Back to results
US 6,618,960 B2Granted
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.
Claims25
An insole assembly for an article of footwear, 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 a shoe;
- 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 extending generally upwardly in engagement with an outer edge of said cushioning blank member so as to provide support therefore and comprising:
- 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;
- and
- said first and second flanges protruding into and 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 reletively greater cushioning beneath a selected central area of a wearer's foot.
3 more elements
An insole assembly for an article of footwear, 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 a shoe, said cushioning blank member comprising:
- a downwardly concave heel cup portion for engaging a heel of a wearer's foot;
- and
- an upwardly arched midfoot portion for engaging an arch portion of a wearer's foot;
- 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 extending generally upwardly in engagement with an outer edge of said cushioning blank member so as to provide support therefore and comprising:
- 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;
- said first and second flanges each comprising:
- first and second primary flange portions which extend inwardly across said bottom surface of said blank member under said midfoot portion thereof, said first and second primary flange portions each having edges following a generally arcuate path between rearward and forward end points, said forward end point of said edge of said flange portion on said medial side of said blank member being located longitudinally forward of said forward end point of said flange portion on said lateral side of said blank member, so that said forward end points of said flange portions define a forward border of an area of support between said primary flange portions which extends at a predetermined rearward angle from said medial to said lateral side of said blank member.
7 more elements
An insole assembly for an article of footwear, 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 a shoe, 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 extending generally upwardly in engagement with an outer edge of said cushioning blank member so as to provide support therefore and comprising:
- 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 flange on said medial side of said blank member having a forward end that is located longitudinally forward of a forward end of said flange on said lateral side of said blank member, so that said forward ends of said flanges define a forward border of an area of support between said flanges which extends at a predetermined rearward angle from said medial to said lateral side of said blank member;
- and
- said first and second flanges projecting into and 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.
2 more elements
An insole assembly for an article of footwear, 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 a shoe, said cushioning blank member comprising:
- a downwardly concave heel cup portion for engaging a heel of a wearer's foot;
- and
- an upwardly arched midfoot portion for engaging an arch portion of a wearer's foot;
- 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 extending generally upwardly in engagement with an outer edge of said cushioning blank member so as to provide support therefore and comprising:
- 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;
- said first and second flanges each comprising:
- first and second primary flange portions which extend inwardly across said bottom surface of said blank member under said midfoot portion thereof, said first and second primary flange portions each having edges following a generally arcuate path between rearward and forward end points;
- and
- first and second secondary flange portions that extend inwardly across said bottom surface of said blank member under said midfoot portion thereof forwardly of said primary flange portions.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.