Patent Application
20230180883
The invention relates generally to the field of shoe construction. More particularly, the invention relates providing a shoe with resilient structures to enhance comfort and mitigate fatigue in the foot of a user.
Feet are, without doubt, the unsung heroes of human anatomy. They literally carry us on their backs, through thick and thin, and as a result, feet suffer untold abuse during the course of human activities. Indeed, shoes were likely invented by primitive man to protect their feet from crippling injuries, and thereby to increase the duration and/or the vigor of their daily adventures. Such protection could literally mean the difference between life and death. As human experience progressed, and activities varied, so has our skill, innovation, and objectives with regard to shoe design and construction.
At some point in human history, shoes assumed alternative and/or dual roles as both functional items and objects of aesthetic expression. So thoroughly has this latter interest developed, that some modern shoes have completed a historical circuit. They are highly prized and sought out for their aesthetic qualities, in spite of their tendency to inflict pain and injury upon the user's feet.
For some activities, for example for industrial work and/or athletics, shoes mainly retain functional and injury-prevention purposes, and their construction, including design and materials, are suited primarily for those purposes. Advancements in knowledge and technology (e.g., material science, human anatomy and kinesiology, etc.) have led to the development of innovative shoe designs, construction, and materials, as well as staggering levels of use-based specialization in the same. So much so, that a shoe designed for a particular purpose (e.g., sprinting), can include numerous design, material, and construction variations depending upon such factors as the type of intended running surface, the morphological and kinesthetic characteristics and running style of the individual user, and even the expected weather conditions.
However, the evolution of the design and construction of shoes intended for primarily aesthetic (e.g., fashionable) purposes has followed a divergent and rather stunted path. Once established, aesthetics remains a primary selection criterion by a large segment of consumers, and therefore also the primary design consideration. This is true despite research showing that wearing shoes that dramatically affect posture, foot angle, balance, and other kinesthetic factors, can and does lead to improper anatomical alignment and physiological damage taking a host of forms.
Many (primarily women's) fashion shoes feature an elevated heel portion (e.g., high-heels, pumps, platforms, wedges, etc.), which produces a shoe that can be marginally, substantially, or even extremely inclined along its anterior-posterior axis. Further, many such shoes include relatively insubstantial uppers, designed for appearance and to merely hold their rather rigid sole to the user's foot, rather than to provide lateral stability and/or support to the foot during use. As a consequence of these features, the natural mechanics of the foot are constrained and compromised, and stresses during use are concentrated into relatively few, small portions of a user's foot. Namely, the “ball” of the user's foot, and to a somewhat lesser extent, the user's heel, is primarily affected, as the user's foot is forced into a plantar flexed condition. As a result of such foot position the force of each footstep is typically concentrated on the toes rather than being distributed along the whole foot increasing the force felt on the toes, and the ball of the foot,
A secondary market has developed for generically-designed products, each of which are insertable into a wide variety of functional shoes (e.g., replaceable, cushioned, full-foot shoe insoles, molded rigid orthotics, heel pads, etc.), to enhance comfort and/or provide, for example, orthopedic benefits. However, products suitable for use in women's fashion shoes, such as those having an elevated heel and/or relatively open or otherwise minimally-enclosing upper portions are sorely lacking. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a stylish shoe that is comfortable to the wearer pads the foot against abrasion and tends to reduce the force felt per unit area by the wearer.
The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding to the reader. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it does not identify key/critical elements of the invention or delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The present example provides footwear systems utilizing silica derived gel sheets used as a footwear component in upper linings of the footwear, such as a toe box. The upper linings provide a cushioning and shock absorption system, particularly in inclined high-heel shoes where the toes and MTP (metatarsophalangeal) joints typically bear most of the weight in such shoes and come in contact with the footwear linings. The material advantageously not only provides padding, but also absorbs shock to further reduce force placed on the foot by dissipating energy of each footstep. In addition like material may be disposed in the sole of the shoe under the ball of the foot to provide shock absorption and cushioning below as well.
Many of the attendant features will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The present description will be better understood from the following detailed description read in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts in the accompanying drawings.
The detailed description provided below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the present examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present example may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions of the example and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different examples.
The examples below describe a footwear system and method having footwear upper linings for cushioning and shock absorption. Although the present examples are described and illustrated herein as being implemented in a high healed women's shoe, the system described is provided as an example and not a limitation. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the present examples are suitable for application in a variety of different types of shoes including women's shoes with a variety of heel heights, men's shoes and the like. In addition the linings for cushioning and shock absorption may be provided as an aftermarket accessory, such as an insert, or the like for existing shoes without such shock absorbing toe boxes.
However, this invention may be applied to a variety of foot wear to alleviate foot pain and discomfort, due to the shock of walking on heels. This invention applies to those shoe components that touch (or are in contact through a lining) the skin of a user, including footwear having as little contact as that of a sandal, and to as much contact as that of a tall boot.
Currently, materials used as linings may be various types of leathers (pigskin, calfskin, kidskins, and the like) and textiles which are typically thin (so as not to take up available space for the foot) and durable (which have been thought to require a firm and sturdy material in current practice) with exposed and protruding stitching, all of which are not comfortable on a user's feet given the amount of repetitive blunt force to a foot that is encountered in walking, running and jumping.
The toe box 11 is the portion of a shoe that surrounds the toes, and typically is positioned under the vamp (which is similar to the vamp lining 9 shown, or front toe portion of the shoe. Toe boxes that do not fit can cause injuries and foot deformities. Toe boxes can come in a variety of shapes and styles some of which are a matter of fashion, and some of which are designed for specialized functions. In the case of high heeled shoes the toes, due to the heel being positioned higher, are often forced into the toe box compressing the toes together, and causing the big toe to point towards the other toes, and not in a straight line. Toe boxes also often taper symmetrically; from both sides often deforming the toes since toes do not naturally taper. Additionally in high heeled shoes, the toe box must typically be made to be somewhat tight—otherwise the heel of the shoe will tend to be loose causing discomfort and ill fit of the shoe.
Silicone (or equivalent energy absorbing material) gel sheets are currently used as a scar treatment. An exemplary material for use as footwear upper linings for cushioning and shock absorption, is the medical-grade (or non-medical grade equivalent) silicone gel sheets 301 that can be customized to various thicknesses. medical-grade silicone is well known to those skilled in the art and typically made from cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane polymer that may be reinforced with a silicone membrane backing In alternative examples the silicone gel may be pre-formed, or molded, if desired.
A ⅛″ thickness of shock absorbing material 301 may be useful for the heel and quarter linings, while the vamp lining and toe box 401 linings may be as thick as ¼″ in order to absorb the higher levels of shock from toes pushing into the toe box area of the shoe. This sheeting can be supplied by the manufacturer with or without fabric backings 405 on either or both sides of the shock absorbing material 301 and the idea is that these sheets (after being cut to the required lining pattern 401) would be attached, bonded or coupled (via glue, fusing, stitching, or the like) 403 to the external shoe's upper 401, such that the lining part 301 that touches, or is in close proximity through a lining, the foot's skin, is very soft, durable, shock absorbing, and even temperature resistant made from a material designed specifically to mitigate friction points while not breaking down from friction or temperature. A visit to any shoe store and running your fingers along the interior linings will show anybody that this is not a method of manufacturing or component currently used in this manner.
Those skilled in the art will realize that the process sequences described above may be equivalently performed in any order to achieve a desired result. Also, sub-processes may typically be omitted as desired without taking away from the overall functionality of the processes described above.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63288508 | Dec 2021 | US |
