TEMPERATURE REGULATING FOOTWEAR

Abstract

A footwear product with an integrated active temperature control system comprising: an upper; a sole comprising an insole comprising one or more thermo-conductive inserts or plugs; a midsole disposed between the insole and an outsole; wherein the midsole comprises one or more cooling elements selected from the group consisting of: an air flow cooling element, a liquid cooling element, a thermoelectric cooling element; and one or more heat sinks disposed in the midsole, outsole or between the midsole and outsole.

Claims

1. A footwear product with an integrated active temperature control system comprising: an upper; a sole comprising an insole comprising one or more thermo-conductive inserts or plugs; a midsole disposed between the insole and an outsole; wherein the midsole comprises one or more cooling elements selected from the group consisting of: an air flow cooling element, a liquid cooling element, a thermoelectric cooling element; and one or more heat sinks disposed in the midsole, outsole or between the midsole and outsole.

2. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein the thermo-conductive inserts or plugs comprise one or more materials selected from the group consisting of a gel, an open-cell polyurethane foam, a closed-cell expanded rubber, a low friction interface material, and a polyethylene thermoplastic foam.

3. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein a separate one of the one or more cooling elements is disposed adjacent to or underneath each of the one or more the thermo-conductive inserts or plugs.

4. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more cooling elements comprises an active solid-state electrical device.

5. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more cooling elements comprises a thermo-electric cooling element having an active solid-state electrical device that operates on the Peltier effect.

6. The footwear product of claim 1 further comprising a power source for the one or more cooling elements.

7. The footwear product of claim 6 wherein the power source comprises rechargeable batteries that may be recharged when in use and/or when not in use.

8. The footwear product of claim 1 further comprising a control system or a closed loop passive control system to control the amount of heat being removed from the footwear product.

9. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein the one or more thermo-conductive inserts or plugs also provide cushioning to control pressure and/or shear and are each disposed in a portion of the insole contacting a high-pressure area or other area of the plantar surface of a foot disposed in the footwear product that normally experiences tissue breakdown, such as the first metatarsal or heel.

10. The footwear product of claim 1 further comprising a power source for the one or more heat sinks.

11. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein the one or more heat sinks are passive or body-powered.

12. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more heat sinks employs an air movement system that uses convection to move heat from each heat sink into the environment outside of the footwear product.

13. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more heat sinks employs the loading and/or unloading of the sole during gait to create airflow through or across each heat sink to move heat from each heat sink into the environment outside of the footwear product.

14. The footwear product of claim 1 further comprising temperature and/or pressure sensor(s) associated with each of the one or more thermo-conductive inserts or plugs.

15. The footwear product of claim 14 further comprising a control system or CPU to control the amount of heat being removed from the footwear product; wherein the control system or CPU has an input for setting the temperature to be maintained or to not be exceeded at each location of the one or more thermo-conductive inserts or plugs.

16. The footwear product of claim 15 wherein the input is disposed inside or outside of the footwear product and/or is operatively connected wirelessly or by wire to the control system.

17. The footwear product of claim 15 wherein the integrated active temperature control system is activated upon exceeding a preset pressure on one or more of the pressure sensors.

18. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more heat sinks comprises a metal component and/or a thermal-conductive foam component.

19. The footwear product of claim 1 wherein a single heat sink comprises one or more metal components and/or a thermal-conductive foam components and wherein the single heat sink directly contacts each of the one or more thermo-electric cooling elements.

20. A kit for retrofitting a footwear product to include an integrated active temperature control system, wherein the kit comprises one or more of the following items: a plug, having an upper surface comprising a low friction interface material and comprising a thermally conductive material, wherein the plug is for placement in an opening in an existing insole, a heat sink and cooling device for placement in the midsole and/or outer sole of the footwear product and a thermal paste or adhesive for connecting the thermal conductive material of the plug to the cooling device and/or heat sink.

21. The kit of claim 20 wherein the cooling device is selected from the group consisting of: an air flow cooling element, a liquid cooling element, a thermoelectric cooling element.

22. The kit of claim 20 wherein the plug comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: a gel, an open-cell polyurethane foam, a closed-cell expanded rubber, a cushioning material and a polyethylene thermoplastic foam.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0056] FIG. 1 shows a traditional extra depth footwear design;

[0057] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a footwear product with an integrated active temperature control system according to the present disclosure;

[0058] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view with heat flow diagram of a preferred embodiment of a footwear product with an integrated active temperature control system according to the present disclosure; and

[0059] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a control circuit for a preferred embodiment of a footwear product with an integrated active temperature control system according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying examples and figures that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the inventive subject matter may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice them, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive subject matter. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to, individually and/or collectively, herein by the term disclosure merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single disclosure or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed.

[0061] The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0062] A preferred embodiment of a temperature control therapeutic footwear (TCF) of the present disclosure comprises one or more coolers 35, heat sink 32, insole material 25 and, in various embodiments, a plug 40 and control circuit (as shown in FIG. 4).

[0063] Preferably, cooler 35 will be a thermoelectric cooler which uses the Peltier effect in order to transform a voltage differential into a temperature differential. Thermoelectric coolers are relatively thin, light yet durable, are able to be controlled accurately, operate over the desired temperature range, and durability. Each thermoelectric cooler 35 is mated to a heat sink 32 to manage any bleed through of heat.

[0064] Preferably, heat sink 32 will act to effect adequate removal of heat from the thermoelectric cooler 35, release of heat into the external environment, and be of minimal weight. Heat sink 32 preferably will not affect the gait of the wearer and be durable. Preferably, heat sink 32 will be made of aluminum or other suitable metal or material. The TCF 20 of the present disclosure preferably has an open air system into the sole 23 which comprises insole 25, midsole 26 and outsole 27 to allow for good airflow and convection to occur at the heat sink 32. Thermoelectric cooler 35 will preferably be attached to heat sink 32 using thermo-conductive adhesive that is commonly used with CPUs and heat sinks in high end computers.

[0065] Material for insole 25 and plug 40 are an integral portion of this design because they are in direct contact with the wearer. Plug material preferably is thermo-conductive while having a low durometer in order to accommodate the increased pressure under the high pressure areas, such as the MTPs or under deformities. Additionally, insole material should be machinable and easy to implant in order for practitioners or manufacturers to be able to custom place the devices for each wearer.

[0066] Preferably, the control circuit of the TCF 20 is programmable to allow for targeted temperature, as well as to provide energy conservation. A preferred control circuit of the TCF 20 is easily calibrated in order to account for weight, resting body temperature, other disease considerations that may affect the pressure or temperature setting for TCF 20. The control circuit of TCF 20 also preferably is small and requires minimal energy to operate.

[0067] Preferably, TCF 20 of the present disclosure is customizable for each individual wearer. Preferably, the TCF 20 is customizable via on site tools and may also comprise a heat sink incorporated into the outer sole 27 to effectively dissipate heat from TCF 20.

[0068] As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the foot is in contact with a thermo-conductive plug 40 that is placed under a clinician-selected location within TCF 20. Plug 40 preferably comprises an upper surface 33 comprising a low friction interface material manufactured with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film, such as ShearBan?, to protect the wearer's skin from damaging friction & shear trauma. Additionally, plug 40 comprises a cushioning pad 28 (preferably of a gel) and cooler 35 and heat sink 32 may also be incorporated into plug 40 in various preferred embodiments of TCF 20. Alternatively, heat sink 32 is disposed in or part of outer sole 27. TCF 20 moves the heat away from the foot towards outer sole 27 allowing for therapeutic temperature control at the high-pressure areas of the foot. The arrows in FIG. 3 show a preferred heat flow diagram accomplished by TCF 20.

[0069] The thermo-conductive plug 40 preferably will consist of an easily machinable material, such as EVA, along with good heat conductors such as thermo-conductive gels. This will allow for the plug to be placed and fitted into a specific area of the foot, while keeping the conductive qualities that are needed. The placement of the plug 40 will be conducted using the current method of excavating the higher durometer material from the bottom of the material and then adhering the new lower durometer material to fill the location. This method allows for a customizable cooling plug 40 that can be specifically placed by the practitioner without much difficulty. By designing the heat sink 32 with the goal of adjustability of the location of plug 40, a variety of sizes or adjustability of the heat sink 32 can allow for relatively easy customization.

[0070] TCF 20 preferably comprises diabetic footwear technology that prevents ischemic damage and subsequent diabetic foot ulcer development. Maintaining skin temperature at lower levels where high-pressure occludes blood flow minimizes ischemic damage. TCF 20 preferably maintains skin temperature at select locations of the foot at pre-activity levels during activity and after extended use.

[0071] Insole. The whole insole 25 is preferably made of thermal insulate materials, and thermo conductive gel pads 28 are preferably placed at the high-pressure areas, e.g., first metatarsal, and heel. By using controlled localized cooling it is possible to give therapeutic cooling to the needed areas while not affecting the rest of the foot.

[0072] Midsole. Cooling elements 35 such as phase change cooling (cooling packs), passive cooling (heat sink only), air flow cooling (fans, etc.), liquid cooling, Peltier (thermoelectric coolers), heat pipe systems or the like will be placed at the same locations as the gel pads 28 (and may preferably comprise part of plug 40) to maintain the temperature. Preferably, the thermoelectric cooling elements 35 are active solid-state electrical modules that operate on the Peltier effect, which is a phenomenon whereby the passage of an electrical current through a junction consisting of two dissimilar metals results in a cooling effect. Preferably, cooling elements 35 use rechargeable batteries as a power source whereby the user would recharge TCF 20 when not in use. Preferably, a closed loop passive control system will be used to control the amount of heat being removed from the plantar surface of the foot by TCF 20. This will act as a safety and energy conservation mechanism.

[0073] Outsole. A heat sink 32 preferably will be used to move the heat away from the one or more thermoelectric coolers 35. Preferably, heat sinks 32 will either be a passive or a body-powered device. In a preferred embodiment, heat sink 32 comprises a gait-powered air movement system that would use convection to move heat from the heat sink 32 into the environment outside of TCF 20. Such a heat sink 32 would use the loading and unloading of the footwear during gait to create airflow through the heat sink 32.

[0074] The present disclosure also contemplates a kit for retrofitting a footwear product, such as a diabetic footwear product, to include an integrated active temperature control system, wherein the kit comprises one or more of the following items: a soft material plug 40 having an upper surface 33 comprising a low friction interface material manufactured with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film and a thermal conductive core 28 that can be placed into an existing insole, a heat sink 32 and cooling device 35 that will preferably be placed inside the outer sole 27 of TCF 20 and will be connected to the thermal conductive material 28 via thermal paste or adhesive.

[0075] It should be understood that while this disclosure has been described herein in terms of specific, preferred embodiments set forth in detail, such embodiments are presented by way of illustration of the general principles of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. Certain modifications and variations in any given material, process step or chemical formula will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and all such modifications and variations should be considered within the scope of the claims that follow.