Abstract: A dynamic variable geometry fitting system with fluid-filled bladders and automatically regulating their volumes to provide a continuously secure fit. This system can vary volume continuously to accommodate natural variation in an amputee's residuum. It makes reliable suction retention of a prosthesis easier for the prosthetist to achieve while reducing the potential for tissue lesions. By maintaining a continuous, secure fit, the amputee's sense of confidence and willingness to use the prosthesis increases.

Abstract: An inflatable shoe with a deflation valve designed to limit inadvertent operation of the valve and thereby limit inadvertent deflation of the shoe. The deflation valve has a shortened plunger, a collar to prevent tilt of the plunger, and a conformable ring on the valve face. The plunger is provided with a groove sized and dimensioned to partially receive the inner surface of the ring.

Abstract: A boot having a structure for the treatment of the micro-vibrations that can occur between the bottom assembly and the upper of the latter by resonance effect on impact with the ground. A thin elastic membrane with a Shore A hardness of about 20-30 is positioned between the core layer of the bottom assembly and the upper to serve as a dynamic screen with respect to the micro-vibrations. The invention is particularly adapted to the design of sports boot, such as walking shoes and/or running shoes.

Abstract: Footwear including a sole for supporting a foot and an upper attached to the sole for covering the foot. The sole and upper define an interior of the footwear sized and shaped for receiving the foot. The upper has an inner surface adapted for engaging the foot when it is received in the interior of the footwear and an outer surface forming an exterior of the footwear. The upper also includes compressible cushioning permitting the upper to conform to the foot when it is received in the interior of the footwear to improve the fit of the footwear. The compressible cushioning is sized, shaped and positioned in the upper to at least partially surround a protrusion extending from the foot and is at least partially omitted from an area of the upper corresponding to the protrusion. Thus, a recess is formed in the upper for accommodating the protrusion to relieve pressure applied to the foot by the upper at the protrusion.

Abstract: An inner liner adapted to equip an article of footwear, and a process for manufacturing such inner liner. The liner includes wedging elements positioned between the upper and the lining. These wedging elements are connected to the upper by mechanical assemblies such as seams, i.e., by stitching. The liner thus obtained can be washed in a hot fluid whose temperature is within a range of about 40 to 100 degrees Celsius.

Abstract: A comfort upper for footwear adapted in particular to equip a sports boot and an inner liner for a sports boot. The upper includes a stiffener, positioned between the inner lining and the outer covering, which is made of a thermoformable material. The upper also includes a comfort element, positioned between the inner lining and the stiffener, which is softer than the stiffener and which is possibly made of thermoformable material. This comfort element includes perforations enabling the thermoforming of the stiffener by propulsion of hot air within the footwear.

Abstract: A shock-absorbing athletic shoe system for cushioning impact forces includes an athletic shoe having a flexible impervious bladder positioned within the sole of the shoe. An external fluid-holding surge tank communicates by way of a fluid conduit with the bladder of each shoe. Quick release connectors are interactive between the lowermost extremities of the fluid conduits and the shoes.

Abstract: A bellows pneumatic system including a pneumatic inflating device (12) disposed within the sole of a shoe (100) which is comprised of a plurality of bladders or bladder sets within the sole of the shoe, each bladder being connected to a flow switching device (18) via conduits.

Abstract: A shock absorbing cushion device removable, pressure-adjustable for sports goods, comprising a cover and an air cushion enveloped in the cover, said cushion made as a hollow flat bag whose upper and lower sheets are provided and adhered with round recesses or line recesses or the both combined, said recesses furnishing the air cushion with shock absorbing elasticity and flexibility whether said cushion is inflated or not. An inflation pump or an air nipple is provided in said cushion for inflating or deflating said cushion.

Abstract: A shoe whose upper has an interior liner with a layer contiguous to the foot, provided with a structure having of a viscoelastic substance assembled to a flexible and elastic film. The substance is characterized in that the viscoelastic substance is provided with a high elastic deformation capacity with a low elastic modulus, and in that it is obtained in a thickness from 1 to 5 millimeters. The layer thus structured tends to flatten naturally on the foot and behaves in the manner of a “double skin” that filters the vibrations and the impacts, and which absorbs the micro displacements while preserving the transmission of the tactile sensations.

Abstract: A skate with improved comfort, comprising a frame for supporting two or more wheels, with which a shoe is associated. The shoe has openings which are connected to the outside or to a vapor-permeable surface, and an innerboot, or upper, which comprises a phase-change material that releases or absorbs heat in preset temperature ranges.

Abstract: An article of footwear comprises a shoe in which the upper and base define a first total internal volume; molding of a standard inner sole made of a material which may be plastically thermoformed using a form, the inner sole having a second volume less than the first volume and, when inserted in a shoe, leaving a free volume, smaller than the total volume, inside the shoe; insertion of the standard inner sole in the shoe and fixing in place, so as to create a shoe-inner sole assembly in which, between the base and standard inner sole there is at least one space with an empty volume substantially corresponding to the difference between the first volume and the second volume; heating of the shoe-inner sole assembly made in this way to the preset temperature necessary for the thermoforming of the inner sole; insertion of a foot in the shoe, so as to shape the standard inner sole in the areas around the space according to the features of the sole of the foot.

Abstract: An insole insert for application into a shoe, and which is formed as a laminar material of various layers of paper, polymer, stranded thermoplastic or thermosetting material, foams of select consistencies and texture, in addition to a felt or microfiber type of upper layer, to add to the cushioning and softness of the insert, when applied. The insert, when subjected to heat and pressure, particularly pressure applied by the foot, conforms to the contours of the foot, and sustains such, even after prolonged usage after application into a shoe.

Abstract: A removable snowboard boot liner made from Ethyl Vinyl Acetate with an air bladder attached therein and a method of mass producing such liners. An oily chalk like substance consisting of 90% sweet starch, 9% lubricant and 1% stearate is included between the two sheets that make up the bladder. The bladder is attached to the EVA before the EVA is folded, stitched, heated and molded. This allows the bladder to be attached while the EVA is still flat and allows the attachment to be performed by machine stitching. The bladder is partially inflated before the EVA is heated and molded. The oily chalk like substance and the partial inflation of the bladder allows the installed bladder to pass through the heating and molding steps of the EVA without the two sheets that make up the bladder melting together. The invention also consists of a design and installation of the bladder that minimizes the amount of slipping of a wearer's foot and heal within the boot.

Abstract: A three dimensional shoe vamp air cushion having an upper sheet and a lower sheet, with all peripheral edges sealed to form a hollow interior. An upper area of the air cushion is larger than the interior area, permitting the air cushion body to have three dimensions instead of two dimensions. The three dimensional shoe vamp air cushion has one or more air chambers and a similar curvature as the upper surface of a foot, so as to have excellent adaptability and shock absorbing characteristics.

Abstract: A shell for sports shoes, particularly for Telemark skiing, which comprises a sole and a lateral surface which surrounds the foot of the user. A frame is rigidly coupled internally to the shell and has a foot resting surface and a toe cup which partially extends over the upper metatarsal region. On the resting surface and on the toe cup there are, respectively, at least one first transverse opening, arranged below the metatarsal region, and at least one second transverse opening, which lies above the metatarsal region. A transverse bridge, arranged in the region that lies to the rear of the metatarsus, is thus formed at the toe cup. The resulting shell is therefore highly flexible but torsionally rigid, making it easier for the user to ski.

Abstract: An insert for a shoe comprises a pouch having a moldable, thixotropic material and a shell having a catalyst. The shell is capable of being ruptured by massaging the pouch to allow the catalyst to be released from the shell and mixed with the material. A pressure sensitive adhesive is on the bottom of the pouch to secure it to the inner sole of a shoe, and a nylon layer is on the top of the pouch to absorb moisture and provide an aesthetic appearance. In use, the pouch is massaged to mix the catalyst and moldable material and is then placed in a shoe. The user places a foot in the shoe and applies a light weight to the foot so that the pouch assumes the shape of the foot bottom and fills that space between the foot and the shoe. Then, the foot is removed to allow the material to cure. When the material is cured the insert prevents excessive collapse of the foot.

Abstract: A boot comprising: (a) a sole; and (b) a shell attached to the sole, the shell having: (i) a lower portion secured to the sole for enclosing a user's foot below the lower ankle, (ii) an upper portion extending upwardly from the lower portion for enclosing at least the user's ankle, and for providing lateral and medial flexing of the user's ankle, and (iii) a groove in a front outer segment of the upper portion of the shell to reduce pressure from the shell on substantially the tibialis anterior muscle when the muscle flexes.

Abstract: A method of making functional orthotics from a multiplicity of uniquely designed injection molds which have been constructed by studying large numbers of replicas produced from uncorrected replicas that replicate the contour of the feet of a multiplicity of patients. In one form of the method of the invention, following a careful dimensional study of the corrected replicas, they are grouped into families, the members of which exhibit lower surface contours that are substantially identical. An injection mold is then made for each of the identified families, in a manner such that the mold will produce an orthotic having an upper surface that corresponds to the lower surface of the corrected orthotic that make up the group. Companion data is then developed which correlates the corrected replicas of each identified family with the uncorrected replicas from which they were made. A study of the uncorrected replicas then provides data as to the contour of the patient's feet which they replicate.

Abstract: Footwear including a sole having a front and a back for supporting a bottom of a foot. A heel cup at the back of the sole receives and supports a heel of the foot. The heel cup has a bottom for further supporting the bottom of the foot and a side wall extending up from the bottom. The side wall has a generally concave rear section for receiving and supporting the back of the heel and opposite side sections extending forward from the rear section. The recess in the rear section of the side wall of the heel cup is offset laterally from a longitudinal central vertical plane of the heel cup. The recess is sized for accommodating the rearwardly protruding lateral posterior portion of the calcaneus of the foot.

Abstract: A snowboard boot includes a foot portion, an ankle portion formed of a flexible material disposed above the foot portion and extending forwardly for covering an anklebone, and a leg portion disposed above the ankle portion. The ankle portion includes a first stitch line extending from a rear of the ankle portion forwardly and a second stitch line extending from the rear of the ankle portion forwardly so that the flexible material forms a flexible material space extending from between the first stitch line and the second stitch line for covering the anklebone. The flexible material space has no stitch line extending from the rear of the ankle portion therein to comfortably accommodate the anklebone.

Abstract: A new method of making custom fitted products and products made by such a method for improving the fit and comfort of such products. The invention includes incorporating a hollow, sealed envelope into an apparatus, injecting a hardenable, liquid gel-catalyst mixture into the envelope through an inlet, and using a portion of a persons body to apply pressure to the envelope and allowing the mixture to harden while the pressure is being applied. The initially liquid mixture will conform to the shape of the body part which is applying the pressure, and once hardened will provide a product which is specifically shaped to the individual's body part. The product could be a shoe, a safety helmet, protective padding for various parts of the body, handles on tools and implements, and the like.

Abstract: There is disclosed an inflatable lining for selected inner surfaces of footwear, such as a shoe, boot or sandal. The inflatable lining is formed of first and second plastic sheets having the shape and size of the selected inner surfaces, e.g., a sole, or any portion of the upper surfaces of the footwear. The sheets are bonded together in a continuous seam about their peripheral edges thereby forming a sealed interior chamber. A plurality of discontinuous seams are formed between the first and second sheets to create within the sealed interior chamber a plurality of interconnecting tubular passageways, and at least one continuous seam can also be provided that subdivides the interior chamber into two or more subdivided interior chambers. The inflatable liner is provided with an air pump that preferably is a flexible bulb with an inlet valve which discharges into a flexible tube which extends to a pressure control valve and then to the interior chamber of the inflatable inner sole.

Abstract: An innerboot, particularly for sports shoes, made of thermoformable material, includes, at its inner lateral surface, one or more channels advantageously connected to the outside through one or more holes, the innerboot allowing ventilation of the foot arranged inside the innerboot, improving user comfort.

Abstract: An athletic shoe is described, provided with an inflatable tongue or bladder for a more secure fit to the user's foot. The bladder may include a plurality of chambers with a valve disposed therebetween to selectively inflate the chambers. The inflatable tongue or bladder has a lightweight pump disposed thereon. Inflatable footwear having an inflation bag under the foot is also disclosed. The inflation bag is formed by two sheets of material that are welded together. Interior welds are provided to moderate the thickness of the inflation bag. A foam layer having apertures is positioned adjacent to the inflation bag. The apertures overlie the interior welds and are sized larger than the interior welds. Also described is a slider valve that enables selective inflation of individual bladder chambers.

Abstract: The invention provides a conforming medium containing gels for customized fitting components, such as those used in a shoe. The invention further includes environmentally-responsive gels that are temperature-responsive so that they will react to body heat to transition from a liquid to a gel state or a gel state to a liquid state. Furthermore, the invention is directed to an article for conforming to the contours of an object having isolation means, such as a ladder of a flexible member, to contain the environmentally-responsive gel therein.

Abstract: A method for producing a custom insole for a foot of a user, the method including the steps of providing a preformed insole precursor, the precursor being constructed of a solid material which is storable in an undeformed state and which is compressible to a deformed configuration under pressure substantially at room temperature and which retains the deformed configuration after removal of the pressure, and pressing the foot on the insole precursor, thereby compressing the insole precursor and forming an insole with a configuration in accordance with the configuration of the foot.

Abstract: A shoe that conforms to foot contours and provides cushioning is comprised of a shoe sole and a shoe upper attached to the shoe sole. The shoe upper is comprised of an outer layer, an inner layer and a conforming layer therebetween, wherein a first portion of the conforming layer is comprised of environmentally-responsive gel. The environmentally-responsive gel is a temperature-responsive gel that will react to the heat emanating from a foot inserted into the shoe to express a liquid.

Abstract: A comfort liner provided with a wedging element made of foam having thermoplastic qualities rendering it capable of being adjusted and/or adapted, after being heated at its thermoforming temperature, to the specific volume of the user's foot. The liner in its entirety is preformed at an initial fitting volume corresponding to a standard of a given size, and its wedging element, constituted of foam formed from at least one thermoplastic material, is thermocompressed and micro-perforated. The micro-perforations confer to the wedging element a certain flexibility and elastic compressibility, as well as a certain permeability rendering it sufficiently comfortable to be used as such, and adapted to be easily thermoformed by reheating, due to the rapid and in-depth diffusion of the heat across the micro-perforations.

Abstract: A blank construction for a foot orthotic is formed of a first section and a second section smaller than the first section and which is joined to the first section. The first section has a shape generally the same as a bottom inside surface of a shoe. The blank construction is heat softened at a temperature between about 65.degree. C. and about 85.degree. C. at a pressure up to about 5 psig.

Abstract: Footwear such as a shoe or boot has an upper, an outsole and an insole. The insole comprises a layer of thermoplastic material and a heater member. The heater member is capable of generating heat by being energized by electrical energy and is capable upon being energized of effectively heating and softening the thermoplastic material so that the insole may be conformed to the shape of the underside of a foot of a person, in order to provide a custom-fitting footbed and custom-fitting footwear. The heater member preferably includes an etched foil heating element which heats by electrical resistance.

Abstract: An adjustment system for a shoe which permits independent adjustment of the width, footform and cushioning either between the lateral and medial sides of the shoe, or at different points along the longitudinal direction of the shoe. The present invention provides for the adjustment of the dimensions of a shoe in a plurality of discrete locations as between a nominal central point in the forefoot area of the sole and the medial and/or lateral aspects thereof. Adjustment would entail adjusting the width or girth in an associated area and the overall shape of the outline of the sole of a shoe. This is accomplished by providing a material variance in the midsole and various hardware configurations for adjusting the width of the midsole.

Abstract: A hinged entry footwear for athletic and strenuous physical activity, includes a sole and heel structure, a forward foot casing secured to and above the sole, hinged anterior and posterior support casings extending vertically above the heel and an inflatable brace secured on the footwear including a main bladder portion for supporting the foot directly above the sole and heel and vertical stays disposed between the anterior and posterior casings and the wearer's ankle and lower leg. The central bladder includes an inflatable chamber disposed generally under the foot and the stays each include elongated upwardly extending inflatable chambers. A lateral branch of one of the stays extends across the front of the lower leg between the upper edge of the anterior casing and the lower leg. A manual inflation pump is secured to the lateral branch portion of the one stay and is supported by the anterior casing for inflating the brace to a selected working pressure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a first perfect fitting shoe (110) comprising: a first upper (114) securely fastened to a sole (12) in all areas except a ball area. The first upper (114) has an inside ball area and outside ball area which are securely fastened to each other by an elastic (16). Thus, the first perfect fitting shoe (110) can be adjusted to the user's foot prior to final lasting of the at innersole (12A) to the outersole (12B) at the ball area.

Abstract: A protective boot for patients with arterial disease has an insole formed with a heat activated material to from a permanent impression of the bottom of the patient's foot.

Abstract: A fluid filled support system for footwear having a closed system of interconnected pods filled with fluid for providing enhanced cushioning, support, and fit. The fluid filled support system includes a support member which completely surrounds a wearer's foot to provide cushioning and support to the wearer's entire foot. A plurality of fluid-containing pods are positioned within the support member spaced apart from one another and at least partially filled with a fluid for absorbing shocks encountered by the footwear. A plurality of fluid communication channels are positioned between the fluidcontaining pods for interconnecting the pods and maintaining all of the pods in fluid communication with one another. Each fluid-containing pod includes at least three fluid communication channels extending from the pod to attach the pod to at least three adjacent fluid-containing pods.

Abstract: An ankle brace which includes an inverted "Y" joint located at the malleoli of the ankle. The ankle brace is formed into the shape of the patient's ankle and then sections of the brace are cut out to form the present invention. In particular, an inverted "Y" joint is manufactured by cutting out a delta-shaped opening.

Abstract: An athletic shoe formed of a sole, an upper attached to the sole and including an ankle portion extending around the medial and lateral malleoli, and an inflatable bladder attached within the ankle portion. The inflatable bladder has a medial section and a lateral section, with an inlet mechanism for supplying pressurized gas to the interior of the bladder. Weld lines divide the medial and lateral sections into upper and lower portions and prevent the formation of restrictive vertical columns of pressurized gas in the medial and lateral sections.

Abstract: Footgear with an inner sole (66) having a grid of removable resilient elements to permit removal of selected elements (68) to provide relief to ulcerated or injured areas of the foot. An air bladder (64) may underlie sole (66), preferably with additional cushioning material (40) within the air bladder. A walker (12) with a soft support (20) may be provided with the inner sole within the support. Some of the removal resilient elements may have a higher density or height than others. The footgear may include an adhesively-backed resilient pad (212) to provide additional support to a region. The footgear may include means for reducing shear stress on a bottom surface of the foot. An edema patch (240) may be provided for covering an open space (248) left after a user has removed a removable section from the grid. The edema patch applies pressure to the afflicted zone of the foot (250) preventing fluids from building up.

Abstract: A comfort liner for a ski boat provided with a wedging element made of foam having thermoplastic qualities rendering it adapted to be adjusted and/or adapted, after being heated at its thermoforming temperature, to the specific volume of the foot of the skier, and a ski boot incorporating such liner. The liner in its entirety is preformed to an initial foot fitting volume corresponding to the standard of a given size, and its wedging element, constituted by a foam formed from at least one thermoplastic material, is thermocompressed and micro-perforated. The micro-perforations confer to the wedging element a certain flexibility and elastic compressibility, as well as a certain permeability rendering it sufficiently comfortable to be used as such for skiing, and adapted to be easily thermoformed by reheating, by virtue of the rapid and in-depth diffusion of the heat across the micro-perforations.

Abstract: A method of making functional orthotics from a multiplicity of uniquely designed injection molds which have been constructed by studying large numbers of replicas produced from uncorrected replicas that replicate the contour of the feet of a multiplicity of patients. In one form of the method of the invention, following a careful dimensional study of the corrected replicas, they are grouped into families, the members of which exhibit lower surface contours that are substantially identical. An injection mold is then made for each of the identified families, in a manner such that the mold will produce an orthotic having an upper surface that corresponds to the lower surface of the corrected orthotic that make up the group. Companion data is then developed which correlates the corrected replicas of each identified family with the uncorrected replicas from which they were made. A study of the uncorrected replicas then provides data as to the contour of the patient's feet which they replicate.

Abstract: A removable insole is provided which includes a layer of thermoplastic material, the thermoplastic material preferably including ethylene vinyl acetate and ethylene vinyl acetate modified by the addition of carbonyl groups. A custom-fitting insole is preferably produced by heating a substantially flat insole in a microwave oven until the thermoplastic material softens, placing the heated insole in a shoe, and having a person insert their foot into the shoe and walk around to form an impression.

Abstract: An adjustment system for a shoe which permits independent adjustment of the width, footform and cushioning either between the lateral and medial sides of the shoe, or at different points along the longitudinal direction of the shoe. The present invention provides for the adjustment of the dimensions of a shoe in a plurality of discrete locations as between a nominal central point in the forefoot area of the sole and the medial and/or lateral aspects thereof. Adjustment would entail adjusting the width or girth in an associated area and the overall shape of the outline of the sole of a shoe. This is accomplished by providing a material variance in the midsole and various hardware configurations for adjusting the width of the midsole.

Abstract: A vacuum fitted ski boot which includes an air pump for automatically pumping air from an interior cavity within the boot for holding the requisite vacuum to maintain a close-fitting contact between the user's foot and the boot. An ankle cuff is mounted for relative angular movement with respect to a boot shell. A vacuum pump is mounted on the boot and is operated responsive to angular movement of the ankle cuff when there is flexing motion between the user's lower leg and foot during skiing. In different embodiments the pump can be mounted on the anterior, posterior, medial or lateral sides of the boot. In another embodiment the pump is comprised of an envelope which is fitted between the boot sole and the instep of the user's foot. The envelope has wall portions which define an interior cavity, and the wall portions are caused to undergo movement toward and away from each other responsive to pronation and supination movement of the foot during skiing to pump air out from the interior cavity of the boot.

Abstract: An improved athletic boot, such as a snowboard boot, snow ski boot, and the like, having: an outer boot comprising an outer shell or housing, an inner boot positioned within the outer boot for receipt and cushioning of an athlete's foot and ankle, and structure for absorbing and redirecting impact compression force and energy attendant thereto to provide variable support for an athlete's foot and/or ankle.

Abstract: A shoe sole having upper and lower layers movable relative to one another in a manner which promotes physiologically desirable movements of the subtalar joint of a shoe wearer's foot and thereby aids in the absorption of shock forces occurring when the shoe strikes the ground during a walking or running stride. The lower layer has an upper surface inclined downward and toward the lateral side of the sole, and a resilient intermediate layer separates the upper and lower layers. Application of weight to the hindfoot section of the upper layer at heel strike forces that section downward and laterally relative to the lower layer, placing the lateral edge of the upper layer in close proximity with a vertically oriented fulcrum formed in an upturned lip on the lateral side of the lower layer.

Abstract: The comfort inner boot for a ski boot comprises a plastic boot leg (2, 6), the inner face of which is provided with studs (12), of which the height and at least one of the parameters: mean cross section, distribution density, and nature of the material vary according to the zone in question, in such a way that the boot leg has zones of different thickness and compressibility. The studs are preferably covered with a foam (13), the effect of which, combined with the spaces made between the studs (12), makes it possible to provide the anatomical shape of the inner boot, its comfort and its technical features.

Abstract: A liner for a sport boot shell and a method for making a custom fitted liner for a sport boot, are disclosed. The liner is designed to be worn inside a boot shell. In a preferred embodiment the liner includes inner and outer of flaps which wrap in opposite directions across a wearer's shin and forms a compound curve in a region in front of the wearer's ankle. The liner including flaps may be made from a single piece of thermoplastic foam material of uniform thickness. The design of the liner prevents the cuff of the liner from loosening around the wearer's shin and calf when the wearer's leg is flexed forward at the ankle. The shell can therefore be worn more loosely than is necessary with a boot liner of conventional design. The liner may be made by making an unfitted liner from a sheet of thermoformable material. The unfitted liner has a forwardly facing opening and wings extending forwardly on either side of opening.

Abstract: For sport boot systems incorporating a pliable inner liner within a rigid outer shell, such as for ski or snow board type boots, an inner liner of foam material is provided with a single bifurcation at its outer side to provide a tongueless entry access opening. Relief structures are positioned at the front of the liner to provide enhanced forward flexibility and to increase comfort.

Abstract: An orthotic footbed insert for athletic shoes and boots, wherein contiguous top and bottom laminates form an envelope that is carried by a premolded stabilizer and injected with a two-part liquid resin that fills all space within the envelope when inserted into a shoe or boot with a person's foot in situ therein and positioned on a supporting platform having angularly inclined tarsal and talar planes enforceably dorsiflexing the footbed when the injected liquid cures.