Internal cushioned metatarsal guard for safety footwear and method of making the same

A safety boot or shoe having improved protection for a wearer's foot metatarsal region, said safety boot comprising:

• an upper having an interior and in-step region;
• an inner lining affixed to said interior of said upper, said inner lining and said interior of said upper defining a void therebetween, said void being located proximate to said in-step region of said upper;
• a sole having a top portion and a toe region, said upper being joined to said sole to define a cavity to accommodate the wearer's foot;
• a rigid toe protector having a cap and sidewalls, said cap being located close adjacent to said interior of said upper, and said sidewalls in substantial abutment with said top surface of said toe region of said sole;
• and
• a flexible metatarsal guard affixed to said inner lining, said metatarsal guard adapted to flex and bend with the wearer's foot such that said metatarsal guard will not inhibit the wearer's full range of motion during natural walking and running movements, said metatarsal guard comprising:
• a segment of impact cushion material;
• a segment of a flexible, cut-resistant material;
• a segment of force absorption material;
• and
• a segment of in-step cushion material, said segments of said metatarsal guard being superimposed upon one another with said segment of impact cushion material being adhesively affixed to segment of a flexible, cut-resistant material, said segment of force absorption material being adhesively affixed to said segment of a flexible, cut-resistant material, and said segment of force absorption material being adhesively affixed to said segment of in-step cushion material to form a flexible sandwich, said flexible sandwich being interposed between said interior of said upper and said inner lining in said void, a portion of said sandwich overlapping a portion of said cap of said rigid toe protector.

A method of making a safety shoe or boot having improved protection for a wearer's foot metatarsal region, said method comprising the steps of:

• attaching an inner lining to an upper, said inner lining and said upper defining a void therebetween;
• joining said upper to a sole, said sole and said upper defining a cavity therebetween to accommodate the wearer's foot;
• producing a flexible metatarsal guard adapted to flex and bend with the wearer's foot such that said metatarsal guard will not inhibit the wearer's full range of motion during natural walking and running movements, said metatarsal guard being produced by assembling the metatarsal guard in consecutive layer fashion, wherein said assembling comprises the steps of:
• affixing a segment of impact cushion material to a segment of a flexible, cut-resistant material;
• and
• affixing a segment of force absorption material to said segment of cut-resistant material;
• and
• after said flexible metatarsal guard has been assembled, inserting said flexible metatarsal guard into said void intermediate said inner lining and said upper located superior the metatarsal region of the wearer's foot.