SIZE-ADJUSTABLE FOOTWEAR
Size-adjustable footwear includes a body in which first and second insoles are received, the insoles being nested together and one upon another with both extending to generally cover the length and width of the sole of the footwear body. A first insole has a re-entrant section for partially enclosing at least part of the periphery of the forefoot of a wearer and includes a first toe cap, and lateral and medial flanges integral with the first toe cap. The second upper insole includes a reentrantly shaped second toe cap and a heel cup in which a first longitudinal dimension, between the heel cup and the second toe cap, defines a first size, and a second longitudinal dimension, between the body heel and the first toe cap, defines a second size larger than the first size. A user may select footwear based on the smaller first size, and then remove the first and then the second insole to accommodate growth of the feet.
The present invention relates to size-adjustable footwear, and in particular to footwear able to accommodate growth of children's feet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTo address the problem of new children's shoes becoming too small as the feet grow it is common for new shoes one or two sizes too large to be purchased. For ordinary walking shoes the poor fit and possible resulting discomfort may be insignificant during the time the shoes are over-size, however footwear for sporting use must be as perfectly fitted as possible. It is important that the foot is supported securely and comfortably to allow good control over movements during the sporting activity. It will be apparent that there is a need for sporting footwear able to be more perfectly fitted and that reduces the demand for regular and costly replacement as children grow.
Interchangeable insoles are used to take up some of the excess volume in moderately over-size sporting footwear. These insoles underlie the sole of the foot, raising the foot relative to the footwear. They may be formed from a resilient sheet of uniform thickness, or have a variable thickness (for instance, increasing at the arch) to fill the excess space between the sole of the foot and the inside of the shoe. In some applications, such as skates having a boot to which the wheels are fixed in a non-adjustable manner, the proper fore-and-aft positioning of the foot relative to the centre of the skate is important for skating performance and balance. However with these prior art interchangeable insoles no provision is made for proper positioning in this respect. It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantages or more generally to provide an improved sports footwear for children.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one aspect of the present invention there is provided size-adjustable footwear comprising:
a body having a body heel, a body sole and a body upper;
first and second insoles removably received within the body, each insole comprising integral sections including a forefoot-supporting section and a midfoot- and heel-supporting section,
the forefoot-supporting section of the first insole having a reentrant form for partially enclosing at least part of the periphery of the forefoot and including a first toe cap at a tip thereof, and lateral and medial flanges integral with the first toe cap, the first toe cap and lateral and medial flanges terminating in an arcuate forward edge;
the midfoot-supporting section of the first insole having a non-reentrant form including opposing first medial and first lateral edges and a first arch-supporting portion with a concave convex inner side for facing the arch of the wearer's foot, the heel-supporting section of the first insole including a reentrantly shaped heel cup to partially enclose the heel,
the forefoot-supporting section of the second insole having a reentrant form with an integral second toe cap at a tip thereof,
the midfoot-supporting section of the second insole having a non-reentrant form including opposing second medial and second lateral edges and a second arch-supporting portion with a concave convex inner side for facing the arch of the wearer's foot,
the heel-supporting section of the second insole having a non-reentrant form with an arcuate peripheral edge, wherein first and second insoles generally overlie one another, and one of the first and second insoles generally overlies the body sole, the first and second toe caps are complementary to one another, one of the first and second toe caps being received within the other of first and second toe caps.
Preferably the first insole generally overlies the second insole and the second insole generally overlies the body insole and a first longitudinal dimension between the heel cup and the second toe cap defines a first size and a second longitudinal dimension between the heel cup and the first toe cap defines a second size greater than the first size.
Preferably the second medial edge is offset downwardly of the first medial edge.
Preferably the first and second insoles are formed from a resilient self-supporting material.
Preferably the body comprises a rigid polymer shell.
Preferably the footwear comprises sports footwear such as skates, ski boots and gym shoes. Most preferably the footwear further includes inline wheels mounted to the body sole.
In use, the footwear is chosen to fit a child's feet of the first size, such that as the feet grow the first insole may be removed to accommodate feet of the second size, then following further growth the second insole is removed to accommodate feet of a third size. In this manner the invention provides footwear which reduces footwear replacement costs without compromising fit and performance.
Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
Both the insoles 18, 19 are generally thin, one-piece items, moulded from a resilient, self-supporting material such as polyethylene foam.
Referring to
An integrally-moulded toe cap 43 extends about the end and sides of the tip of the forefoot-supporting section 40 and is continuous with the base 44 of the insole 19. The toe cap 43 has a reentrant form, extending upward and backward away from the outermost edge 45. Lateral and medial flanges 67 and 68 are integral with the toe cap 43 and the base 44. Forward of the widest part of the second insole 19 (which lies along line DD of
The midfoot-supporting section 41 includes an arch-supporting portion 49 shaped complementary to the arch of the wearer's foot, having an inner side 48 of convex curvature. The sides of midfoot-supporting section 41 are turned upwardly, but are non-reentrant, and terminate in medial and lateral edges 50 and 51 respectively which curve smoothly to blend with the ends of the forward edge 46. The insole 19 generally engages with the entire inner surface of the insole 18 upon which it is supported, except for the portion 60 (shown in
The heel-supporting section 42 is also non-reentrant and includes with an arcuate peripheral edge 35 which smoothly blends with the medial and lateral edges 50 and 51.
As shown in
The forefoot-supporting section 22 is characterized by having an integrally-moulded toe cap 25 which is continuous with the base 26 of the insole 18 and which has a reentrant form, extending upward and backward. Lateral and medial flanges 27 and 28 are integral with the toe cap 25 and the base 26. The lateral and medial flanges 27, 28 also have a re-entrant form with concave inner surfaces covering opposing sides of the forefoot. The front of the forefoot-supporting section 22 (forward of the widest part of the second insole 19 which lies along line BB of
The midfoot-supporting section 23 includes an arch-supporting portion 31 shaped complementary to the arch of the wearer's foot, having an inner side 32 of convex curvature (as shown by the dashed contour lines and in
The heel-supporting section 24 has a lower part for underlying the heel and a reentrantly shaped heel cup 55 with a relatively short longitudinal extent to partially enclose the heel. The heel cup 55 terminates in an upper edge 57 that lies in a plane parallel to the base 26. The upper edge 57 is joined by arcuate, concave edges 56 which smoothly blend with the medial and lateral edges 33 and 34.
As shown in
When new the skates 10 are sized to fit the user with both insoles 18, 19 nested together within the body, as shown. This provides a first size defined by a first longitudinal dimension between the heel cup 55 and the first toe cap 43. The insole 19 may subsequently be removed to define a second size greater than the first size, defined by an internal longitudinal dimension between the heel cup 55 and the toe cap 25. In an exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal difference between the first and second sizes is 6.6 mm, taken up the toe cap 43. The longitudinal difference between the second and the third size is 6.6 mm, of which 3.3 mm is taken up by each of the heel cup 55 and the toe cap 25. From the toe caps 25 and 43 the thickness tapers to 1.5 mm for both the lateral and medial flanges 27, 28, 67, 68 so that for both the first and second sizes a total lateral reduction of 6 mm is provided relative to the third size. The base 26, 44 of both insoles 18, 19 is approximately 1.5 mm thick. It has been found that this arrangement provides optimal or near optimal fitting as well as longitudinal, transverse and vertical positioning of the user's feet in the three different sizes. In particular, the heel cup move the foot forward, ensuring better fore-and-aft positioning of the foot relative to the centre of the skate. This size adjustment also achieved with a minimum of material, providing footwear with a lightweight, relatively low cost size adjustment.
Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof.
Claims
1. Size-adjustable footwear for a wearer, the footwear comprising:
- a body having a body heel, a body sol; and a body upper; and
- first and second insoles removably received within the body, each of the first and second insoles comprising integral sections including a forefoot-supporting section, a midfoot-supporting section, and a heel-supporting section, wherein
- the forefoot-supporting section of the first insole has a reentrant form for partially enclosing at least a peripheral part of the wearer's forefoot and including a first toe cap at a tip; of the forefoot-supporting section of the first insole,
- the midfoot-supporting section of the first insoles has a non-reentrant form including opposing first medial and first lateral edges, and a first arch-supporting portion with a concave convex inner side for facing the wearer's arch,
- the heel-supporting section of the first insole includes a reentrantly shaped heel cup to partially enclose the wearer's heel,
- the forefoot-supporting section of the second insole has a reentrant form with an integral second toe cap at a tip of the forefoot-supporting section of the second insole,
- the midfoot-supporting section of the second insole has a non-reentrant form including opposing second medial and second lateral edges, and a second arch-supporting portion with a concave convex inner side for facing the wearer's arch,
- the heel-supporting section of the second insole has a non-reentrant form with an arcuate peripheral edge, the first and second insoles generally overlie one another,
- one of the first and second insoles generally overlies the body sole of one of the first and second insoles,
- the first and second toe caps are complementary to one another, and
- one of the first and second toe caps is received within the other of first and second toe caps.
2. The footwear of claim 1 wherein
- the first insole generally overlies the second insole, and
- the second insole generally overlies the body insole of the first insole,
- a first longitudinal dimension between the heel cup and the second toe cap defines a first size and
- a second longitudinal dimension between the heel cup and the first toe cap defines a second size, larger than the first size.
3. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the forefoot-supporting section of the first insole further includes lateral and medial flanges integral with the first toe cap for covering opposing sides of the wearer's forefoot.
4. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the forefoot-supporting section of the second insole further includes lateral and medial flanges integral with the first toe cap for covering opposing sides of the wearer's forefoot.
5. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the second medial edge is offset downwardly of the first medial edge.
6. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the first and second insoles are a resilient self-supporting material.
7. The footwear of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a rigid polymer shell.
8. The footwear of claim 1 further including inline wheels mounted to the body sole.
9-10. (canceled)
11. The footwear of claim 2 wherein the forefoot-supporting section of the first insole further includes lateral and medial flanges integral with the first toe cap for covering opposing sides of the wearer's forefoot.
12. The footwear of claim 2 wherein the forefoot-supporting section of the second insole further includes lateral and medial flanges integral with the first toe cap for covering opposing sides of the wearer's forefoot.
13. The footwear of claim 3 wherein the forefoot-supporting section of the second insole further includes lateral and medial flanges integral with the first toe cap for covering opposing sides of the wearer's forefoot.
14. The footwear of claim 2 wherein the second medial edge is offset downwardly of the first medial edge.
15. The footwear of claim 3 wherein the second medial edge is offset downwardly of the first medial edge.
16. The footwear of claim 4 wherein the second medial edge is offset downwardly of the first medial edge.
17. The footwear of claim 2 further including inline wheels mounted to the body sole.
18. The footwear of claim 3 further including inline wheels mounted to the body sole.
19. The footwear of claim 4 further including inline wheels mounted to the body sole.
20. The footwear of claim 5 further including inline wheels mounted to the body sole.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 28, 2009
Publication Date: Feb 2, 2012
Applicant: MARCO SKATES LTD. (Chaiwan)
Inventor: Chun Lung Kwok (Hong Kong)
Application Number: 13/147,473
International Classification: A63C 17/04 (20060101); A43B 3/26 (20060101);