EP0873062A1

EP0873062A1 - Individually adaptable sole for reflex zone massage

Info

Publication number: EP0873062A1
Application number: EP97909322A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eva Jung
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-09-27
Filing date: 1997-09-26
Publication date: 1998-10-28
Also published as: AU4705997A; WO1998012942A1; DE29616911U1; DE19780998D2

Abstract

An insole for a shoe is designed as a sole for reflex zone massage with raised areas which stimulate reflex points/reflex zones of the foot soles. The raised areas are composed of massage modules which can be secured in a detachable manner to any desired point of the insole to enable the insole to be individually adapted.

Description

Individually adjustable reflex massage sole

The invention relates to an insole for a shoe, which is designed as a reflex massage sole with reflex points / reflex zones on the stimulating elevation areas of the feet, a shoe with such an insole and massage modules which, for individual adaptability to desired reflex points / reflex zones at desired locations on the insole Shoe is attachable.

It is known and medically proven that targeted stimulation of certain reflex points / reflex zones on the soles of the feet can achieve a noticeable improvement in the physical and mental state. The reflex points / refiex zones on the soles of a person's feet have a direct and special influence on different parts of the body and organs. For this reason, insoles for a shoe have been developed which have a certain number and elastically formed elevations which are arranged in a certain way and which are intended to act on the said reflex points / re-zones when running. Such a known system is the reflex zone system with five such elevation areas according to Dr. Mauch represents, which is described in DE 90 02 962.3 Ul.

The insoles of a shoe are provided with elevations which serve to stimulate them, the latter being an integral part of the insole of the shoe. The disadvantage of the known systems is, inter alia, that the elevation areas which are intended to act on the reflex points / reflex zones are fixedly arranged at certain points in accordance with the medical knowledge and consequently a massage of the reflex points / reflex zones is only possible at predetermined points.

Furthermore, since the survey areas are an integral part of the insole, it is not possible to adapt them to certain degrees of hardness without replacing the entire insole. In the known reflex massage soles, there is consequently no individual adaptability of the elevation regions with regard to their arrangement on the insole and their adaptability to a desired hardness.

It is therefore the object of the invention to create an insole for a shoe, which is designed as a reflex massage sole and can be individually adjusted with regard to the arrangement and hardness of the elevation regions causing the reflex massage, to create a shoe with such an insole and variable elevation regions without the insole itself must be exchanged for individual adaptability

This task is solved by an insole with the features according to claim 1, by a shoe with the features according to claim 10 and by a massage module with the features according to claim 1 1. Advantageous further developments are defined by the respective dependent claims.

According to the invention, the insole for a shoe is designed as a reflex massage sole, which has raised areas with which reflex points / reflex zones are exerted on the soles of the feet when the shoe is worn. The raised areas are formed by massage modules, wherein these massage modules for individual adaptability can be attached at any desired location in the insole, preferably can be attached releasably. Thus, a major advantage of the insole according to the invention or of the shoe with the insole according to the invention is that the massage modules which can be attached to the insole can be individually adjusted to each reflex point / reflex zone of the sole of a person and accordingly on the insole serving as the support sole in various ways Shapes and materials can be brought to massage use at all points corresponding to the reflex points of the sole of the human foot. In this way, both medical aspects with regard to the targeted stimulation of individual organs or body parts as well as individual sensations and also aesthetic aspects with regard to the shape and color of the massage modules can be taken into account.

This individual, modular massage technique, which can be adapted to each individual user, enables targeted stimuli to be exerted, which act individually on the whole body or only on individual parts of the body or organs, even in varying degrees depending on the material used. A user of such a reflex massage sole is therefore not bound to a certain predetermined number and a certain predetermined arrangement of such elevation areas. It is therefore also possible to choose a different, individually adaptable hardness for each individual survey area.

According to a preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage modules have a surface which corresponds to the inner surface of the insole and is in contact therewith, and a surface which faces the sole of the foot and defines the elevation region. The surface defining the elevation area can be made relatively small in order to reflect points on the To stimulate the sole of the foot, or can be designed as a surface-like elevation which represents a specific area and which serves to stimulate reflex zones on the sole of the foot.

The surface of the surveys itself preferably has a profile in the form of profiling recesses and / or profiling surveys. By profiling the surface of the elevation areas of the massage modules, the massage effect can be enhanced and thus the wearing properties can also be improved.

According to yet another preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage modules are provided with needle-like plugs, by means of which they can be inserted into the insole. If the insole of a shoe consists of a more or less elastic material, it is thus possible to provide a reflex massage sole even with the insole firmly attached to the shoe in the sense of "retrofitting".

However, the insole is preferably designed as an insole which can be removed from the shoe and has a multiplicity of holes, which are preferably arranged as a hole pattern, in order to be able to detachably attach the massage modules to the insole. The holes in the insole then serve to accommodate corresponding fastening elements for the massage modules. This allows massage modules to be attached to any hole provided in the insole. The smaller the hole diameter, the greater the individual adaptability. Depending on the size of the massage modules, they can preferably be designed so that they are either fastened in a single hole or, if they are intended to stimulate reflex zones and consequently have a larger surface area, they are fastened in several holes in the insole . According to a further preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage modules can be fastened to the insole by means of an attached mating piece which cooperates with them for fastening. This mating piece is then located on the underside of the insole, and the actual massage module is connected with a web-like plug through one or more holes in the Insole fastened in the counterpart by a manner known per se. Counterpart and massage module or its web-like connector are preferably designed as a plug connection, button connection, screw connection and the like.

According to a further preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage modules are formed in one piece and have an approximately H-shaped structure in cross section. The two side legs are then connected to one another by the web-like connector, one side of the "H" forming the elevation area which represents the actual massage module, while the leg of the "H" opposite this as a counterpart after insertion into a corresponding hole in the insole on the other Underside and so the massage module stops at the desired location. The massage modules are preferably made of elastic material, different degrees of hardness being insertable at different locations on the insole.

According to yet another preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage module has a mechanism for height adjustment. With such a height adjustment, it is possible on the one hand to intensify the massage effect in a targeted manner at defined refiex points / reflex zones, and on the other hand, with such a height adjustment, the degree of hardness of the massage modules can be varied. Such a height-adjustable mechanism is, for example, known per se by a screw connection between the massage module and Counterpart achievable. According to yet another preferred exemplary embodiment, the insole is firmly connected to the inner shoe and is designed as an insole.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a shoe has an inner sole with the features described above.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a massage module for an insole of a shoe, in particular for an insole that can be removed from the shoe, is provided, which is designed so that it can be attached to, preferably detachably attached to, the desired locations on the insole, so that thus With regard to an individual adaptability, the massage module or several massage modules can be attached to the insole at such points by which desired reflex points / reflex zones of the sole of the foot can be stimulated.

The main advantage of such a massage module for an insole of a shoe is that different shapes and sizes as well as different materials with different degrees of hardness according to individual needs and sensations both on a conventional insole and on an insole fastened in the shoe and on an insole can be detachably fastened with an appropriate hole pattern. In addition, aesthetic requirements can be taken into account to a great extent by the massage module according to the invention in different colors and shapes, such as for example Bleed shapes, star shapes, circles, oval shapes, triangles, rectangles, squares, polygons, etc. In addition, it is preferably possible to identify certain degrees of hardness of the massage module by means of defined colors.

According to a preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage modules are made in one piece from elastic material so that they are in the insole can be inserted and fastened in the holes there by inserting a part of the massage module through the respective hole in the insole, which is slightly larger than the diameter of the hole, so that the massage module with this part projects beyond the hole edge after attachment.

According to a further preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage module is constructed in two parts and has a part which represents the actual massage module and a counterpart, into which the massage module with a web or web-like plug located thereon through the insole or through a hole formed in the insole hm- push-through and attachable with the counterpart. The connection is preferably a plug connection or a screw connection. The advantage of such a plug connection or screw connection is, inter alia, then that a counterpart type can be used to attach several different massage modules. The massage modules are then only to be pulled out of the counterpart or unscrewed and replaced with another massage module, which further increases the flexibility of the exchange of the massage modules.

According to yet another preferred exemplary embodiment, the massage modules are height-adjustable. A height adjustment mechanism located in the massage module makes it possible to increase both the height of the massage module and thus its stimulating effect on desired reflex points / reflex zones, as well as the degree of hardness.

Latex materials, rubber, tercolite, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, cork, wood or metal or any combination thereof are used as preferred materials for the massage modules. Another advantage of the massage modules is that they can be attached to any insole. The insole serving as the support sole is of course adaptable to all special and customary last shapes and sole shapes and can therefore also be used from special or used materials as well as for men's shoes, women's shoes and children's shoes.

In principle, it is also possible to design the massage modules so that they are firm after they have been attached to the insole.

Further advantages, features and possible applications of the invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows an insole with a plurality of holes arranged in a grid,

FIG. 2 shows an insole according to FIG. 1, but with larger holes.

Fig. 3 shows massage modules attached to the insole;

4 a) to c) show various exemplary embodiments of massage modules, and

Fig. 5 shows the head of a massage module with professional recovery wells

1 shows an insole 1 with a plurality of holes 2 arranged in its entire area. The holes 2 are grid-like arranged in the insole 1 so that they are at the same distance from one another and have the same diameter. By means of a relatively fine grid, it is thus possible to arrange the massage modules 3 (see FIGS. 3 to 5) at almost any location on the insole 1. The massage modules 3 are inserted with their webs 5 through a corresponding hole 2, whereby the massage module 3 is held in cooperation with a corresponding counterpart 6 at the desired location of the insole 1 in order to stimulate the desired reflex zone or the desired reflex point.

2 shows an exemplary embodiment of an insole 1 with holes 2 arranged equally in the grid. The holes are in turn arranged equally spaced in the entire area of the insole 1 and each have the same diameter due to a coarser grid, ie either holes with a larger diameter or a larger hole spacing Although only a smaller individual adaptability of the massage modules can be achieved in comparison to FIG. 1, the insole 2, which functions as a support sole for the massage modules, receives greater stability and thus strength. On the other hand, such a sole is more suitable for massage modules of larger dimensions , which are provided in particular for stimulating reflex zones

In Fig. 3, an insole 1 is shown, in which five massage modules 3 are arranged at defined locations. In contrast to the exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the insole 1 does not have a perforated grid, so that massage modules 3 are used which are pressed, for example, by means of a needle through or into the insole for their position fixing and fastening. The massage modules 3 themselves have on their side facing the reflex points / reflex zones, in turn profiling recesses 7 these profiling recesses 7 are arranged in a circle on the surface of the massage modules and serve to increase the stimulating effect for the respective reflex points / reflex zones.

4 shows three different exemplary embodiments of massage modules 3 each in a side view. 4 a) shows a one-piece massage module 3 with a head 4, which represents the elevation area of the massage module 3 on the surface of the insole l facing the sole of the foot. This head 4 is connected to a counterpart 6 via a web 5. The counterpart 6 is located after mounting the massage module 3 on the insole 1 on its side facing away from the sole of the foot. In such an embodiment of a massage module 3 according to FIG. 4 a), the holes 2 in the insole 1 are made smaller in diameter than the maximum diameter of the head 4. Since the massage modules 3 are preferably made of elastic material, the head 4 can pass through a hole are printed so that the web 5 holds the massage module 3 in the insole 1 and the head 4 of the massage module 3 nestles against the surface of the insole 1 which faces the sole of the foot.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4 b), the massage module 3 is also made in one piece and also has a head 4 which represents the actual elevation area which stimulates the reflex points / reflex zones of the soles of the feet. On the underside of the head 4, which rests on the surface of the insole 1, which faces the sole of the foot, a mandrel-like needle 5 is attached, which also serves as a web for the massage module 3. With a massage module 3 designed in this way, it is possible to print it directly into an insole 1 or insole or through corresponding holes 2 in the insole. plug in so that the spike-like needle 5 can be inserted into a counterpart 6, which is located below the insole.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4 c), a web 5 with an external thread is attached to the underside of the head 4, which is either inserted through a hole 2 in the insole 1 and can be screwed into a counterpart 6 provided with an internal thread or which can be screwed directly into one hole 2 provided with an internal thread can be screwed into the insole 1.

5 shows the top view of a head 4 of a massage module 3, in which profile recesses 7 are arranged in a circle

4 and 5, the head of the massage modules is shown schematically in half-pedestal form. Depending on the requirements, it is of course also possible that the surface of the massage module 3, which faces the sole of the foot, is essentially flat and is rounded off only at the edges which form the transition to the actual insole

Other forms of the surface such as more pointed ones, which serve to stimulate reflex points on the sole of the foot, are also possible

Claims

EXPECTATIONS

1. insole for a shoe, which is designed as a reflex massage sole with reflex points / reflex zones on the soles of the feet that stimulate the soles of the feet,

characterized in that

the survey areas are formed by massage modules (3) and these can be attached to any desired location on the insole for individual adaptability.

2. Insole according to claim 1, characterized in that the elevation areas are releasably attachable.

3. Insole according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the massage modules (3) have a surface corresponding to the inner surface of the insole and adjacent to this and a foot sole facing the elevation area defining surface.

4. Insole according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the surface has profiling depressions and / or profiling elevations (7). 5 insole according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the massage modules (3) are provided with spike-like needles (5) with which these can be inserted into the insole.

5 6 insole according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the insole is designed as an insole (1) which can be removed from the shoe and has a large number of holes (2) for attaching the massage modules (3).

10 7. Insole according to claim 6, characterized in that the massage modules (3) on the insole (1) by means of an attached, for their fastening cooperating mating piece (6) can be attached

i 8 insole according to claim 7, characterized in that the massage modules (3) are formed in one piece from an elastic material and can be inserted into the holes (2) of the insole (1).

9 insole according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the massage modules (3) are adjustable in height.

10 insole according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the insole is attached to an insole of the shoe

5 1 1 shoe with an insole with the features according to one of claims 1 to 10.

12. Massage module (3) for an insole of a shoe, in particular for an insole (1) that can be removed from the shoe, characterized in that it is at desired points on the insole (1) for individual use. dual adaptability to desired reflex points / reflex zones of the sole of the foot can be attached.

13. Massage module (3) according to claim 12, characterized in that it is s detachably attachable.

14. Massage module according to claim 12 or 13, which is formed in one piece from an elastic material and in the insole (l) provided holes (2) can be inserted. 0

15. Massage module according to claim 12 or 13, which is formed in two parts and can be fastened to the insole (1) by means of a counterpart (6).

5 16. Massage module according to claim 15, which can be plugged or screwed by means of the counterpart (6) to the insole (1)

17 massage module according to one of claims 13 to 16, which is adjustable in height. 0

18. Massage module according to one of claims 12 to 17, which consists of latex material, rubber, tercohte, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, cork, wood or metal or a combination thereof.