Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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VENTILATED ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR
TECHNICAL FIELD
(0001) The present invention relates to a ventilated article of footwear and
more
particularly wherein the ventilation is effected by a disconnectable footwear
portion
which is partly detachably connected to the outer contour portion of the sole
of the
article of footwear and reconnectable thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(0002) It is known to ventilate the foot or toe portion of a person while
wearing a shoe
or boot. Several patents have been granted for ventilated shoes and most of
these
relate to ventilation through the sole using pumps and conduits or through
holes to
release fresh air agains a weares foot. Such sole aeration systems comprise
the
construction of a hollow sole to form a cavity in which a pump and conduits
are located
and the pump being activated by the heel of the wearer person when walking or
running. The pump has an air intake and a pump nozzle connected to
distribution
channels which pumps fresh air through the insole and agains the wearer's
foot.
Examples of such are found constructions are found in US Patents 8.387,276 and
8,919,011 as well has US Patent Publication 2008/0229623. Other forms of
ventilated
shoes or boots are known wherein the upper of the shoe has perforations or
breathable
fabrics to admit fresh air or release air.
(0003) Disadvantages of such known designs is that they are expensive to
fabricate
and often malfunction due to their design with the system being formed inside
the sole
of the shoe. These systems are also constantly subjected to impact by walking
and
running and not to mention the weight of the wearer person acting on a small
pump.
Still further, the ventilated system is constantly in operation and during
cold weather
period it is not always desirable to ventilate the fee with cold airt. It
would be desirable
to construct a ventilated shoe or boot with a non-perforated upper and which
is simple in
construction and which can be easily actuated and de-actuated by the wearer
person
when he/she feel a need to ventilate its feet.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
(0004) It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide a
ventilated article of
footwear which substantially obviates the above known disadvantages of the
prior art
and which provides the desirable need.
(0005) Another feature of the present invention is to provide an article of
footwear
having disconnectable footwear portions secured by one or more connectors
which are
easily actuable to disconnect the diconnectable footwear portions to ventilate
the foot or
toes or heel of a wearer person and to reconnect same.
(0006) Another feature of the present invention is to provide an article of
footwear
having disconnectable footwear portions secured to the outer contour portion
of the
sole of the article of footwear and wherein the one or more connectors are
secured to
the exterior surface of the sole along the side edge of the shoe or boot upper
and easily
accessible to the wearer person.
(0007) According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present
invention
provides a ventilated article of footwear having a disconnectable footwear
portion partly
detachably connected to the sole outer contour portion of the article of
footwear. A
connector is actionable to disconnect and reconnect the disconnectable
footwear
portion to the sole outer contour portion whereby to permit the entrance of
air between
the sole outer contour portion and a lower edge of the disconnectable footwear
portion
to ventilate at least a portion of a users foot.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(0008) A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described
with
reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrates examples thereof.
(0009) Figure 1 is a perspective view of a boot provided with the ventilated
system of
the present invention wherein the front toe portion is a disconnectable
portion herein
shown in its connected state;
(0010) Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1 but showing the
disconnectable portion disconnected to permit air flow to the toes of the
wearer person;
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(0011) Figure 3 is a rear view of the boot showing the rear heel section as a
diconnectable portion with the connector dissengaged to permit ventilation in
the rear of
the boot;
(0012) Figure 4 is a fragmented perspective view showing the construction of
an
example of the slide lever connector;
(0013) Figure 5A is a fragmented side view of the slide lever connector at a
dissengaged position showing the front toe portion of the shoe disconnected to
admit air
flow inside the shoe to ventilate the toes of a wearer person;
(0014) Figure 5B is a fragmented side view similar to Figure 5A showing the
slide
lever connector at an engaged position showing the front toe potion of the
shoe at an
engaged postion;
(0015) Figure 6 is a fragmented, enlarged, section view illustrating the
constructions
of the slide lever connector parts secured to the upper surface of the sole
outer contour
portion and the shoe upper and the connection of the engageable bracket
secured
above the lower edge of the disconnectable footwear portion;
(0016) Figure 7 is a fragmented side view showing the construction of another
example of the connector wherein the locking mechanism has a slide member
provided
with a clamping jaw and illustrating the clamping jaw at a locked and unlocked
position
to engage and dissengage the engageable bracket secured to the disconnectable
portion of the boot or shoe;
(0017) Figure 8 is an exploded view illustrating the construction of the
clamping jaw
connector, and
(0018) Figure 9 is a perspective view of the engageable bracket.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(0019) Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 to 6,
there is
shown a boot 10, or it could be a shoe, embodying the present invention in
that the front
toe portion 11 of the boot or shoe is a disconnectable portion. The boot or
shoe upper
12 is secured along its lower edge 13 to the outer contour portion 14' of the
sole 14 by
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suitable securement means herein stitches 15. The front toe portion lower edge
11' is
not secured by threads and is formed with a rigid shaped lower seal forming
edge 16,
see Figure 6, adapted to be received in a channel 17 formed adjacent an inside
edge of
the top surface14" of the outer contour portion 14' of the sole to form a seal
when a
locking connector(s) 20 is engaged. As shown in Figure 6, the seal forming
edge is
formed by a rigid shaped wire or rigid trand 18 secured to a lower edge 19 of
the shoe
upper side wal119 by a fabric connecting piece 20 attached by adhesive 21. The
seal
forming edge 16 may also be a molded part or other suitable type of sealing
edge. As
shown in Figure 3, the disconnectable portion can also be the heel portion 22
of the
boot or shoe. A flexible band 9 permits the toe portion 11 to hinge up
slightly.
(0020) With reference now to Figures 4 to 6, there will be described the
construction
of the connector 25 or slidding mechanism which connects the connectable shoe
portion 11 or 22 to the top surface 14" of the outer contour portion 14' of
the sole 14.
As shown, a small rectangular or square cavity 26 is formed in the top surface
14" of
the sole outer contour portion 14' and dimensioned for receiving in close fit
therein an
attachable part, herein a rectangular tongue projection 27 of an engageable
bracket 28
secured above the lower edge16 of the diconnectable footwear portion 11. The
tongue
projection is a flat metal part extending at an angle wherein to lay flat in
the cavity 26.
The engageable bracket 28 has an attachment flange 29 secured to the upper of
the
boot or shoe by suitable fastening means, such as rivets, screw fasteners,
glue, sewing
thread or other suitable fastening means as is well known to a person skilled
in the art.
The connector 25 also has a slide mechanism 30 for locking and unlocking the
tongue
projection 27 of the engageable bracket 28.
(0021) The slide mechanism 30 is comprised of a slide lever 31 having a slide
bar
portion 32 held captive under an inverted U-shaped bracket 33 secured by
fasteners 34
to the top surface 14" of the outer contour portion 14' of the sole. One end
of the slide
bar as a finger engaging upturned portion 35 to be gripped between the fingers
of a
user person to impart slidding motion to the slide bar. The other end of the
slide bar 32
also has an upturned portion to prevent disconnection of the slide mechanism
by
providing an abutment end 36 for abutment against the bracket 33 and clear of
the slot
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26 when the slide bar is retracted to release the tongue projection 27 of the
bracket 28,
as shown in Figure 5A, wherein the toe portion 11 is disconnected from the
sole outer
contour portion to provide a seperation gap 37 to permit air flow, as depicted
by arrow
38 to ventilate the toes of the wearer person. Figure 5B illustrates the
connector 25 in
an engaged position wherein the tongue projection 27 is held captive within
the cavity
26 by the slide bar portion 32 of the slide mechanism 30. Figure 3 illustrates
the
connector 25 in a dissengaged position with the disconnectable heel portion 22
disconnected from the sole outer contour portion to permit the flow of air to
the rear foot
portion of the wearer person.
(0022) With refernce again to Figure 6, the attachable flange 29 of the
engageable
bracket 28 is herein shown concealed by an outer fabric layer 39 glued over
the flange
29. The flange 29 is connected to the lower end of the boot or shoe upper 12
by rivets
40. The engageable bracket 28 may also be secured on the outer surface of the
boot or
shoe upper by fasteners such as the rivets 40 and be concealed by a paint
color or
formed of a material composition resembling the surrounding color the material
forming
the upper of the boot or shoe
(0023) With reference now to Figures 7 to 9, there will be described a further
example
of the slide locking mechanism herein denoted by reference numeral 30'and has
herein
shown the slide locking mechanism 30' is secured inside an elongated
recrtangular
cavity 45 disposed in the top surfce 14" of the outer contour portion 14' of
the sole 14
and disposed longitudinaly thereon. The engageable bracket 28' is formed like
the
bracket 28 described earlier with the exception that the tongue projection 27
is different.
As herein shown, the tongue projection 60 of the engageable bracket 28' is a
flat metal
piece of rectangular shape which extends at an angle of about 90 degrees from
its
attachment flange 63 wherein to lay flat on the top surface14" of the outer
contour
portion 14' of the sole 14 and is dimensioned to extend across the cavity 45..
The the
tongue projection 60 has a slot 61 extending from a leading side edge 62
thereof and
terminates a predetermined distance from the leading side edge whereby to
define a
clamping surface 64 forwardly thereof for engagement by a displaceable slide
locking
mechanism 30'.
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(0024) The slide locking mechanism 30' is comprised of a slide member 46
formed
with a clamping jaw 47 extending vertically upwards from its slidding support
base 48.
The slidding support base 48 is held in slidding fit in an attachement plate
49 having
upturned opposed side edges 50 under which opposed side edges of the slidding
support base 48 are held sliddingly captive. The attachment plate 49 has a
flat bottom
wall 51 formed with holes 52 for securement thereof to the bottom wall 53 of
the cavity
45 by fasteners 54 or other suitable means such as glue, etc.. The clamping
jaw 47
has a clamp head 55 held at an elevated position above the cavity 45 whereby a
slightly
inwardly slopped clamping edge 56 thereof is aligned with the top surface of
the tongue
projection 60 of the engageable bracket 28' to progressively engage the
clamping
surface 64 as it is moved thereover to clamp the tongue projection 60 firmly
across the
cavity 53 and secure the seal forming edge 16 of the diconnectable footwear
portion in
the channel 17 of the sole14. The clamping jaw 47 has a finger engaging
projection 56
for ease of displacement of the clamping jaw 47 to its engaged position, as
shown in
Figure 7, to its disengaged position as shown by phantom lines 57. The finger
engaging projection 56 may have several shapes to accomodate the fingers of a
user
person.
(0025) It within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious
modifications
of the examples described herein provided such modifications fall within the
scope of
the appended claims. It is foreseen, for example, that the article of footwear
may be an
entirely molded article of footwear modified to incorporate the connecting
mechanisms
decribed herein. Also, the disconnectable parts of the article of footwear may
be formed
as molded parts with a bottom edge seal formation. The article of footwear may
be of
different types such as atletic shoes, hiking boots, and many other types
where foot
ventilation is desirable. Other modifications of the connectors described
herein are also
contemplatable.
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