FOOTWEAR INSERT

Abstract

In accordance with various embodiments, a footwear insert is disclosed. The footwear insert may include one or more portions configured to generally prevent a foot of a user from sliding or moving toward a forward portion of the footwear. The one or more portions may be endowed with one or more characteristics that benefit the foot of a user.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/166,199, filed Apr. 2, 2009, the entire specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes, except for those sections, if any, that are inconsistent with this specification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to the field of footwear, and, more specifically, to orthotic insoles for use as footwear inserts.

BACKGROUND

Footwear comes in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Typically, footwear is widest where the ball of the foot rests and includes a generally tapered section ending in a rounded, pointed, or open-toed portion at the front of the footwear. Depending upon the various characteristics of a particular piece of footwear or the actions performed in the footwear, the tapered section and/or the front portion may produce an unwanted effect on the foot of a user.

For example, by raising the heel of a user higher than that of their natural foot angle, in the case of a high-heel or boot, the foot will have a tendency to slide forward. This tendency may be resisted by a wedging effect of the user's foot into the tapered section of the footwear or by contact with the front of the footwear. This wedging effect and/or contact may force the tarsals, metatarsals, and/or phalanges of the user out of alignment and result in pain or discomfort. Additionally, such a wedging effect may result in higher impulsive loads on the musculoskeletal system due a majority of a user's weight being supported by a smaller surface area of the foot. User actions may also result in or contribute to misalignment. For example, running, walking, jumping, or other means of movement may force the foot into the front portion of the footwear.

Thus, it has been found that many of the issues relating to footwear and discomfort result from contact of a user's foot with a tapered portion or front portion of footwear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a shoe insert, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a shoe insert, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a shoe insert, in accordance with various embodiments

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of a shoe insert, in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of a shoe insert, in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.

The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of disclosed embodiments.

The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.

For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “A/B” or in the form “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “(A)B” means (B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.

The description may use the terms “embodiment” or “embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments, are synonymous.

In various embodiments, methods, apparatuses, and systems for preventing the overcrowding of feet within footwear are provided. In one embodiment, the footwear insert may include a brace portion that comprises a first side configured to engage a side wall of the footwear to generate a brace force, and a metatarsal portion coupled to the brace portion via a bridge, wherein the metatarsal portion is configured to transfer the brace force to a metatarsal edge of a foot to reduce a tendency of the foot to move toward a front portion of the footwear. In exemplary embodiments, an insole may be endowed with one or more components of the disclosed apparatuses and may be employed to perform one or more methods as disclosed herein.

Reference is made to FIG. 1, which provides a diagram of a user's foot 102 having toes 104 placed in assembly 100, which comprises footwear 106 and insert 108. In the embodiment, footwear 106 is illustrated as a high-heeled shoe, however, the invention is not to be limited in this regard. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the teachings of this disclosure may be practiced with a wide variety of footwear, for example, a sandal as illustrated in FIG. 4. Additionally, the term shoe or footwear may be utilized throughout the remainder of this disclosure. The two terms may be used interchangeably and are not meant to be construed in a limiting fashion. For example, a shoe may be used to refer to a boot, a high-heel, a tennis shoe, or any other footwear.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 4, the assembly 100 further includes a shoe insert 108, in accordance with various embodiments. The shoe insert 108 may have multiple sections including, but not limited to, a brace portion 110, a bridge portion 114, and a metatarsal pad 112. In various other embodiments, shoe insert 108 may comprise fewer sections. In one embodiment, shoe insert 108 may consist merely of a metatarsal pad 112 configured to couple to shoe 106 and provide support. The metatarsal pad 112 may be configured with a width that enables the metatarsal pad 112 to generate a bracing force via engagement with one or more sidewalls of the shoe. Alternatively, the metatarsal pad may include an adhesive or other means for generating a bracing force that generally resists a tendency of a user's foot to move toward a forward portion of the shoe.

In various embodiments, the shoe insert 108 may be integral to footwear 108, such that the footwear is manufactured with the shoe insert fixedly attached. In other embodiments, the shoe insert 108 may be manufactured independent of footwear and configured to couple to footwear 106 as will be discussed in further detail below.

With reference to FIG. 3, a shoe insert 300 is illustrated, in accordance with various embodiments. Shoe insert 300 may consist of a variety of materials suitable for use as a shoe insert. In various embodiments, shoe insert 300 may comprise silicon, foam, rubber, or other resilient materials capable of providing flexible support under pressure for various periods of time. In other embodiments, shoe insert 300 may comprise rigid materials including various plastics. In various other embodiments, shoe insert 300 may comprise more than one material. For example and with reference to FIG. 3, brace portion 310 may comprise a first material, bridge portion 314 may comprise a second material, and metatarsal pad 312 may comprise a third material. Alternatively, the metatarsal pad 312 and the brace portion 310 may comprise the same material while the bridge portion 314 comprises a different material.

In various embodiments, assembly 300 may be configured to interact interchangeably with right and left feet, or include one or more curvatures configured to interact with either a right or a left foot of a user, thereby requiring two distinct footwear insoles. For example and with reference to FIG. 3, a curvature of brace portion 310 and metatarsal pad 312 may be configured to follow a natural curvature of a user's left foot. Alternatively, in various other embodiments, a curvature of brace portion 110 and metatarsal pad 112 may be configured in such a manner as to be used in either a shoe configured for a right foot or alternatively configured for a left foot. In various embodiments this may entail having a curvature of substantially constant radius. In other embodiments the curvature may comprise a varying radius while still enabling interchangeable use, or include a generally consistent radius, but be capable of conforming to a user's right or left foot based on pressure.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, assembly 300 includes a brace portion 310. In various embodiments, brace portion 310 may include a first side and a second side. The first side may be configured to engage a side wall of the footwear, and the second side may be configured to engage one or more toes of the foot. For example, the first side may be configured to interact with a tapered portion and/or a front portion of footwear. Such contact is illustrated in FIG. 2 with shoe insert 108 disposed within shoe 106 such that the first side or front of brace portion 110 contacts the forward most portion of shoe 106.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, embodiments are illustrated in which the first side of the brace portion 110 may work in conjunction with another side to generate a wedging effect. The wedging effect may be the brace force utilized to prevent or reduce the tendency of the foot to slide towards the front portion of the footwear. This may be utilized, for example, in shoes that do not include a forward portion, such as open-toed high heels or sandals. Thus, in various embodiments, the brace force may be generated by the brace portion 110 wedged between a right side and a left side wall of the footwear 106. The brace portion 110 may be configured to span a width of the footwear 106 to engage the left and right side of the footwear. In various embodiments, the brace portion 110 may conform to the shape of the footwear 106.

Referring back to FIG. 3, in various embodiments, the brace portion 310 may have a height that enables contact with an upper roof portion of the footwear. Interaction of the brace portion 310 with the upper roof portion of the footwear may increase the brace force generated by the brace portion. In various embodiments, the first side brace portion 310 may be configured to substantially imitate a curvature of a front portion of footwear. In other embodiments, the front side of brace portion 310 may be configured with no curvature such that brace portion 310 relies on contact with the side of the inner walls of shoe 106 for correct positioning. In still other embodiments, the front side of brace portion 310 may be a malleable material capable of shaping to the front portion of footwear by pressure. In other words, the front side of brace portion 310 may form to the front portion of footwear via applied pressure.

In various embodiments, the brace portion 310 may also include a second side configured to engage one or more toes of a user. The second side, or bridge side of brace portion 310 may comprise a curvature configured for the foot of a user. The second side or bridge side of brace portion 310 denoting the side of brace portion 310 proximate to bridge portion 314. In various embodiments, the curved portion may be configured to provide room for a natural curvature of a user's foot. In various embodiments this may entail a curvature of constant radius, while in other embodiments the curvature may have a non-constant radius. In various embodiments, the second side of brace portion 310 may be configured with individual indentations for a user's toes. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that various other embodiments are possible and contemplated.

Referring again to FIG. 3, assembly 300 may also include bridge portion 314. In various embodiments, bridge portion 314 may be configured to couple the brace portion 310 to metatarsal pad 312. In various embodiments, bridge portion 314 may be a non-flexible material configured to provide a constant spacing between brace portion 310 to metatarsal pad 312. In other embodiments, the bridge portion may comprise a flexible material that serves merely to couple the brace portion 310 to metatarsal pad 312. A flexible bridge portion 314 may be configured to stretch and shrink. Accordingly, the bridge portion 314 may be configured to adjust the spacing between the brace portion 310 and the metatarsal pad 312. In various embodiments, the bridge portion 314 may comprise, leather, cloth, silicon, or other materials, and be configured to engage a bottom wall of the shoe. In various embodiments, the bridge portion 314 may include an adhesive configured to engage the bottom wall of the footwear.

Assembly 300 may also include a metatarsal portion 312, in accordance with various embodiments. Metatarsal portion 312 may be configured to provide support to a user's foot in one or more directions. For example, in one embodiment, metatarsal portion 312 may prevent a user's foot from sliding or moving into a front portion of shoe 106 by providing a brace against the ball of a user's foot. The brace against the ball of the user's foot may be in the form of a crest that conforms to the metatarsal edge of a user's foot and provides support to one or more toes of the user. For example, the metatarsal portion 312 may provide support for a user's foot by conforming to a natural arch of the metatarsal bones. In various embodiments, metatarsal portion 312 may comprise a curvature of constant radius, or alternatively of non-constant radius. In various embodiments, the curvature of the metatarsal pad 312 may be designed for specific users. In various embodiments, the curvature and/or placement of the metatarsal portion 312 may be configured to facilitate support of a user's foot. In various embodiments, the metatarsal portion 312 may also provide support to one or more toes of the user. For example, the crest may facilitate support for a natural curvature of a user's phalanges and/or include one or more indentations 318 configured for the toes of the user.

With reference to FIG. 3 and assembly 300, it is noted that various design characteristics of shoe insert may be varied without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In various embodiments, the length, height, and width of each portion, 310, 314, and 312 may be varied to account for different footwear, users, or activities. For example, the length of bridge portion 314 may be varied to account for shoes which are larger than desired. In one example, this may enable the purchase of shoes that are larger than necessary, thereby allowing a user to grow into the shoes without the need for repetitive purchases.

Other characteristics are also contemplated. For example, in various embodiments, assembly 300 may include odor absorbent, moisture absorbent, and/or materials impregnated with anti-bacterial compounds.

Therefore, in various embodiments, an apparatus comprising a metatarsal pad configured to resist movement of a user's foot into a tapered portion of footwear has been shown and described.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A footwear insert, comprising:

a brace portion that comprises a first side configured to engage a side wall of the footwear to generate a brace force; and

a metatarsal portion coupled to the brace portion via a bridge, wherein the metatarsal portion is configured to transfer the brace force to a metatarsal edge of a foot to reduce a tendency of the foot to move toward a front portion of the footwear.

2. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein the brace portion includes a second side configured to engage one or more toes of the foot.

3. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein the foot is a right foot or a left foot, and the brace portion further comprises a second side that has a curvature configured for the foot.

4. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein the side wall of the footwear is a forward portion of the footwear.

5. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein the brace force is generated by the brace portion wedged between a right side wall and a left side wall of the footwear.

6. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein the metatarsal portion is further configured to conform to the metatarsal edge of the foot.

7. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein the metatarsal portion includes one or more indentations configured to mate with one or more toes of the foot.

8. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein the bridge includes an adhesive configured to engage a bottom wall of the footwear.

9. The footwear insert of claim 1 wherein the bridge comprises a rigid material configured to provide a constant spacing between the brace portion and the metatarsal portion.

10. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein a length of the bridge is adjustable.

11. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein at least one of the brace portion, the metatarsal portion, or the bridge comprise an anti-bacterial compound.

12. The footwear insert of claim 1, wherein at least one of the brace portion, the metatarsal portion, or the bridge include a moisture absorbent material.