Patent Application
20240389554
The presently disclosed subject matter is generally directed to lightweight and flexible footwear for canines that provide a broad range of protection for a wide field of activities and locations and conditions.
Dogs have always had a close connection to humankind, providing both companionship and work support. Not only do dogs provide company and protection, but they also hunting support, assist the impaired, have roles in police or military activities, and even can detect medical conditions and locate cadavers. Because of these many different canine activities, and because of either high personal value or economic value attributed to them, dogs should be protected against any type of harm or danger to which they might be exposed. Because they are active in many different environments, a dog's paws must have protection available which can be used in randomly encountered locations as well as with predicted local requirements.
The paws of dogs are complex appendages that provide for mobility, shock absorption, balance, terrain sensing, traction, digging, and pushing objects. Paws may be subject to punctures, cuts, abrasions, tears, frostbite, burns, and blisters caused by uneven surfaces, chemical burns. There is a desire for dog owners or handlers to protect their dogs with footwear, without diminishing the canine's ability to function when performing activities. Dog feet are also highly sensitive, and any footwear must be tolerated by the dog without its repeatedly attempting to remove it, and must not interfere with the dog's highly skilled use of its feet. Prior art attempts to provide shoes for dogs have found little practical utility and have been primarily decorative for owners and not well tolerated by the dogs. Some shoes have difficult to put on the animals, too easily removed by the animals, fail to provide significant protection to the dog's paws in extreme and variable conditions. Many early versions were uncomfortable, and the dog was annoyed, distracted and hampered. It is therefore desirable to provide apparel for a dog's feet and paws that does not have the shortcomings of the prior art.
The present invention and technology relate to a dog foot apparel, more like socks than shoes. The apparel, generally referred to as ‘socks’ are comprised of more than 75% by weight of fabric materials (woven, knitted, non-woven and combinations thereof) that exhibit resistance to thermal transfer to a dog's feet (both heat and cold insulation), abrasion resistance, puncture resistance, and chemical resistance, yet are able to be more comfortable to a dog's feet than traditional animal footwear. These benefits are provided by a combination of material selection (especially layering or blending different fabric materials) and structural orientation and positioning of the distinct materials and constructions in the socks.
The socks typically have different areas which may have or even require different compositional and structural properties to perform all of these functions satisfactorily for the dog and the handler. Generally there will be a foot pad section (having at least one and even six or more different elements), a side wall section, which may have at least one and up to 5 or more sections, a heel section, and a leg section. Tightening elements may also be provided. The socks may include a locking element about the leg portion.
In one embodiment, the present invention may be provided as a kit which can be assembled, fitted, and repaired as needed before, during or after use.
Multifunctional protective footwear for canines may be provided with a vertical zone, a transition zone and a horizontal zone. At least the horizontal zone, adjacent the pad of a canine's foot contains a combination of at least two fabric materials, a) silicone rubber threads or yarns combined with b) meta- or para-aramids, a) and b) combined within proportions of 5-95% and 95-5% by total fabric weight of the footwear weight respectively. Up to 50% of the total footwear weight may be replaced by other fiber materials, with the combinations of a) and b) constituting the remaining total weight of the footwear as 5-45% and 45-5% by total fabric weight of the footwear weight respectively.
Multifunctional protective footwear for canines is provided with a vertical zone, a transition zone and a horizontal zone. By multifunctional is meant that the wear provides some measurable level of protection against abrasion, surface-contacted heat (at least 150° F.), surface-contacted cold (lowest at −40° F.), puncture resistance (e.g., protection against large glass shards, but not needle puncture resistance), and some light liquid chemical resistance. At least the horizontal zone, adjacent the pad of a canine's foot contains a combination of at least two fabric materials, a) silicone rubber threads or yarns combined with b) meta- or para-aramids, a) and b) combined within proportions of 5-95% and 95-5% by total fabric weight of the footwear weight respectively. Up to 50% of the total footwear weight may be replaced by other fiber materials, with the combinations of a) and b) constituting the remaining total weight of the footwear as 5-45% and 45-5% by total fabric weight of the footwear weight respectively. Puncture resistance is defined herein as preventing penetration of an edge of a 2.0 cm freshly broken glass shard through a fabric when a test fabric is pressed for 30 seconds with five pounds pressure against the glass shard.
Kevlar has a tensile strength of at least 3200 MPa (480.00 psi), and a relative density of at least 1.35 and Kevlar maintains its strength and resilience down to cryogenic temperatures (−196° C. (−320.8° F.)): in fact, it is slightly stronger at low temperatures. At higher temperatures the tensile strength is immediately reduced by about 10-20%, and after some hours the strength progressively reduces further. For example: enduring 160° C. (320° F.) for 500 hours, its strength is reduced by about 10%; and enduring 260° C. (500° F.) for 70 hours, its strength is reduced by about 50%.
A kit for constructing footwear on site may include: a plurality of soles, each comprising a top face and an opposed bottom face, a toe end, and an opposed heel end; one or more rear flaps, each with a first end and a second end, the first end attached to the heel end of the sole and extending in an upward direction; one or more recloseable cuffs positionable at the second end of the rear flap, each cuff comprising first and second ends, wherein each cuff comprises an open position with the first and second cuff ends opposed from each other and a closed position where the first and second cuff ends of the cuff are attached to form a loop; one or more tongues configured to be attached to the toe end of a sole, each comprising at least one opening and a length defined by an attachment that releasably attaches to a retention element positioned on a front face of the cuff when the cuff is in the closed position; one or more recloseable straps positionable at the second end of the rear flap external to the recloseable cuff, the strap comprising first and second ends, wherein the strap comprises an open position with the first and second strap ends opposed from each other and a closed position where the first end second strap ends are attached to form a loop to close around an exterior surface of the cuff when the cuff is in the closed position and when the tongue attachment is positioned on the front face of the cuff.
As compared to organic rubber, silicone rubber has a Si—O bond in its structure, and hence, it has better:
Silicone rubbers can withstand temperatures ranging from −50° C. to 350° C. (depending on the duration of exposure). Parts made of silicone rubber when exposed to wind, rain and UV rays for long periods result in virtually no change in physical properties. Unlike most organic rubbers, silicone rubber is not affected by ozone as well.
Silicone Rubber's special features are hence, originated from its unique molecular structure that they can carry both inorganic and organic properties. The general structure for silicone rubbers (which may also include copolymeric components and units with variations in substituents) comprises:
As typical in polymeric structure, ‘n’ is the number of intermediate bridging units. With these unique characteristics, silicone rubber is widely used in industry such as aerospace, automotive, construction, medical, E&E, food processing, etc. Overall silicone rubbers are used in various applications as elastomers, adhesives & sealants, potting, and encapsulating compounds as well as in coatings, lubricants, etc.
Commercial grade Silicone rubbers were first introduced by Dow Corning (now 100% Dow subsidiary) in 1943. Today, silicone rubbers are manufactured by several companies.
The organic groups in silicone rubbers may be methyl, vinyl, phenyl or other groups. According to ASTM D1418 standard, which covers a system of general classification or nomenclature for rubber and rubber lattices, silicone rubbers are classified as:
Liquid Silicone Rubber maintains mechanical properties over a wide range of temperatures (from −50° C. to 250° C.). This heat-cured elastomer provides excellent optical clarity, durability and design freedom. Silicone rubbers are flexible and durable from temperatures between −100 to 300° C. (−150 to 570° F.). Silicone rubber has low tensile strength, poor wear and tear properties.
A preferred silicone thread is Muriel® silicone thread from LeMur S.R.L. in Italy. Among the specific classes of these silicone polymers are Muriel® TS which is designed for its broad range of thermal stability. Muriel® MED which is hypoallergenic and has a more fashionable appearance, Muriel® MF which is more flame resistant, Muriel® RAY which has the highest resistance to chemicals and UV and IR radiation in the brand, and Muriel® GRIP which has a high level of grip against most surfaces and is hydrophobic.
Nomex® is a flame-resistant meta-aramid polymer developed in the early 1960's. Nomex® and related aramid polymers are related to nylon, but have aromatic rather than linear backbones, and hence are more rigid and more durable. Nomex is an example of a meta variant of the aramids (Kevlar® is a para-aramid). Unlike Kevlar®, Nomex® strands cannot align during filament polymerization and have less strength: its ultimate tensile strength is 340 MPa. However, it has excellent thermal, chemical, and radiation resistance for a polymer material. It can withstand temperatures of up to 370° C. The preferred minimum ultimate strength for the aramid class of fabric component is at least 300 MPa.
Both classes of aramid polymers have a useful level of chemical resistance, so that contact with a 2 micron contaminating acid, base or toxin should not allow rapid penetration of the fabric material to contact the canine's paw.
In addition, there are optional elements such a padding layer 114 with a transition or connection line 112 below the horizontal zone 108. There is an optional coating or coated layer or fused layer 116 at the lowest point on the horizontal zone 108. There is an opening 118 at the top of the vertical zone 104.
Although the three distinct zones are referenced, one of the broadest scopes of the invention includes a single fabric material formed into the three respective zones, with seaming work, manufactured form, or mechanical shaping forming whatever shaping to accommodate the bending or directional changing in elements 106a, 106b and in the rear end of the horizontal zone 108 and any rounding in the tow or claw region 110.
Another aspect of a broad concepts in the practice and enablement of the present invention includes the use of at least two uniquely combined fabric materials in at least the horizontal zone 108 and preferably in the intermediate zone 106 and as needed, in the horizontal zone 104. The two fabric materials are a) silicone rubber threads or yarns combined with b) meta- or para-aramids, a) and b) combined within proportions of 5-95% and 95-5% by total fabric weight of the footwear weight respectively. Up to 50% of the total footwear weight may be replaced by other fiber materials, with the combinations of a) and b) constituting the remaining total weight of the footwear. A thicker fabric or thicker coating 120 may be on the front od the lowest surface of the construction.
Another general description of a practice of the present invention is as a sock for use on a canine comprising a) a fabric bottom section, b) a fabric surrounding section, c) a top section, and d) a fabric leg section, wherein:
