ORTHOPEDIC INSOLES FOR USE IN OPEN FOOTWEAR

Abstract

An orthopedic shoe insole is provided. The orthopedic shoe insole includes a top layer, a molded plastic layer positioned below the top layer, a cork layer positioned below the molded plastic layer, and a sidewall layer, wherein the sidewall layer is wrapped around at least the molded plastic layer and the cork layer, and wherein the top layer and the sidewall layer have a finished surface, causing the orthopedic shoe insole to have an overall finished surface.

Claims

1. An orthopedic shoe insole, comprising: a top layer; a molded plastic layer positioned below the top layer; a cork layer positioned below the molded plastic layer; and a sidewall layer, wherein the sidewall layer is wrapped around at least the molded plastic layer and the cork layer, and wherein the top layer and the sidewall layer have a finished surface, causing the orthopedic shoe insole to have an overall finished surface.

2. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a bottom layer positioned below the cork layer.

3. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 2, wherein the bottom layer includes silicone.

4. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 2, wherein the bottom layer has a thickness of 1 mm.

5. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 2, further comprising an adhesive layer positioned below the bottom layer.

6. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 5, wherein the adhesive layer includes a double-sided adhesive.

7. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 5, wherein the adhesive layer covers a heel portion of the bottom layer.

8. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, wherein the molded plastic layer is a thermoplastic polyurethane layer.

9. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, wherein the molded plastic layer tapers along an outer rim of the orthopedic shoe insole.

10. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, wherein the molded plastic layer has a maximum thickness of 2 mm.

11. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, wherein the top layer includes leather.

12. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, wherein the top layer is a perforated layer.

13. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, wherein the cork layer tapers along a toe area of the orthopedic shoe insole.

14. The orthopedic shoe insole as recited in claim 1, wherein the sidewall layer includes leather.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a top view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a left side view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows a right side view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 6 shows a front view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 7 shows a rear view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIGS. 9-10 show material visualizations of an orthopedic shoe insole, according to embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

[0040] Reference will now be made in detail to each embodiment of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto.

[0041] Referring now to FIGS. 1-8, a perspective view (FIG. 1), top view (FIG. 2), bottom view (FIG. 3), left side view (FIG. 4), right side view (FIG. 5), front view (FIG. 6), rear view (FIG. 7), and exploded view (FIG. 8) of an orthopedic shoe insole 100 are illustratively depicted, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 1-7, the orthopedic shoe insole 100 is configured to provide support to the user, reducing and/or removing pain and/or aiding in posture and/or providing support to treat one or more of a number of foot related medical issues such as, e.g., plantar fasciitis. According to an embodiment, the shape of the orthopedic shoe insole 100 is configured to fit in most flat sandals. It may be small enough to be discreet but molded for support. According to an embodiment, the orthopedic shoe insole 100 comes in various sizes, for left and/or right feet. According to an embodiment, the orthopedic shoe insole 100 is customized to form to a specific user's foot.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 8, the orthopedic shoe insole 100 includes a plurality of materials. According to an embodiment, the orthopedic shoe insole 100 includes a finished top layer 105 and/or a finished sidewall layer 120. According to an embodiment, the finished top layer 105 and finished sidewall layer 120 are configured such that the orthopedic shoe insole 100 has a finished appearance and/or are configured to blend in with the footwear with which the orthopedic shoe insole 100 is intended to be used. According to an embodiment, the top layer 105 and/or the sidewall layer 120 include leather, faux leather, and/or any other suitable material or materials. According to an embodiment, the top layer 105 is perforated. According to an embodiment, the top layer 105 and the sidewall layer 120 are separate components. According to an embodiment, the top layer 105 and the sidewall layer 120 are a singular component. According to an embodiment, the top layer 105 may encompass the entire insole 100.

[0044] The finished appearance of the orthopedic shoe insole 100 due to the top layer 105 and the sidewall layer 120 enable the shoe to be used with open footwear, such as sandals, while still giving the footwear a finished look, as opposed to the look of other forms of orthopedic shoe insoles, which typically only have fabric or plastic exteriors.

[0045] According to an embodiment, below the top layer 105 is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) molded layer 110. According to an embodiment, the TPU layer 110 is thicker in the center of the orthopedic shoe insole 100 and tapers thin around the edges of the orthopedic shoe insole 100. According to an embodiment, the thickest portion of the TPU layer 110 is approximately 2 mm. It is noted, however, that any suitable thickness may be used, while maintaining the spirit of the present invention. According to an embodiment, other types of hardenable material in addition to TPU or instead of TPU may also be used for layer 110, while maintaining the spirit of the present invention.

[0046] According to an embodiment, below the TPU molded layer 110 is a cork layer 115. According to an embodiment, the cork layer 115 is molded into shape. According to an embodiment, the cork layer 115 tapers in the toe region of the orthopedic shoe insole 100. The TPU molding layer 110 and the cork layer 115 provide support, structure, and absorption for the user of the orthopedic shoe insole 100. According to an embodiment, the sidewall layer 120 wraps around the TPU layer 110 and the cork layer 115.

[0047] According to various embodiments of the present invention, the insole 100 may solely have a TPU layer 110, may solely have a cork layer 115, and/or may have both a TPU layer 110 and a cork layer 115. According to various embodiments, the order of the TPU layer 110 and the cork layer 115 may be reversible.

[0048] According to an embodiment, a bottom layer 125 is located below the cork layer 115. According to an embodiment, the bottom layer 125 is relatively flat and covers the entire bottom surface area of the orthopedic shoe insole 100. According to an embodiment, the bottom layer is printed, although it is noted that any suitable method for forming the bottom layer 125 may be used, while maintaining the spirit of the present invention. According to an embodiment, the bottom layer 125 includes silicone. It is noted, however, that any suitable material or materials may be used in the formation of the bottom layer 125, while maintaining the spirit of the present invention.

[0049] Sectional views of the layers of an embodiment of the orthopedic shoe insole 100 can further be seen in the material visualizations shown in FIGS. 9-10.

[0050] According to an embodiment, the orthopedic shoe insole 100 may include an adhesive layer 130 on the underside of the orthopedic shoe insole 100. According to an embodiment, the adhesive layer 130 may cover all or a portion of the bottom layer 125 of the orthopedic shoe insole 100. According to an embodiment, the adhesive layer 130 covers a heel portion of the orthopedic shoe insole 100. The adhesive layer 130 is configured to secure the orthopedic shoe insole 100 to the footwear with which the orthopedic shoe insole 100 is intended for use. For open footwear, the adhesive layer 130 prevents the orthopedic shoe insole 100 from falling out of place or falling off of the open footwear. According to an embodiment, the adhesive layer 130 may be a double-sided adhesive layer. It is noted, however, that any suitable form of adhesive layer 130 may be used, while maintaining the spirit of the present invention.

[0051] When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiment(s) thereof, the articles a, an, and the are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. Similarly, the adjective another, when used to introduce an element, is intended to mean one or more elements. The terms including and having are intended to be inclusive such that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

[0052] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.