UPPER FOR SHOES WITH PERFORATED SOLE TO BE MOUNTED ON VENTILATED OR PERSPIRATING BOTTOMS

Abstract

An upper for shoes provided with a monolithic structure complete with a sole obtained from molding rubber or thermoplastic materials, characterized in that said sole is provided with one or more through openings.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF PARTIES TO A MINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO AN SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present patent application for industrial invention relates to an upper for shoes with perforated sole to be mounted on ventilated or perspirating bottoms molded from plastic materials.

The scope of the present invention also comprises the shoe provided with said upper.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98

The peculiarities and advantages of the present invention will be clearer following to a brief description of the state of the art.

For a long time now the market has offered boots of different heights formed of a leather or plastic upper mounted, with the interposition of a sole that closes it in lower position, on a bottom mostly made of rubber or equivalent plastic materials.

More recently shoes provided with ventilated bottoms have appeared on the market, with the advantage of providing air exchange to the user's feet.

In order to ensure such a functionality said bottoms are normally provided with compressible pads that are actually capable—being subject to the pressure discharged on them at every step by the front of the foot—of generating a pumping effect to extract the air contained in the upper and convey it outside the shoe by means of a non-return vent valve.

Moreover, other models of shoes are known, being provided with a bottom with shock-absorbing properties, in association or not with said ventilating properties, in order to exert an advantageous anti-shock function in favor of the users feet.

Finally, sonic models of shoes are provided with a bottom with perspirating properties, which is able to ensure a fresh air flow towards the front of the foot, and also capable of preventing water on the ground from rising again inside the shoe.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Starting from such a state of the art, the specific purpose of the present invention is to devise an upper for shoes molded from plastic materials that allows the shoe provided with it to acquire advantageous ventilating or perspirating properties.

Another purpose of the present invention is to allow the shoe provided with the upper of the invention to acquire said ventilating or perspirating properties with great structural simplicity, easy assembly and limited cost.

First of all, it must be noted that the new upper that achieves said purposes is configured as a “monolithic body” made of rubber of thermoplastic materials.

Such a body incorporates both a perimeter section with vertical development designed to “embrace” the user's foot (that it to say the upper) and the sole that is the horizontal surface where the user's foot lies.

The main peculiarity of the invention is that the sole of said “monolithic body” is provided with through openings for air passage from inside outside and vice versa.

In such a way the upper of the invention can be mounted on a corresponding bottom for shoes, possibly a molded one, of the type provided with ventilating or perspirating properties.

The benefits generated by said bottoms, in terms of ventilation or perspiration for the user's foot, can be experienced inside the monolithic upper. This is because the sole incorporate in said monolithic upper is provided with through openings that do not interfere With air circulation between upper and bottom.

When the upper of the invention is mounted on a ventilating bottom, said openings of the sole are crossed by “forced” air jets coming from the bottom.

As it is known, this type of bottoms is capable of generating, when they are compressed by the weight of the users foot discharged on it during walking, a pump-effect capable of favoring the extraction of atmospheric air (from the outside of the same bon and the energetic transfer of air upwards, that is to say towards the upper.

When the same upper is mounted on a perspirating bottom. said openings of the sole prevent interference with the “natural” air exchange between bottom and upper that is desired inside the shoe.

In particular, said perspirating bottoms of known type are provided on the front of the foot with holes across the entire thickness that are internally closed by membranes made of materials of known type that are capable of interfering with the ii sing of water from the ground, but not with air passage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For purposes of clarity, the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawing, which is intended for purposes of illustration only and not in a limiting sense, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view with a longitudinal plane of the upper of the invention;

FIG. 1 A is an axonometric view of the upper of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1 B is an axonometric view of a second embodiment of the upper of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view with a longitudinal plane of a ventilating bottom designed to be coupled with said upper;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bottom of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the upper of the invention (1) has a monolithic structure obtained by molding, rubber or thermoplastic materials, of which the sole (1a) is an integral part.

The front of the sole (1a) is provided with openings that consist in transversal rows of through holes (1b) ending inside the upper (1), as shown in FIG. 1 A.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1 B, the openings of the sole (1a) consist in a large window (10b) covered with a corresponding piece of air-permeable fabric (11b).

Moreover, it must be noted that the, according, to the preferred embodiment for boots shown in FIGS. 1, 1 A, and 1 B, the upper (1) incorporates in correspondence with one or both sides, at the malleolus height, vertical bands (1c) made with elasticated fabric.

Inside the upper (1) an ordinary hygienic insole (3) that is permeable to air is preferably mounted.

The latter is made with air-permeable material or material that is not intrinsically air-permeable, but provided with through holes obtained in corresponding positions to the openings (1b, 10b) of said sole (1a).

Moreover, such an upper (1) can be mounted on bottoms molded from rubber or thermoplastic materials, of known type, provided with ventilating or perspirating properties.

In such a case, the openings (1b, 10b) provided, on the sole (1a) generate an advantageous, either forced or not, air exchange between the bottom (2) and the inside of the upper (1).

Moreover, it must be noted that the present invention provides that the upper (1) preferably cooperates with a specific ventilating shock-absorbing bottom of new design (2), which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

To that end it must be noted that also this specific bottom (2) is obtained from molding rubber or thermoplastic materials.

The top of said bottom (2) is hollow and provided with a sort of tub, which comprises a first chamber (C1) situated in the front of the foot and a second chamber (C2) situated inside the heel.

From the bottom of the two chambers (C1, C2) corresponding series of vertical partitions (2b, 2c) protrude, being arranged in multiple transversal rows.

In particular, the partitions (2b) housed inside the first chamber (C1) are elastically deformable; moreover, in order to increase flexibility, they preferably have a saw-toothed profile.

Moreover, the tub of said bottom (2) is associated with a non-return vent valve (4) inserted in the transversal edge of the heel.

When the upper of the invention (1) is coupled with the bottom (2), the sole (1a) of the upper (1) closes the two chambers (C1, C2) from the top, lying on the vertical partitions (2b, 2c).

In such a condition the through holes (1b) provided in the front of the sole (1a) are arranged in correspondence with the first chamber (C1) from which said flexible partitions (2b) protrude upwards.

It is important to say that the permanent fixing between the upper of the invention (1) and the bottom (2) can be obtained in a very practical and quick way, also in view of the fact that said parts are made with the same materials.

In particular, such an operation can be made by gluing or heat sealing, without requiring the long burdensome sewing operations that are typical of most traditional shoes.

To that end the bottom (2) is surrounded, by a flat perimeter border (2a) on which the sole (1a) of the upper (1) lies perimetrally; it being provided that the stable coupling of the two components (1, 2) is obtained on the perimeter border (2a) by means of gluing or heat sealing.

Still referring to the aforementioned figures, the use and operation modes of the shoe obtained by coupling the upper of the invention (1) and the corresponding ventilated bottom (2) will be illustrated.

As soon as the user of a similar shoe (S) starts walking, the advantageous ventilation effect is produced in favor of the upper (1).

In particular, every time the shoe (S) lies on the ground, the weight of the user generates the compression of said deformable partitions (2b) provided inside the first chamber (C1) of the bottom (2).

Said compression of the deformable partitions (2b) allows for height reduction of the section of said first chamber (C1) that contains them and consequently for compression of the air contained inside it.

In such a condition air tends to flow outside the bottom (1) through said non-return vent valve (4).

Instead, during the aerial phase of every step, because of the absence of pressure exerted by the user's weight, the deformable partitions (2b) spontaneously take an erected position and the chamber (C1) containing those resumes its “natural” height and consequently its original volume.

A further consequence of the new expansion of the first chamber (C1) of the bottom (2) is to recall the air contained in the upper (1) through the holes (1b) obtained in the front of the sole (1a).

It is worthless saying that the following compressions and expansions of said chamber (C1) of the bottom (2) are sufficient to generate a continuous air exchange inside the upper of the invention (1), thus considerably increasing comfort of the foot contained in the shoe (S) provided with it.

Finally, it must be noted that, although in the enclosed figures the upper of the invention (1) has the structure of a typical upper for a boot, the same can be given any other configuration alternatively designed for high or low shoes, laced or not laced shoes, women's or men's shoes.

Claims

1. Upper for shoes provided with monolithic structure complete with sole obtained from molding rubber or thermoplastic materials, wherein said sole is provided with one or more through openings.

2. Upper for shoes as claimed in claim 1, wherein said through openings of the sole comprise small holes.

3. Upper for shoes as claimed in claim 1, wherein said through openings of the sole comprise one or more windows covered with corresponding pieces of air-permeable fabric.

4. Shoe wherein it is provided with the upper claimed in claim 1, in cooperation with a bottom with ventilating properties.

5. Shoe wherein it is provided with the upper claimed in claim 1, in cooperation with a bottom with perspirating properties.

6. Shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said ventilating bottom provided with monolithic structure obtained from molding rubber or thermoplastic materials is provided on the front of the foot with a pumping chamber with vent valve, incorporating elastically deformable partitions with basically vertical direction; it being provided that said pumping chamber is adapted to be closed on top by the front with openings of the sole of the upper of the invention.

7. Shoe as claimed in claim 6, wherein said elastically deformable partitions of the pumping chamber of the bottom are provided with saw toothed-profile.

8. Shoe as claimed in claim 6, wherein said bottom is surrounded by a flat perimeter border that acts as lying and fixing surface for the sole of the upper.

9. Shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said upper is coupled with the bottom by means of a perimeter gluing line.

10. Shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said upper is coupled with the bottom by means of a perimeter heat sealing line.

11. Shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein the upper is provided with an air-permeable insole.

12. Shoe as claimed in claim 11, wherein said insole is made of an intrinsically air-permeable material.

13. Shoe as claimed in claim 11, wherein said insole is made of a non-air permeable material and is provided with a plurality of through holes on the front of the foot.

14. Shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said vent valve associated with said pumping chamber is inserted in the transversal border of the heel of the bottom.

15. Shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said bottom is provided on the heel with a second chamber that contains corresponding partitions with basically vertical direction.