Inflatable stuffing for footwear

A gas-inflatable stuffing for insertion into, and removal from, footwear, comprising:

• a pair of overlying, generally L-shaped, planar sheets of synthetic plastic material having outer peripheral edges;
• said sheets being heat-sealed together along a heat-fused seal spaced inwardly of the outer peripheral edges;
• said sealed sheets having a rear heel region, a front toe region, a sole region extending in a longitudinal direction between the rear heel region and the front toe region, front and rear ankle regions spaced apart along the longitudinal direction above the rear heel region, and front and rear gas inlet regions extending in a transverse direction upwardly from the front and rear ankle regions, respectively;
• said seal extending in the longitudinal direction from the rear heel region along the sole region to the front toe region;
• said seal also extending in the longitudinal direction from the front toe region to the front ankle region and continuing in the transverse direction along the front gas inlet region, said seal further extending in the transverse direction from the rear heel region to the rear ankle region and continuing in the transverse direction along the rear gas inlet region;
• said front and rear gas inlet regions being spaced apart along the longitudinal direction to bound a gas inlet having an upper open end through which gas is introduced between the sheets to inflate the stuffing;
• and a heat-fused closure seal extending along the longitudinal direction across and closing said upper open end to seal the inflated stuffing.