Patent ID: 6199304
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: A43B

Abstract:
A laminated foam sockliner for use in combination with footwear to cushion a foot inserted in the footwear, the sockliner comprising:a compressibly resilient closed cell foam lower layer having top and bottom surfaces sized and shaped for insertion into the footwear and for supporting at least a portion of the foot, said lower layer having a compressibility sufficient to permit said layer to resiliently compress under the foot in response to pressure applied to said layer by the foot during periods of a gait cycle when the footwear impacts the ground thereby absorbing shock and cushioning the foot during impact, the lower layer having a plurality of openings extending from the top surface to the bottom surface for permitting air to pass through said lower layer; anda porous upper layer fashioned from a flexible material which is permeable to air having top and bottom surfaces sized and shaped for insertion in the footwear, the bottom surface of the upper layer being permanently bonded to the top surface of the lower layer, the upper layer having a plurality of openings extending upward from the bottom surface only partially through the upper layer, and aligned with the openings extending through the lower layer for permitting air to pass through the lower layer and to diffuse through the upper layer to cool and dry the foot.