WO2009095868A1

WO2009095868A1 - Sole for footwear

Info

Publication number: WO2009095868A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/050345
Authority: WO
Inventors: Armando Arcangeli
Original assignee: Calzaturificio Valleverde S.P.A.
Priority date: 2008-01-30
Filing date: 2009-01-28
Publication date: 2009-08-06
Also published as: ITBO20080008U1; CN201213493Y

Abstract

A sole (1) for an item of footwear (2) comprises a plurality of elements (3) protruding from the inside (4) of the sole (1), suitably distributed over the sole (1), and designed at least to permit the load on the wearer's foot to be absorbed while walking or to exert a massaging action on the foot; some of the protruding elements (3) are provided with non-return valve means (5) embedded in the sole (1) and designed to allow air to pass from the inside to the outside of the item of footwear (2).

Description

Sole for footwear

Technical Field

This invention relates to a sole for footwear, in particular a sole that is at once breathable and waterproof and that has a massaging/load-absorbing effect on the sole of the foot.

Background Art

Many different types of soles for footwear are known, in particular soles made of rubber or other elastic ally deformable material and incorporating different solutions for improving foot breathability to reduce perspiration, unpleasant odours and even skin damage. One prior art solution is disclosed in patent IT 1.232.798 where the rubber sole of the footwear comprises an osmotic membrane.

The membrane is connected with the inside and outside of the item of footwear by holes made in both the insole and in the tread: the result is an item of footwear with good breathability and satisfactory waterproof properties. This solution, however, although technologically advanced and providing good results in practical terms, has some disadvantages due to the instability of the combination between membrane and holes which soon loses its breathable and waterproof properties.

Disclosure of the Invention

This invention has for an aim to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a sole for footwear which is not only breathable and waterproof and solid enough to enable these properties to last over time but which also exerts a dynamic action that has a relaxing effect on the sole of the foot. According to the invention, this aim is achieved by a sole, in particular a sole for footwear, comprising the technical characteristics described in one or more of the appended claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings The technical characteristics of the invention, with reference to the above aims, are clearly described in the claims below and its advantages are more apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention provided merely by way of example without restricting the scope of the inventive concept, and in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view, with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others, of an item of footwear provided with a sole made according to this invention;

- Figure 2 is a schematic plan view from above of the sole shown in Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a cross section of a detail from Figure 2, illustrating a first embodiment of a protuberance for absorbing the load of the wearer's weight while walking;

- Figure 4 is a cross section of a detail from Figure 2, illustrating a first embodiment of a protuberance provided with a non-return valve;

- Figure 5 is a cross section of a detail illustrating a second embodiment of a protuberance for absorbing the load of the wearer's weight while walking;

- Figure 6 is a cross section of a detail illustrating a second embodiment of a protuberance provided with a non-return valve.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

With reference to the accompanying drawings, in particular Figures 1 and 2, the footwear sole 1 according to the invention comprises a set of features which can guarantee breathability, waterproofness and absorption of the load on the wearer's foot in an optimal manner and in such a way that these properties will last for a long time.

In particular, again with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the sole 1 comprises a plurality of elements 3 protruding from the inside 4 of the sole 1, suitably distributed over the sole 1, and designed to permit the load on the wearer's foot while walking to be absorbed and/or to exert a massaging action on the foot.

Further, some of the protruding elements 3 are provided with non-return valve means 5 embedded in the sole 1 and designed to allow air to pass from the inside to the outside of the item of footwear 2.

More specifically, but without limiting the scope of the invention, the plurality of protruding elements 3 may be located on the sole 1 at least at the front portion Z on which the metatarsus of the foot rests.

Obviously, depending on the dynamic response properties of the sole 1, the protruding elements 3 may be suitably distributed on the other parts of the sole 1 (as illustrated by the broken lines in Figure 2). As shown in Figure 2, the plurality of protruding elements 3 for load absorption and/or massaging may be located on the sole 1 at least at the perimetric surface corresponding to the front portion Z of the sole on which the wearer's weight bears down and where most of the load pressure is applied to the metatarsus while walking. For example, there may be more protruding elements 3 provided with valve means 5 than there are protruding elements 3 for load absorption.

As clearly shown in Figures 3 to 6, each element 3 comprises a protuberance 6 of elastically yielding material protruding from the sole 1 and forming a chamber C with a first open through hole 7 at the top of it. If the sole 1 is made of plastic, each protuberance 6 may be formed in the sole 1 as a single part.

Figures 3 to 6 also show different embodiments of each protruding element 3.

- in Figures 3 and 4 each protuberance 6 has a cross section in the shape of a semicircle and the first through hole 7 is located centrally at the top of the protuberance 6;

- in Figures 5 and 6 each protuberance 6 has a cross section in the shape of a truncated pyramid and the first through hole 7 is located centrally at the top of the protuberance 6. For the load absorbing protuberances 6, this structure of the chamber C creates a zone that is able to absorb the load applied to the foot while walking by the combined action obtained by elastic deformation and the dynamic effect of the air sucked into and expelled from the chamber.

The protuberances 6 provided with the valve means 5, on the other hand, are structured in such a way that each non-return valve element 5 made in the sole 1 comprises a second hole 8 placing the inside of the item of footwear 2 in communication with the outside of the item of footwear 2.

In particular, see Figures 4 and 6, each valve element 5 comprises a membrane 9 having a concavity 10 facing the insole 11. Under the concavity 10 there is a space 12 which communicates with the outside of the item of footwear 2 and which connects with a tread 13 of the item of footwear 2.

The second hole 8 is made in the membrane 9 and in the centre of the concavity 10. Figures 4 and 6 also show that the thickness S9 of the membrane 9 is less than the thickness S 1 of the sole 1.

At a functional level, the membrane 9 yields elastically in such a way as to close the second hole 8 while walking when the pressure in the space 12 is greater than the pressure in the membrane 9, thereby making the item of footwear 2 waterproof.

Still with reference to Figures 4 and 6, the tread 13 has thin spacer blocks 14 located around each space 12 (having, for example, a circular configuration) and designed to avoid the "aquaplaning" effect on the tread 13 by breaking the water line on the surface the wearer is walking on. Further, the part of the space 12 that connects with the tread 13 may have a flared shape to avoid withholding debris.

A sole made in this way fully achieves the above mentioned aims thanks to a very simple architecture based on structurally similar protuberances that confer breathable and waterproof properties as well as auxiliary properties such as load absorption and foot massage.

As already stated, these properties can be obtained by a similar basic structure of the protuberances to which non-return valves may be added in certain well- defined parts of the sole to make the sole breathable and, at the same time, waterproof. Moreover, this structure makes it possible to obtain these properties in a sole of high quality and durability.

The invention described has evident industrial applications and can be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.

Claims

1. A sole (1) for an item of footwear (2) characterized in that it comprises a plurality of elements (3) protruding from the inside (4) of the sole (1), suitably distributed over the sole (1), and designed at least to permit the load on the wearer's foot to be absorbed while walking or to exert a massaging action on the foot; some of the protruding elements (3) being provided with non-return valve means (5) embedded in the sole (1) and designed to allow air to pass from the inside to the outside of the item of footwear (2).

2. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of protruding elements (3) is located on the sole (1) at least at the front portion (Z) on which the metatarsus of the foot rests.

3. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of protruding elements (3) for load absorption are located on the sole (1) at least at the perimetric surface corresponding to the portion (Z) of the sole on which the metatarsus of the foot rests.

4. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that there are more protruding elements (3) provided with the valve means (5) than there are protruding elements (3) for load absorption.

5. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that each protruding element (3) comprises a protuberance (6) of elastically yielding material protruding from the sole (1) and forming a chamber (C) with a first open through hole (7) at the top of it, in such a way as to create a zone that is able to absorb the load applied to the foot while walking.

6. The sole according to claim 5, characterized in that each protuberance (6) is formed in the sole (1) as a single part.

7. The sole according to claim 5, characterized in that each protuberance (6) has a cross section in the shape of a semicircle with the first through hole (7) located centrally at the top of the protuberance (6).

8. The sole according to claim 5, characterized in that each protuberance (6) has a cross section in the shape of a truncated pyramid with the first through hole (7) located at the top of the protuberance (6).

9. The sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the non-return valve element (5) made in the hole (1) comprises a second hole (8) that places the inside of the item of footwear (2) in communication with the outside of the item of footwear (2).

10. The sole according to claims 1 and 9, characterized in that each valve element (5) comprises a membrane (9) having a concavity (10) facing an insole (11); there being, under the concavity (10), a space (12) which communicates with the outside of the item of footwear (2) and which connects with a tread (13) of the item of footwear (2).

11. The sole according to claims 9 and 10, characterized in that the second hole

(8) is made in the membrane (9) and in the centre of the concavity (10).

12. The sole according to claim 10, characterized in that the thickness (S9) of the membrane (9) is less than the thickness (S 1) of the sole (1).

13. The sole according to claims 9 and 10, characterized in that the membrane

(9) yields elastically in such a way as to close the second hole (8) while walking when the pressure in the space (12) is greater than the pressure in the membrane (9), thereby making the item of footwear (2) waterproof: 14. The sole according to claims 9 and 10, characterized in that the tread (13) has spacer blocks (14) located around each space (12) and designed to avoid the "aquaplaning" effect on the tread (13).

15. The sole according to claims 9 and 10, characterized in that the part of each space (12) that connects with the tread (13) may have a flared shape to avoid withholding debris.