Patent Grant
6967044
THIS INVENTION relates to a heat deflection device for footwear and in particular but not limited to an inner sole having a sac filled with a flowable slurry containing a heat deflection material for reducing heat transfer from undersole to foot of a wearer and providing a therapeutic effect.
Footwear in general has a sole made of rubber, leather or an synthetic or any other suitable material. The sole conducts or convects heat into the interior of the footwear. In warm climate or when it is warm in other regions the heat from the ground is transferred to the foot of a wearer through the sole. As footwear is usually shaped to enclose substantially all of the feet and is generally fairly well insulated against the environment the temperature inside the footwear quickly builds up to a level which is uncomfortable.
As human feet and hands have a relatively higher number of sweat glands per square centimeter than other parts of the body the inside of the footwear also quickly becomes damp due to sweating.
The temperature and dampness inside the footwear promote growth of algae and the footwear becomes unhygienic and usually also has an unpleasant odour. They also affect work efficiency. As much of the heat travels upward to the head and people tend not to concentrate well in this situation.
In recent years many sports such as tennis, hockey and soccer are played on synthetic surfaces, the surface temperatures of which can be as high as 60 to 70 degrees centigrade. The temperature inside the players' footwear is even higher. Long distance runners are also affected by high temperatures in footwear. Many players cannot perform to the level they are capable in this environment. Injuries through sore feet and blisters are also prominent.
An inner sole worn in footwear has been available for sometime as a source of comfort to the wearer. It is usually made of an absorbent foam material. But this inner sole does not reduces the temperature in the footwear and it does not take long for it to be saturated with sweat and thereafter the wearer continues to suffer the above discomfort.
More recently footwear with ventilation openings for cooling its interior has been introduced into the market. These openings however result in weakened zones and the strength of the footwear is greatly compromised.
An object of the present invention is to alleviate or to reduce to a certain degree one or more of the present invention.
In one aspect therefor the present invention resides in a heat reflection device for footwear, the device including a first layer of fluid-impervious material, a second layer of fluid-impervious material and a sac arranged between the first and second layers, the sac containing a heat reflective material therein. In use the device is positioned in relation to the sole of the footwear so the at least some heat conducted or convected through the sole is reflected away from a foot of a wearer of the footwear.
It is preferred that the heat reflective material is a mixture having a quantity of heat reflective powder or particulate and a quantity of thickening agent. The mixture may also have a quantity of fluid so that it is flowable.
The heat reflective powder or particulate may be one or a combination of two or more materials selected from titanium dioxide, zirconium and zinc oxide. Preferably the powder or particulate are between 10 to 50% of the mixture. More preferably they are of paint grade particle size.
The thickening agent may be one or a combination of two or more selected from bentonite, attapulite and celluloses. Preferably the agent is between 30 to 90% of the mixture. The thickening agent effects in distributing the powder or particulate more evenly in the sac.
The fluid may be added to a quantity so that the mixture is of a suitable flow quality. The flow quality allows the device to massage the foot when the sac is pressed. This has a therapeutic effect on the user.
The device is generally in the shape of a foot. The sac may extend from about the heel region to about the toe region but typically extends to about the ball region of the foot.
Desirably the first and second layers are flexible and made of any suitable impervious material. Polyurethane and other plastic materials are preferred for the layers of the device. More desirably the device is reversible so that either surface of the first and second layers can be used.
The layers are generally foot shaped and can be sealingly joined around the edges by adhesive, fusion, welding or any other known technique. It is preferred that radio frequency (RF) welding is employed for the joint. Desirably the sac is also formed during joining of the edges. Where the sac is to extend to about the ball region an additional joint may extend substantially laterally in the ball region.
The device may be a sole or a removable inner sole for the footwear.
Advantageously the sole or the inner sole has spaced markings for different shoe sizes so that it can be trimmed according to a marking for desired size.
In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:
Referring to
A further joint 20 across the ball region defines a sac 22.
The sole 10 has shoe size markings 24 forward of the sac 22 so that it can be trimmed to fit a particular shoe. In this embodiment the markings 24 are also formed by RF welding resulting in raised ribs 26 between adjacent markings 24. The raised ribs 26 are provided on the surface of layer 12 only in this embodiment. But if desired they can be provided on both layers 12 and 14.
The device 10 is reversible as either the surface of layer 12 or the surface of layer 14 can be arranged to contact a wearer's foot.
In manufacturing a mixture of 30–60% bentonite, 10–30% titanium dioxide and about 60% water is poured into the sac 22 through the unsealed part 18. Thereafter part 18 is RF welded so that the sac 22 is fluid tight. The titanium dioxide used for this mixture is paint grade sized powder.
A comparative laboratory test by measuring the temperatures on the surfaces of a known foamed rubber inner sole and the sole of the present invention as described in the above embodiment on a hot plate preheated to 60 degrees Centigrade reveals the following results:
The above test was carried out when the room temperature was 23° C. and it clearly shows a substantial ly reduced temperature at the surface of the device 10.
The inventor has found that by increasing the quantity of titanium dioxide in the mixture to 46% the device 10 will become 70% reflective as compared to 43% reflective for the above embodiment.
As the mixture in the sac 22 is flowable the device 10 in use has moving high and low contact points with the foot. This provides a therapeutic massaging effect.
Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PP9055 | Mar 1999 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU00/00156 | 3/6/2000 | WO | 00 | 9/5/2001 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO00/53042 | 9/14/2000 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4123855 | Thedford | Nov 1978 | A |
| 4658515 | Oatman | Apr 1987 | A |
| 4813160 | Kuznetz | Mar 1989 | A |
| 5584130 | Perron | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5704137 | Dean et al. | Jan 1998 | A |
| 6161240 | Huang | Dec 2000 | A |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 0 286 601 | Dec 1988 | EP |
| 2 137 866 | Oct 1984 | GB |
| 7713631-5 | Aug 1982 | SE |
