WO2008152622A2

WO2008152622A2 - Shoe soles and heels

Info

Publication number: WO2008152622A2
Application number: PCT/IL2008/000727
Authority: WO
Inventors: Menuhi Levi
Original assignee: Menuhi Levi
Priority date: 2007-06-13
Filing date: 2008-05-29
Publication date: 2008-12-18
Also published as: WO2008152622A3; IL183896A0

Abstract

Shoe construction that enables the user to choose and insert shock absorption and other materials in the sole construction of the shoe to suit the comfort, health and other needs of the user. The space between the upper and lower soles layers made to insert the filling materials being openable and sealable so that the materials can be changed according to the will of the user. Colored inserts for marketing, promotion or to indicate the softness factor.

Description

SHOE SOLES AND HEELS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of shoe construction and in particular a method to construct shoes in such a way that the end-user can choose the filling material in the sole and heel space for his comfort and/or for medical purposes and/or for aesthetic purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS This patent application claims priority from and is related to Israeli Patent Application Serial Number 183896, filed 13 June 2007, this Israeli Patent Application incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The soles and heels of shoes are manufactured to-day from a wide variety of materials offering, amongst other qualities strength, shock absorption and light weight.

One of the disadvantages of the current methods of manufacturing and marketing shoes is that the end-user has no option to choose the material in the heel and sole of the shoe except for what he can learn at the time purchasing, which is usually very little. Furthermore, the buyer has no possibility to change the material if he so desires. He may desire to change the material if, for example, he intends to walk on a rough terrain or if he needs some therapeutic remedy which could be achieved by adding certain materials into the sole of the shoe. For fashion purposes it can be that the sole filling could be colorful or have other effects like flashing lights and be visible from the outside. In this case the color or other effects could be changed by the end-user. The present invention intends to satisfy this need by making a shoe in such a way that the contents (filling) of the sole and heel can be chosen by the end- user and changed by him from time to time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present embodiments of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview, or framework, for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the invention.

This invention comprises a shoe construction that enables materials to be inserted in the space between the bottom layer that is in contact with the ground and the top layer of the sole that the foot rests upon. The bottom layer sole could be a strong but thin layer to protect the filling materials and the foot from damage from protrusions on the ground. This bottom layer sole could be a thick material. This bottom layer could be made from for example, leather, synthetic material, aluminum or steel sheeting. The insert materials, making the body of the shoe sole, are not limited in character or shape. For example, the insert material could be ball shaped pieces of silicon or rubber or flat layers of these substances. Alternatively or in addition, the inserted material could be harder material to cause a massage effect on the sole of the feet or could be magnets to accommodate the needs of a known quasi-medical procedure using the effect of a magnetic field on the sole of the feet. The magnets could be sandwiched between silicon cushions and be smaller than the silicon to avoid discomfort. Other effects known in the field of reflexology could be put into effect with this invention. The insert material could be a soft gel substance offering a cushion effect to the user. The balls or other shapes of silicon or rubber could "swim" in a volume of gel substance or such balls or other shapes could be without such surrounding gel. One of the desired effects of the sole insert materials is to produce a feeling like walking on sand where the sole filling materials spread and move to fit the shape of the foot. There could be a number of inserts each covering a portion of the area of the sole of the shoe, shaped to fit together to cover in total the whole area of the sole and heel. This would thereby enable different substances to be underneath different parts of the foot. That is to say a person who needs, for example, a soft gel under his heel and a magnetic effect under the front of the foot and a massage effect under the arch of his foot could be accommodated by this invention. The hardness of the gel or silicon filling could vary according to the comfort or medical needs of the user. The heel could be divided into more than one part.

The shoe could be constructed ready made with the special substances in the sole. These substances could be fixed permanently in the sole or could be removable and replaceable. The space in the sole of the shoe could be left empty by the manufacturer and the insert or combination of inserts chosen in the retail shop with the aid of the salesperson's advice. Alternatively, a person could buy a kit of different sized and shaped inserts and different types of materials so that he could change the insert as he desires. For example, to walk on concrete he could insert one type of silicon balls and to walk on rough, stony terrain he could insert a different type of sole filling.

The inserts of fillings or replacement fillings could be in closed packs shaped to fit in different parts of the shoe, for example a shaped packed suitable to fit the heal section of the shoe and another pack to fit the arch section of the shoe and so on. The user would replace the filling by inserting say, three packs of suitable material into the appropriate section of the shoe.

In the case of replaceable fillings there could be means of closing the insert substances into the space in the sole of the shoe to prevent them escaping due to the movement of the feet and pressure from the body weight. In the case of the shoe sole being openable to insert or exchange the filling in the sole, the upper portion of the shoe including the upper layer of the sole, could separate from the lower portion of the sole. This separation would reveal the space in the sole and filling material could be added or exchanged. The methods of closing and opening the sole space could be by any convenient and efficient method. For example, male/female studs or Velcro around the circumference of the shoe and for greater stability there could be studs or Velcro added across from one side of the shoe to the other. The studs or whatever closing mechanism method is used to open and close the shoe could be covered with a layer of leather or other suitable material so that the foot would not rub on the closing mechanism. The side walls of the heel and sole could be transparent or translucent to allow the color or lighting effects of the filling substances to be visible from the outside. This could be a safety factor for night-time use.

The different degrees of hardness or different substances could be identified by different colors.

The shape of the cushioned insert could be the shape of a dough-nut, that is to say a circular shape with a circular hole in the center. This could be used in the case of diseased or injured feet to prevent pressure or rubbing on the sore area. The top layer of the sole of the shoe, that is, the part that the sole of the foot rests upon, could be relatively thin and flexible so that the gel and other effects can be felt by the user. This layer that the foot rests upon could have anti- sweat and anti-odor properties.

One sole could be made higher than the other for those who have one leg shorter than the other.

The construction of the sole of this invention could be suitable for shoes of all kinds, for men or for women, sandals, boots and the like.

There could be sole inserts made of a substance that releases heat when pressed. This could be used for people with circulation difficulties or in the winter season in cold climates. After the warming effect wears off or when the weather is warmer the sole insert could be replaced. A battery could be used to create a source of heat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain, by way of example only, the principles of the invention:

Figs 1A through 1C are schematic side, top and perspective views, respectively, of a shoe according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and

Figs 2A through 2C are schematic side, top and perspective views, respectively, of a shoe according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As will be appreciated the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments than those discussed above and described in more detail below, and its several details are capable of modifications in various aspects, all without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the embodiments set forth below are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

The present invention comprises a shoe construction that enables materials to be inserted in the space between the bottom sole layer that is in contact with the ground and the top sole layer on which the foot rests. Fig 1 A is a side view of a shoe (100) constructed according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The shoe (100) comprises a sole base (102), a sole body (104) on top of the base (102) and an upper sole cover (106) on which the foot rests. The sole base (102) layer is preferably made of thin but strong material such as, but not limited to leather, synthetic material, steel sheeting or aluminum sheeting, or a combination thereof.

The sole body (104) contains a certain volume of space depending on the style and build of each type of shoe. This space can be utilized for inserting various fillings, for example, for inserting balls (110), other spherical objects or flat layers of different sizes, materials and hardness. The balls (110) can be made of, for example, silicon or rubber and can be of various sizes, colors and degrees of hardness to suit the comfort or other purposes like, for example, massage the base of the foot while walking, or other medical needs. The balls (110) may be surrounded by gel (114). According to some embodiments oil may be added to the gel to prevent stiffening. The inserted materials are not limited in character or shape.

According to some embodiments, the balls may be replaced by seeds, such as flax seeds, mustard seeds, or any other type of seeds known for their therapeutic characteristics.

The insert materials, making the body of the shoe sole, are not limited in character or shape. For example, the insert material could be ball shaped pieces of silicon or rubber or flat layers of these substances. Alternatively or in addition, the inserted material could be harder material to cause a massage effect on the sole of the feet or could be magnets to accommodate the needs of a known quasi-medical procedure using the effect of a magnetic field on the sole of the feet. The magnets could be sandwiched between silicon cushions and be small enough to avoid discomfort. Other effects known in the field of reflexology could be put into effect with this invention. The insert material could be a soft gel substance offering a cushion effect to the user. The balls or other shapes of silicon or rubber could "swim" in a volume of gel substance or such balls or other shapes could be inserted without surrounding gel. One of the desired effects of the sole insert materials is to produce a feeling like walking on sand, where the sole filling materials spread and move to fit the shape of the foot.

The edge (112) of the sole body (104) or any of its sidewalls may be made of transparent or translucent material, enabling the user to choose colored balls to match his/her clothes. According to some embodiments the gel inserted into the sole body may be phosphorous gel, to provide luminosity through the transparent or translucent edge (112) or sidewalls.

Upper sole cover (106) may be made of a somewhat elastic fabric and may be detachably attached to the sole body (104), by any means known in the art such as Velcro, to enable replacement when desired.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the space in the body (104) of the sole is accessible to the user, by way of removing the upper sole cover (106), for changing the contents, e.g. to another color or degree of hardness. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the space in the body (104) of the sole is accessible to the user, by way of openable studs (116) enabling the separation of the shoe's body (118) from the sole.

Figs. 1 B and 1 C are schematic top and perspective views, respectively, of the shoe (100) according to this first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig 2A is a side view of a shoe (200) constructed according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the shoe (100) of the first embodiment, shoe (200) comprises a sole base (201), preferably made of thin but strong material such as, but not limited to leather, synthetic material, steel sheeting or aluminum sheeting, or a combination thereof. The sole body is divided into three sections: the heel (202), the arch (204) and the rest of the foot (206). These divisions could be used to insert sole fillings of silicon or other materials either loosely in each section or as pre-prepared packs of specific fillings shaped to fit the heel (202) or the arch (204) or the rest of the foot (206). The division of the sole could be different from what is shown in Fig 2 and may comprise a different number of sections. Similar to the shoe (100) of the first embodiment, shoe (200) may comprise an upper sole cover (not shown) which may be made of a somewhat elastic fabric and may be detachably attached to the sole's three body parts (202, 204, 206), by any means known in the art such as Velcro, to enable replacement when desired. Fig 2B is a top view of the shoe (200) and shows the use of different kinds of fillings in the sole of the shoe. If, for example, the user has a sore on his heel, he may insert a silicon filling (208) with a hole (210) in the position of the sore. Silicon balls (212) are placed under the arch of the foot for general support and magnets which are of a smaller size may be added so that the foot does not feel the hard magnet.

The remainder of the sole (214) may be filled with gel balls that have a massage effect on the foot.

Fig. 2C is a perspective view of the shoe (200) according to this second embodiment of the present invention.

In all embodiments of the present invention the top sole layer may comprise anti- sweat and anti-odor properties. One sole could be made higher than the other for those who have one leg shorter than the other.

The sole filling may be adapted to the wearer's weight.

The construction of the sole of this invention could be suitable for shoes of all kinds, for men or for women, sandals, boots and the like. There could be sole inserts made of a substance that releases heat when pressed. This could be used for people with circulation difficulties or for winter season in cold climates. After the warming effect wears off or when the weather is warmer the sole insert could be replaced. A battery could be used to create a source of heat. The shoe could be constructed ready made with the filling substances in the sole. These substances could be fixed permanently in the sole or could be removable and replaceable. The space in the sole of the shoe could be left empty by the manufacturer and the insert or combination of inserts chosen in the retail shop with the aid of the salesperson's advice. Alternatively, a person could buy a kit of different sized and shaped inserts and different types of materials so that he could change the insert as he desires. For example, to walk on concrete he could insert one type of silicon balls and to walk on rough, stony terrain he could insert a different type of sole filling.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED:The present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described above, but to encompass any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

1. A shoe sole comprising: a base layer; a sole body comprising an exchangeable filling, a top sole layer; and means for opening and closing the sole body, whereby said filling may be inserted or exchanged.

2. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said base layer is made of one of leather, synthetic material, steel sheeting and aluminum sheeting or a combination thereof.

3. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said filling comprises one of silicon, gel, rubber, magnets, synthetic material, seeds and oil or a combination thereof.

4. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein said filling is colored.

5. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said filling is made of spherical shaped pieces.

6. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said filling is made of substances of varying degrees of softness.

7. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said sole body comprises a transparent sidewall.

8. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said sole body comprises a transparent edge.

9. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising dividers in said sole body to enable different filling substances in each said divisions.

10. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said filling releases heat under pressure.

11. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said filling comprises a separate kit insertable into and removable from said sole body.

12. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 9, wherein said filling is enclosed in packs, shaped to fit the relevant division of said sole.