INNER SOLE

Abstract

An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe can have a body made of flexible material and formed therein with a liquid containing space for sealingly and flowably containing liquid therein. The inner sole can include dam portions for dividing the liquid containing space into a toe region, a heel region and a middle region therebetween, and orifices for communicating the liquid between mutually adjacent regions at a predetermined flowing rate.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2005/018533, filed Oct. 6, 2005, which claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2004-295860, filed Oct. 8, 2004, the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

1. Field of the Inventions

The present inventions relate to an inner sole of a shoe.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are known designs of inner soles for shows which are to be laid on an insole of the shoe in order to absorb shock applied to the sole of a foot of a walker or wearer of the inner sole (see e.g. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 197504/2000). The inner sole of JP Publication No. 197504/2000 is made of a flexible material and has a space in which liquid is flowably contained in a sealed manner so as to have a massaging effect in addition to the shock absorbing effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

However since the inner sole of JP Publication No. 197504/2000 has only one liquid containing space continuous over its whole region, it is difficult to cause an ideal movement of liquid during walking and thus it is impossible to provide sufficient effects of shock absorption and massage to the sole of a foot of a walker. An aspect of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein includes the realization that by controlling the flow rate of a liquid between multiple chambers of an insole, the shock absorbing effect and massaging effect to the sole of a foot of a walker can be improved.

Thus, in accordance with an embodiment, an inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe can have a body made of flexible material and formed therein with a liquid containing space for sealingly and flowably containing liquid therein. The inner sole can comprise dam portions dividing the liquid containing space into a toe region, a heel region and a middle region therebetween. Additionally, the inner sole can comprise orifices for communicating the liquid between mutually adjacent regions at a predetermined flowing rate.

In accordance with another embodiment, an inner sole for a shoe can comprise a body made of flexible material. The body can include a liquid containing space and a liquid disposed in the liquid containing space. The inner sole can further comprise a toe dam portion and a heel dam portion dividing the liquid containing space into at least a toe region, a heel region and a middle region therebetween. The toe dam portion and the heel dam portion can be configured to allow the liquid in the liquid containing space to flow through the toe and heel dam portions at predetermined flow rates.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, an inner sole for a shoe can comprise a body made of flexible material. The body can include a liquid containing space and a liquid disposed in the liquid containing space. The inner sole can further comprise a toe dam portion and a heel dam portion dividing the liquid containing space into at least a toe region, a heel region and a middle region therebetween. The toe dam portion and the heel dam can include means for controlling flow rate of the liquid through the toe and heel dam portions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional advantages and features of the present inventions will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the inner sole according to an embodiment;

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

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a method of experiment that can be used to understand effects obtained by an inner sole, such as the inner sole of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an inner sole that can be used as a comparative example to the inner sole of FIGS. 1 and 2, described below as “Comparative Example 1”, using the method of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a pressure distribution obtained in the method of FIG. 3, using an inner sole in accordance with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a pressure distribution obtained in the method of FIG. 3, using the Comparative Example 1 inner sole; and

FIG. 7 is a graph showing a pressure distribution obtained in the method of FIG. 3, using another comparative example, described below as “Comparative Example 2”.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Embodiments of the present inventions are be described with reference to accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of an inner sole to be laid on an insole can comprise a body of the inner sole including an upper inner sole member 1a and a lower inner sole member 1b which can be adhered and sealed in a liquid tight manner for containing therein liquid such as water W, or any other liquid. The inner sole can also include dam portions 2 and 3, a second dam portion 4, and a third dam portion 5.

Each of the upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b can have an overall shape or configuration substantially same as that of an insole of a shoe on which they are laid. The sole members can be made of two flexible members (e.g. elastic synthetic resin etc.). The upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b can be, for example, heat sealed to each other at their edges so that a liquid containing space for containing liquid such as water W is formed between them. Material for forming the upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b can be any one selected from various plastics or synthetic resins so long as it has a durability and flexibility suitable for the inner sole.

The dam portions 2 and 3 can be formed by heat welding the upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b. However, any other technique can also be sued.

The arrangement of the various dam portions can be configured to divide the liquid containing space into a toe region A, a heel region C and a middle region B therebetween. However, other regions can also be used.

For example, the dam portions 2 and 3 can be arranged so that they form the toe region A corresponding to a toe region of a shoe on which insole the inner sole is laid, the heel region B corresponding to a heel region of the shoe, and the middle region B between the toe and heel regions of the shoe. Optionally, these regions A, B, C, can also be further subdivided, as described below in greater detail.

Opposite ends of the upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b can be arranged so that they are separated a predetermined distance from the heat sealed edges of the upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b. As such, these separated portions can form orifices, such as orifices R1 and R2 as shown in FIG. 1.

The dimension of each orifices R1 and R2 can be set so that the liquid contained in the inner sole can flow at a predetermined flow rate between two adjacent regions divided by the dam portions 2 and 3. Accordingly, when a load is applied to the heel region C, liquid contained in the heal region C can flow into the middle region B and then into the toe region A through the orifices R2 and R1 respectively. Similarly, when a load is applied to the toe region A, liquid contained in the toe region A can flow into the middle region B and then into the heel region C through the orifices R1 and R2 respectively.

Provision of the toe region A, middle region B and heel region C as well as the orifices R1 and R2 allows the liquid (e.g. water) to flow from the heel region C into the middle region B or from the toe region A into the middle region B responding to a timing of walk during walking of a walker or wearer of the inner sole and thus makes it possible to improve the massaging effect to the sole of a foot of a walker.

Each of the dam portions 2 and 3 can optionally be formed as having an arc configuration, being convex toward the toe region A from the heel region C. Such a configuration can be used to make the flow rate when the heel of a shoe equipped with the inner sole contacts a ground (i.e. when the liquid flows from the heel region C to the toe region A through the middle region B) slower than that when the toe of a shoe equipped with the inner sole contacts a ground (i.e. when the liquid flows from the toe region A to the heel region C through the middle region B). However, other configurations can also be used to achieve this effect.

When the load is applied from the toe of the walker to the toe region A, the flow rate of liquid or water to the middle region B through the orifices R1 and that of liquid to the heel region C through the orifices R2 can be accelerated and the liquid in the toe region A can be rapidly expelled therefrom by the convex configuration of the dam portions 2 and 3 (i.e. the convex configuration toward the toe region A). Thus rearward kicking of the shoe against a ground (e.g., when the toe portion of an associated shoes strikes the ground during the latter portion of a running stride, and as the heel is lifted from the ground) as well as excellent wearing fitness can be obtained and the liquid can be rapidly returned to its initial condition by next contact of the heel against a ground. Although it is illustrated in FIG. 1 that the configuration of each dam portions 2 and 3 is arc of convex toward the toe region A, any configuration other than arc can be used if it is convex toward the toe region A.

A second dam portion 4 can be added in the toe region A by any technique, including heat welding the upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b to divide the toe region A into fore and aft two portions i.e. a first toe region Aa and a second toe region Ab. The second dam portion 4 can extend over full width of the toe region A to limit liquid flow between the first and second toe regions Aa and Ab. Additionally, an orifice R3 can be provided for allowing partial liquid flow therebetween.

The provision of the orifice R3 enables to further finely control the liquid flow in the toe region A especially in rearward kicking of the shoe against a ground. For example, when a load is applied to the first toe region Aa from the sole of a foot of a walker during his walking, since the liquid within the first toe region Aa flows not only into the middle region B but into the second toe region Ab, the elasticity caused by the liquid can be better controlled.

In addition, the middle portion B can be formed with a spread portion Ba at a position corresponding to a shank portion of a shoe on which the inner sole is laid. Since the inner sole shown in FIG. 1 is for a right hand foot, the spread portion Ba is shown arranged at a left hand side of the inner sole. However, it is of course that the spread portion Ba is arranged at a right hand side of a inner sole for a left foot configuration. Similarly to the other regions, the spread portion Ba can also form a part of the liquid containing space.

A third dam portion 5 can be arranged between the spread portion Ba and the middle region B by any technique, including heat welding the upper and lower inner sole members 1a and 1b similarly to the dam portions 2 and 3 and the second dam portion 4 and orifices R4 are formed between the spread portion Ba and the middle region B to control the liquid flow. The spread portion Ba can also effectively apply massaging effect to the sole of a foot of a walker. The spread portion Ba has a generally vertically bulged configuration along a configuration of the arch of a foot of a walker.

As shown in FIG. 1, the third dam portion 5 can be formed as having an arc configuration, convex toward the middle region B from the spread portion Ba. This shape can make the flow rate from the spread portion Ba to the middle region B slower than that from the middle region B to the spread portion Ba. This makes it possible to improve the massaging effect to the arch of a foot of a walker. However, other configurations can also be used to provide this effect.

Then an experiment for proving the effects of the embodiments of the inner sole is described below.

In an experiment, with reference to FIG. 3, a sheet member “a” of hard synthetic resin is laid on a floor. Then an inner sole “b” submitted for the experiment (omitted in case of experiment as to bare foot), a thin leather member “c” and a sensor sheet “d” are laid on successively. A sample “Embodiment” is an inner sole shown in FIG. 1, a sample “Comparative Example 1” is an inner sole shown in FIG. 4, and a sample “Comparative Example 2” is a condition in which no inner sole is used and only the sensor sheet “d” is laid on the thin leather member “c”.

As shown in FIG. 4, the “Comparative Example 1” is formed so that it comprises a space S for containing water W therein and a plurality of linear projections Sa which do not partition the space S (accordingly, the space S is kept in a communicated condition). The experiment was carried out as to the samples identified as “Embodiment”, “Comparative Example 1” and “Comparative Example 2” by measuring the pressure distribution with laying feet on the sensor sheet “d”. Results of the experiment are shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 as to the samples “Embodiment”, “Comparative Example 1” and “Comparative Example 2” respectively.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5˜7, the sample “Embodiment” can distribute the pressure applied to the sole of a foot more evenly than those of the samples “Comparative Example 1” and “Comparative Example 2”. This more even pressure distribution is found even in the arch of a foot. Accordingly this proves that the embodiments of the inner sole described above can have excellent shock absorbing effect as well as massaging effect as compared with the “Comparative Example 1” and “comparative Example 2”.

The present inventions have been described with reference to certain embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alternations will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the present inventions be construed as including all such alternations and modifications. For example, the positioning and configuration of the dam portions and the orifices can be modified and alternated. However, other modifications are also possible.

In addition, it is possible to contain within the inner sole any liquid other than water (e.g. oil having a predetermined viscosity may be used). Using water reduces the manufacturing cost of the inner sole. Furthermore, it is possible to somewhat extend a marginal portion beyond the toe region A so that it can be cut off e.g. by scissors to be corresponded to a size of a shoes on which the inner sole is laid.

Furthermore, the second toe region Ab may be flattened by heat welding its whole region and the third dam portion 5 may be omitted.

The present inventions can also be applied to other inner soles having different configurations or additional functions as far as it has dam portions for dividing the inner sole into the toe region, middle region and heel region as well as orifices for controlling the flow rate passing therethrough.

Claims

1. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe having a body made of flexible material and formed therein with a liquid containing space for sealingly and flowably containing liquid therein, wherein the inner sole comprises dam portions dividing the liquid containing space into a toe region, a heel region and a middle region therebetween, and orifices for communicating the liquid between mutually adjacent regions at a predetermined flowing rate.

2. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 1 wherein each of the dam portions is formed with a convex configuration toward the toe region from the heel region.

3. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 1 further comprising a second dam portion for additionally dividing the toe region into a forward toe region and a rearward toe region, and an orifice formed in the second dam portion.

4. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 2 further comprising a second dam portion for additionally dividing the toe region into a forward toe region and a rearward toe region, and an orifice formed in the second dam portion.

5. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 1 further comprising a spread portion laterally extended from the middle region to a position corresponding to a shank portion of the shoe on which the inner sole is laid, a third dam portion partitioning the spread portion from the middle region, and orifices arranged at either ends of the third dam portion.

6. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 2 further comprising a spread portion laterally extended from the middle region to a position corresponding to a shank portion of the shoe on which the inner sole is laid, a third dam portion partitioning the spread portion from the middle region, and orifices arranged at either ends of the third dam portion.

7. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 3 further comprising a spread portion laterally extended from the middle region to a position corresponding to a shank portion of the shoe on which the inner sole is laid, a third dam portion partitioning the spread portion from the middle region, and orifices arranged at either ends of the third dam portion.

8. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 4 further comprising a spread portion laterally extended from the middle region to a position corresponding to a shank portion of the shoe on which the inner sole is laid, a third dam portion partitioning the spread portion from the middle region, and orifices arranged at either ends of the third dam portion.

9. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 1 wherein the liquid is water (W).

10. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 2 wherein the liquid is water (W).

11. An inner sole to be laid on an insole of a shoe of claim 3 wherein the liquid is water (W).

12. An inner sole for a shoe, comprising a body made of flexible material, the body including a liquid containing space and a liquid disposed in the liquid containing space, the inner sole further comprising a toe dam portion and a heel dam portion dividing the liquid containing space into at least a toe region, a heel region and a middle region therebetween, the toe dam portion and the heel dam portion being configured to allow the liquid in the liquid containing space to flow through the toe and heel dam portions at predetermined flow rates.

13. The inner sole according to claim 12, wherein the heel dam portion is configured to allow the liquid to flow through the heel dam portion at a first flow rate in a direction from the heel region toward to the middle region and at a second flow rate in a direction from the middle region toward the heel region, the second flow rate being larger than the first flow rate.

14. The inner sole according to claim 13, wherein the heel dam portion is convex in a direction toward the middle region.

15. The inner sole according to claim 12, wherein the toe dam portion is configured to allow the liquid to flow through the toe dam portion at a first flow rate in a direction from the middle region toward to the toe region and at a second flow rate in a direction from the toe region toward the middle region, the second flow rate being larger than the first flow rate.

16. The inner sole according to claim 15, wherein the toe dam portion is convex in a direction toward the toe region.

17. The inner sole according to claim 12, wherein both the toe and heel dam portions are configured to allow the liquid in the liquid containing space to flow through the toe and heel dam portions faster in a first direction than in a second direction opposite the first direction.

18. An inner sole for a shoe, comprising a body made of flexible material, the body including a liquid containing space and a liquid disposed in the liquid containing space, the inner sole further comprising a toe dam portion and a heel dam portion dividing the liquid containing space into at least a toe region, a heel region and a middle region therebetween, the toe dam portion and the heel dam including means for controlling flow rate of the liquid through the toe and heel dam portions.

19. The inner sole according to claim 18, wherein the means for controlling includes means for causing a flow rate in a direction extending from the toe region toward the heel region to be different from a flow rate in a direction from the heel region toward the toe region.

20. The inner sole according to claim 18, wherein the means for causing includes means for making a flow rate in a direction extending from the toe region toward the heel region to be higher than a flow rate in a direction from the heel region toward the toe region.