Moisturizing Footwear and Soles
Footwear for moisturizing a user's feet comprising a multilayered sole and an upper portion coupled to the sole. The sole includes a top layer, an intermediate layer, a bottom layer and two refillable pouches containing a moisturizing lotion situated between the intermediate and bottom layers at the heel and ball of the foot location. The top, intermediate layers and top surfaces of the pouches include a plurality of aligned apertures allowing the moisturizing lotion to pass through and contact a user's feet. The individual soles of the present invention comprise a top layer, a bottom layer, an adhesive layer for sticking the soles to regular footwear and two refillable pouches situated between the top and bottom layers. The top layer and top surfaces of the pouches include a plurality of apertures for the moisturizing lotion to pass through.
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 11/501,281, filed on Aug. 9, 2006.
BACKGROUNDThe present invention relates in general to footwear and footwear components, and more particularly to footwear with soles containing moisturizing lotions for moisturizing the feet.
Generally, features such as a good grip, breathability, and appropriate cushioning are built into footwear. Additional or in-built components such as odor absorbing pads and soles with therapeutic properties are also used in conjunction with footwear designs. A variety of designs and materials are used to fabricate footwear in the art.
For example, U.S. Pub. No. 20030009138 to Freeman discloses insole pads, inserts and liners containing plant-derived essential oils and/or dried plant products applied to or constructed within the footwear and footwear components to deliver the comfort, disinfectant and/or therapeutic benefits of aromatherapy through direct contact with the wearer's feet with the volatile components of the plant derived oils and/or plant products.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,167 to Valenzuela disclose odor-absorbing pads for shoes, including a flexible housing with breathing apertures formed in its top and bottom surfaces. The bottom layer of the housing is also equipped with an adhesive surface to anchor the pad to the bottom of the interior of a shoe. Each flexible housing is disk shaped, and houses charcoal particles to absorb foot odor, and medicated powder to prevent bacterial and fungal growth.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,803 to Levy, an adjustable support insole system for use in a shoe is disclosed. The system includes a bottom inside layer including a plurality of segments attached to a bottom surface of an insole layer, e.g. the top layer. At least one of the sections may be removed to create an empty space directly beneath corresponding painful area of the foot. A means is provided for attaching the removable sections.
The above-mentioned references differ from the present invention in that none of them are intended to dispense lotions or oils for a pedicure function. Levy and Valenzuela disclose devices that are structurally as well as functionally distinct from the present invention. Although the structural components of Freeman's footwear appear to be similar, the smaller dispenser pattern and the refilling technology of the present invention distinguish it in the art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide footwear with individual moisturizing soles to moisturize the feet of a user.
A further object is to provide moisturizing footwear and soles, which can be easily manufactured.
A further object is to provide moisturizing footwear and soles that comprise several designs.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide moisturizing footwear and soles, which include refillable pouches for holding moisturizing lotions. These and other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.
SUMMARYThe present invention comprises of moisturizing footwear with individual moisturizing soles. The soles of the moisturizing footwear are multi-layered in structure and comprise a top a layer, an intermediate layer, a bottom layer and two refillable pouches containing a moisturizing lotion. The pouches are situated between the intermediate and bottom layers, and located at the heel and ball of the foot. The intermediate and bottom layers and top surfaces of the pouches include a plurality of apertures through which the moisturizing lotion dispenses to contact the feet of a user. Employing the above structure of the soles, different types of footwear, such as flip flops, slippers or shoes, can be designed.
The individual soles are similar to the soles of thesmoisturizing footwear. They comprise a top layer, a bottom layer, an adhesive layer below the bottom layer, a backing layer for covering the adhesive layer and two refillable pouches situated between the top and bottom layers at the heel and ball of the foot location. The top layer and the top surfaces of the ouches include a plurality of apertures for the moisturizing lotion to pass through. The backing layer is peeled off to stick the soles to regular footwear such as shoes, sandals and the like. An alternate embodiment comprises two separate soles, one for the heel and the other for the ball of the foot. Suitable materials can be used for different layers of the individual soles of the moisturizing footwear.
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- 10 . . . Footwear with Moisturizing Sole
- 11 . . . Strap-like Member
- 12 . . . Top Layer of the Footwear Sole
- 13 . . . Intermediate Layer of the Footwear Sole
- 14 . . . Bottom Layer of the Footwear Sole
- 15 . . . Pouch
- 16 . . . Aperture
- 17 . . . Indented Surface
- 18 . . . Tubular Opening
- 19 . . . Plug-like Member
- 20 . . . Hole
- 21 . . . Alternate Embodiment of the Footwear with Moisturizing Sole
- 22 . . . Enclosure
- 23 . . . Moisturizing Sole
- 24 . . . Top Layer of the Moisturizing Sole
- 25 . . . Bottom Layer of the Moisturizing Sole
- 26 . . . . Adhesive Layer
- 27 . . . Backing Layer
- 28 . . . Alternate Embodiment of the Moisturizing Sole
- 29 . . . Slit
Referring to the drawings, the preferred embodiments of footwear and footwear soles with moisturizing features are illustrated in
Referring to
The pouches 15 also include a plurality of apertures 16 on their top surfaces through which the moisturizing lotion can pass through. The pouches 15 further include a tubular opening 18 and a plug-like member 19 to cover the opening 18. Once the moisturizing lotion is depleted, the plug-like member 19 is removed to refill the pouch 15, as seen in
The layers are made of suitable materials, for example, the top layer 12 comprises faux suede material, and the intermediate layer 13 comprises rubber or another resilient material. The bottom layer 14 is the base of the footwear 10 and is made of rubber or a similar durable material for providing a good grip and other desired features.
Referring to
Referring to
The backing layer 27 is peeled off to expose the adhesive layer 26, which is then used to adhere the soles 23 to footwear such as a flip flop, sandal, shoe, or the like. The plug-like members 19 on the pouches 15 are removed for refilling. The top layer 24 is made of soft faux suede material and the bottom layer 25 is made of durable material, such as rubber foam. The soles 23 include a slit 29 in top portion, preferable after the thumb portion, for receiving the meeting portion of the straps of the flip flops.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §122, paragraph 6.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
Claims
1. A footwear moisturizing system comprising:
- a. a sole;
- b. an upper portion designed to hold a user's foot; and
- c. wherein the sole comprises; i. a top layer including a plurality of apertures; ii. an intermediate layer with a plurality of apertures; iii. a bottom layer; and iv. at least one refillable pouch adapted to contain an emulsion, the pouch located between the intermediate layer and bottom layer, whereby the emulsion passes from the pouch, through the apertures, to contact a user's foot.
2. The footwear of claim 1 wherein apertures are located under the heel area and under the ball area of a user's foot.
3. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the bottom layer includes at least one receiving area to accommodate said at least one pouch.
4. The footwear of claim 1 wherein said at least one pouch includes an opening accessible from the exterior of the footwear and through which said pouch can be refilled with the emulsion.
5. The footwear of claim 4 wherein a removable plug-like member seals said opening.
6. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the footwear comprises a type of footwear chosen from the list of flip-flops, slippers, sandals, clogs, training shoes, and boots.
7. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the upper portion comprises a soft, cloth-like material.
8. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the top layer comprises a soft, cloth-like material.
9. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the intermediate layer is made of rubber.
10. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the bottom layer is made of rubber.
11. A sole for applying an emulsion to the feet, comprising:
- a top layer including a plurality of apertures;
- a bottom layer;
- an adhesive layer at the bottom of the sole for adhering the sole to an article of footwear;
- a plurality of refillable pouches including a plurality of apertures on their top surfaces and containing an emulsion, the plurality of pouches being situated between the top and bottom layers; and
- the plurality of apertures on the top layer and the pouches being in alignment whereby the emulsion passes through the apertures and contacts the user's feet.
12. The sole of claim 11 wherein the adhesive layer is covered with a backing layer, which is peeled off to attach the sole to another article of footwear.
13. The sole of claim 11 wherein the top layer is made of a soft, cloth-like material.
14. The sole of claim 11 wherein the bottom layer is made of a rubber-like material.
15. A footwear moisturizing system comprising:
- a. a sole;
- b. an upper portion designed to hold a user's foot;
- c. wherein the sole comprises; i. a top layer including a plurality of apertures; ii. an intermediate layer with a plurality of apertures; iii. a bottom layer; and iv. at least one refillable pouch adapted to contain an emulsion, the pouch located between the intermediate layer and bottom layer, the pouch having apertures whereby the emulsion passes from the pouch, through the apertures, to contact a user's foot; and
- d. wherein the upper portion comprises at least one area adapted to contain at least one pouch, corresponding with apertures connecting the inside of the upper portion to the pouch.
16. The footwear of claim 15 wherein the at least one area is chosen from the list of atop the toe, on the side, and at the tongue area of the upper portion.
17. The footwear of claim 15 wherein the emulsion comprises a trans-dermal medication
18. The footwear of claim 15 wherein the at least one pouch associated with the upper portion is removable from the upper portion.
19. The footwear of claim 18 wherein said removable at least one pouch associated with said upper portion comprises a re-sealable opening.
20. The footwear of claim 15, wherein said at least one area is adapted to receive a trans-dermal patch, and hold said patch adjacent a user's foot.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 22, 2010
Publication Date: May 5, 2011
Inventor: Stormy Van Dyck (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
Application Number: 12/765,497
International Classification: A43B 23/00 (20060101); A43B 13/12 (20060101); A43B 3/12 (20060101); A43B 13/04 (20060101);