Insole and Shoe

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of Invention

The present disclosure relates to insoles and shoes, and particularly, to an insole and a shoe having the functions of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage and being anti-slip, light, and comfortable.

Related Art

People cannot live without shoes. Nowadays, shoes are produced in mass quantities, and inner soles of the shoes are almost designed to be flat without shock absorbing designs. Some shoes may have shock absorbing designs, however, the shock absorbing effect of these shoes are incomplete and thus cannot meet the requirements for foot comforts while wearers are walking. Thus, an insole with good shock absorbing designs can enhance the shock absorbing function of the shoe, allowing the wearer to feel comfortable while walking.

Referring to FIG. 1, a traditional insole 10 includes a base 101. The base 101 includes a front surface corresponding to the foot sole of the person in wearing a shoe with the insole 10 and a rear surface opposite to the front surface. The front surface and the rear surface are both flat and are substantially shaped in conformity with the foot sole of the wearer. The insole is generally made to be a plate structure of textile, leather, and EVA foamed material. This type of insole is of single structure and single function for not having a good breathability and a shock absorbing design; when being used in the shoe, the insole simply increases a height of the inner sole of the shoe.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, another traditional insole 20 includes a front surface corresponding to the foot sole of the wearer and a rear surface opposite to the front surface. The front surface and the rear surface are both flat and are substantially shaped in conformity with the bottom of the shoe. A number of protrusions 203 are configured on the front surface of the base 201, corresponding to the foot sole of the wearer. The protrusions 203 are hemispherical and are evenly arranged on the base 201. The base 201 and the protrusions 203 are made of textile, silicone rubber, and TPU. When the protrusion 203 is pressed, the pressed point and surface of the protrusion are compressed, thereby enabling a resilient shock absorption and massage having an up and down elasticity. However, since the protrusions 203 are hemispherical and the parameters of the protrusions such as the density of the protrusions 203 are given without detailed considerations, the type of insole 20 cannot be curved and deformed. Thus, the shock absorption effect of the protrusions 203 is single and the protrusions cannot realize the effect of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage. Especially when the wearer is climbing mountains, due to lack of scientific arrangement of the protrusions, the insole cannot help ease the foot pain to increase the foot comfort.

The bases 101, 201 of the insole 10, 20 are not anti-slip and anti-rollup, thus, when the wearer is walking, the insole may easily slip off the shoe and may easily get rolled up inside the shoe.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a traditional shoe 30 includes a shoe sole 301. The shoe sole 301 includes a front surface 3011 corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer and a rear surface 3015 opposite to the front surface 3011. Both the front surface 3011 and the rear surface 3015 are flat. A number of protrusions 303 are configured on the front surface 3011, corresponding to the foot sole of the wearer. The protrusions 303 are hemispherical and are evenly arranged on the shoe sole 301. The protrusions 303 are made of textile, silicon rubber, and TPU. When the protrusion 303 is pressed, the pressed point and surface of the protrusion are compressed, thereby enabling a resilient shock absorption and massage having an up and down elasticity. However, since the protrusions 303 are hemispherical and the parameters of the protrusions such as the density of the protrusions are given without detailed considerations, the shoe 30 cannot be curved and deformed. Thus, the shock absorption effect of the protrusions 303 is single and the protrusions 303 cannot realize the effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage. Especially when the wearer is climbing mountains, the insole having the protrusions without scientific arrangement cannot help ease the foot pain to increase the foot comfort.

Due to the above reasons, it is necessary to provide a functional insole and shoe which enables rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage and is anti-slip, anti-rollup, breathable, and comfortable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above problem that the insole of the prior art does not have good effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage, the present disclosure provides an insole having good effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage.

Accordingly, one object of the present disclosure is to provide an insole, including a base having a front surface for corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer of a shoe with the insole and a rear surface for corresponding to an inner sole of the shoe. The insole further includes a number of protrusions evenly arranged on the front surface of the insole. The protrusions have the same heights, each protrusion includes a column fixed on the base and a height of the column protruding out from the base ranges from 1 to 7 mm, and a coverage rate of the protrusions on the base ranges from 30% to 70%.

In an embodiment, the protrusion further includes a cover integrally formed with the column. The cover is arranged on one end of the column away from the base. The column is a solid cylindrical column or a solid prismatic column, and the height of the column is greater than a thickness of the cover.

In an embodiment, a distance between every two adjacent protrusions ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm, and a diameter of the column ranges from 1 to 7 mm

In an embodiment, an elongation of the protrusion ranges from 200% to 800%, and the protrusion is made of silicone rubber having a Shore A hardness ranging from 10 to 50.

In an embodiment, the protrusion is interchangeable between an original state in which the protrusion is perpendicular to the front surface of the base and a deformed state in which the protrusion is pressed and a contacting state in which the cover or a portion of the column contacts with the front surface of the base.

In an embodiment, the coverage rate of the protrusions on the base ranges from 45% to 55%, and a distance between every two adjacent protrusions is 1 mm

In an embodiment, the protrusion is perpendicular to the front surface of the base in an original state; after being pressed by an external force, the protrusion rotates for 360 degrees over a vertical axis of the protrusion which is perpendicular to the front surface of the base when the protrusion is in the original state; and after the external force is removed, the protrusion rebounds to the original state.

In an embodiment, the insole further includes a hard middle layer arranged between the front surface and the rear surface of the base, and the hard middle layer can be folded up around a scroll after being pressed.

In an embodiment, the insole further includes a thermal insulation layer adhered onto the protrusions.

In an embodiment, a shape of the insole is the same as that of a plane obtained by vertically projecting the whole foot sole of a wears on the base, and an area of the insole is equal to that of the plane; or, a shape of the insole is the same as that of a plane obtained by vertically projecting a part of the foot sole of the wearer on the base, and an area of the insole is equal to that of the plane.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a shoe which includes a shoe sole and a vamp connected with the shoe sole to form an accommodating space with an opening. The opening is used as a step-in opening of the shoe. The shoe sole includes a front surface for corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer of the shoe and a rear surface for corresponding to the ground when the wear is walking. The shoe further includes a plurality of protrusions evenly arranged on the front surface and of the same heights. Each protrusion has a column fixed on the shoe sole, and a height of the column protruding out from the front surface ranges from 1 to 7 mm; and a coverage rate of the protrusions ranges from 30% to 70%. In an embodiment, the protrusion further includes a cover integrally formed with the column. The cover is arranged on one end of the column away from the front surface. The column is a solid cylindrical column or a solid prismatic column, and the height of the column is greater than a thickness of the cover.

In an embodiment, a distance between every two adjacent protrusions ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm, and a diameter of the column ranges from 1 to 7 mm

In an embodiment, the protrusions are of the same shape and the same size, and the cover is hemispherical.

In an embodiment, wherein an elongation of the protrusion ranges from 200% to 400%; and the protrusion is made of silicone rubber having a Shore A hardness ranging from 10 to 50.

In an embodiment, the protrusion is interchangeable between an original state in which the protrusion is perpendicular to the front surface and a deformed state and a contacting state in which the cover or a portion of the column contacts with the front surface.

In an embodiment, a coverage rate of the protrusions on the shoe sole ranges from 45% to 55%, and a distance between every two adjacent protrusions is 1 mm

In an embodiment, the protrusion is perpendicular to the front surface in an original state; after the protrusion is pressed by an external force, each protrusion is capable of rotating for 360 degrees over a vertical axis of the protrusion which is perpendicular to the front surface when the protrusion in the original state; and after the external force is removed, the protrusion rebounds to the original state.

In an embodiment, the shoe further includes a thermal insulation layer adhered onto the protrusions.

In an embodiment, the protrusions are arranged in a region on the front surface; a shape of the region is the same as that of a plane obtained by vertically projecting the whole foot sole of the wearer on the shoe sole, and an area of the region is equal to that of the plane; or, a shape of the region is the same as that of a plane obtained by vertically projecting a part of the foot sole of the wearer on the base, and an area of the region is equal to that of the plane.

Compared with the insole of the prior art, the insole provided in the present disclosure includes a number of protrusions evenly arranged on a base of the insole for supporting the foot sole of the wearer; the protrusions are made of flexible, elastic, and porous silicone rubber, thus, the insole is capable of providing a good ventilation inside the shoe to avoid generation of smell.

With scientific designs of a shape, a size and a density of the protrusions, the insole is capable of having the effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage.

A rear surface of the base of the insole is made of anti-slip material, thus, the insole tightly contacts an inner sole of the shoe to avoid movement of the insole; meanwhile, due to a hard middle layer arranged in the base, the insole can be prevented from slipping off the shoe and being rolled up inside the shoe, thereby improving the applicability of the shoe.

With a thermal insulation layer arranged on the protrusions, the comfort and thermal insulation effect of the shoe are improved.

By using the insole provided by the disclosure, the foot pain of the wearer caused by long walk and mountain climbing can be effectively solved, and leg muscle discomfort caused by the foot pain can be effectively alleviated. Since the shoe is soft and has the effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage, the shoe is more suitable for people enjoying outdoor sports.

The shoe provided in the present disclosure includes a number of protrusions evenly arranged on an inner sole of the shoe for supporting the foot sole of the wearer; the protrusions are made of flexible, elastic, and porous silicone rubber, thus, the shoe has a good ventilation to avoid generation of smell.

With scientific designs of the shape, size and density of the protrusions, the shoe is capable of having the effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage.

With the arrangement of the thermal insulation layer on the protrusion, the shoe has better comfortable and thermal insulation effect.

By wearing the shoe provided by the disclosure, the foot pain of the wearer caused by long walk and mountain climbing can be effectively solved, and leg muscle discomfort caused by foot pain can be effectively alleviated. Since the shoe is soft and has the effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage, the shoe is more suitable for people enjoying outdoor sports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompany drawings and the embodiments, wherein in the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first insole of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a planar view of a second insole of the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the second insole of the prior art, along a vertical direction;

FIG. 4 is a planar view of a shoe of the prior art;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe of the prior art, along a vertical direction;

FIG. 6 is a planar view of an insole in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the insole of the first embodiment along a vertical direction;

FIG. 8 is schematic view showing a deformed state of a protrusion of the insole of the first embodiment after the protrusion is being pressed;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a rotatory shock absorption and a rotatory massage effect of the protrusion of the insole of the first embodiment formed after the protrusion is pressed;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the insole is rolled up;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the insole is folded to be a multiple-layer one;

FIG. 12 is a planar view of an insole in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a planar view of an insole in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the insole of the third embodiment along a vertical direction;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an insole in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, along a vertical direction;

FIG. 16 is a planar view of an insole in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the insole of the fifth embodiment along a vertical direction;

FIG. 18 is a planar view of an insole in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a planar view of an insole in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional of an insole in accordance with an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure, along a vertical direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to illustrate the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly, detailed description is made to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to illustrate rather than limit the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an insole 40 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The insole 40 includes a base 401. The base 401 includes a front surface 4011 corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer, a rear surface 4015 corresponding to an inner sole of a shoe having the insole 40, and a middle layer arranged 4013 between the front surface 4011 and the rear surface 4015. The front surface 4011 and the rear surface 4015 are both flat and are shaped to be in conformity with the inner sole of the shoe. A number of protrusions 403 are evenly arranged on the front surface 4011. The protrusions are substantially identical to each other and the protrusions are equidistant from each other, thus, the number of protrusions 403 per unit of area on the front surface is the same.

The insole 40 herein is refers to the insole used inside the shoe and padded underfoot. The insole can be one or a combination of several of the following types of insoles: a full-feet insole (a shape and a size of the insole corresponding to the whole foot sole), a forefoot insole (the shape and the size of the insole corresponding to the forefoot of a wearer), or, a rearfoot insole (the shape and the size of the insole corresponding to the rearfoot of a wearer), which is not limited herein.

The protrusion 403 includes a solid cylindrical column 4031 and a hemispherical cover 4033 arranged on the column 4031. A height of the column 4031 is greater than a thickness of the cover 4033. The column 4031 and the cover 4033 are integrated to form the protrusion 403. The column 4031 is fixed to the front surface 4011 of the base 401, and the cover 4033 contacts the foot sole of a wearer of the shoe with the insole 40. Since the cover 4033 is hemispherical, the contact area between the insole 40 and the foot sole of the wearer is increased, thus, a pressure applied to the foot sole of the wearer is decreased and a lateral friction is correspondingly increased. In this way, the wearer may feel comfortable when the foot sole contacts the insole 40. In some other embodiments, the protrusion 403 may only include the column 4033 with the omission of the cover 4033.

When a force is applied to the protrusion 403, the protrusion 403 can be slanted frontwards and backwards, leftwards and rightwards, and rebound to its original state.

The rear surface 4015 forms an anti-slip layer to prevent the insole from slipping off the shoe. The middle layer 4013 is made of hard material to the rollup of the base 401.

A diameter of the protrusion 403 ranges from 1 to 7 mm In an embodiment, the diameter of the protrusion 403 is 3 mm A height of the protrusion 403 and a height of the column 4031 protruding out from the base 401 range from 1 to 7 mm, respectively. The protrusions 403 are evenly arranged on the base 401, and the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm In an embodiment, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 is 1 mm The distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 means the shortest distance between outer walls of every two adjacent protrusions, that is, the distance marked as H as shown in FIG. 7. A coverage rate of the protrusions 403, that is, an area ratio of all the protrusions 403 in the whole surface area of the insole, reaches 30% to 70%. In an embodiment, the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 is 51%.

The protrusions 403 on the base 401 are made of silicone rubber having a Shore A hardness ranging from 10 to 50 and an elongation ranging from 200% to 800%. In an embodiment, the Shore A hardness of the silicone rubber is 30. The protrusions 403 on the base 401 may also be made of flexible resilient material such as polyvinyl chloride polymer (PVC), thermoplastic inks, ethylene-vinyl acetate copo (EVA), high resilience sponge, thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), and Polyurethane (PU). The base 401 is made of textile or chemical fibers. The base 401 may also be made of the same material as the protrusions 403.

Referring to FIG. 8, since the column 4031 of the protrusion 403 has a certain height, the protrusion 403 may be deformed after being pressed by the foot sole of the wearer. In an original state, the protrusion 403 is substantially perpendicular to the base 401 to form a 90-degree angle. After the protrusions 403 are pressed by the foot sole, since the protrusions 403 are made of silicone rubber having a certain elasticity, the protrusions 403 are deformed respectively. After the column 4031 or the cover 4033 is pressed, the column 4031 or the cover 4033 may be slanted sidewards; the slanting degree may be in a range from 0 to 90 degrees, dependent on the magnitude of the pressing force. When the pressing force is great enough, or the foot sole applies a lateral driving force to the protrusion 403, the protrusion 403 may be slanted sidewards for an ultimate 0 degree, that is, the cover 4033 in this state may directly contact the base 401.

After the pressing force is removed, due to the property of the flexible material of the protrusion 403, the protrusion 403 automatically rebounds to its original state to be perpendicular to the base 401, forming a 90-degree angle with the base 401.

The difference between the insole 40 of the present disclosure and that of the prior art lies in that: although the insole of the prior art can enable an up and down resilient shock absorption and massage effect after being pressed, the protrusion of the insole of the prior art cannot be slanted sidewards. Due to the design of the protrusion 403 of the present disclosure, the insole of the present disclosure can improve the resilient shock absorption and massage effect of the insole of the prior art to a rotatory shock absorption effect and a rotatory massage effect. Referring to FIG. 9, after the protrusions 403 are pressed, each protrusion 403 may be slanted towards a different direction at any time instant according to the direction and magnitude of the pressing force. At the next time instant, if the direction of the pressing force changes, the slanting direction of each protrusion 403 may simultaneously accordingly change; after the pressing force is removed, the protrusion 403 rebounds to its original state to form a 90-degree angle with the base 401. When the protrusion is pressed again, the corresponding protrusion can rotate for 360 degrees over a vertical axis of the protrusion which is perpendicular to the base 401 when the protrusion is in the original state. Thus, when the wearer is walking, the movement of the foot sole may applies different forces at different time instants to drive the protrusion 403 to be at different slanted states. The interchanging of the different states enables the protrusions 403 to provide the effects of rotatory massage and rotatory shock absorption.

In order to provide a space allowing for the protrusion 403 to slant or rotate when a pressing force is applied to the protrusion 403 and allowing for the protrusion 403 to rebound to its original state when the pressing force is removed, the arrangement of the protrusions of the present disclosure satisfies the following conditions: the density of the protrusions 403 ranges from 30 to 70%, the diameter of the column 4031 ranges from 1 to 7 mm, the height of the protrusion 403 ranges from 1 to 7 mm, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm, and the Shore A hardness of the protrusion 403 ranges from 10 to 50.

Following experiments are given to illustrate to the effects of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Experimental Sample

Sample 1 is the insole 10 described in the section “Related art” of the present disclosure, and the insole 10 includes a base 101.

Sample 2 is the insole 20 described in the section “Related art” of the present disclosure, and the insole 20 includes a base 201 and a number of hemispherical protrusions 203 arranged on the base 201.

Samples 3 to 11 are the insoles 40 of the present disclosure. In these samples, the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 on the base ranges from 30 to 70%, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm, the diameter of the protrusion 403 ranges from 1 to 7 mm, the height of the protrusion 403 and the height of the column range from 1 to 7 mm respectively, and a Shore A hardness of the protrusion 403 ranges from 10 to 50. The base 401 includes the front surface 4011 and the rear surface 4015 and a middle layer 4013 arranged between the front surface 4011 and the rear surface 4015.

Sample 12 is the insole 40 of the present disclosure. The coverage rate of the protrusions 403 on the base 401 ranges from 30% to 70%, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm, the diameter of the protrusion 403 ranges from 1 to 7 mm, the height of the protrusion 403 and the height of the column of each protrusion range from 1 to 5 mm respectively, and a Shore A hardness of the protrusion 403 ranges from 10 to 50. The base 401 includes the front surface 4011 and the rear surface 4015. It is noted that the base 401 of sample 12 does not include a middle layer arranged between the front surface 4011 and the rear surface 4015.

Experimental Environment

The above multiple samples are used in a pair of sport shoes respectively, an adult of standard weight normally walks on the road in wearing the pair of shoes, and each experiment lasts for three days (the adult spends eight hours in walking each day).

Experimental Target

Detections of the breathability, resilient shock absorption and massage effect, rotatory shock absorption effect, rotatory massage effect of the insoles 10, 20, and 40; and detections of anti-slip and anti-rollup performances and comforts of the bases 101, 201, and 401.

Experimental Effect

The effects of the insole to be experimented include breathability, shock absorption, whether the insole can provide rotatory massage effect or not, the range of the shock massage effect provided by the protrusions (which directly effects the strength of the rotatory massage effect), anti-slip performance, the entire comfort, whether the insole has anti-rollup performance or not, etc. The effect can be classified into five levels including: very strong, strong, moderate, weak, and no.

TABLE 1

Experimental indexes

Shock absorption

Sample
Distance
Height
Diameter
Hardness
Coverage rate
Breathability
effect
Massage effect

Sample 1
0
0
0
0
0
No
No
No

Sample 2
6 mm
1 mm
8 mm
10
30%
strong
Weak
Weak

Sample 3
1.5 mm
1 mm
2 mm
10
30%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 4
1.5 mm
1 mm
2 mm
30
30%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 5
1.5 mm
1 mm
2 mm
50
30%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 6
1 mm
2 mm
3 mm
30
51%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 7
1 mm
3 mm
3 mm
30
51%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 8
1 mm
4 mm
3 mm
30
51%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 9
4.4 mm
5 mm
6 mm
10
30%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 10
2 mm
5 mm
6 mm
10
51%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 11
0.8 mm
5 mm
6 mm
10
70%
strong
Yes
Yes

Sample 12
1 mm
3 mm
3 mm
30
51%
strong
Yes
Yes

Strength of rotator
Strength of rotator

Sample
shock absorption
massage
Anti-slip
Anti-rollup
Entire comfort
Note

Sample 1
No
No
No
No
Weak

Sample 2
No
No
Weak
Weak
Weak

Sample 3
Weak
Weak
strong
strong
strong
Comparative

Sample 4
strong
strong
strong
strong
strong
tests

Sample 5
Very
Very
strong
strong
strong
of hardness

strong
strong

Sample 6
Weak
Weak
strong
strong
strong
Comparative

Sample 7
strong
strong
strong
strong
strong
tests of

Sample 8
Very
Very
strong
strong
strong
height

strong
strong

Sample 9
Weak
Weak
strong
strong
strong
Comparative

Sample 10
Very
Very
strong
strong
strong
tests

strong
strong

of coverage

Sample 11
Weak
Weak
strong
strong
strong
rate

Sample 12
strong
strong
Weak
Weak
Weak
Tests of the

middle layer

of the base

From the data of Table 1, it can be concluded that the experimental effects are not obtained randomly but dependent on the corresponding parameters:

Firstly, (regarding samples 3, 4, and 5) on the condition that the coverage of the protrusions 403 is 30%, and the distance between every two adjacent protrusions, the height of the protrusion, and the diameter of the protrusion are kept unchanged, the greater the hardness of the protrusion is, the greater the strengths of the rotatory shock absorption effect and the rotatory massage effect are;

Secondly, (regarding samples 6, 7, and 8) on the condition that the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 is 51%, and the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403, the diameter of the protrusion 403, and the hardness of the protrusion 403 are the kept unchanged, the greater the height of the protrusion is, the greater the strengths of the rotatory shock absorption effect and the rotatory massage effect are;

Thirdly, (regarding samples 9, 10, and 11) on the condition that the height, diameter, and hardness of the protrusion 403 are kept unchanged, and the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 and the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 are changed, it can be concluded that the greater (sample 9) or the less (sample 11) the coverage rate is, the weaker the strengths of the rotatory shock absorption effect and the rotatory massage effect are; and

Fourthly, the omission of the hard middle layer affects the entire comfort of the sample 12.

Referring to FIG. 10, the anti-rollup performance means that when the insole 40 is rolled up, the insole 40 can only be folded up around a scroll due to the hard middle layer 4013, and the insole 40 cannot be rolled and folded up into a multilayer one even when the protrusion 403 is pressed (as shown in FIG. 11). Therefore, when the insole 40 is used inside a shoe, even the foot sole of the wearer applies a great force to move the insole forwards, the insole 40 may not be rolled up to affect the comfort of the insole.

According to the above conclusion, compared with the insole of the prior art, through accurate tests and calculations of the size of each protrusion and the coverage rate of the protrusions 403, the insole 40 of the present disclosure can provide a good breathability, a good shock absorption effect, anti-slip and anti-rollup performance, good comfort and simultaneously enable rotatory massage. In addition, the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 and the size of each protrusion 403 can be changed according to requirements. For example, when the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 reaches 30% to 40%, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions and the bending arch of the protrusion 403 when the protrusion 403 is pressed are both great, and the contact area between the protrusions 403 and the base 401 is great; in this state, although the strength of the rotatory massage effect for the foot sole and the rotatory shock absorption effect are reduced, the breathability and the soft massage effect for the foot sole are improved. When the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 on the base 401 reaches 60% to 70%, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 and the bending arch of the protrusion 403 when the protrusion 403 is pressed are both small, and the contact area between the protrusions 403 and the base 401 is correspondingly small; in this state, the insole may feel slightly hard; however, since the contact area between the protrusions 403 and the foot of the wearer is increased, the protrusions 403 can provide a better up and down resilience and a better shock absorption effect when being pressed, and provide a better anti-slip performance When the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 reaches 45% to 55%, preferably 51%, and the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 is preferably 1 mm, through the set distance and the bending arch of the protrusion 403 when the protrusion 403 is pressed, the strength of the massage effect and shocking absorption effect provided by the protrusions 403 reaches the strongest level, and the protrusions 403 are capable of providing a 360-degree rotatory massage effect and a 360-degree shock absorption effect. Thus, different coverage rates of the protrusions 403 can be chosen according to different applications. For example, if better breathability and light and soft massage effect are highly required, the coverage rate can be 30%; if a 360-degree rotatory massage effect and a 360-degree rotatory shock absorption effect are highly required, the coverage rate can be 45%, 51%, or 55%; and if a resilient shock absorption effect is highly required, the coverage rate can be 70%. When the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 on the base 401 ranges from 45% to 55%, the breathability, the rotatory massage effect, the rotatory absorption effect, and the anti-slip performance of the insole are best.

In practical applications, the protrusions 403 can have different parameters and the coverage rate of the protrusion 403 can be varied on one single insole 40, that is, different regions on the same insole 40 may have different coverage rates of protrusions 403. For example, the coverage rate of the protrusions 403 on the forefoot region of the insole may be 30%, and the coverage rate of the protrusion 403 on the heel region of insole may be 51%. In this way, the insole is capable of providing a soft massage on the forefoot of the wearer and a strong rotatory massage on the heel of the wearer.

Referring to FIG. 12, an insole 50 in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The structure of the insole 50 is similar to that of the insole 40 of the first embodiment. The difference between the insole 50 and the insole 40 lies in that a shape of a protrusion 503 of the insole 50 is different from that of the protrusion 403 of the insole 40. A number of the protrusions 503 are evenly arranged on the base 501. Each protrusion 503 includes a solid prismatic column (not shown) and a cover (not shown). The column is fixed on the base 501, and a cross section of the column can be hexagonal or quadrilateral, etc. The cover is arranged on the column and is integrally formed with the column. The parameters of the protrusion 503 are the same as those of the protrusion 403 of the first embodiment, thus, the insole 50 of the second embodiment also have the same functions as that of the insole 40.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, an insole 60 in accordance with a third embodiment is provided. The insole 60 includes a base 601 and a number of protrusions 603 arranged on the base 601. The protrusions 603 can be the same as the protrusions 403 of the first embodiment or can be the same as the protrusions 503 of the second embodiment. The difference between the insole 60 and the insole 40/50 lies in that the base 601 includes a front layer 6011, a rear layer 6015, and a middle layer 6013. The front layer 6011 corresponds to the foot sole of a wearer of a shoe having the insole 60, the rear layer 6015 is opposite to the front layer 6011, and the middle layer 6013 is arranged between the front rear 6011 and the rear layer 6015. A thickness of the base 601 ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm In an embodiment, the thickness of the base 601 is 2 mm

The front layer 6011 is made of pile textile. Due to the adhesion property of pile textile, the protrusions 603 can be adhered to the front layer 6011 well. The rear layer 6015 is desired to be anti-slip. In an embodiment, the rear layer 6015 is also made of pile textile. Since pile textile is rough, the friction between the rear layer 6015 and the corresponding side of the shoe is great, enabling the insole 60 to tightly contact with the shoe to avoid movement of the insole 60. Thus, the insole 60 can be prevented from slipping off the shoe. The middle layer 6013 is made of hard chemical fiber. With the middle layer 6013, the insole 60 inside the shoe cannot be folded and rolled up to form a multilayer one. It is understood that the base 601 can be rolled up around a scroll when a force is applied to the base 601 separately. The shape of the base 601 can be substantially the same as that of a plane obtained by vertically projecting the whole foot sole of a wearer on the insole 60, and the size of the base 601 can be equal to that of the plane. That is, the insole can be a full-feet insole. In other embodiments, the shape of the base 601 can be the same as that of a plane obtained by vertically projecting a part of the foot sole of a wearer on the base 601, and the size of the base can be equal to that of the plane. That is, the insole 60 can be a forefoot insole or a rearfoot insole.

In some embodiments, the insole 60 can only include the base 601.

Referring to FIG. 15, an insole 70 in accordance with a fourth embodiment is provided. The structure of the insole 70 is similar to that of the insole 40 of the first embodiment. The insole 70 includes a base 701, a number of protrusions 703, and a thermal insulation layer 705. The base 701 includes a front layer 7011 (corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer), a rear layer 705 (contacting an inner sole of a shoe), and a hard middle layer 7013 sandwiched between the front layer 7011 and the rear layer 705. The protrusions 703 are evenly arranged on the front layer 7011. The thermal insulation layer 705 is adhered onto the protrusions 703. The thermal insulation layer 705 is made of soft thermal insulation material such as non-woven fabrics, textiles, leather, artificial leather, microfiber, and mercerized velvet.

It is understood that the thermal insulation layer 705 is also applicable in the insole 40 of the first embodiment, the insole 50 of the second embodiment, and the insole 60 of the third embodiment.

The protrusions 503 of the insole 40, the protrusions 503 of the insole 50, the protrusions 603 of the insole 60, and the protrusions 703 of the insole 70 can be in shapes of embossed or hollowing letters, numbers, strips, flowers and animals, etc.

The insoles 40, 50, 60, and 70 can be manufactured through the methods as follows.

In a first method, the material for manufacturing the protrusions 403/503/603/703 is thermally pressed onto the base 401/501/601/701 through molding dies.

In a second method, the material for manufacturing the protrusions 403/503/603/703 is formed on the bases 401/501/601/701 using injection molding technique.

In a third method, the protrusions 403, 503, 603, and 703 are made of the same material, and the insole 40/50/60/70 is made of the material of the protrusion 403/503/603/703 using injection molding or press molding technique.

In a fourth method, the material for manufacturing the bases 401/501/601/701 is integrally formed using bonding technique, and the material is further cut to be shaped as a polygon corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer.

In applications, the insole 40, 50, 60, or 70 can be placed in the shoe upside down, that is, the insole 40, 50, 60, or 70 is turned over such that the rear surface of the insole contacts the foot sole of the wearer and the front surface of the insole contacts the inner sole of the shoe. In this case, shock absorption effects of the insoles 40, 50, 60, and 70 are kept without being affected.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, a shoe 80 in accordance with an fifth embodiment is provided. The shoe 80 includes a shoe sole 801. The shoe sole 801 includes a front surface 8011 corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer and a rear surface 8015 which may contact the ground when the wearer of the shoe is walking. Both the front surface 8011 and the rear surface 8015 are flat. A number of protrusions 803 are evenly arranged on the front surface 8011. The even arrangement of the protrusions means that the protrusions 803 are substantially identical to each other and the protrusions 803 are equidistant from each other, thus, the number of the protrusions 803 per unit of area on the front surface is the same.

In other embodiments, the protrusions 803 can be evenly arranged on a certain region or some regions of the front surface 8011, for example, the protrusions 03 can be evenly arranged on a forefoot region of the front surface 8011 or arranged on a rearfoot region of the front surface 8011.

The shoe 80 can be a kids' shoe, a sandal, a high-heeled shoe, and a sports shoe, which is not limited herein.

The protrusion 803 includes a solid cylindrical column 8031 and a hemispherical cover 8033 arranged on the column 8031. A height of the column 8031 is greater than a thickness of the cover 8033. The column 8031 and the cover 8033 are integrally formed.

The column 8031 is fixed to the front surface 8011 of the shoe sole 801, and the cover 8033 contacts the foot sole of a wearer of the shoe 80. Since the cover 8033 is hemispherical, the contact area between the shoe 80 and the foot sole of the wearer is increased, thus, a pressure applied to the foot sole of the wearer is reduced and a lateral friction is correspondingly increased. In this way, the wearer may feel comfortable when the foot sole contacts the shoe 80. In some other embodiments, the protrusion 803 may only include the column 8031 with the omission of the cover 8033.

When a force is applied to the protrusion 803, the protrusion 803 can be slanted frontwards and backwards, leftwards and rightwards, and rebound to its original state.

A diameter of the protrusion 803 ranges from 1 to 7 mm In an embodiment, the diameter of the protrusion 803 is 3 mm A height of the protrusion 803 and a height of the column 8031 protruding out from the shoe sole 801 range from 1 to 7 mm, respectively. The protrusions 803 are evenly arranged on the shoe sole 801, and the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 803 ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm In an embodiment, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions 403 is 1 mm The distance between every two protrusions 803 means the shortest distance between outer walls of every two adjacent protrusions, that is, the distance marked as H as shown in FIG. 17. A coverage rate of the protrusions 803, that is, the area ratio of all the protrusions 803 in the whole surface area of the shoe sole 801, reaches 30-70%. In an embodiment, the coverage rate of the protrusions 803 is 51%.

The protrusion 803 is made of silicone rubber having a Shore A hardness of the silicone rubber ranging from 10 to 50 and an elongation ranging from 200% to 800%. In an embodiment, the Shore A hardness of the silicone rubber is 30. The protrusions 803 on the shoe sole 801 may also be made of flexible resilient material such as polyvinyl chloride polymer (PVC), thermoplastic inks, ethylene-vinyl acetate copo (EVA), high resilience sponge, thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), and polyurethane (PU).

Since the column 8031 of the protrusion 803 has a certain height, the protrusion 803 may be deformed after being pressed by the foot sole of the wearer. The state of the deformation and the effect of the deformation of the protrusions 803 are the same as those of the protrusion 403 of the insole 40, which can be found in the detailed information of the deformation of the protrusions 403 as stated above. Examples are illustrated as follows.

In an original state, the protrusion 803 is substantially perpendicular to the shoe sole 801 to form a 90-degree angle. After the protrusions 803 are pressed by the foot sole of the wearer, since the protrusions are made of silicone rubber having a certain elasticity, the protrusions are deformed respectively. After the column 8031 or the cover 8033 is pressed, the column 8031 or the cover 8033 may be slanted sidewards; the slanting degree may be in a range from 0 to 90 degrees, dependent on the magnitude of the pressing force. When the pressing force is great enough, or the foot sole applies a lateral driving force to the protrusion 803, the protrusion 803 may be slanted sidewards for an ultimate 0 degree, that is, the cover 8033 in this state may directly contact the shoe sole 801.

After the pressing force is removed, due to the property of the flexible material of the protrusion 803, the protrusion 803 automatically rebounds to its original state to be perpendicular to the shoe sole 801, forming a 90-degree angle with the shoe sole 801.

The difference between the shoe 80 of the present disclosure and that of the prior art lies in that: although the shoe of the prior art can enable an up and down resilient shock absorption and massage effect after being pressed, the protrusion of the shoe of the prior art cannot be slanted sidewards. Due to the design of the protrusion 803 of the present disclosure, the shoe of the present disclosure can improve the resilient shock absorption and massage effect of the shoe of the prior art to a rotatory shock absorption and a rotatory massage effect.

In order to provide a space allowing for the protrusion 803 to slant or rotate when a pressing force is applied to the protrusion 803 and allowing for the protrusion 803 to rebound to its original state when the pressing force is removed, the arrangement of the protrusions of the present disclosure meets the following conditions: the density of the protrusions 803 ranges from 30 to 70%, the diameter of the column 8031 ranges from 1 to 7 mm, the height of the protrusion 803 ranges from 1 to 7 mm, the distance between every two adjacent protrusions ranges from 0.5 to 5 mm, and the Shore A hardness of the protrusion 803 ranges from 10 to 50.

Since the structure of the protrusion 803 of the shoe 80 is the same as that of the protrusion 503 of the insole 40, the experimental effects of the shoe 80 are the same as those of the insole 40. For detailed description of the experimental effects and experimental samples of the shoe 40, please see the description of the experiments of the insole 40 as stated above.

Refer to FIG. 18, a shoe 90 in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The structure of the shoe 90 is similar to that of the shoe 80 of the fifth embodiment. The difference between the shoe 90 of the sixth embodiment and that of the fifth embodiment lies in the shape of the protrusion. A number of protrusions 903 are evenly arranged on a shoe sole 901. Each protrusion 903 includes a solid prismatic column (not shown) and a cover (not shown). The column is fixed on the shoe sole 901, and a cross section of the column can be hexagonal or quadrilateral, etc. The cover is arranged on the column and is integrally formed with the column. The parameters of the protrusion 903 are the same as those of the protrusion 803 of the shoe 80 of the fifth embodiment, thus, the shoe 90 of the sixth embodiment also the same effects as the shoe 80 of the fifth embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 19, a shoe 100 in accordance with a seventh embodiment is provided. The shoe 100 includes a shoe sole 1001 and a number of protrusions 1003 arranged on the shoe sole 1001. The protrusions 1003 can be the same as the protrusions 803 of the fifth embodiment or the protrusions 903 of the sixth embodiment. The difference lies in that the protrusions 1003 are arranged on a forefoot region of the shoe sole 1001 or a rearfoot region of the shoe sole 1001 rather than on the whole surface of the shoe sole 1001 corresponding to the whole foot sole of a wearer.

Referring to FIG. 20, a shoe 110 in accordance with an eighth embodiment is provided. The structure of the shoe 110 is similar to that of the shoe 80 of the fifth embodiment. The shoe 110 includes a shoe sole 1101, a number of protrusions 1103, and a thermal insulation layer 1105. The shoe sole 1101 includes a front layer 11011 (corresponding to the foot sole of a wearer) and a rear layer 11015 (contacting the ground when the wearer of shoe is walking). The protrusions 1103 are evenly arranged on the front layer 11011. The thermal insulation layer 1105 is adhered onto the protrusions 1103. The thermal insulation layer 1105 is made of soft thermal insulation material such as non-woven fabrics, textiles, leather, artificial leather, microfiber, and mercerized velvet.

It is understood that the thermal insulation layer 1105 also can be applicable in the shoe 80 of the fifth embodiment, the shoe 90 of the sixth embodiment, and the shoe 100 of the seventh embodiment respectively.

The protrusions 803 of the shoe 80, the protrusions 903 of the shoe 90, the protrusions 1003 of the shoe 100, and the protrusions 1103 of the shoe 110 can be in shapes of embossed or hollowing letters, numbers, strips, flowers and animals, etc.

The shoes 80, 90, 100, and 110 can be manufactured through the methods as follows.

In a first method, the material for manufacturing the protrusions 803/903/1003/1103 is thermally pressed onto the shoe sole 801/901/1001/1101 through molding dies, and an edge of the shoe sole 801/901/1001/1101 is connected to the vamp to form an accommodating space with an opening.

In a second method, the material for manufacturing the protrusions 803/903/1003/1103 is formed on the shoe sole 801/901/1001/1101 using injection molding technique, and the edge of the of the shoe sole 801/901/1001/1101 are connected to the vamp to form an accommodating space with an opening.

In a third method, the protrusions 803, 903, 1003, and 1103 are made of the same material, and the shoe 80/90/100/110 is made of the material of the protrusion 803/903/1003/1103 using injection molding or press molding technique.

The beneficial effects of the present disclosure are given in the following description with reference to the insole 40 of the first embodiment and the shoe 80 of the fifth embodiment. The insoles or shoes of other embodiments which have the same structure also have the same beneficial effects as the insole 40 and the shoe 80 given as follows.

With the protrusions 803 evenly arranged on the shoe sole 801, the shoe 80 is capable of supporting the foot sole of the wearer; since the protrusion 803 is made of flexible, elastic, and porous silicone rubber, the ventilation inside the shoe 80 is good to avoid generation of smell.

With scientific designs of the shape, size and density of the protrusions 803, the shoe 80 has the effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage.

The thermal insulation layer 1105 arranged on the protrusion 803 improves the comfort and thermal insulation effect of the shoe 80.

By using the shoes 80 provided by the disclosure, the foot pain of the wearer caused by long walk and mountain climbing can be effectively solved, and leg muscle discomfort caused by foot pain can be effectively alleviated. Since the shoe 80 is soft and has the effects of rotatory shock absorption and rotatory massage, the shoe is more suitable for people enjoying outdoor sports.

The disclosure described above of the present invention is illustrative but not restrictive scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure, or equivalent process transformation, or directly or indirectly usage in other related technical field, all those be made in the same way are included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Number	Date	Country	Kind
201420792475.4	Dec 2014	CN	national
201420792539.0	Dec 2014	CN	national

Insole and Shoe

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CPC

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