Ventilated and insulated athletic shoe

Abstract

An athletic shoe adapted to maintain a foot housed therein in a relatively cool and dry state despite heat and moisture developed within the shoe interior in the course of activity. The shoe upper is provided with a metallized coating to reflect incident solar radiation. The shoe includes a ground-engaging outer sole, an inner sole and a contoured compressible inner liner which engages the plantar area of the foot. Interposed between the inner and outer soles is a thin insulating insert acting as a thermal barrier minimizing the conduction of ground heat to the shoe interior. Embedded in the inner sole is an array of tubes each extending along a diagonal axis and terminating at its leading end in an air scoop that projects from the outer side of the inner sole to intercept relatively cool ambient air. The trailing end of the tube has an air flow restrictor therein and terminates in a discharge outlet that projects from the inner side of the inner sole, the restrictor acting to reduce the discharge of the cool air. Each tube is provided with at least one lateral port that communicates with the shoe interior through a duct passing through the inner liner. In the course of activity, the shoe is cyclically raised by the wearer above ground and then brought down in contact therewith, as a result of which the foot acts to compress the inner liner to force hot and moist air from the interior into the duct and through the tube for expulsion into the atmosphere from the discharge outlet.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.