CN111067193B

CN111067193B - Flexible metatarsal protector

Info

Publication number: CN111067193B
Application number: CN201910999450.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: R·迪吕德
Original assignee: TBL Licensing LLC
Current assignee: TBL Licensing LLC
Priority date: 2018-10-19
Filing date: 2019-10-21
Publication date: 2022-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-21
Also published as: CA3059184A1; EP3639688A1; US20200121028A1; EP3639688B1; CN111067193A; CA3059184C

Abstract

A metatarsal guard is provided that is configured to have improved flexibility while maintaining adequate protection for the metatarsal region of a user's foot. The guard may include a flexible portion that spans the width of the guard in the medial-lateral direction and includes a perforation pattern that extends fully or partially through the thickness of the metatarsal guard. In some aspects, the perforation pattern may allow for expansion along the medial and lateral edges of the guard while resisting deformation from external impacts.

Description

Flexible metatarsal protector

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims benefit of filing date of U.S. provisional application No.62/747,766, filed on 19.10.2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

Various aspects of the present invention relate generally to protective devices for use in footwear, and more particularly to metatarsal or other protective devices for protecting a user's foot from injury. Protective devices for protecting other areas of the user's foot, other parts of the body, or for use in alternative applications other than body protection are also contemplated.

Background

Protective devices for protecting the metatarsal region of the foot from injury are widely used in various areas of the footwear industry. These protectors are generally known as metatarsal guards (Metatarsal guard) and may be used as external guards or integrated into the shoe itself (e.g., internal guards). A common situation where such metatarsal guard may be desired is in construction applications, mining or other similar fields where the foot may be susceptible to injury from impact by external objects (e.g., falling rocks, wood, nail punctures, etc.). In some instances, while the metatarsal guard described above may provide adequate protection from injury, such guards may limit the comfortable movement of the foot due to the rigidity of the guard. There are other drawbacks not indicated here.

In addition to protecting the metatarsal region of the foot, other sensitive areas that are susceptible to injury may also require protection. For example, in some cases, the foot may require lateral or heel protection instead of or in combination with metatarsal protection. It is not uncommon for such protective devices to be provided in the side or heel areas of the shoe to provide protection. However, even these protection mechanisms may suffer from several drawbacks, and thus lack comfort in use. For example, some protective devices are unnecessarily rigid and therefore do not adequately absorb shock due to an impact or other injurious event. In other words, since such a protection device is excessively rigid, a force generated by an impact may pass through the device and be transmitted to a user, thereby causing the user to be injured by the impact. Such rigidity also reduces comfort and sometimes results in an excessively heavy protection device. This may also be the case for several of the metatarsal protection devices mentioned above.

Disclosure of Invention

The metatarsal guard according to the present technique is configured to provide improved flexibility while maintaining adequate protection for the metatarsal region of the user's foot. In some aspects, the guard may include a flexible portion that spans a width of the guard in a medial-lateral direction and includes a perforation pattern that extends completely through a thickness of the metatarsal guard.

In one embodiment, a wearable protective device, such as a metatarsal guard, in accordance with the present technology, includes: a bottom surface and an opposing top surface, the bottom surface configured to be positioned adjacent to a surface of a user's body; and a flexible portion comprising a perforation pattern and spanning a width of the wearable protective device; a first imperforate portion; a second non-porous section; wherein the flexible portion is disposed between the first imperforate portion and the second imperforate portion in a length direction of the wearable protective device.

In some embodiments, the flexible portion of the wearable protective device further comprises: a first expanded region disposed in an inner region of the wearable protective device and comprising one or more perforations extending through an inner edge of the wearable protective device; and a second expanded region disposed in an outer region of the wearable protective device and including one or more perforations extending through an outer edge of the wearable protective device; a constricted region disposed between the first and second expanded regions in the width direction of the protective device and comprising one or more perforations.

In some embodiments, the first expansion region and the second expansion region are configured to allow the medial and lateral edges of the wearable protective device to expand when pressure is applied to the bottom surface of the wearable protective device, and the contraction region is configured to contract when pressure is applied to the bottom surface of the wearable protective device. Additionally, the at least one perforation extending through the inner side edge of the wearable protective device and the at least one perforation extending through the outer side edge of the wearable protective device may each include two corners configured to engage each other when pressure is applied to the top surface of the wearable protective device.

In use, the metatarsal guard may be positioned within a shoe 100, similar to the shoe shown in fig. 1, and may function to protect the metatarsal region of a user's foot from dropped objects or other impact events, while maintaining flexibility and comfort for the wearer during natural flexing of the foot during striding.

Accordingly, some aspects of the present technology may include a shoe comprising: an outsole; an upper including an interior surface configured to receive a foot of a user and an opposing exterior surface; and a wearable protective device comprising: a bottom surface and an opposing top surface, the bottom surface configured to be adjacent to a surface of a user's body; a flexible portion comprising a perforation pattern and spanning a width of the wearable protective device; a first imperforate portion; a second non-porous section; wherein the flexible portion is disposed between the first imperforate portion and the second imperforate portion in a length direction of the wearable protective device.

In some embodiments, the wearable protective device may be an outer metatarsal guard, while in other embodiments it may be an inner metatarsal guard.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe incorporating a metatarsal guard in accordance with an aspect of the present technique.

Fig. 2A is a perspective view of a metatarsal guard in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Fig. 2B is a top view of a metatarsal guard in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Fig. 3A is a perspective view of an expanded area of a metatarsal guard in an expanded position in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Fig. 3B is a perspective view of an expanded area of the metatarsal guard in a retracted or closed position in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Fig. 4A is a side view of a metatarsal guard in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Fig. 4B is a top view of a metatarsal guard in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a metatarsal guard in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Fig. 6 is a top view of a metatarsal guard in accordance with embodiments of the present technique.

Detailed Description

In describing aspects of the invention, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to any specific term used herein, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

As used herein, "length" refers to the longest dimension of any object or shape. As used herein, "width" refers to the shortest dimension of any object or shape that is in the same plane as the length. "thickness" refers to the remaining dimension of a three-dimensional object that is not the length or width. As used herein, "medial" refers to at, toward, near, or in relation to the human midline, i.e., when applied to footwear, as it is oriented when on a wearer's foot. As used in this application, "lateral" refers to at, toward, near or in relation to the edge of an object, particularly away from or at an edge or end opposite the centerline of the body (medial region). When the terms "medial" and "lateral" are applied to a shoe or other wearable object, they describe portions of the object as oriented when it is worn by a wearer. As used herein, "perforation" refers to a depression, cut, notch, hole, etc., that extends completely through or partially through the thickness of a material or object.

Metatarsal protector

As shown in fig. 2A-2B, a metatarsal guard 200 is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the present technique, wherein the guard is configured to provide improved flexibility while maintaining adequate protection for the metatarsal region of a user's foot. Guard 200 includes a top surface 202 and a bottom surface 204. As further shown in fig. 2A, the metatarsal guard 200 can be anatomically contoured to conform to the shape of the foot. In particular, guard 200, which may be placed against the foot during use, may be convex in the medial-lateral direction 210 and concave in the longitudinal direction 220. Thus, the bottom surface 204 of the shield 200 may conform to the metatarsal region of the user's foot.

As shown in fig. 2A-2B and 4A-4B, in a preferred embodiment, the metatarsal guard 200 can be generally oval or rectangular. However, the shape of the guard is not particularly limited and may be circular, rectangular, square, polygonal with rounded edges, T-shaped, cross-shaped (guards 500 and 600, as shown in fig. 5-6), or any other shape that enables it to cover and conform to the metatarsal region of a wearer's foot. The cruciform configuration of the guard, as shown in fig. 5-6, is particularly advantageous because it reduces the amount of material used in the guard while still providing protection by covering most of the area of the foot that is susceptible to impact from above. Such a cruciform configuration may thereby reduce manufacturing costs and minimize the weight and profile of the guard, so as to provide a safe, lightweight, streamlined, and aesthetically pleasing product to the wearer. In this regard, the cruciform configuration is particularly preferred for use as an internal metatarsal guard.

The shield may desirably be formed of a material or mixture of materials that are lightweight and flexible while remaining rigid upon impact. Exemplary materials include, but are not limited to, rubber, elastomers, nylon, polycarbonate, Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), and any combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the guard comprises TPU. In some embodiments, the guard may additionally include a non-woven material, particularly on the surface of the guard, to facilitate bonding and reduce noise caused by any contact surfaces of the guard. The thickness of the guard may be in the range of about 1mm to about 5mm, more preferably in the range of about 2mm to about 5mm, and even more preferably in the range of about 3mm to about 5 mm. In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the guard is about 4 mm.

In some aspects, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, the guard may include a flexible portion 230 that spans the width of the guard 200 in the medial-lateral direction and includes a perforation pattern 240 that extends completely through the thickness of the metatarsal guard 200. The perforation pattern 240 may include two

zones

250, 252 and a portion 260, the two

zones

250, 252 configured to expand along the inside and outside edges of the guard, respectively, and the portion 260 configured to contract and be disposed between the expanded zones on the outside.

Flexible part

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, flexible portion 230 of guard 200 is configured to allow normal movement of the foot within the shoe during striding, while maintaining rigidity against impacts from outside the shoe, particularly against objects falling from above. The flexible portion may include a perforation pattern 240, the perforation pattern 240 allowing for an increase in the longitudinal concavity of the guard 200 when pressure is applied along the bottom surface 204 of the guard 200, such as during dorsiflexion during a stride. The perforations may be generally linear, serrated or curved in formation. The pattern may include a single row of perforations, 2 to 3 rows of perforations, 2 to 4 rows of perforations, or more than four rows of perforations. In a preferred embodiment, the pattern has 3 rows of perforations. In some embodiments, the perforations in adjacent rows may be in line with one another, while in some embodiments, the perforations in adjacent rows may be offset from one another, e.g., in a staggered configuration. In a preferred embodiment, the perforations in adjacent rows are in a staggered configuration. The perforations in some rows may have a different shape than the perforations in other rows. In a preferred embodiment having three rows, the perforations of the outer two rows may have a curved or saw-tooth shape, while the perforations of the central row (disposed between the outer two rows) may have a substantially linear shape.

The flexible portion 230 may extend across the width of the guard from an inboard edge to an opposite outboard edge. The width of the flexible portion may be in the range of about 10% to about 50% of the length of the guard, more preferably in the range of about 20% to about 40% of the length of the guard, and most preferably about 30% of the length of the guard, with the

non-porous portions

232 and 234 making up the remainder of the length of the guard. In some aspects, flexible portion 230 may be located in a central region of the guard, sandwiched between a top 232 of a collar (collaar) of a shoe facing without perforations and a bottom 234 of a toe region of the shoe facing. It is particularly advantageous to include a top portion 232 and a bottom portion 234 without perforations to ensure that the guard easily bends at the flexible portion, allowing the wearer free movement. In use, the

imperforate portions

232 and 234 may act as moment arms with respect to the axis created by the flexible portion. Thus, it is advantageous for the width of the flexible portion to be within the preferred ranges disclosed in order to provide a sufficiently long

rigid moment arm

232, 234 to allow for easy and comfortable bending of the flexible portion during a wearer's stride or other dorsiflexion of the foot. Additionally, the

imperforate portions

232, 234 may help the guard 200 retain its shape and provide enhanced protection relative to guards that do not include such imperforate portions.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, the perforations of the perforation pattern 240 may extend completely through the thickness of the guard 200. In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 4A-4B, one or more perforations in the perforation pattern 440 may extend through only a portion of the thickness of the guard.

Extension area

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, the perforation pattern of the guard 200 may include two

zones

250, 252 disposed along the inner edge 250 and the outer edge 252, respectively, of the guard, the two zones configured for expansion. Each expanded

region

250, 252 includes a plurality of perforations 254 that extend upwardly and through the inside and outside edges of the guard such that a gap 256 is formed between the top and

bottom corners

258a, 258b along the edge of the guard. In a preferred embodiment, the perforations 254 of the medial expansion region 250 and the perforations 254 of the lateral expansion region 252 have a saw-tooth shape and are mirror images of each other. In such embodiments, each of the medial and

lateral expansion regions

250, 252 may include two perforations 254 extending through the edge of the guard.

As shown in fig. 3A, when pressure is applied to bottom surface 204 of guard 200, i.e., during dorsiflexion of the wearer's foot, top angle 258a and bottom angle 258b separate and gap 256 expands along the edge of leg guard 200. This expansion allows the longitudinal concavity of the guard 200 to increase and the top 232 and bottom 234 of the guard 200 to move toward each other. In contrast, in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3B, when pressure is applied to the top surface 202 of the guard 200, i.e., upon impact from a falling object, the gap 256 along the edge of the guard 200 will contract and the longitudinal concavity of the guard 200 will decrease until the top and bottom corners 258a, 258B contact and engage one another. Once this occurs, the guard will remain rigid and resist further bending or deformation toward the wearer's foot.

In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 4A-4B, the one or more perforations 454 of the medial and

lateral expansion regions

450, 452 are Y-shaped such that the edges of the perforations extend parallel to each other in a direction from the midline of the guard toward the outer edges of the guard and then diverge to form inner and inner vertex angles 457a, 457B. The diverging edges of the perforations extend to and through the outer edge of the guard to form outer and

outer corners

458a, 458b, such that the

outer corners

458a, 458b are further separated from the

inner corners

457a, 457 b. Thus, when pressure is applied to the top face 402 of the guard 400, i.e., upon impact from a falling object, the inner top and

bottom corners

457a, 457b will contact and engage one another such that the guard will remain rigid and resist further bending or deformation toward the wearer's foot. Because the outer and

outer corners

458a, 458b are spaced further apart than the

inner corners

457a, 457b, the

outer corners

458a, 458b will remain spaced apart from each other and resist contact when the inner corners are engaged. This may provide advantages such as avoiding noise caused by contact of

outer corners

458a, 458 b.

Constriction zone

As shown in fig. 2A-2B, the perforation pattern of the guard may further include a constricted region 260 between the inner and outer expanded

portions

250, 252. The constricted region may include a plurality of perforations 262 that do not extend through the peripheral edge of the guard.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2A-2B, the perforations 262 may extend completely through the guard 200. In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 4A-4B, the one or more perforations of the perforation pattern 440 may extend only through a portion of the thickness of the guard, such as through about 25% to about 90% of the thickness of the guard, more preferably through about 35% to 90% of the thickness of the guard, or most preferably through about 40% to about 80% of the thickness of the guard. Perforations through the shield can provide advantages such as allowing for relatively easy bending and collapsing of the region 260 while avoiding flattening of the shape of the shield 200. At the same time, perforations extending through only a portion of the shield may provide advantages such as increasing the strength of the shield and resisting deformation caused by impact.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, the constricted region 260 may include three rows of perforations 262, including a top row and a bottom row of one or more perforations 262 having a zigzag shape and a middle row of straight perforations 262. In some embodiments, the perforations of the contracted area 260 may form a mirror image on the longitudinal lines and/or on the medial-lateral lines.

When pressure is applied to the bottom surface 204 of the guard 200, the edges of the perforations 262 may be drawn together, thereby allowing the longitudinal concavity of the guard 200 to increase and the top and

bottom portions

232, 234 of the guard to move toward each other. Conversely, when pressure is applied to the top surface 202 of the shield 200, i.e., an impact from a dropped object, the perforations of the constricted region 260 of the shield 200 will remain rigid and resist further bending or deformation of the shield 200 toward the wearer's foot.

Internal metatarsal guard

In use, in some aspects, the embodiments of the metatarsal guard 500, 600 exemplarily illustrated in fig. 5-6 can be positioned within a shoe to form an inner guard, and can function to protect the metatarsal region of a user's foot. When used as an inner shield, the above-described embodiments of the inner metatarsal shield can be located between an outer layer and an inner layer of an upper. In particular, when used as an inner guard, the metatarsal guard may be located under the lacing mechanism, and in some embodiments, may be positioned between an outer layer and an inner layer of a tongue portion of the shoe. In such embodiments, the metatarsal guard can extend from the toe area of the shoe to the collar area of the shoe and under the lacing mechanism. In other embodiments, where a tongue or lacing mechanism may not be present, the metatarsal guard may be located between the outer layer and the inner layer of the upper in the vamp area of the shoe. In some configurations, the flexible region of the guard may be located between the toe region and the collar region in the region of the user's Metatarsophalangeal (MCP) joint, allowing the joint to flex during striding. In some embodiments, the guard may additionally include one or more foam or cushioning layers that may be positioned to contact the top and/or bottom surfaces of the guard. Thus, the metatarsal guard 500, 600 can be used as an internal guard in a shoe to protect a user's foot from falling objects or other impact events that could otherwise injure the foot, while also maintaining the flexibility and unobtrusive and attractive visual profile of the foot.

External metatarsal guard

In some aspects, as shown in fig. 1, 2A-2B, 4A-4B, the

metatarsal guard

200, 400 can be positioned over and cover a portion of an upper of the shoe 100 to form the outer guard 110. For example, fig. 1 shows a shoe 100 according to an embodiment of the invention, which includes an outer metatarsal guard 110. Such a guard 110 is located between an outer layer and an inner layer of a flap 120 attached to the upper of the shoe 100. In some embodiments, a flap, such as flap 120, may be attached to the upper of shoe 100 in the toe area, while in other embodiments, a flap may be attached to the upper in other areas, such as at the collar of the shoe and/or in the medial or lateral areas of the shoe. In some aspects, the flap may have one point of attachment to the upper, while in alternative embodiments, the flap may have multiple points of attachment to the upper. In some aspects, one or more of the connection points may be permanent, such as attachment by stitching, gluing, or the like. In further embodiments, one or more of the attachment points may be easily removed or detached, such as by attachment with ties, hook and loop fasteners, snaps, buttons, and the like. In an embodiment, the outer shield can be easily and completely removed from the upper of the shoe. In some embodiments, the guard may additionally include one or more foam or cushioning layers, which may be positioned to contact the top and/or bottom surfaces of the guard 110. As shown, the flap 120 may be positioned over the metatarsal region of the user's foot, providing protection thereto, and over the lacing assembly of the shoe 100.

Additional embodiments

As another example, although the metatarsal protection devices described in detail herein are primarily concave in the longitudinal direction and convex in the medial-lateral direction, other curvatures and shapes are contemplated. Such alternative curvatures and/or shapes may also lend themselves to providing protection to other areas of the user's foot or other areas of the body. Indeed, it is contemplated that the various aspects of the metatarsal protection devices described above can be used in other areas of a shoe to provide protection for other areas of a user's foot, such as in the heel or sides of the shoe. If used for these purposes, the metatarsal protection device disclosed herein can be modified in shape and contour to conform to the area of the foot being protected.

Likewise, it is contemplated that various aspects of the above-described protective devices may be used to protect other areas of a user's body, such as the knees, elbows, and the like. In particular, the protective devices discussed above having different material layers and various patterns may be located within the housing and adapted to cover the surface of the user's body such that a suitable device may protect the relevant part of the body from injury. An example of this may be a knee or elbow pad that utilizes at least one of the embodiments discussed above for protection purposes. In this manner, a user may configure several guards that may be used to guard different parts of the body (e.g., including, but not limited to, the feet, knees, elbows, etc.).

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described herein with reference to particular embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of various aspects of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

It is also to be understood that the various dependent claims and the features presented therein may be combined in ways different from those presented in the initial claims. It is also to be understood that features described in connection with the various embodiments may be shared with other features in the described embodiments.

Claims

1. A wearable protective device, comprising:

a bottom surface and an opposing top surface, the bottom surface configured to be positioned adjacent to a surface of a user's body;

a flexible portion comprising a perforation pattern and spanning a width of the wearable protective device;

a first imperforate portion;

a second non-porous section;

wherein the flexible portion is disposed between the first imperforate portion and the second imperforate portion in a length direction of the wearable protective device and comprises:

a first expanded region disposed in an inboard region of the wearable protective device and comprising one or more Y-shaped perforations extending through an inboard edge of the wearable protective device;

a second expanded region disposed in an outer region of the wearable protective device and including one or more Y-shaped perforations extending through an outer edge of the wearable protective device; and

a constricted region disposed between the first and second expanded regions in a width direction of the wearable protective device and comprising one or more perforations;

wherein at least one of the perforations extending through the inside edge of the wearable protective device and at least one of the perforations extending through the outside edge of the wearable protective device each include two corners configured to engage each other when pressure is applied to the top surface of the wearable protective device; and is

Wherein the corner is disposed inward from an edge of the wearable protective device.

2. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion has a width extending in a length direction of the wearable protective device, and the width of the flexible portion is in a range of about 10% to about 50% of the length of the wearable protective device.

3. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion has a width extending in a length direction of the wearable protective device, and the width of the flexible portion is in a range of about 20% to about 40% of the length of the wearable protective device.

4. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion is configured to allow bending when pressure is applied to a bottom surface of the wearable protective device and resist deformation when pressure is applied to a top surface of the wearable protective device.

5. The wearable protective device of claim 4, wherein the flexible portion is configured to allow the wearable protective device to move with a surface of a user's body when pressure is applied to a bottom surface of the wearable protective device.

6. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein at least one perforation of the perforation pattern extends only in a portion of a thickness of the wearable protective device.

7. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein the wearable protective device is convex in the medial-lateral direction and concave in the longitudinal direction.

8. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein the wearable protective device comprises a material selected from the group consisting of rubber, elastomer, nylon, polycarbonate, Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), and any combination thereof.

9. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein the one or more perforations extending through the medial and lateral edges of the wearable protective device extend completely through the thickness of the wearable protective device.

10. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the perforations of the constricted region extends only in a portion of a thickness of the wearable protective device.

11. The wearable protective device of claim 1, wherein the first and second expansion regions are configured to allow medial and lateral edges of the wearable protective device to expand when pressure is applied to a bottom surface of the wearable protective device, and the contraction region is configured to contract when pressure is applied to the bottom surface of the wearable protective device.

12. An article of footwear, comprising:

an outsole;

an upper; the upper including an inner surface configured to receive a foot of a user and an opposite outer surface; and

a wearable protective device, the wearable protective device comprising:

a bottom surface and an opposing top surface, the bottom surface configured to be adjacent to a surface of a user's body;

a first imperforate portion;

a second non-porous section;

13. The shoe of claim 12, wherein the wearable protective device is an external metatarsal guard.

14. The shoe of claim 12, wherein the wearable protective device is an internal metatarsal guard.

15. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the outer metatarsal guard covers a portion of an outer surface of the upper.

16. The shoe of claim 14, wherein the upper further comprises a first layer and a second layer, and the inner metatarsal guard is located between the first layer and the second layer.