Footwear emitting a fragrance and method for its fabrication

Abstract

An article of footwear that emits a fragrance includes a fragrance-releasing substance impregnated or incorporated into and absorbed by a part of the footwear such as by infusing the fragrance-releasing substance into the selected part of the footwear article. In one embodiment of the footwear described, the fragrance-releasing substance is incorporated in an ornament that has the appearance of an object in nature that emits a fragrance similar to that emitted by the footwear.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to a fragranced footwear and a method for its fabrication. [0002] It has been recognized, as stated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,221, that the use of a fragrance in connection with an article of footwear, such as a sandal or an athletic shoe, would enhance the commercial attractiveness and desirability of the footwear to the consumer. As described in this patent, a fragrance is imparted to the footwear by incorporating microcapsules having encapsulated therein a fragrant liquid substance onto a surface of the footwear. To release the fragrance, these microcapsules must be ruptured, such as by scratching the surface of the footwear that includes the microcapsules or by exerting pressure on that surface. [0003] This prior art approach to fabricating and using a footwear that emits a pleasant fragrance is, however, insofar as it requires the wearer to scratch or otherwi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide a fragranced footwear that does not require the use of scratching, rupturing or any other type of manipulation to release the fragrance from the footwear.

[0007] It is a further object of the invention to provide an article of footwear of the type described which can be fabricated relatively inexpensively and easily.

Problems solved by technology

This prior art approach to fabricating and using a footwear that emits a pleasant fragrance is, however, insofar as it requires the wearer to scratch or otherwise rupture the fragrance-enclosing microcapsules, cumbersome to use, particularly for young children who constitute a major market for fragranced footwear.

The need to embed the microcapsules that contain the fragrance liquid into the footwear is also relatively complex and expensive, resulting in a relatively high cost of fabrication and thus a higher cost to the consumer.

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