Abstract:
An absorbent footwear liner comprising an upper absorbent layer and a lower layer comprising an adhesive equal in size to the upper layer for adhering the liner to substantially the entire surface of a footbed for absorbing and dissipating moisture thereon and preventing foot slippage on a shoe footbed due to perspiration.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority of provisional Application Ser. No. 60/686,666 filed Jun. 2, 2005, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to footwear liners, and more particularly to an absorbent footwear liner that substantially covers a footwear sole for absorbing and dissipating perspiration from a foot engaged therewith.  
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     There are over 250,000 sweat glands in a human foot. Unfortunately, shoes are not created with this in mind. Perspiration not only causes odor but also causes the surface of the foot to become moist. In fact the human foot has the capacity to produce at least ½ a cup of perspiration per day.  
         [0004]     Typical footbeds of non-athletic shoes such as pumps, loafers, and sandals comprise a liner comprising a leather, plastic, or synthetic material which cannot absorb nor release foot produced perspiration. As a result, feet accumulating perspiration thereon slip on the footbeds causing the foot to shift inside the shoe and even slip completely out of the shoe in some cases. Further, persons with hyperhidrosis, commonly referred to as excessive sweating, have even more difficulties with typical footbeds such that simply keeping an open shoe on their feet is nearly impossible.  
         [0005]     Heretofore shoe liners have been available for orthotic purposes, for overall cushioning, and as inserts for either the heel or ball of a foot to improve overall fit of the shoe. Existing shoe liners have not been designed to absorb moisture and prevent slippage due to perspiration. Further, existing shoe liners typically have adhesive tabs which do not secure the entire liner.  
         [0006]     The present invention comprises an absorbent shoe liner which overcomes foregoing and other difficulties which have long since characterized the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, an absorbent shoe liner comprises an upper footbed layer which absorbs and dissipates perspiration and a lower layer comprising an adhesive area equal in size to the upper footbed layer for adhering the liner to substantially the entire surface of the footbed of a shoe.  
         [0007]     In accordance with more specific aspects of the invention, an absorbent shoe liner comprises an upper layer comprising a fabric with moisture wicking capabilities and a lower layer comprising an adhesive material. Both the upper and lower layers extend across the entire footbed of a shoe covering the footbed from edge to edge and end to end. The fabric comprising the upper layer absorbs excess moisture from the foot thereby preventing the foot from slipping out of the shoe and further absorbing bacteria which prevents accumulation of odor inside the shoe. The adhesive lower layer keeps the shoe liner secure on the footbed of the shoe.  
         [0008]     The upper layer may also include additional foam material substantially near where the ball or heel of the foot rests thereon for providing cushion for the foot. The foam material may be adhered either above or below the upper layer.  
         [0009]     The shoe liner of the present invention is equally applicable to both open and close toed shoes for men, women, and children. The shoe liner can be fitted to nearly all shoe sizes by simply trimming the perimeter thereof. In addition to absorbing moisture and odor and preventing foot slippage, the shoe liner also provides a soft surface on which the foot rests contributing to the wearer&#39;s overall comfort. Further, the shoe liner may be also adhered to an orthotic that is placed inside a shoe, instead of directly onto the footbed of a shoe.  
         [0010]     The shoe liner of the present invention may further include an additional layer comprising a gel material. The additional gel layer is placed beneath the lower adhesive layer. The gel layer adheres the shoe liner to a footbed of a shoe while providing additional cushioning.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1A  is an exploded perspective view of a shoe liner comprising a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the adhesive layer of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1A  having a different adhesive pattern;  
         [0014]      FIG. 1C  is a perspective view of the adhesive layer of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1A  having yet another adhesive pattern;  
         [0015]      FIG. 1D  is a perspective view of the adhesive layer of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1A  having yet another adhesive pattern;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a shoe liner comprising a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a shoe liner comprising a third embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a an exploded perspective view of a shoe liner comprising the embodiment of  FIG. 1  applied to an insertable shoe orthotic.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     Referring now to the Drawings, and particularly to  FIG. 1A , there is shown a footwear liner  10  comprising a first embodiment of the present invention. The footwear liner  10  comprises an upper layer  12  and a lower layer  14  adhered therebelow. The lower layer  14  comprises an adhesive material whereby the shoe liner covers and is adhered to an upper surface  16  of a footbed  18 .  
         [0020]     The upper layer  12  comprises a fabric material capable of absorbing and dissipating moisture such as an athletic-wool felt comprising 70% wool and 30% rayon or other suitable materials known to those skilled in the art, including suede or synthetic suede; open and closed-cell foam materials; woven, nonwoven, or knit textiles; and manmade or natural textile blends, including microfibers.  
         [0021]     The lower layer  14  comprises a double-sided adhesive film such as double-faced acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive tape with release liner sold by AdChem Corporation under the Product Name Adchem 8311M-76G-54 or other suitable adhesive materials known to those skilled in the art, including those applied by pressure-sensitive tape equipment, spray, slot die, sheet, roller coating, continuous pour, and embossed patterns, to maintain the upper layer  12  in adhesive engagement with a leather, plastic or synthetic material while leaving no residue once removed from the upper surface  16  of the footbed  18 . Both the upper layer  12  and lower layer  14  are formed such that the shoe liner  10  substantially covers the entire upper surface  16  of the footbed  18  and the entire shoe liner  10  is maintained in adhesive engagement therewith.  
         [0022]      FIG. 1B  illustrates an alternative lower layer  14  having an adhesive comprising a series of stripes extending longitudinally along substantially the entire layer  14 . This series of stripes could also extend transversely across substantially the entire layer  14 .  FIG. 1C  illustrates an alternative lower layer  14  having an adhesive comprising a series of circular applications positioned substantially across the entire length and width of layer  14 .  FIG. 1D  illustrates yet another alternative lower layer  14  having an adhesive comprising a strip extending about the entire perimeter of the upper layer  12 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  illustrates the shoe liner  10  having an additional lower layer  20  comprising a gel material. The gel layer  20  comprises a gel material which adheres the shoe liner  10  to the footbed  18  while providing additional cushioning and comfort to a foot resting thereon. The gel layer  20  may be fabricated from a biodegradable synthetic material or other suitable materials known to those skilled in the art.  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  illustrates the show liner  10  wherein the upper layer  12  comprises additional foam support  22  adhered to the upper layer  12  substantially near the location where the ball and the heal of the foot rest thereon.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  illustrates the shoe liner  10  adhered to the surface  24  of an orthotic  26  for insertion into a shoe. In  FIG. 4  the shoe liner  10  is illustrated in accord with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , but the embodiments of  FIGS. 2 and 3  can also be applied to the orthotic  26 .  
         [0026]     The shoe liner is illustrated in conjunction with a right foot configuration but is equally applicable to a left foot configuration. Further, the shoe liner of the present invention is equally applicable to both open and close toed shoes for men, women, and children. The shoe liner is fitted to nearly all shoe sizes by simply trimming the perimeter thereof.  
         [0027]     Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.