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AssigneeRoyce Medical Company
InventorsMark D. Holt, Tracy E. Grim, Stacy L. Wyatt
Estimating the term…
Orthopaedic or post-operative footgear is provided with a removable toe piece. The toe piece is secured to the sole of the footgear to protect the toes of a user against cold, dampness, dirt and possible impact, and it is removed from the sole to allow for visual inspection of the user's toes. The toe piece can include an arcuate upper section and a substantially planar lower section, which can be secured to the sole by hook and loop material. The upper of one embodiment of the footgear is open at the toe and has overlapping flaps extending from opposite sides of the sole.
A versatile orthopaedic or postoperative shoe comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Collapsible or convertible: characterised by the upper
Footwear characterised by the material: made at least partially of hook-and-loop type material
Footwear characterised by the shape or the use: collapsible or convertible
Collapsible or convertible: characterised by the attachment between upper and sole
Term ended 28 Nov 2015 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The present invention relates in general to footgear and in particular to an orthopaedic or post-operative shoe.
Foot problems resulting from poor circulation, open sores, and ulcers are commonplace, particularly among geriatric patients and patients suffering from diabetes. These problems make it painful to walk and, therefore, often require surgery.
Following surgery, the foot is typically swollen and extremely tender. It may also have pins and sutures protruding from it. Protection against the environment, for example, against cold, moisture or impacts to the toe, is imperative.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a shoe according to the present invention:
FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1, with the toe assembly being removed from the shoe;
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the toe assembly for the shoe shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the section being taken across lines 3--3 in FIG. 2.
FIGS. 1-3 show a shoe 10 including a sole 12 and an upper 14 for securing the sole 12 to the foot of a user. The upper 14 is open at the toe and includes first and second overlapping flaps 16 and 18 upwardly extending from opposite sides of the sole 12. The upper 14 also includes a rear portion 20 extending from the back of the sole 12, with overlapping forwardly extending flaps 28a and 28b.
The shoe 10 also includes a removable toe assembly 22 for protecting the user's toes against cold, dampness, dirt, possible impact and the like. The toe assembly 22 includes a toe piece 24 and a tongue 26. The toe piece 24 of the toe assembly 22 is securable to, and removable from, the front of the sole 12.
The first and second flaps 16 and 18 and the forwardly extending flaps 28a and 28b can be closed around the user's foot, even if the foot is swollen, bandaged, pinned or otherwise too large to be inserted into a closed shoe. The first and second flaps 16 and 18 are sized to overlap one another when closed over the user's instep. They may be of equal shape and dimension. The rear portion 20 is designed to provide support for the user's ankle. The forwardly extending flaps 28a, 28b of the rear portion 20 are sized to overlap one another when wrapped around the user's ankle.