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US 5,528,842 AGranted
Insert for a shoe sole
AssigneeThe Rockport Company, Inc.
InventorsGordon K. Ricci, Christopher J. Pawlus, Rebecca E. Snow, Peter M. Foley, Paul E. Litchfield, Spencer White
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An insert for a shoe sole includes a heel lever which absorbs energy from the foot during heel strike and returns the energy to the foot during heel lift-off.
Claims20
A foot support comprising:
- a sole body having a toe end, a medial side, a lateral side, and a heel end;
- a substantially hollow cavity formed within said sole body, said cavity defined by two sidewalls, a front wall, a rear wall and an insert support surface;
- and
- a flexible insert disposed within and partially filling said cavity which responds to body weight shifting of the wearer in the same manner as the longitudinal arch of the foot of said wearer, said insert including
- (a) a forward end, a heel terminus, a lateral side and a medial side;
- (b) a bottom surface shaped correspondingly to said insert support surface;
- (c) a generally arcuate arch support surface which follows the contour of the longitudinal arch of the foot, disposed between said forward end and said heel terminus of said insert;
- (d) a heel lever disposed between said arch support surface and said heel terminus at an angle to said arch support surface;
- and
- (e) a heel incline surface disposed between said heel lever and said arch support surface, wherein said heel incline surface and said heel lever define a substantially V-shaped heel support including a fulcrum at the junction of said heel incline surface and said heel lever which supports said heel support;
- wherein said heel support absorbs energy from the impact of the foot of a user during heel strike and returns said stored energy to the foot of a user upon heel lift off.
8 more elements
A foot support comprising:
- a sole body including a forward end and a heel end;
- a substantially hollow cavity formed within said sole body, said cavity defined by two sidewalls, a front wall, a rear wall and an insert support surface;
- and
- a flexible insert disposed within and partially filling said cavity, said insert including
- (a) a forward end, a heel terminus, a lateral side and a medial side;
- (b) a bottom surface shaped correspondingly to said insert support surface;
- and
- (c) a heel lever and a heel incline surface, wherein said heel lever and said heel incline surface define a substantially V-shaped heel support including a fulcrum at the junction of said heel incline surface and said heel lever which supports said heel support;
- wherein said heel support absorbs energy from the impact of the foot of a user during heel strike and returns said stored energy to the foot of a user upon heel lift off.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.