Toe Spacer Sock and Corrective Footwear
An article of footwear, such as a sock, sandal, shoe or boot, contains built-in cushions or spacers to correct or protect the toes, or to provide the wearer better comfort. The cushions or spacers may be retained between the toes in a tube, formed integrally with the sock, which is everted to a position between adjacent toes. The footwear may have an integral toe-correcting strap built in to provide outward tension on the big toe.
This application is a division of copending application Ser. No. 12/723963, filed Mar. 15, 2010, which was a division of application Ser. No. 11/395522, filed Apr. 3, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,676,850, which claimed benefit from provisional application No. 60/667396, filed Apr. 1, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to orthopedic footwear, and more particularly to a sock, sandal shoe or boot having extended, reversible tubes or fingers formed thereon for retaining toe separators or cushions between the toes.
The invention is concerned with proper alignment of the big toe (Hallux). In some people, there is a tendency of the big toe to bend outward (Valgus) toward the smaller toes and deform over time into a Hallux Valgus or crooked big toe. The cause may be hereditary, or it can be the extended wearing of shoes that are too tight or ill fitting. Beyond being unsightly, a bent great toe can turn so dramatically to the outside of the foot that the bursa at the base of the big toe becomes inflamed and swells (bunion). In addition, the big toe can interfere with, irritate and deform the adjacent smaller toes. The resulting deformity of the toe bones and joints (Hallus Vagus) can be so painful that corrective surgery is commonly required. It is the purpose of this invention to reduce substantially the frequency of such surgeries through the protective and corrective forces that this invention will provide to crooked and healthy toes.
Prior inventors have developed a number of solutions for correcting the toes, by providing splints, separators and the like. Many such devices are needlessly complex and difficult to apply and wear. It would benefit those suffering from certain foot problems to have a simple sock construction specially designed to retain toe spacers or cushions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the invention is to provide a sock that supports cushions or separators between or around at least two toes of the foot, to protect or correct the toes.
Another object is to maintain a corrective force on the big toe, with the aim of straightening the toe, or preventing it from becoming more crooked.
These and other objects are attained by the socks shown in the drawings and described below.
In the following description, the term “toe sock” means a sock constructed so that the five toes of the foot (designated T1-T5, beginning with the great toe) are individually surrounded by sock fabric, so that each toe can move independently. The term “great toe” means the big toe. The term “tabi sock” means a sock knitted so that the large or great toe is surrounded by fabric, and the four smaller toes are contained together in one compartment, analogous to a mitten for the hand Tabi socks are commonly worn with sandals. The sandal post slips into the space between the two toe compartments.
A primary advantage of the invention is its ease of use. The wearer simply puts on a sock the normal course of dressing and the cushion already properly positioned.
Another advantage of the invention is that enables one to insert cushions of different sizes. A person can then use a thinner or thicker cushion, according to their particular foot condition. Actually, the person can start with a thin cushion, and gradually increase the cushion thickness to increase corrective force without discomfort.
In the accompanying drawings,
The sock shown in
As shown in
To prevent the toe separator from becoming dislodged during strenuous exercise such as running, tennis or gymnastics, the sock illustrated in
The sock of
The sock of
Tabi socks knit without seams are particularly useful for application with a shoe, such as that shown in
The toe strap system shown in
Each individual toe separator sock, or each toe sock with the toe strap built in, should be worn with (or contain) a foot repositioning pad, or the shoe insert with the foot repositioning pad 62 (
Other modifications and variations are possible. For example, up to four inter-toe spacers could be provided and up to five toe tubes could be provided, or combinations of both toe separators and toe tubes. The toe separators and toe tubes may be concealed or evident, as desired. Various materials might be used for the spacers, including rigid, resilient, and semi-rigid polymeric foam materials or a silicon gel in an envelope or integrated around a durable fabric or cloth capable of being sewn or glued for attachment purposes. The toe spacers and/or toe tubes can be permanently attached to the sock, or made to be removable. If attached, they may be secured to the sock material by sewing, adhesives, or other means.
The sock may be made of various natural or synthetic materials, such as cotton, acrylic or nylon. The nominal thicknesses of these socks may vary as well. For instance, the fabric material can be thick for an athletic sock, medium for normal socks and dress socks, or the socks can be ultra thin nylon for panty hose applications.
Within a sock, portions may vary from the nominal thickness. For example, at the toes, the sock thickness could be made approximately two-thirds the thickness of the rest of the sock. Thickness variations can be obtained simply a matter of programming the sock knitting machine.
The socks described above can be customized for an athletic version with special toe spacers that stay in place even during strenuous foot activity (see
Seamless glove or sock knitting machines can be modified and programmed to produce the tubular cushion pockets required for this invention, which pockets are inverted to contain toe cushions and/or separators.
A standard sock machine should not be used to make the socks according to this invention. It is very important there be no seams at the toes, on the sides, or between the toes. Many manufacturers of tabi socks use techniques that result in thick seams between and on top of the toes, which of course is not suitable for this application. A modified hand mitten or glove sewing machine may be used instead, after modification and reprogramming. By using a hand mitten machine, toe socks can be produced having no seams between the toes.
Inasmuch as the invention is subject to these and other modifications and variations, it is intended that the invention should be mentioned not by the foregoing description and the drawings, which are only examples, but rather by the claims which follow.
Claims
1. An article of footwear having integral individual toe compartments sufficient for receiving the toes of a wearer, and at least one additional compartment between said toe compartments for receiving and retaining a cushion or toe spacer placed therein.
2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the additional compartment is tubular, is longer than the other compartments, and is open at its distal end, whereby a cushion or toe spacer may be inserted into the compartment at the end of the compartment inverted to retain the cushion or spacer therein.
3. The invention of claim 2, wherein the tubular additional compartment is connected to the footwear by a neck portion having a diameter substantially less than that of the tube, so as to retain the tube within the footwear once the tube is everted.
4. The invention of claim 1, wherein the article of footwear is a shoe, a shoe insert, a boot, a sandal, a sock or a slipper.
5. An article of footwear comprising a strap anchored to the footwear, said strap being connected to or forming a loop which extends around the big toe to prevent the big toe from deforming into a crooked bunion toe, or to correct a slightly bent one.
6. The invention of claim 5, wherein the strap is elastic.
7. The invention of claim 6, wherein the elastic strap extends from the loop, between inner and outer layers of the footwear, along an inside edge of the foot, around the heel, thence along the outside of the foot to an anchorage point.
8. The invention of claim 8, wherein the strap is anchored to the footwear by a hook-type Velcro fastener element for engaging loops in the footwear material.
9. The invention of claim 5, wherein the article of footwear is a shoe, a shoe insert, a boot, a sandal, a sock or a slipper.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 18, 2013
Publication Date: Oct 24, 2013
Inventor: Michael Steel (La Jolla, CA)
Application Number: 13/845,894
International Classification: A43B 7/26 (20060101);