FOOTWEAR APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING GAIT BIOMECHANICS

Abstract

The present invention is for a footwear apparatus for improved gait biomechanics. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the footwear apparatus may comprise a heel cup that provides a valgus tilt to a user's foot and provides a deep heel cup to adequately support the user's heel. It may also be comprised of a medial arch support member and a forefoot lateral support member, wherein the heel cup, the medial arch, and the forefoot lateral support member stabilize the user's foot in a lateral direction to minimize pronation and heel inversion. In one example, the heel cup provides a valgus tilt of approximately 4 degrees to the user's rear foot, and the forefoot lateral support member provides a valgus tilt of approximately 2 degrees to the user's forefoot.

Claims

1. A footwear apparatus for improved gait biomechanics, the footwear apparatus comprising: a heel cup configured to provide a first valgus tilt to a heel of a user; a medial arch support member; and a forefoot lateral support member configured to provide a second valgus tilt to a forefoot of the user.

2. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second valgus tilt is a two degree valgus tilt to the user's forefoot.

3. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first valgus tilt is a four degree valgus tilt to the user's heel.

4. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heel cup comprises a heel platform on a bottom surface of the footwear apparatus, wherein the heel platform is thicker on a lateral side than on a medial side.

5. The footwear apparatus of claim 4, wherein the heel platform comprises a concave bearing surface having a peripheral edge surrounding a central depression, and wherein the lateral side of the peripheral edge is thicker than the medial side of the peripheral edge.

6. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the forefoot lateral support member comprises a forefoot platform on a bottom surface of the footwear apparatus, wherein the forefoot platform is thicker on a lateral side than on a medial side.

7. The footwear apparatus of claim 6, wherein the forefoot platform comprises a concave bearing surface having a peripheral edge surrounding a central depression, and wherein the lateral side of the peripheral edge is thicker than the medial side of the peripheral edge.

8. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is comprised of molded plastic and the first valgus tilt and second valgus tilt are fixed and not adjustable.

9. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medial arch support member comprises a raised portion, the raised portion accommodating and supporting a user's medial arch.

10. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is comprised of a contoured insole apparatus configured to be placed within an article of footwear.

11. The footwear apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is comprised of an article of footwear.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0029] The accompanying drawings illustrate several embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention according to the embodiments. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the particular arrangements illustrated in the drawings are merely exemplary and are not to be considered as limiting of the scope of the invention or the claims herein in any way.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a top view of a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a front view of a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a rear view of a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a lateral side view of a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a medial side view of a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foot positioned on a footwear apparatus of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] FIGS. 1-8 illustrate various elements of the contoured insole apparatus in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the invention. In particular, FIGS. 1-8 depict a contoured insole apparatus configured to support a user's right foot. The elements of the contoured insole apparatus include a heel cup providing a valgus tilt to the user's foot, a medial arch support member, and a midfoot lateral support member.

[0039] The apparatus as a whole supports a user's foot by minimizing pronation and heel inversion. Moreover, each element of the apparatus independently provides sufficient tilt and contour support to ensure that the user's foot pronates and/or supinates minimally. For example, the heel cup member may be contoured minimize heel inversion. The medial arch support member is contoured to minimize heel inversion and pronation. The midfoot lateral support member is similarly designed and contoured to reduce pronation and supination.

[0040] The inventive apparatus generally conforms to the user's foot and the length and size of the inventive apparatus may be determined by the user's shoe size and/or foot measurements. In one embodiment of the invention, the inventive apparatus may be manufactured in a few different sizes (such as small, medium, large, extra-large, etc.), which may fit users with a range of shoe and/or feet sizes. As such, the inventive apparatus may ensure a universal fit, which may be used by a variety of users.

[0041] The inventive apparatus may be comprised of hard, molded plastic. However, in other embodiments, it may be comprised of semi-flexible molded plastic that minimally flexes when weight is applied to it. For example, the insole apparatus may be made of polypropylene, polyethylene. PVC, thermoplastic vulcanizates, or any combination thereof. Other possible embodiments of the composition of the inventive apparatus include a moisture absorbing covering or bacteria repelling covering. Other material may be used, as would be readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0042] Although the inventive apparatus is generally described herein as an insole, it may nevertheless be a part of an article of footwear. For example, shoes, boots, sandals, etc., may be comprised of the inventive apparatus described herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Heel Cup

[0043] In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the heel cup applies a valgus tilt to the user's foot. The valgus tilt re-distributes the user's weight throughout the inventive apparatus. In other words, the valgus tilt essentially prevents heel inversion. In accordance with currently available data about growing average height and weight of human users in a variety of countries and regions, it is believed that a three to four degree valgus tilt would adequately address and prevent heel inversion in most users. As such, the shape of the heel cup may provide a valgus tilt of approximately 4 degrees to the user's foot. As would be readily understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, the present invention is not limited to a four degree valgus tilt. Other degrees of tilt may be used, as would be readily understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0044] The heel cup may be comprised of semi-flexible molded plastic that minimally flexes, and which provides a four degree valgus tilt to the user's foot. The valgus tilt tilts the user's foot and maintains the tilt with some deviation. The heel cup may also be molded to fit within a specific size of footwear and is placed in the foot bed of the footwear. The valgus tilt tilts the user's foot and maintains the tilt with little deviation.

[0045] In one embodiment of the invention, the heel cup is comprised of a depression. In one exemplary embodiment the depression extends three inches within the insole apparatus. This depression or heel cup cradles the user's heel in order to provide stability and minimize heel inversion.

[0046] As would be understood from the entirety of the disclosure, the invention disclosed herein is not limited to a three or four degree valgus tilt or to hard or semi-flexible plastic. It should be noted that the valgus tilt may be configured to accommodate the specific needs of a user and varying the degree of the valgus tilt will not depart from the scope of the invention.

Medial Arch Support Element

[0047] In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the contoured insole apparatus' medial arch support member may include a medial arch support that conforms to the user's foot. In one instance, the medial arch support member may be comprised of a raised portion that adequately contours to, and supports, the arch on the user's foot.

[0048] The medial arch support member prevents or minimizes pronation of the user's foot. This function may be performed by preventing a user's arch from collapsing and causing pronation when adequate weight is applied to the user's foot. This minimizes pronation that may be experienced by a user's foot or leg as the user walks, runs, or otherwise moves.

[0049] The medial arch support member may be comprised of the same material as described above with respect to the heel cup. For example, the material may be comprised of hard, molded plastic which is molded in a way to cup and form to the user's foot. The medial arch support may be comprised of semi-flexible molded plastic.

[0050] The medial arch support member illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 is exemplary and the heel cup depictions are not intended to be limited to any particular depression size, length or material. It should be noted that the medial arch support member may be varied in size, shape, length, curvature, incline and composition as would be readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Midfoot Lateral Support

[0051] FIGS. 1-8 illustrate exemplary embodiments of the midfoot lateral support member. The midfoot lateral support member provides lateral support to the midfoot to minimize pronation or supination.

[0052] In another exemplary embodiment, the midfoot lateral support member provides lateral support to the midfoot to prevent the user's foot from pronating more than a few degrees in either lateral direction. This exemplary lateral support member may be comprised of semi-flexible molded plastic to minimally flex when weight is applied.

[0053] In one exemplary embodiment, the midfoot lateral support member may be comprised of hard, molded plastic ensuring that the user's foot remains in a neutral position.

[0054] The midfoot lateral support member embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, are exemplary and not intended to be limited to any particular composition or size. It should be noted that the midfoot lateral support member may be varied in shape, length, curvature, and incline as would be readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0055] Additionally, the midfoot lateral support member is not limited to any particular method of midfoot lateral support. Any number of alternative ways of providing lateral support may be used as would be readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0056] The contoured insole apparatus 100 of the present invention includes a heel cup 102, a medial arch support 104, and a forefoot lateral support member 106. The insole apparatus 100 extends from a posterior edge 108 configured to contact the rear edge of the user's heel to the anterior edge 110 configured to directly contact the user's metatarsophalangeal joints, as shown in FIG. 8. The insole apparatus includes a top surface 112 configured to directly contact the bottom (plantar surface) of the user's foot and a bottom surface 114 configured to face the ground.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom surface 114 of the insole apparatus 100 includes a heel platform 120 that has a generally concave bearing surface having a peripheral edge 122 surrounding a central depression 123. The heel platform 120 is in the heel or rear foot area of the insole apparatus 100. In order to provide the desired valgus tilt to the user's heel, the lateral side 124 of the peripheral edge 122 is thicker than the medial side 126 of the peripheral edge 122. In other words, the lateral side 124 of the heel platform 120 is elevated relative to the medial side 126 of the heel platform 120. For example, the peripheral edge 122 is approximately 4 mm thicker on the lateral side 124 than on the medial side 126. As such, as shown in FIG. 5, the heel cup 102 is configured to provide a valgus tilt 128 of approximately 4 degrees to the user's heel.

[0058] The bottom surface 114 of the insole apparatus 100 further includes a forefoot platform 130 configured to support the user's forefoot and provide a valgus tilt to the user's forefoot. The forefoot platform 130 has a generally concave bearing surface having a peripheral edge 132 surrounding a central depression 133. In order to provide the desired valgus tilt, the lateral side 134 of the peripheral edge 132 is thicker than the medial side 136 of the peripheral edge 132. In other words, the lateral side 134 of the forefoot platform 130 is elevated relative to the medial side 136. For example, the lateral side 134 of the peripheral edge 132 may be approximately 2 mm thicker than the medial side 136 of the peripheral edge 132. As such, as shown in FIG. 4, the forefoot support member 106 is configured to provide a valgus tilt 138 of approximately 2 degrees to the user's forefoot.

[0059] The insole apparatus 100 is made of molded plastic and is made as a single, unitary piece. As such, the heel platform 120 and the forefoot platform 130 are fixed and are not adjustable. The valgus tilt 128 of the rear foot being approximately 4 degrees and the valgus tilt 138 of the forefoot being approximately 2 degrees have been shown to improve the gait biomechanics of many patients. Using the insole apparatus 100 of the present invention improves gait efficiency by helping the big toe to reach the ground more effectively, thereby reducing stress in the foot, ankle, knee, hip, and lower back

Additional Considerations

[0060] As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0061] Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodiments may be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

[0062] As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes.” “including.” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and Bis false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and Bis true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

[0063] In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

[0064] Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternative structural and functional designs for a system and a process for creating an interactive message through the disclosed principles herein. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein. Various apparent modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.