| Shoe sole -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Shoe soleRelated Patent Categories: Boots, Shoes, And Leggings, Soles, CushionShoe sole description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070101611, Shoe sole. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to an article of footwear, more specifically, to a shoe sole that provides a user added comfort and better aeration for the feet, the shoe sole can be adapted to fit a variety of men's and women's footwear. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Footwear consists of two main parts, the portion responsible for attachment to the foot and the sole. The sole typically comprises the insole, outsole, and midsole. The insole is directly below the foot and provides the foot padding to rest upon. The outsole is the portion of the sole that contacts the ground, provides traction for the wearer, and is generally made of a harder, more durable material to resist the wear and tear of daily use. The midsole, situated between the insole and outsole, primarily serves as support for the foot. [0003] Midsoles are typically constructed of conventional foam materials, including polyurethane or ethylene vinyl acetate, which compress and dampen to provide cushioning when the wearer applies force and return resiliently to a substantially predetermined shape after the force is removed. The use of such foam material has become widespread due to its availability and ease of manipulation during the footwear's manufacturing process. The use of such foam material, however, has certain drawbacks. First, as the foam has a uniform density, to increase or decrease the amount of cushioning depends solely on the thickness of the layer of foam, which reduces flexibility and may create aesthetic problems for footwear designers. Second, the total weight of the footwear is proportional to the amount of foam used. Lastly, although the foam reverts back to a substantially predetermined shape, this ability is lost over continued use as the foam deteriorates, resulting in decreased rebound and cushioning. [0004] A midsole having sections of foam removed leaving apertures within the midsole has already been designed to address the issues of reduced flexibility and weight. However, the problem of foam deterioration is not addressed. Further, as the apertures are merely voids in the foam, the midsole does not achieve rebound and cushioning effect to the extent possible. Others have utilized hollow tubes embedded into the foam for added rebound and cushioning. Although this may increase the cushioning and support characteristics of the footwear, it does very little in addressing the problems of weight and of foam deterioration. [0005] Other midsoles have incorporated a "bladder" or air-filled elastic cushioning devices into the midsole. Such bladders are encapsulated within the foam of the midsole. The cushioning characteristics, however, depend on the compressibility of the bladder, which is hindered because it is completely surrounded by the foam material. Others have further incorporated air gaps surrounding the bladder which allows for greater compressibility. Even so, these approaches only partially address the weight issue and do not address the problem of foam deterioration. [0006] Still others have used a gas-filled tube disposed about the perimeter of the shoe. Utilizing a tube around the perimeter eliminates the need for a layer of foam cushioning material in the midsole. Thus, the problem of weight, flexibility, and foam deterioration is addressed. The flaw of this design, however, is the reliance of the peripheral tubing to provide support for the entire foot. Without a form of additional cushioning below the heel, the tube would be subject to additional stress at the portion of the tube in the heel. [0007] Some shoes today rely on the breathability of the upper shoe material to allow air circulation throughout the foot area. This may be sufficient for shoe uppers made of canvas or other porous materials. However many other shoes utilize upper materials that allow for little to no breathability which results in heat and in some cases moisture depositing at the forefront of the shoe where the air cannot escape. A past approach to this problem is to incorporate valves into the midsole to allow airflow through the sole where it can diffuse through the insole to the wearer's foot. The flaw of this invention is that it relies on the permeability of the shoe insole. [0008] Another approach is to incorporate a plurality of side-by-side vertically placed columns within the midsole, which when compressed produces a bulging action between the columns and pushes air through the insole to the wearer's foot. The problem with this invention is the amount of air that can be forced through the insole is limited to the amount of space between the small columns, thus providing very little circulation. In addition, these inventions fail to address both the air circulation problem and the cushioning effect. [0009] There is a need in the art, therefore, for creating midsoles that not only provide support and comfort, but also provide aeration for the wearer's feet. The prior approach is primarily focused on midsoles constructed of conventional foam materials which compress and dampen when force is applied and return to a predetermined shape after the force is removed. [0010] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved midsole that is not only comfortable and supportive but provides better aeration for the foot. [0011] It is another object of the invention to provide an improved midsole that is not comprised of foam material. [0012] Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] The embodiments of the present invention solve the problems and address the drawbacks of the approaches in the above description. An embodiment of the present invention is a midsole for an article of footwear comprising a bottom member and a cushioning member. The cushioning member comprising a perimeter element and a central lining element, is lined on top of the bottom member. The perimeter element and central lining element are in fluid connection with each other. A number of raised protrusions are fixed on top of the central lining element for providing increased airflow through the sole. [0014] In a further embodiment, the midsole is disposed within an article of footwear. The article of footwear comprises an upper portion, an outsole, a midsole, and an insole. The upper portion may be made of conventional materials for covering the foot. The midsole may be adapted for use in women's and men's footwear. [0015] Some of the many advantages of the present invention include increased comfort for the wearer, and added air circulation about the foot. Another advantage is that the midsole of the present invention is easily manufactured and utilizes readily available materials. [0016] These and other embodiments of the present invention are further made apparent, in the remainder of the present document, to those of ordinary skill in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0017] In order to more fully describe embodiments of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are not to be considered limitations in the scope of the invention, but are merely illustrative. [0018] FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a basic structure of a midsole according to an embodiment of the present invention. [0019] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of a midsole disposed within an article of footwear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS Continue reading about Shoe sole... Full patent description for Shoe sole Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Shoe sole patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Shoe sole or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Article of footwear having force attenuation membrane Next Patent Application: Enhanced construction of inflatable inserts for articles of footwear Industry Class: Boots, shoes, and leggings ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Shoe sole patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.15667 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
