Patent Application
20230189921
The present invention generally relates to grounded shoes. More particularly, the present invention relates to grounded foot-worn sandals, wherein a wearer's foot is conductively coupled and grounded to the earth.
The earth is widely regarded as a powerful energy source that has an abundance of electrons and thus has a negative charge. When we make direct contact with the earth, we absorb electrons into our bodies which helps return us to a more normalized healthy body state. When the body is in conductive contact with the earth, they become a single conductor with one equipotential surface.
Continuous contact with the surface of the earth is desirable to maximize the effects of grounding the body to the earth. In a relatively short period of time of continuous contact with the earth's surface, positive physiological benefits have been found to be achieved. Evidence-based claims by scientists and medical professionals show that grounding, direct physical contact with the naturally occurring free-flowing electrons from the surface of the earth promotes multiple physiological changes of important clinical significance to the wearer's wellbeing.
Studies have shown an immediate decrease in skin conductance, a measure of an autonomic nervous system (ANS) function, indicating an immediate relaxation of the body at grounding. This can happen in as little as one second. This relaxation of the ANS disappears almost instantaneously when the person is not grounded. It has also been observed that after only twenty to thirty minutes of continuous grounding, there were observable changes in physiology function that promote healing as could be observed within a study using thermal imaging. Additional studies show normalization in muscle tension, calming of brain waves, improvement in vagal tone and a reduction of inflammation. These studies suggest the importance of continuous grounding of the body for optimal results. Changes in the body's native electric potential can directly affect the body and health of the individual.
Such grounding can occur when an individual walks barefoot on grass, sand, soil, rocks, unsealed tile, bricks or stone or even concrete sidewalks. However, when insulated from the earth, the body equalizes with the earth's atmospheric potential, which increases by approximately one hundred volts per meter relative to the earth's surface and reaches about four hundred thousand volts at fifty kilometers up in the atmosphere where there is a highly conductive layer of air. Loss of the earth's charge creates an atmospheric (positive) charge in the body that is measurable via changes in skin electric potential, heart rate variability, and the surface charge on red blood cells. Another electrical change that commonly occurs when the human body loses its earth potential is that it becomes electrified with static charges. A well-known example is that many factory employees must be earth-grounded when handling electronic chips and components. Other employees in the chemical, gasoline and explosive industries are also grounded to prevent static sparks that can otherwise promote electrical damage, fire or explosions.
Footwear today is commonly manufactured with non-conductive rubber or other synthetic materials that prevent the flow of electrons between the wearer and the earth and prevent their bodies from maintaining the earth's electric potential. By creating a non-penetrable barrier between people and the earth, synthetic footwear has exasperated the internal electrical imbalance that has been found to compromise our health.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for footwear which can be worn by a user and create a conductive path between the user's foot and the earth so as to achieve the benefits of being grounded with the earth. There is also a continuing need for inexpensive footwear which is worn by the user in bare feet, such as sandals, including flip-flops, which are commonly worn outdoors and which have the grounding benefits mentioned above. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
The present invention resides in a grounding foot-worn sandal or soft-sole shoe, such as a flip-flop. The sandal of the present invention generally comprises a sole having an upper foot-supporting surface and a lower ground-engaging surface. The sole may be substantially planar. The sole is preferably comprised of a flexible material.
A strap extends upwardly over the upper surface of the sole for receiving a portion of a foot therein. The strap may be Y-shaped and configured to extend over opposite sides of the foot and between a big toe and an adjacent toe of the foot.
An elongated conductive strip extends from the upper surface of the sole to the lower surface of the sole, wherein the elongated conductive strip simultaneously contacts the ground and the user's foot and provides a conductive path therebetween. The conductive strip may be comprised of an elastomeric material having a conductor embedded therein sufficient to maintain 10/4th conductivity. The conductive strip may be comprised of a rubber material having carbon embedded therein.
The conductive strip may extend substantially a length of the upper and lower surfaces of the sole. For example, the conductive strip may extend from a metatarsal pad to a heel of a foot of the user on the upper surface of the sole and to the lower surface of the sole. The conductive strip may be disposed within a groove formed in the upper surface of the sole and the lower surface of the sole.
The conductive strip may extend from the upper surface of the sole through a slot formed in the sole and to the lower surface of the sole. The slot may be formed in a heel area of the sole.
The conductive strip may extend from the upper surface of the sole over an edge of the sole and to the lower surface of the sole. For example, the conductive strip may extend from under the strap along the upper surface and over a back edge of the sandal to a lower surface of the sole.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:
As shown in the accompanying drawings, for purposes of illustration, the present invention is directed to grounding soft-soled footwear and particularly to a grounding foot-worn sandal, generally referred to by the reference number 100. The sandal 100 of the present invention, as more fully described below, grounds a foot of a wearer of the sandal with the underlying ground, resulting in conductive contact with the earth. An aim of the present invention is to effectively reduce and prevent static charges on the body and restore the natural electric potential of the earth to the body.
With reference now to
The sole 102 may be substantially planar, as illustrated, and as is common with flip-flop style sandals. Substantially planar as used herein encompasses the sole 102 being completely planar and also taking into account curvatures and configurations for supporting a user's foot and providing traction.
The sole 102 has an upper foot supporting surface 104 and a generally opposite lower ground engaging surface 106. As is well known, a user places his or her foot onto the upper surface 104 when wearing the sandal 100 and the lower surface 106 engages the ground, such as when the user is standing or walking.
A strap 108 extends upwardly over the upper surface 104 of the sole 102 for receiving a portion of a user's foot therein, permitting the user to wear and walk in the sandal 100. As such, the strap 108 extends over at least a portion of the user's foot. In the illustrated preferred embodiment of a flip-flop sandal 100, the strap 108 comprises a Y-shaped strap having first and second side member 110 and 112 which extend along a length of the sole 102 so as to extend over opposite sides of a user's foot, and converging to a peg or post 114 which the user disposes between his or her big toe and an adjacent toe of the foot.
It will be appreciated, however, that the strap 108 can have different configurations so long as it serves to retain the sandal 100 to the user's foot when in use. For example, the sandal 100 could comprise what is known as a slider sandal, commonly referred to as a “slide” which is a sandal with a flat, soft flexible sole and a single thick strap extending substantially across a front portion of the sandal through which a user inserts a portion of his or her foot to retain the slide on the foot. There are also other strap or sandal configurations, wherein typically they are open-toed and leave the back end of the sandal exposed. In the case of a Y-shaped strap, as illustrated herein and commonly used in connection with flip-flop style sandals, the strap 108 fastens between the big and second toe and branches out, securing to the sole 102 on both sides of the foot, usually as far back as the arch of the user's foot.
With continuing reference to
In a particularly preferred embodiment, as illustrated, the conductive member 116 comprises an elongated conductive strip which extends from the upper surface 104 of the sole, which the user's foot contacts, to the lower surface 106 of the sole, which contacts the ground, so as to create a conductive path therebetween.
As illustrated in
The conductive strip 116 extends a length of the sole 102 along the bottom surface 106 thereof sufficient so as to contact the ground when the user is wearing the sandal 100. Preferably, as mentioned above, the conductive strip 116 extends substantially the length of the bottom surface 106 of the sole 102, such as to an area below the metatarsal portion or area 118 of the sole 102. Preferably, the conductive strip 116 extends from the metatarsal area 118 of the upper surface 104 of the sole 102 over the edge and to a corresponding area below the metatarsal portion 118 of the lower surface 106. When walking in a flip-flop or other open heel sandal the metatarsal or foot pad area 118 remains in contact with the user's foot and the ground when walking, whereas the user's heel of his or her foot and possibly even the heel portion 120 of the sandal 100 may be lifted off the ground and/or not remain in contact with the user's heel portion of his or her foot.
With reference now to
The conductive strip 116 may be integrally formed with the sole 102, laminated or adhered on the upper and lower surfaces 104 and 106, or otherwise attached by any acceptable means which will allow the conductive strip 116 to extend between the upper and lower surfaces 104 and 106 of the sole 102 to create the conductive pathway between the ground and the user's foot, as described above. With reference to
The elongated strip 116 is then inserted into the open-faced groove so as to extend from the upper surface 104, across the edge of the sole 102 and to the lower surface, as illustrated and described above, and then affixed into place.
It will be appreciated that the conductive strip 116 either extends slightly above the surface of the open-faced groove 124, is substantially flush with the upper or lower surface 104 and 106 of the sole forming the open-faced groove 124 or is only slightly below these surfaces so as to be in contact with at least a portion of the user's foot 2 and the underlying ground surface when the sandal 100 is worn and being used. In this manner, a conductive pathway is created between the ground surface and the user's foot.
It will be understood that the conductive strip 116 may be of varying thicknesses and/or width. Typically, the conductive strip is between one-half and one inch in width, such as approximately three quarters of an inch in width, although this may vary as deemed desirable or necessary. The conductive strip 116, however, should present sufficient contact area so as to create the desired conductive pathway between the ground and the user's foot.
As mentioned above, the conductive strip 116 is comprised of a material which has a sufficient softness and stretchable thickness so as to maintain the user's foot with continuous conductive contact with the earth when walking or sitting and wearing the sandal 100 and remaining comfortable to the user.
With reference now to
More particularly, the sandal or flip-flop 100 illustrated in
In this case, however, instead of the elongated conductive strip 116 extending over an edge, such as the back edge 122 of the sole 102, a slot 126 is formed through the sole 102 through which the conductive strip 116 extends. While the conductive strip 116 could comprise a plurality of interconnected or attached strips, in a particularly preferred embodiment, as illustrated in
Thus, when an individual is wearing the sandal 100, as illustrated in
As mentioned above, the conductive strip 116 may be integrally formed with the sole 102, laminated or adhered on the upper and lower surfaces 104 and 106, or otherwise attached by any acceptable means, but preferably is inserted in an open-faced groove or channel 124 and secured to the sole 102 by adhesive, heat bonding or the like.
It will be understood that the conductive strip 116 has the same properties and characteristics and may be comprised of the same materials, as described above, so as to create a conductive pathway between the user's foot 2 and the ground surface. The elastomeric material comprising the conductive strip 116 has a conductor, such as carbon, embedded therein sufficient to maintain a 10/4th conductivity. Preferably, the conductive member 116, as described above, is comprised of a flexible material capable of bending and flexing with the soft, flexible sole 102 of the sandal 100.
The conductive strip 116 typically extends from the heel area 120, such as the slot 126 being formed approximately an inch from the back edge 122 of the sole 102 to the metatarsal foot pad area 118. However, the conductive strip 116 may extend a longer length of the sole 102 of the sandal 100 or even a shorter length. It is particularly important that the conductive strip 116 be in contact with the metatarsal or foot pad of the user's foot when wearing and using the sandal 100, although it is preferable that the user's heel will also contact the conductive strip 116 when in use. While the width of the conductive strip 116 can vary, it should be of a sufficiently large width so as to create conductive contact between the user's foot and the ground. While the strap 108 illustrated in
Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.
