Patent Application
20140013631
1. Field of Invention
The present invention concerns a ventilated footpad or shoe sole that promotes air flow to the feet for ventilation.
2. Description of Prior Art
Footwear has traditionally been designed to protect the wearer's feet from heat, cold, and trauma. The modern consumer expects to take long walks without suffering foot fatigue or irritation. Another important function of modern footwear is to provide cushion support so that the wearer can walk, run, and jump with minimal impact upon joints and vertebrae. However, despite having all these needs met, the modern consumer is still unsatisfied with the lack of ventilation to the feet that is prevalent in modern footwear.
The skin of the human foot exudes perspiration, as well as odors, in varying degrees, depending upon such factors as temperature of the ambient, the amount of physical activity being performed, and the natural propensity of the particular person to perspire. The comfort and health of the human foot is greatly influenced by the rate of evaporation of the perspiration generated as a result of movement and/or physical exercise. Thus, the restrictive nature of the modern footwear promotes offensive foot odor due to lack of ventilation. This problem has been acknowledged by footwear designers, and has been addressed with varying degrees of failure in many different ways over the past decades.
One way of providing more ventilation to the feet is with soles and footpads that employ various interconnected pumping chambers, bladders, valves, jets, tubes, orifices, and the like. Patents exemplifying this approach include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,180,039; 3,225,463; 4,215,492; 4,499,672; 4,654,982; 4,760,651; 4,776,109; 4,860,463; 5,010,661; 5,224,277; 5,282,324; 5,341,581; 5,606,806; 5,787,609; 5,809,665; 5,815,949; 5,813,141; and 5,826,349. these patents, for the most part, teach products that use the motion of the feet while walking to agitate or exchange air surrounding the foot.
Another approach attempted several times is to use compressible supporting structures situated in a space defined between the upper and lower layers of a footpad or insole. Patents teaching this approach include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,930; 4,223,455; 4,364,186; 4,590,689; 4,674,203; 4,910,882; 5,035,068; 5,619,809; 5,669,161; 5,675,914; and 5,845,418.
A third approach involves the use of ribs, beads, liquid cells, knobs, or hippies to ventilate. Patents that teach this approach include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,224; 4,831,749; 5,167,999; 5,607,749; and 5,694,705.
Despite the-vast number of approaches, the need persists for improved soles and footpads which deliver proper ventilation to the feet while providing support for walking, shock absorption, and comfortable static support. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned disadvantages occurring in the prior art. The present invention is a footpad that maximizes the air flow to the feet of the wearer.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide adequate ventilation and reduce perspiration of the wearer's feet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a footpad that is structurally adequate to support the weight Of the wearer such that it may be used as the sole of a shoe or sandal.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide a footpad that promotes adequate traction with the floor so that the wearer does not slip and fall.
The above objects and other features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings which are incorporated by reference herein and form part of the specification, illustrate various embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functional similar elements. A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Reference will now be made to the drawings in which various elements of the present invention will be given numerical designations and in which the invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the art and make use the invention.
The present invention comprises a footpad 100 manufactured out of a thermoplastic material such as rubber, polypropylene, or polyethylene. The footpad has a top face 10, a bottom face 20, and a side face 30. The bottom face 20 is flat and having Channels 21 extending across it. The channels 21 are equally spaced and parallel to one another, as shown in
Throughout the top face 10, there are multiple large holes 15 that extend from the top face 10 down to, but not through, the bottom face 20. As shown in
By the same token, the side face 30 has multiple side holes 35 that allow air to flow into the various large holes 15. The thickness of the side face 30 is substantially greater than the thickness of the sidewalls 11 such that the side face 30 provides structural support and stability. On the other hand, the thickness of the sidewalls 11 is less to provide some flexibility and shock absorption as the wearer walks, runs, and/or jumps using the footpad 100 of the present invention.
The use of the footpad 100 of the present invention requires that a foot of the wearer rest against the top face 10 while the bottom face 20 is in contact with the floor or ground. In essence, the footpad 100 of the present invention is used as the sole of a shoe, sandal, or other footwear. As the wearer walks, runs, or jumps, the bottom face 20 provides traction against the floor or ground so that the wearer does not slip or fall. At the same time, the top face 10 allows the foot of the wearer to rest comfortably and provides cushion support to alleviate the impact upon the joints and vertebrae of the wearer.
More important, as the wearer walks, runs, and/or jumps using the footpad 100 of the present invention, ambient air flows into the various large holes 15 through the side holes 35 and then out through the top face 10 to ventilate the wearer's foot. As the air flows in through the side holes 35, the small holes 12 facilitate the air to flow into all of the various large holes 15 to maximize the ventilation to the wearer's foot. Finally, the small channels 13 that run through the top of the sidewalls 11 promote the flow of the air across the top face 10 and the bottom of the wearer's foot to maximize the ventilation.
It is understood that the described embodiments of the present invention are illustrative only, and that modifications thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this invention is not to be regarded as limited to the embodiments disclosed, but to be limited only as defined by the appended claims herein.
