Patent Application
20190289952
This disclosure relates generally to athletic shoes and, more particularly, to a desiccant shoe.
Shoes, and in particular, athletic shoes may retain moisture and odor during and after use. Shoe inserts or insoles have been developed to insert into an Athletic shoe to help reduce moisture and odor. The shoe inserts may include baking soda and activated charcoal to neutralize odor. However, these shoe inserts add weight to the athletic shoe and their ability to neutralize odor may diminish over time.
In one embodiment, a disclosed shoe may include a non-weight bearing portion of the shoe. The shoe may also include a packet which may include particles of microporous desiccant material enclosed in the non-weight bearing portion of the shoe. The microporous desiccant material may absorb moisture, water, and odor within the shoe.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, the microporous desiccant material may include at least one of a naturally occurring Zeolite, an industrially produced Zeolite, silica, an activated charcoal, a calcium sulfate, and a calcium chloride.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, the microporous desiccant material may expel the moisture and water and dissipate the odor when air circulates within the shoe.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, the packet may also include an odor reduction material that may reduce a smell of the odor within the shoe.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, a particle size of the particles of the microporous desiccant material may allow the particles to maintain porosity.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, the packet may be inserted in an opening in a pocket of the non-weight bearing portion of the shoe and the opening may be closed using one of a Velcro fastener, a button fastener, a zipper, an adhesive, and sewing thread.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, the packet may further include a packet material including one or more of cotton, silk, and a hybrid paper that may allow water and moisture vapor to be transmitted through the packet material.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, a shape, dimensions, and a size of the packet may conform to a shape, dimensions, and a size of a pocket of the non-weight bearing portion of the shoe.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, the non-weight bearing portion of the shoe may include a tongue portion of the shoe, a toe portion of the shoe, a sidewall portion of the shoe, a heel portion of the shoe, and an ankle portion of the shoe.
In a number of the disclosed embodiments of the shoe, the shoe may further include padding between the packet and a foot of a wearer of the shoe.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following description, details are set forth by way of example to facilitate discussion of the disclosed subject matter. It should be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the field, however, that the disclosed embodiments and all the details and descriptions associated therewith are exemplary and not exhaustive of all possible embodiments and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention which scope is solely defined by the appended claims.
As used herein, a hyphenated form of a reference numeral refers to a specific instance of an element and the un-hyphenated form of the reference numeral refers to the collective or generic element. Thus, for example, widget “72-1” refers to an instance of a widget class, which may be referred to collectively as widgets “72” and any one of which may be referred to generically as a widget “72”.
Particular embodiments are best understood by reference to
Turning now to the drawings,
Packet 114 may include a packet material including one or more of cotton, silk, polyester, a hybrid paper, or another type of packet material. The packet material may allow water, moisture vapor, and odor to be transmitted through the packet material of packet 114. Packet 114 may also include particles of microporous desiccant material. The particles of microporous desiccant material may include one or more of a naturally occurring Zeolite, an industrially produced Zeolite, silica, an activated charcoal, a calcium sulfate, a calcium chloride, or another type of desiccant material. Particles of microporous desiccant material are porous and may have multiple pores within the particles. The pores within the particles may absorb water, moisture, and odor exposed to the particles. The particles may also expel water, moisture, and odor from the pores or let the water and moisture in the pores dry when the particles are exposed to air circulation. The particles may also absorb and expel ammonia nitrogen from the human body. This cycle of absorption and expulsion of water, moisture, and odor may be repeated again and again, and may allow packet 114 to outlast the useful life of shoe 100. Packet 114 may further include an odor reduction material including a deodorizer, an odor neutralizer, a perfume, a fragrance oil, aroma chemicals, aromatic resins, another type of odor reduction material, or combination thereof. The odor reduction material may have a pleasant aroma and may reduce odor within shoe 100. When packet 114 is enclosed within shoe 100, the particles of microporous desiccant material may absorb moisture, water, and odor when a foot of a wearer is within shoe 100. The particles of microporous desiccant material included in packet 114 may also expel moisture and water and dissipate odor when air circulates within shoe 100. The particles of microporous desiccant material may have a particle size, which may allow the particles to maintain their porosity. For example, the particles of microporous desiccant material may be between 3 mm and 5 mm in size.
Packet 114 may be inserted in an opening of a pocket of a non-weight bearing portion of shoe 100. Packet 114 may be enclosed within a pocket of shoe 100 when the opening of the pocket is sealed using a fastener. The fastener may be a Velcro fastener, a button fastener, a zipper, an adhesive, sewing thread, or another type of fastener. For example, packet 114 may be inserted in an opening 116 of a pocket of the tongue portion 122 of shoe 100 and enclosed within shoe 100 by sewing opening 116 of the pocket shut using sewing thread. Sewing thread may be a cotton thread, a silk thread, or another type of thread. In one or more embodiments, packet 114 may be removed and replaced when opening 116 of the pocket uses a reusable fastener, e.g. a Velcro fastener. A shape, dimensions, and size of packet 114 may allow packet 114 to conform to a shape, dimensions, and size of a pocket of shoe 100. Packet 114 including the packet material, the particles of microporous desiccant material, the odor reduction material, and the fastener may be hypoallergenic, biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Packet 114 may also reduce or kill bacteria and inhibit pathogen growth.
The non-weight bearing portion of shoe 100 may include padding. A portion of the padding may be between packet 114 enclosed within the pocket of shoe 100 and a foot of a wearer of the shoe. A portion of the padding may also include packet 114. The thickness of the padding between the foot and packet 114 should be minimized to increase the ability of packet 114 to absorb moisture, water, and odor from the foot while still allowing the shoe to be comfortable. The padding may also have a space or a slot within it that may allow packet 114 to be enclosed within a pocket of shoe 100 without increasing the overall thickness of the padding. Enclosing packet 114 within a pocket of a non-weight bearing portion of shoe 100 may reduce or eliminate discomfort of a wearer of shoe 100 that might otherwise occur if packet 114 were enclosed in a weight bearing portion of shoe 100, e.g. the sole of shoe 100. Enclosing packet 114 within a pocket of a non-weight bearing portion of shoe 100 may also prevent damage to the particles of microporous desiccant material included in packet 114 due to impact of a foot on a weight bearing portion of shoe 100 while a wearer of shoe 100 is running, walking, or performing another type of activity.
In one or more embodiments, multiple packets 114 may be enclosed within multiple pockets of non-weight bearing portions of shoe 100 that may increase the amount of moisture and water, and odor that may be absorbed and subsequently expelled from shoe 100, and increase the amount of odor dissipated from shoe 100. The multiple packets 114 may also further reduce the odor within shoe 100.
As disclosed herein, a shoe may include a non-weight bearing portion of the shoe. The shoe may also include a packet which may include particles of microporous desiccant material enclosed in the non-weight bearing portion of the shoe. The microporous desiccant material may absorb moisture, water, and odor within the shoe.
The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.
