Dynamic sole
A sole for use in footwear that includes an upper surface for contacting the user's foot and a lower surface for engaging a walking surface. The sole extends beneath the heel through the ankle/sub-talar complex and metatarsal head of the user. The lower surface is characterized as having a convex lower surface beneath the ankle/sub-talar complex curving upwardly toward the heel and metatarsal head.
The present invention involves a sole capable of being incorporated in a variety of footwear applications including shoes, sandals and slippers (collectively referred to as “shoes”). When properly incorporated within a shoe, the present invention provides motion enhancement for the human foot to improve posture, comfort, support and to eliminate shock.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAlthough there have been a plethora of soles and orthotic inserts alleged to improve the acts of walking, standing, exercising and load bearing in order to provide decreased stress and skeletal alignment, there has been no system that can be characterized as representing a paradigm change in foot function from resistance to acceleration and from motion control to motion enhancement. Traditional orthotic devices and shoes employing them use firm materials to support the foot and cushion materials for shock absorption that protect the foot from hard surfaces. Comfort is based on the cushioning or support or a combination depending on the environment and activities.
In this regard, reference is made to
From a review of the walking motion depicted in
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a new sole for a shoe capable of improving the walking motion providing the user with attendant benefits heretofore being unavailable.
These and further objects will be more readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA sole for use in footwear comprising a foot cradle for contacting the user's foot and a rocker bottom for engaging a walking surface, said sole extending beneath the heel through the ankle/sub-talar complex and metatarsal head of a user, said rocker bottom being characterized as having a convex lower surface beneath the ankle/sub-talar complex curving upwardly towards said heel and said metatarsal head. The present invention supports the four major arches of the foot, eliminates step shock, controls frontal plane motion, transfers motion from the heel to ankle at the sub-talar joint and ankle to forefoot at the metatarsal joint.
As noted previously with respect to the discussion of
The present invention can be more readily appreciated when considering
These dynamic actions result, as noted above, in heel impact (rocker I), ankle maladies (rocker II) and stress to toe joints (rocker III). The present invention comprises sole 21 intended to extend from heel 32 through ankle/sub-talar complex beneath the sub-talar joint 31 and metatarsal head 33 ending proximate toes 34. In order to appreciate the present invention more fully, dynamic sole 21 is shown in
Sole 21 includes foot cradle portion 40 which is intended to contact user's foot 30. Foot cradle portion 40 can consist of a cushioning material such as commonly used in shoes such as EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), polyurethane, rubber, neoprene™ and poron™ and can have an arched upper surface 41 to conform to the arch of a user's foot for added comfort and support. Of paramount importance in considering the present invention is the shape of lower surface 45 of rocker bottom 50 shown in
Rocker bottom 50, as noted in
To fully appreciate the benefits inherent in the sole of the present invention, reference is made to
As noted with respect to
Further, without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is noted that midsole 60 can be positioned between foot cradle 40 and rocker bottom 50 as shown in
In this regard, reference is made to
In viewing the various figures, it is quite apparent that the convex lower portion, described as subpart B of dynamic sole 21 or as shown as skeletal section 73 of dynamic sole 70 is designed to extend along the anticipated width of the sub-talar joint to create a balanced platform or “sweet spot.” Others have suggested a raised point to provide pressure upon one portion of a user's foot but no one, prior to the present invention, has suggested a convex region consisting of a balance platform extending the distance of the sub-talar joint.
Finally, although the present invention is intended to be incorporated with the construction of a total shoe (unibody), the foot cradle certainly can be extended for use as an arch support or applied to a foot prior to slipping the foot into a conventional shoe. All of these iterations of this invention would provide the benefits as outlined previously. Various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A sole for use in footwear comprising an upper surface for contacting the user's foot and a lower surface for engaging a walking surface, said sole extending beneath the heel through the ankle/sub-talar complex and metatarsal head of a user, said lower surface being characterized as having a convex or flat lower surface beneath the ankle/sub-talar complex curving upwardly toward said heel and metatarsal heads.
2. The sole of claim 1 wherein said upward curve of said convex lower surface is tilted at least approximately 20 degrees toward both said heel and metatarsal head.
3. The sole of claim 1 wherein said upper surface comprises a cushioning material and an arch to act as a foot cradle to conform to the four major arches of the foot.
4. The sole of claim 1 wherein said lower surface comprises a rocker bottom comprising a material capable of retaining its shape upon multiple uses.
5. The sole of claim 4 wherein said rocker bottom is thicker in its portion residing beneath the ankle/sub-talar complex than in those portions residing beneath the heel and metatarsal head.
6. The sole of claim 1 further comprising a midsole positioned between said upper and lower surfaces.
7. The sole of claim 6 wherein the thickness of said sole is variable by varying the thickness of said midsole.
8. A sole for use in footwear comprising an upper surface for engaging a user's foot and a lower surface for engaging a walking surface, said sole extending from the heel through the ankle/sub-talar complex and metatarsal head of the user, said lower surface being characterized as being convex beneath the ankle/sub-talar complex and being curved upwardly toward the heel and metatarsal head.
9. The sole of claim 8 wherein said upward curve of said convex lower surface is tilted at least approximately 20 degrees toward both said heel and metatarsal head.
10. The sole of claim 8 wherein said upper surface comprises a cushioning material and an arch to conform to a user's foot.
11. The sole of claim 8 wherein said lower surface comprises a material capable of retaining its shape upon multiple uses.
12. The sole of claim 8 wherein a skeletal structure is embedded within or attached to said sole to maintain the shape of said sole upon multiple uses.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 20, 2006
Publication Date: Jan 24, 2008
Inventor: Harry F. Hlavac (Larkspur, CA)
Application Number: 11/490,432
International Classification: A43B 13/12 (20060101);