US3533171A - Footwear - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 13, 1970 ToMlHARu Mo'roKi 3,533,171

FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

ATT'YS Och 13, 1970 'roMlHARu MoToKl 3,533,171

FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS I N VEN TORI TQNHHARU-l MOTQK ATT'YS 3,533,171 FOOTWEAR Tomiharu Motoki, Toliushima, Japan, assignor to Fukuola Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd., Tokushima, Japan Filed Dec. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 785,087 Claims priority, application Japan, Apr. 16, 1968, 43/ 31,265 Int. Cl. A43b 7/06 U.S. Cl. 36--3 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Footwear is provided with a plurality of Ventilating holes in the inner sole. A lower sole is secured to the inner sole and is provided with a plurality of protrusions and a circular groove around the root of each protrusion.

The present invention relates to improvements of footwears such as shoe, sandal, slipper and the like.

In the conventional type footwear the ventilation thereof adapted for respiration of wearers feet has been performed in such a Imanner that upon a sole of the footwear an inner sole having a plurality of Ventilating holes is mounted so as to move upward and downward owing to walking of the wearer. However, said kind of footwear is uncomfortable in wearing thereof due to the upward and downward movement of the inner sole, thereby making the wearer weary.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a new type footwear subject to perform eicient and forcible ventilation by means of unique construction thereof without moving an inner sole thereof.

Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the following description of a preferred form of embodiment thereof taken in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the footwear according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the footwear taken along the line II-II in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional View of the footwear taken along the line III-III in FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of a lower sole member of the footwear according to the present invention; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the invention applied to another style of shoe.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the footwear to which the present invention is applied comprises a lower sole member 1 having specific construction as hereinafter described, an upper cover member 2 which is formed of a thin layer of suitable soft pliable material such as natural or synthetic leather cloth, natural or synthetic rubber, synthetic resinous plastic material (c g. vinyl chloride, polypropylene or the like) or the like and which is integrally and inseparably adhered to said lower sole member 1 by suitable conventional method, and an inner sole member 3 having a number of Ventilating holes 6 and being adhered to the upper surface of said lower sole member 1.

The lowersole member 1 consists of a front sole portion 1A made of soft and elastic material such as natural or synthetic rubber and soft synthetic resinous plastic material (eg. vinyl chloride, polypropyrene or the like) and a heel portion 1B made of suitable hard-wearing material, preferably hard, such as natural or synthetic mbber or synthetic resinous plastic material (e.g. vinyl chloride, polypropyrene or the like), said both portions 1A and 1B being integrally and inseparably fused to each other by suitable conventional method.

nited States Patent O A plurality of semi-circular protrusions 4 is integrally formed on the back surface of said front sole portion 1A, on the upper surface of which a plurality of semi-circular depressions 5 is for-med at opposite sides thereof as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Around the root of each protrusion 4, as obviously shown in FIG. 4, a circular groove is provided so as to improve high deformation and flexibility of the protrusion.

The heel portion 1B is provided with a plurality of cavities on the upper surface thereof so as to afford high cushioning effect and to reduce the raw material applied to the heel portion.

Upon weight of the wearer being applied to the footwear of the present invention, the lower sole member 1 will be depressed against ground, and the protrusions 4 are to be deformed and forced up. Consequently, air enclosed within the cavities 5 will be compressed and forcibly pushed out from cavities through the Ventilating holes 6 of the inner sole member 2.

Upon the footwear being released from load, the protrunsion 4 will be replaced to its original position under natural condition thereof, owing to its elasticity and pliability, so that by suctioning-function due to returning action of the protrusion the air will be suctioned into the cavities 5 through the Ventilating holes of the inner sole member 2.

Thus effective ventilation will be applied to the footwear so as to remove unpleasant smell or hot air containing humidity from the footwear, whereby smell-less, sanitary footwear being easily obtainable.

Further, since said inner sole member 2 according t0 the present invention secured to the upper surface of the lower sole member 1, the inner sole member 2 is protected from moving upward and downward, even under the compressed air being applied to the inner sole member 2, thereby improving wearing comfort of the wearer.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with respect to a preferred embodiment, it is not desired to limit the invention only to the embodiment, but the invention should be considered to include all the substitutes, modifications and equivalents which are encompassed within the essential part of the invention to be set forth in the scope of the underwritten claims and within the scope of the spirit exhibited in the intention of the inventor.

What I claim is:

1. An improvement of footwear comprising a lower sole member, an upper cover member secured to said lower sole member, and an inner sole member having a number of Ventilating holes and being secured to the upper surface of said lower sole member, said lower sole member being made of soft elastic material and having a plurality of protrusions on the lower surface thereof and a plurality of cavities at the opposite side thereof, and a circular groove being formed around the foot of each of said protrusions, thereby aifording high deformation and flexibility.

2. A footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower sole member includes a heel portion, said heel portion being provided with a plurality of cavities on the upper surface thereof, thereby affording high cushioning effect.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 429,429 6/ 1890 Eckhardt 36-3 2,347,207 4/ 1944 Margolin 36-3 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,026,299 4/ 195 3 France.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner

Images