US20200054091A1

US20200054091A1 - Differential shock absorbing high heel foot insole system

Info

Publication number: US20200054091A1
Application number: US16/348,488
Authority: US
Inventors: Susana Irene SCHNEIDER
Original assignee: Ihrenes Enterprises LLC
Current assignee: Ihrenes Enterprises LLC
Priority date: 2016-11-09
Filing date: 2017-11-09
Publication date: 2020-02-20
Also published as: WO2018089665A1

Abstract

The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System is a differential shock absorption system designed to effectively absorb the shock while providing the comfort to the wearer of the high heels, especially the highest ones. The system provides an effective solution minimize the excruciating pain being felt when wearing high heels, especially the highest ones. The pain felt is a result to the repeated shocks experienced by a very small area of the underfoot each time the human foot undergoes a step in high heels. Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System takes into account a correct estimation of the materials compression force deflection and peak deceleration properties, providing the correct level of shock absorption required parameters, plus the added cushioning effect for comfort of the wearer, which are crucial in the material selection to absorb the shocks when wearing high heels, something which other products out on the market and/or solutions proposed are lacking of.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/419,783 filed Nov. 9, 2016, and entitled “Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System-2,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention herein described, the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System pertains to the field of foot insoles of the type which can be placed particularly inside high heel shoes and are independent of the shoes themselves because they are each stand-alone pieces which can be taken in or out of the shoes at any time with ease and without alteration to the shoe itself.
The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System herein described provides a differential shock absorption system which allows for effective high shock absorption and dampening, in addition to an added cushioning capability for the wearers comfort, that can absorb the multiple fast pressure/force shocks experienced by the human foot when wearing and walking in high heel shoes especially the very high ones (from 5 cm heel height and upwards) by means of an innovative design that encompasses ultra-thin single and/or multilayered designs of a combination of slow and fast rebound shock absorbers that optimally absorb and damp the shock taking into account the different weight ranges of the user providing ultimate comfort to the wearer. In addition the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System herein described is strategically placed inside the shoe (FIG. 3) and under the foot in a very small approximately rectangular area which is located where the toes meet the rest of the foot to absorb the shock which is effectively felt and suffered at its maximum (FIG. 4). In conclusion, the present invention having both types of shock absorbing materials as a double layer as well as the cushioning material offer both the required cushioning effect for comfort and the shock absorption capabilities for a wide range of human weights. Although the figures illustrate an embodiment of the present invention as generally rectangular in shape, it is not limited to this shape. Alternative embodiments may be oval or any other suitable shape.
The innovative Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System described herein solves the problem of pain caused when wearing high heels by offering an effective solution especially for the very high ones. The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System is a differential shock absorption system designed to absorb the full shock while providing the comfort to the wearer of the high heels, especially the highest ones.
The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System provides an effective solution that minimizes the excruciating pain felt when wearing high heels especially the highest ones. The pain felt is a result of the repeated shocks experienced by a very small area of the underfoot each time the human foot undergoes a step in high heels. Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System takes into account a correct estimation of the materials' compression force deflection and peak deceleration properties, providing the correct level of shock absorption required parameters, which are crucial in the material selection to absorb the shocks when wearing high heels, something which other products out on the market and/or solutions proposed are lacking of and fail to do.
Up until now, several solutions have been proposed to solve the problem of pain experienced while wearing high heels. However, all of these solutions have targeted the problem from an incomplete and/or wrong perspective, either from a purely orthopedic one, or from a localized perspective, or from a shoe design perspective which severely limits the choice of the users/clients. None of these approaches offer a fully effective solution because they fail to address the true root cause of the problem causing the pain.
The root cause of the problem is the highly increased shocks, and fast repeated shocks (when walking) which is endured by a very small affected area on the bottom side of the human foot at the juncture between the origin of the toes and the rest of the foot (FIG. 4), each time the human foot takes a step when wearing high heels, due to the unnatural position to the human foot, it is only this very small area which is primarily exposed to this massive pressure shock. In fact, a careful study of the problem shows that the higher the high heels the smaller the surface area affected which endures the shocks and impact forces due to the whole body weight force being channeled to impact onto the small area of approximately less than 45 cm squared at the juncture of the toes and the rest of the foot and a mayor part of the shock is mostly located under the juncture of the big toe. This is the reason that some designs of the herein described Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System include a slightly thicker area under the juncture of the big toe, on the first layer of the piece, which is the slow rebound shock absorption layer.
The true root cause of the problem of the pain felt when wearing very high heels lies in the fact that the human foot is naturally designed to withstand and absorb the movement shocks by buffering it with the entire joint complex set of muscles throughout the whole foot structure, however when wearing high heels, only this very small part of the human foot (as depicted in FIG. 4), absorbs the majority of the shock impact, but it is not naturally designed to withstand such high pressure shocks on its own and thus the pain ensues.
The orthopedic solutions approach, by studying the foot and its movements, has failed to solve the pain arising from wearing high heels because it has not understood correctly the origin of the pain and therefore its cause, providing only a band aid type of solutions which are localized and thus not efficient and the pain actually returns after a few minutes of wearing them. Other solutions have provided only mild cushioning effects to the whole under side of the whole foot thereby being unable to satisfactorily understand that such mildly cushioning solutions are not able nor enough to absorb the high shocks suffered by the small area of the underside of the foot when wearing high heels and especially very high ones. In other words, they fall extremely short and thus only ease the pain mildly and only for the first few minutes after which the excruciating pain returns and remains.
In addition to this, the prior art solutions fail to even consider the true root of the problem which must be analyzed from the shock absorption perspective. The prior art fails to provide the correct assessment as to how much shock impact the human foot takes and fails to identify the exact location of where this shock is primarily produced, and fails to calculate such shock per ranges of human body weight thereby failing to select the correct shock absorption material specifications. Furthermore, the prior art offers a pressure per inch (psi) shock absorption range of in between 2 and 12 psi which is severely underestimated. The reason for this is that those other calculations if any, have wrongly considered an incorrect surface are as (a) the whole foot, or (b) the whole forefront of the underside of the foot. Because these areas are both much greater than the area affected enduring the shock, the compression force deflection and peak deceleration parameters required by a material to serve this purpose have been greatly underestimated.
The inventor of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System has performed detailed calculations of the pressure shocks endured by the small affected area of approximately 45 cm squared which is located under the foot fingers junctures (FIG. 4), and has seen that these shocks are much greater when wearing high heels, and especially very high heels, and when the inventor tested the prior art materials inside the high heels, these greatly underestimate the shock absorption parameters to be used to work efficiently and that is the reason why the pain ensues when wearing high heels with the prior art products. Thus, the adequate parameters of choice must then be increased and changed as to fit the experimental results of actual women wearing the high heels. This is effectively achieved with the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System herein described. Thus, prior art solutions are greatly missing the appropriate material technical specification parameters because of the wrong choice of materials and the positioning of the materials themselves within the shoe or outside of it.
In addition, the prior art solutions fail to provide a realistic and comfortable product for the high heel wearers because (a) they mostly all offering solutions which embed the cushioning materials into the shoe itself thereby limiting severely the choice to the high heel customer; and, (b) none of the existing prior art solutions offer a pleasantly aesthetic component to the product, especially the ones which are external to the shoe which are quite unpleasant to the eyesight and thus take away from the fashionable shoes' glamorous and/or luxurious appeal.
The existing solutions which are external are of two types: (a) a whole underfoot coverage of a light cushioning or anti-sliding materials such as flexible soft silicone gels which offer infinitesimal or basically no shock absorption properties are unsuitable for the high heel wearer as they are not absorbing the shock and thus do not take away the pain when wearing the high heels; and, (b) an insole piece which covers the whole forefront of the foot. This type of solution is inefficient due to the fact that the actual shock is felt and endured not over the whole forefront of the foot but only very the small section under the forefront of the foot, which sits at the intersection of the origin of the toes and the rest of the foot (FIG. 4). This is where the shock is effectively felt and when there is no appropriate shock absorption there the pain ensues. In addition to this fact, this type of insole piece takes space where it does not need to, for instance at the top front of the foot adding an extra thickness where the high heel is the most narrow and thus pressing the toes against the ceiling of the inside of the high heel, adding to the lack of comfort and possibly extra pain. At the top front of the high heel shoe there is just enough room to fit in the toes and even so most fashion high heels, especially the most luxurious are even narrower. Thus this type of solution actually adds to the problem while providing no solution to the pain. The prior art solutions are furthermore made out of flexible silicone gels which provide an anti-sliding effect and not a shock absorption effect. Thus they are solving a different problem that one of the foot which slides when there is sweating involved especially in the summer and when wearing high heel sandal shoes. However, they are not really effective with high heel closed shoes for the aforementioned reasons. Adding yet another point, these solutions offer no aesthetic factor to the client and thus are avoided by the fashion conscious clientele who does not want to be seen with an anti-aesthetic piece inside luxury and fashionable shoes.
Examples of prior art trying to solve the same or similar problems, but fail to do so effectively include:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,047,669, 7,526,880, 7,614,164, and 7,962,986 have the insole embedded into shoe. The insole piece is embedded into the shoe and is not removable and not portable. This type of solution only serves the actual shoe which has it embedded within its design and thus it is greatly limited in its scope and marketability. Users don't wear the same shoe all the time nor do they want to be forced to by a certain shoe brand which has this insole embedded into its design and not removable. To this solution the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System offers a great innovation in that it is not embedded and it is a stand-alone piece of insole which can be placed into the shoe and taken out at will of customer. Furthermore, the present invention's small size and ultra-light weight makes it easy portable into a small purse, fashion clutch and pocket pants or jeans for the user to carry it without any hassle. It can then be inserted into any high heel show the user desires.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,362 lacks shock absorption and erroneously identifies the problem. The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System is made of several layers being the main performing ones of true shock absorbing materials and another for cushioning which adds in the extra comfort. These materials go beyond offering some mild cushioning effect as the prior art solutions claim and do, to actually absorb the impact that each step taken with a high heel will be otherwise absorbed by an extremely small and thin layer of fat under the toes which is what is causing the extreme pain. While the other foot insoles are providing a mild cushioning effect none are using the shock absorbing materials which are needed to absorb the impact inflicted on the small surface under the toes by the human feet. The prior art solutions show that a clear understanding of the problem at hand has not been achieved and thus a lesser effective solution is achieved. The innovation presented by the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System resides in the correct identification of the root cause of the problem which allows for the correct choice of materials and strategically optimized placement of them into one shoe. The present invention is a portable and removable piece within the shoe.
The impact endured by the human foot is being up taken only by an extremely small area of the foot located right under the toes. This impact is extremely high for the small absorption capability that the natural ultra-thin layer of fat that the human foot is naturally endowed with, which logically was not designed to wear high heels and would otherwise work well under natural circumstances. However, when high heels are worn, the higher they are the larger the impact which is endured by this small area under the toes. The larger the weight of the person the larger the pressure impact endured per second by the underside of the toes of the foot. It is a problem of physics in that a sequence of shock must be absorbed while cushioning must be provided to reduce and minimize the pain endured by the impacted area under the foot fingers/toes and thus by the wearer.
This prior art reference also fails to address the problem because the insole piece is placed between the toes. The problem is not the toes being placed together. Placing the insole between the toes will add to the pain suffered, especially because inside a high heel shoe there is already no spare room for the toes, and thus placing anything between the toes will add much more to the pain suffered. Additionally, it provides little or no shock absorption. Finally, this solution will not only not absorb the shock which causes the pain when wearing high heels but will also add another extra pain which is the toe separation and less room for front toes within shoe creating a whole new set of problems resulting in more pain.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,142 fails to address the problems because it erroneously identifies the problem. The problem is partly arising from the unnatural position of foot in high heel; however, the main problem of pain is the massive impact endured by the ultra-small area under the toes when the foot is highly inclined under very high heels position, when the barefoot is designed to use most of its surface areas on the bottom of the foot and muscles and/or tendons, etc., to absorb the impacts from the shocks when walking, jumping and running. However when the foot is placed in a high heel shoe, it can only use the smallest area under the toes inside under the foot for shock absorption as it is the only point of contact with surface, thus reducing highly the impact absorption surface area and increasing greatly the pressure per inch inflicted.
Additionally, this prior art solution is centered around increasing the curve of the foot which will increase the unnaturalness of the human foot position and limit further its degrees of freedom of movement and thus adding to the pain. This further inclination of the foot will further reduce the surface area under the toes which is already enduring the pain due to the increased shock absorption. When reducing the impact surface area, the pressure is increased per surface area, and the pain increases as well. Additionally, the insole piece is as well embedded into the shoe design.
US Patent Application 2011/0113647 A1 fails to address the problems because its design is too cumbersome and complicated as it requires a mold of each foot being tested and thus it would not be a marketable as a “one fits all” solution. The solution offered here requires a mold to be done of the customer's foot. It is known that each person has characteristically different feet shapes and sizes thus to make a mold of the foot of a customer and then a resulting insole for that customer is a solution that pertains more to an customizable orthopedics solution and which is already in practice at very high costs at the orthopedic clinics and by doctors' orders it is performed for patients of special needs. However, this solution is not a marketable one to the wide audience nor is it scalable or commercial in large scales, because each shoe would have to be designed to fit or specialized orthopedics shoe shops, that specific molded insole made only for that specific client or patient.
Additionally, this prior art insole is a full foot insole and thus it is not a suitable solution for high heel sandals or for high heel shoes as it would add one more size or more to the actual shoe. The high heels are already tight inside and the designs do not allow for extra room inside the shoes. In addition to this, the person would have to buy at least one more size to her normal shoe size and thus have shoes of different sizes which cannot be worn other than with the full piece insoles inside of them. Women are particularly sensitive to foot size being always considered more elegant and more desirable to have smaller feet at least in appearance. Thus adding sizes to high heel shoes would not be a highly marketable solution to the high heel niche market segment. This solution offers no innovation since this type of solution already exists within the orthopedic shoe industry.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System is a differential shock absorption system designed to effectively absorb shock while providing the comfort to the wearer of the high heels, especially the highest ones. The system provides an effective solution to minimize the excruciating pain being felt when wearing high heels especially the highest ones. The pain felt is a result of the repeated shocks experienced by a very small area of the underfoot each time the human foot undergoes a step in high heels. The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System takes into account a correct estimation of the materials compression force deflection and peak deceleration properties, providing the correct and/or optimal level of shock absorption required parameters with its choice of shock absorbing materials plus the added adequate level of cushioning material layer, which are crucial in the material selection to absorb the shocks when wearing high heels, something which other products out on the market and/or solutions proposed are failing to do.
An embodiment of the present invention is a differential shock absorbing foot insole system for a high heel shoe comprising a slow rebound layer and a fast rebound layer. The slow rebound layer is characterized with a first compression force deflection of about 25% with a compressive force of from about 4 to about 20 psi applied thereto. The fast rebound layer is characterized with a second compression force deflection of about 25% with a compressive force of from about 5 to about 45 psi applied thereto. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system is removably adhered to the high heel shoe; and, the slow rebound layer is in contact with a juncture formed between toes and balls of a foot of a wearer of the high heel shoe.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the differential shock absorbing foot insole system further comprises an anti-skid layer, wherein the anti-skid layer is adjacent to the fast rebound layer.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the differential shock absorbing foot insole system further comprises a textile fabric layer and an anti-skid layer. The textile fabric layer is removably attached to and envelopes the slow rebound layer and the fast rebound layer. The anti-skid layer is adjacent to the textile fabric layer.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the fast rebound layer has a higher density than the slow rebound layer.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is about 45 cm squared.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the slow rebound layer is a first shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof; and, the fast rebound layer is a second shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the first shock absorbing material is urethane; and, the second shock absorbing material is urethane.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the first shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane; and, the second shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is oval.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is rectangular.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the the fast rebound layer has a higher density than the slow rebound layer.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the fast rebound layer is characterized with a second compression force deflection of about 75% with a compressive force of about 100 psi applied thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The advantages and features of the present invention will be better understood as the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System with its multi layered design.

FIG. 2 illustrates side cross-sectional view of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System.

FIG. 3 presents a view of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System placed inside the shoe and which is removable.

FIG. 4 shows the small affected surface area under the foot where the shock impact is felt in the human foot while wearing high heels, especially the highest ones.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The figures illustrate embodiments of the present invention where the a differential shock absorbing foot insole system 100 for a high heel shoe 7 comprises a slow rebound layer 1, 4 and a fast rebound layer 2, 5. The slow rebound layer 1, 4 is characterized with a first compression force deflection of about 25% with a compressive force of from about 4 to about 20 psi applied thereto. The fast rebound layer 2, 5 is characterized with a second compression force deflection of about 25% with a compressive force of from about 5 to about 45 psi applied thereto. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system 100 is removably adhered to the high heel shoe 7; and, the slow rebound layer 1, 4 is in contact with a juncture 10 formed between toes and balls of a foot of a wearer 11 of the high heel shoe 7. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system 100 may further comprise an anti-skid layer 6, wherein the anti-skid layer 6 is adjacent to the fast rebound layer 2, 5. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system 100 may further comprise a textile fabric layer 9, wherein the textile fabric layer 9 is removably attached to the slow rebound layer 1, 4 and the fast rebound layer 2, 5. The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System herein described provides effective high shock absorption and buffering that can absorb the multiple pressure shocks experienced by the human foot when wearing high heel shoes, especially the very high ones (from 5 cm heel height and upwards) by means of an innovative design that encompasses a differential shock absorption system constructed with an ultra-thin single and/or multilayered combination of slow and fast rebound high shock absorbent materials that optimally absorbs and damps the shocks taking into account the weight range of the user providing ultimate comfort to the wearer of high heels and especially very high heel shoes of a heel height over 5 cm and upwards. The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System herein described is unique in that it is strategically placed inside the shoe (FIG. 3) and under the foot in a very small approximately rectangular area which is located where the toes meet the rest of the foot to absorb the shock which is felt and suffered at its maximum (FIG. 4). Other foot insoles provide little or no shock absorption due to the fact that the choice of materials is not optimally suited for shock absorption applications and they are not positioned in the right area where the shock is suffered. Thus, they provide little or no shock absorption and no ease of pain when wearing high heels despite their marketing claims.
FIG. 1 shows a top view of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System where (1) points to the top slow rebound shock absorbing material component and (2) points to the rest of the system which includes the fast rebound shock absorbing material component and the anti-sliding component. The piece can be made with only one shock absorbing layer which could be either made of one shock absorber with single shock absorbing parameters or with differential shock absorbing parameters (the shock is absorbed in a differential manner across the material layer). This last type of material can be a dual shock absorber which is integrated within one single material layer consisting of a slow and fast rebound portions or sections of the same material layer.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System where (3) points to the area under the origin and juncture of the big toe with the rest of the foot on the slow rebound shock absorbing material which has a slightly increased thickness in some embodiments. (4) points to the slow rebound layer component of the shock absorbing material of a compression force deflection in between an approximate range from about 4 to about 20 psi, and as high as about 55 psi, @ 25% max to provide comfort in addition to the shock absorption component. (5) points to the fast rebound high shock absorbing material of a compression force deflection in between an approximate range from about 5 to about 45 psi @ 25% max and up to about 100 psi @ 75% max. Compression Force Deflection is a measure of the shock absorption material's firmness, stiffness, or load capacity. The compression force deflection measurements result from applying 0.2″/min strain rate force measured @ 25% deflection. The measure of the compression force deflection takes into account the spring factor of the foams, which is a partial measure of shock absorption. The recovery is given as the ratio of the 25% deflection of release of the load to the original 25% deflection and it is expressed as a percentage. The ranges provided allow for differences in the user's foot sizes, weights, and shock absorbing preferences.
(6) Points to the ultra-thin anti-sliding flexible material (as for example TPU glycerine and materials of similar characteristics) to provide the required adherence of the foot insole piece in the right location as shown in FIG. 3 and providing adherence to the interior of the shoe without ripping the material of the interior of the shoe and while being able take out the foot insole piece from the shoe as desired by the user without any alteration to the shoe itself.
In FIG. 3, (7) points to the shoe, (8) points to the positioning of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System within the shoe.
The herein described Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System is designed taking into account the weight range of the wearer and works by differentially absorbing the shock and dampening the high force pressures and impact force shocks endured by a very small affected area under the bottom side of the human foot located exactly at the juncture between the origin of the toes and the rest of the foot when wearing high heels and especially the highest heels (5 cm and upwards of heel height)
FIG. 4 illustrates the area of impact where the shock is endured on the foot. The approximate dimensions of the area of impact is about 9 cm in length by 5 cm in width under the foot, and is thus of an approximate surface area of 45 cm squared for a foot of a size 7 (US size) or 37 (European size). The area of impact will be smaller for smaller feet and greater for bigger feet. Each time the human foot takes a step when wearing high heels, due to the unnatural position to the human foot it is only this very small area which is exposed to this massive pressure shock and must endure it. Because the human foot is naturally designed to withstand and absorb the movement shocks by buffering it with the entire joint complex set of muscles and tendons throughout the whole foot structure this very small part of the human foot is not naturally designed to withstand such high pressure shocks on its own and thus the pain ensues. In fact, this effective area becomes smaller as the high heel height increases and in addition to this, the small area under the juncture of the big toe endures maximum shocks the higher the heels. The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System includes in its multilayered design, a combination of effective shock absorbing materials with a fast rebound layer component which with some designs can include a slightly thicker portion of the first layer to provide added impact absorption for the big toe underfoot juncture area. The next layer is a slow rebound layer component serving a multipurpose: provide comfort when walking and absorbing the rest of the shock which is then effectively damped by the combination of both horizontal layers. A slow rebound shock absorbing layer allows for the foot to comfortably take in the step sinking in slightly to provide the comfort and by transferring the rest of the shock to the second layer down, where the fast rebound shock absorber layer under it then absorbs the rest of the shock while rebounding and recuperating fast enough to take in the next step. This is then a differential shock absorption system designed to absorb the full and repeated shocks, experienced by the foot each time the human foot undergoes a step in high heels, while providing the comfort to the wearer of the high heels, especially the highest ones. The piece can be made of one shock absorption layer or more than one, depending on the usage desired, as there are several embodiments, shapes and sizes using this same principle. The Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System is designed to be customized to average weight ranges of high heel foot wearers. The faster the shock is applied the higher the forces which are suffered by the small area under to foot. The required force applied per surface area per weight range alone is not sufficient to properly address the problem at hand, and actually constitutes only a minimum value of reference required to start dampening part of the shock applied.
Thus a careful estimation of the materials compression force deflection and the peak deceleration properties of the materials, that indicate the correct level of shock absorption required parameters, are useful in the material selection to absorb the shocks when wearing high heels, something which the prior art solutions proposed are failing to do so. An effective solution must then account as well for the materials compression force deflection and the peak acceleration factor to provide the correct shock absorption as described herein. In addition to compression force deflection measurements, the peak deceleration of the may be used to characterize the slow rebound layer and fast rebound layer. The slow rebound layer and the fast rebound layer have peak deceleration values ranging from about 25 g's to about 50 g's, where is gravitational force, being this range of shock absorption measures clearly superior or outperforming that of any other foams and gels used for this application. The lower the g value, the better the shock absorption. The present invention having both the slow rebound layer and fast rebound layer for shock absorbing and cushioning provides the comfort for a wide range of human weights.
The variation with the different foot sizes has as well been considered when designing the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System endured and it has been found that the general of dimensions of approximately 45 cm squared, as one embodiment, and varies very slightly with foot size.
Various embodiments of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System may be made with a single or multilayer design including the following main material layers:
The First Main Material Layer: A main layer can be a single layer or a dual layered high shock absorption material combination with a slow rebound-fast rebound component combination, of different densities. The first layer part is a slow rebound absorption layer with a lower density than the second layer, flexible and soft enough to provide comfort to the foot during the impact; however, at the same time possess the adequate shock absorption technical specifications to absorb the initial part of the shock required for each of the defined main human body ranges. The slower rebound factors and densities provide a slight recovery from the impact and thus a softer feel and comfort to the foot. The second layer under the first layer is the fast rebound shock absorption material, which can rebound very fast thus recovering the shape of the material right away to be ready to take repeated impact shocks in each next impact or step for either high heel foot walking or even running in high heels, and thus is able to provide the effective full absorption of the remaining and main part of the shock. This second layer is of a higher density. In the differential shock absorption system of the present invention, the first shock that is caused by the first step (by walking or running) is partially absorbed and moderated providing a “slow rebound effect” to bounce the shock softly back while the fast rebound layer restores the present invention back to its original shape thereby readying the present invention in a timely manner for the next step.
Materials suited for the application herein presented by the present invention for a shock absorption high heel foot insole would be high shock absorption materials of the absorption capabilities of composites and combinations of polyurethanes and urethanes especially of the open cell types, which provide faster recoveries, and which possess an ample range of tensile strengths and compression force deflection parameters from about 5 to about 45 psi @ 25% max, to about 100 psi @ 75% max. For example, one embodiment of the present invention may utilize PORON, an open cell urethane, and is characterized with a compression force deflection of about 70% to about 75% with a compressive force of about 100 psi. These types of materials are able to absorb very high shocks with fast impact sequence without deformation and thus are ideally suited for very high heel extensive wear where the full force impact is felt on the very small area under the foot at the juncture of the toes with the rest of the feet and thus the shocks felt are very high. In addition, other materials are well suited for this purpose but which however possess lesser lifetime duration and inferior performance characteristics for this particular application are Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and/or Polyurethane (PU) foams which can possess the corresponding and appropriate shock absorption specifications required to properly absorb the shocks impinged on the small underside forepart of the foot.
The Second Main Material Layer: A textile fabric layer surrounding the shock absorption material to provide added comfort to the contact with the human skin as well as providing an aesthetic component with catchy designs to the fashionable clientele as well as customized to each of the fashion lines for the type of shoe and wear scenarios of the consumer. In this manner this shock absorption high heel foot insole offers the first of its kind type of lingerie to the foot as it is the first eye catching fashionable foot insole, which will be in line with the fashion latest trends and produced in the lines that target each use, such as Everyday use lines, Glamorous use lines, and Fun use lines for the young clientele. The different fabrics will have different prints and styles suited for each of these lines of the product.
The Third Main Material Layer: A third layer which is permanently attached to the rest of the foot insole piece serving as an anti-skid/anti-slid piece of material to be in contact in between the foot insole piece and the interior of the shoe. This layer is made of a type of TPU glycerine or materials of similar characteristics, cut to ultra-thin thickness to prevent adding additional thickness to the insole piece, and which adapts to the shape of the piece and follows the contour of the shoe to which it is adhering yet not glued to, nor permanently attached to the shoe. It can as well be made of a semi-adhesive or sticky material; however, one which will not adhere permanently to the interior of the shoe as the herein described shock absorption high heel foot insole must be able to be put in and out of this shoe at will without altering any of the pieces nor the interior of the shoe.
The herein described Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System may comprise 1, 2, 3 or 4 different layers. Alternative designs can include but are not limited to:
One alternative embodiment of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System may be made a single layer of absorption material of sufficient thickness to feel the comfort and to relieve the pain with or without the textile fabric around it but with the anti-sliding layer (FIG. 2) for anti-skid effect of the piece within the shoe.
Another alternative embodiment of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System may be made with a single layer of shock absorption material of sufficient thickness and hardness to provide the comfort and needed shock absorption to relieve the pain and without the 2nd textile fabric layer and instead the prints for the design of the fashion style would be imprinted onto the shock absorption material. Thus, this other design of the presently described shock absorption high heel foot insole would be made of only 2 distinctive layers instead of three (counting the anti-slide layer).
Yet another alternative embodiment of the Differential Shock Absorbing High Heel Foot Insole System may be made with the textile fabric layer being removable and washable. The inner shock absorption material layer would be fitted into the outer fabric layer in a modular manner. The user could insert different shock absorbing layers into different textile layer designs for each usage and shoe occasion. Making the piece highly modular, user friendly and style adaptable like no other foot insole that has ever made or launched into market.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, and/or additions may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.

Claims

I claim:

1. A differential shock absorbing foot insole system for a high heel shoe comprising:

a slow rebound layer, wherein the slow rebound layer is characterized with a first compression force deflection of about 25% with a compressive force of from about 4 to about 20 psi applied thereto; and,

a fast rebound layer, wherein the fast rebound layer is characterized with a second compression force deflection of about 25% with a compressive force of from about 5 to about 45 psi applied thereto;

wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is removably adhered to the high heel shoe; and,

wherein the slow rebound layer is in contact with a juncture formed between toes and balls of a foot of a wearer of the high heel shoe.

2. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 1 further comprising an anti-skid layer, wherein the anti-skid layer is adjacent to the fast rebound layer.

3. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 1 further comprising:

a textile fabric layer, wherein the textile fabric layer is removably attached to and envelopes the slow rebound layer and the fast rebound layer; and,

an anti-skid layer, wherein the anti-skid layer is adjacent to the textile fabric layer.

4. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 3, wherein the fast rebound layer has a higher density than the slow rebound layer.

5. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 4, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is about 45 cm squared.

6. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 5, wherein the slow rebound layer is a first shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof; and, wherein the fast rebound layer is a second shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof.

7. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 6, wherein the first shock absorbing material is urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is urethane.

8. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 7, wherein the first shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane.

9. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 8, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is oval.

10. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 8, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is rectangular.

11. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 2, wherein the fast rebound layer has a higher density than the slow rebound layer.

12. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 11, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is about 45 cm squared.

13. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 12, wherein the slow rebound layer is a first shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof; and, wherein the fast rebound layer is a second shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof.

14. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 13, wherein the first shock absorbing material is urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is urethane.

15. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 14, wherein the first shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane.

16. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 15, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is oval.

17. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 15, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is rectangular.

18. A differential shock absorbing foot insole system for a high heel shoe comprising:

a slow rebound layer wherein the slow rebound layer is characterized with a first compression force deflection of about 25% with a compressive force of from about 4 to about 20 psi applied thereto; and,

a fast rebound layer, wherein the fast rebound layer is characterized with a second compression force deflection of about 75% with a compressive force of about 100 psi applied thereto;

19. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 18 further comprising an anti-skid layer, wherein the anti-skid layer is adjacent to the fast rebound layer.

20. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 18 further comprising:

21. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 20, wherein the fast rebound layer has a higher density than the slow rebound layer.

22. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 21, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is about 45 cm squared.

23. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 22, wherein the slow rebound layer is a first shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof; and, wherein the fast rebound layer is a second shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof.

24. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 23, wherein the first shock absorbing material is urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is urethane.

25. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 24, wherein the first shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane.

26. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 25, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is oval.

27. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 25, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is rectangular.

28. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 19, wherein the fast rebound layer has a higher density than the slow rebound layer.

29. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 28, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is about 45 cm squared.

30. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 29, wherein the slow rebound layer is a first shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof; and, wherein the fast rebound layer is a second shock absorbing material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, urethane, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and combinations thereof.

31. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 30, wherein the first shock absorbing material is urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is urethane.

32. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 31, wherein the first shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane; and, wherein the second shock absorbing material is an open cell urethane.

33. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 32, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is oval.

34. The differential shock absorbing foot insole system of claim 32, wherein the differential shock absorbing foot insole system is rectangular.