top portion 120 covering the top of the foot, a put-on space 130 surrounded by an ankle outline 131 for fixing the ankle, the toe portion, the T- shaped outline, the foot top portion, and the put-on space being safely divided using respective elasticity; for its lower part, a toe-shaped bottom piece 140 having a depression with a midfoot portion and a bottom outline 141 extended over the upper part of the heel for supporting an arch portion of the sole of the foot and the heel and absorbing a ground impact; and a bio-ceramic covered layer 142 formed of a functional material and having a character or a pattern on top and bottom of the bottom piece 140 for implementing warming, antibiotic odor removal, electromagnetic wave shielding, and anti-sliding functions using far-red light radiation and negative ion emission so that the shoes are closely put on for absorbing the impact and supporting the foot without sliding and the shoes are easy to put on and have a light weight, elasticity and smoothness.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be

described with reference to accompanying drawings.

The indoor shoes of the present invention include, for its upper part, a toe

portion 110, a foot top portion 120, and a put-on space 130, which are formed of

an elastic material and are swollen with an outline, and include, for its lower part,

a bottom piece 140 extending up to the upper side of the heel and having a bio- ceramic covered layer 142 coated on both surfaces of the bottom piece. The indoor shoes thus effectively protect the feet using the put-on space and allow the feet to be tightly adhered thereto for facilitating user activities while using the three-dimensional shape in the form of outer socks matching the feet and the property of the elastic material unlike the conventional indoor shoes having a flat and simple bottom piece.

The elastic material employed for the indoor shoes of the present invention is polyester, and has polyurethane foamed and attached therein, so that it is light, smooth, and elastic, which is a kind of synthetic rubber called Neoprene® that is commercially available from the Dupont in U.S.A. and is well known to those skilled in the art.

The Neoprene has a proper thickness, a light weight, elasticity, a heat- keeping property, a waterproof property, water-vapor permeability (air permeability), durability, and a constant humidity property. When the Neoprene is applied to the indoor shoes, it implements comfortable and close wearing of the shoes like skin, keeps the feet cool in summer and warm in winter, has good air permeability by means of various independent air holes formed within the textile like a sponge, performs the humidity keeping function for preventing the feet from being dried, prevents the feet from being chapped, removes the bad odor of the feet, and suppresses the inhabitation of the bacteria such as athlete's foot. In addition, the elastic material (such as Neoprene) has a sponge shape, and acts as a buffer for absorbing the impact and has independent air holes that are separately formed unlike the continuous air holes connected to each other, so that it has the adiabatic property of keeping the foot not cold by means of the large specific surface area, the constant humidity property, and the air permeability, thereby making the inside of the indoor shoes comfortable.

The upper piece divided by the automated sewed line includes the toe portion 110, the foot top portion 120, and the put-on space 130. Toes and the top of the foot are surrounded by the put-on space 130 so that the foot is kept warm and is effectively protected against the outside. The components of the upper piece are processed with different fastening forces so that the user does not feel tight to implement the comfortable wearing of the shoes resulting from smoothness and stability. The toe portion 110 for covering the toes is disposed at a leading part of the shoes. The toe portion has a large patch and is curved and closed, but has good air permeability.

The foot top portion 120 covering the top of the foot is divided by the T- shaped foot top outline 111 positioned at the center and does not have shoelaces or a fastening member so that it does not require size adjustment for the foot top, thereby causing proper elastic forces of the rubber material at its both sides to act on the foot top to be fit.

The put-on space 130 has an ankle outline 131 formed at its circumference so that the shoes can be fit without fixing the ankle using shoelaces.

The bottom piece 140 that is divided by the bottom outline 141 and absorbs the bottom impact, simultaneously performs the function of acting as an insole in contact with the sole of the foot and the function of contacting the bottom. The bio-ceramic covered layer 142 printed with repeating characters or patterns on the top surface of the insole is in direct contact with the sole of the foot to prevent the foot from sliding while performing warming, antibiotic, odor removal, electromagnetic wave shielding, anti-sliding, and message displaying functions by radiating the far-red light and emitting negative ions. The bottom surface of the sole of the shoe in contact with the ground also has the bio- ceramic covered layer 142 to allow the repeating characters or patterns to perform the anti-sliding function and the electromagnetic wave shielding function.

The conventional bottom piece is separately formed from the sole of the shoe and then the bottom piece is attached to the sole of the shoe, however, the bottom piece 140 of the present invention is integrated with the shoes provides a function of the material acting as a buffer like a sponge and a function of forming the sole of the foot matching the functional structure, so that the shoes are strong, light, elastic, and are in contact with the ground to easily absorb the impact.

In addition, the bottom piece 140 extends up to the rear surface of the heel portion to surround and support the toes, the foot top, the arch-shaped portion of the sole of the foot and the heel so that it safely supports the end feet where the weight is concentrated at the time of walking, and is ergonomically designed to match the curve of the sole of the foot and make the sole of the foot closely adhered to the upper surface of the bottom piece, thereby preventing sliding and enhancing activities. The small variation of the arch is offset by the elastic cushion of the tensile strength acting on the forward direction so that the ankle, the spine and the brain can be protected by preventing the impact and the user can feel comfortable when he or she puts on shoes or at the time of walking. That is, the bottom piece allows the heel including the Achilles portion to be completely and closely adhered thereto so that the feet are tightly stuck without any shoelaces.

The bio-ceramic covered layer 142 is a health assisting member, which is formed of at least one functional material that radiates far-red light and emits negative ions such as charcoal, ocher, tourmaline, molten rock stone, elvan, jade, germanium and sericite which are finely pulverized with a mixing ratio suitable for the human body and a conductive polymer material such as a conductive carbon black paste for shielding the electromagnetic wave mixed with a binder resin such as an epoxy resin. And these materials are coated on the thin film on top and bottom surfaces of the sponge-type synthetic rubber material (Neoprene). Such a bio-ceramic covered layer is a coating layer printed with various independent characters or patterns that are embossed and uniformly printed in up, down, right, and left directions. Therefore, the radiation area toward the indoor floor or the sole of the foot in contact increases as much as possible by means of the large specific surface area, the layer is not stripped even at the time of wearing or laundry by means of the foaming resulting from high pressure and high heat so that the shoes have a good durability, shield the electromagnetic wave while radiating the far-red light and negative ions, do not have a deteriorated performance, and simultaneously implement warming, antibiotic, odor removal, electromagnetic wave shielding, and anti-sliding functions by means of the embossing. The method of forming the embossed patterns where the characters or the patterns of the bio-ceramic covered layer 142 are continuously arranged in up, down, right and left directions increases the conductivity and the specific surface area, so that the display portion of displaying the trademark of the maker is formed while inducing smooth friction with the bottom surface. The pattern of the character of the present invention preferably reflects the sense of the new generation including the gallant design and color. The far-red light and the functional material of emitting negative ions are well known, so that they make the foot warm by means of the warming effect resulting from the far-red light without being heated, promote the blood circulation, keeps the dried state with a proper humidity, perform antibiotic deodorizing function, have a constant temperature and humidity effect of making the user feel cool in summer and warm in winter, prevents infection by preventing the bacteria habitation, and keep the foot healthy. And the charcoal independently implements the function of shielding the electromagnetic wave using the material of emitting the far-red light. Effects of the far-red light are proved by the modern science, including the effect that infrared light as a growth light beam having a wavelength of 30 to 1000 iM is absorbed by a human body to activate cell tissues and to promote blood circulation and waste discharge.

The electromagnetic wave shielding material among the materials of the bio-ceramic covered layer 142 functions mentioned above is a well known conductive polymer material such as polyaniline, and is formed on both surfaces of the bottom piece so that the current may flow, wherein the sole of the foot is positioned on top of the bottom piece and the bottom piece is grounded to the indoor floor, so that the electromagnetic wave penetrating into the bottom or foot can be shielded by the conductive polymer material.

In addition, the bio-ceramic covered layer 142 is rough to increase the surface friction between the sole of the foot and the indoor floor.

The outline formed by the sewing for the appearance of the indoor shoes stabilizes the product by means of tensile strength and swell having a constant tension resulting from the material elasticity, and prevents the shoes from being deformed to keep the shape stability. The indoor shoes of the present invention are formed of a material such as a textile which is light and elastic, has an air permeability and a heat-keeping property, is easy to put on, has the effect of ergonomically protecting the ankle and preventing the impact, has multi functions including antibiotic, deodorizing, warming, and electromagnetic wave shielding functions, is safe in shape, light in weight, flexible, sanitary, clean, and simple so that the shoes facilitate user activities, and prevent foot deformation, disorders such as athlete's foot due to bacteria and cold feet to enhance the foot health. In addition, the indoor shoes of the present invention have a superior property of keeping humidity so that they can prevent water vapor from being evaporated in the foot and prevent the sole of the foot from being chapped, and also have antibiotic and odor removal functions. In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 7 illustrates a plurality of air holes formed on the upper piece above toes, which has an effect on always making the user feel comfortable by circulating airs between inside and outside of the shoes and preferably has a fine mesh net disposed above the bottom piece. Consequently, according to the indoor shoes of the present invention, the shoes can be closely put on to safely fix the ankle so that the same feeling of putting on the shoes can be obtained while maintaining the elasticity.

In addition, unlike the usual sports shoes-type indoor shoes having the piece formed up to the ankle, the indoor shoes of the present invention are formed of an elastic material in the form of outer socks like skin, so that the shoes can be put on without outer socks, are thinner and lighter than the usual shoes, have elasticity and smoothness superior to the usual rubber, keep optimal closeness with the skin, prevent the shoes from being putting off in use, allow the user to hardly recognize the feeling of putting on the shoes while enabling fine movements, and anyone including diabetic patients, the pregnant, the old as well as active students can use the shoes regardless of the season, and the shoes can be easily folded, kept, or portable in the case of the students.

The present invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same way may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

[CLAIMS] [Claim 1 ]

Universal and foot care functional indoor shoes including an upper piece covering toes and a foot top, a bottom piece integrated with the upper piece, and a put-on space formed on an upper part of the shoes for receiving the foot, the shoes comprising: for its upper part, a toe portion 110 where the toes are positioned, a T- shaped outline 111 arranged on the upper, a foot top portion 120 covering the top of the foot, a put-on space 130 surrounded by an ankle outline 131 for fixing the ankle, the toe portion, the T-shaped outline, the foot top portion, and the put-on space being safely divided using respective elasticity; for its lower part, a toe-shaped bottom piece 140 having an arch-shaped depression and a bottom outline 141 extended over the upper part of the heel for supporting an arch portion of the sole of the foot and the heel and absorbing a ground impact; and a bio-ceramic covered layer 142 formed of a functional material and having a character or a pattern on top and bottom of the bottom piece 140 for implementing warming, antibiotic odor removal, electromagnetic wave shielding, and anti-sliding functions using far-red light radiation and negative ion emission so that the shoes are closely put on for absorbing the impact and supporting the foot without sliding and the shoes are easy to put on and have a light weight, elasticity and smoothness.

[Claim 2] The universal and foot care functional indoor shoes according to claim 1 , wherein the shoes have a light weight, elasticity and smoothness for covering the received foot and is formed of a synthetic and elastic sponge rubber material having a good heat-keeping property and an air permeability to have an appearance matching the foot so that the elastic functionality and the three- dimensional shape in the form of outer socks are organically combined with each other.