Cushion insert

#This invention is directed to a cushion insert for sport and athletic soft sided shoes to provide a necessary degree of stability and support for the foot, as well as to permit the location of shock absorption and lateral and medial alignment of the foot relative to the normal configuration of the shoe.

#The closest prior art known to be directed to the problems where the usual soft side athletic shoe has the distinct reaction to adapt its shape to that of the foot of one who wears such a shoe. It is recognized that after a period of use beyond a normal break-in period, the shoe undergoes a change of shape to adapt to any deformity present in the foot. This adaptability of such shoes to make the shoe acquire a comfortable fit forces the shoe to lose its intended support. The structure of the foot is complicated due to the tendency of the many small bones to shift and undergo alignment that is forced by the shape of the foot, rather than to retain the normal configuration and work to retain the foot in its optimum alignment with the leg.

#The insert cushion has an important object to control the interior of a shoe so that the anatomical configuration of the interior will retain its original shape to hold the foot substantially as it is intended. When the insert cushion carries out its configurational fit the shoe will acquire a feel of comfort which improves the mobility of the wearer in both walking or in physical activity.

#The foregoing and other related features of the invention will be set forth in connection with the drawing disclosure which follows.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the foot receiving side of the insert cushion;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the under side of the insert cushion to be received in the interior of a shoe;

#A shoe insert cushion 10 is molded into a form that is suitable to provide an inner shoe shaping configuration seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, and an outer shoe fitting configuration in FIGS. 2 and 4. The cushion is selected from elastomeric or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) material in which the body 10 has a relatively soft structure. The material of the outer flange structure in the heel and arch areas (shaded area) is a relative hard (EVA) material or thermal plastic urethane (TPU) so it can retain its shape, stabilize and support the heel and arch areas of the soft cushion body 10.

#In FIG. 1 there is a one-piece molded body 10 in the shape of a heel cup 11 which has a medial elongated flange 12 and an opposite lateral elongated flange 13. These flange extend into the arch area so the forepart is merely flat. The body 10 is molded from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) material that is relatively soft. When the molded body 10 is turned over with its bottom showing, as in FIG. 2, there is a molded formation that is integral with the body 10 but shaped to have an end 14 under the heel cup 11, an elongated flange 15 underlying the medial flange 12, and another elongated flange 16 underlying the lateral flange 13. The preferred embodiment has a body of less dense EVA material than the flanges 15 and 16 (EVA) material.

#Returning to FIG. 1, the body 10 has the flanges 12 and 13 embracing an interior liner 17 that extends forward and is aligned over the forepart 18 of the cushion. The liner 17 and forepart 18 are shaped to match an underlying cushion ply 19, while the body 10 has a forepart ply 10A that is shaped to match the cushion ply 19. Flexibility of the ply 10A is improved by the formation of triangular notches 20 and 21.