WO2007077281A1

WO2007077281A1 - Shoe sole including a mechanism for blocking the entry of external ventilation or external liquids

Info

Publication number: WO2007077281A1
Application number: PCT/ES2007/000002
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jesús Mesías GARCÍA DEL POZO SÁNCHEZ
Original assignee: Agnelli S.L.U.
Priority date: 2006-01-04
Filing date: 2007-01-02
Publication date: 2007-07-12
Also published as: ES1061884U; CN101365355B; ES1061884Y; HK1126362A1; WO2007077281A8; CN101365355A

Abstract

The invention relates to a shoe sole including an insole which has been designed to control the opening and closing of passages to the exterior for ventilation purposes or to prevent the entry of liquids that could wet the user's foot. For said purpose, the outsole includes a central longitudinal portion which is slightly elevated in relation to the inner face thereof and which is provided with multiple internally-stepped through-cavities. In addition, the inner surface of the insole, which faces the outsole, is provided with a strip which is obtained by shaping an additional part having dimensions that are approximately equal to those of the elevated portion of the outsole on which it rests. The aforementioned strip is provided with multiple projections having a stepped configuration that is complementary to that of the cavities in the outsole in which they are housed. Moreover, longitudinal and transverse grooves are provided on the above-mentioned shaped part and small, reduced-diameter cylindrical forms extend from the points at which they intersect, said forms being housed in respective blind holes formed in the outsole.

Description

"SOLE FOR FOOTWEAR WITH BLOCKING MECHANISM REGARDING THE ENTRY OF EXTERNAL VENTILATION OR EXTERNAL LIQUIDS"

DESCRIPTION

Object of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sole for footwear with locking mechanism with respect to the entrance of external ventilation or external liquids, which provides essential novelty characteristics and notable advantages over the known and used means for the same purposes in the state Current technique.

More in particular, the invention develops a sole for footwear that incorporates a plant in which the joint between the floor has been articulated means that in collaboration with the complements made in the floor itself, constitute a mechanism that not only acts as a regulator of the integral ventilation of the user's foot, but also, when such means are pressed by virtue of the weight of the user applied when walking, they provide an effective closure that cuts the entrance access for both the ventilation coming from the outside and in preventing the External liquids, for example water or other liquids sitting on the ground, can penetrate the interior space of the sole and wet the user's foot.

The field of application of the invention is obviously included within the industrial sector dedicated to the design and manufacture of shoe soles, in particular shoe soles of the type that provide integral ventilation to its interior space.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) Background and Summary of the Invention

It is known by all in general the beneficial effect that provides good ventilation at the foot of a user of any piece of footwear. This effect not only results in the elimination of odors that may be caused by the accumulation of certain bacteria, but also helps maintain proper foot hygiene with a view to maintaining them in optimal sanitary conditions, which is so important for general hygiene. of the body.

As is known, there are currently in the state of the art a multiplicity of soles for footwear with which it is intended to keep the foot of the different users in perfect conditions of use and hygiene, for which purpose, the different developments to which it is made reference incorporate some means intended to allow air to enter the interior of the sole, and pump it successively outwards, as the wearer of these pieces of footwear walks.

Also known is a sole for footwear, subject to registration and manufacturing by the same applicant of this Utility Model, in which the inclusion of a valve that is located at the rear of the sole, provides an air inlet that provides It is properly distributed below the sole of the foot, this valve being capable of closing itself when the user, when walking, rests the heel on the area in which it is located, and whose elastic recovery of the material with which it is manufactures, makes it open again when the pressure on it ceases.

Although many of the sole embodiments for

HOU ¹ A * DE ^ υSTFFUGIOR (RULE 26) footwear of those existing in the state of the art provide aeration results that could be considered satisfactory, it is also true that a good part of these embodiments suffer from a very important defect, derived from the fact that the same entries for those that penetrate the air for the soda of the foot, also constitute entrances for the external liquids, for example the water that may exist in the ground, with the consequent unpleasant result for the user that the foot gets wet, with the disadvantages that this entails

Taking into account these drawbacks of existing soles, the present invention has proposed as its main objective the fact of developing a shoe sole substantially improved with respect to the known ones, by means of which not only the healthy and desired integral ventilation of the foot is provided in all its extension, but at the same time it prevents that they can sneak liquids inside and get to wet the user's foot. This objective has been fully achieved by means of the sole that will be described in the following, whose main characteristics are included in the characterizing part of the attached claim 1.

In essence, the invention provides a sole for footwear in which a hermetic closing and ventilation mechanism has been incorporated for the attainment of both effects announced above, for which a sole consisting of a floor and an adjustable floor has been designed in the interior floor space bounded by a perimeter wall obtained as an emergent elevation from the edge of the floor and integral with it. The plant, built in a lightweight material, and endowed as usual with small through holes at least in one

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) a large portion thereof, incorporates an intermediate part in its centered face, extended to most of the surface extension of this lower face and embedded in the plant, whose intermediate piece shows the formation of a multiplicity of prismatic formations preferably ellipsoidal cross-section, which at the start have stepped portions, as a ring or collar of larger dimensions, these formations being generally organized in longitudinal rows, and leaving spaces between longitudinally or transversely adjacent formations in which striae or small grooves that follow both longitudinal and transverse directions, and that connect with the through holes of the plant. At the intersections of the mentioned stretch marks, circular formations of very low height appear, intended to rest on the inner face of the floor and keep the sole slightly elevated with respect to the plane of the latter,

For its part, the floor shows a rear cavity that crosses the rear wall, and is intended to house a valve of the type mentioned above. In the central area, it shows an embossed strip whose dimensions correspond approximately to the dimensions of the intermediate piece described above, in a position facing the latter when both floor and floor pieces are coupled to each other, and also presenting this elevated interior strip the formation of a multiplicity of through cavities, arranged in positions correspondingly equivalent to the protruding prismatic formations of the intermediate piece, of the same staggered configuration as the latter, which they receive and house when the plant is coupled to the floor. The pressure exerted by the user's weight causes the

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) elastic deformation of the annular portion of each of the prismatic formations, with a perfect tight fit to the walls of the respective cavity, and with the consequent pumping action for the expulsion of both any liquid that could have penetrated the cavity, such as of the air flow admitted with the opposite movement, this action of expelling the air being favored by the aforementioned cylindrical formations of low height that separate the floor from the floor.

As will be understood, with a sole designed in the manner set forth in the brief description above, both the integral ventilation of the foot and the formation of a suitable barrier to the entry of liquids into the interior space of the floor are adequately guaranteed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the detailed description that follows in a preferred embodiment, given only by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view from above of a floor designed for the formation of the sole of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a piece of plant taken with the latter in an inverted position with respect to the normal position of use;

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 represents an indicative illustration of the coupling between both floor and floor pieces of the previous Figures.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment As indicated above, the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be carried out in the following with the help of the attached drawings, through the which the same numerical references are used to designate the same or similar parts. Thus, in the first place according to Figure 1, a perspective view of the sole floor can be seen, generally designated with the numerical reference 1, and consisting of a piece obtained by means of a simple molding operation, bimolding operations, or any other technique commonly used for this type of items. As shown, the floor 1 has a perimeter wall 2, of reduced thickness, integral with the rest of the piece, and emerging up to a predetermined irregular height. In the interior space a central portion 3 is distinguished in relief, that is to say high relative to the surface plane of the interior face of the floor, which affects most of the surface extension of the latter, and in which a multiplicity of perforations is shown passages, determinants of cavities that preferably adopt an elliptical shape in plan, and that at a predetermined height form a step 5 around a central hole 6. The cavities are distributed in rows according to both longitudinal and transverse directions, successively separated from each other adjacent by distances

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) predetermined There are other blind holes 7 in interspersed positions between the mentioned elliptical cavities, the holes 7 in the plant area having a diameter significantly larger than the holes in the floor plan area.

Figure 2 shows a sectional view taken along line II-II of Figure 1, in which the different configurations adopted by both the central strip 2 and the cavities 4 with their respective steps 5 can be better appreciated.

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a piece of plant of the type that is usually used for the formation of soles, specifically designed and designed for use in the sole proposed by the invention. The position in which the plant part appears is reversed with respect to its usual use, so that the face seen in the drawing will be the one intended to serve as a shell in its coupling to the floor of Figure 1.

As can be seen, the plant part 8 illustrated in Figure 3 logically has a configuration such that it allows a coupling in the space delimited by the perimeter wall 2 of the floor 1, in turn presenting a central part 9 embedded in the previous one, in centered position with respect to the first, and of approximately equivalent dimensions to those that delimit the elevated zone 3 of the interior of the floor 1.

Likewise, in addition to the said raised area, the central part 9 has a multiplicity of prismatic formations 10 that emerge with a prismatic configuration of an elliptical cross-section.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) similar to that shown by the cavities 4 of the floor 1, these formations being constituted in height by two portions 10a, 10b, of which a first portion 10a is of greater dimensions than the second portion 10b, forming a kind of annular broadening or collar initial with respect to the last cited. The central part 9 is delimited by a perimeter wall 11 that rises substantially above the surface plane of the piece, there are also striations or small grooves 12 that extend longitudinally and transversely interspersed between said prismatic formations 10, cylindrical elevations 13 being appreciated they emerge from the intersections of said grooves 13, and which occupy positions approximately corresponding to that occupied by the blind holes 7 made in the floor 1. In addition, there are also small through holes 14 in intermediate positions of the transverse grooves 12 of the area of the piece facing the sole of the user's foot.

Figure 4 shows a section taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 3, in which you can see the details of the elevated prismatic formations 10 emerging from the surface of the center piece 9 embedded in the floor 8 of the sole, thus as the formation of the wall 11 up to a height above the surface plane of said centerpiece 9.

Finally, as an additional feature to the described configuration, it should be mentioned the formation of an additional opening 15 at the rear of the floor 1, in communication with an inner cavity 16, sized and adapted to receive and house a conventional valve, as a passage element of air for the refreshment of the user's foot.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) As will be understood, the configuration of the different elements that make up the 8th floor, is absolutely complementary to those that define the 1st floor, since the latter has to receive and accommodate the first in the condition of use. The ellipsoidal prismatic formations 10 are designed to be accommodated in the cavities 4 while the low-rise cylindrical formations 13 determine a separation between the respective faces facing the floor and floor pieces that ensures the passage of air throughout the interior space of the floor, and therefore that the air is renewed and provides the refreshment of the user's foot.

Figure 5 shows the coupling position between the pieces of floor 8 and floor 1, now showing the plant represented in the correct position with respect to floor 1, that is, inverted in relation to the representation of Figure 3. The cavities 4 of elliptical section will receive the elevated formations 10 of the plant, with the respective steps 5 and 10a which determine the amount of introduction of the latter in the first ones, and the portion 10b staying inside the hole 6 With the weight, the ring portion 10a expands the walls of the cavity, thereby determining a mechanism that by virtue of the friction exerted on the latter, a tight connection is provided together with an outwardly pumping effect that expels any liquid that could try to enter through the holes in the cavities, thus keeping the interior space of the floor isolated. On the other hand, as has been said, the separation between the floor and the floor determined by the height of the cylindrical formations 13, prevents a total union between the facing faces of both pieces, maintaining a

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) space that aids the exit of the air flow generated by the user's foot when walking, the passage of this flow being provided by the valve (not shown) coupled in the hole 15 of the rear wall of the floor and in fluid communication with the distribution channels through the cavity 15 in which said valve is housed. The small channels 12 help the mentioned distribution, at the same time as they communicate with the holes 14 that cross the piece 8 precisely in the support area of the sole of the user's foot which is where more precise ventilation is required.

On the other hand, the wall 11 that surrounds the central piece 9, helps to seal the assembly during the use of the sole, by intimately supporting the floor 1 completely surrounding the area where the cavities are formed 4. Said wall It also fulfills the function of providing a resistance effect to absorb the weight exerted on the sole and distribute it throughout the plant, helping to avoid the malformation of the ellipses and rings that form the formations 10 and the cavities 4.

In the foregoing, part 9 has been described as embedded in the 8th floor. As will be understood, the provision of an elevated area such as that described may be provided based on two separate pieces joined together by means of a bimoldeo operation, attached or any other, or said relief area 9 may be formed in the plant itself and be integral with it.

On the other hand, it will be understood that the floor piece 8 will be constructed with any light and soft material of the usual ones for this type of pieces, in order to provide the user with maximum comfort during the use of the sole in the seasons of the year Cooler and rainier.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) It is not considered necessary to make the content of this description more extensive so that a person skilled in the art can understand its scope and the advantages derived from the invention, as well as develop and put into practice the object thereof.

However, it should be understood that the invention has been described according to a preferred embodiment thereof, whereby it may be susceptible to modifications without implying any alteration of the basis of said invention, such modifications may affect the shape, size and / or manufacturing materials.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

Claims

1.- Sole for footwear with locking mechanism with respect to the entrance of external ventilation or of external liquids, especially indicated to provide the user with maximum comfort during the coldest or rainiest seasons of the year, by means of which at the same time a integral aeration at the user's foot for the maintenance of the best possible hygiene conditions, for which purpose it incorporates an air valve inserted in a hole (15) made in the rear wall of the rear floor (1) and housed in a cavity

(16) made for the purpose in the floor itself immediately after said valve hole (15), characterized in that: said floor piece (1) is designed and sized to receive and house a plant part (8) in the interior of a space bounded by a wall (2) emerging from the perimeter edge of the floor, and in whose interior space a central portion (3) appears slightly raised with respect to the surface plane of the inner face of the floor, in which it has been practiced a multiplicity of cavities (4) that in plan adopt a general elliptical shape, with an internal step (5) surrounding a through hole (6), these cavities being distributed in longitudinal and transverse rows, and presenting a multiplicity of blind holes ( 7) in positions interspersed between said cavities; the plant part (8) is sized to be housed in the space delimited from the mentioned perimeter wall emerging (2) from the floor (1), said plant part presenting, in relation to its internal face, that is, the face destined to face the interior surface of the floor, the provision of a strip (9), preferably constituted

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) by an embedded piece, formed by bimoldeo, or adhered in any other way, in corresponding position with the relief portion (3) of the floor and with approximately equivalent dimensions, to which it has been provided with a multiplicity of outstanding formations (10 ), also of an elliptical section and with two portions (10a, 10b) of different dimensions that provide a stepped configuration, the first portion (10a) of larger dimensions forming a ring or collar formation with respect to the second CLOb portion ); said piece or central portion (9) being surrounded by a perimeter wall (11) that completely surrounds it, and that rises to a height substantially above the surface plane of said central piece or portion (9); this part or central portion (10) comprising the formation of grooves or small grooves (12) that extend longitudinally and transversely between said raised formations (10), and also the said central part or portion (9) presenting the formation of protruding cylindrical portions (13) of small diameter, which rise from the intersections of said small grooves (12), and occupy positions approximately coincident with the blind holes (7) of the floor (1).

2. Sole according to claim 1, characterized in that said formations (10) emerging from the central part or part (9) of the plant are sized in correspondence with the cavities (4) of the floor (1), where they are received and housed in the operating position of the sole, and whose rings (10a) are deformed by exerting pressure on them, forming a tight seal against the walls of the respective cavity,

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) and thereby preventing the passage of any fluid.

3. Sole according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the cylindrical formations (13) emerging from the intersections of the grooves

(12) of the piece or central portion (9) of the plant (8), are of reduced height, and constitute a separating means between the plant (8) and the floor (1) that facilitates the circulation of air through the rear valve position.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)