1. Field
The described technology generally relates to a moldable footwear insole.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A shoe insole or insole refers to an insert with a cushion layer and/or rigid support layer which is fitted into a shoe, Insoles are widely used to provide support and comfort for a user's foot. To provide optimized comfort to a specific foot, custom-made insoles have been developed that conform to the unique and specific shape of a user's foot. In general, custom insoles can be made by molding insoles using a person's feet. These customized insoles are generally more comfortable than mass produced insoles that have been pre-made.
The apparatuses and methods of the present disclosure have several features, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed by the claims that follow, its more prominent features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description,” one will understand how the features of this disclosure provide several advantages over other insoles as known in the art.
One inventive aspect is a moldable footwear insole including a cover layer configured to contact a foot, a foam layer configured to contact a bottom side of the cover layer, a core layer placed below the foam layer, the rigidity of the core layer varying at different locations of the core layer, and a base layer sized and shaped to extend below the core layer. In some aspects, the core layer is sized and shaped to extend from below the heel portion of the foot and ends before or below the metatarsophalangeal joints of the foot. In some aspects, the thickness of the core layer varies at different locations of the core layer in the range of approximately 1.0 mm to approximately 3.0 mm. In some aspects, the core layer is made from a heat-moldable or thermoplastic material that is substantially pliable when heated to a temperature in the range of about 120° C. to about 140° C. In some aspects, the heat-moldable or thermoplastic material is a glycol-modified polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate copolymer (PCTG).
In another aspect, a moldable footwear insole includes a foam layer configured to provide cushioning for a foot and a core layer attached to a bottom side of the foam layer, the core layer comprising a heat moldable a glycol-modified polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate copolymer (PCTG). In some aspects, the thickness of the core layer varies in the range of between about 1.0 mm and 3.0 mm at different regions of the core layer. In some aspects, the core layer has a uniform thickness. In some aspects, the thickness of the core layer is selected based upon the weight of the user.
In another aspect, a method for manufacturing a moldable footwear insole includes providing a cover layer including a first side and a second side, the first side configured to contact a foot, placing first side of a foam layer in contact with the second side of the cover layer, placing a core layer below the second side of the foam layer, wherein the thickness of the core layer varies at different locations of the core layer, and covering the core layer with a base layer. In some aspects, the method further includes injection molding the core layer.
The above mentioned and other features of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings of several embodiments of the present moldable footwear insole and methods of manufacture thereof. The illustrated embodiments of the apparatuses and methods are intended to illustrate, but not to limit the disclosure. The drawings contain the following figures:
Embodiments will be described with respect to the accompanying drawings. In this disclosure, the term “substantially” includes the meanings of completely, almost completely, or to any significant degree under some applications by those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the detailed description.
The insole 100 can be shaped for use with either a right or a left foot. For example, as shown in
The insole 100 is provided in various sizes for use with different sized feet. In some embodiments, the insole 100 is provided in sizes that correspond to typical men's, women's and children's shoe sizes. The insole 100 may also include one or more portions that are able to be trimmed, so that the size of the insole 100 can be adjusted to match the size of a user's foot or shoe. For example, the edge 101 of the forefoot portion 115 of the insole 100 can be trimmed with scissors to improve the fit.
The insole 100 is moldable, allowing the insole 100 to be configured to match the shape and contours of the bottom surface of a foot. The moldable insole 100 may have a non-molded shape, a molded shape, or a custom-molded shape. A non-molded insole 100 may have a generally flat shape or other general shape. In some embodiments, the insole 100 is manufactured and sold in the non-molded state and can later be molded to fit the shape of the user's foot. A molded insole 100 may have a shape that conforms loosely to the bottom surface of a foot. For example, in some embodiments, the insole 100 is pre-molded by a manufacturer. The pre-molded shape of the insole 100 may allow the insole 100 to be used without further molding or may provide a starting shape from which the insole 100 can be custom molded. A custom-molded insole 100 is an insole 100 that has been molded to specifically conform to the shape of a specific user's foot. In some embodiments, custom- molding the insole 100 involves using the user's foot to mold the insole 100.
As shown in
The cover layer 120 can be made from a thin, durable, and flexible material, for example, a cloth material. In some embodiments, the cloth material is polyester woven fabric or cotton. In some embodiments, the cover layer 120 is also antibacterial. For example, the cover layer 120 can be saturated in, sprayed with, or otherwise impregnated or coated by an antibacterial solution. Or, for example, the cover layer 120 can be made of a nano-silver particle fabric, which is itself antibacterial. Depending on the particular embodiment, the cover layer 120 can be in the range of approximately 230 mm to approximately 360 mm long, measured from the rear 104 to the front 105 of the cover layer 120, and can be in the range of approximately 60 mm to 115 mm wide measured across the widest portion of the cover layer 120 from the inside 102 to the outside 103 of the cover layer 120. However, other lengths and widths of the cover layer 120 are possible. The cover layer 120 interfaces with the bottom of the foot during use of the insole 100.
The foam layer 130 can be made from a material that provides cushioning, for example, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam. In some embodiments, the foam layer 130 is made from a material that provides good breathability to increase the comfort of the insole 100 during use. The foam layer 130 can have substantially the same length, width, and profile shape as the cover layer 120. The foam layer 130 may have a thickness in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 7 mm. In some embodiments, the foam layer 130 has a thickness in the range of between about 2 mm to about 5 mm. For example, the foam layer 130 may be approximately 4 mm thick, although other thicknesses, either thinner or thicker, may be used.
The core layer 140 provides the structural shape of the insole 100 and allows the insole 100 to be moldable. The core layer 140 can be made from a heat-formable or thermoplastic material, such as a glycol-modified polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate copolymer (PCTG), or other suitable material, that is substantially rigid throughout a range of temperatures at which the insole 100 will be used, for example, the range of temperatures typical within a user's shoe, and substantially pliable or moldable throughout a range of temperatures that will be used during a molding process, for example, temperatures in the range of about 120° C. to about 140° C. The core layer 140 thus provides the rigid structure for the insole 100 while in use, while also allowing the insole 100 to be moldable if heated to a temperature at which the core layer 140 becomes pliable. In some embodiments, the core layer 140 is made from PCTG, ABS, PVC, A-PET, or PETG.
Depending on the specific embodiment, the core layer 140 has a length between about 145 mm and about 215 mm, although other lengths for the core layer 140 are also possible. The core layer 140 is also generally narrower in width than the cover layer 120 and/or the foam layer 130, although, the core layer 140 may be as wide as the cover layer 120 and/or the foam layer 130. The core layer 140 may weigh in the range of between about 25 g and about 75 g, although heavier or lighter core layers 140 are also possible. The core layer 140 may include additional features that will be described in greater detail below.
The base layer 150 can be made from a thin, flexible, and durable material, for example, a cloth material. The base layer 150 is sized and shaped to cover the core layer 140. Accordingly, the base layer 150 may have a length in the range of between the length of the foam layer 130 and the length of the core layer 140, and a width in the range of between the width of the foam layer 130 and the width of the core layer 140.
Although the insole 100 has been described as having four layers, in some embodiments, one or more of the above-described layers may be omitted or one or more of the above-described layers may be realized as a plurality of layers. For example, the insole 100 includes only the foam layer 130 and the core layer 140. Or, the insole 100 can include a foam layer 130 that includes two or more individual layers of foam. In some embodiments, the insole 100 includes only a single layer. In some embodiments, the single layer is the core layer 140.
In
In the embodiment of
The variable thickness feature described above is optional. In some embodiments, the core layer 140 has a uniform thickness across its length and width. A core layer 140 with a uniform thickness may have a variable rigidity by manufacturing certain portions of the core layer 140 from materials with different rigidities. For example, a more rigid material is used at the arch support region of the core layer 140 and a less rigid material is used at the rearfoot portion 111 of the core layer 140.
The edges 101 of the core layer 140 may taper from the thickness of the core layer 140 down to a fine point. This may produce a substantially ridge free design that may reduce chaffing or abrasions caused by the use of the insole 100. The tapered edges 101 of the core layer 140 can seamlessly fuse the core layer 100 into the adjoining layers (the cushion layer 130 above and the base layer 150 below).
As shown in
The small holes 141 may be clustered in varying densities to create a variable rigidity for the core layer 140. For example, fewer small holes 141 in a certain portion of the core layer 140, for example, the arch support portion, can create a more rigid structure at that location. More small holes 141 clustered in a certain portion of the core layer 140, for example the rearfoot portion 111, can create a less rigid structure at that location. In another embodiment, the size of the small holes 141 varies to create a more or less rigid portion of the core layer. For example, larger holes 141 may cause that portion of the core layer 140 to be less rigid, and smaller holes 141 may cause that portion of the core layer 140 to be more rigid.
As shown in
The core layer 140, including the above-described features, may be manufactured by injection molding. Different molds may be provided to manufacture different sizes of the core layer 140. Each of the molds includes an interior cavity that is the same size and shape as the core layer 140 to be injection molded. The internal cavity can further be shaped so as to form the core layer 140 with the variable thicknesses described above. For example, the interior cavity can be thinner where the core layer 140 is thinner and thicker where the core layer 140 is thicker. In some embodiments, the internal cavity of the mold also includes features to form the small holes 141 of the core layer, although, in other embodiments, the small holes 141 may be formed, for example, by punching, after the core layer 140 has been molded. The core layer 140 may also be manufactured by other methods. For example, the core layer 140 can be milled or 3-D printed.
In some embodiments, as shown in
Moreover, the thickness of the core layer 140, described in reference to
The moldable insole 100 as described herein may be molded with the molding devices and molding processes described in the U.S. Patent Application entitled “Apparatus and Method for Custom Molding an Insole” (Attorney Docket No. ZGI.003A) and can be reproduced by the molding systems and methods described in the U.S. Patent Application entitled “System and Method for Reproducing Molded Insole” (Attorney Docket No. ZGI.004A) concurrently filed with this application, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Although, the insole 100 may also be molded using other molding systems and methods.
The advantages of the insole 100 as described herein include, but are not limited to, (1) the heat moldable material of the core layer 140, which both provides rigid support and can be heated to become moldable to conform to the specific shape of a foot, (2) the variable thickness and/or rigidity of the core layer 140, which may provide different levels of support at different regions of the insole 100 for different portions of the foot, and (3) the selection of the thickness of the core layer 140 depending on the specific weight of a user (where the selection of the thickness can either be a selection of a core layer 140 with a uniform thickness configured to provide support based on the weight of a user, or the selection of a variable thickness configured to provide support based on the weight of the user). These features allow the insole 100 to provide increased comfort, fit, and support over other insoles known in the art.
While the above description has pointed out features of various embodiments, the skilled person will understand that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
This application relates to i) the U.S. Patent Application entitled “Apparatus and Method for Custom Molding an Insole” (Attorney Docket No. ZGI.003A) and ii) the U.S. Patent Application entitled “System and Method for Reproducing Molded Insole” (Attorney Docket No. ZGI.004A) concurrently filed with this application, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.