CUSHIONING SHOE INSERT

Abstract

This application discloses shoe inserts which are configured such that a user may expose one or more adhesive layers while the cushioning shoe insert is maintained at an optimal location within a shoe, thereby securing the cushioning shoe inserts precisely at the optimal location. Moreover, this application discloses shoe inserts which are designed to distribute necessary support forces, e.g. through a foot chock, thereby mitigating or eliminating uncomfortable levels of localized pressure.

Claims

1. A pad for inserting in a shoe, the pad comprising: an outer surface to interface with an inner portion of the shoe; a layer of adhesive disposed on an upper portion of the outer surface; a flexible nonstick cover disposed on the layer of adhesive; and a pull tab having a first end to extend from the inner portion of the shoe and a second end folded into contact with the flexible nonstick cover, wherein when the pull tab is pulled, the flexible nonstick cover is removed from the layer of adhesive to expose the layer of adhesive and to adhere the outer surface of the pad with the inner portion of the shoe.

2. The pad of claim 1, further comprising: a foot chock protruding upwardly from an inner surface of a lower portion of the pad, the foot chock to provide support to a foot and reduce pressure on a toe region of the foot.

3. The pad of claim 2, wherein the foot chock is positioned between a metatarsal region of the foot and the toe region of the foot.

4. The pad of claim 1, wherein when a portion of a foot is disposed in the inner portion of the shoe and the pull tab is pulled, the flexible nonstick cover is removed from the layer of adhesive to expose the layer of adhesive and to adhere the outer surface of the pad with the inner portion of the shoe while the portion of the foot is disposed in the inner portion of the shoe.

5. The pad of claim 1, further comprising: a lower portion for cushioning a plantar region of a foot; a front portion connected to the lower portion, the front portion for cushioning a distal region of the foot; an upper portion connected to the front portion, the upper portion for cushioning a dorsal region of the foot; and wherein the lower portion connected to the front portion connected to the upper portion surround a toe portion of the foot.

6. The pad of claim 5, wherein the front portion is received by an inner portion of the shoe.

7. The pad of claim 6, wherein the inner portion of the shoe is a pointed toe portion of the shoe, and wherein the lower portion connected to the front portion connected to the upper portion transfer pressure from the pointed toe portion of the shoe to the foot.

8. The pad of claim 7, wherein the shoe includes a high heel and a downward slope from the high heel toward the pointed toe portion of the shoe.

9. The pad of claim 7, wherein the lower portion connected to the front portion connected to the upper portion entirely fills the pointed toe portion of the shoe.

10. A pad for inserting into a shoe, the pad comprising: a lower portion for cushioning a plantar region of a foot; a front portion connected to the lower portion, the front portion for cushioning a distal region of the foot; an upper portion connected to the front portion, the upper portion for cushioning a dorsal region of the foot, wherein the lower portion connected to the front portion connected to the upper portion surround a medial toe portion and a lateral toe portion of the foot; and a layer of adhesive disposed on an outer surface of the upper portion to adhere the outer surface of the pad with an inner portion of the shoe.

11. The pad of claim 10, wherein the shoe includes a high heel and a downward slope from the high heel toward the pointed toe portion of the shoe, and the inner portion of the shoe is a pointed toe portion of the shoe.

12. The pad of claim 11, wherein the lower portion connected to the front portion connected to the upper portion is received by the pointed toe portion of the shoe to transfer pressure from the pointed toe portion of the shoe to the foot.

13. The pad of claim 10, further comprising: a foot chock protruding upwardly from an inner surface of the lower portion, the foot chock to provide support to the foot and reduce pressure on a toe region of the foot.

14. The pad of claim 13, further comprising a pull tab having an end to extend from the inner portion of the shoe, wherein when the end of the pull tab is pulled, a flexible nonstick cover is removed from the layer of adhesive to expose the layer of adhesive and to adhere the outer surface of the pad with the inner portion of the shoe.

15. The pad of claim 14, wherein when a portion of a foot is disposed in the inner portion of the shoe and the end of the pull tab is pulled, the flexible nonstick cover is removed from the layer of adhesive to expose the layer of adhesive and to adhere the outer surface of the pad with the inner portion of the shoe while the portion of the foot is disposed in the inner portion of the shoe.

16. A pad for inserting into a shoe, the pad comprising: a lower portion having an inner surface for cushioning a plantar region of a foot and a foot chock protruding upwardly from the inner surface, the foot chock to provide support to the foot and reduce pressure on a medial toe portion and a lateral toe portion of the foot; a front portion connected to the lower portion, the front portion for cushioning a distal region of the foot; an upper portion connected to the front portion, the upper portion for cushioning a dorsal region of the foot, wherein the lower portion connected to the front portion connected to the upper portion surround the medial toe portion and the lateral toe portion of the foot.

17. The pad of claim 16, wherein the foot chock is positioned between a metatarsal region of the foot and a toe region of the foot.

18. The pad of claim 16, further comprising a layer of adhesive disposed on an outer surface of the upper portion to adhere the outer surface of the pad with an inner portion of the shoe.

19. The pad of claim 18, further comprising a pull tab having an end to extend from the inner portion of the shoe, wherein when the end of the pull tab is pulled, a flexible nonstick cover is removed from the layer of adhesive to expose the layer of adhesive and to adhere the outer surface of the pad with the inner portion of the shoe.

20. The pad of claim 19, wherein when a portion of a foot is disposed in the inner portion of the shoe and the end of the pull tab is pulled, the flexible nonstick cover is removed from the layer of adhesive to expose the layer of adhesive and to adhere the outer surface of the pad with the inner portion of the shoe while the portion of the foot is disposed in the inner portion of the shoe.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments, i.e. not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a cushioning shoe insert prior to insertion into a shoe, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the cushioning shoe insert, in accordance with the first embodiment, wherein the cushioning shoe insert is inserted into a shoe.

[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the cushioning shoe insert, in accordance with the first embodiment, wherein a shoe wearer's foot is inserted into the cushioning shoe insert within a shoe.

[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates a side cross-sectional side view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2, in accordance with the first embodiment of the cushioning shoe insert, illustrating various features.

[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2, in accordance with the first embodiment of the cushioning shoe insert, illustrating various features.

[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a cushioning shoe insert, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the cushioning shoe insert is inserted into a shoe.

[0021] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the cushioning shoe insert, in accordance with the second embodiment, wherein a shoe wearer's foot is inserted into the cushioning shoe insert within a shoe.

[0022] FIG. 8 illustrates a side cross-sectional side view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 6, in accordance with the second embodiment of the cushioning shoe insert, illustrating various features.

[0023] FIG. 9 illustrates a plan view of a cushioning shoe insert, in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the cushioning shoe insert is manufactured from a flat sheet of material.

[0024] FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the cushioning shoe insert, in accordance with the third embodiment, wherein the cushioning shoe insert is formed for insertion into a shoe.

[0025] FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the cushioning shoe insert, in accordance with the third embodiment, wherein the cushioning shoe insert is inserted into a shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Following is a description by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings of a manner of constructing and using the cushioning shoe inserts. Example embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. The present disclosure may have additional embodiments, may be practiced without one or more of the details described for any particular described embodiment, or may have any detail described for one particular embodiment practiced with any other detail described for another embodiment. Numerous specific details are set forth as examples and are intended to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0027] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-5 illustrate various views of a cushioning shoe insert 10 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The cushioning shoe insert 10 includes a pad 12 having an inner surface 14 and an outer surface 16. The cushioning shoe insert 10 may include one or more layers of adhesive 18 disposed over at least a portion of the outer surface 16 wherein the adhesive layers 18 are each covered by a flexible nonstick cover 20 having a tab 22 attached thereto. In some embodiments, there may be a single tab 22 attached to one or more flexible nonstick covers 20 whereas in other embodiments there may be one tab 22 for each flexible nonstick cover 20. The tab(s) 22 is (are) configured to protrude from an inner portion of a shoe 21 such that a user may pull upon the tab(s) 22 thereby exposing the layers of adhesive 18 while the cushioning shoe insert, and more particularly the pad 12, is maintained at an optimal location. The pad 12 may be made of low-resilience polyurethane, heat sensitive viscoelastic closed-cell polyurethane, any other type of foam or memory foam, gel, or any another suitable material for use as a cushioning shoe insert. Preferably, the pad 12 is memory foam. The pad may further comprise one or more antimicrobial agents and one or more absorbent layers such as, for example, nonwoven fabric. If such an absorbent layer is included in any particular embodiment, it is preferably adhered to the inner surface 14 of the pad 12 as a lining element for increased comfort.

[0028] As can be seen in FIGS. 2-5, it is an intended purpose of the shoe insert disclosed herein to enable a user to insert the shoe insert into a shoe prior to exposing the layers of adhesive 18. Enabling a user to insert the shoe insert 10 into a shoe prior to exposing the layers of adhesive 18 quite clearly will enable the user to insert and remove the shoe insert 10 any number of times without compromising the integrity or adhesive capabilities of the layers of adhesive 18. Thus, a user is empowered with the ability to place the shoe insert 10 into an inner portion of a shoe 21 along with one of the user's feet in order to determine what, if any, customization of the shoe insert 10 will be needed. For example, a user may wear the shoe insert 10 as she normally would with the exception of the layers of adhesive 18 being non-exposed, and then adjust the shoe insert 10 until it is in an optimal location, and then mark one or more portions of the shoe insert 10, e.g. the pad 12, for trimming, and subsequently remove the shoe insert 10 from the inner portion of the shoe 21 and trim the pad 12. Continuing with this example, the user may then re-insert the shoe insert 10 into the shoe, with the layers of adhesive remaining non-exposed (i.e. covered by the flexible nonstick covers 20), re-adjust the shoe insert 10 into an optimal location, and finally pull upon each tab 22 thereby peeling off the flexible nonstick cover 20 from the layers of adhesive 18. FIG. 3 illustrates the first embodiment of the shoe insert 10 after the user has removed one of two flexible nonstick covers 20 exposing the layer of adhesive 18 which thus adheres the shoe insert 10 to the inner portion 21 of the depicted shoe.

[0029] With particular reference to FIGS. 4-5, the side cross-sectional views taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2 illustrates various features of the cushioning shoe insert 10 and, more particularly, illustrates the preferred embodiment for attaching the tab(s) 22 to the flexible nonstick covers 20. As used herein, distal refers to further from the body and proximal refers to closer to the body. As can be seen, the tab(s) 22 attach to the flexible nonstick cover(s) 20 at generally the distal most region of the flexible nonstick cover 20. As the user pulls upon the tab 22, the flexible nonstick cover 20 is peeled off generally along a fold region 28 which moves generally in the direction of distal to proximal (as indicated by the arrow labeled 29 in FIG. 5) until the nonstick cover 20 is completely removed and can be discarded appropriately. As can be seen with particular clarity in FIG. 5, in some embodiments the tab 22 and flexible nonstick cover 20 features are comprised within a single material, e.g. a single sheet of peel off backing may be used to as accomplish both features. In such embodiments, the material may be folded such that a single continuous surface of the material comes into contact with itself thereby defining the boundary between the flexible nonstick cover 20, which is the portion of the peel off backing in contact with any portion of a layer of adhesive 18, and the tab 22. Suitable peel off backing materials will be sufficiently tear resistant to allow for the user to remove the material notwithstanding the material being essentially squeezed between the inner portion of the shoe and the pad 12. The suitable peel off backing materials will be one or more flexible sheets 23 which preferably comprise at least one release surface (not labeled in FIGS.). The release surface may comprise either silicone or polytetrafluoroethylene or any other suitable material, many of which are well known in many arts. As used herein, the term release surface intended to refer merely to the topology of the flexible sheet and is not to be interpreted as requiring discrete layer over the flexible sheet material. While in a preferred embodiment the flexible sheet 23 is coated with silicone, in other embodiments the material of the flexible sheet itself comprises sufficient topological characteristics to serve independently as the non-stick layer.

[0030] In preferred embodiments, the pad 12 includes at least a lower portion 30 for cushioning a plantar region of a foot, a front region 32 for cushioning a distal region of a foot; and an upper portion 34 for cushioning a dorsal region of a foot. Most preferably, the pad 12 additionally includes an inner portion 31 for cushioning a medial region of a foot and an outer portion 33 for cushioning a lateral portion of a foot. As used herein, medial means towards the center line of the body and lateral means away from the center line of the body. In some embodiments, the lower portion 30 extends generally from past a distal most portion 36 of a user's foot to slightly more proximal than a metatarsal region 38 of a user's foot and is intended to generally spread out vertical forces over the plantar region of a foot. In some embodiments, the front portion 32 generally fills in inner portion 21 of a shoe, wherein the inner portion 21 would otherwise be left generally void in the absence of the cushioning shoe insert 10. For example, typically when a woman wears pointed women's fashion shoes her toes do not fill the entire front inner portion 21 of the shoe which results in a relatively small area of the woman's foot coming into contact with the top line 44 of the shoe. Moreover, a typical women's fashion shoe includes a high heel 46 causing a steep slope 48 down which the user's foot tends to slide thereby causing the relatively small area of the woman's foot in contact with the top line 44 to experience high pressures which often result in blistering or bunions or both. With the inclusion of the front portion 32 the forces normally concentrated along the top line 44 are transferred, at least partially, to the portion of the user's foot contacting the inner surface 14 of the front portion. The upper portion 34 is preferable for similar reasons to the front portion 32 in that both reduce the amount of pressure concentrated along the top line 44.

[0031] Referring particularly to FIGS. 2-3, it can be seen here that although the pad 12 does not extend past the top line 44 of the shoe in the illustration the tabs 22 are sized such that a user would easily be capable of scribing the outer surface of the pad 12 adjacent to the top line 44 such that the pad 12 can be accurately customized for a specific shoe if such customization were needed, e.g. if the pad 12 extended past the top line 44 over the users foot. In some embodiments, the tabs 22 comprise an accordion like sequential fold structure allowing the entire tab 22 to be folded down flat without protruding out of the inner portion of the shoe 21 whilst a user scribes the outer surface of the pad 12. In other embodiments, including the one shown in FIGS. 1-5, a user may also simply fold the tab forward over the front or distal region of the foot as opposed to backward such that the tab does not block the user from scribing any portion of the outer surface of the pad.

[0032] Referring particularly to FIGS. 4-5, it can be seen that the upper portion 34 for cushioning a dorsal region of a foot is of generally constant thickness. However, in many embodiments the thickness of this portion will vary substantially. Preferably, the most distal part of the upper portion 34 will have a larger thickness than the more proximal part of the upper portion 34. Most preferably, the upper portion comprises a maximum thickness generally above the toes region which then tapers into a thinner constant thickness area over the top of the foot proximal of the toes. The constant thickness area is preferably between roughly 1-3 millimeters so that this area can be trimmed just distal from the top line 44 without created a visible gap between the upper foot and the top line 44.

[0033] A second embodiment of the shoe insert 60 is illustrated in FIGS. 6-8. This embodiment comprises a pad 62 having an inner surface 64 configured for cushioning a foot and an outer surface 66 for attachment to an inner portion of a shoe 68. Moreover, this embodiment comprises one or more layers of adhesive (not shown) covered by one or more flexible nonstick covers (not shown) and a means (not shown) for removing the flexible nonstick cover while the pad 62 is compressed against the inner portion of the shoe 68. The means (not shown) may comprise a peel off backing material in accordance with the first embodiment. Alternatively, it may comprise a solution in which the nonstick cover is not folded but rather slides off of the adhesive when pulled upon.

[0034] The second illustrated embodiment, preferably, comprises a foot chock 76 which protrudes generally upwardly from the inner surface 64 and provides support to a metatarsal region of a foot. As used herein, metatarsal refers generally to the region of the foot below the metatarsal bones or just distal of the metatarsal bones. In the preferred embodiment, the foot chock 76 is located just forward of the metatarsal heads of the foot such that support is provided directly to the metatarsal heads from the foot chock 76 thereby reducing the pressure on the toe region of the foot at or near the opening of the shoe. The principle of the foot chock 76 is similar to that of the commonly known tire chock which is simply a wedge or block placed against a tire object to prevent it from moving. As shown in FIG. 7, the foot chock 76 may be configured to generally fill the volume 79 under the location where a user's toes meet the rest of the foot. Due to the already discussed problem of a shoe wearer's toes often being jammed into the inner portion of a shoe, it is easily recognizable that the foot chock 76, by supporting the foot at a location more proximal than the toes, will reduce the pressure and discomfort experienced by a shoe wearer. Especially when a type of shoe or activity causes the user's foot to be forced toward or into the front of the shoe, e.g. sliding down a high heel and being jammed into the front of the shoe.

[0035] A third embodiment of the shoe insert 80 is illustrated in FIGS. 9-11. This embodiment comprises a pad 82 having an inner surface 84 and an outer surface 86. As illustrated, the pad 82 of this embodiment might not comprise an inner portion for cushioning a medial region of a foot and an outer portion for cushioning a lateral portion of a foot. There are at least two reasons why the shoe insert 80 might exclude an inner portion and an outer portion. First, this enables the shoe insert 80 to be constructed simply by cutting a shape out from a flat sheet of pad material and then fold the flat shape into a shoe insert shape 80 so as to create at least a lower portion 88 for cushioning a plantar region of a foot, a front portion 90 for cushioning a distal region of a foot; and an upper portion 92 for cushioning a dorsal region of a foot. FIG. 9 illustrates a blank of such a material having been cut out from a flat sheet of material. Second, because many shoes, and especially women's fashion shoes, have pointed toe regions and therefore narrow toe regions, it may be preferable to maximize space around the sides of the user's foot to decrease pressures. This third embodiment may also comprise one or more layers of adhesive 94 disposed over at least a portion of the outer surface 86 of the shoe inset 80, the adhesive 94 being covered by a nonstick cover 96. As in other embodiment, the nonstick cover 96 is easily removed by pulling upon a tab 98. The nonstick cover may be exposed while the shoe insert is within an inner portion of a shoe 100 with or without a user's foot.

[0036] While preferred and alternate embodiments have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the cushioning shoe insert. Accordingly, the scope of the cushioning shoe insert is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the scope of the cushioning shoe insert should be determined entirely by reference to the claims.