1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to apparatus for drying the interior of footwear. In particular, the present invention relates to an insert for placement within footwear, especially snow ski boots, which will capture moisture and thus dry the footwear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The accumulation of moisture within the interior of footwear due to perspiration by the wearer has long been a problem. Certain types of footwear are also quite prone to accumulation of moisture in addition to that due to perspiration. For example, hiking boots may receive water from a lake or stream into their interior, and it is common for ski boots to accumulate moisture from melted snow. This moisture causes the wearer's feet to become excessively cold, promotes the growth and spread of bacteria harmful to humans and/or footwear, and reduces the wearer's comfort.
It is known to remove perspiration moisture during use of the shoe by employing an inner sole having a moisture removing agent, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,214. However, while such inner soles are serviceable for drying some perspiration moisture, they do not provide sufficient moisture removal capabilities to maintain the user's feet dry upon ingress of additional moisture, as noted above. To eliminate such large amounts of moisture, it has been known to provide various devices for providing heat and/or an airstream to the interior of the footwear once the footwear has been removed from the user. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,710,905; 3,417,482; 4,768,293; and 5,003,707. Each of these devices suffers from the drawback that it requires electrical power for operation, and additionally is limited in effectiveness due to the difficulties in maintaining a proper flow of air within the closed cavity of the footwear or boot. They are also relatively expensive, relatively complicated, relatively heavy and relatively slow.