Disposable warmer holder

A holder for a disposable pocket warmer of chemical or oxidation exothermic type is adapted to be inserted into shoes. The holder containing the pocket warmer is made small so as to be situated only in the toe and the broadest portion of the interior of the shoe. The holder does not extend to the heel of the shoe, so that only a few different sizes of holders can be used for a wide range of shoe sizes. The holder comprises a lower base member and an upper closure or cover member bonded to each other to form a pocket to receive the warmer. Each respective member has a different permeability, so that the holder may be turned upside down or reversed, to thereby change the permeability of a member exposed to air within the shoe interior. As a result, the heating value from the pocket warmer can be changed according to environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a holder for a small-size disposable warmer, and 
more particularly, to a holder adapted to be used for applying a small 
disposable warmer of a chemical exothermic reaction type within the 
interior of footwear, such as a shoe. 
Small disposable warmers employing, for example, an oxidation reaction of 
iron powder with the atmosphere, have been widely used, and there have 
been several proposals, for applying such a disposable warmer to footwear, 
such as a shoe or boot. 
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No.61(19 86)-8013, for 
example, describes how to make a pocket portion for containing a 
disposable warmer in an inner matting placed in the interior of a shoe, 
and how to set an air permeable bag containing an exothermic material into 
the pocket portion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,319 discloses forming of a warmer 
containing portion in the upper portion of a slipper-like footwear in 
order to contain a small disposable warmer to give a warming effect from 
above toward the front portion of the foot of a wearer 
In a conventional footwear item, provided with an inner matting which has a 
disposable warmer containing portion, such as those mentioned above, the 
inner matting has a considerably large size so as to spread over the whole 
area of the footwear or shoe's bottom, resulting in a high cost. It is 
apparent that various sized shoes must be manufactured so as to be 
comfortably used by particular persons. As a result, it is necessary to 
stock inner mattings of various sizes in shoe stores and wholesale 
dealers. Manufacturing these various sized inner mattings is troublesome 
and necessitates large warehouse space, resulting in an increase in cost 
over the conventional inner mattings provided with disposable warmers. 
The footwear described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,319 does not have such a 
inconvenient inner matting. However, the warming or heating effect from 
the warmer contained therein is given only to the upper surfaces of the 
wearer's feet and not given to the tips of the toes and the bottom 
portions of the wearer's feet. That is, in general, warm air is naturally 
apt to rise and resultantly the warming effect is likely to concentrate on 
the upper portion of the foot; that is, warm air does not propagate to the 
bottom portion of the footwear and accumulates in the upper interior space 
of the footwear. Because some interior space is kept between the inner 
surface or instep of the wearer's foot during walking and warmness 
accumulated in the space is apt to dissipate through a wall of the 
footwear's upper portion to the atmosphere, the wearer's feet cannot take 
the warmness from the warmer. 
According to the prior art footwear of U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,319, the 
disposable warmer containing portion or holder for the small warmer is 
always applied and fixed to the interior of the footwear, so that in the 
seasons of summer and warm spring and fall, the holder is an obstruction 
and is felt by the wearer when the wearer's feet are placed in such 
footwear and disturbs the putting on of the footwear by the wearer. 
It is very difficult to apply a regular-sized disposable warmer in the 
particular holder attached in an interior of particular shoes, such as 
boots, since such footwear has a portion wholly covering the overall 
instep and accommodating the heel. Practically, it is impossible to use a 
regular disposable warmer in such a shoe. It has been inevitable that 
large size holders are necessary for the particular shoes, resulting in 
the need for many manufacturing processes to make the holder and attach it 
to the interior of the boots. The boots will thus be expensive. 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a compact holder for 
a small disposable warmer, which holder is adapted to be attached in the 
interior of a shoe for containing the disposable warmer in order to give a 
suitable and sufficient warming effect to the wearer's feet, which holder 
can be applied to all shoes of various sizes, and which can be produced at 
low cost. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the present invention, a compact holder for a disposable 
warmer containing a chemical exothermic compound, for example, of iron 
powder adapted to be reacted with oxygen in the atmosphere to generate 
heat, is applied or inserted between the sole and the instep of a shoe so 
as to be placed at the front half portion of the interior of the shoe. 
After the compact holder of the present invention containing the disposable 
warmer above is set at the toe or in front of the widest portion of the 
sole of the shoe, the circumference of the widest portion of the compact 
holder firmly engages the outer wall of the holder so as to be prevented 
from moving or being pulled out of its front portion when walking on the 
shoes. 
In accordance with the present invention, a holder for a disposable warmer 
comprises a permeable base member of a length which extends from a toe 
portion to a rear end portion at the mid-portion between the widest part 
and the heel part of the sole of a footwear, and a permeable closure 
member placed on the base member so as to wholly overlap and be joined to 
the base member through their peripheral edges leaving an inlet-and-outlet 
at the rear end of the holder, wherein the permeability of the base member 
and the closure member are different from each other and the holder can be 
reversibly applied to the footwear. 
During use, the wearer walks on such footwear provided with such a 
disposable warmer containing holder, warmth from the disposable warmer is 
given to the tips of the toe of the wearer and eventually the whole foot 
is thoroughly warmed. 
The permeability of the base member differs from that of the closure member 
of the warmer holder and the holder is turned over at a suitable time, so 
that all warmth of the warmer can be effectively used. 
Because the warmer holder of the present invention is set and placed at 
only the toe of footwear, it is adaptable to all shoes of various sizes. 
Applying it to large size shoes, the circumferential portions of the 
holder engage the outermost wall of the widest portion of the shoe and is 
firmly attached thereto. For small size shoes, the side peripheral 
portions of the holder are pressed against the sides of the shoe interior 
space and bent, so the holder is stably located. 
By selecting a material of suitable rigidity and using it as a base member 
of the holder, the side portions of the holder are stretched with a 
suitable force against the inner side wall of the shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a holder for a disposable warmer is manufactured 
by joining or fastening a closure member 2 to a base member 1 along the 
circumferential joining portions 4 thereof. The base member 1 has a toe 
portion 11, a widest portion 12, and an edge 13 which ends about midway 
between the widest portion 12 and a heel of the sole. Thus, as seen in 
FIGS. 1 and 3, the holder is about one-half the length of a shoe and can 
be termed a "half-size" holder. The length of the base member 1 can be 
freely determined depending upon use. The circumferential joining portion 
4 between the closure member 2 and the base member 1 is left open at the 
rear end or back edge to form an inlet-and-outlet 5 through which a 
disposable warmer 7 is inserted and pulled out. Ordinarily, the rear end 
portion 13 of base member 1 is cut along a straight line, however it may 
be cut in a curved line, such as that of an arc of a circle indented 
toward the front portion or toe portion 11 of the holder. 
According to the present invention, the base member 1 and the closure 
member 2 are made of two kinds of permeable materials. For example, they 
are made of felt and non-woven fabric, which are different from each other 
in their compactness and thickness, resulting in the provision of the base 
member 1 and the closure member 2, respectively having permeabilities 
which differ from each other. The case in which the base member 1 of the 
holder is applied onto the bottom or sole of the shoe is different from 
another case in which the closure member 2 is made to contact with the 
sole in an air volume supplied to the disposable warmer 7 through these 
different materials from which these members are made. Consequently, the 
heating value from the disposable warmer can be changed without difficulty 
by reversing the orientation of the holder in the interior of the shoe. It 
is easy experimentally to obtain a thermal difference of about 
5.degree.-10.degree. C. and it may be possible to change the heating value 
of the disposable warmer 7 in a range of from 3.degree.-20.degree. C. 
As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to provide a net-like member 6 at the 
rear edge of the holder, which member 6 is made of, for example, a thick 
fabric material or yarn of a diameter: 0.1-0.5 mm. The fabric material has 
a considerable and suitable rigidity, and is made of a material such as 
vinylidene chloride and polypropylene yarn which are crossed or woven onto 
the base member 1 made of permeable fabric material. As shown in FIG. 4, 
the mesh-like member 6 has bent and curved portions 6a formed thereon in 
order to leave some space or clearance between the net-like member 6 and 
the sole of the shoe. Thus, enough air may enter in the holder through the 
space or clearance mentioned above, so that the disposable warmer obtains 
a uniform supply of air and burns or oxidizes uniformly. 
Preferably, felt or non-woven fabric material from which the closure member 
2 is made has a comfortable and soft touch to the sole or feet of the 
wearer. The net-like member 6 has sufficient rigidity, so that the closure 
member 2 and the base member 1 can be suitably extended and resultantly 
the holder containing a warmer can be suitably placed on the sole of a 
shoe. 
A bonding material may be used at the joint portion 4 adhering the base 
member 1, the closure member 2, and the net-like member 6 all together. 
Alternatively, the base member 1, the closure member 2 and the net-like 
member 6, respectively may be made of plastic material and may be bonded 
to each other by a thermal melting process or welding through the joint 
portion 4. 
It is well known that the disposable warmer 7 is contained in a bag 70 made 
of cloth or fabric having permeability, and an exothermic powder and 
particle compound 8. The disposable warmer 7 is adapted to be inserted 
into the holder through the inlet-and-outlet 5. 
According to the present invention, the disposable warmer contained in the 
bag 70 engages with the curved portions 6a of mesh-like member 6, even 
though the wearer of the shoe containing a disposable warmer holder may 
walk rapidly. The warmer's bag 70 suitably engages also with the upper 
closure member 2 made of felt, resulting in a stable positioning of the 
bag 70 in the holder of the present invention. Naturally, the disposable 
warmer 7 radiates warmness and it is uniformly distributed around the feet 
of the wearer in order to effectively warm-up the complete foot, including 
the toes, when the disposable warmer 7 contained in the bag 70 is inserted 
into the holder positioned on the bottom of the interior of the shoe. 
As mentioned above, it is necessary to reverse the disposable warmer 7 
together with the holder in which the warmer is received. The holder is 
set at the front half of the shoe sole, so any change or variation in 
shape of the closure member 2 and the base member i does not hinder the 
suitable and stable positioning of the holder. It is recommended to apply 
a holder of a right foot to a left foot and vice versa after these holders 
are reversed, to obtain better fittability of the holders to both shoes. 
It is noted that the disposable warmer holders of the present invention can 
be applied to various types of footwear, such as shoes and boots, of 
various sizes by using a pair of holders of only one size. Accordingly, it 
is not necessary to prepare a large number of disposable warmer holders 
for various sized shoes. Practically, it is possible to provide suitable 
fit for substantially any size of shoes by manufacturing disposable 
warmers, for example, of only three kinds, namely: men's size, women's 
size, and children's size. In consequence, it is easy to mass produce the 
disposable warmer holder and monitor the quality and production of them. 
Since the disposable warmer holder has a very small size corresponding to 
only the toe or front portion of a shoe, it is mass produced at a very low 
cost. 
While specific embodiments have been described, variations thereto will 
occur to those skilled in the art within the scope of the present 
inventive concepts defined by the following claims.