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US 8,490,297 B2Granted
Integrated, cumulative-force-mitigating apparatus, system, and method for substantially-inclined shoes
OwnerGinger Guerrainventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A force-responsive, bladder filled with a flowable, non-gaseous material, and disposed mainly within a recess having an opening presented at a foot-engaging surface of a substantially-inclined, aesthetically-oriented shoe. A compliant, resilient lamina is typically disposed at the foot-engaging surface, overlying at least a portion the opening. In response to a force applied by a user's foot, the bladder deforms both downwardly away from relatively projecting and/or relatively unyielding, pressure-applying portions of the foot, and upward toward other portions of the foot, providing conformal support to the contour of user's foot and attenuating the effects of cumulative forces incurred by the foot.
Claims21
A pressure-responsive footwear system, comprising:
- a substantially-inclined shoe having a posterior portion and an anterior portion and a middle portion disposed therebetween, and further having a foot-supporting portion comprising:
- a unitary, rigid sole portion that is generally incompressible in response to a force applied by a user's foot during use, wherein:
- the rigid sole portion is either a midsole, or an outsole, or a unitary combination of a midsole and an outsole;
- the rigid sole portion includes and extends for at least a first thickness between each of an upwardly-orientated foot-engaging surface and a downwardly-orientated ground-engaging surface,
- the foot-engaging surface includes a first outer boundary, and
- either or both of a posterior portion and a middle portion of the foot-engaging surface is inclined at an angle equal to or greater than approximately fifteen degrees (15°) along an approximately anterior-posterior axis,
- a first recess formed into the foot-engaging surface of the rigid sole portion and positioned within the outer boundary thereof, the recess presenting an opening at the foot-engaging surface and further extending into but not fully through the rigid sole portion, wherein:
- a cross-sectional depth profile of the recess is asymmetric along an anterior-posterior plane extending through the recess,
- a deeper first portion or the recess is disposed closer to the anterior end of the shoe than is a second shallower portion of the recess, and
- inner surfaces of the recess are concavely curved rather thin angular;
- a first leak-resistant, flexible bladder disposed mainly within and conforming dimensionally relative to an inner configuration of the recess;
- a volume of relatively viscous filler material disposed within and filling the bladder, wherein:
- the filler material imparts a suitably high tension at a surface of the bladder,
- a portion of the bladder extends above the foot-engaging surface immediately surrounding the opening of the recess, and
- in response to a three applied downwardly by a portion of a user's foot upon a portion of the bladder during use, the rigid sole portion prevents downward and lateral displacement of the filler material, and instead redirects displacement of the filler material upwardly toward portions of the user's foot located adjacently to the force-applying portion of the user's foot.
12 more elements
A shoe, comprising:
- a rigid sole portion including a ground-engaging surface, an opposing foot-engaging surface, and a rigid foot-supporting material disposed therebetween, wherein:
- the rigid sole portion is either a midsole, or an outsole, or a unitary combination of a midsole and an outsole;
- a first thickness of an anterior portion of the rigid sole portion is equal to or greater than one quarter inch, and
- one or both of a posterior portion and a middle portion of the foot-engaging surface is inclined at an angle equal to or greater than approximately fifteen degrees (15°) along an approximately anterior-posterior axis of the shoe;
- a recess formed into the rigid sole portion with an opening thereto presented at the foot-engaging surface and having an asymmetrical depth profile, wherein;
- a first portion of the recess is formed to a greater depth into the rigid sole portion of the shoe than is at least a second portion of the recess,
- the first portion of the recess is disposed more toward the anterior of the shoe than is the second portion of the recess,
- the recess does not extend fully through the rigid sole portion from the opening at the foot-engaging surface to the ground-engaging surface, and
- adjacent inner surfaces of the recess are coupled by a curved junction disposed therebetween;
- a replaceable, force-deformable bladder disposed mainly within the recess, wherein a portion of the bladder extends downwardly into the recess below the foot-engaging surface and another portion thereof protrudes upwardly through the opening and above the foot-engaging surface;
- a volume of relatively viscous filler material disposed within the bladder, wherein:
- the filler material imparts a suitably high tension at a surface of the bladder,
- a portion of the bladder extends above the foot-engaging surface immediately surrounding the opening of the recess, and
- in response to a force applied downwardly by a portion of a user's foot upon a portion of the bladder during use, the rigid sole portion prevents downward and lateral displacement of the filler material, and instead redirects displacement of the filler material upwardly toward portions of the user's foot located adjacently to the force-applying portion of the user's foot;
- and
- an upper portion coupled with the rigid sole portion and configured to receive and retain a user's foot in position relative to both the foot-engaging surface and the cushioning device, wherein the bladder underlies either or both of a metatarsal-phalangeal junction or a posterior portion of the calcaneus bone of the foot.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.