Universal Footpad

Abstract

A footpad is provided having a foam structure with a non-directional planer shape, a thickness, a first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface, one of the first and second surfaces having an adhesive for adhering to bare skin.

Description

BACKGROUND

The present application relates footpads and more particularly footpads that adhere directly to user's foot.

A number of footpads are available, for example, to address certain conditions, such as calluses, corns, bunions, or the like. These are typically small and adhered to the area of interest to alleviate the pressure that may otherwise be experienced at the area of interest, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,591. Yet other footpads provide protection for users intending to use the footpad in lieu of walking around bare foot, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,465. Still other footpads provide support for certain areas of the foot, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,978,818. These footpads, however, have several limitations. Specifically, their designs are directional in that they need to be installed in a specific direction or orientation to work properly, which requires some skill. If not installed correctly, the user may suffer discomfort and may further aggravate the conditions for which the pads were intended to address. Accordingly, there is a need for footpads that are not so limited.

SUMMARY

A footpad is provided having a foam structure with a non-directional planer shape, a thickness and a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, one of the first and second surfaces having an adhesive for adhering to bare skin.

In at least one embodiment, the non-directional planer shape is generally circular.

In at least one embodiment, the generally circular shape has a plurality of relief cuts uniformly distributed about a circumference of the generally circular shape.

In at least one embodiment, the generally circular shape has between about 6 and 12 relief cuts uniformly distributed about a circumference of the generally circular shape.

In at least one embodiment, the relief cuts present a plurality of petal-like structures having rounded edges.

In at least one embodiment, the relief cuts have a depth of about 2 mm to about 8 mm.

In at least one embodiment, the relief cuts have a depth of about 4 mm to about 6 mm.

In at least one embodiment, the generally circular shape has a diameter between about 1 and 3 about inches.

In at least one embodiment, the generally circular shape has a diameter between about 1.5 and about 2.5 inches.

In at least one embodiment, the adhesive has adhesion between about 12 and about 25 ounces/inch, measured using Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC) PSTC-3 Standard Adhesion to Steel 180° Peel Test.

In at least one embodiment, the foam has a Sure A durometer rating of between about 10 and about 25.

In at least one embodiment, the foam has a thickness of about 2 mm to about 5 mm and has a density between about 3 and about 25 lb/ft3.

A footpad is also provided having a foam structure with a generally circular non-directional planer shape, a thickness and a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, one of the first and second surfaces having an medium tack adhesive for adhering to bare skin, wherein the generally circular shape has between about 6 and 12 relief cuts uniformly distributed about a circumference of the generally circular shape, therewith presenting a plurality of petal-like structures having rounded edges, the relief cuts having a depth of about 2 mm to about 8 mm, and the generally circular shape having a diameter between about 1 and 3 about inches, and a thickness of about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

A method is also providing the includes the steps of providing a footpad comprising a foam structure having a non-directional planer shape, a thickness and a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, one of the first and second surfaces having an adhesive for adhering to bare skin; and adhering the footpad on a user's foot, the footpad installed to cover at least three metatarsal heads of the foot.

In at least one embodiment, the footpad is installed to cover at least four metatarsal heads of the foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the footpad according to one embodiment of the footpads disclosed herein installed on a user's foot.

FIG. 2 is a view a plan view of a footpad according to a second embodiment of the footpads disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the footpad 100 according to at least one embodiment has a circular or other non-directional shape. This shape beneficially allows the user to install the pad without fear that the pad will be installed incorrectly. The footpad is preferably installed to cover the metatarsal heads of the foot, as shown. Specifically, the diameter of the footpad is such that the at least three metatarsals heads are covered or preferably at least four metatarsals heads are covered. Specifically, the diameter of the footpad is between about 1 and about 3 inches, and more preferably between about 1.5 and about 2.5 inches. Since the pad has a circular diameter or other non-directional shape, the footpad is universal.

The footpad is preferably adhered directly to the user's foot. In this regard, the footpad has an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface has an adhesive that allows the pad to adhere to the bare skin of the user's foot. Various types of adhesives may be used, but medium tack adhesives are preferred. Tack generally refers to the property of an adhesive that enables it to bond instantly when it is comes into contact with the surface of the user's skin. Medium-tack adhesives have relatively high adhesion but are removable and repositionable. In this regard, the adhesion of the footpad is preferably between about 12 and about 25 ounces/inch, measured using Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC) PSTC-3 Standard Adhesion to Steel 180° Peel Test. The adhesive is preferably hypo-allergenic and non-irritating to the skin.

The footpad may be of a multilayer design. Specifically, the footpad may have an adhesive layer, and then a cushion layer. The diameter of the cushion layer may be between about 2 and about 3 inches, or more preferably between 2.25 and 2.75 inches.

The material used for the cushion layer may vary, which may include silicone, latex, neoprene, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene (PE) foam, polyurethane (PU) foam, and urethane foam (UF), such as Poron®. In a preferred embodiment, the cushion layer is a urethane foam having Sure A durometer between about 10 and about 25, and more preferably between about 15 and about 20. The foam preferably has anti-microbial properties. Further, the density of the foam may be between about 3 and about 25 lb/ft3. The thickness of the cushion layer may be between about 2 mm and about 5 mm, or more preferably about 3 mm. The thickness of the cushion layer is preferably uniform to reinforce the non-directional nature of the footpad. The adhesive is preferably applied to the visible side of the cushion layer. The adhesive between the outer layer and the cushion layer may be different than that used to adhere the footpad to the user's skin. Specifically, the adhesive between these layers is a high tack type of adhesive, which has adhesion greater than about 25 ounces/inch, measured using Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC) PSTC-3 Standard Adhesion to Steel 180° Peel Test. This ensures that the layers do not separate when the footpad is removed from the user's foot.

Referring to FIG. 2, the footpad 100 has a generally circular shape with a plurality of reliefs 104 cut radially around the circumference of the circular shape, therewith presenting a plurality of petal-like structures 102, preferably equally spaced around the circumference of the footpad 100. The reliefs are preferably v shaped with and have a depth of about 2 mm to about 8 mm, or more preferably about 4 mm to about 6 mm. The footpad 100 preferably has between about 6 and 12 equal reliefs uniformly distributed around the footpad's circumference. The petal-like structures are also preferably equally dimensioned and uniformly distributed around the footpad's circumference, and preferably have rounded edges as shown. It has been discovered that this shape adds sufficient flexibility for walking without having to reduce the durometer of the foam used for the footpad.

The present invention is described in the following Examples, which are set forth to aid in the understanding of the invention, and should not be construed to limit in any way the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow thereafter.

Claims

1. A footpad comprising a foam structure having a non-directional planer shape, a thickness and a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, one of the first and second surfaces having an adhesive for adhering to bare skin.

2. The footpad of claim 1, wherein the non-directional planer shape is generally circular.

3. The footpad of claim 2, wherein the generally circular shape has a plurality of relief cuts uniformly distributed about a circumference of the generally circular shape.

4. The footpad of claim 2, wherein the generally circular shape has between about 6 and 12 relief cuts uniformly distributed about a circumference of the generally circular shape.

5. The footpad of claim 4, wherein the relief cuts present a plurality of petal-like structures having rounded edges.

6. The footpad of claim 4, wherein the relief cuts have a depth of about 2 mm to about 8 mm.

7. The footpad of claim 4, wherein the relief cuts have a depth of about 4 mm to about 6 mm.

8. The footpad of claim 2, wherein the generally circular shape has a diameter between about 1 and 3 about inches.

9. The footpad of claim 2, wherein the generally circular shape has a diameter between about 1.5 and about 2.5 inches.

10. The footpad of claim 1, wherein the adhesive has adhesion between about 12 and about 25 ounces/inch, measured using Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC) PSTC-3 Standard Adhesion to Steel 180° Peel Test.

11. The footpad of claim 1, wherein the foam has a Sure A durometer rating of between about 10 and about 25.

12. The footpad of claim 1, wherein the foam has a thickness of about 2 mm to about 5 mm and has a density between about 3 and about 25 lb/ft3.

13. A footpad comprising a foam structure having a generally circular non-directional planer shape, a thickness and a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, one of the first and second surfaces having an medium tack adhesive for adhering to bare skin, wherein the generally circular shape has between about 6 and 12 relief cuts uniformly distributed about a circumference of the generally circular shape, therewith presenting a plurality of petal-like structures having rounded edges, the relief cuts having a depth of about 2 mm to about 8 mm, and the generally circular shape having a diameter between about 1 and 3 about inches, and a thickness of about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

14. The footpad of claim 13, wherein the foam has a density between about 3 and about 25 lb/ft3.

15. The footpad of claim 13, wherein the foam has a Sure A durometer rating of between about 10 and about 25.

16. A method comprising: a) providing a footpad comprising a foam structure having a non-directional planer shape, a thickness and a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, one of the first and second surfaces having an adhesive for adhering to bare skin; andb) adhering the footpad on a user's foot, the footpad installed to cover at least three metatarsal heads of the foot.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the footpad is installed to cover at least four metatarsal heads of the foot.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the generally circular shape of the footpad has between about 6 and 12 relief cuts uniformly distributed about a circumference of the generally circular shape, therewith presenting a plurality of petal-like structures having rounded edges, the relief cuts having a depth of about 2 mm to about 8 mm, and the generally circular shape having a diameter between about 1 and 3 about inches, and a thickness of about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the foam has a density between about 3 and about 25 lb/ft3.