Patent Application
20130326905
The present invention relates generally to the construction of a shoe with improved comfort and has particular utility in connection with various types of footwear.
Shoes, at their most fundamental level, are intended to provide protection and comfort to the human foot during the course of day-to-day activities. Shoe designs have varied greatly over time as well as from culture to culture, with the predominate focus relating to functionality. As people became more sophisticated, shoes became more than just a protective clothing item. In this regard, shoes were designed not only for day-to-day activities, but also for fashion. Shoe designers are thus required to balance function with form, as people desire shoes that are both comfortable and attractive. Because of these market demands, there are currently numerous kinds of shoes with a variety of styles, designs and purposes, varying in their degrees of functionality and fashionability.
Throughout the years, in addition to changes in style, shoes have been made lighter, more durable and more comfortable. In fact, numerous patents have been issued relating to structural alternations of the shoe in furtherance of this goal. Oftentimes, individuals will add a removable cushioning device, such as a foam or gel insert, in the hopes of improving comfort. Numerous types of removable cushioning devices have been developed for use in shoes to provide such relief. Typically, layers of cushioning materials (which may include foam, cellulose, polyurethane, rubber, elastomer, plastic, etc.) are added to the sole construction to give the illusion of comfort. However, these designs usually lose their effectiveness over the course of a day, as they become increasingly compressed. In some cases, prolonged use may result in increasing discomfort as the cushioning becomes less effective. This is because the foot comes into increasingly direct contact with the rigid structural components of the shoe which exist directly beneath the cushioning materials.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved sockliner construction for various types of footwear. The most important factor to address in all footwear is the ability to provide comfort and support to the wearer as the shoe is worn throughout the day. Specifically, introducing a cushioning device which allows for better distribution of foot pressure and which provides long lasting comfort.
The present invention is designed for incorporation into an article of footwear. Although the present invention will be described in connection with a typical women's casual or sport shoe it is likewise well-suited for use in essentially any type of shoe construction, including shoes having a midsole and/or shoe constructions having a high heel or no heel (flat) configuration. The present invention involves the integration of a sockliner and into a shoe assembly. The shoe assembly may have an insole layer such that the sockliner is anatomically shaped to mimic the natural contours of a wearer's foot and is superimposed or positioned within the shoe. The insole board may include a relatively rigid board member extending from a hind foot region to at least a midfoot region and may be formed and shaped to provide a consistent foundation within the shoe for supporting the anatomically shaped sockliner. The sockliner may then be secured in the shoe for supporting a wearer's foot.
The sockliner of the present invention includes a raised area in the midfoot region and a recessed area located in the hind foot region. The raised area is positioned to underlie the medial arch of the wearer's foot and the recessed area is positioned to underlie the heel of the wearer's foot. The recessed area is defined by the peripheral edges formed around the hind foot region from the medial side to the lateral side of the heel. The peripheral edge in the hind foot region forms a raised portion where it wraps around the heel of the wearer's foot.
The anatomically shaped and formed sockliner is designed to reflect the natural contours of the human foot. The sockliner of the present invention extends from the rear of the shoe forward, receiving the wearer's toes. The shaped plantar surface topography maximizes surface contact with the wearer's foot and increases comfort. The recessed area functions as an extended heel seat located in the distal portion of the sockliner, cradling the foot and bearing a majority of the weight while distributing pressure. A reduced heel center thickness is provided to avoid peak heel pressure during heel impact. The shape and outline of the sockliner reflects the natural contours of the human foot. As the foot is “loaded” with body weight during heel strike, the present sockliner compresses and expands within the shoe, supporting the foot and insuring maximum contact.
The surface topography of the present invention includes a top face and a bottom face, each having a generally planar surface, extending along a base plane. On the top face, a plurality of grooves extend across the base plane in a generally undulating pattern for engagement with the sole of the foot. For the purposes of this disclosure, “undulating” describes a smooth, wavelike pattern, as further discussed below. The top face may be directly or indirectly secured to an insole. On the bottom face, a plurality of alternating ridges and/or valleys extends from the inside of the foot to the outside of the foot in a generally sinusoidal pattern.
For the purposes of this disclosure, all directions discussed hereinafter (up, down, etc.) use a frame of reference in which the top face of the sockliner faces “up” while the bottom face of the sockliner faces “down.” Thus, while grooves in the top face extend “downwardly” into the sockliner, the valleys in the bottom face extend “upwardly” into the sock liner and the ridges on the bottom face extend “downwardly” away from the sockliner.
The ridge surfaces are positioned parallel and below the base plane, extending downwardly. The upward extension of the ridge surfaces form the side walls of the ridges which are generally perpendicular to the base plane. The valley surfaces are positioned parallel and above the base plane, extending downwardly. The downward extension of the valley surfaces faun the side walls of the valleys which are generally perpendicular to the base plane. On the bottom face, the ridge surfaces may come into direct or indirect contact with the upper surface of the outsole. Such configurations effectively lock in the anatomical shape within the shoe while providing cushioning and support to the wearer.
When a foot is inserted into a shoe that houses the present sockliner, the recessed area of the sockliner serves to receive and locate the heel in a recessed area which is substantially concaved, and the raised area acts to support the medial arch of the wearer's foot so that the sockliner substantially contacts the entire bottom surface of the wearer's foot. The combination of a raised area under the medial arch, a recessed area immediately under the heel, and the use of a sockliner material that substantially maintains its form, improves the distribution of the pressure and the comfort of shoes made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. It is generally recognized that the sockliner of the present invention is more resistant to “bottoming out”, which for purposes of this disclosure, means that the sockliner will not reach a threshold of force where the material comprising the sockliner will not further compress. As pressure is applied to the sockliner, the ridges compress vertically, causing them to expand horizontally. The valleys provide space for the ridges to expand horizontally, allowing for additional compression and cushioning.
Specific advantages and features of the present assembly will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description of several illustrative embodiments of the present invention.
It should be understood that the present drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments disclosed herein are sometimes illustrated by fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should also be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. Like numbers utilized throughout the various figures designate like or similar parts or structure.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a sockliner 10 is provided which improves comfort and can be installed in any type of shoe. The benefits of the present invention are achieved when a generally undulating geometry of grooves is integrated into the top face of a sock liner and a generally sinusoidal geometry of ridges and/or valleys is integrated into the bottom face of a sockliner 10. The generally undulating geometry and/or generally sinusoidal geometry may be further combined with a raised area of the sockliner positioned to underlie the medial arch area, and/or a recessed area which is substantially concave and is formed to underlie the heel. Preferably, the configuration of the present invention can be easily integrated into the structure of a shoe. Although the present sockliner 10 will be disclosed in connection with a typical women's casual or sport shoe, those skilled in the art will recognize that any type of shoe can be used in connection with the present sockliner 10 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring now to the drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the sockliner 10 of the present invention, which may be integrated into the construction of a shoe. In addition to the sockliner 10, a shoe may further include an upper that can be formed in any suitable style or shape, a foot opening, a side wall, a lining, a vamp, insole and an outsole (not shown). The sockliner 10 may be positioned on the inside of the shoe, secured to the top face of the insole. Alternatively, sockliner 10 may be positioned below insole. The sockliner 10 is secured to the upper and the outsole by any suitable attachment mechanism, including adhesives, glue, welt, cement, direct attachment, unitary construction and the like. The sockliner 10 may be further secured to the insole by any suitable attachment mechanism, the insole being made of fabric or any other appropriate material. Any other suitable layer may be provided and positioned between the sockliner 10 and the outsole, such as a midsole. Additionally, a forefoot insole may be overlapped by the front edge portion of the insole. The forefoot insole may be made of fiberboard, a textile lining or any suitable material. In one embodiment, the sockliner 10 may be removeable to facilitate adjustment and/or replacement of the sockliner 10 within the shoe.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
On the bottom face 20, the arrangement of a plurality of alternating ridges 34 and/or valleys 36 may extend from the inside of the foot to the outside of the foot in a generally sinusoidal pattern. Alternatively the alternating ridges 34 and/or valleys 36 (as illustrated in
A pattern may therefore be formed in the bottom face 20. The pattern beginning, for example, at a ridge surface 38, moving up a side wall 40A, across a base plane 22B, up a side wall 40B, across a valley surface 42, moving down a side wall 40B, across a base plane 22B, moving down a side wall 40A and ending at a ridge surface 38. The sockliner 10 is designed to support the foot and to be incorporated into conventional footwear, thus the sockliner 10 is generally foot-shaped. It is understood that the sockliner 10 may be fashioned into other shapes, as desired, to accommodate various alternative designs of the shoe.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the grooves 24 of the top face 18 and the ridges 34 and the valleys 36 of the bottom face 20 are integrated into the structure of the sockliner 10 by unitary construction (as shown in
The sockliner 10 includes a recessed area 28 located in the hind foot region 16. The top face 18 of the hind foot region 16 forms a recessed portion positioned at the distal end of the inside of the shoe so as to receive the wearer's heel. The recessed area 28 is formed by a peripheral lip 32 which wraps about the heel of the wearer's foot. The depth of the recessed area 28 is typically in the range of approximately 3 mm to 20 mm as measured from the top of the peripheral lip 32 on the medial and lateral sides, extending downward to the lowest portion of the recessed area 28 of the top face 18. This depth may vary across the hind foot region 16 due to the anatomical shape of the foot, shoe size and/or shoe type. The area covered by the recessed area 28 may also be modified to accommodate a variety of shoe sizes, with the size of the recessed area 28 increasing with increasing length and/or width of the shoe. When the wearer's foot is inserted into the shoe, the recessed area 28 serves to locate the heel in this substantially concaved area located at the hind foot region 16. The hind foot region 16 further includes an extended heel seat design of the sockliner 10 for evenly distributing pressure through the foot's complete contact with the generally sinusoidal geometry 44, maximizing cushioning and comfort for the wearer. The recessed area 28 comprises a generally rounded or ellipsoid shape. Because sockliner 10 is generally made of a cushioning material (as will be hereinafter further explained), the cushioning material specifications for the sockliner 10 are engineered to adequately support body weight in critical areas throughout the complete gait cycle without bottoming out. By not fully compressing, peak plantar pressures are avoided and the cushioning material provides long lasting comfort and support to the wearer.
The sockliner 10 may further include a raised area 30 in the midfoot region 14. The raised area 30 is positioned to underlie the medial arch of the wearer's foot. The raised area 30 comprises a generally rounded or ellipsoid shape, preferably having a narrower portion located towards the distal end of the shoe and a wider portion located toward the proximate end of the shoe. The raised area 30 for positioning and supporting the medial arch so that sockliner 10 is in direct contact with the entire bottom face of the wearer's foot.
The dimensions of the present sockliner 10 as well as the specific shape and configuration of the various regions thereof are subject to wide variation and may be sized and/or shaped into a variety of different sizes and/or configurations. Such variations are necessary to make the sockliner 10 compatible with the size and/or shape of the particular footwear into which the sockliner 10 is to be integrated, conforming with any space limitations associated therewith without departing from the teachings and practice of the present invention.
The sockliner 10 may be made from a variety of cushioning materials, such as any type of non-rigid, cellular type foam, which may be open cell or closed cell, depending on the specific characteristics desired. In another embodiment, the sockliner 10 may be formed from any flexible cushioning material, such as molded plastic, natural or synthetic rubber, cellulose, thermoplastic rubber, rubber sponge, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer, latex, ethylene vinyl acetate and the like.
When installed, the sockliner 10 is located within the shoe, its hind foot region 16 at the distal end of the shoe so that the recessed area 28 substantially underlies and receives the heel of the wearer and the peripheral lip 32 wraps around a substantial portion of the wearer's foot. The raised area 30 substantially underlies the medial arch of the wearer's foot and tapers toward the proximate end of the shoe. Thus, when the wearer's foot is inserted into the shoe that houses the present sockliner 10, the top face 18 is designed to match the natural contours of the foot for optimal cushioning and support. The sockliner 10 thus engages the entire bottom of the foot with the recessed area 28 receiving the heel, securing it into its substantially concave surface and the raised area 30 positioning and supporting the medial arch. This complete engagement in combination with the use of cushioning material integrating the generally sinusoidal geometry 44 onto the top face 18 and the bottom face 20 prevents bottoming out and provides sustainable cushioning and support to the wearer of the shoe.
Thus, there has been shown and described an embodiment of a novel sockliner. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
