REMOVABLE INTERNAL FOOTBED SYSTEM FOR A SHOE

Abstract

A shoe for providing greater comfort and high-performance to a wearer. The shoe includes an outsole having an inner footbed area and an outer area surrounding the inner footbed area. The shoe also includes a removable footbed having a bed in contact with the footbed area and a plurality of domes extending upwards from the bed. Each of the plurality of domes being spaced apart from each other. The shoe also includes an insole positioned on top of the footbed and for contacting the wearer's foot.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/329,440, filed on Apr. 10, 2022, entitled “Outsole-Footbed Internal System,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a system for providing a more comfortable and stable footbed system for a shoe, and more specifically, to a removable and exchangeable internal footbed system for a shoe.

2. Description of the Related Art

Shoe designers are always looking for ways to design a better, more lightweight, comfortable shoe that provides good traction and stability. How the shoe sole is designed plays an important role in the comfort of the shoe to the wearer. Traditional shoe soles usually have a three-layered structure. The three layers include an outsole, a midsole, and an insole. The outsole is the bottom of the shoe that contacts the ground and is made of a material and structure that provides a good grip with the ground. For example, the outsole may be made of a relatively hard, high-density material to provide high wear resistance and a longer lasting shoe. The midsole sits on top of the outsole and is typically made of a softer material with a lower density than the outsole. The midsole is able to slightly deform to absorb or dampen impacts which are generated during walking and running motions and which are transmitted to the body of the shoe wearer via the shoe. The insole sits on top of the midsole and acts as an adapter between the flat surface of the midsole and the three-dimensional shape of the foot. Further enhancements in the shoe sole are needed to provide a more comfortable and stable footbed system for a shoe.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved removable and exchangeable internal footbed system that provides a more lightweight and comfortable shoe.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein include a system for providing a more comfortable and stable footbed system for a shoe. The system may include an exchangeable internal footbed system for a shoe. The shoe provides greater comfort and high-performance to a wearer. The shoe including an outsole having an inner footbed area and an outer border area surrounding the inner footbed area, a removable footbed having a bed in contact with the inner footbed area and a plurality of domes extending upwards from the bed. Each of the plurality of domes being spaced apart from one another and not in contact with one another. The shoe also including an insole positioned on top of the footbed and for contacting the wearer's foot. Each of the plurality of domes has a height of a curved portion being about 2A millimeters, a spacing between adjacent domes being about 2A millimeters, a width being about 8A millimeters, and a height being about 4A millimeters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other embodiments of the invention will be discussed with reference to the following exemplary and non-limiting illustrations, in which like elements are numbered similarly, and where:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an outsole of a footbed system of a shoe according to an aspect of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an interchangeable footwear footbed (IFF) located within the inner footbed area of the outsole according to an aspect of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the IFF located within the cavity of the footbed area of the outsole according to an aspect of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a removable IFF located within the cavity of the footbed area of the outsole according to an aspect of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along plane 3-3 of FIG. 3 according to an aspect of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a heel IFF positioned within a heel cavity area according to an aspect of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the IFF showing the plurality of domes protruding upward from the bed according to an aspect of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of adjacent domes showing advantageous and preferred measurements according to an aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an outsole 100 of a footbed system of a shoe according to an aspect of the invention. The outsole 100 is a bottom portion of the shoe that contacts the ground. The outsole 100 includes an outer area 105 and an inner footbed area 110. The outer area 105 completely surrounds the inner footbed area 110. The plan view shown in FIG. 1 is a view from the top, not the bottom of the shoe that contacts the ground.

The outer area 105 has a width W1 of between about 5 millimeters (mm) and 7 mm and encompasses an outer edge of the entire outsole 100. The outer area 105 may be raised above the inner footbed area 110 such that the inner footbed area 110 is sunken and is formed as a cavity 505 defined by or surrounded by the outer area 105 (see also FIGS. 4 and 5). The inner footbed area 110 is an inside or inner portion of the outsole 100 that may be formed as an indentation or a cavity 505 for holding or receiving an interchangeable footwear footbed (IFF) 200 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 5). The IFF 200 is interchangeable and removable from the outsole 100. The IFF 200 is placed on top of, within and/or attached to the footbed area 110. The footbed area 110 is within and surrounded by the outer area 105. The outsole 100 can be made of a hard rubber material or any other type of doable materials such as Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) that can be made or formed using processing methods such as injection molding, extrusion, compression, and blow molding.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an interchangeable footwear footbed (IFF) 200 located within the inner footbed area 110 of the outsole 100 according to an aspect of the invention. In one embodiment, the IFF 200 is sized, shaped and configured to snugly fit into the inner footbed area 110 but not cover the outer area 105. The IFF 200 may be co-molded with the outsole 100 or may be molded separately from the outsole 100 resulting in two separate and distinct parts. The IFF 200 may also be glued or securely attached to the inner footbed area 110.

The IFF 200 has a bed 201 and a plurality of domes 205 extended upward from the bed 201 (see also FIGS. 7 and 8). The bed 201 may be made of a plastic or rubber material and has a uniform flat surface that may be co-molded with the plurality of domes 205. Each of the plurality of domes 205 may be made of a solid filled gel or rubber material or any other similar type of compound material. Each dome 205 or section of domes 205 may be made of a different hardness. The IFF 200 can have different hardness within itself (e.g., different sections of domes may have different hardness) and can be molded in a dual density type of mold. This allows the focused allocation of support to be in different parts of the foot. As an example, each dome 205 may have a durometer of between about Shore 20A (softer) and Shore 50A (harder). As an example, the heel and/or toe sections of the domes 205 may have a greater hardness while the arch section of the domes 205 may have a softer hardness and vice versa depending on the application and desire of the user. For example, the durometer may be adjusted based on whether the shoes are for men, women or children, based on the size of the shoe, based on the use of the shoes (e.g., running, walking, jumping, etc.), based on the arch needed or desired, and/or based on the comfort or cushion desired by the wearer. For example, a larger shoe size may denote a taller and heavier person, thus requiring a high durometer material.

The IFF 200 may be positioned upward (as shown) such that the plurality of domes 205 are extending upward and can be seen from above or downward (upside down) such that the plurality of domes 205 are extending downward and in contact with the footbed area 110. In one embodiment, the bed 201 can have the plurality of domes 205 positioned on both side of the bed 201, i.e., one set upward and one set downward on opposite sides of the bed 201. The plurality of domes 205 are spaced apart from each other and not in physical contact with each other when in an uncompressed state (i.e., no foot is on the IFF 200). When a foot is placed on the IFF 200 (i.e., a compressed state), some adjacent domes 205 may come into contact with each other. The IFF 200 advantageously absorbs and cushions the shock and weight of a human and provides enhanced stability, control, comfort, performance and propulsion during walking, running and other athletic activities. The IFF 200 further provides a comfortable and high-performance shoe sole or footbed system. The IFF 200 (e.g., the plurality of domes 205 and/or the bed 201) can be molded in one or more colors (e.g., red, blue, white, green, or orange) and can be viewed from the inside of the shoe when the top of the IFF 200 is uncovered or covered with a clear, see-through insole. The clear, see-through material of the insole allow for the plurality of domes to be seen by the wearer. In one embodiment, the IFF 200 can be limited to the heel or the front metatarsal or toe area.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the IFF 200 located within the cavity of the footbed area 110 of the outsole 100 according to an aspect of the invention. As shown, the outer area 105 of the outsole 100 may include an upward curved portion 305. The upward curved portion 305 may be a smooth, gradual curved portion that curves up from an inner edge 310 to an outer edge 315.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a removable IFF 200 located within the cavity of the footbed area 110 of the outsole according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along plane 3-3 of FIG. 3 according to an aspect of the invention. The cross-sectional view applies to the various embodiments described herein. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the IFF 200 positioned within the heel cavity area 110 according to as aspect of the invention. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the IFF 200 is located in a heel cavity area 110 (e.g., a cavity defined by the outsole 100 and/or the outer area 105). The outer area 105 is shown as having a top flat surface but can also have a gradually sloped upward top surface as described herein. The top portions of the plurality of domes 205 extend above a horizontal plane defined by the top surface of the outer area 105 of the outsole 100. In this example, the outer area 105 is shown as being a horizontally flat surface; however, as described herein, the outer area 105 may include an upward curved portion 305. The inner footbed area 110 is an inner portion of the outsole 100 that may be formed as an indentation or a cavity for holding or receiving the IFF 200. As shown in FIG. 6, each dome 205 is not in contact with an adjacent dome 205. In some embodiments, the domes 205 can be in contact with each other.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the IFF 200 showing the plurality of domes 205 protruding upward from the bed 201 according to an aspect of the invention. As shown, the plurality of domes 205 cover a significant portion of the bed 201. Each dome 205 is similar in size and shape to an adjacent dome 205. In some embodiments, the domes 205 located in the arch area are higher in order to form an arch for the wearer's foot.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of adjacent domes 205 showing advantageous and preferred measurements according to an aspect of the invention. Each dome 205 is an anatomical shape composed of at least two different geometric shapes, for example, ½ top sphere and ½ bottom cylindrical base. Together, the sphere and the cylindrical base work together as a recoiling tool for advantageously providing a compression force and stabilizer in every direction.

The measurements shown are exemplary proportions and are not shown to scale. For example, 2, 4, 6, and 8 are proportions such that if 2 represents 5 millimeters (mm), 4 represents 10 mm, 6 represents 15 mm, and 8 represents 20 mm. A1 (proportion 2) is the height of a curved portion (i.e., the sphere) of the dome 205, A2 (proportion 2) is the width of a spacing between adjacent domes 205, A3 (proportion 8) is the width of the dome 205, A4 (proportion 6) is the height of the dome 205 including the height or thickness of the bed 201, A5 (proportion 2) is the height or thickness of the bed 201, and A6 (proportion 4) is the height of the dome 205. The height of the dome 205 includes both the height of the ½ top sphere and the height of the ½ bottom cylindrical base. As an example, a height of the bottom cylinder is approximately twice a height of the top sphere for each of the plurality of domes. These are exemplary measurements/proportions and are not necessarily limiting to the scope of the claims.

While the principles of the disclosure have been illustrated in relation to the exemplary embodiments shown herein, the principles of the disclosure are not limited thereto and include any modification, variation or permutation thereof.

Claims

1. A shoe for providing greater comfort and high-performance to a wearer, comprising:

an outsole having an inner footbed area and an outer area surrounding the footbed area;

a footbed having a bed in contact with the inner footbed area and a plurality of domes extending upwards from the bed, each of the plurality of domes being spaced apart from each other; and

an insole positioned on top of the footbed and for contacting the wearer's foot.

2. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the outer area has an upward curved portion that curves up from an inner edge to an outer edge.

3. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the outsole is co-molded with the footbed.

4. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the footbed is removable and interchangeable.

5. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the bed and the plurality of domes are co-molded together.

6. The shoe of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of domes is formed with a top sphere and a bottom cylinder.

7. The shoe of claim 6 wherein a height of the bottom cylinder is approximately twice a height of the top sphere for each of the plurality of domes.

8. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the each of the plurality of domes is made of a solid filled gel or rubber material.

9. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the each of the plurality of domes is an anatomical shape composed of at least two different geometric.

10. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the each of the plurality of domes is similar in size and shape.

11. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the plurality of domes located in the arch area are higher in order to form an arch for the wearer's foot.

12. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the insole is made of a clear, see-through material in order for the plurality of domes to be seen by the wearer.

13. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the footbed or the plurality of domes are made of different hardness.

14. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the plurality of domes has a heel section and a toe section where the heel section and the toe section have different hardness and are molded in a dual density type of mold.

15. The shoe of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of domes has a height of a curved portion being about 2A millimeters, a spacing between adjacent domes being about 2A millimeters, a width being about 8A millimeters, and a height being about 4A millimeters.