Patent Grant
11297893
The present technology relates in general to waterproof footwear that incorporates an improved pump-ventilation mechanism. Waterproof footwear is generally constructed with an upper that is substantially impermeable to water and which, in many instances, extends up over the ankle or even higher on the leg. Such footwear is useful for many applications, particularly in outdoor work and sporting activities such as construction, fishing, hiking, hunting and the like. While such waterproof footwear may protect a wearer's foot from water, the waterproof material of the upper is also likely to prevent airflow through the walls of the upper. Because the upper may extend over the ankle and higher, airflow over a significant portion of the wearer's foot and leg may be blocked. This inhibits convective cooling of the wearer's foot and lower extremities, resulting in footwear that becomes hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable during use, particularly when the wearer is continuously walking or otherwise active. As waterproof footwear is often used during strenuous outdoor activity, this lack of ventilation may pose a significant problem.
Accordingly, aspects of the present technology provide a substantially waterproof shoe having a ventilation mechanism which coordinates with specially designed airflow channels in the upper to circulate air from the outside environment through the shoe in order to provide convective cooling of a wearer's foot during movement.
Aspects of the present technology provide a waterproof shoe with an improved ventilation mechanism, designed to circulate air from the outside environment through the shoe in order to provide convective cooling to a wearer's foot. In a desired embodiment, the shoe may incorporate a pump-ventilation mechanism which, coupled with airflow channels incorporated in the upper, acts to establish continuous substantially one-way airflow through the shoe in a heel to toe direction while a user walks.
As shown in
The outsole 200 has a bottom surface configured to contact the ground and a top surface configured to be secured to the midsole 300. The midsole 300 has a bottom surface configured to be secured to the outsole 200 and a top surface configured to be secured to the upper 700. In some aspects, the midsole 300 may include an embedded shank which has a top surface which is generally flush with the top surface of the midsole 300 and a bottom surface which may extend into the top surface of midsole 300.
In a preferred embodiment, the ventilation mechanism 400 may be a separate component from the midsole 300 or baseboard 500. In such an embodiment, the ventilation mechanism 400 may be disposed within a cavity in the top surface of the midsole 300 and has a top surface which sits flush with the top surface of the midsole 300 and a bottom surface which extends into the cavity. The ventilation mechanism 400 generally comprises three components: an intake reservoir 410, an exhaust reservoir 430, and a connecting channel 450. The intake reservoir may be disposed in a heel region of the midsole 300 and the exhaust reservoir may be disposed in a toe region of the midsole 300 with the connecting channel running between them, so that they are placed in fluid communication with one another. In alternative embodiments, the ventilation mechanism 400 may be formed integrally within the midsole 300, baseboard 500, or, optionally, a removable insert 470 of the shoe. In some embodiments, the exhaust reservoir may be disposed elsewhere than in the toe region, for example in the heel, in the lining, or in the upper.
The baseboard 500 may be a substantially planar member having a bottom surface configured to contact the top surfaces of both the midsole 300 and, in some embodiments, the ventilation mechanism 400 and a top surface configured to contact the insole 600. The baseboard 500 may be permanently secured to the midsole 300 by an adhesive.
The insole 600 may be a flexible insert which has a bottom surface configured to contact the baseboard 500 and a top surface configured to receive the foot of a wearer. In some aspects, the insole 600 may be removable from the shoe 100.
The upper 700 may be substantially waterproof and extends upwards from the midsole 300 to form a cavity configured to receive a user's foot. The upper 700 has an inner surface which may be configured to receive a wearer's foot and promote air flow within the shoe 100 and an outer surface which may be configured to repel water and otherwise interact with the outside environment. In some embodiments, the upper 700 may additionally include a tongue portion having a ventilation channel running in a longitudinal direction.
The protective toe cap 800 may comprise a hemi-dome shaped body sized and shaped to cover a wearer's toes, so as to protect them from impact with obstacles, falling objects, and the like. The protective toe cap 800 may have an outer surface configured to be permanently secured to the inner surface of the upper 700 and an inner surface configured to receive and protect a wearer's toes. The protective toe cap may further comprise a ventilation channel extending in a longitudinal direction between a forefoot area and a midfoot area of the shoe.
The ankle pads 900 may comprise raised polygonal pads which may be permanently affixed to the inner surface of the upper on opposing lateral sides in ankle regions of the upper of the shoe.
The lining 1000 may be a porous fabric lining which may be disposed on the inner surface of the upper 700, overtop of the protective toe cap 800 and the ankle pads 900, such that it covers both of these elements as well as the entire inner surface of the upper 700. The lining 1000 may be permanently secured in position by stitching to the upper 700.
The ankle pads 900, lining 1000, and the upper 700 may be positioned to define airflow channels which are held away from close contact with the foot and ankle of a wearer so as to allow intake and exhaust of air from and to the outside environment in cooperation with the ventilation channel of the protective toe cap 800.
Outsole
As depicted in
As shown particularly in
In some aspects, as shown in
The outsole 200 may be comprise an elastomer, including a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a rubber, a polyurethane (PU), an ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), or any combinations thereof. Such materials are beneficial in that they are oil and slip resistant and also do not tend to mark or stain other surfaces such as flooring and cement.
Midsole
As depicted in
In a preferred embodiment shown in
The midsole 300 may be formed of any suitable material such as EVA, PU, TPU, polyolefin, or any combinations thereof. In some aspects, the midsole 300 may include an embedded shank 370 running in a longitudinal direction which is configured to provide stability and durability to the shoe. The embedded shank 370 may have a top surface which is generally flush with the top surface of the midsole 330 and a bottom surface which may extend into the midsole 300. The shank 370 may be formed from any suitable material such as steel, nylon, fiberglass, TPU, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Ventilation Mechanism
The ventilation mechanism 400 is designed to pump air from the outside environment through the interior of the shoe in a single direction while a wearer is walking, so that the wearer's foot may be subjected to convective cooling. In general, the ventilation mechanism 400 comprises an intake reservoir 410, an exhaust reservoir 430, and a connecting channel 450 connecting the intake reservoir 410 and the exhaust reservoir 430. In some embodiments, the connecting channel 450 is configured to facilitate substantially one-way air flow in a direction from the intake reservoir 410 to the exhaust reservoir 430.
A preferred embodiment is shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The intake reservoir 410 and the foam material 417 are configured to be flexible and resilient such that when the top surface 413 of the intake reservoir is depressed, such as by the pressure of a wearer's heel during the beginning of a stride, the intake reservoir 410 is compressed and its volume decreases by at least 50%, more preferably by at least 60%, or in a preferred embodiment by at least 70%. When the pressure to the top surface 413 is removed, i.e. as the wearer transfers their weight to the forefoot as the stride progresses, the intake reservoir 410 and the foam material 417 are configured to rebound to their original shape and volume causing air to be drawn in through the intake perforations 415 in the top surface 413.
As shown in
In a preferred embodiment, the top surface 433 of the exhaust reservoir may include one or more perforations 435 which allow for air exhaust. In some aspects, the exhaust reservoir 430 may further include one or more directional flow channels 490. Such channels may be formed in the exhaust reservoir 430 so that they run in a longitudinal direction from the edge of the exhaust reservoir 430 closest to the heel of the shoe 100 to the edge of the exhaust reservoir 430 closest to the toe of the shoe 100. These channels are designed to facilitate substantially one-way air flow in a heel-to-toe direction. Each directional flow channel 490 comprises a main channel 491 extending in a substantially linear longitudinal direction, as well as multiple angled conduits 493 extending from the main channel on either longitudinal edge. The angled conduits 493 have a dead end or cul-de-sac configuration and their length is about 10% to about 40%, more preferably about 20% to about 30%, or most preferably about 25% to about 30% of the length of the main channel 491. The angled conduits 493 are positioned at an angle to the main channel 491 that is within the range of about 1 to about 90 degrees, more preferably about 30 to about 60 degrees, and most preferably about 40 to about 50 degrees, when measured in the desired direction of air flow. The angled conduits 493 may provide for generally laminar flow down the main channel 491 in a heel-to-toe direction, but create obstructed turbulent flow in the opposite direction, thus effectively facilitating heel-to-toe air flow and inhibiting toe-to-heel air flow. The perforations 435 in the top surface of the exhaust reservoir are positioned at the end of the directional flow channel 490 which is closest to the toe region. Thus, in order for air to exit these perforations 435, it easily flows through the directional flow channel 491 in a heel-to-toe direction. Conversely, air intake through these perforations 435 would require the air to flow in a toe-to-heel direction, which is inhibited by the directional flow channels 490.
As shown in
In some aspects, the connecting channel 450 may connect the intake reservoir 410 to the directional flow channels 490 of the exhaust reservoir 430. Thus, during a stride, the intake reservoir 410 may be compressed by the downwards pressure of the wearer's heel and the upwards pressure of the raised platform 212 of the outsole 200, expelling the air held within into the connecting channel 450 and through the directional flow channels 490 to be exhausted through the perforations 435 at the end of the directional flow channels 490. As the wearer transfers weight to the toe during a stride, the pressure on the intake reservoir 410 may be relieved causing the intake reservoir 410 to expand and refill with air through the perforations 415 in its top surface in order to begin the process again. Because the directional flow channels 490 facilitate air flow in a heel-to-toe direction and inhibit air flow in a toe-to-heel direction, the intake reservoir 410 is primarily refilled from air entering the perforations 415 in the intake reservoir 410 rather than from air flowing into the perforations 435 in the exhaust reservoir 430. More specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the directional flow channels 490 provide for about 65% to about 90% (by volume) refill of the intake reservoir 410 from the perforations 415 in the intake reservoir 410, based on the total volume of air which refills the intake reservoir 410. More preferably, at least 75% of the refill volume comes from the perforations 415 in the intake reservoir 410, and most preferably about 75%-80%. Thus, the ventilation mechanism 400 provides for continuous, substantially one-way air circulation through the shoe.
An alternative embodiment is depicted in
The bottom surface of intake reservoir 410 formed in the shank 370 may extend into the cavity 351 of the midsole 300 to a depth, where the depth is the maximum distance between the top and bottom surfaces of the intake reservoir. The depth may be within the range of about 0.5 to about 2.5 cm, more preferably about 0.5 to about 1.5 cm, and in a preferred embodiment is about 2 cm. The volume of the intake reservoir 410 may be within the range of about 5 cm3 to about 40 cm3, more preferably about 15 cm3 to about 30 cm3, and in a preferred embodiment within about 20 cm3 to about 30 cm3. In a preferred embodiment, the intake reservoir 410 may be in the shape of a half-oval to mimic the contours of the heel of the shoe 100. However, the shape of the top surface of the intake reservoir 410 is not particularly limited and may be semicircular, circular, square, rectangular, oblong, or generally polygonal. In some embodiments, the intake reservoir 410 may include one or more lugs 460 which extend upwards from the bottom surface of the intake reservoir 410 such that they are no less than 90%, more preferably no less than 95%, or most preferably no less than 99% of the depth of the intake reservoir 410. Lugs having a height below the specified ranges may produce unfavorable results such as squeaking, sliding of the lugs against the opposing surface, and deformation of the baseboard or insole of the shoe. The lugs 460 are configured to flex in order to allow for partial compression and deformation of the intake reservoir 410 (e.g., from weight transfer to a heel region of the shoe during a wearer's stride) while preventing complete collapse of the intake reservoir 410 when pressure is applied to it.
As shown in
As shown in
In this embodiment, the baseboard 500 may be disposed on the top surface of the midsole 300 and over the embedded shank 370 such that it forms a top surface for the intake reservoir, exhaust reservoir, and connecting channel. In some aspects, the baseboard may have perforations positioned in a heel region and a toe region in order to allow air flow in and out of the intake and exhaust reservoirs, respectively.
As shown in
Baseboard
As shown in
Insole
As depicted in
In some aspects, the top surface 630 of the insole may be covered by a thin layer of fabric material such as polyester. This fabric layer may be permanently adhered to the insole using an adhesive or the like. In some embodiments, the top surface 630 of the insole may be substantially planar, while in other embodiments, the top surface 630 may include raised portions around the edge of a heel region or along an instep region in order to cradle and provide support for a wearer's foot.
In some embodiments, the ventilation mechanism may be disposed within insole 600. In some aspects, the ventilation mechanism may be a separate hollow insert which may be housed within cavities disposed within the insole. In other embodiments, the ventilation mechanism may be formed integrally within the material of the insole, such that the material of the insole defines the hollow intake reservoir, the exhaust reservoir, and the connecting channel. In some aspects, the bottom surface 610 of the insole may include an air intake pattern 611 in a heel region and an air exhaust pattern 613 in a toe and forefoot region. The air intake pattern 611 in the heel region may include a depressed or hollowed out area in the center of the heel region which is of a lower elevation than the edges of the heel. The intake pattern 611 may further include one or more channels of similarly lower elevation, cut into the bottom surface 610 of the insole, and running from the depression in the heel area towards the periphery of the insole 600 in the area of the midfoot or the instep. These channels may connect to or communicate with the air flow channels 1100 in the upper 700 to provide an avenue for air flow from the outside environment into the shoe 100 and underneath a heel portion of the insole 600 so that it may be drawn into the intake reservoir 410 of the ventilation mechanism 400.
The air exhaust pattern 613 may be disposed in a toe and forefoot region of the bottom surface 610 of the insole and separated from the air intake pattern 611 by a raised ridge 615. The air exhaust pattern 613 may include a pattern of raised lugs which may be in the shape of diamonds, circles, squares, rectangles, or other polygons. In a preferred embodiment, these raised lugs are hexagonal in shape. The raised lugs are positioned so that they define a network of depressed channels between their respective edges. Each of the raised lugs includes a slight depression in its center with a perforation that extends entirely through the insole. The raised pattern, depressed channels, and perforations allow for air exhaust flow exiting the ventilation mechanism 400 to flow through a forefoot portion of the shoe 100 beneath the insole 600 before exiting through the perforations in the air exhaust pattern 613 of the insole to contact and cool a wearer's foot.
Upper
As shown in
The upper 700 may additionally include a tongue portion 710 and a lacing component 730. The tongue portion 710 may be configured to be pulled back by a wearer so that a foot may be inserted more easily into the cavity of the shoe 100. Once the foot is settled within the cavity of the shoe 100, the tongue 710 may tightened to the foot using the lacing component 730 so that the wearer's foot fits snugly and securely within the shoe. In some aspects, the tongue portion 710 of the upper 700 may have a raised ventilation channel 711 running longitudinally from a toe portion of the upper 700 to the edge of the shoe cavity. Ventilation channel 711 may be held away from the foot, even when the lacing component 730 is tightened, to allow for air flow up and out of the shoe.
Protective Toe Cap
The protrusion of
The protective toe cap is 800, in an embodiment, composed of a metal or metal alloy material (e.g., titanium) or any other material of a sufficient strength to satisfy safety standards for protective footwear, such as ASTM F2413-11.
Ankle Pads
As depicted in
The ankle pads 900 may be constructed from materials such as open-cell PU, TPU, EVA, or neoprene, and affixed to the upper by stitching, adhesives, high frequency welding or injected directly to the upper.
Lining
As shown in
The lining 1000 may be constructed from materials such as polyester or knit nylon. The material of the lining is porous and conducive to air flow, as well as efficient for wicking moisture away from the foot of a wearer.
Airflow Channels
As shown in
In particular, an airflow channel 1100 to allow exhaust of air from the ventilation mechanism 400 may be formed by the ventilation channels 810, 711 in the protective toe cap 800 and the tongue portion 710 of the upper 700. Airflow channels 1100 to allow intake of air may be formed in the areas adjacent to the ankle pads 900 and in some embodiments, may direct air from the outside environment into the hollowed portion of the intake pattern 611 on the bottom surface of the insole 600 to allow outside air to be draw into the intake reservoir 410 of the ventilation mechanism 400.
Pump-Ventilation of Shoe
The various aspects of the present technology function cohesively to provide a continuous flow of outside air through the shoe in a direction from the intake reservoir to the exhaust reservoir. In a preferred embodiment, this direction is a heel-to-toe direction. In such an embodiment, when a wearer begins a stride by transferring weight to the heel of the foot, the intake reservoir 410 is compressed by the downward pressure of a user's foot and the upwards pressure provided by raised platform 212 of the outsole 200, causing the air inside to be expelled through the connecting channel 450 and into the directional flow channels 490 of the exhaust reservoir 430. Because the air flow is in the heel-to-toe direction generally permitted by the directional flow channels 490, the air easily passes through the channels 490 and is expelled out of the exhaust reservoir 430 through the perforations 435 at the end of the channels 490. The expelled air then flows through the cut-out 530 provided in the baseboard 500 for this purpose and through the exhaust pattern 613 and perforations in the insole 600. After the air passes through the perforations of the insole 600, it may travel upwards through the corresponding ventilation channels 810, 711 in the protective toe cap 800 and the tongue 710 before being finally expelled into the outside environment.
As the stride progresses, the wearer will transfer weight from the heel of the foot through the midfoot and the toe. As the pressure on the intake reservoir 410 is relieved, the intake reservoir 410 may expand to its original volume, causing it to draw air in through the perforations 415 on its surface. Because the directional flow channels 490 facilitate air flow in a heel-to-toe direction and inhibit air flow in a toe-to-heel direction, the intake reservoir 410 will be refilled primarily from air entering the perforations 415 in the intake reservoir 410 rather than from air flowing into the perforations 435 in the exhaust reservoir 430. Thus, the intake reservoir 410 draws in air present beneath a heel region of the insole 600. The intake pattern 611 of the insole 600 assists with channeling air from the airflow channels 1100 of the upper 700 to bottom surface of the insole 600, and thereby a substantially continuous flow of air from the outside environment is provided to the intake reservoir 410 of the shoe. In this manner, the present technology provides for generally continuous, one-way air circulation through the shoe.
In order to measure the cooling effect of the present technology during use by a wearer, a conventional waterproof boot (“WP membrane boot”) was compared to a ventilated boot (“HVAC boot”). The conventional boot was constructed of a standard waterproof membrane upper and did not include a ventilation mechanism or airflow channels. The ventilated boot included aspects of a preferred embodiment of the present technology including a ventilation mechanism and airflow channels. To test the boots, a wearer placed a conventional boot on his left foot and a ventilated boot on his right foot and walked on a treadmill at a pace of 3.5 mph for a period of 30 minutes. The temperature of the wearer's right and left feet were measured every 10 minutes by infrared camera. The results are shown in
The conventional boot was compared to the ventilated boot using the same method as in Example 1, except that, rather than walking on a treadmill, the wearer conducted normal daily activities over the course of 6 hours with temperature measurements taken from inside each boot every hour. The results are show in
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/680,231 filed Jun. 4, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
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