CA2139351A1 - Footwear assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A shoe or boot has an adjustable outer (12, 13, 30), a flexible chamber (23) for supporting a foot (31) within the outer and containing particulate material in the form of resilient beads, and an exhaust valve (24) for exhausting air from the chamber to form a substantially rigid mould of the foot within the boot.

Description

2 1 3 9 3 5 ``` RECEtYE~ 1 1 OCT 1994 ~; :

" FOOl~EAR ASSE~BLY "

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a footwear assembly.
The invention~ has particular application to a footwear assembly having an adjustable liner for closely ; conforming to ~he un}que footshape of an individual wearer~ The invention is of particular relevance to ski boots and particular reference will be made to such an 0 application. Howe~Ter ~the~ invention is applicable to other sporting shoes such as running shoes, basketball hoots~ roller~;,blades,~hiking boots etc, and it will be , ~ understood that ~he ~invention is applicable to all ~ootwear, including orthotic footwear.
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BACKGROUND ART ~
Ski ~boots are ~;nown to utilise supportjcushioning means for cushioning the user's foot from the rigid inner surface~of the~bc3t casing. ~ Orthotic footwear is also 2~0~ well~ known 'and~ patient-speaific orthotic inserts are provided,~for podiatric; treatment.~ It is thus well known to~shape~ support/cushioning~ means~ to conform to the "~ foo~shape~of,~ an individual user, however known systems are~;~not~simple~to operate~and can also~ requlre specialist 25'~ orthotic~;ass~istance~to~e~stablish user-specific cushioning means~ conforming~ to ~the~ unique footshape of an indivldual~ Moreover,~once~established, many known support~/cushioning means~cannot be re-shaped to conform to ~the~uni~ue~footshapes of different individuals or to allow for~' the;' fact that the ~ootshape of one person varie~ with a'ge, time, temperature and in accordance with o~her'factor~
U.~S~ Patent 4,724~,627~and French patent 2,597, 729 disc~lose~ski-boo~ts which support a portion only of the 35~ ;foot and~are~ thus prone to increase discomfort in the non-supported areas. They are not adapted to provide a complete negati~e of~ the skiers foot by co~erlng the entire f oot and so ensure particulate distribution or to ~ 2 ~CT/AU 9 3 ¦ ~ ~ 3 ~ ~

3 9 3 5 1 REC~IYEC) 1 1 O CT 19~4 be fine tuned to the foot at any time.
Other examples of the known prior art include the disclosures of German patent publications 3404554, 1815853, and 1962632; U.S. patents ~,654,386 and

4,083,127 and European patent publications 0,221,808 and 0,470,358. :;

D I S CLOSURE Q F THE INVENTI ON
The present invention aims to provide a footwear assembly which will be reliable and efficient in use.
This inv:ention in one aspect resides broadly in foot support means for use in a boot or a shoe, comprising:
a flat, elongate, normally-horizontal hermetically-sealed and flexible lower chamber containing particulate material and adapted to support khe sole of a foot within a boot or a shoe, the lower chamber having a front or toe end and ha~in~ a:rear or heel end, a curved normally-inclined hermetically-sealed and flexible front chamber containing particulate material : ~ 20 and adapted tQ be interposed between the tongue area of a :boot or shoe and the foot, th ~ront chamber having a ~ lower toe po~tion and upper portion, - :a curved normally-vertical hermetically sealed and flexible reax chamber containing particulate material and: ~ 25 adapted to be interposed between the heel and/or ankle area of a boot or shoe and the foot, the reaL chamber ~ ~ ~having a lower hee:l portion and an upper portion, :~a ~le~ible hermetic connection between the toe portion of the~ upper-front chamber and the toe end of the lower chamber, and/or a flexible hermitic connection between~the heel: portion of the rear chamber and the heel end o~ the lower chamberj and :~ air-valve means conn~cted to the front chamber and/or the rear chamber operable to seal the chamber or 35 . chambers from the atmosphere after air has been exhausted therefrom, whereby the front chamber and the lower chamber may be simultaneously inflated or exhausted, :and/or whereby the rear chamber and the lower chamber may P~ 3 ~ ~ O
2139351 R~OEIVE~ C't ~9 be simultaneously inflated or exhausted from the valve means by virtue of the connection or connections therebetween.
As used herein, the expression ~foot~ can include the ankle and the lower leg.
It is preferred that the one flexible hermetic connection is formed between the toe portion of the front chamkier and the toe end of the lower chamber, and that the second flexible hermetic connection is formed between the heel portion of~ the rear chamber and the heel end of the lower chamber, so that all three of the chambers may be inflated and exhausted from one the valve means~
It is further preferred that the upper-front chamber andlor the rear chamber is/are subdivided into a plurality of internal compartments by flexible baffles, ; that the baffles and the compar~ments are inclined with respect to walls of their respective chamber, that each compartmen~ conta~ins particulate material and is sealed so~that the material cannot move from one compartment to another, but that the baffles are permeable to gas so that~ air may ~freely flow bet~een and through the compartments of a chamber~
The particulate material can be~ any suitable small and~-preferably uniform graine~ material. Sand, grain Z5~ hùsks ~or~grain~such as rice etc can be used. Howe~er it is ~preferred that- t~e particulate ma~erial comprises res;ilient~ pellets. ~ The resilisnt pelLets may be polystyr~ne beads~ or~ the~ like. Alternatively the , rjesilient pellets may be encapsulations of a shock-~` ; 30 absorbent gas~eous~fluid, liquid or gel-like substance.
s~ In a ~preferred embodiment at least one of the baffles comprises a~membrane looped from one side wall of its respective~chamkier and back ~o the same side wall so - as to~orm the inclined compartment.
; 35~ Suitably each compartment is only partially ~illed with the particulate material leaving the upper portion thereof empty, adjacent compartments within a chamber overlapping one anot"er in the vertical direction so that lP~/AU 9 3 / O (;~ 3 31 R~OEIYE~ 1 1 OCT-lgg4 the particulate material in the compartments also overlap.
In another aspect this invention resides broadly in a sport-boot assembly comprising a substantially rigid outer casing fitted with foot support means of the type defined above and having:
a vacuum pump connected to the valve means and operable to draw gas from two or more of the chambers simul-taneously.
0 It is preferred that the outer casing and/or the support means includes ~a gas reservoir connected to the pump into ~which gas drawn from the chambers can be discharged, whereby the chambers, pump and reservoir form a sealed gas system.
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: ~: DESCRIYTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In ordex that this invention may be more easily ~ understood and put into practical effect, reference will :~ now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate ~; : 20 a preerxed~embodiment o~ the invention, wherein:-FIGS 1 and 2 are perspective~views of a ski ~oot in ::: : accordance: with the invention with the heel piece respectively closed and open;
FIG 3 is a;side view of the ski boot of FIG 2;

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FIGS 4 and 5 are respectively an exploded perspective view and a side view of the inner boot and heel in accordance with the invention;
: FIGS 6 and 7 il~u.trate a flexible chamber ~upport in expanded and exhausted conditions respectively;
FIG 8 is a partial cross-sectional elevation through the wall of the inner boot;
~: ~ FIG ~ i~ a cro~s sectional elevation of a ~ki boot in ; : accordance with th~ invention; :~
lOFIGS lO~ and ll :illu~trate alternati~e baffle arrangements~within:a flexible chamber, and FIG5 12 and 13 are cro~s-sectional elevations of a : flexible chamber having a single membrane baffle and illustrate the dispoæition of the pellets in the chamber in ; 15 the expanded and exhau t~d condi~ions respectively.
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As can be seen in FIGS l to 3, ~ ~ki boot ll ha8 a fixed outer casing 12 incorporating a 801e, toe, sid2, upper :and tongue portions. : Outer h~el casing 13 is : pivota~ly mount~d to casin~ 12 about pivots 14. The outer ;20 ~ ca~ings ~are adju~table to tighten~or loosen the fit of the ki:boot about:the foot~ b~ means of cl~mps 15, 1~ and 17.
nner boot :18 a~d inner heel 19 fit closely withi~ the : : outer ca~ings:~and are seen in gxeater detail in F~GS 4 and 25 ~Inner~ boot 18 ;is ~adapted to;~abut the ~ole, toes, sides, ~arch,:~ankle~and~shin of a u~er, and inner heel 19 i~
adap~d to abut :the u~er'~ heel, reaT ankle and the lower ~;; back~leg~ As can be seen in dotted outline in FIG ~ er boot 18 includes~a ~ole ~upport chamber 20, a pair of side 30support ch~mber~:21:and a tongue support ~hauber 2. Inner heel 19 has a he l:support:~hamber 23. ;;A two-way exhaust valve 24 i8 connected to the support chambers 20, 21 and 2~. The~heel æupport chamber 23 may : also be connected to support chambers 20, 21 and 22 as ~ illustrated or:alternatively heel support chamber 23 can be exhausted through another exhaust valve (not illustrated).

- WO 94/OlV13 PCI~A093/Oû331~
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FIGS 6 and 7 sch~matically illustrate the principle of operation of a support cham~er in accordance with the inventioll. A flexible relatively flat sandwich-like bag 25 orms a suppor~ chamber 51 which is partially f illed with

5 particulate mat~rial 26. Support chamber 51 co~ unicates with atmosphere through a v~lve 2 7 sho~m ~3c:h~matically open in FIG 6 and clo~ed in P'IG 7. If pre~ssure is applied to support ch~er 51 by an object beirlg pre~ed into the support cha~iber :with valve 27 open, air will be forced out :~ 1 0 of ch~ber 5 1:: and the suppor~ chamb~r will f orm a complimentary or negati~e ~hape of the object.
If a vacuum pump i8 then applied to valve 27 and chamber 51 i~s evacua~ed whil~t the objec~ remains pres~ed into the ~upport chamber, particulate mzlterial 26 will be l~ compre~3~3ed under the f orce o~E atmospheric pre~sure and f orm a rigit ma~s having a~ ~hape conform~ng wi~h the object and the ~urf ace against which the support cham3ber bear~; . As can be seen in FIG 7, ~he upper: surf ace of ~upport chaniber 51 has adopted:the ~hape of:the ~ole of the foot.;: : 20 ~ - Particulate material 26 i8 pFeferably pellet-like or granuIar. It may be ~oar~e grained ~and and ric2, lentils `: : :
~:~ : or other grains:have been found to be suitable as has grain husk~.: It is prefer~bl~ that the particulate material is light and reB~lient so that the boot or ~hoe i~ not heavy : 25 and: incorporates ~hock ab~orbing propertie~. The typa of : : expanded foam:pellets used ~or bean ~ag fill has be~n ~ound to be suitable. Alternati~ely the pell~k~ can be shock absorbent beads or encapsulations of air, liquid or a gel.
The pellets are pref~rably spherical and optionally have a : 30~ ~diameter o~ between 1 and 3 millLmet~rs.
The support ch ~ er is mads from a fluid proof or air proof material which is flexible and able to be thermally or ~heml ally ~ealed~ V~nyl, other plastics and rub~er ` sheeting is suitable.
As can be ~een in FX~ 8, the wall of i~n~r boot 18 and inner heel 19 is made of an outer stiffening lining 29 ~ 21393~1 ~
~094/~1013 - PCTJ~U93t~0331 adapted to conform to and fit snugly within the outex casing of the ski boot. Stiffening lining 29 may be made from lea~her, plastics or other material suitable for retaining shape whilst being pliable enough to conform th~
shape of the inner boot to the in~erior of the outer c~sing. A ~upport chamber as described above is ~andwiched between stiffe~ing linin~ 29 and an inner lining 28 which is adapted to ~it snugly around the U8~r ~ ~ foot. Inner lining 28 may be a cloth covered layer of foam or other smooth cu~hioning materialO
As can be seen in FIG 9 which is a cross sectional - elevation ~hrough the ski boot illustra~ed in F~G 3, the ski boot haæ a fixed outer ca~ing 12, ~ole 30 and outer heel ca~ing 13 in which the inner boot and inner h~el fit~: 15 :~nugly. A user'æ foot 31 is ~hown within the ~ki boot and supported by ~ole ~upport chamber 20, tongue support ~ . :
: chamber~22 and heel : 8upport chamber 23. Side support : : cham~ers 21 are not ~een in FIG 3. Sole support chamber 20 and tongue ~upport ch~mber 22 are seen sandwiched between 20 ~ outer stiff~ning lining 32 and inner lining 33 of the inner : boot, and heel ~upport chamber~ 23 i~ ~een sandwiched between ou~er ~tiffening lining 34 and inner lining 35 of ::~ the inner he~1. VaIve 24 is conne~ted to tongue ~upport ch ~ er 22 and the support ~hambers are intexconnectsd by 25~ ports 36 and 37 for evacuation through valve 24.
FIG lO illu~trates:a ~ingle membrane baffle 38 b~tw~en ~ ~ side walls 39 and 40 of a support cha~her to ~orm ; compartments 42 in the ~upport chamber. Apertures 4l in 'ba'ffle 38 allow f~or evacu~tion of air and allow air to flow between compartments ~o that during fitting foot mov~ment can force air be~we~n ~ompartments.
A double ~ided baffle 43 is illustr~te~ in FIG ll : betwe~ side walls 44 and 45 a~d forms compartments 48 in the support chamber~ Baffle 43 ha~ apertures 46 to allow :: 35 for the pas~age of air or oth~r liquid as described above.
Baffle 43 is formed by looping a ~ingle membrane from one .
' W O 94/01013 ~ 1 3 9 3 S l PC~r/~U93/0033~ ~

side wall back on itself ~o form an envelope or enclosure 47 and affixing an oppo~ite side of the looped baffle to the other sidewall. Particulate material can be plac~d in envelope 47 as well as in compartments 48.
The baffles are dispo~ed at an angle to the sidewalls and may be affixed adhe~ively or by thermal or chem~cal bonding. The apertures are ~ized to allow free passage of air thereth~ough but are smaller than the minimum dLmen6ion :~ of the p~llets to prevent migration of pellets between :: 10 compar~e~t~.
: FIGS 12 and 13 illu~trate the disposition of pellets - in:a flexible chamber having a ~ingl~ membrane baffle in the expanded and exhau~ted condition~ respectiYelyO In FIG
12 it can b~ een that pell~ts partially fill compartments ~15 4~ to a level ~0 above the lowermost point of connection of the upper baffle. Because the baffle~ ar2 angled to the sidewall~ ~ de~cribed above, particulate material will be dispo~d throughout the entire height of vertically aligned support cham~ers ~uch as the side~, tongue, heel and upper ; 20 ~ ~upport ch ~ ers. ~In FIG 13 it i8 seen that upon compression~the pellet6 completely fill compartment~ 49.
In use a user's foot is ingerted in the inn~r boot and with the ~alve allowing free communi~ation with the atmo~phere, the foot iæ pu~hed with a mas~aging action again~t the 801e and the outQr casing tightened a~ the foot i8 ~ettl~d: into~ the ~upport.~ With the ~alve ~wit~hed ko exhaust setting, a puDnp iæ applied to the valve to exhaust alr from the support chal~b~s. Thu~ the ~upport is first moulded to the~ ~hape o~ the foot and l~g and then ~set in the unique individual shape.
The footwear a~eD~bly in accorda~ee with the inv~ntion wiIl ~8 ~een to pofi5e8s a nuu~ber of advantages~ It is particulaxly beneficial in ~ki boots in providing a uniquely tailored ~upport for an individual ~kier. The 3~ invention is sl~nple to: use and can be r~-used allowing for hired ski boot~ to acconunodate a range of users with the .
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94/01013 2 1 3 9 3 5 1 PCr/AU93/~û331 same "personalised" fit as has hitherto been available in only high perf ormance ski boots . Furthermore it is advantageous that the support .-an be remoulded to adapt to changes in foot shape of the same user as such changes 5 occur from t~me to kime. The fs:)otwear æupport is also advantageous in providing f ine control during high perf ormance skiing where f irmly f itting boots are most desirable .
The f ootwear support o~ this invention provides a 10 close f itting mould which is contoured to the particular ~;hape of a user ~ s f oot and bears on the f oot with unif orm -pres:3ure ther0by lessening the occurrence of pre~3sure ~;pots and decreasing th~ likelihood of blisteri~g cau~ed ~y movement of the f oot withln the boot or hoe .
15The nature of the pellets can be varied to provide ~`
advantageous ~ffe~ts.: Utilisation of relatively hard pellets can provide a ~tippled surface which is benefieial in stim~;lating blood circulation in a manner sLmilar to that provided in spike-soled ~andals. Utilisation of ~maller pellets of shock-absorbing material can provide a relatively hard: ~ole chamber having good ~hock-absorbing properties and reducing the likelihood of stress fractures ~ ~ for joggers and long-distance runners.
: : It will of course be r~ali~ed that whil~t the above : 25 ha~ been gi~en by way of an il~ustrative example of this ~: ~ inv~rltio~, all such a~nd other modifications and variations ~: hereto, aæ ws:~uld b~ apparent to persons skilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ~bit of this inv~ntion as iB hereinaf ter claimed.

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Claims (7)

1. Foot support means for use in a boot or a shoe, comprising:
a flat, elongate, normally-horizontal hermetically-sealed and flexible lower chamber containing particulate material and adapted to support the sole of a foot within a boot or a shoe, said lower chamber having a front or toe end and having a rear or heel end, a curved normally-inclined hermetically-sealed and flexible front chamber containing particulate material and adapted to be interposed between the tongue area of a boot or shoe and the foot, said front chamber having a lower toe portion and upper portion, a curved normally-vertical hermetically-sealed and flexible rear chamber containing particulate material and adapted to be interposed between the heel and/or ankle area of a boot or shoe and the foot, said rear chamber having a lower heel portion and an upper portion, a flexible hermetic connection between the toe portion of the upper-front chamber and the toe end of the lower chamber, and/or a flexible hermitic connection between the heel portion of the rear chamber and the heel end of the lower chamber, and air-valve means connected to the front chamber and/or the rear chamber operable to seal said chamber or chambers from the atmosphere after air has been exhausted therefrom, whereby the front chamber and the lower chamber may be simultaneously inflated or exhausted, and/or whereby the rear chamber and the lower chamber may be simultaneously inflated or exhausted from said valve means by virtue of said connection or connections therebetween

2. Foot support means according to claim 1 wherein:
one said flexible hermetic connection is formed between the toe portion of the front chamber and the toe end of the lower chamber, and and a second said flexible hermetic connection is formed between the heel portion of the rear chamber and the heel end of the lower chamber, so that all three of said chambers may be inflated and exhausted from one said valve means.

3. Foot support means according to claim 1 or 2 wherein:
the upper-front chamber and/or the rear chamber is/are subdivided into a plurality of internal compartments by flexible baffles, said baffles and said compartments are inclined with respect to walls of their respective chamber, each compartment contains particulate material and is sealed so that said material cannot move from one compartment to another, but said baffles are permeable to gas so that air may freely flow between and through the compartments of a chamber.

4. Foot support means according to claim 3 wherein:
at least one of said baffles comprises a membrane looped from one side wall of its respective chamber and back to the same side wall so as to form said inclined compartment.

5. Foot support means according to claim 3 or 4 wherein:
each compartment is only partially filled with said particulate material leaving the upper portion thereof empty, adjacent compartments within a chamber overlap one another in the vertical direction so that the particulate material in said compartments also overlap.

6. A sport-boot assembly comprising a substantially rigid outer casing fitted with foot support means of the type claimed in any preceding claim and having:
a vacuum pump connected to said valve means and operable to draw gas from two or more of said chambers simultaneously.

7. A sport-boot assembly according to claim 6 wherein said outer casing and/or said support means includes a gas reservoir connected to said pump into which gas drawn from said chambers can be discharged, whereby the chambers, pump and reservoir form a sealed gas system.