Conforming shoe construction and gel compositions therefor
AssigneeAcushnet Company
InventorsBernie Allen, Zoran Petrovic, Ivan Javni
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a conforming medium containing gels for customized fitting components, such as those used in a shoe. The invention further includes environmentally-responsive gels that are temperature-responsive so that they will react to body heat to transition from a liquid to a gel state or a gel state to a liquid state. The invention optionally includes thermally-sensitive dyes and other colorants in the environmentally-responsive gels. Furthermore, the invention is directed to an article for conforming to the contours of an object having isolation means, such as a bladder of a flexible member, to contain the environmentally-responsive gel therein.
Claims18
A gel composition comprising water and a non-ionic block copolymer in an amount of between about 15 to 40 weight percent to impart a gel transition temperature range of between about 0.1.degree. to 5.degree. C. at which the gel composition changes from a liquid state to a gel state, whereby the viscosity of the gel composition in the gel state is greater than about 100 to 3000 times the viscosity of the gel composition in the liquid state.
A conformable temperature-responsive composition comprising water and a non-ionic block copolymer in an amount sufficient to impart a temperature variable viscosity having a transition temperature range of between about 0.1.degree. to 5.degree. C. where the composition changes from a first flowable and conformable state which has a first viscosity to a second state that has a second viscosity, wherein the second viscosity of the composition is at least about 100 times greater than the first viscosity, and a transition temperature modifying additive in an amount sufficient to enable the transition temperature range of the composition to begin at a temperature of about 13.degree. to 35.degree. C., and wherein the block copolymer includes polyoxyalkylene blocks and the addition of heat causes the composition to change from the first state to the second state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.