Back to results
US 6,233,847 B1Granted
Contoured insole for footwear
AssigneeSuperfeet Worldwide, Inc.
InventorDennis N. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An insole assembly for a shoe or other article of footwear. The assembly includes a soft, cushioning foam blank having an upper surface which is contoured to engage the plantar surface of a foot, and a thin, substantially rigid, resiliently flexible cap which is mounted to the bottom of the blank so as to extend around the heel end and forwardly along the medial and lateral sides thereof. The rigid cap includes an upstanding wall which engages and buttresses the perimeter of the foam blank, and a series of medial and lateral flanges which extend across and support the bottom of the blank. The flanges are configured to cooperate with the foam blank to define zones of support in specific areas, with the maximum support and rigidity being provided for the rearfoot and midfoot areas of the foot.
Claims33
An article of footwear having an insole assembly, said insole assembly comprising:
- A substantially soft, resiliently compressible cushioning blank member having an upper surface for engaging a plantar surface of a foot and a bottom surface for engaging a sole of said article of footwear;
- and
- a U-shaped, substantially rigid, resiliently flexible cap member having a rearfoot portion which extends around a heel end of said blank member and medial and lateral side portions which extend forwardly from said rearfoot portion on opposite sides of a central opening in said cap member, said cap member having a relatively thin, substantially uniform thickness and comprising:
- a support wall which extends generally upwardly in engagement with an outer edge of said cushioning blank member;
- and
- first and second support flanges which extend inwardly along said medial and lateral side portions of said cap member in engagement with said bottom surface of said blank member so as to provide relatively greater rigidity and support beneath selected medial and lateral areas of a wearer's foot;
- said first and second flanges being separated by said central opening in said cap member, so that a central portion of said bottom surface of said blank member is unsupported by said rigid cap member so as to provide relatively greater cushioning beneath a selected central area of a wearer's foot.
4 more elements
An article of footwear having an insole assembly, said insole assembly comprising:
- a cushioning blank member formed of a soft, resiliently yieldable material, said blank member having an upper surface for engaging a plantar surface of a wearer's foot and a bottom surface for engaging a sole of said article of footwear;
- and
- a U-shaped cap member formed of a rigid, resiliently flexible material and having medial and lateral side portions and a central opening, said cap member having a relatively thin, uniform thickness and comprising:
- a support wall which extends generally upwardly in engagement with an outer edge of said cushioning blank member;
- and
- at least one support flange which extends generally horizontally from one of said side portions of said cap member in engagement with said bottom surface of said blank member so as to provide additional rigidity and support beneath a selected area of a wearer's foot;
- said medial and lateral side portions of said cap member being separated by said central opening and being joined only by a central portion of said cushioning blank member, so that said soft, resiliently yieldable material of said blank member allows said medial and lateral side portions of said cap member to spread and flex independently under a wearer's foot.
4 more elements
An article of footwear having an insole assembly, said insole assembly comprising:
- a cushioning blank member formed of a soft, resiliently yieldable material, said blank member having an upper surface for engaging a plantar surface of a wearer's foot and a bottom surface for engaging a sole of said article of footwear;
- and
- a U-shaped cap member formed of a rigid, resiliently flexible material, said cap member being configured to cooperate with said cushioning blank member so as to provide zones of differential support beneath a wearer's foot, said cap member having a thin, substantially uniform thickness and comprising:
- a support wall which extends generally upwardly in engagement with an outer edge of said cushioning blank member;
- a horseshoe-shaped support flange which extends generally horizontally in engagement with said bottom surface of said cushioning blank member along a rearward border of an opening in said cap member beneath a heel cup of said blank member, so that said horseshoe-shaped flange cooperates with said soft, resiliently yieldable material of said blank member to provide a first support zone of increased cushioning beneath a heel area of a wearer's foot;
- first and second primary support flanges which extend inwardly along medial and lateral sides of said cap member in engagement with said lower surface of said cushioning blank member, said primary support flanges converging towards a central opening beneath an arch and midfoot area of said cushioning blank member, so that said converging flanges cooperate with said soft, resiliently yieldable material of said blank member to provide a second support zone in which rigidity progressively increases and then decreases in a forward direction beneath an arch and midfoot area of a wearer's foot;
- and
- first and second secondary support flanges which extend inwardly along medial and lateral sides of said cap member in engagement with said bottom surface of said blank member, said secondary flanges being positioned forwardly of said primary support flanges and diverging outwardly from said central opening towards a forward end of said assembly, so that said diverging support flanges cooperate with said soft, resiliently yieldable material of said blank member to provide a third support zone in which rigidity progressively decreases and cushioning progressively increases in a forward direction beneath a distal-midfoot area of a wearer's foot.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.