AU2008100180A4 - Cushioning foot bed - Google Patents

Description

P/00/009A Section 29

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT SPECIFICATION Invention Title: Applicant: CUSHIONING FOOT BED O S Holdings (Vic) Pty Ltd The invention is described in the following statement: 1 7019 0 Cushioning Foot Bed SField of the Invention The present invention relates generally to footwear, and more c 5 particularly to foot beds for use in footwear, the foot beds having cushioning and/or shock absorbing features to enhance wearer comfort.

00oo Background to the Invention _When standing, walking and running the feet bear a substantial oo 00 proportion of the load in the heel and metatarsal (or ball) regions of each foot.

The foot is naturally configured to absorb the impact forces incurred when walking or running on relatively soft surfaces, such as grass, or when the duration of the activity is relatively short. However, when standing and moving on hard surfaces, such as roads and hard floors, and particularly when the activity is sustained for an extended period of time, discomfort and possible injury may be caused to the load bearing regions of the foot.

Accordingly, footwear manufacturers have for some time endeavoured to produce footwear that includes cushioning systems to provide an improved level of comfort for wearers. The need to provide such cushioning systems is particularly pertinent in the design of work footwear, which is worn for extended periods of time, to reduce fatigue, to minimize the effects of standing or moving for long periods on hard surfaces such as concrete floors, and enhance comfort. The provision of cushioning effects is similarly important in walking and athletic footwear to provide a level of shock absorption when walking and running on hard surfaces.

It would be desirable to provide a foot bed that reduces impact shock to be used with an article of footwear.

It would also be desirable to provide a foot bed that provides enhanced comfort to a wearer.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cushioning foot bed having an upper surface and a lower surface, the foot bed including: W:SASKIAPatem SpecFoot Bed.doc 00 0a first cushioning layer forming the lower surface of the foot bed; c an absorbent layer forming the upper surface of the foot bed; and Sa second cushioning layer provided between the first cushioning layer and the absorbent layer to facilitate the air flow between the layers; C 5 wherein the absorbent layer includes a textured surface.

The foot bed is formed from three independent layers bonded or 0 moulded together. The underside of a first cushioning layer forms the lower 00 surface of the foot bed. The first cushioning layer is formed from cellular polyurethane. The upper layer of the foot bed is an absorbent layer such as a 00oo nylon or cotton scrim. The absorbent layer has a textured surface to enhance c wearer comfort. An intermediate cushioning layer is formed from open foam to facilitate the flow of air between the first cushioning layer and the absorbent layer of the foot bed. An example of a suitable material is EVA foam.

In one form of the invention, the textured surface is formed by printing a material onto the upper surface of the foot bed to form a pattern of raised regions.

In a preferred form, the material printed onto the upper surface of the foot bed is tourmaline.

In an embodiment, the first cushioning layer includes a PORON® pad in a heel region of the foot bed.

The first cushioning layer may increase in thickness towards a heel region of the foot bed.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described in further detail by reference to the attached drawings illustrating example forms of the invention. It is to be understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1A is a section view of an article of footwear according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1B is a perspective view of the section shown in Figure 1A.

Figure 2A is a top down view of a cushioning foot bed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

W: SASKIAPatent SpecFoot Bed.doc 0 Figure 2B shows the cushioning foot bed of Figure 2A as viewed from Sunderneath.

SFigure 2C is a side on view through a section of the cushioning foot bed of Figures 2A and 2B.

C Detailed Description 0 Referring now to Figures 1 A and 1B, there is illustrated an article of 00 Sfootwear 100 including an insole 102 to which the lower edge of an upper 104 _is secured by conventional means such as stitching. A mid sole 106 is 00oo 10 moulded to the underside of the insole 108 with the edges of the mid sole 110 Sbeing moulded around the upper 112. An outer sole 114 is moulded or otherwise secured to the underside of the mid sole 116.

The insole 102 is formed from a non-woven textile material or fibre board shaped in the general shape of a foot to fit within the base of an article of footwear 118. The mid sole 106 is formed from a material having at least some impact absorbing characteristics, preferably a resilient material such as expanded polyurethane. The outer sole 114 is formed from polyurethane to form a tough outer skin which is resistant to penetration by stones and other objects, thereby forming what is referred to as a dual density sole.

The insole 102 includes two openings, a first opening 120 positioned in a heel region 122 of the insole and a second opening 124 positioned in a metatarsal region 126 of the insole. Accordingly, the positions of the openings 120, 124 are configured to correspond substantially with the load bearing regions of the foot.

Each opening 120, 124 accommodates a pad 128, 130 formed from a resilient material designed to absorb impact shock and provide cushioned support to enhance the comfort of a wearer. One example of suitable resilient material for forming the cushioning pads 128, 130 is cellular polyurethane.

The cushioning pads 128, 130 are configured to fit snugly into the respective openings 120, 124 forming a substantially flush uppermost surface where the cushioning pad meets the insole 102 to ensure that no undesirable ridges are formed at the meeting points between the two materials. The cushioning pads 128, 130 are secured in their respective positions using means such as W:ASASKIAPatent SpecFoot Bed do 0 stitching the outer edge 132 of the cushioning pad to a periphery of the Sopening 134, or by use of adhesive.

SThe cushioning pad 128 positioned in the heel region 122 (also hereinafter referred to as the heel pad) extends partway and preferably at least C 5 midway into the mid sole 106 to enhance the cushioning effect. That is, as shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the heel pad 128 extends at least halfway into 0 the thickness of the mid sole 106. The underside of the heel pad 128, or the 00 of the heel pad that extends into the mid sole 106, is preferably substantially dome-shaped. The dome-shape provides the greatest depth of oo 00 cushioning material and accordingly the greatest cushioning and shock c absorbing effects substantially in the centre of the load bearing region or heel strike zone. The cushioning and shock absorbing effect is decreased or tapered towards the edges of the heel strike zone by reducing the depth of the heel pad 128, thereby providing improved stability of the insole surface.

The provision of openings in the insole to accommodate cushioning pads has distinct advantages over prior art methods, by providing direct load transfer to maximise the absorption of impact shock. This provides enhanced comfort to the wearer, particularly when compared with some prior art arrangements in which the insole overlays the cushioning material, such that the insole being of relatively rigid construction interferes with the ability of the cushioning pad to effectively load transfer.

The periphery of the opening 136 in the heel region of the insole may overlap the underlying heel pad 128. The cushioning pad 128 includes a recess 138 around its upper edge to receive the periphery of the opening 136 to provide a substantially flush uppermost surface where the cushioning pad meets the insole to ensure that no undesirable ridges are formed at the meeting points between the two materials as previously described. This provides effective means for securing the heel pad in position to the underside of the insole by allowing the recessed region of the heel pad to be secured to the underside of the periphery of the opening using an adhesive or equivalent means.

The region of the insole intermediate 140 to the heel region 122 and metatarsal region 126 which corresponds to the under arch region of a wearer's foot, is underlain by a nylon shank 142 to provide under arch support.

W:SASKIA'Patem SpecFoot Bed.doc 00 0 The nylon shank 142 is of substantially more rigidity than the insole 102 to N provide additional support and prevent sharp objects (such as the head of a Sshovel for example) from penetrating the sole 106, 114 during use. Preferably, the nylon shank 142 separates from the underside of the insole 108 towards C 5 the heel region of the insole, in order to accommodate the heel cushion 128 there between. This enables the nylon shank 142 to be continued into the heel 0 region 122 without compromising wearer comfort. Moreover, the toe region 00 144 of the insole 102 may be underlain by particle cardboard 146 or similar to provide reinforcement and stiffening to this region.

00oo The manufacture of footwear articles in accordance with the present C invention involves providing two openings 120, 124 in the insole 102 in the heel 122 and metatarsal 126 regions. The upper 112 is then secured to the insole 102 using conventional means such as stitching (at 104). A heel cushion 128 and a metatarsal cushion 130 are positioned in their respective openings 120, 124 and secured to the insole 102. In a preferred embodiment, the metatarsal cushion 130 is secured to the insole 102 by stitching the periphery of the metatarsal pad 132 to the periphery of the opening 134, whilst a recess 138 in the heel pad is secured to the underside of the periphery of the insole 136 using a suitable adhesive or equivalent means.

The mid sole 106 is moulded to the underside of the insole 108 with cushioning pads 120, 124 in place, thereby encasing the cushioning pads and securing them in place. Finally the outer sole 114 is moulded to the underside of the mid sole 116.

Referring now to Figures 2A to 2C, a foot bed or inner sock 200 may be placed within the article of footwear 100 as an overlay to the insole 102 to provide additional cushioning and support to the wearer and enhance comfort.

The foot bed 200 may be loose within the article of footwear 100, or may be adhered to the upper surface of the insole 102.

The cushioning foot bed 200 has an upper surface 202 which is in contact with the sole of a wearer's foot, and a lower surface 204 which contacts and/or is adhered to the uppermost surface of the insole 102. The foot bed 200 is formed from three independent layers bonded or moulded together. The underside of a first cushioning layer 206 forms the lower surface of the foot bed 200. The first cushioning layer 206 is formed from cellular W:SASKIA Pater SpeCFoot Bed.doc 7 0o polyurethane. The upper layer of the foot bed is an absorbent layer 208 such Sas a nylon or cotton scrim to draw water vapour and perspiration away from ,f the foot, helping to keep shoes and feet dry, and reducing foot odour. The absorbent layer 208 has a textured surface to enhance wearer comfort. An C 5 intermediate cushioning layer 210 is formed from open foam to facilitate the flow of air between the first cushioning layer 206 and the absorbent layer 208 0 of the foot bed. An example of a suitable material is EVA foam. 0o The textured surface of the absorbent layer 208 of the foot bed 200 is formed by printing a material onto the absorbent layer to form a pattern of o00 raised regions 212. The material may be printed on the scrim 208 in any Ssuitable pattern such as for example the series of dots illustrated in Figure 2A.

The material printed onto the absorbent layer 208 could be any material providing the textured effect.

In one particular embodiment of the invention, the material printed onto the absorbent layer 208 to provide the textured effect is tourmaline.

Referring now to Figure 2B, the first cushioning layer 206 includes a pad 214 in a heel region of the foot bed 200 which is formed from PORON®, a cellular urethane having superior shock absorption properties to minmise impact shock to the feet and joints of the wearer whilst providing long lasting resilience, flexibility and softness.

In addition to the PORON® heel pad 214, the first cushioning layer 206 further includes a series of through holes 216 which pass through the intermediate cushioning layer 210 and the absorbent layer 208 to facilitate air flow through the cushioning foot bed 200. Each of the through holes 216 may be set into a corresponding recessed region 218 which provides a suction effect to draw air through the respective hole.

The cushioning foot bed 200 is preferably designed to fit the natural shape of the foot thereby providing optimal support for the wearer's foot. The first cushioning layer 206 increases substantially in thickness from a region corresponding to the metatarsal region of a wearer's foot 220 towards a region corresponding to the heel 224 of a wearer's foot.

The arrangements of cushioning pads and cushioning foot beds provided by the present invention facilitate cushioning and absorption of W:SASKIAPatent Specioot Bed.doc 0 0 impact shock to the regions of the foot that are most susceptible to discomfort 0 and injury due to high stress forces.

SThe provision of a cushioning foot bed enhances the comfort of wearer t and provides additional cushioned support and impact shock absorption to a wearer.

The above described improvements are applicable not only to work 00 footwear as exemplified in the drawings, but also walking, athletic and casual footwear, or any other type of footwear where enhancing wearer comfort is of concern.

00 It is to be understood that various additions, alterations and/or c-i modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the invention.

w:SASKAU\Paenm SpeFoot Bed.Ooc

Claims (3)

1. A cushioning foot bed having an upper surface and a lower surface, the T. foot bed including: c- 5 a first cushioning layer forming the lower surface of the foot bed; an absorbent layer forming the upper surface of the foot bed; and 0 a second cushioning layer provided between the first cushioning layer and the absorbent layer to facilitate the air flow between the layers; Swherein the absorbent layer includes a textured surface. 00 c2. A cushioning foot bed according to claim 1, wherein the textured surface is formed by printing a material onto the upper surface of the foot bed to form a pattern of raised regions.

3. A cushioning foot bed according to claim 2, wherein the material printed onto the upper surface of the foot bed is tourmaline.

4. A cushioning foot bed according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first cushioning layer includes a PORON® pad in a heel region of the foot bed. A cushioning foot bed according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the first cushioning layer increases in thickness towards a heel region of the foot bed. W\SASKIA\Pa1en SpecFoot Bed.doc