US1260942A - Ventilated boot or shoe. - Google Patents

Description

R. B. PRICE 6L C. LEE.

. VENTILATED BOOT OR SHOE.

APPLICATION HLED DEC. 7. l9l4.

Patented Mar. 2

L ....-MWMNMMMMM ,h w m Nl .............M...M...... .HHNMMWMMWMHT e RAYMOND B. PRICE, or NEW YORK, N. Y., AND CLIFFORD LEE, OE NAUGATUCK,

CONNECTICUT, AssIGNORs To THE GOODYEARs METALLIC RUBBER sHOE COM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

vENTILATEn ROOT OR sHoE.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar.. 26, 1918.

Application led December 7, 1914. Serial No. 875,796.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RAYMOND B. PRICE and CLIFFORD LEE, both citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of New York, county and State of New York, and Naugatuck, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ventilated Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact disclosure.

This invention relates to ventilated boots, shoes, etc., and has for an object to provide a self-contained, positively acting device operative by movement of the wearers foot for removing air from contact with the foot and preventing its coming again into contact therewith undiluted.

Exudations come from the foot in the form of vapor and this vapor is often condensed and accumulates as moisture upon the inside of the article of footwear with attendant discomfort to the wearer. Excess humidity within the article of footwear is an other cause of discomfort. The capacity of footwear for permitting transpiration, determines to a great extent the amount of moisture accumulation upon the sock or humidity within the article of footwear.-

In footwear formed of leather, rubber, or other well known materials, whose transpiration-permitting qualities are limited, attempts have been made to obviate excess humidity and moisture accumulation by introducing air into or withdrawing air from the article of footwear, but at best these attempts have produced wholly or in part a churning of air .around the foot, and this is inadequatefor attaining the results sought.

The solution of this problem lies in producing a positive withdrawal of exudations from around the foot and expulsion of the same into the exterior atmosphere as fast as given off by the foot. To attain this end, I provide a compact self-contained bellows concealed in the bottom of the boot or shoe and operated by the pressure of the foot at each step to cause a positive current of air to flow from around the foot to the exterior atmosphere. Experiment has proved that a large volume of air should be withdrawn, not less than 5 c. c., under averagev conditions, at a step to prevent moisture accumulation and insure comfort. To accomplish this, I provideA in connection with the bellows, novel air ducts through which the bellows can readily exhaust the necessary volume of air, suitable check valves being provided to prevent reverse movement of the alr.

The invention can readily be understood from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of an insole embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2 2 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1 with parts removed and parts in section.

I may incorporate the invention in the outsole, insole, outheel, inheel, or any attachment of these parts, or even in the arch of the boot or shoe, regardless of whether said parts are integral or separate from the boot or shoe, and for the purposes of illustration, I will illustrate the invention in connection with an insole which I construct of a top layer 10, preferably of rubber skim coated fabric, and a bottom layer 11, preferably of sheet rubber, the bottom layer having formed integral therewith, elastic pegs 12. Both layers are separated at the edges by a gasket 13 preferably of rubber, cemented or otherwise secured airtight to both layers. The gasket has formed integral therewith at the instep orl shank of the insole a cross piece which constitutes a valve chest 14, the same dividing the space within the inclosure of the gasket into two airtight chambers, one at the toe and the other at the heel .of the insole.

Supported bythe pegs 12 of the toe and heel chambers respectively, are stiff plates 15 and 16 of wood liber, metal or other suitable material, these plates being smaller in, size than their respective chambers and being forced down with the top layer to simultaneously compress the elastic pegs beneath them when subjected to pressure by the foot in walking and being raised by the return of the pegs to normal condition upon Ythe pressure being released, whereby two bellows chambers 17 and 18 are formed, one at the toe and the other at the heel of the insole.

Secured to the bottom face of the top layer 10 is a narrow strip 19, referably of rubber, upon which longitudinal threads 20. of rubber, fabric or other suitable material are molded, cemented, or otherwise secured to form air ducts 20', which extend longitudinally of the toplayer, the marginal edges of the strip being cemented or otherwise secured air-tight to the top layer, to seal these ducts from both bellows. Communication between the air ducts and the sole of the foot is established by means of staggered perforations 21, formed along the medial longitudinal diameter of the top layer, and communication between these ducts andthe valve chest is established through an opening 22 in the strip 19.

The valve chest 14 is formed with an inlet assage 23 which communicates with the air ucts through the opening 22 and which communicates with the toe and heel bellows through respective ports *which are controlled by check valves 24 and 25 that open toward the bellows and prevent backward movement of the air therefrom into the valve chest. The valve chest is ,also provided with an exhaustpassage 26 which communicates with the toe and heel bellows through respective ports which are controlled by check valves 27 and 28 that open toward the exhaust passage and prevent backward movement of the air therefrom into the bellows. An outlet pipe 29 is connected with the exhaust passage and may be conducted through -the upper of the boot or shoe, equipped with the insole to establish communication between the exhaust passage and atmosphere.

In operation when the wearer plants the foot upon the ground, the pressure of the foot compresses the bellows with a resultant forcing of their contained air through the check valves 27 and 28 into the exhaust passage 26 and from thence through the tube 29 to the atmosphere. Upon the foot being lifted the pressure upon the bellows is release whereupon the same expand to normal position with a resultant creation of a partial vacuum which causes a suction of air downward in the article of footwear and across the sole of the foot through the perforations 21, air ducts 20', opening 22, inlet passage 23 and check valves 24 and 25, to satisfy the partial vacuum in the bellows, this a1r being expelled to the exterior atmosphere upon the foot again being planted upon the ground, as above described.

While I have shown and described a structure for practising my invention, I do not limit myself to the particular structure shown and described, since it is simply essential to the practice of my invention that a bottom portion of a boot or shoe be conraconta structed to provide a self-contained bellows in connection with air channels and suitable check valves to make the action of the air positive.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a boot or shoe, air ducts, bellows sealed airtight from the `air ducts, a valve chest communicating with the bellows and with the air ducts, and4 inlet and exhaust valves in the valve chest permitting the passage of air through the chest in a continuous direction.

2. In a boot or shoe, air ducts having inlet 'openings arranged to communicate with the sole of the wearers foot, bellows sealed airtight from the air ducts, a valve chest communicating` with the bellows and with the air ducts, and inlet and exhaust valves in the valve chest for permitting the passage of air therethrough in a continuous direction.

3. In a boot or shoe, air ducts, bellows sealed airtight from the air ducts, a valve chest having an inlet passage communicating with the air ducts and having an outlet passage, check valves in the valve chest preventing retrograde ymovement of air from the bellows to the air ducts, and check valves in the valve chest preventing retrograde movement of air from the outlet passage to the bellows.

4. In a boot or shoe, a toe bellows, a heel bellows, air ducts communicating with the interior of the boot or shoe, a valve chest communicating with the bellows and with the air ducts, 4checkvalves permitting the passage of air from the valve chest into the bellows, and check valves permitting the passageof air .from the bellows to the atmosphere.

5. In a boot or shoe, air ducts communicating with the interior of the boot or shoe, a valve chest, bellows having communication with the air ducts and with the atmosphere through the valve chest, and check valves in the valve chest permitting the bellows only to alternately suck air through the ducts and exhaust it into the atmosphere.

Signed as New York, N. Y., Nov. 30th,

RAOND B. PRICE. a

Witnesses:

FRANCIS Bom, FRED C. BA'rcHELLoR.

Signed at Naugatuck, Conn., Nov. 27,

lCLIFFORD LEE. Witnesses:

CORNELIUS J. Kamm, GEORGE P. YOUNG.

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