HEEL INSERT

Abstract

The heel insert is an insert for an article of footwear, such as a shoe or a boot. The heel insert includes a main body member having an arcuate cross-sectional contour and defining a concave inner surface and a convex outer surface. The concave inner surface is adapted for contacting and supporting the wearer's heel, ankle and Achilles tendon, and the convex outer surface is adapted for contacting a rear, inner surface of the article of footwear. The main body member has opposed top and bottom ends, with an inwardly extending flange being formed on the bottom end. One or more recesses or notches are formed in the flange. The main body member is preferably formed from a high-density polyethylene hydrophobic material with a thickness of about 0.5 mm.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/409,342, filed Oct. 17, 2016.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosure of the present patent application relates to footwear, and particularly to a heel insert for an article of footwear to protect the wearer from rubbing between his or her foot and the rear interior of the article of footwear.

2. Description of the Related Art

Numerous conditions require people to use additional insoles, orthotics, heel lifts and the like with conventional footwear. Unfortunately, the usage of such inserts with conventional footwear often results in additional rubbing between the rear inner surface of the shoe or the like against the heel and ankle of the wearer. Such rubbing can result in painful blisters, calluses or sores, resulting in the wearer suffering from discomfort and difficulty while walking. The additional rubbing may also cause the material of the footwear to wear out at an accelerated rate. Thus, a heel insert solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY

The heel insert is an insert for an article of footwear, such as a shoe or a boot. The heel insert includes a main body member having an arcuate cross-sectional contour and defining a concave inner surface and a convex outer surface. The concave inner surface is adapted for contacting and supporting the wearer's heel, ankle and Achilles tendon, and the convex outer surface is adapted for contacting a rear, inner surface of the article of footwear. The main body member has opposed top and bottom ends, with an inwardly extending flange being formed on the bottom end. One or more recesses or notches are formed in the flange. The main body member is preferably formed from a high-density polyethylene hydrophobic material with a thickness of about 0.5 mm.

These and other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heel insert.

FIG. 2A is a bottom view of the heel insert.

FIG. 2B is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the heel insert.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the heel insert.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the heel insert.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1, the heel insert 100 has a substantially curved contour, including a concave surface 105a and a convex surface 105b. The heal insert 100 includes a posterior portion 120, an opposing anterior portion 110, a first side portion 130 (shown to the right in the configuration of FIG. 1) and a second side portion 140 (shown to the left in the configuration of FIG. 1). As best seen in FIG. 2A, the posterior portion 120 includes a flange 125a including at least one notch or recess 127a along an inner edge of the flange 125a. The at least one notch or recess 127a is configured for providing flexibility to accommodate variations in shoe size. The at least one notch or recess 127a in flange 125a is shown as having a substantially U-shaped contour in FIG. 2A, although it should be understood that notch or recess 127a may have any suitable contouring. For example, in the alternative embodiment of FIG. 2B, notch or recess 127b is shown having a keyhole-shaped contour.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, a top edge of the anterior portion 110 may be beveled to facilitate foot insertion and grasping of the heel insert 100 when the heel insert 100 is positioned in or removed from the shoe. In use, the heel insert 100 may be vertically positioned within the heel portion of a shoe such that the concave surface 105a supports and contacts the heel and the lower portion of the Achilles tendon of the wearer, with the convex surface 105b resting against an interior portion of the heel of the shoe so as to substantially reduce, if not eliminate, friction between the wearer's Achilles tendon and the interior portion of the heel of the shoe.

The insert 100 may be made from any suitable type of smooth and flexible material which will provide comfortable support for the wearer, such as, for example, a high-density polyethylene hydrophobic material, such as HDPE 2, having a thickness of about 0.5 mm. The usage of a high-density polyethylene hydrophobic material, such as HDPE 2, allows heel insert 100 to be effectively used in both wet and dry environments.

In use, the concave surface 105a of the heel insert 100 is configured to contact and support the heel of the wearer's foot. As such, the concave surface 105a is preferably smooth and relatively friction-free in order to prevent calluses and/or blisters. The convex surface 105b of the insert 100 may include a smooth or roughened surface. A roughened surface, for example, would prevent the insert 100 from slipping inside the heel of the shoe or boot. It should be understood that the heel insert 100 may be manufactured in a variety of different sizes.

The heel insert 100 may be used in conjunction with conventional orthotics or lifts used in shoes to support and/or protect the wearer's heel. The heel insert 100 may also be used alone in the shoe by hikers, for example, to further protect the heel. The flange 125a (or 125b in the embodiment of FIG. 2B), can be tucked under the rear portion of a shoe lift, such as beneath the wearer's heel. The heel insert 100 can protect the heel from developing blisters and/or calluses, such as when the orthotics or lifts cause excessive movement of the heel against the interior portion of the heel of the shoe. As noted above, the heel insert 100 provides a smooth surface between the foot and the interior portion of the heel of the shoe, thus aiding to prevent the heel and the lower portion of the Achilles tendon of the wearer from rubbing up and down against the inner wall of the shoe.

In use, the heel insert 100 can be vertically positioned in the heel pocket of the shoe such that the flange 125a (or 125b in the embodiment of FIG. 2B) is positioned under the rear portion of a shoe insole or other orthotic device in the shoe. After the heel insert 100 has been secured in the shoe, the wearer can insert his or her foot into the shoe so that the heel portion of his or her foot is positioned against the concave portion 105a of the insert 100. Although reference is made to a shoe in the above, it should be understood that the insert can be used in any kind of footwear, e.g., boots, skates, etc.

It is to be understood that the heel insert is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the generic language of the following claims enabled by the embodiments described herein, or otherwise shown in the drawings or described above in terms sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. A heel insert, comprising a main body member having an arcuate cross-sectional contour and defining a concave inner surface and a convex outer surface, the main body member having opposed top and bottom ends, an inwardly extending flange being formed on the bottom end, and at least one notch being formed in the flange.

2. The heel insert as recited in claim 1, wherein the main body member comprises a high-density polyethylene hydrophobic material.

3. The heel insert as recited in claim 2, wherein the main body member has a thickness of about 0.5 mm.

4. The heel insert as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one notch comprises a plurality of notches.

5. A heel insert, comprising a main body member having an arcuate cross-sectional contour and defining a concave inner surface and a convex outer surface, the main body member having opposed top and bottom ends, an inwardly extending flange being formed on the bottom end, a plurality of notches being formed in the flange, wherein the main body member comprises a high-density polyethylene hydrophobic material.

6. The heel insert as recited in claim 5, wherein the main body member has a thickness of about 0.5 mm.