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US 7,140,125 B2Granted
High-heeled fashion shoe with comfort and performance enhancement features
AssigneeAngela Singleton
InventorsAngela Singleton, Mark Marion, Tiffany Card
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
High-heeled footwear has a heel with a resilient compressible element allowing the heel of the foot to be lowered at heel strike to approximate a normal walking pattern in low-heeled shoes. Preferably, the footwear also includes a midfoot support structure, which may be a sprung footbed, or a sling and reinforcement girder, and which serves to redistribute load from the wearer's forefoot to her midfoot.
Claims25
A high-heeled shoe, comprising:
- an outsole;
- at least a partial shoe upper;
- a high heel block, having a height of 1.5 inches or greater, affixed to said outsole, said high heel block enclosing a heel stem telescopically received in said heel block and downwardly urged by a spring element, said heel stem and heel block being configured to substantially lower a heel of the foot of the wearer during a heel strike;
- and
- a sprung midfoot support structure located above said outsole, said midfoot support structure extending from a heel area of said high-heeled shoe into at least a portion of the midfoot and ball areas of said high-heeled shoe area and distributing a first portion of a load otherwise borne by a ball of the foot of the wearer to a middle portion of the foot of the wearer, and distributing a second portion of the load otherwise borne by a ball of the foot of the wearer to a heel of the foot of the wearer.
2 more elements
A high-heeled shoe, comprising:
- an outsole;
- at least a partial shoe upper;
- a high heel block, having a height of 1.5 inches or greater, affixed to said outsole, said high heel block enclosing a heel stem telescopically received in said heel block and downwardly urged by a spring element, said heel stem and heel block being configured to substantially lower a heel of the foot of the wearer at least 0.5 inches during a heel strike.
A method of walking for a wearer of a high-heeled shoe, comprising:
- placing a shoe having a high heel on a foot of the wearer, the high heel having a spring element allowing a heel stem of the shoe to retract from a first position to a second position such that in the second position the high heel is lowered to change the wearer's walking pattern to a pattern that the wearer would follow if the wearer were wearing a substantially lower heel, and for extending the heel stem of the shoe to return to said first position, thereby raising the high heel of the high-heeled shoe;
- contacting the heel stem of the high heel of the high-heeled shoe with a walking surface, wherein upon contact the spring element is actuated, thereby lowering the high heel from the first position to the second position;
- rolling the foot from the heel to a ball of the foot, wherein the heel leaves the ground and the spring element is released, thereby raising the high heel from the second position to the first position;
- and
- lifting the ball of the foot from the walking surface.
2 more elements
A high-heeled shoe, comprising:
- an outsole;
- at least a partial shoe upper;
- a high heel having a height of 1.5 inches or greater;
- and
- sprung midfoot support structure located above said outsole, said midfoot support structure consisting of a curved plate having a first end located in a heel area of said shoe and extending to a second end located in an area of said shoe for receiving a ball of a foot, said curved plate having a concave upper surface adjacent said second end thereof and distributing a first portion of a load otherwise borne by a ball of the foot of the wearer to a middle portion of the foot of the wearer, and distributing a second portion of the load otherwise borne by a ball of the foot of the wearer to a heel of the foot of the wearer.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.