SHOE HEEL ENGAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM
Provided is a shoe heel engagement system and method of using the same to secure a user-heel-shoe interface and prevent unintended slipping and discomfort. The heel engagement system includes an elastomeric molded system having a plurality of projecting bumpers and stress concentration geometry features. The geometry stress concentration features may be linear or curved and may have multiple profiles. The geometry stress concentration features are arranged at least transverse to a heel arrangement, and may optionally be aligned with a heel arrangement and in arcuate form relative to heel or a foot-heel curvature improved security and shoe comfort that allow for easy bending-without buckling to fit the inner shape of a shoe. The geometry stress concentration features allow for easy air flow, moisture flow, and easy installation and adaption to the foot-shoe geometry.
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The present application claims priority from U.S. Prov. App. Ser. No. 62/146,683 filed Apr. 13, 2105 and U.S. Prov. App. Ser. No. 62/080,155 filed Nov. 14, 2015, the entire contents of both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIGURE SELECTED FOR PUBLICATION1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a shoe heel engagement support system and method for using the same. More particularly, the present disclosure provides a shoe heel engagement bumper that securely engages a wearer's foot and which reduces the tendency of a wearer's foot to slide outwardly relative to a heel in a shoe during use.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art involves a series of elastomeric inner sticky tapes that are secured to the inner portion of a shoe-heel. Such inner tapes are uniformly thin and when curved may tend to buckle and cause chafing and later shoe irritation.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved shoe heel engagement system and method for using the same.
SUMMARYOne aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an improved heal securing system containing a number of geometric stress concentration regions to aid in folding and adapting to the inner geometry of a shoe heel.
In an embodiment, a shoe insert or heel engaging support system for use in a shoe, comprising may include a heel backing portion generally transverse to a heel securement portion. Each heel backing portion may be constructed from an elastomeric material having a modulus of elasticity for user comfort. At least one stress concentration geometry may be included along one of said heel backing portion and said heel securement portion. During an assembly with said shoe, said stress concentration geometry allowing an easy bending and fitting of said heel engagement system with said shoe.
In a further embodiment, a shoe insert may include a support member, which may include a central portion; a first lateral portion extending away from the central portion; a second lateral portion opposite the first lateral portion extending away from the central portion; and a tongue portion. The support member may have a thickness of less than 3 millimeters. A contact member may at least partially extending across the central portion, the first lateral portion, and the second lateral portion. The contact member has a thickness greater than the thickness of the support member.
In a further embodiment, a kit may include the above described shoe inserts, as well as, devices and/or tools (e.g., adhesive) for securing the shoe inserts to a shoe.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention. Wherever possible, same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts or steps. The drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale. The word ‘couple’ and similar terms do not necessarily denote direct and immediate connections, but also include connections through intermediate elements or devices. For purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional (up/down, etc.) or motional (forward/back, etc.) terms may be used with respect to the drawings. These and similar directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope in any manner. It will also be understood that other embodiments may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention, and that the detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and that elements may be differently positioned, or otherwise noted as in the appended claims without requirements of the written description being required thereto.
Referring to
The back portion 14, in one embodiment, measures about 3.5 cm in height, as shown in
The insert 10, including the back portion 14, side portions 18, 22, tongue 26, and ridge 40, is integrally formed as one piece from plastic, preferably a clear plastic gel such as silicone, in a molding operation. In additional embodiments, one or more components of the insert 10 can be formed separately and/or from another flexible material such as foam or soft rubber. The material of the insert 10 is chosen such that the insert 10 is bendable and may fold to crease upon itself (see
A layer of adhesive is deposited on the back surface 34 such that the insert 10 is removably securable to another surface, such as the inside of a shoe. Alternatively, the adhesive may form a more permanent bond between the back surface 34 and the other surface. In other embodiments an adhesive is applied separately to the back surface 34 immediately prior to use. In yet other embodiments, another type of coupling or attachment mechanism on the second surface 34 may be used for coupling the insert 10 to an adjacent surface. The layer of adhesive or other attachment mechanism may exist on the entirety of the second surface 34 or on only select portions of the second surface 34.
Referring to
The nubs 164 are separated from each other by equal or unequal spaces 168. The spaces 168 reveal the associated back portion 14 and side portions 18, 22.
To position the insert 10 or he insert 160, a user squeezes the side portions 18, 22 together with the second surface 34 facing the inner surface 140 of the shoe 120. Specifically, the back portion 14 is arranged to abut the heel portion of the inner surface 140 of the shoe 120, with the side portions 18, 22 extending laterally from the heel portion. Bending or folding the insert 10, 160 permits the tongue 26 to be situated against the bottom portion of the inner surface 140 and pressed into place. The contact member, whether in the form of the ridge 40 or the nubs 164, is seated against the outer edge 128 near the heel of the shoe 120 and, as shown in
With the insert 10, 160 in position, a shoe occupant places her foot in the shoe 120, contacting the first surface 30 and further pressing the second surface 34 against the inner surface 140 of the shoe 120. This compression releases any air trapped between the insert 10, 160 and the inner surface 140 and also acts to more securely join the adhesive or other attachment mechanism to the inner surface 140. During a walking stride, as the occupant lifts her foot, the ridge 40 (or the nubs 164) interacts/interact with a portion of her heel to maintain the foot securely within the cavity 124 of the shoe 120.
The inserts 10 and 160 are especially beneficial for maintaining foot position in high-heeled shoes, as they take up minimal space within the cavity 124 and therefore do not urge the foot uncomfortably forward into the shoe 120. With respect to the insert 160, the presence of a thicker ridge 40 or nubs 164 at the lateral portions 18, 22 and a thinner ridge 40 or smaller or absent nubs 164 near the back portion 14 may be particularly effective in maintaining a desired foot placement within the cavity 124. Although illustrated with a high-heeled shoe, the insert 10, 160 is not so limited in its application and could be used with any type of shoe (e.g., a men's dress shoe, as shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
It will be understood that each stress-concentration location 260 is a reduction in the thickness of the heel engagement system 240 so as to provide a number of advantages. These advantages include, but are not limited to, operating as air-flow channels, as moisture-escape channels, as heel-gripping-aids with additional surface texture, and as concentrations of bending-stress so as to allow heel engagement system 240 to bend and flex relative to the heel cup portion 228 and any back-formation and concavity for heel-receipt and while flexing to not bunch up and provide a non-smooth profile despite different curvature radii needed to smoothly secure the heel engagement system 240 into the shoe 200.
As will be noted in
During a use herein, a user will test and position the heel engagement system 240 and make any cuttings or trimmings to a general macro-shape and size. Thereafter, the user will urge the system 240 (with backer 254 attached) into heel cup position 228 for further testing. Thereafter, backer 254 is removed, exposing glue layer 253 and system 240 is placed within position and smoothed outwardly.
As a result, following installation, the geometries/stress concentrators 260a, 260b, 260c, or 260d may all serve to aid in air flow, moisture flow, gripping, and smooth securing of a heel and a shoe geometry interface.
A kit 300, as shown in
Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments of the present invention; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.
It is additionally noted that the proposed system 240 may be provided in kits or multiple-packages for use with two or more shoes.
Having described at least one of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent to those skills that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various modifications and variations can be made in the presently disclosed system without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A heel engaging support system for use in a shoe, comprising, comprising:
- a heel backing portion generally transverse to a heel securement portion;
- each said portion being constructed from an elastomeric material having a modulus of elasticity for user comfort;
- at least one stress concentration geometry along one of said heel backing portion and said heel securement portion; and
- during an assembly with said shoe, said stress concentration geometry allowing an easy bending and fitting of said heel engagement system with said shoe.
2. The heel engaging support system, according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a plurality of said stress concentration geometries on said heel engaging system; and
- during an assembly with said shoe, at least ones of said plurality enabling one of an air flow, a moisture flow, a user-heel-gripping, and an enhanced bending of said heel engaging support system.
3. A shoe insert, comprising:
- a support member, the support member comprising: a central portion; a first lateral portion extending away from the central portion; a second lateral portion opposite the first lateral portion extending away from the central portion; and a tongue portion; and a contact member at least partially extending across the central portion, the first lateral portion, and the second lateral portion,
- wherein the contact member has a thickness greater than the thickness of the support member.
4. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the support member has a thickness of less than 3 millimeters.
5. The shoe insert of claim 3, further including an adhesive deposited on a portion of the support member.
6. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the contact member is in the form of a bulbous ridge.
7. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the contact member includes a plurality of raised nubs.
8. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the contact member includes a plurality of equally spaced recesses.
9. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the support member defines a first surface and an opposing second surface, and wherein the contact member is positioned on the first surface and an adhesive is deposited on a portion of the second surface.
10. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the tongue portion is configured to fold toward the central portion.
11. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the support member is bendable between the central portion and the tongue portion.
12. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the contact member is integrally formed as one piece with the support member.
13. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the support member and the contact member are formed from a plastic gel.
14. The shoe insert of claim 3, wherein the support member has a uniform thickness of less than 2 millimeters.
15. The shoe insert of claim 1, wherein the support member has a thickness of between 0.75 and 1.25 millimeters.
16. A kit, comprising:
- one or more heel engaging support systems for use in a shoe, comprising, comprising:
- a heel backing portion generally transverse to a heel securement portion;
- each said portion being constructed from an elastomeric material having a modulus of elasticity for user comfort;
- at least one stress concentration geometry along one of said heel backing portion and said heel securement portion; and
- during an assembly with said shoe, said stress concentration geometry allowing an easy bending and fitting of said heel engagement system with said shoe.
17. The kit of claim 16, further comprising:
- an adhesive application system for facilitating securing the one or more heel engaging support systems to the shoe.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 11, 2015
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2016
Applicant: JM Promotions, Inc. (New Rochelle, NY)
Inventors: Jeff Mancini (New Rochelle, NY), Elizabeth M. Andrews (Chicago, IL)
Application Number: 14/938,443