INSOLE

Abstract

Disclosed is a partial insole for a fore portion of a foot and a partial insole for a rear portion of a foot. The rear insole supports a calcaneum of a foot and the fore insole supports a foot pad. The partial insole includes a body, pre-fashioned size indication marking, and an adhesive.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of apparel and more specifically to the field of nonmedical foot supports.

BACKGROUND

Foot discomfort is a widespread problem. Shoes, particularly women's dress shoes, commonly lack adequate foot support. A range of products exist to treat foot medical issues and ameliorate foot discomfort. These products primarily include insoles of two varieties: partial insoles, and full insoles. Although full insoles are often adjustable by a user, the existence of an entire insole within a shoe is often unnecessary and unsightly. Partial insoles tend to exist primarily for medical treatment, and have a limited means of size adjustment.

Therefore, there is a need for partial insoles capable of selective diminishment by a user with a range of pre-existing cutting guides.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a partial insole for a fore portion of a foot and a rear portion of a foot. The rear insole supports a calcaneum of a foot and the fore insole supports a foot pad. The partial insole includes a body, pre-fashioned size indication marking, and an adhesive. The insole includes a substantially planar body with a foot contact surface. A periphery of the body of the rear insole includes a fore peripheral wall and an aft peripheral wall, each contoured to the dimensions of a shoe, foot, or an aesthetic shape. The body includes a substantially resilient foot contact surface of a size that accommodates the calcaneum of a user.

A preferred rear insole includes an embodiment of the foot contact surface with a length less than a longitudinal length of the user's calcaneum and a width of the foot contact surface corresponds to the interior dimensions of the shoe to prevent lateral rolling of the calcaneum within the shoe. In the fore insole the fore peripheral wall is contoured to the dimensions of the shoe and the aft peripheral wall is contoured to the dimensions of the foot. The substantially resilient foot contact surface is sized to accommodate the foot pad of the user with the foot contact surface having a length less than a combined longitudinal length of both the phalanges and metatarsals of a user's foot.

The pre-fashioned size indication marker includes one or more lines, protrusions, or indentures that flank a substantial portion of the insole body periphery. The marker guides the user in diminishing the size of the foot contact surface with a simple cutting instrument. The adhesive is disposed on the body and allows the body to be adhered to the shoe interior.

Therefore, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a partial insole capable of accurate size adjustment.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a partial insole capable of size adjustment for the vision-impaired.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a partial insole capable of cushioning the impact of a foot.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a partial insole capable of disguised use within a dress shoe.

These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive. Furthermore, some features may apply to certain versions of the invention, but not others. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a skeletal view of a human foot.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of insoles of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial top, plan view of insoles of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side, plan view of insoles of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side, plan view of insoles of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an insole of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an insole of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an insole of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an insole of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an insole of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, a skeletal view of a human foot 900 is shown. The foot is composed of multiple bones including the calcaneum 902, the metatarsals 904, and the phalanges 906. The calcaneum 902 possesses a calcaneum length 912 spanning from the most distal portion of the calcaneum to the most proximal portion of the calcaneum, and the metatarsals 904 and phalanges 906 combine to possess a forefoot length 946 from the most proximal portion of the metatarsals 904 to the most distal portion of the phalanges 906.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the present invention includes a supplemental shoe insole 100 with a body 102, a foot contact surface 110, a body periphery 116, a fore peripheral wall 112, and an aft peripheral wall 114. The foot contact surface 110 includes a length 190 that would correspond to the longitudinal distance of a foot and a width 180 that would correspond to the transverse distance of a foot. A pre-fashioned size indicator 104 is disposed across a substantial portion of the foot contact surface 110. The size indicator 104 can include any type of marking or surface deformation adequate to guide a user to accurately cut portions of the body 102 to a more acceptable size. The size indicator 104 may span the entire periphery of the body 102 or may only be disposed on those portions necessary to achieve an accurate fit. Designations 160 may accompany the size indicator 104 to convey information of the sizes represented by the size indicator 104, and may include the physical characteristics, e.g. flush or deformed, of the size indicator 104.

The insole of the present invention may be accepted by any shoe commercially available, including boots, sport shoes, running shoes, dress shoes, orthopedic slippers, sandals, high heels, cow heels, mid-heels, etc. On the surface of the insole 100 opposite the foot contact surface 110, an adhesive (not shown) is distributed thereon. The adhesive may be any adherent substance used in the art. Preferred materials of the insole include gels, plastics, sponge, memory foam, natural and synthetic materials, or any other material used in the art. The preferred material includes a urethane of thickness ranging from 1.0 mm to 12.7 mm.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 show an insole 100 embodiment bearing a deformation version of the size indicator 104. The deformation size indicator 104 includes an indenture 124 or protrusion 134 demarcating an indication of shoe size or other aspect of shoe dimensioning. As opposed to inked line markings, which tend to be flush upon an insole foot contact surface, deformations 104 allow an individual with sight impairment to accurately alter the size of the body 102 of the insole 100. Protrusions offer a further advantage to line markings and indentures; use of protrusion ridges allow a user to more accurately adjust the size of the insole 100 through various cutting possibilities per protrusion ridge. For example, an individual having a foot, or a foot portion, sized slightly larger or slightly smaller than that of a standard size may opt to cut either in front of or behind the protrusion, the location of which would demarcate an exact size.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a fore, partial insole 100. The fore, partial insole 100 is dimensioned to accept the ball of a foot, or foot pad, and includes a substantially planar body 102. The ball of the foot includes the padded portion of the sole of the human foot between the toes and the arch, on which the weight of the body rests when the heel is raised. By substantially planar it is meant that the body 102 is flat to a degree that portions of the body 102 would not extend into the foot in a non-uniform fashion. The present invention may utilize small protrusions and indentures for the purposes of comfort; large aberrations drawing unnecessary attention to the insole are not preferred.

The body periphery 116 of the fore, partial insole 100 includes the fore peripheral wall 112 and the aft peripheral wall 114. The fore peripheral wall 112 is contoured to the dimensions of the shoe in that the curvature is amenable more to the shape of the shoe for which it is intended rather than the foot. A peripheral wall contoured to the dimensions of a shoe interior is shaped to contact an interior shoe wall in a manner that prevents a substantially sizable crevice leading to the existing sole of the shoe between the interior wall of the shoe and a the body 102. A substantially sizable crevice is an aperture that leads to foot irritation on the basis of missing body 102 material. The aft peripheral wall 114 of the fore insole 100 is contoured not according to the dimensions of the shoe interior, but rather to the natural curved contours of the human foot. Following the foot's natural curvature results in a peripheral wall of gradual curvature—into the body interior or from the body interior—or a wall that extends the contact surface 102 to accept more of the foot.

The body 102 of the present invention may also include one or more crevices specifically tailored to accommodate structural components of shoes. As FIG. 7 shows, one such crevice may include a thong aperture 130 for receiving the shoe structures configured to nestle between the toes of a wearer.

FIGS. 8 and 9 display an aft, partial insole 100. The aft, partial insole 100 includes the substantially planar body 102 and the body periphery 116 with the fore peripheral wall 112 and the aft peripheral wall 114. The fore peripheral wall 112 is contoured to the dimensions of the foot in that the curvature is amenable more to the shape of the foot for which it is intended rather than the shoe. The aft peripheral wall 114 of the fore insole 100 is contoured not according to the dimensions of the foot, but rather to the interior dimensions of the shoe of the user. The body 102 of the present invention may also include one or more crevices dimensioned to cradle portions of the foot of the user. FIG. 9 displays a cradle aperture 130 circumscribed by the insole body 102 configured to accept the furthest reaches of the calcaneum. The cradle apertures may include gradual or sharp declinations.

FIGS. 9 and 10 farther feature insole extensions 140 for supplementary anchoring of the body 102 within the shoe. The insole extension 140 is material extending from the body 102 in a manner that creates a cusp in a location other than where the aft peripheral wall 114 meets the fore peripheral wall 112. The insole extension may posses a thickness in uniformity with the thickness of the body or may include a thickness less than that of the body. The insole extensions may further gradually decline into the lesser thickness or possess a sharp declination. The cusp formation is characteristic of the sorts of extensions that are exaggerated upon the body periphery 116 that allow stable anchoring of the body 102. The insoles extensions 140 include an extension periphery 146 and may include a pre-fashioned size indication marker 104 that flanks a substantial portion of said insole extension periphery 146.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.

Claims

1. A partial, rear insole for supporting a calcaneum of a foot within a shoe of a user, said insole comprising:

a substantially planar body with a body periphery having a fore peripheral wall contoured to the dimensions of the foot and an aft peripheral wall contoured to the dimensions of the shoe, and said body having a substantially resilient foot contact surface sized to accommodate the calcaneum of the user with a foot contact surface length less than a longitudinal length of the calcaneum, and a foot contact surface width corresponding to the dimensions of the shoe in a manner to prevent lateral rolling of the calcaneum within the shoe;

a pre-fashioned size indication marker flanking a substantial portion of said body periphery adapted to guide the user in selective diminishment of said foot contact surface to accommodate the calcaneum; and

an adhesive, contacting said body, for selectively adhering said body within the shoe.

2. The insole of claim 1 further comprising at least one adherent, exaggerated, peripheral insole extension with an insole extension periphery, said insole extension abutting said foot contact surface for supplemental anchoring of said body within the shoe.

3. The insole of claim 2 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker flanks a substantial portion of said insole extension periphery.

4. The insole of claim 1 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker includes at least one surface deformation.

5. The insole of claim 4 wherein said surface deformation is selected from a group consisting of a protrusion, an indenture, and combinations thereof.

6. The insole of claim 1 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker substantially circumscribes said body for selective diminishment of both said fore peripheral wall and said aft peripheral wall.

7. The insole of claim 6 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker includes at least one surface deformation.

8. The insole of claim 7 wherein said surface deformation is selected from a group consisting of a protrusion, an indenture, and combinations thereof

9. A partial, fore insole for supporting a foot pad comprising the junction of the phalanges and metatarsals of a foot within a shoe of a user, said insole comprising:

a substantially planar body with a body periphery having a fore peripheral wall contoured to the dimensions of the shoe and an aft peripheral wall contoured to the dimensions of the foot, and said body having a substantially resilient foot contact surface sized to accommodate the foot pad of the user with a foot contact surface having a length less than a combined longitudinal length of both the phalanges and metatarsals, and a foot contact surface width corresponding to the dimensions of the shoe in a maimer to prevent lateral rolling of said foot pad within said shoe;

a pre-fashioned size indication marker flanking a substantial portion of said body periphery adapted to guide the user in selective diminishment of said foot contact surface to accommodate the foot pad; and

an adhesive, contacting said body, for selectively adhering said body within the shoe.

10. The insole of claim 9 wherein said body forms a thong slit along said fore peripheral wall.

11. The insole of claim 9 further comprising at least one adherent, exaggerated, peripheral insole extension with an insole extension periphery, said insole extension abutting said foot contact surface for supplemental anchoring of said body within the shoe.

12. The insole of claim 11 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker flanks a substantial portion of said insole extension periphery.

13. The insole of claim 9 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker includes at least one surface deformation.

14. The insole of claim 13 wherein said surface deformation is selected from a group consisting of a protrusion, an indenture, and combinations thereof.

15. The insole of claim 9 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker substantially circumscribes said body for selective diminishment of both said fore peripheral wall and said aft peripheral wall.

16. The insole of claim 15 wherein said pre-fashioned size indication marker includes at least one surface deformation.

17. The insole of claim 9 wherein said body defines a cradle aperture therein.

18. A partial insole for supporting a portion of a foot, said insole comprising:

a substantially planar body having a substantially resilient foot contact surface;

a pre-fashioned size indication marker flanking a substantial portion of said body periphery adapted to guide the user in selective diminishment of said foot contact surface; and

an adhesive, contacting said planar body, for selectively adhering said body within the shoe.