Patent Grant
11297894
This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0177143 filed on Dec. 17, 2020, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates generally to a functional shoe insole, and more particularly to a functional shoe insole in which stimulation members are coupled to an insole such that they are positioned under the arch and heel portions of a foot, so that the arch and heel portions of the foot can be efficiently stimulated whenever a user walks.
Generally, the feet are the parts of the body that need to move most flexibly in our body. Foot disease is also emerging as a serious medical problem. The feet act as a pump that pumps blood to the heart under pressure every time a person walks, so that they are important parts to such an extent as to be called a second heart. A foot symptom is dangerous in that it does not only cause pain in the foot, but can also cause pain in any part of the body, such as the leg, a bone, the spine, or the shoulder joint.
Furthermore, all organs of the human body are connected to the soles of the feet. The health of the feet, which can be said to be a microcosm of the human body, is closely related to the health of the overall human body, and thus shoes with functions corresponding to the health of people today are required.
Since the bottoms of shoes are flat, they cannot distribute a user's weight when the user steps on the ground, and thus the pressure transferred to the feet is high, so that there is a problem in that a herniated disk and degenerative arthritis are caused due to the burden on the spine and the deterioration of the knee joints.
The so-called health shoes that were developed to solve these shortcomings are configured such that the bottoms of the outsoles thereof are formed in a streamlined shape. Each of the shoes is designed to move forward as if it rolls along the streamline of the bottom thereof when a wearer steps forward to start with the heel of the shoe during walking.
Furthermore, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2012-38190 discloses health shoes for maintaining the balance of the human body and the feet. Each of the health shoes for maintaining the balance of the human body and the feet includes: a cylindrical arch support accommodating part configured to be formed in the midsole of a shoe and including a forefoot portion, an arch portion, and a heel portion; a support housing configured to be fitted and fixed into the arch support accommodation part and having a spiral formed therein; an elastic coil spring configured to be inserted into the support housing; a foot arch support having a head integrated with the upper end thereof and configured to be inserted into the support housing with the upper portion of the elastic coil spring inserted thereinto and to be displaced up and down; and a foot arch support cover configured to be fitted into a cover accommodation groove formed in the midsole along the outer periphery of the accommodation part and to cover the foot arch support. Accordingly, the feet of a shoe wearer are maintained in a balanced state by the elastic spring constituting the arch support, and thus the human body is balanced during walking, so that there is no secondary distortion of the shoulder, the waist, and the neck and the fatigue caused by walking can be significantly reduced. They are worn by people whose arches, which are the arch parts of the feet, have already collapsed or are out of balance, and thus enable the correction and recovery of the deformed feet. Furthermore, the structure of the foot arch support is simple, and thus it can be easily installed on the sole of the shoe and also the cost of the installation thereof is reduced, so that the shoes have excellent economic feasibility that can lower the price of products. Moreover, the shoes can be used for a long time without damage to the arch support and thus have a special advantage of long lifespan.
However, the elasticity of the support is maintained by the coil spring in the foot arch support accommodation part by forming the foot arch support accommodation part in the midsole. In order to accommodate the coil spring and take into consideration an elastic repulsion distance, the depth of the arch support accommodation part must be deep, so that they cannot be applied to shoes with a thin midsole. Furthermore, an excessive number of accessories, such as the foot arch support accommodation part, the support housing, the elastic coil spring, the foot arch support, and the foot arch support cover, must be provided. Moreover, there is a problem in that the height and the like cannot be adjusted after coupling, so that they cannot deal with various foot shapes of users.
A functional shoe insole according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been conceived to overcome the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a functional shoe insole that can continuously stimulate the arch and heel portions of the sole of a foot of a user during walking through stimulation members and can adjust the intensities and heights of the stimulation members according to the shape of the foot of the user.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a functional shoe insole including: a body part located inside a shoe, and configured to, when the shoe is worn by a user, come into direct contact with the sole of a foot of the user and distribute a load applied to the foot; an arch stimulation member coupled to the body part at a predetermined position, and configured to stimulate the arch portion of the sole of the foot of the user; and a heel stimulation member coupled to the body part at a predetermined position, and configured to stimulate the heel portion of the sole of the foot of the user; wherein the arch stimulation member includes a first arch acupressure module that is fixedly coupled to the bottom surface of the body part and forms an upward curve on the top surface of the body part; wherein the first arch acupressure module includes a first frame provided with rectangular edges having a predetermined thickness, and a second frame coupled in a form rising upward from opposite edges of the first frame toward the center of the first frame and configured to form an arch-shaped space; wherein the second frame includes a circular unit disposed at the center of the second frame, and a pair of coupling units configured to connect the circular unit and the edges of the first frame; wherein the coupling units are formed to become narrower in width in directions from the edges to the circular unit and include at least one through hole, and the area of the through hole is 20 to 40% of the area of the top surfaces of the coupling units; wherein the heel stimulation member includes a first heel acupressure module that is fixedly coupled to the bottom surface of the body part and forms an upward curve on the top surface of the body part; wherein the first heel acupressure module includes a first frame provided with rectangular edges having a predetermined thickness, and a second frame coupled in a form rising upward from opposite edges of this first frame toward the center of this first frame and configured to form an arch-shaped space; and wherein this second frame is formed to become narrower in width in a direction from one of these opposite edges to the center of the distance between these opposite edges and then to become wider in a direction from the center of the distance to the remaining one of these opposite edges, and at least one cushion protrusion is provided on the top surface of this second frame.
The arch stimulation member may further include a second arch acupressure module that is coupled to the first arch acupressure module and supports the first arch acupressure module; and the second arch acupressure module may be formed in a shape corresponding to the bottom surface of the second frame of the first arch acupressure module, and, when the second arch acupressure module is coupled to the first arch acupressure module, may be contained in the arch-shaped space formed by the first arch acupressure module and be positioned under the second frame of the first arch acupressure module, thereby forming another arch-shaped shape.
The arch stimulation member may further include a third arch acupressure module that is coupled to the first arch acupressure module and changes the height of the curve on the top surface of the body part; the third arch acupressure module may include a first frame provided with rectangular edges having a predetermined thickness, and a second frame coupled in a form rising upward from opposite edges of this first frame toward the center of this first frame and configured to form an arch-shaped space; this second frame may include a circular unit disposed at the center of this second frame, and a pair of coupling units configured to connect this circular unit and the edges of this first frame; and these coupling units may be formed to become narrower in width in directions from these edges to this circular unit.
The first arch acupressure module, the second arch acupressure module, and the third arch acupressure module may be made of a polyester-based synthetic resin material, a synthetic rubber material of baritone rubber, or an elastic material of elastic fiber, and may be elastically deformable according to an elastic modulus, which is the designed ratio of stress to strain.
The heel stimulation member may further include a second heel acupressure module that is coupled to the first heel acupressure module and supports the first heel acupressure module; and the second heel acupressure module may be formed in a shape corresponding to the bottom surface of the second frame of the first heel acupressure module, and, when the second heel acupressure module is coupled to the first heel acupressure module, may be contained in the arch-shaped space formed by the first heel acupressure module and be positioned under the second frame of the first heel acupressure module, thereby forming another arch-shaped space.
The heel stimulation member may further include a third heel acupressure module that is coupled to the first heel acupressure module and changes the height of the curve on the top surface of the body part; the third heel acupressure module may include a first frame provided with rectangular edges having a predetermined thickness, and a second frame coupled in a form rising upward from opposite edges of this first frame toward the center of this first frame and configured to form an arch-shaped space; and the second frame may be formed to become narrower in width in a direction from one of these opposite edges to the center of the distance between these opposite edges and then to become wider in a direction from the center of the distance to the remaining one of these opposite edges.
The first heel acupressure module, the second heel acupressure module, and the third heel acupressure module may be made of a polyester-based synthetic resin material, a synthetic rubber material of baritone rubber, or an elastic material of elastic fiber, and may be elastically deformable according to an elastic modulus, which is the designed ratio of stress to strain.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The technical spirit of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which is intended for easier understanding. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the attached claims.
In the following description of embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Throughout the present specification, like reference numerals designate like components.
Functional Shoe Insole According to an Embodiment of the Present Disclosure
Referring to
The body part 100 is located inside a shoe, and, when the shoe is worn by a user, comes into direct contact with the sole of the user and distributes a load applied to a foot of the user. As shown in
Specifically, referring to
Referring to
The first arch acupressure module 210 may be fixedly coupled to the bottom surface of the body part 100 and configured to form an upward curve on the top surface of the body part 100.
As shown in
The second frame 212 may be configured to include a circular unit 212a disposed at the center of the second frame 212, and a pair of coupling units 212b adapted to connect the circular unit 212a and the edges 211a of the first frame 211.
The circular unit 212a may be configured to protrude upward above the coupling units 212b, and the coupling units 212b may be formed to become narrower in width in directions from the edges 211a to the circular unit 212a and include at least one through hole.
Although a total of four through holes having a rectangular shape are shown as being provided with two through holes on each of the left and right sides in
Since the through holes are provided in the coupling units 212b, there is an advantage in that the second frame 212 can easily move in a vertical direction even when a load is applied in an oblique direction as well as in a direction perpendicular to the second frame 212 during the walking of a user.
Meanwhile, as a result obtained through repeated experiments, when the top area of the coupling units 212b is set to 100%, the area of the through holes is preferably 20 to 40%, and the area of the through holes is preferably formed to be symmetrical with respect to a straight line equally dividing the opposite edges 212a. The reason for this is that when the area of the through holes is smaller than 20%, the radius of the movement of the first arch module 210 is limited, and thus the first arch module 210 may be damaged by the load of a user, and when the area of the through holes is larger than 40%, the elastic force by the first arch module 210 decreases, and thus the effect of stimulation may be reduced.
As shown in
Referring to
Since the second arch acupressure module 220 is coupled to the first arch acupressure module 210, the radius of the vertical movement of the first arch acupressure module 210 is limited during walking, so that there is provided the effect of increasing the intensity at which the arch portion of a foot of a user is stimulated. Meanwhile, it is preferable that the second arch acupressure module 220 is detachably coupled to the first arch acupressure module 210, and accordingly the user may adjust the intensity at which the arch portion is stimulated according to the shape of his or her foot.
As shown in
Referring to
The second frame 232 may be configured to include a circular unit 232a disposed at the center of the second frame 232, and a pair of coupling units 232b adapted to connect the circular unit 232a and the edges 231a of the first frame 231. The coupling units 232b may be formed to become narrower in width in directions from the edges 231a to the circular unit 232a.
Since the third arch acupressure module 230 is coupled to the first arch acupressure module 210, the height of the curve on the top surface of the body part 100 may be increased, so that there is provided the effect of adjusting the height according to the shape of the foot of the user. Meanwhile, it is preferable that the third arch acupressure module 230 is detachably coupled to the first arch acupressure module 210.
Furthermore, coupling means capable of protrusion-depression coupling may be provided on the top surface of the first frame 231 of the third arch acupressure module 230 and the bottom surface of the first frame 211 of the first arch acupressure module 210. Accordingly, when the third arch acupressure module 230 is coupled to the first arch acupressure module 210, there may be provided the effect in which the position of the third arch acupressure module 230 may be fixed not to be easily separated from the first arch acupressure module 210.
Meanwhile, it is preferable that the first arch acupressure module 210, the second arch acupressure module 220, and the third arch acupressure module 230 are made of a polyester-based synthetic resin material, a synthetic rubber material of baritone rubber, or an elastic material of elastic fiber and are configured to be elastically deformable according to an elastic modulus, which is the designed ratio of stress to strain. The configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. It is obvious that it may be configured in various manners as needed.
Referring to
The first heel acupressure module 310 may be configured to include a first frame 311 provided with rectangular edges 311a having a predetermined thickness, and a second frame 312 coupled in a form rising upward from opposite edges 311a of the first frame 311 toward the center of the first frame 311 and adapted to form an arch-shaped space 310a.
The second frame 312 may be formed to become narrower in width in a direction from one of the opposite edges 311a to the center of the distance between the opposite edges 311a and then to become wider in a direction from the center of the distance to the other edge 311a. At least one cushion protrusion may be provided on the top surface of the second frame 312. Since the cushion protrusion is formed, the heel portion of the user may be continuously subjected to acupressure by the cushion protrusion during walking, thereby helping blood circulation.
As shown in
Referring to
Since the second heel acupressure module 320 is coupled to the first heel acupressure module 310, the radius of the vertical motion of the first heel acupressure module 310 is limited during walking, so that there may be provided the effect of increasing the intensity at which the heel portion of the foot of the user is stimulated. Meanwhile, it is preferable that the second heel acupressure module 320 is detachably coupled to the first heel acupressure module 310, and accordingly the user may adjust the intensity at which the heel portion is stimulated according to the shape of his or her foot.
As shown in
Referring to
The second frame 332 may be formed to become narrower in width in a direction from one of the opposite edges 331a to the center of the distance between the opposite edges 331a and then to become wider in a direction from the center of the distance to the other edge 331a.
Since the third heel acupressure module 330 is coupled to the first heel acupressure module 310, the height of the curve on the top surface of the body part 100 may be increased, so that there may be provided the effect of adjusting the height according to the shape of the foot of the user. Meanwhile, it is preferable that the third heel acupressure module 330 is detachably coupled to the first heel acupressure module 310.
Furthermore, coupling means capable of protrusion-depression coupling may be provided on the top surface of the first frame 331 of the third heel acupressure module 330 and the bottom surface of the first frame 311 of the first heel acupressure module 310. Accordingly, when the third heel acupressure module 330 is coupled to the first heel acupressure module 310, there may be provided the effect in which the position of the third heel acupressure module 330 may be fixed not to be easily separated from the first heel acupressure module 310.
Meanwhile, it is preferable that the first heel acupressure module 310, the second heel acupressure module 320, and the third heel acupressure module 330 are made of a polyester-based synthetic resin material, a synthetic rubber material of baritone rubber, or an elastic material of elastic fiber and are configured to be elastically deformable according to an elastic modulus, which is the designed ratio of stress to strain. The configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. It is obvious that it may be configured in various manners as needed.
The functional shoe insole according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has advantages in that the arch and heel portions of the sole of the foot of the user can be continuously stimulated during walking through the stimulation members and the intensities and heights of the stimulation members can be adjusted according to the shape of the foot of the user.
Meanwhile, although the functional shoe insole according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with sports shoes shown in
While the foregoing description has been given with reference to the accompanying drawings according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it may be possible for those of ordinary skill in the art to make various applications, modifications and adaptations within the scope of the present invention based on the content of the foregoing description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2020-0177143 | Dec 2020 | KR | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4694831 | Seltzer | Sep 1987 | A |
| 20130199056 | Lim | Aug 2013 | A1 |
| 20180008002 | Yick | Jan 2018 | A1 |
| 20180140041 | Comstock | May 2018 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 10-0935579 | Jan 2010 | KR |
| 10-2015-0011455 | Feb 2015 | KR |
| 10-2020-0044436 | Apr 2020 | KR |
