Claims
- 1. A removable insole for insertion into footwear, comprising a lower layer made from viscoelastic gel and including:a lower surface; an upper surface; at least one portion of a toe portion and a heel portion formed from said viscoelastic gel, at least one recess in the lower surface of said at least one of a toe portion and a heel portion, each said recess having a peripheral side wall and a top wall, and a plurality of spaced apart spring walls formed from said viscoelastic gel in each said recess, said spring walls being connected with said top wall of a respective said recess, said spring walls having lower edges generally coplanar with a lower surface of said at least one of a toe portion and a heel portion which is in surronding relation to the respective said recess, wherein each of said spring walls is formed in a generally sinusoidal wave shape, wherein said spring walls provide a spring with less dampening energy absorption relative to the remainder of the lower layer formed from said viscoelastic gel when a force is applied to said lower layer, and wherein a spacing between adjacent ones of said spring walls is greater than the width of said spring walls.
- 2. A removable insole according to claim 1, wherein, when said at least one recess is formed in the heel portion, each of said spring walls has a height in a first direction which is greater than a width thereof in a direction transverse to said first direction.
- 3. A removable insole according to claim 2, wherein said spring walls are connected with said peripheral side wall and said top wall of the respective said recess.
- 4. A removable insole according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of spring walls are formed in substantially parallel, spaced apart relation.
- 5. A removable insole according to claim 1, wherein when said at least one recess is formed in the heel portion, each of said spring walls has a height in a first direction which is greater than a width thereof in a direction transverse to said first direction.
- 6. A removable insole according to claim 1, wherein said spring walls are formed as column members.
- 7. A removable insole according to claim 6, wherein said column members are in parallel, spaced apart relation.
- 8. A removable insole according to claim 6, wherein, when said at least one recess is formed in the heel portion, each of said spring walls has a height in a first direction which is greater than a width thereof in a direction transverse to said first direction.
- 9. A removable insole according to claim 8, wherein a spacing between adjacent ones of said spring walls is greater than the width of said spring walls.
- 10. A removable insole according to claim 6, wherein said spring walls are connected with said top wall of the respective said recess.
- 11. A removable insole according to claim 1, further comprising at least one pattern trim line at the toe portion for trimming the insole to fit into smaller size footwear.
- 12. A removable insole according to claim 1, wherein said lower layer includes said toe portion, said heel portion and a medial arch portion interconnecting said toe portion and said heel portion, with a first said recess with said spring walls in said toe portion and a second said recess with said spring walls in said heel portion.
- 13. A removable insole according to claim 12, wherein said heel portion has a greater thickness than said toe portion, and said spring walls in said second recess having a greater height than said spring walls in said first recess.
- 14. A removable insole according to claim 12, wherein opposite sides of said medial arch portion and opposite sides and a rear end of said heel portion gently slope downwardly and inwardly toward the lower surface of said lower layer.
- 15. A removable insole according to claim 1, further comprising a top cover secured to the upper surface of said lower layer.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED-APPLICATION
This applicaiton is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/803,706, filed Mar. 9, 2001, now abandoned from which benefit of priority is claimed, which is itself a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No., 09/454,980, filed Dec. 3, 1999.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/803706 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
10/026571 |
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US |
Parent |
09/454980 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/803706 |
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US |