FOOT PROTECTOR

Abstract

Foot protector (30) adapted to be worn between the foot and a predefined shaped item of outer footwear (10), comprising a thin flexible resilient elastic non slip membrane (30) shaped to grip the foot without slipping. The membrane (30) is of a complementary shape corresponding to the predefined shape of the outer footwear (10) so as to engage the outer footwear (10) in a non slip manner. The membrane (30, 31, 32, 36) may have an orthopaedic style of support (41) integrally incorporated into the foot protector (30) to provide support under the arch of the foot of the wearer.

Description

This invention relates to footwear intended to be worn on the wearer's foot for the purpose of protecting the wearer's foot and reducing or alleviating discomfort or soreness due to rubbing of an outer piece of footwear (such as a shoe, sandal, slipper, or boot) on the wearer's foot.

There is a need for a foot protector that a discrete item that is interchangeable and can be worn with different designs of outer footwear to reduce or eliminate discomfort, or soreness or injury caused by the shoe or sandal rubbing on the foot.

There have been many proposals in the past in the form of loose fitting socks and stockings for wearing on the foot, or adhesive patches, some of which my use a gel or pliable deformable infill.

There have been proposals to place insoles on the bottom, or sole, of shoes that are made of rubber, plastics, gels, foam, or cardboard type materials, but none of these solve the problem of reducing soreness or discomfort completely because the foot often slips inside the outer footwear. Also, due to the thickness of some inserts, the discomfort of the wearer increases elsewhere on the foot as the outer footwear becomes tighter. Furthermore, many of the prior known solutions have been ugly and often ruin the overall appearance of the shoe or sandal, and particularly with high fashion shoes, often destroys the original point of the wearer choosing the shoe in the first place.

There are numerous products in the market place to help relieve pain from rubbing, chaffing, and pressure, by providing cushioning in various forms. These include cushioned Insoles that are shaped to the shape of the base of the foot or shoe and are placed in the bottom of the shoe by cutting them to size. Some insoles are sized to fit the full length of the shoe or are half-size to fit under the ball of the foot. Insoles are generally made from gel, foam rubber, or memory foam or latex but again often do not prevent the wearer's foot slipping inside the outer footwear and also make the outer footwear tight creating different foot problems.

Other solutions have included sticking pads in the outer footwear for various purposes. These include pads the are used to try to take up the slack of ill-fitting shoes. These pads are often referred to as “heel grips” or the like, and are not interchangeable for use with other designs of shoes.

It is also known to make shaped gel filled pads or spots that have an adhesive backing to enable the pads to be stuck to the inside of the shoe sole and upper. Some forms of pads are in the form of gel filled heel shield or sling back strips. Another form of protective pad is known as a foot cover that is fastened inside the shoe and comprises a gel located inside a fabric cover that covers the front part of the foot. Other foot pain relief remedies have included plasters of various shapes and thicknesses with the aim of providing foam cushioning, pressure relief for ball of foot, relief of rubbing, chaffing, or friction or pressure on bunions, callous and corns, and are also used to try to prevent build up of hard skin. Some of these dressings have added medication such as Salicylic Acid, or hydrocolloid or felt pads, or foam pads to treat corns, blisters and verrucas.

Fashion garments that include features to relieve pain have also been proposed. These include knitted or woven fabric foot fashion garments. Some are plain and some are decorative (including lace). Some cover part of the foot i.e. the front of foot (some have an elasticated strap for the heel), toe or heel/ankle. Some cover all the foot and are low cut slipper style socks/footsies/invisible sneakers/Mini socks. Some come with ankle and leg ties. Many of the fashion garments are like sock/pop sock/tights/stocking type fabrics. Theses foot garments come in various shapes, sizes, thicknesses and fabrics with the aim of providing cushioning from rubbing or friction. Many of these products do not stop the wearer's foot slipping forward from inside the outer footwear, causing pain, and also chaffing.

We are aware of the following prior published documents GB270033, GB281,565, GB279,327, GB204,562, US2010/0154251, US2007/0283598, US2006/0288609, U.S. Pat. No. 2,332,252, U.S. Pat. No. 1,901,659 that relate to various forms of outer footwear or devices to protect the outer wear against damage by sweat from the foot of the wearer or which relate to water proof items to be worn over socks or are loose fitting on the foot of the wearer. None of these designs of footwear provide an interchangeable foot protector that is a constructed from a membrane that grips the foot in a non slip way and is worn between the foot and the outer footwear to prevent the footwear causing injury by the outer footwear rubbing the foot.

Another proposal has been to provide foldable shoes for carrying in a handbag that can be unfolded and worn on the foot as an item of footwear.

All of the known proposals to reduce pain or discomfort suffer from the disadvantage that they do not prevent the wearer's foot moving relative to the outer footwear and in some cases are not readily interchangeable for use with different items of outer footwear.

An object of the present invention is to provide an independent, interchangeable piece of footwear to be placed on the foot of a person to reduce or prevent movement between the wearer's foot and outer footwear (shoe sandal, slipper and the like) that reduces or eliminates discomfort, or soreness or injury caused by the outer footwear relative to the foot which rubs the foot.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such footwear that is unobtrusive, unnoticeable, and attractive when worn.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided Footwear comprising a thin, flexible, resilient, elastic, non-slip, membrane shaped to grip the foot without slipping that constitutes the upper, and a sole. Preferably the membrane is bonded or moulded to a sole made from a material selected from leather, manmade materials, rubber compound, or plastics material to form an item of outer footwear.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided A discrete foot protector adapted to be worn on a person's foot between the foot and item of outer footwear (10) to protect the foot against rubbing by the outer footwear, said protector comprising a thin flexible resilient elastic non-slip membrane shaped to grip the foot without slipping on the foot and which in use provides a barrier between the foot and the outer footwear.

Preferably the foot protector adapted to be worn between the foot and a predefined shaped item of outer footwear in which case the membrane is of a complementary shape to the predefined shape of the outer footwear.

Preferably the membrane is selected from of a silicone polymer. polyvinylchloride, polyester, polythene, silicone rubber, SEBS Block Copolymers, Styrene-ethylene, butadiene-styrene, or a thermoplastic elastomer. It is preferred that the membrane is made of a porous or gas permeable material to allow the foot of the wearer to breath, or is made of a non porous material that is perforated or foraminated to allow the foot of the wearer to breathe

The preferred thickness of the membrane is in the range of 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm. If desired the thickness of the membrane (10) may varies at different regions of the foot protecto. For example it may be thicker under the ball of the foot.

The membrane may be made of a transparent or translucent material. The material may be clear or may be made of a coloured material. The membrane may be skin-coloured. If desired the membrane may be decorated or patterned.

Where the outer footwear has straps, the membrane may be is shaped, dimensioned and comprise an integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the position of the straps of the outer footwear to provide a barrier between the wearer's foot and the outer footwear.

The membrane may be shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes, body of the foot and the heel of the foot of the wearer.

In the case where the outer footwear is a shoe, the membrane may comprise two discrete parts, one of which is shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes and ball of the foot, and a second part which extends around the heel without being joined by a sole.

Where the outer footwear (10) is a shoe with open sides, the membrane may be shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes and sole of the foot but leaves the side of the foot uncovered. In this latter case, the membrane is preferably of a corresponding shoe shape that covers the toes and sole of the foot and has an integral portion that covers the heel but leaves the side of the foot uncovered.

Where the outer footwear is a boot the membrane may comprises an integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the shape of the boot.

Where the outer footwear is a boot-shaped sandal with straps the membrane may comprise an integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the position of the straps of the sandal.

The foot protector may include an orthopaedic style of support to provide support under the arch of the foot of the wearer. In this case, the support may be integrally incorporated into the membrane to provide support under the arch of the foot of the wearer. Preferably the support comprises a sac containing a gel.

The membrane may be bonded or moulded to a sole made from a material selected from leather, manmade materials, rubber compounds, or plastics material to form an item of outer footwear.

Where the item of outer footwear has straps, and the membrane is preferably shaped, dimensioned to have an integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the position of the straps of the outer footwear connected to the sole.

Where the item of outer footwear is a shoe the membrane is shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes, body of the foot and the heel of the foot.

Where the item of outer footwear is a shoe, the membrane may be shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes, and the heel of the foot.

Where the item of outer footwear is a shoe with open sides the membrane may be shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes and sole of the foot but leaves the side of the foot uncovered. In a further embodiment for use with a shoe the membrane comprises a shoe shaped membrane that covers the toes and sole of the foot and has an integral portion that covers the heel but leaves the side of the foot uncovered.

Where the item of outer footwear is a boot and the membrane may comprise an integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the shape of the boot. Where the item of outer footwear is a boot shaped sandal with straps, the membrane may comprise an integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the position of the straps of the sandal.

The present invention will now be described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 to 9 show, schematically various known shapes of outer footwear with which the present invention can be used;

FIGS. 10 to 12 show respectively a plan view, side view and cross sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention of a foot protector constructed in accordance with the present invention suitable for use with a open toed sandal;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view along line 11-11 of FIG. 10 and

FIG. 12 is a view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are respectively a side view and a cross sectional view similar to that of FIGS. 11 and 12 showing a modified version of the foot protector of FIGS. 10 to 12;, FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view along line 14-14 of FIG. 13

FIGS. 15 and 16 show respectively a plan and cross sectional views of a further modification of a foot protector constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 17 shows a foot protector constructed in accordance with the present invention for wear with flip flops, sling backs and thongs;

FIG. 18 shows a foot protector constructed in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention for covering the toes of a wearer;

FIG. 19 shows a foot protector constructed in accordance with yet a further embodiment the present invention comprising two parts that are used together to form the foot protector;

FIGS. 20 and 21 show a foot protector constructed in accordance with the present invention that incorporates an orthopaedic style foot arch support. FIG. 20 is a side view and FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view along line 21-21 of FIG. 20; and.

FIG. 22 shows a foot protector constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention incorporating an integral sole.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 9 there is shown schematically various items of outer footwear 10, In FIG. 1 the outer footwear 10 is in the form of a sandal 10 with straps 11, 12, and 13 fixed to a conventional sole 14.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a flip flop 10 that has a strap 15 fixed to the sole 16 and running from one side near the heel end of the sole over the top of the flip flop to the other side. A central strap 18 is connected to the strap 15 and runs forwards and downwards to be connected to the sole 16 at a location between the big toe and second toe of the wearer's foot.

Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown a modification of the flip flop 10 of FIG. 2 that has a larger width strap 15 that covers more area of the top of the wearer's foot. FIG. 4 shows another type of flip flop that is similar to the flip flop of FIG. 3 but having an additional strap 19 that encompasses the ankle of the wearer's foot. Other forms of flip flop are those called “thongs” that have very thin straps 18 that pass between the big toe and second toe of the wearer and attach to the ankle strap 19.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 there are shown two types of court shoes 10; the shoe in FIG. 5 has a low heel whereas that of FIG. 6 has a high heel. Both of the shoes of FIGS. 5 and 6 have an upper 20 that is made of leather of manmade fibre.

Referring to FIG. 7 there is shown a variation of the court shoes of FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the shoe 10 has open sides formed by having a front portion 21 that covers the toes and a heel portion 22 that wraps around the rear of the heel. The two portions 21 and 22 are connected together by a leather or rubber sole 23. An ankle strap 24 is provided that encompasses the ankle. Another form of court shoe is that called a “sling-back”. It has the front shape and upper of the court shoe which partway up the foot ends replaced and held in place by a strap that extends from the upper around the heel.

In FIG. 8 there is shown a boot style of outer footwear 10 the upper 25 of the boot 10 covers the complete foot and ankle of the wearer. The boot upper may be made of leather or man made fabric or could be an open network of straps, chains or textile elements. The boot 10 shown in FIG. 9 is a high heeled boot.

Other types of outer footwear with which the present invention can be used are sandals known as “strappy sandals”, trainers, sports shoes, and pumps.

All of the above mentioned outer footwear may be in flat soled, low heel or high heel versions with, or without, platform soles.

Referring to FIG. 10 there is shown the plan view of one of a pair of foot protectors 30 constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The foot protector 30 is a discrete item adapted to be worn on the foot of a wearer to provide an interface between the foot and an item of outer footwear 10 (not shown in FIGS. 10 to 21). The foot protector 30 is made of very thin resilient, elastic or elasticised membrane, such as, for example, a silicone polymer membrane typically) 0.4 to 1.0 mm (0.020 to 0.040″) thick of the type sold by Polymer Systems Technology Ltd and Clinical Polymer Technologies Ltd. as an air permeable membrane supplied for medical applications but it need not be of such high quality. Preferably the membrane 30 is made from an air permeable or porous material but could be made from a non porous material that is foraminated or perforated.

The foot protector 30 comprises an integral sole 31 and a tubular front upper 32 that is dimensioned to grip and mould itself to the shape of the front and upper part of the wearer's foot lightly, leaving the toes to project forwards of the upper 32. As shown in FIG. 11, the upper 32 is a complete tubular shape. The foot protector 30 may be made in many different shoe sizes or there may be one size to fit many sizes of feet. The foot protector 30 of FIGS. 10 to 12 are intended to be worn on the foot and used with the outer footwear 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 and other types of outer footwear.

In a modification of the foot protector 30 of FIG. 10 (shown in FIGS. 15 and 16) the width of the upper 32 of the foot protector 30 of FIG. 10 when measured in a direction from the toes towards the heel can be smaller than that shown in FIG. 10, and one or more hoops or straps 33 (shown in FIGS. 15 and 16) corresponding to the position of the straps of the shoe shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Similarly, the foot protector 30 could have straps (not shown) that are positioned and correspond to the straps 15, 18, 19 of the shoes shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 to enable the foot protector 30 to be used with the style of outer footwear 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 there is shown a modification of the foot protector 30 in which the cylindrical tubular upper 32 of the footwear of FIGS. 10 to 12 is replaced by a slightly frusta-conical tubular upper 32. It is thought that this may provide more comfort with less tight a grip than that of the cylindrical tubular upper shown in FIG. 12. The footwear of FIG. 13 also has a sole 3. The foot protector 30 of FIGS. 12 and 13 may, or may not, have an additional feature of a heel grip 36 (as shown in FIG. 13) shaped to lightly grip around the heel of the wearer enabling this foot protector to be worn with items of outer footwear that have heel covers such as those shown in FIGS. 1, and 4 to 9.

The Foot protector 30 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 have an upper 32 for covering the front of the foot and a sole 31. In FIG. 17 two holes 34, 35 are provided to allow the toes to project through the upper 32 of the foot protector 30. The foot protector 30 of FIG. 18 does not have the holes 34, 35. The foot protector 30 of FIG. 17 is suitable for wear with the shoes shown in FIGS. 1 to 9. The foot protector 30 of FIGS. 187 and 18 may or may not have an optional heel grip 36 (as shown in FIG. 18), and would be suitable for wear with the shoes of FIG. 7 or those of FIGS. 6 and 9.

Referring to FIG. 19 there is shown a foot protector 30 made of two parts 39 and 40 that constitute a foot protector 30 for wearing on one foot. One part 39 is a thin silicone polymer membrane (or SEBS or TPE) shaped to cover the toes of the wearer. If desired, the part 39 may, or may not, have holes to receive the toes of the wearer that are similar to the holes 34, 35 shown in FIG. 17. The second part 40 is a thin silicone polymer membrane (or SEBS or TPE) shaped to cover the heel of the wearer (similar to the shape of the heel cover shown in FIG. 13) but there is no sole interconnecting the parts 39 and 40. The foot protector 30 of FIG. 19 can be worn when wearing outer footwear of the type shown in any of FIGS. 1, 4 to 9.

Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21 there is shown a foot protector 30 that has an orthopaedic style of support 41. This support 41 may be a discrete separate item, or could be integrally incorporated into the foot protector 30, to provide support under the arch of the foot of the wearer. The support 41 is made separately and could be made of a pre-shaped silicone polymer sac 42 that is filled with a gel material 43 and is either placed into the outer footwear (or inside the tubular upper 32 of the foot protector 30 or is subsequently incorporated into the foot protector 30 by moulding or forming the membrane of the foot protector 30 around the sac 42.

It is to be understood that the uppers 32 of the foot protector 30 of FIGS. 15 to 22 could be a cylindrical tube (as shown in FIG. 12) or a frusta-conical tube (as shown in FIG. 13).

The membranes 30 are preferably made of air permeable materials that allow the foot to breathe and perspire. Preferably the membrane has slightly tacky or clingy surfaces (not adhesive) that prevents the footwear slipping on the foot and but allows the foot protector 30 to slip relative to the outer footwear 10. The prototypes of the foot protector 30 were made from a sheet of silicone polymer, but other resilient, pliable, elastic membrane materials may be suitable. It may be possible to make the membrane 30 from other materials than silicone rubber polymers, such as, for example polyethylene, polyurethane, or polyvinylchloride (PVC) or polyesters, SEBS Block Copolymers (Styrene-ethylene/butadiene-styrene) or TPE (Thermo Plastic elastomer). It is thought that a typical range of preferred thicknesses for the membrane is in the range of 0.40 mm to 1.0 mm thick. The membrane 30 may be of varying thicknesses at different regions of the foot protector 30.

When making the prototype foot protectors 30 shown in FIGS. 10 to 21 the membrane sheet was cut to shape to form a tongue that constitutes the sole 31 and the uppers 32 and the sheet wrapped to form the tubular or frusta conical uppers 32 and glued or heat sealed to form the tubular cross sectional shaped uppers 32. Whist this provided a comfortable fit for the foot protector 30, it is thought that it may be better to make the foot protector 30 as a seamless construction. This may be done either by flow moulding or full injected moulding a fluid mouldable material to create the membrane 30 to the desired shapes of sole 31 and uppers 32 (and heel supports 36 where included), or by extruding an extrudable material to make the tubular or frusta-conical shapes that make the uppers 32, The sole shape 31 (and where appropriate the heel supports 36) may be made by cutting them out of the tubular parts of the membrane that form the uppers 32 to leave an integral flat sole 31 (and heel support 36 where appropriate).

It is to be understood that the membrane 30 is preferably moulded, fabricated, or cut, to form shapes that complement predefined shapes of outer foot wear, so that the foot protector 30 is shaped to confront the parts of the outer footwear (such as straps, heel supports and uppers) where it is expected the outer footwear might chafe the foot of the wearer.

Where it is desired that the foot protector 30 be unobtrusive or unnoticeable when worn, it could be made of a transparent material that is of a matt or gloss finish or could be made of skin coloured materials. Where it is desired to show off or add to the footwear the footwear could be made of highly coloured or patterned materials.

The membrane 30 could be coated in places with various non-stick products such as polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe) to aid comfort and easy of use. Indeed the membrane may be coated with, or impregnated with, medical preparations such as an antiseptic, anti bacterial, or deodorising material or substance. Indeed the medical properties could be incorporated into the membrane 30 as it is moulded or extruded.

In the above examples, FIGS. 10 to 21 show only the right foot of the foot protector 30. However it is to be understood that the foot protector 30 of the present invention is to be sold as matching pairs of left and right foot shapes, although some foot protectors 30 could be made of identical shapes (that is to say that it is not shaped for either the right or left foot) and the sole shapes may be cut out by the wearer to suit each foot.

In the above description there is disclosed foot protectors 30 for wear with an item of outer footwear. In FIG. 22 there is shown one example of foot protector constructed in accordance with the present invention adapted to be worn in place of an item of outer footwear. The upper 32 and sole 31 of the foot protector is made from a thin elastic membrane such as that disclosed above with reference to FIGS. 10 to 21 that lightly moulds to the foot of the wearer. In this case, the upper 32 and sole 31 is made of an elastic silicone polymer membrane that is bonded or integrally moulded to a wear resistant sole 40 that is made of, for example, leather, manmade materials, rubber or plastic to form an item of outer footwear similar to any one of FIGS. 1 to 9.

Claims

1. A discrete foot protector (30) adapted to be worn on a person's foot between the foot and item of outer footwear (10) to protect the foot against rubbing by the outer footwear (10), said protector (30) comprising a thin flexible resilient elastic non-slip membrane (30) shaped to grip the foot without slipping on the foot and which in use provides a barrier between the foot and the outer footwear (10).

2. A foot protector (30) according to claim 1 adapted to be worn between the foot and a predefined shaped item of outer footwear(10) wherein the membrane (30) is of a complementary shape to the predefined shape of the outer footwear.

3. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is selected from of a silicone polymer. polyvinylchloride, polyester, polythene, silicone rubber, SEBS Block Copolymers, Styrene-ethylene, butadiene-styrene, or a thermoplastic elastomer.

4. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is made of a porous or gas permeable material to allow the foot of the wearer to breathe.

5. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is made of a non porous material that is perforated to allow the foot of the wearer to breathe

6. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the thickness of the membrane (30) is in the range of 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm.

7. A foot protector according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the membrane (10) varies at different regions of the foot protector (30).

8. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is made of a transparent or translucent material.

9. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is made of a coloured material.

10. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is skin-coloured.

11. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is decorated.

12. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the item of outer footwear (10) has straps (15,18,19), and the membrane (30) is shaped, dimensioned and comprises an integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the position of the straps (15, 18, 19) of the outer footwear (10) to provide a barrier between the wearer's foot and the outer footwear (10).

13. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the outer footwear (10) is a shoe, and the membrane (30) is shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes, body of the foot and the heel (36) of the foot of the wearer.

14. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the outer footwear (10) is a shoe, and the membrane (30) comprises two discrete parts (39. 40) one of which (39) is shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes and ball of the foot, and a second part (36, 40) which extends around the heel without being joined by a sole.

15. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the item of outer footwear (10) is a shoe with open sides, and membrane (30) is shaped and dimensioned so that it covers the toes and sole of the foot but leaves the side of the foot uncovered.

16. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the membrane (30) is of a corresponding shoe shape that covers the toes and sole of the foot and has an integral portion (36) that covers the heel but leaves the side of the foot uncovered.

17. A foot protector according claim 1 wherein the item of outer footwear (10) is a boot and the membrane (30) comprises integral sole and one or more hoops corresponding to the shape of the boot.

18. A foot protector according to claim 1 wherein the item of outer footwear (10) is a boot shaped sandal with straps (15,18,19), and the membrane (30) comprises an integral sole (31) and one or more hoops corresponding to the position of the straps (15, 18, 19) of the sandal.

19. A foot protector according claim 1 including an orthopaedic style of support (41)to provide support under the arch of the foot of the wearer.

20. A foot protector according to claim 19 wherein the support (41) is integrally incorporated into the membrane (30) to provide support under the arch of the foot of the wearer.

21. A foot protector according to claim 19 wherein the support (41) comprises a sac (42) containing a gel (43).

22. A foot protector (30) according to claim 1 wherein the membrane is bonded to a sole made from a material selected from leather, man made materials, rubber compounds, or plastics material to form an item of outer footwear.