DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an insert for footwear.

It is known that the term "foot reflexology" commonly identifies a variety of massage techniques intended to improve the health of a user through stimulation of the nerve endings in specific areas of the sole of the foot.

There are known inserts for footwear arranged to stimulate the foot, according to the principles of foot reflexology, while walking.

Inserts of this type currently available are often not very comfortable and can lead to discomfort and pain while walking, causing considerable distress for the user.

Moreover, they are relatively costly to produce on an industrial scale.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome the problems described above by providing an insert for footwear according to the attached claim 1.

The insert according to the present invention comprises an insole, preferably made of leather, having an upper surface, destined to face the foot of the wearer, and a lower surface, destined to face the sole of said footwear.

According to the present invention, the insole comprises one or more first portions, at each of which at least one wire, made of electrically conducting material, passes through the thickness of the insole, so as to form an electrically conductive path between the upper surface and the lower surface of the insole.

According to the present invention, the insole also comprises one or more second portions, at each of which there is arranged at least one magnet positioned in a corresponding housing produced in the thickness of the insole.

According to an aspect of the invention, at said first portions there are arranged a plurality of stitches obtained by needlepunching or sewing of the electrically conductive wire, passing through the thickness of the insole.

Preferably, these electrically conductive wire stitches are arranged so as to make the first surface and the second surface of the insole electrically conductive, at said first portions. In other words, the electrically conductive wire stitches are preferably arranged so as to form electrically conductive pads on the first surface and on the second surface of the insole, at said first portions.

Preferably, the electrically conductive wire is a gold, silver or gold-plated silver wire.

Preferably, the magnet is housed in a corresponding housing hole passing through the thickness of the insole. Preferably, the magnet is arranged so as to have a negative pole positioned at the upper surface of the insole and a positive pole positioned at the lower surface of the insole.

Preferably, the insert according to the present invention comprises a first layer of material, electrically conductive, that covers, at least partly, the lower surface of the insole.

This layer is arranged so as to be in electrical contact with the wire, made of electrically conductive material, arranged at the first portions of the insole, and in electrical contact with the magnets arranged at the second portions of said insole.

Preferably, the insert according to the present invention comprises a second layer of material adapted to cover, at least partly, the bottom of said first layer of material.

Preferably, the insert according to the present invention comprises at least a third layer of material adapted to cover, at least partly, the bottom of said first layer of material and/or said second layer of material.

Preferably, said first layer of material and/or said second layer of material and/or said third layer of material comprise one or more second aeration holes or openings to promote breathability of the foot.

The insert according to the present invention ensures that some electrically conductive areas (the first portions) and some magnetically active areas (the second portions) of the insole come into contact with the sole of the user's foot.

The conductive areas of the insole can be suitably arranged to stimulate the foot according to the principles of foot reflexology.

The magnetically active areas of the insole can be suitably arranged to further stimulate the foot according to the principles of foot reflexology and/or to strengthen the stimulating action performed by the electrically conductive areas.

The insert according to the present invention ensures a high level of comfort while walking. The insert according to the present invention has an extremely simple structure and is easy to produce using known industrial processes.

Further characteristics and advantages of the insert according to the present invention will be more apparent with reference to the description below and to the accompanying figures, provided purely for explanatory and non-limiting purposes, wherein:

Fig. 1 schematically shows a top view of an embodiment of the insert according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 schematically shows a bottom view of the insert of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 schematically shows a sectional detail of the insert of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4 schematically shows a further sectional detail of the insert of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 5 schematically shows an exploded sectional view of the insert of Fig. 1. With reference to the aforesaid figures, the present invention relates to an insert 1 for footwear.

The insert I comprises a shaped insole 11, preferably made of leather, consisting of a single layer of material or of several layers superimposed and joined to one another.

The insole 11 comprises an upper surface 12, configured to face the foot of the user so as to form, during use of the insert in a shoe, a surface on which the sole of the foot rests.

The insole 11 comprises a lower surface 13, opposite the upper surface 12 and configured to face the sole of the footwear, during use of the insert in a shoe.

The insole 11 comprises one or more first portions 14.

The insole 11 comprises at least one wire 142, made of electrically conductive material, that passes through the thickness of the insole 11 at the first portions 14.

In this way, the at least one wire 142 forms an electrically conductive path 140 that passes through the insole 11 between the surfaces 12 and 13.

Preferably, each of the first portions 14 is provided with a plurality of stitches 141 obtained by needlepunching or sewing the electrically conductive wire 142.

The stitches 141 pass through the thickness of the insole 11 and are concatenated with the surfaces 12 and 13 of the insole.

Preferably, the stitches 141 are arranged (e.g. juxtaposed one to another) so as to cover, at least partly, the surfaces 12 and 13, at each of the first portions 14. The surfaces 12 and 13 of the insole 11 are thus electrically conductive at the first portions 14 and the foot of the user, resting on the surface 12, can come into electrical contact with the conductive paths 140 arranged at the first portions 14.

The stitches 141 can be obtained with known industrial techniques (such as needlepunching, sewing or similar procedures) and can require one or more lengths of wire 142 for their implementation.

Advantageously, the wire 142 has a relatively small diameter (for example less than a few tenths of mm) so that the increased thickness, caused by the presence of the stitches 141 that are concatenated with the surfaces 12 and 13 of the insole 11, at the first portions 14, is not perceptible to the user while walking.

The wire 142 can be made of any electrically conductive material. Preferably, to ensure high electrical conductivity of each conductive path 140, the wire 142 is made of gold, silver or gold-plated silver.

Naturally, several wires 142, even made of different materials to one another, can be used to produce each conductive path 140 and/or the electrically conductive areas.

The geometric arrangement and the shape of the first portions 14 of the insole 11 can be any, as required.

Preferably, the first portions 14 are positioned at the areas of the sole of the foot to be stimulated.

The insole 11 also comprises one or more second portions 19.

The insert 1 comprises at least one magnet 190 positioned at said second portions 19 in a corresponding seat 191 obtained in the thickness of the insole 11.

Preferably, each magnet 190 is positioned in a removable manner within the corresponding seat 191.

The seat 191 for a magnet 190 could be a blind cavity of the insole open toward one of the surfaces 12 or 13 to facilitate positioning of the magnet.

In some embodiments, the magnet 190 could also be positioned in a closed cavity produced in the thickness of the insole 11 or embedded in the material of the insole.

Preferably, the magnet 190 is accommodated in a corresponding hole 191 passing through the thickness of the insole 11.

Preferably, the magnet 190 is positioned in the related seat 191 so that it does not protrude from the surface 12, 13 of the insole while being in contact with the user's foot. In this way, it does not cause an increase in the thickness of the insole 11 perceptible to the user while walking.

Preferably, the magnet 190 is positioned in the related housing 191 so that the negative and positive poles respectively face the upper 12 and lower surface 13 of the insole 11.

The magnet 190 can be of conventional type and can have any shape, as required. Preferably, it is cylindrical or plate-shaped.

The geometric arrangement of the second portions 19 of the insole 11 can be any, as required. The second portions 19 form magnetically active regions of the insole 11, at each of which the foot of the user is affected by a magnetic field generated by the corresponding magnet 190. Preferably, the first portions 14 are positioned at the areas of the sole of the foot that are to be stimulated.

Preferably, as shown in Fig. 1, the insole 11 comprises one or more third portions 15.

At each of the third portions 15, the insole 11 comprises one or more first aeration holes 151, passing through the thickness of the insole, so as to promote adequate breathability of the foot.

Preferably, the insole 11 is operatively associated, at the lower surface 13 thereof, with a plurality of layers of material of the insert 1 . which are superimposed on one another, according to substantially sandwich-like structure.

These layers of material can be assembled with one another or with the insole 1 1 by means of techniques conventionally used in the footwear industry, such as gluing, sewing, heat welding or the like.

Preferably, the insert I comprises a first layer of electrically conductive material 15.

The layer of material 15 covers, at least partly, the lower surface 13 of the insole 11.

Preferably, the layer of material 15 is operatively associated with the lower surface 13 of the insole 11 so as to be in electrical contact with the wires 142 passing through the thickness of the insole 11, at each of the first portions 14, and in electrical contact with the magnets 190 positioned at the second portions 19 of the insole 11.

In this way, an electrical contact is produced between the layer of material 15, the conductive paths 140 that pass through the insole 11 and the magnets 190 positioned in the thickness of the insole 11.

The layer of material 15 can advantageously consist of an electrically conductive fabric, for example a fabric comprising carbon fiber, or of a foil, mesh or sheet of metal material.

Preferably, the insert 1 comprises a second layer of material 16, operatively associated with the lower surface 13 of the insole 11.

The layer of material 16 is adapted to cover, at least partly, the bottom of the layer of material 15.

It is advantageously arranged to ensure an effective "shock absorbing" function and promote adequate breathability of the foot while walking.

It can consist, for example, of a mesh made of rubber material, chemically treated so as to have antibacterial properties.

Preferably, the insert 1 comprises a further third layer of material 17, also operatively associated with the lower surface 13 of the insole 11.

The layer of material 17 is adapted to cover, at least partly, the bottom of the layers of material 15 and/or 16.

Preferably, the layer of material 17 consists of a covering canvas, for example made of a fabric.

Preferably, the layers of material 15, 16 and/or 17 are provided with one or more second aeration holes or openings 171 to promote adequate breathability of the foot.

The insert according to the present invention is suitable for use in any kind of footwear, such as walking shoes, sports shoes, boots, sandals, slippers or the like. It can be removably operatively associated with, or fixed to, the footwear.

In the its operational use, the insert according to the present invention is advantageously positioned with the upper surface 12 of the insole 11 in contact with the user's foot and can be positioned directly superimposed on the sole of the footwear or superimposed on a further insole.

As is apparent from the description above, the insert according to the present invention makes it possible to adequately solve the problems and drawbacks of the prior art.

In the insert according to the present invention, the presence of the conductive paths 140, through the insole 1 1, allow the user's foot to be placed in contact with electrically conductive areas and with magnetically active areas that can be easily arranged to stimulate the foot according to the principles of foot reflexology.

The insert according to the present invention does not subject the user's foot to musculoskeletal stress.

The insert according to the present invention has an extremely simple structure, capable of ensuring optimal comfort while walking.

The insert according to the present invention is easy to produce using known industrial processes, with considerable advantages in terms of limiting production costs.