WO2019234721A1

WO2019234721A1 - Adjustable footwear sole for reducing foot loading through adjustable pellets

Info

Publication number: WO2019234721A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/054802
Authority: WO
Inventors: Harnihal Singh SIDHU
Original assignee: Sidhu Harnihal Singh
Priority date: 2018-06-09
Filing date: 2019-06-10
Publication date: 2019-12-12

Abstract

The invention provides an adjustable sole for various footwear comprising of an upper flexible body, a flexible sole with plurality of cavities and/or pockets and plurality of pellets. A pellet is provided made up of load bearing materials such as, but not limited to like rubber, silicone, etc. The pellets are available in varied size and shape such as, but not limited to like hexagonal, cylindrical, elliptical, cubical, and shapes alike. The adjustable sole shoe is provided with inter-changeable pellets to serve the multiple utilities that can be used without pellets and with pellets in which user can insert many pellets.

Description

«ADJUSTABLE FOOTWEAR SOLE FOR REDUCING FOOT LOADING

THROUGH ADJUSTABLE PELLETS”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to multi-utility footwear with an adjustable sole. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shoe with a sole having cavities and/or pockets for adjustable pellets to reduce foot loading and to increase comfort.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of footwear or shoe is to protect human foot, but with time it is also used as an aesthetic material and an item of fashion with various colour, shape and design. Sole is most important part of the shoe as it protects the user and also augments a user's movement. Sole comprises of mainly three parts a tough outer sole, midsole overlying the outer sole and upper sole over the surface of the midsole. A thin layer of insole can be inserted over the upper sole for proper fitting of shoes. Out of these, midsole is the most important part of any shoe. It provides cushioning and comfort to the feet by acting as shock absorber for the shocks created while walking or running hence augmenting the user.

There has been a lot of work done in the past and still there is constant research and development going on in terms of customized augmenting the user shoe based on the requirement and function. A specifically customized shoe can be used as orthotic device for people with some kind of disability causing gait imbalance or walking difficulties due to leg length discrepancy or any deformity in the foot or specialized purpose. Many a times, it is observed that specialized purposes such as walking or running may require different pair of shoes to be used. The specialized or customized shoe is required as while moving from one place to another, there are some areas on the plantar surface of our foot which applies more pressure to the ground and these surfaces of foot are called peak foot loading areas. The highest plantar pressures are applied on the heel, the first metatarsal and the big toe area while walking. These pressures create lethargy and pain to the foot of a person and ultimately create a need for the person to culminate the activity and take rest. Therefore, to improve the performance, it is required to change the shoes by the person depending upon the flexibility, material and density of the midsole for the comfort for longer duration.

In patent number US4267649A, an article of footwear of an interchangeable nature permitting alteration by the wearer of the shoe appearance and configuration is disclosed. There is provided an outsole of unitary construction having toe, central, and heel portions, there being a heel unit carried upon the heel portion of wedge-defining character. A top sole sits upon the heel, having a forward portion attached to the central portion of the outsole. The latter, heel unit and top sole, are secured by a selectively removable cooperative fabric securement and/or T-arrangement. The insole overlies the toe of the outsole, being detachably secured thereto, and preferably interengages portions of the top sole to provide a hinge-defining construction in the central portion of the shoe. A sock liner overlies the insole and top sole, being selectively and easily removed for access to the other elements of the shoe for interchange ability purposes. Various uppers providing front and rear quarters are detachably secured to the shoe at toe and heel portions thereof. A heel unit is covered with a detachable cover which is reversible for providing different exterior colours. The above prior art limits to appearance of the footwear, however, there is need to focus on the comfort of the wearer for a specific purpose.

Similarly, in patent number US 6,205,68lBl discloses a midsole assembly for an athletic shoe includes a midsole formed of soft elastic material and a corrugated sheet disposed in a heel portion of the midsole. A plurality of through holes is formed in the midsole at locations where the midsole contact the corrugated sheet. In this case, transverse deformation of the heel portion of the midsole can be prevented by the wave configuration of the corrugated sheet and running stability of the shoe can be ensured. Also, the cushioning properties of the shoe can be improved at the portions provided with the holes because vertical deformation thereby becomes easier. The above citation discloses some technical improvement pertaining to increased life of footwear; however, there is still a need to focus towards the comfort of the wearer while the user changes activities.

CN102326920A discloses a shoe soles with and without removable/replaceable gripping pods for athletic or sport shoes are provided with enhanced traction. The sole portions or gripping pods may be provided with a supply of a substance that exhibits tackiness for enhancing friction between the shoe sole and the any hard floor. The tackiness- enhancing substance may be time-released or discharged from within the shoe sole onto the lower surface(s) of the sole that make(s) contact with the smooth hard playing surface or may be in response to compression or shear forces acting on the sole during play to prolong the tacky properties and reduce slippage. A visual indicator may be provided for notifying the player that it is time to replace the worn or used pod and insert a fresh pod or insert into the pod(s) to maintain high levels of gripping. The main drawback of this invention is that the shoe sole is designed only by sports person or athletics.

All the prior arts cited above have fixed regions of cavities and/or pockets for adjustable pellets. In view of foregoing shortcomings, it is desirable to have a customized midsole that can used in different activities by its adjustment in a particular way so that a person can perform running and walking without having to change a whole new pair of shoes. This customization can also be in the form of changing cushioning capacity of the shoe. Also in the event of wearing off of cushioning property of the midsole and/or any distortion with time and longer use of shoe, one can easily interchange and customize the midsole in order to achieve adequate shock absorber quality and to cut the potential cost involved in buying a new pair of shoes. Having said all the above, it is desirable to have a shoe that has modular, adjustable, and replaceable midsole of the shoe as per the purpose.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the invention is to provide a multi-utility footwear with an adjustable sole having cavities and/or pockets of varied shape and sizes to improve the utility of shoe.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a footwear with sole having cavities for pellets of varied size and shape to be inserted into different regions of cavities and/or pockets of the sole according to the user need.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a footwear with an adjustable sole that enhance and serve for multiple utilities as per the need of user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a multi-utility footwear with an adjustable sole having cavities and/or pockets for pellets of different sizes and shapes to reduce foot loading and increasing comfort as per the user need.

In a main embodiment, the present invention provides a footwear comprising of an upper flexible body, a flexible sole with plurality of cavities and/or pockets and a plurality of pellets inside the cavities. The upper flexible body and the flexible sole are attached together by means of such as, but not limited to heat press, pasting, etc. and the clearance between the cavities and/or pockets of flexible sole and pellets are such that, when the pellets pushed into them they get locked itself. The upper flexible body is made up of material such as, but not limited to nylon, cotton, etc. having means of tightening with it like laces, push buttons, etc. The flexible sole is made up of material such as, but not limited to rubber, poly-urethane, etc. having plurality of cavities and/or pocket of varied size and shape such as, but not limited to hexagonal, cylindrical, elliptical, cubical, etc. The plurality of pellets are made up of load bearing material such as, but not limited to rubber, silicone, etc that bears more than 200 kg. The plurality of pellets are available in varied size and shape such as, but not limited to hexagonal, cylindrical, elliptical, cubical and shapes alike. The adjustable sole having cavities is inserted with inter-changeable pellets to serve the multiple utilities. The shoe is used with or without pellets and while using with pellets, the user inserts as many pellets as per the condition required. The shoe with adjustable sole includes, but not limited to formal wear, sport wear, that enhances and serves for multiple utilities as per the need of user.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides the footwear with adjustable sole to be used for different users including the person with disability as the adjustable sole allows them to get the comfort of cushioning as per their need at different places of feet. The cushioning effect is achieved by adjusting the number of pellets inside the cavities. The cavities having an inner cavity which interlocks to become one single cavity and the plurality of pellets are inserted into it as per the comfort and needs of the user.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides the footwear with adjustable sole to be used in various different sports in order to achieve the balance of feet. In still another embodiment, the present invention provides the footwear with adjustable sole that helps growing children with proper balance and development.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The object of the invention may be understood in more details and more particularly description of the invention briefly summarized above by reference to certain embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings, which drawings form a part of this specification. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective equivalent embodiments.

Fig. 1 shows the front view of footwear with an adjustable sole with in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the top view of footwear with an adjustable sole with in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows the exploded perspective view of footwear with an adjustable sole with in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The present invention relates to a multi-utility footwear with an adjustable sole having cavities and/or pockets for pellets of different sizes and shapes to reduce foot loading and increasing comfort as per the user need. In a main embodiment, the present invention provides the footwear comprising of an upper flexible body, a flexible sole with plurality of cavities and/or pockets and a plurality of pellets inside the cavities. The upper flexible body and the flexible sole are attached together by means of such as, but not limited to heat press, pasting, etc. and the clearance between the cavities and/or pockets of flexible sole and pellets are such that, when the pellets pushed into them they get locked itself. The upper flexible body is made up of material such as, but not limited to nylon, cotton, etc. having means of tightening it such as laces, push buttons, etc. The flexible sole is made up of material such as, but not limited to rubber, poly-urethane, etc. having plurality of cavities and/or pocket of varied size and shape such as, but not limited to hexagonal, cylindrical, elliptical, cubical, etc. The plurality of pellets are made up of load bearing material such as, but not limited to rubber, silicone, etc that bears more than 200 kg. The plurality of pellets are available in varied size and shape such as, but not limited to hexagonal, cylindrical, elliptical, cubical and shapes alike. The adjustable sole having cavities is inserted with inter-changeable pellets to serve the multiple utilities. The shoe is used with or without pellets and while using with pellets, the user inserts as many pellets as per the condition required. The shoe with adjustable sole includes, but not limited to formal wear, sport wear, that enhances and serves for multiple utilities as per the need of user.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides the footwear with adjustable sole to be used in various different sports in order to achieve the balance of feet.

In still another embodiment, the present invention provides the footwear with adjustable sole that helps growing children with proper balance and development.

Fig. 1 shows the front view of footwear with an adjustable shoe 10 comprises of an upper flexible body 12 made up of material such as, but not limited to nylon, cotton etc. having means of tightening with it such as laces, push buttons, etc. The upper flexible body 12 is attached to a flexible sole 14 made up of material such as, but not limited to rubber, poly-urethane etc. The flexible sole 14 has plurality of cavities and/or pockets for assembling plurality of pellets 16 made up of load bearing materials such as, but not limited to like rubber, silicone, etc. that bear the weight more than 200 kg. The clearance between the cavities and/or pockets of flexible sole 14 and pellets 16 are such that, when the pellets 16 pushed into them they get locked itself. Pellets 16 are interchangeable as per the task performed by the user such as hiking, running, playing golf. For task like trail running, the shoe is harder and for treadmill running, the shoe is softer and each foot is shaped differently so adjustments of pellets are made according to the foot.

Fig. 2 shows the top view of footwear with an adjustable shoe 10 comprises of an upper flexible body 12 attached to a flexible sole 14 having plurality of cavities and/or pockets for inserting plurality of pellets 16 that bear weight more than 200 kg. The pellets 16 are pushed into the cavities and get locked by itself. Pellets 16 are interchangeable as per the task performed by the user.

Fig. 3 shows the exploded perspective view of footwear with an adjustable sole 10 comprises of an upper flexible body 12 attached to a flexible sole 14 having plurality of cavities and/or pockets for assembling plurality of pellets 16.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principals of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

CLAIMS aim:

1. A multi-utility footwear comprising an upper flexible body, a flexible sole, a plurality of cavities and a plurality of pellets; wherein,

the upper flexible body and the flexible sole are attached together; the plurality of pellets are replaceable, removable and inter-changeable; the plurality of pellets are inserted inside the plurality of cavities as per the user needs; the plurality of cavities and the plurality of pellets have a clearance between them such that as the plurality of pellets are pushed inside the plurality of cavities, they get locked itself; and the plurality of pellets have load bearing capacity.

2. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper flexible body and the flexible sole are attached together by means including but not limited to heat press, pasting etc.

3. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the upper flexible is made up of material such as, but not limited to nylon, cotton, etc. having means of tightening it with laces, push buttons, etc.

4. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the flexible sole is made up of material such as, but not limited to rubber, poly-urethane, etc.

5. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the plurality of pellets are made up of load bearing material such as, but not limited to rubber, silicone, etc that bears more than 200 kg.

6. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the plurality of cavities and/or pocket are of varied size and shape such as, but not limited to hexagonal, cylindrical, elliptical, cubical, etc.

7. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the footwear includes, but not limited to formal wear, sport wear, that enhances and serves for multiple tasks such as but not limited to hiking, running, playing golf as per the need of user.

8. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the plurality of pellets interchange as per task performed by the user.