APPARATUS FOR MOULDING INSOLES

Abstract

An apparatus for moulding shoe insoles onto a foot, having a moulding pad arranged on a support and forming a foot-accommodating region. The moulding pad may have a flexible membrane for supporting the insoles so that insoles can be moulded on without assistance and independently of a standing or sitting position of the user. The flexible membrane may be connected to a bearing surface of the support via a foot-bearing-point fixing means, and a filling region for a fluid for moulding the insole onto the foot between the membrane and the bearing surface may be provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for moulding insoles onto a foot, having a moulding pad which is arranged on a support, forms a foot-accommodating region and has a flexible membrane for supporting the insole, wherein the membrane is connected to a bearing surface of the support via a foot-bearing-point fixing means, and wherein a filling region for a fluid for moulding the insole onto the foot is provided between the membrane and the bearing surface.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an alignment aid is provided in the foot-accommodating region of the moulding pad, which has a flexible edge region.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the alignment aid is connected to the bearing surface of the support via the foot-bearing-point fixing means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the alignment aid is arranged within the filling region.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a slide for limiting the stop of the membrane in the foot-accommodating region on the ball side.

6. A method of moulding insoles with an apparatus including a moulding pad arranged on a support, wherein the moulding forms a foot-accommodating region and has a flexible membrane for supporting the insole, wherein the membrane is connected to a bearing surface of the support via a foot-bearing-point fixing means, and wherein a filling region for a fluid for moulding the insole onto the foot is provided between the membrane and the bearing surface, the method comprising: , arranging the insole on the membrane with the filling region largely empty; after placing the foot on the insole, filling the filling region with a fluid; and after moulding the insole, emptying the filling region to release the foot and the insole.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the alignment aid is arranged within the filling region.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus has a slide for limiting the stop of the membrane in the foot-accommodating region on the ball side.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus has a slide for limiting the stop of the membrane in the foot-accommodating region on the ball side.

10. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus has a slide for limiting the stop of the membrane in the foot-accommodating region on the ball side.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein an alignment aid is provided in the foot-accommodating region of the moulding pad, which has a flexible edge region.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the alignment aid is connected to the bearing surface of the support via the foot-bearing-point fixing means.

13. The method according to claim 6, wherein the alignment aid is arranged within the filling region.

14. The method according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus has a slide for limiting the stop of the membrane in the foot-accommodating region on the ball side.

15. An apparatus for moulding insoles onto a foot, comprising: a support; a moulding pad arranged on the support, the moulding pad including a foot-accommodating region and a flexible membrane for supporting the insole, wherein the membrane is connected to a bearing surface of the support; and a filling region for accommodating a fluid for moulding the insole onto the foot, wherein the filling region is located between the membrane and the bearing surface.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: a foot-bearing-point fixing means connecting the membrane to a bearing surface of the support.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the foot-accommodating region includes an alignment aid, wherein the foot-accommodating region has a flexible edge region.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: a foot-bearing-point fixing means connecting the membrane to a bearing surface of the support, wherein the alignment aid is connected to the bearing surface of the support via the foot-bearing-point fixing means.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the alignment aid is arranged within the filling region.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: a slide limits a stop of the membrane in the foot-accommodating region on a ball side pf the foot.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The subject matter of embodiments of the system described herein is shown by way of example in the drawings, wherein:

[0012] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus in a schematic section with the filling region emptied, according to an embodiment of the system described herein;

[0013] FIG. 2 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 1 with filled filling region and positioned foot of a user, according to an embodiment of the system described herein;

[0014] FIG. 3 shows an apparatus in a representation corresponding to FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the system described herein; and

[0015] FIG. 4 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 3 with filled filling region and positioned foot of a user, according to an embodiment of the system described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Illustrative embodiments of the system described herein will now be described in relation to the drawings. It should be appreciated that the system described herein is not limited to the following illustrative embodiments, as other embodiments, for example, variations of the following illustrative embodiments, are possible, and intended to fall within the scope of the invention.

[0017] An apparatus according to an embodiment of the system described herein comprises a moulding pad 3 arranged on a support 1 and forming a foot-accommodating region 2, which may have a flexible membrane 4 for supporting an insole 5. In addition, the membrane 4 may be connected to a bearing surface 7 of the support 1 via a foot-bearing-point fixing means 6. Between the membrane 4 and the bearing surface 7 of the support 1, a filling region 8 may be provided for a fluid for moulding the insole 5 to the foot 9 of a user. The filling region may be formed, for example, by the membrane forming a fillable bladder or by the membrane being fluid-tight to the support.

[0018] During a moulding process, the insole 5 may be first placed in the foot-accommodating region 2 of the membrane 4 and then the user's foot 9 may be placed on the insole 5. Subsequently, pressure may be applied to the membrane 4 by filling the initially empty filling region 8 with a fluid. As a result of the expansion of the membrane 4, the membrane may press the mouldable insole 5 against the foot 9. After the insole 5 has been adapted to the user's foot 9 in this way, the filling region 8 may be emptied again so that the foot 9 and the moulded-on insole 5 may be removed from the foot-accommodating region 2.

[0019] In order to simplify the alignment of the insole 5 and the foot 9 to each other, an alignment aid 10 may be provided in the foot-accommodating region 2 of the moulding pad 3 according to an embodiment of an apparatus of the system described herein. In order not to impede a moulding process despite the contour-giving design of the alignment aid 10, the alignment aid 10 may have a flexible edge area 11 so that the insole 5 may nestle against the user's foot 9 due to the application of pressure to the membrane 4.

[0020] In order to create simple design conditions, it may be provided according to an embodiment that the alignment aid 10 is connected to the bearing surface 7 of the support 1 via the foot-bearing-point fixing means 6. For example, the foot-bearing-point fixing means 6 may be screwed to the support 1.

[0021] In order to ensure that the membrane 4 may fully nestle against the user's foot 9 during moulding, the alignment aid 10 may be positioned within the filling region 8.

[0022] This may have the further advantage that, when emptying the filling region 8, the membrane 4 may nestle against the alignment aid 10 in such a way that the positioning of the insole 5 and foot 9 may be carried out even easier.

[0023] In order to avoid an undesired moulding of the insole 5 to the toe area, for example, with different shoe sizes, the apparatus also may have a slider 12 to limit the stop of the membrane 4 in the ball-side foot-accommodating region 2. In this case, the slide 12 may be moved in the longitudinal direction of the support prior to the moulding process in such a way that the length of the foot-accommodating region 2 may be adjusted and consequently the section of the insole 5 to be moulded may be determined.

[0024] If thermoformable insoles 5 are used, it may be provided, according to an embodiment of the system described herein, that the fluid flowing into the filling region 8 is cooled, so that the thermoformable insoles 5 may harden more quickly in a dimensionally stable state after they have been moulded to the foot 9.

[0025] In addition, according to an embodiment of an apparatus of the system described herein, a compliant buffer element 13, for example of a foam material, may be provided, which may be arranged between the alignment aid 10 and the bearing surface 7 of the support 1, in order to enable a more pleasant tactile perception of the user during the positioning process of the foot 9 when the filling region 8 is largely empty.

[0026] The system described herein is not restricted to the described embodiments. It may be varied within the scope of the claims, taking into account the knowledge of the relevant person skilled in the art. Other embodiments of the system described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification and/or an attempt to put into practice the system described herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as illustrative only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.