Shoe for professional truckers

A shoe (10) created with the professional truck driver in mind has a lower assembly (12) and an upper assembly (14) that provide an interior for a person's foot and a foot opening through which a person's foot can be inserted into and removed from the shoe interior. The shoe features an air exhaust system (22), a toe cover (24) having an air vent (68, 70, 72) that can be opened and closed, a mesh band (84) in the portion of the upper around the ankle, and a hook-type clasp system (94, 96) for a strap (92).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a shoe that has been created by the team of inventors to serve particular needs of professional truckers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Significant mental and physical demands can at times be imposed on a professional truck driver due to long hours of driving and extended time away from home. The task of driving a large truck hauling a heavy load in varied geographical regions under various weather and road conditions tends to limit the opportunity for the driver to engage in simple physical activities while driving, such as merely standing up to stretch, much less walking. A driver typically remains basically sedentary for a number of hours while having to pay attention to road and traffic conditions.

Truckers realize that the largely sedentary nature of such a lifestyle may not be conducive to staying in top physical condition, but for whatever reason or reasons, may not engage in healthy activities when they have the time and/or opportunity to do so.

Access to services and products that might promote good physical and mental well-being are often limited or unavailable while a trucker is on the road. For example, food choices at truck stops may be limited, and “fast food” meals may become a staple of a trucker's diet while on the road.

While truckers may experience fatigue and lower body discomfort after being behind the wheel for an extended time, they may not purchase products or services that could potentially alleviate those conditions because they may perceive little or no value in them. Recognizing this seemingly low motivation on the part of significant portion of the professional truck driver population to seek solutions to such issues, the inventors believe that a product that would be helpful in alleviating certain aspects of driver discomfort would be well-received if embodied in a way that is not only functional, but also appealing to the lifestyle and typical values of a professional truck driver, especially the great pride they take in their profession and the particular truck they drive.

The shoe that is the subject of this invention is believed to be such a product.

A survey of professional truckers has disclosed that a driver's shoes are quite important to his/her job. A significant number identified at least some degree of discomfort due to issues that included one or more of: foot sweat, athlete's foot, lower back ache, poor foot circulation, and ankle and shin soreness. The survey attributed a greater discomfort to issues involving foot sweat, tense foot muscles, and athlete's foot. A number of truckers noted what they considered a lack of useful, useable, and desirable products that could address those issues.

A percentage of truckers, suggested by the survey to be greater than 50% of the driver population, carry both work boots and tennis shoes in their truck, and a significant portion of them also carry slip-on shoes. Truckers have indicated that they drive in either tennis shoes or slip-on shoes due to comfort and convenience, but that they change the more comfortable footwear to less comfortable work boots when they have to get out of their trucks. Therefore, while a boot would be understood not to be a preferred driving shoe, it is nonetheless important to a long-haul trucker.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a driving shoe that integrates the comfort of an athletic shoe and the outside environmental characteristics of a boot to provide shoe performance characteristics that would be desired by professional truck drivers.

The constructional elements of the shoe provide not only the desired functional attributes, but do so in a way that creates a highly distinctive appearance for relating the shoe to trucks and truck components manufactured by a related company of the present assignee.

Important functional attributes in a truck driving shoe include cushioning, weather resistance, ventilation, foot protection, arch support, and ease of putting on and taking off. A shoe's durability and its ability to alleviate problems such as those mentioned above are also important.

A general aspect of the invention relates to a shoe that comprises an upper assembly of components cooperating with a lower assembly of components to provide an interior for a person's foot and a foot opening through which a person's foot can be inserted into and removed from the shoe interior.

The lower assembly comprises an outer sole, a mid-sole overlying the outer sole on the interior, and an inner sole overlying the mid-sole on the interior.

The upper assembly comprises a toe cover for covering toes of a person's foot, with the toe cover comprising a through-opening to the shoe interior for venting the shoe interior to the exterior of the shoe and a vent cover operable from the exterior of the shoe for selectively covering and uncovering the through-opening.

An air exhaust system is disposed in a formation in the mid-sole for intaking air through aperture structure in the inner sole and forcing the intaken air to the exterior.

The specific disclosed preferred embodiment comprises two air pumps that interact with ventilation provided by the toe cover through-opening to exhaust stale air out of the shoe promoting cooling of the wearer's foot. Additional ventilation is provided by the mesh material around the ankle. The outsole is constructed to provide flexibility and promote comfort when the wearer is driving.

The foregoing, along with further features and advantages of the invention, will be seen in the following disclosure of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention depicting the best mode contemplated at this time for carrying out the invention. This specification includes drawings, now briefly described as follows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For illustrating principles of the invention, the drawings show a shoe10to comprise a lower assembly12and an upper assembly14that cooperate to provide an interior for a person's foot and a foot opening through which a person's foot can be inserted into and removed from the shoe interior. At the foot opening, the shoe has a height that is greater than that of a low-cut shoe thereby endowing the shoe with a general appearance somewhat like that of a shoe-boot.

Each assembly12,14comprises a number of components. Lower assembly12comprises an outer sole16, a mid-sole18overlying outer sole16on the interior of shoe10, and an inner sole20overlying mid-sole18. An air exhaust system22is captured between mid-sole18and inner sole20.

Upper assembly14comprises a toe cover24for covering toes of a person's foot, and an upper26that is fabricated from a number of individual parts.

Outer sole16comprises a generally horizontally expansive body28contoured to conform generally to the sole of a person's foot, but with slightly larger length and width. The perimeter margin has a short wall30running along the sides between a taller toe wall32and a taller heel wall34.

The bottom of outer sole16has front and rear treads36,38respectively separated from each other by a bridge40.

Air exhaust system22comprises a first pump42, a first exhaust conduit44from an outlet of the pump, and an air inlet46. The system also comprises a second pump48, a second exhaust conduit50from an outlet of pump48, and an air inlet52to pump48.

Mid-sole18comprises a recess54and a channel56running from the recess to the rear of the mid-sole. The mid-sole also comprises a second recess58and a channel60running from the latter recess to the rear of the mid-sole. Each recess and channel are shaped to allow the respective pump42,48to be placed in the respective recess and channel.

Pumps42,48are vinyl bladder pumps, similar to those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,953,835; 5,996,250; and 6,463,679. They are relatively thin and flat, and when compressed in the direction of their thinness, exhaust a portion of a charge of air from their interior through the respective exhaust conduit44,50. In the center of the top face of each pump is a respective air intake through which air can enter the interior of the bladder.

Inner sole20provides comfortable cushioned support for the foot and comprises a shape for fitting with general conformance onto mid-sole18. It includes an inclined wall62, as shown inFIG. 6, that provides support of the arch in the direction of the body's medial plane. Inner sole20further comprises aperture structures64,66located respectively to overlie pumps42,48respectively. Each aperture structure is a series of parallel through-slots in the inner sole.

When a person forces his/her heel downward on inner sole20, the force is transmitted through material of the inner sole at aperture structure64to the top face of pump42. A portion of the material and/or the heel effectively seal off, or obstruct, air inlet46sufficiently that continued downward pressure of the heel compresses a charge of air that has entered the bladder, forcing at least some of that charge through exhaust conduit44to the exterior.

When the downward heel pressure on inner sole20is removed, the obstruction of air inlet46is sufficiently reduced to allow the bladder to intake air and in doing so expand upward so that a subsequent application of heel force will again cause the pump to exhaust air. A uni-directional valve in the exhaust conduit prevents air from entering the pump through the exhaust conduit.

In like manner, when a person forces the ball of his/her foot downward on inner sole20, the force is transmitted through material of the inner sole at aperture structure66to the top face of pump48. A portion of the material and/or the heel effectively seal off, or obstruct, air inlet52sufficiently that continued downward pressure of the foot's ball compresses a charge of air that has entered the bladder, forcing at least some of that charge through exhaust conduit50to the exterior.

When the downward pressure of the foot's ball on inner sole20is removed, the obstruction of air inlet52is sufficiently reduced to allow the bladder to intake air and in doing so expand upward so that a subsequent application of force will again cause the pump to exhaust air. A uni-directional valve in the exhaust conduit prevents air from entering the pump through the exhaust conduit.

The pumping action is pictorially presented inFIG. 8.

In the context of the shoe, the air that enters each pump is stale air from below the foot that has absorbed some small amount of heat from the foot. It is this air that is exhausted from the interior of the shoe at the rear of the heel.

As a person walks, a representative volumetric flow rate from each pump during each step is 0.89 in3. Based on an average air layer thickness of 0.2 inches between the shoe and the foot, the pump can theoretically develop sufficient airflow to completely refresh the air in the shoe every 10.7 steps. The refreshing air enters the shoe interior in the following ways.

Toe cover24comprises a hard body, an injection-molded plastic for example, for providing some degree of protection against dropped objects. A chevron-shaped through-opening68in the top wall of cover24contains a breathable fabric piece70, such as a natural or synthetic mesh as shown inFIG. 5. A similarly shaped vent cover72can slide fore and aft to selectively cover and uncover through-opening68. The ability of the vent cover to slide while being retained on the toe cover is provided by tongue and groove tracks74along the sides of the vent cover and through-opening.

FIGS. 4 and 8show the vent cover open so that air can enter the shoe interior through fabric piece70to cool the toes and proximal portion of the foot (arrows78). When slid closed, the perimeter margin of vent cover72contacts a perimeter gasket76surrounding the through-opening for providing some degree of liquid-resistant sealing around the closed vent cover. The vent cover can be assembled to the toe cover by slightly flexing the former and fitting it to the through-opening so that the tongue and groove structures can come into proper sliding engagement when the flexing of the vent cover is relieved.

Although a chevron-shaped is shown for the vent cover and through-opening, general principles of the invention do not require that specific shape as long as they have some minimum area for ventilation, preferably not less than 0.75 in2.

Upper26comprises a number of individual pieces assembled together. A piece80that covers instep, sides, and ankle of the foot is preferably fabricated from one or more pieces of leather. A four ounce weight (equivalent to 4/64thinch thickness) of smooth grained leather, categorized as “Boot and Work” chap leather, is well-suited for this purpose. A piece82of rubber-type material is joined to the lower margin of piece80as shown, and it is via this piece82that the portion of upper assembly14rearward of toe cover24joins in sealed manner to the perimeter wall30,34of outer sole16.

⅛ inch thick neoprene rubber is a suitable material for piece82. Outer sole16is preferably a 10 iron sole, which is equivalent to 5 mm thickness, and is constructed of Black SBR, a rubber compound that is both flexible and provides slip-resistance. With outer sole16being a rubber material, the use of piece82serves to in effect extend the height of the water-impervious characteristics of the lower assembly around the side of the shoe, particularly in the heel area. This is believed to be beneficial to a trucker in various work environments, such as when the trucker has to exit the cab in unfavorable conditions like mud, rain, and snow.

The tread of outer sole16contains a cross-cut pattern in which the cross-cuts are quite shallow and narrow. That prevents larger pieces of gravel and significant amounts of mud from being caught in the cross-cuts and brought into the truck. It also makes it easier for the driver to scrape mud, debris, etc. from the bottom of the sole. Because keeping his/her truck clean is important to truckers, they value shoes that minimize the amount of shoe-tracking into a truck. The thinness and flexibility of outer sole16make shoe10quite comfortable for driving, yet the height of piece82, a height greater than the thickness of the outer sole, contributes to the outward appearance of the shoe being more like a thick-soled boot than a shoe, an appearance that is favored by many truckers. Hence, combination of the relatively thin outer sole and piece82endow shoe10with both form and function.

The sides and top of the front margin of piece80join to the sides and top of the rear margin of toe cover24in a sealed manner, and the bottom margin of the toe cover joins to the outer sole at wall32also in a sealed manner.

Upper26covers the ankle. The foot opening of the shoe is at the top of the ankle covering portion. A portion of upper26that partially encircles the ankle along the sides and back comprises a breathable fabric layer band84running lengthwise along sides and back to provide ventilation of the interior. A leather rim86covers the top edge of band84along the sides and for further structural support, a taller U-shaped piece88is assembled to band84at the rear of the ankle. A flexible U-shaped support piece90protrudes even further upward behind the ankle.

A strap92having a hook-type catch94at a free end has the opposite end attached to the portion of upper26that partially encircles the ankle, with the attachment being made to that portion of the upper to the inside of the ankle. That portion of the upper to the outside of the ankle contains a series of hook-type catches96. The portion of the upper partially encircling the sides and rear of the ankle leaves an open frontal space that is filled by a tongue98extending from the portion of piece80that covers the instep.

With tongue98placed to complete encirclement of the ankle, strap92can be brought across the tongue and hooked with any appropriate one of the series of complementary hook-type catches96to provide the desired degree of tightening around the ankle. By magnetizing the hook-type catch94and making the series of complementary hook-type catches96ferromagnetic, accidental separation of connected hooks becomes less likely.

The use of both mesh band84around the ankle and the air exhaust system can contribute to a cooler drier environment inside the shoe, aiding in alleviating problems like those mentioned before. In the disclosed shoe these attributes are provided in conjunction with the professional look of a boot-type shoe. The same mesh is fabric mesh is used in the toe cover through-opening68to allow air flow while and preventing certain debris from entering the shoe when the vent cover is open. An 840×1680 Denier Nylon mesh fabric is an example of a suitable fabric. Tongue98can be solid leather, or alternately comprise breathable material such as this mesh fabric.FIG. 6shows a band of mesh fabric in the tongue. With the tongue in place that band bridges the ends of band84.

It is believed that the shoe that has been disclosed here is well suited to the life-style and routines of professional truck drivers. The shoe is suited for multiple environments, such as in driving and when walking outside in wet and possibly muddy conditions. Because time is important to truckers, they would be expected not to want to have to waste it fumbling with and/or changing shoes. The toe cover vent can be easily opened and closed. Attachment and release of the strap is also quick. The shoe combines aesthetics, function, and durability, all attributes that are expected to be appreciated by truckers.

During driving, a trucker's foot may exert pressure on the small areas at the edge of the heel due to the angle of the foot while on the gas pedal. To dissipate this pressure, the heel of the shoe is contoured and reinforced with rubber as has been described. The outer sole material is flexible and the rear of the ankle enjoys flexible ankle support, as described, to enhance driving comfort.

The shoe is believed to provide a comprehensive footwear solution for a truck driver who demands a high level of comfort and convenience in many environments and conditions. While the shoe has been created with driving needs in mind, it is considered an excellent walking shoe. By actively circulating air and providing adequate passive ventilation, a driver's feet can remain cooler during extended hours of driving. In wet conditions, the shoe is easily set to water-resistant mode by closing the vent cover in the toe which prevents rain or water (up to two inches deep) from entering. The air exhaust system functions inherently with foot movement and is unobtrusive to the comfort and ergonomics of the shoe.

While a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it should be appreciated that principles of the invention apply to all embodiments falling within the scope of the invention that is defined as follows.