Abstract: An insole assembly for a shoe or other article of footwear. The assembly includes a soft, cushioning foam blank having an upper surface which is contoured to engage the plantar surface of a foot, and a thin, substantially rigid, resiliently flexible cap which is mounted to the bottom of the blank so as to extend around the heel end and forwardly along the medial and lateral sides thereof. The rigid cap includes an upstanding wall which engages and buttresses the perimeter of the foam blank, and a series of medial and lateral flanges which extend across and support the bottom of the blank. The flanges are configured to cooperate with the foam blank to define zones of support in specific areas, with the maximum support and rigidity being provided for the rearfoot and midfoot areas of the foot.

Abstract: A flexible insole insert comprises a body having a planar first member and a planar second member secured to the first member. The second member has a heel portion, with a medial portion and a lateral portion, and an arch portion. A foremost extremity of the arch portion passes beneath the second and third metatarsals of a user's foot. An inner edge of the second member passes beneath the lateral cuneiform and a medial outer edge passes under the navicular of the user's foot. The relative thicknesses of the first member and second member are dimensioned to moderate any ridging and creasing effects which might be caused in the sole of the user's foot by the second member. A metatarsal cutout, generally centered beneath the user's first metatarsal joint, has a longitudinal edge spaced between the user's first and second metatarsals and a transverse edge spaced rearwardly from the user's first metatarsal. A longitudinally shaped heel cutout is generally centered beneath the user's heel.

Abstract: Footwear comprising a sole formed from a first resilient material for attenuating the shock of impact to a wearer during running or walking, and a second material harder than the first material for providing firm support for a foot. The sole has heel, arch and toe sections, each of which have medial and lateral regions. The sole also has a forefoot section having a first region for supporting the first, second, third, fourth and fifth metatarsal heads of the foot, associated phalanges and metatarsal phalangeal joints, and the metatarsal necks associated with the fourth and fifth metatarsal heads, and a second region for supporting the metatarsal necks associated with the second and third metatarsal heads.

Abstract: An insole construction for an athletic shoe has a shell portion that is positioned under the heel and midfoot of the foot, and is covered with an insole and having low friction material on the upper sides in selected regions. The low friction material may be a thin layer of polytetrafluoroethylene material, the low friction material extends across the heel region, and/or across the metatarsal area, and these areas may be joined by a lateral side strip. The shell is cupped to form a wall along the lateral side of the foot and about three quarters of the way behind the heel or calcaneus region of the foot. This cup wall is joined to a base wall with a generously radiused rounded portion that mirrors the concave/convex contour anatomy of the foot in this region for comfort and for distributing impact forces received during running, across a substantially increased contact area of the foot.

Abstract: A three phase four pole alternating current generator includes an AC exciter including a series winding for each phase of the main generator windings and a shunt winding for each of the main phase windings. The series exciter windings includes two coils. In a high Y connection of the winding, the two coils are connected in series with each other and with the main phase winding. In the low voltage Y connection, series coils are separated and each is located in a paralleled leg of the same main phase winding. The shunt winding is connected directly across a corresponding main phase winding. An electronic voltage regulator includes phase voltage sensing which is coupled to a reference control circuit to produce a control signal if the voltage varies from a reference voltage. The current to the shunt winding of the exciter is controlled to maintain the desired output voltage.

Abstract: The functional forefoot orthotic of this invention comprises a shell plate that is conformed to the sole of the foot replica, a forefoot posting shim is applied to the upper surface of the shell plate. A stabilizing heel platform may also be applied to the bottom of the shell plate. The forefoot posting shim is applied at the level of the first to third metatarsals for a varum prescription. The shape, size and thickness of the posting shim is determined by the prescription. The forefoot posting shim will have a width that will be determined by the degree of deformity in the patient's forefoot. It will be wide enough to support at least the first metatarsal and may be wide enough to support two or all three of the first-to-third metatarsals. The forefoot posting shim will accommodate the patient's varum forefoot deformity so as to provide, in combination with the shell plate replica of the patient's foot, a stable forefoot platform for the patient's foot.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing footgear with comfortable individualized custom support, said apparatus comprising mechanical means to selectively and seperately change the position of multiple areas of the inner sole of said footgear, said areas corresponding generally to the areas of the foot described as the inner heel, the lateral arch, and the metatarsal area, and, whereas such changing of positions involves movement in two different directions: (1) upward and downward, (2) forward and backward, said changes in position are achieved by two different and seperate structures, wherein the movement of each of said structures is controlled by the selective turning of a screw, the heads of said screws being located on the outside of said footgear, where they can be selectively turned at any time.

Abstract: A conformable device (20) containing a conformable material (41) substantially comprising fluid matter which forms a resilient material substantially comprising solid matter after a working time is used in an article of footwear (44) in order to enhance conformance, comfort, fit, stability, cushioning and shock-absorption. The conformable material (41) is contained within a chamber (51) of suitable configurations. In addition, a foam material (66) of select shape generally conforming to a portion of the wearer's anatomy can be used in cooperation with the conformable material (41), as well as a void (40) containing a gas. The invention permits accommodation to a wide range of anatomical features and characteristics found amongst a large percentage of the general public and application within numerous types of footwear (44).