Sufficient heating equipment

Abstract

To provide a foot warmer that is easy to use, provides a warming effect similar to a foot bath by soaking the feet in warm water, offers excellent comfort, and is less prone to uneven heating and / or deterioration of comfort. [Solution] The foot warmer of the present invention comprises a first sheet 12, a second sheet 13, and a heat storage section 14 positioned between the two sheets 12 and 13, which absorbs energy supplied from the outside and stores heat. Both the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13 are liquid-impermeable sheets. The heat storage section 14 is held watertight by the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13. The heat storage section 14 contains a hydrogel 42 and a fibrous material 41 in a water-absorbed state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a foot warmer.

Background Art

[0002] Foot bath is mainly a water bath method of immersing only the feet in warm water. The feet are a part where blood flow is likely to decrease and where coldness is easily felt. Foot bath is excellent as a method of warming the feet while wearing clothes and improving the blood flow in the feet. In addition, foot bath also has the advantage of being able to lower the deep body temperature and promote sleep.

[0003] However, since a conventional general foot bath is performed by putting the feet in warm water, it is necessary to prepare a large amount of warm water, which requires labor for preparation and cleaning up. Therefore, as a foot warmer that does not require a large amount of warm water, the applicant previously proposed a steam warming tool for foot bath, which includes a bag-shaped foot accommodation part having a space for accommodating the feet, and a steam generation part containing an oxidizable metal, water, an electrolyte, and a reaction accelerator is provided in the foot accommodation part, and a narrow strip-shaped fixing tool is attached near the opening of the foot accommodation part (Patent Document 1). As another foot warmer that does not require a large amount of warm water, Patent Document 2 discloses a water-repellent foot bath bag in which a non-woven fabric or a woven fabric is set and a predetermined amount of a mixed liquid and feet are accommodated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] It is desirable that the foot warmer can be easily used, has a warming effect close to that of a foot bath in which the feet are immersed in warm water, has an excellent wearing feeling, and is unlikely to cause uneven warming and / or deterioration of the wearing feeling. However, while the foot warmers disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are easy to use, they sometimes fail to provide a warming effect similar to a foot bath, or they may result in uneven heating and / or poor comfort when worn.

[0006] The present invention relates to a foot warming device that is easy to use, provides a warming effect similar to a foot bath by immersing the feet in warm water, offers excellent comfort, and is less prone to uneven heating and / or deterioration of comfort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a foot warmer comprising a first sheet, a second sheet, and a heat storage unit disposed between the two sheets that absorbs energy supplied from the outside and stores heat. In one embodiment, it is preferable that both the first sheet and the second sheet are liquid-impermeable sheets. In one embodiment, it is preferable that the heat storage section is held watertight by the first sheet and the second sheet. In one embodiment, it is preferable that the heat storage section contains a hydrogel and a fibrous material that have absorbed water. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention provides a foot warmer that is easy to use, provides a warming effect similar to a foot bath by soaking the feet in warm water, offers excellent comfort, and is less prone to uneven heating and / or deterioration of comfort. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the foot warming device of the present invention, and is a schematic plan view of the foot warming device in its unfolded and extended state, viewed from the side facing the foot. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are perspective views showing an example of how to attach the foot warmer shown in Figure 1 to the foot. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the state of a foot warmer being worn, held by an example of a holding mechanism. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figures 6(a) and (b) are diagrams showing another example of a retaining means, and are perspective views showing a method for attaching a foot warmer equipped with the retaining means. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention relates to a foot warmer comprising a first sheet, a second sheet, and a heat storage unit disposed between the two sheets that absorbs energy supplied from the outside and stores heat. Both the first sheet and the second sheet are liquid-impermeable sheets. The heat storage section is held watertight by the first sheet and the second sheet. The present invention relates to a foot warmer in which the heat storage section contains a hydrogel and a fibrous material in a state of absorbing water. The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, based on its preferred embodiments. In the following drawings, identical or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are basically schematic, and the proportions of the dimensions may differ from those of reality.

[0011] Figures 1 to 5 show one embodiment of the foot warming device 1 of the present invention. The foot warming device 1 of this embodiment is a device that is worn on the foot and warms the foot. In this specification, "foot" means the part from the ankle down and anatomically includes the tarsus, metatarsus and toes. The foot warmer 1 of this embodiment has a longitudinal direction X corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the sole of the foot and a width direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. In a plan view when unfolded, the foot warmer 1 of this embodiment has a shape that is elongated in one direction and has an external shape that is symmetrical with respect to a virtual straight line CL that bisects the entire length of the width direction Y and extends in the longitudinal direction X (see Figure 1). More specifically, the foot warmer 1 of this embodiment has a rectangular shape that is elongated in the longitudinal direction X.

[0012] As used in this specification, the "deployed state" refers to the state in which the foot warmer 1 is spread out flat. When the foot warmer 1 includes an elastic member described later, the state in which the elastic member is stretched to its maximum extent until it reaches the same dimensions as those when it is spread out flat in a state where the influence of the elastic member is completely eliminated, that is, the design dimensions, is also referred to as the "deployed and stretched state". FIG. 1 shows the foot warmer 1 in the deployed and stretched state.

[0013] The foot warmer 1 of the present embodiment has a heat storage main body 10 and a pair of three-dimensional cuffs 16, 16 arranged on both side portions of the heat storage main body 10. The heat storage main body 10 has a first sheet 12, a second sheet 13, and a heat storage portion 14 disposed between both sheets 12, 13 (see FIG. 1). This heat storage main body 10 forms the main body of the foot warmer 1. In the heat storage main body 10 of the present embodiment, the first sheet 12 forms the foot-facing surface of the heat storage main body 10, and the second sheet 13 forms the non-foot-facing surface of the heat storage main body 10. The foot warmer 1 of the present embodiment includes a first sheet 12, a second sheet 13, a heat storage portion 14, and the three-dimensional cuffs 16, 16 disposed on the foot-facing surface side of the first sheet 12, and these are integrally formed by known joining means such as an adhesive or heat fusion.

[0014] As used in this specification, the "foot-facing surface" is the surface of the foot warmer 1 or its constituent member (for example, the heat storage portion 14) that faces the surface of the wearer's foot in the mounted state of the foot warmer 1, that is, the side relatively closer to the surface of the wearer's foot, and the "non-foot-facing surface" is the surface of the foot warmer 1 or its constituent member that faces the side opposite to the surface of the foot when the foot warmer 1 is mounted, that is, the side relatively farther from the surface of the wearer's foot. Here, the "mounted state" means the state in which the normal proper mounting position, that is, the correct wearing position of the foot warmer 1, is maintained.

[0015] The foot warmer 1 of this embodiment has a pair of three-dimensional cuffs 16, 16 that stand up on the wearer's skin side when the foot warmer 1 is worn on both sides along the longitudinal direction X of the heat storage body 10 (see FIG. 2). Each three-dimensional cuff 16 includes a cuff-forming sheet 16b folded back so as to have a folded-back portion at the inner end in the width direction Y, and an elastic member 16a (hereinafter also referred to as "cuff elastic member 16a") fixed in an extended state in the longitudinal direction X between the folded-back cuff-forming sheets 16b, 16b. The outer portions of the three-dimensional cuffs 16, 16 in the width direction Y are joined to other constituent members (such as the first sheet 12) adjacent to the cuffs 16 by known joining means such as an adhesive, while the inner portions of the cuffs in the width direction Y are not joined to other constituent members. As a result, the outer end portion of the three-dimensional cuff 16 in the width direction Y becomes the base end portion, and the inner end portion in the width direction Y becomes the free end portion and stands up. The three-dimensional cuff 16 may have a bent portion in the standing portion that stands up on the foot-facing surface side. In this case, the portion between the bent portion and the free end portion may extend outward in the width direction Y or may extend inward in the width direction Y. The former is to fold the three-dimensional cuff 16 outward at the bent portion in a cross-sectional view along the width direction Y of the foot warmer 1, and the latter is to fold the three-dimensional cuff 16 inward at the bent portion in the same cross-sectional view.

[0016] In the three-dimensional cuff 16 of this embodiment, in the unfolded state, a plurality of cuff elastic members 16a extending in the longitudinal direction X are arranged at intervals in the width direction Y. The plurality of cuff elastic members 16a are arranged in parallel. The pair of three-dimensional cuffs 16, 16 extend along the longitudinal direction X, and have non-standing joint portions 16d, 16d located at both ends in the longitudinal direction X of the foot warmer 1 and a standing portion 16s located between the non-standing joint portions in the longitudinal direction X. The standing portion 16s is a portion where the three-dimensional cuff 16 stands up due to the elastic expansion and contraction of the cuff elastic member 16a. The non-standing joint portion 16d does not have standing properties because the cuff-forming sheet 16b is joined to the first sheet 12 by known joining means such as an adhesive.

[0017] The foot warmer 1 of this embodiment has side flap sections SF, SF, which are made of sheets extending outward in the width direction Y from the heat storage section 14. That is, the side flap section SF is a sheet portion of the foot warmer 1 that extends outward in the width direction Y from the heat storage section 14. The side flap section SF of this embodiment is made up of a cuff-forming sheet 16b, a first sheet 12, and a second sheet 13, located outward in the width direction Y from the heat storage section 14. The side flap section SF has a foot-facing surface formed by the cuff-forming sheet 16b, and a non-foot-facing surface formed by the second sheet 13.

[0018] The foot warmer 1 of this embodiment includes a side cuff elastic member 15a fixed in an extended state in the longitudinal direction X at the side flap portion SF. That is, the side cuff elastic member 15a is arranged on both side edges of the foot warmer 1 along the longitudinal direction X. In this embodiment, the side flap portion SF is provided with a side cuff elastic member 15a extending in the longitudinal direction X between the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13. The side cuff elastic member 15a is fixed at both ends in the longitudinal direction X between the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13 with an adhesive or the like. As the side cuff elastic member 15a contracts in the longitudinal direction X, gathers extending in the longitudinal direction X are formed in the side flap portion SF. The foot warmer 1 is equipped with elastic members that expand and contract in the longitudinal direction X, such as the side cuff elastic member 15a and the cuff elastic member 16a, which allows it to maintain the folded state described later and improves its close fit to the foot.

[0019] In this embodiment, the heat storage body 10 has a first sheet 12 and a second sheet 13, both of which are liquid-impermeable sheets. The first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13 are joined together in a watertight manner at the periphery of the heat storage body 10. With this configuration, the heat storage section 14 in the heat storage body 10 is held in a watertight manner by the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13, so that the water contained in the heat storage section 14 does not leak to the outside or evaporate. The term "liquid impermeability" as used here includes the concept of low liquid permeability, and also includes properties that make it difficult for liquids to pass through. As liquid impermeable sheets, liquid impermeable resin films, laminates of liquid impermeable resin films and nonwoven fabrics can be used. The resin film is preferably made of synthetic resin and may be single-layer or multi-layer (two or more layers). The liquid-impermeable sheet preferably has a water pressure resistance of 100 mm or more, more preferably 200 mm or more, and even more preferably 500 mm or more, as measured in accordance with the JIS L1092B method. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the rigidity of the heat storage body 10 and improving the ability of the foot warmer 1 to conform to the shape of the foot, the water pressure resistance is preferably 50,000 mm or less, more preferably 30,000 mm or less, and even more preferably 10,000 mm or less.

[0020] The first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13 may be made of the same sheet material or of different sheet materials. In this embodiment, the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13 are separate sheets, but they may be continuous sheets. For example, one sheet may be folded back at the periphery of the heat storage body 10, with one side of the fold line being the first sheet 12 and the other side being the second sheet 13.

[0021] The heat storage unit 14 has the function of absorbing energy supplied from the outside and storing heat. The heat storage unit 14 can store heat by absorbing electromagnetic waves supplied from the outside, such as microwaves.

[0022] The heat storage section 14 of this embodiment includes a heat storage core 40 containing a heat storage material. The heat storage section 14 of this embodiment also includes a core wrap sheet 43 that covers the heat storage core 40. The heat storage core 40 contains a heat storage material, which is a hydrogel 42 in a state of absorbing water (hereinafter also simply referred to as "hydrogel 42"), and a fibrous material 41. From the viewpoint of exhibiting an excellent heating effect, the hydrogel 42 is preferably obtained by allowing water to be absorbed into a polymer material. With this hydrogel 42, the heat storage core 40 can store heat mainly because the water absorbed by the hydrogel 42 absorbs electromagnetic waves applied from the outside and generates heat. With this configuration, even if the temperature of the heat storage section 14 drops after using the foot warmer 1, it can be used repeatedly by applying electromagnetic waves from the outside again to put the heat storage section 14 back into a heat storage state. Also, if the temperature of the heat storage section 14 drops while using the foot warmer 1, it can be removed from the feet and reheated to continue warming the feet.

[0023] As the polymer material constituting the hydrogel 42, it is preferable to use a water-absorbing polymer that swells upon contact with water and can absorb and retain water, from the viewpoint of exhibiting an excellent heating effect. As the water-absorbing polymer, for example, a crosslinked polymer or copolymer of acrylic acid or alkali metal acrylate, a crosslinked polymer of polyacrylic acid and its salts and polyacrylate graft polymer, a crosslinked polymer of starch or carboxymethylated cellulose, a crosslinked polymer of hydrolysis products of starch-acrylate graft copolymer, a crosslinked polymer of vinyl alcohol-acrylate copolymer, a crosslinked polymer of maleic anhydride-grafted polyvinyl alcohol, a crosslinked isobutylene-maleic anhydride copolymer, a saponified vinyl acetate-acrylic acid ester copolymer, etc. The water-absorbing polymer may also be a pulverized water-absorbing polymer that has undergone surface crosslinking treatment. The shape of the superabsorbent polymer is not particularly limited and may be spherical, lumpy, cylindrical, or amorphous, or it may be fibrous.

[0024] As the fiber material 41, either hydrophilic fibers or hydrophobic fibers, or both, can be used. Examples of hydrophilic fibers include natural fibers such as wood pulp (coniferous pulp, hardwood pulp, etc.) and non-wood pulp (cotton pulp, hemp pulp, etc.); modified pulp (cationic pulp, mercerized pulp, etc.) (all cellulose-based fibers); and hydrophilic synthetic fibers. These can be used individually or in combination of two or more. As hydrophobic fibers, fibers made of synthetic resins such as thermoplastic resins can be used. Examples of constituent resins for hydrophobic fibers include polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene; polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate; polyamides such as nylon 6 and nylon 66; polyacrylic acid, polyalkyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, etc., and one of these can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0025] In the heat storage core 40, it is preferable that the hydrogel 42 is held in the fibrous material 41. Here, "held" means that, as shown in Figure 2, a plurality of hydrogels 42 are embedded in a mass of fibrous material 41. In this embodiment, some of the hydrogels 42 may be exposed on the surface of the heat storage core 40.

[0026] The heat storage core 40 is preferably covered with a core wrap sheet 43. The core wrap sheet 43 improves the shape retention of the heat storage core 40. The core wrap sheet 43 may be a liquid-permeable sheet or a liquid-impermeable sheet. From the viewpoint of preventing water leakage in the heat storage section and / or suppressing the perception of stuffiness due to water vapor, the core wrap sheet 43 is preferably a liquid-impermeable sheet. As a liquid-permeable sheet, a single-layer or multi-layer nonwoven fabric or an open film can be used. As a liquid-impermeable sheet, the same as the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13 described above can be used. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heat storage core 40 in the heat storage body 10 is covered with a core wrap sheet 43, but the form of the heat storage body 10 is not limited to this, and from the viewpoint of making it easier to warm the feet, the heat storage core 40 does not have to be covered with a core wrap sheet 43.

[0027] In this embodiment, the foot warmer 1 is heated in the heat storage section 14 before being attached to the foot. In the heat storage section, the water held in the heat storage section 14 is at least at room temperature (25°C). In this embodiment, the heat storage section 14 is heated by exposing the foot warmer 1 to electromagnetic waves, thereby heating the water contained in the heat storage section 14. Before attaching the foot warmer 1 to the feet, it is preferable to set the temperature of the heat storage section 14 to 35°C or higher and 80°C or lower, from the viewpoint of exhibiting an excellent warming effect, and it is even more preferable to set it to 40°C or higher and 60°C or lower, from the viewpoint of achieving a comfortable user experience without overheating.

[0028] Figure 3 shows an example of how to attach the foot warmer 1 of this embodiment to the foot. For ease of explanation, the holding means 2, which will be described later, is not shown in Figure 3. When attaching the foot warmer 1 of this embodiment to the foot, first, the foot warmer 1 is unfolded with the first sheet 12 facing upwards, and the foot F is placed on the first sheet 12 [see Figure 3(a)]. The foot F is positioned with the longitudinal direction of the sole aligned with the longitudinal direction X of the foot warmer 1, with the heel positioned at one end of the longitudinal direction X of the foot warmer 1 (heat storage body 10) and the toes positioned towards the center of the longitudinal direction X of the foot warmer 1. Next, the other end of the foot warmer 1 in the longitudinal direction X, that is, the part 1t in the longitudinal direction X where the foot is not placed, is folded back and placed over the dorsum of the foot (top of the foot) [see Figure 3(b)]. In this way, by folding the foot warmer 1 in half along its longitudinal direction X, the first sheet 12 faces the sole and dorsum of the foot, and the surface of the foot is covered by the foot warmer 1 (see Figure 5). As shown in Figure 3(b), a folded portion b1 is formed in the folded foot warmer 1 along the width direction Y.

[0029] As shown in Figure 5, the foot warmer 1 is deformed to conform to the shape of the foot and attached to the foot. In this embodiment, the foot warmer 1 is folded in half along the longitudinal direction X, so that it covers the surface of the dorsum and the sole of the foot. In this attached state, the foot warmer 1 has a sole portion 1b that is positioned on the sole of the foot and a dorsum portion 1t that is positioned on the dorsum of the foot.

[0030] In this embodiment, the foot warmer 1, with its heat storage unit 14 in a heat-storage state, is worn as shown in Figure 4, for example, and the heat storage unit 10 is brought into contact with the wearer's feet to warm them. This warms the feet in the same way as when soaking them in hot water. Moreover, unlike a foot bath where the feet are soaked in hot water, the foot warmer 1 does not require a large amount of hot water, so it can be used easily without the hassle of preparation or cleanup. Furthermore, in the foot warmer 1 of this embodiment, the hydrogel 42 is held in the fiber material 41. With this configuration, even if the load from the foot is applied to the heat storage section 14 when worn, or if it is stored for a long period of time before use, the movement of the hydrogel 42 within the heat storage section 14 is suppressed, thus preventing uneven heating and / or deterioration of the wearing comfort when worn. In addition, the flexibility of the heat storage section 14 is less likely to be impaired, and it can be applied in a state of high fit to the foot, so that the heat from the heat storage section 14 is efficiently transferred to the foot, and a heating effect similar to a foot bath with warm water is obtained. In addition, water leakage is suppressed even more reliably.

[0031] Furthermore, as described above, both the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13 of the foot warmer 1 are liquid-impermeable sheets, and the heat storage section 14 is held watertight by the first sheet 12 and the second sheet 13. Therefore, water inside the heat storage section 14 is prevented from leaking out of the foot warmer 1 during both storage and use. Furthermore, even if the water contained in the hydrogel 42 absorbs electromagnetic waves applied from the outside, generates heat, and turns into water vapor, the first sheet 12 prevents the water vapor from directly applying to the wearer's skin. This effectively prevents the wearer's skin from becoming damp or sweaty. As a result, it is possible to prevent the wearer from experiencing excessive dampness that may cause discomfort. Thus, the foot warmer 1 of this embodiment provides a warming effect similar to a foot bath, while being easy to use. It also offers excellent comfort and is less prone to uneven heating and / or deterioration of comfort. Furthermore, it prevents the wearer from experiencing excessive stuffiness. There are no particular restrictions on the application time of the foot warmer 1 of this embodiment, and it can be used for any time desired by the user. However, from the viewpoint of using it as an alternative to a foot bath in warm water, the application time is preferably 5 minutes or more and 30 minutes or less, and more preferably 10 minutes or more and 20 minutes or less.

[0032] In this embodiment, the foot warmer 1 warms the wearer's feet by directly contacting the heat-storing body 10, which is in a heat-storing state. Therefore, it is preferable to use the foot warmer 1 in close contact with the feet. More specifically, it is preferable to use the first sheet 12 in close contact with the wearer's feet. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of further improving comfort, the foot warmer 1 may be used with a separate sheet placed on the foot-facing side of the first sheet 12.

[0033] From the viewpoint of making the foot warmer 1 more in close contact with the foot and making it easier to warm the foot, it is preferable that the foot warmer 1 has deformability that can follow the outer shape of the foot. In other words, it is preferable that the foot warmer 1 is configured to be bendable along the outer shape of the foot. The deformability of the foot warmer 1 can be adjusted by the material of the forming material of each part of the foot warmer 1 (for example, the heat storage part 14) and the basis weight of the forming material of each part. As an example, from the viewpoint of more reliably providing the above-mentioned deformability, the bending rigidity of the foot warmer 1 can be designed to be preferably 0.01N / width 6cm or more and 10N / width 6cm or less, more preferably 0.01N / width 6cm or more and 3N / width 6cm or less. The bending stiffness can be measured using the bending strength testing machine "RTA-500" (manufactured by Orientec Co., Ltd.) as follows. First, a rectangular test specimen with a length of 10 cm in the longitudinal direction X and a width of 6 cm in the width direction Y is cut from the part of the foot warmer 1 where the heat storage section 14 is located. Next, the test specimen is supported at both ends in the longitudinal direction X with a span distance of 50 mm. Under these conditions, a load is applied to the center of the longitudinal direction X of the test specimen using a pressing member with a width of 50 mm and a tip radius of 5 mm, and the load value is measured. At this time, the crosshead speed of the pressing member is set to 20 mm / min. The maximum value of the measured load value is taken as the bending stiffness value.

[0034] The foot warmer 1 of this embodiment can more effectively warm the surface of the foot by allowing the heat storage body 10 to adhere well to the top of the foot and toes due to the weight of the hydrogel 42 in the heat storage section 14. From the viewpoint of further improving this effect, the basis weight of the hydrogel 42 in the heat storage section 14, which includes the fiber material 41 and the hydrogel 42, is preferably 0.001 g / cm². 2 More than 0.1g / cm 2 More preferably, 0.005 g / cm³ 2 More than 0.05g / cm 2 The following applies:

[0035] In this embodiment, the foot warmer 1 is preferably equipped with a retaining means 2 capable of maintaining the state in which the foot warmer 1 is attached to the foot. The retaining means 2 in this embodiment is a fastening tape 21 provided on the non-foot-facing surface of the foot warmer 1 (the second sheet 13 in this embodiment) (see Figure 4). This fastening tape 21 is arranged around the foot warmer 1 in a folded state along the width direction Y. In this embodiment, the fastening tape 21 is wrapped around the ankle of the foot warmer 1 in the attached state to prevent the foot warmer 1 from unfolding. That is, the foot warmer 1 is maintained in a state folded in half along the longitudinal direction X, and the state in which it covers the surface of the foot is maintained (see Figures 3(b) and 5).

[0036] The material used to form the fastening tape 21 is not particularly limited and may be a cloth tape made of woven or non-woven fabric, or a film tape made of synthetic resin, etc. From the viewpoint of improving ease of handling when wrapping it around the foot warmer 1, it is preferable that the fastening tape 21 is stretchable. In this case, the fastening tape 21 is stretched by pulling the tape 21 and then wrapped around the foot warmer 1 in its worn state. Rubber tape can be used as such a fastening tape 21.

[0037] The foot warmer 1 may also be equipped with a string that can be wrapped around the foot warmer 1 instead of the fastening tape 21. If the foot warmer 1 is equipped with the fastening tape 21 or the string, the fastening tape or string may maintain its wrapped state by tying itself, or it may be equipped with a restraining member to maintain the wrapped state. As the restraining member, adhesive tape, mechanical hook and loop fasteners, cord stoppers, buckles, suction cups, reels with built-in winding springs, etc., can be used. The cord stoppers, buckles, and suction cups fasten the ends of the fastening tape together or the ends of the string together, and the foot warmer 1 can be made to fit more snugly against the foot by adjusting the length when fastening.

[0038] The fastening tape 21 of this embodiment has a fixing portion that is fixed to the non-foot-facing surface of the foot warmer 1 and a free portion that is not fixed to the foot warmer 1, and the tip of the free portion has a free portion side fixing portion (not shown) for fixing to any part of the fastening tape 21. The free portion side fixing portion may be formed of adhesive tape. Alternatively, the free portion side fixing portion may be a male member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener that engages with a female member provided on a part of the fastening tape 21 other than the free portion side fixing portion. The male member is a surface member on which hook members consisting of hook-shaped protrusions are arranged on one surface. The female member is a surface member on which loop material consisting of pile-shaped protrusions is arranged on one surface. The male member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener has a configuration in which a large number of hook material is arranged on the surface of a base material made of resin film, woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, etc. For the female member of a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener, a sheet member on which loop portions or mesh portions are fixed to a base material, or a nonwoven fabric with good engagement can be used. A concrete example of such a mechanical hook-and-loop fastener is Velcro®. If the fixing portion on the free portion side is a male member, a female member is provided in addition to the tip of the free portion of the fastening tape 21. Conversely, the fixing portion on the free portion side may be a female member. In this case, a male member is provided in addition to the tip of the free portion of the fastening tape 21.

[0039] The foot warmer 1 and its components of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5. Another embodiment of the foot warmer 1 and its components according to the present invention will be described below. In the following, the components of the other embodiment will be described primarily in terms of their differences from those of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, while similar components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted. For components not specifically described, the descriptions of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5 will be applied as appropriate.

[0040] The retaining means 2 provided by the foot warmer is not limited to the fastening tape described above. The foot warmer 1A shown in Figure 6(a) includes an engaging portion 23 and an engaged portion 24 provided on the side facing the foot as the retaining means 2. More specifically, the engaging portion 23 and the engaged portion 24 are provided on the foot-facing side of the side flap portion SF. The engaging portion 23 and the engaged portion 24 in this embodiment are the male and female members of the mechanical hook-and-loop fastener described above, and are able to engage with each other. In this embodiment, when the foot warmer 1A is folded along the width direction Y, that is, folded in half along the longitudinal direction X, the engaging portion 23 and the engaged portion 24 overlap and engage with each other, maintaining the folded state (see Figure 6(b)). From the viewpoint of making it easier to put on, it is preferable that the foot warmer 1A has the engaging portion 23 positioned on the dorsal portion 1t and the engaged portion 24 positioned on the sole portion 1b. The foot warmer 1A of this embodiment can be unfolded by releasing the engagement between the engaging portion 23 and the engaged portion 24.

[0041] The engaging portion 23 and the engaged portion 24 are a combination of members that can be integrated physically or magnetically. As such engaging portion 23 and engaged portion 24, snap buttons composed of a female hook and a male hook, fasteners composed of a hook or toggle and a ring, zippers, magnets, etc., can be used.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments described above may be combined. For example, the foot warmer 1 may be equipped with a combination of a fastening tape 21 and an engaging portion 23 and a engaged portion 24 as a holding means 2. Furthermore, the foot warmer 1 may have a bag-shaped foot compartment for inserting and accommodating the feet before use. For example, the foot warmer 1 may be in the shape of a slipper. Furthermore, the foot warmer 1 may not be bag-shaped before use. "Non-bag-shaped" means that it does not have an opening and a storage space (internal space) that is in communication with the opening. Furthermore, the foot warmer does not have to include the three-dimensional cuffs 16, 16 and / or the side cuffs 15a. If the three-dimensional cuffs are not included, the foot warmer may, for example, include engaging portions 23 and engaged portions 24 provided on the sides of the first sheet that forms the foot-facing surface. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1,1A Foot warming device 1b Sole placement part 1t Dorsal foot placement part 2 Holding means 10 Heat storage unit 12 First sheet 13. Second seat 14 Heat storage section 16. Three-dimensional cuff 21. Fastening tape 40 Heat Storage Cores 41 Textile materials 42 Hydrogel 43 Core Wrap Sheet

Claims

1. A foot warmer comprising a first sheet, a second sheet, and a heat storage unit positioned between the two sheets that absorbs energy supplied from the outside and stores heat, Both the first sheet and the second sheet are liquid-impermeable sheets. The heat storage section is held watertight by the first sheet and the second sheet. A foot warmer in which the heat storage section contains a hydrogel and fibrous material in a state of absorbing water.

2. The heat storage section is a foot warmer according to claim 1, wherein the water absorbed by the hydrogel absorbs electromagnetic waves supplied from the outside, generates heat, and stores heat.

3. A foot warming device according to claim 1 or 2, having deformability that can conform to the outer shape of the foot.

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