EP1325688A1 - Protective device for forefoot, parlicularly adapted for wearing of classical dance slippers - Google Patents

Abstract

A toe protector consists of a cap of a material (M) that is both soft and dense, covering the point of the foot and fitting inside the toe (51) of the shoe (5). The cap, which has a hardness not exceeding 15 Shore A, is stretched over the point of the foot before the shoe is put on so that it passes the metatarsal-phalangial joint. A toe protector consists of a cap of a material (M) that is both soft and dense, covering the point of the foot and fitting inside the toe (51) of the shoe (5). The cap, which has a hardness not exceeding 15 Shore A, is stretched over the point of the foot before the shoe is put on so that it passes the metatarsal-phalangial joint. The material used for the cap can stretch by at least five times its length; it is chemically neutral, hypoallergenic, biocompatible and washable. Its elasticity allows it to fit feet of different sizes.

Description

The subject of the invention is a device for protecting the front of feet, specially adapted for wearing ballet shoes but also applicable to sports shoes, particularly skating shoes artistic, and also covers slippers or shoes fitted with such devices.

We know that point exercises cause dancers classic, especially in the forefoot, some pain and even injuries, such as corns, blisters, calluses, calluses, partridge eyes, ingrown toenails, or hematomas.

These disadvantages are considered inevitable and the dancers reduce them by placing protections on the front of the slipper cotton or wool, or dressings they apply directly on the injured part, or in anticipation of a potential injury.

However, these protections have the disadvantage of being fairly ineffective because they can move and the dressings can easily be torn off during movements of the dancer's foot, especially when it is practiced on points, or those of a skater when performs jumps.

Indeed, if the dancer has, for example cotton or foam, at the bottom of the point, before putting his foot in the bootie, so as to cover the sensitive areas of the forefoot, these cushions protectors can move as soon as the dancer starts dancing and quickly settle at the bottom of the point.

The foot therefore cannot really adapt to the shape of the toe and remains relatively mobile in the liner, which generates friction when the dancer is in motion and may cause injury.

In addition, materials such as cotton, wool or foam in which protections are made, wear and degrade quickly, and are often irritating to the skin.

It should also be noted that the upper of the ballet shoe must be both light and rigid enough to allow the dancer to stand on the point. This rigidity tends to increase the risk of injury, particularly by friction, and, on the other hand, is difficult to maintain because the upper tends to deform with use. Its lifespan is, for therefore, quite limited and this results in a fairly large expense, simply for the renewal of the slippers.

For a long time, we have sought to solve such problems, by proposing various protection devices which generally consist of a hollow piece-like tip that slides over the forefoot so to be interposed between the toes and the relatively rigid inner face of the vamp.

For example, U.S. Patent No. 1,744,122, filed in 1928, already offered a protective tip made of an elastic material likely to absorb shocks, such as rubber, sponge, cork etc.

Around the same time, U.S. Patent No. 1,996,083 proposed to use fur.

Such devices did not bring the expected results and at the most, would alleviate the pain felt in the moment, but not to act preventively, or to avoid medical problems related to the practice of the classical dance mentioned above.

In recent years, we have developed, for the practice of certain sports such as skiing or skating, relatively moldable which hardens thereafter, so as to conform to the profile of the foot by interposing between it and the rigid upper of the shoe.

We tried to adapt a process of this type to the booties of dance and document EP-A-0 136 415 describes, for example, a nozzle whose wall contains a moldable mass enclosed between two resistant sheets, the whole being covered with a protective layer of leather or material synthetic.

Such a tip is quite expensive and can wear out quickly.

It has also been proposed, in document US-A-5,129,165, to replace the tip with a moldable silicone-based paste, combined with an agent hardener, which is simply applied to the toes, before putting on the foot in the shoe. The dough conforms thus, inwards to the profile of the foot and, outward, to that of the vamp and then hardens into this shape.

This produces a protective pad adapted to the shape of the foot which allows to distribute the loads on all the toes, the user having the possibility of improving the profile of this buffer by adding or removing from the material.

However, such devices remain relatively rigid and limit, or even prevent, intimate contact of the foot with the ground. This results in a decreased tactile perception of the foot with the risk of disturbing the gesture of the dancer when it evolves on pointe.

Therefore, generally, dancers prefer to do without protection or use the usual techniques, despite their inadequacies.

The invention provides, on the contrary, a solution, in particular a preventive one, to all these problems thanks to a new protection device particularly effective which has the advantage of being simple, durable and easy to use.

According to the invention, the protection device comprises, a tip made of an elastically deformable material, both soft and dense, said material being sufficiently elastic to allow a removable threading, each use, of the nozzle with extension of the edge peripheral and stretching, in all directions of the wall of the nozzle, of so that it is applied elastically over the entire front part of the foot, going beyond, on each side, the metatarsophalangeal joint, the the material constituting the wall being, moreover, sufficiently soft so that the inner face of the toe conforms to the profile of the forefoot at all times following slight variations of it, and dense enough to maintain without compaction an elastically compressible cushioning cushion between each part of the forefoot and the upper of the shoe, the wall of the end piece thus behaving like a second skin integral with the entire front part of the foot while retaining its flexibility inside of the shoe while maintaining permanent contact, inward with the foot and, outwards with the internal face of the vamp.

Particularly advantageously, the material constituting the tip has a degree of hardness not exceeding 15 in Shore-A unit.

On the other hand, the material constituting the tip will advantageously be elastic enough for an elementary part to support, without risk of tear, a longitudinal stretch of at least 5 times its length and, from preferably around 7 times its length.

In a preferred embodiment, the material constituting the tip according to the invention is a silicone elastomer with open cells. It is possible, in fact, to produce such an elastomer having both the degree of hardness, density and elasticity qualities required.

In addition, silicone elastomers, in particular of medical type or food, have the advantage of being hypoallergenic, biocompatible, sterilizable and chemically neutral.

By biocompatible material is meant, within the meaning of the invention, a matter tolerated by the body.

The use of silicone elastomers for the production of a tip according to the invention will therefore avoid any irritation of the skin, as well as any risk of allergy or skin disease, these problems appearing from even more markedly when, for example, the dancers neither wear nor stockings or socks, as is often the case for dancers Professional.

Furthermore, such a silicone elastomer tip, or another synthetic material having the required qualities, must be able to be washed after each use.

Washing can be done by hand or in a washing machine, preferably at a temperature less than or equal to 60 ° C, and better at 40 ° C. In case of machine washing of the nozzle, and in particular with linen, it is however preferable to use a protective bag suitable for machine washing in order to avoid any friction with the linen, which could possibly risk damage the tip.

The use of such a nozzle is therefore hygienic and the rest during successive uses. Such a tip is therefore easily reusable.

By hygienic is meant, within the meaning of the invention, the elimination of side effects from sweating, such as the proliferation of bacteria and yeast infections.

In addition, silicone elastomers are very resistant materials, which also exhibit very good resistance over time.

Preferably, the ends are made of a silicone elastomer with open cells, having a hardness of 4 to 15 Shore, preferably 4 to 10 Shore, and better from 4 to 6 Shore.

The elastically deformable material constituting the tip is a flexible and incompressible material, which means it is dense enough to does not settle and can simply deform slightly while retaining its volume, the nozzle always returning to its initial shape after use.

The dimensions of the endpiece are determined so that, at rest, it substantially covers all of the phalanges and then extends, by elastic stretching, beyond the metatarsophalangeal joint. Of preferably, the tip can thus be stretched until it covers one third of the first and of the fifth metatarsals.

An important advantage of the invention lies in the fact that the end piece, produced by molding, can be mass-produced industrially. Indeed, thanks to the flexibility and elasticity of the material used, the same model tip can be adapted, by elastic stretching, to shapes and different dimensions of the foot. Thus, it will be possible to make a model standard or, at most, two models covering all the usual sizes of foot for adults and one or two models covering all sizes for kids. Such models could, for example, be adapted to wide or narrow feet.

However, it would be possible, for an optimal result, to carry out tailor-made tips, of course more expensive.

The invention also covers other advantageous features which are the subject of the subclaims and will appear in the description which will follow of a particular embodiment, given by way of example and shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows in perspective, a tip according to the invention, seen from side.

Figure 2 is a rear view, in perspective of a tip for right foot.

Figure 3 and Figure 4 show, respectively in section horizontal and in vertical section, a foot provided with a tip according to the invention and put on a ballet shoe.

Figures 1 and 2 show, in perspective, a tip 1 according to the invention consisting of a single piece produced by molding a synthetic material and forming a hollow body 1 limited by a wall 10 of thin having a peripheral edge 13 and comprising a partition lower 2 and an upper partition 3 extending respectively below and above the foot and connected by a side wall 4. This side wall 4 has an elliptical portion surrounding the forefoot and includes a inner part 41 and an outer part 42 which are connected to a part central 43 forming the tip of the nozzle.

In Figures 1 and 2, the tip 1 is shown at rest, that is to say before threading on the foot. In this case, the upper partition 3 covers substantially all of the phalanxes of the toes, the lateral sides 41 and 42 going up appreciably to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the foot.

Preferably, the end piece 1 has an asymmetrical profile adapted to the side of the foot, respectively left or right, on which it is threaded, the lateral part outer 42 being slightly longer than the inner side portion 41.

As indicated above, the wall 10 of the end piece 1 is made in a material having a high elasticity allowing, for example, to stretch an elementary part of the wall up to 7 times its length. Of the so, after having put tip 1 on tiptoe, you can pull on its sides so as to extend beyond the two joints and cover the entire front of the foot, appreciably up to a third of the first and fifth metatarsals.

To better adapt to the shape of the foot, the lower partition 2 is in has the shape of a half-ellipse and is provided with a notch 20 so as to pass under the first and fifth metatarsophalangeal joints of the foot, tapering to the edge 13 of the end piece. Similarly, the partition upper 3 is in the form of a half-ellipse and is provided with a notch 30.

The end piece 1 thus stretched is held by its sides 41, 42 which cover the joints, and remains perfectly applied on the forefoot 6 when it is slipped into the liner 5.

In Figures 3 and 4, there is shown, respectively in section horizontal and in vertical section, a dance shoe 5 in which is put on foot 6 shown in phantom and the tip of which is covered with the nozzle 1 according to the invention.

It can be seen in these figures that the thickness of the side wall 4 which surrounds the foot decreases gradually and continuously from the part before 43 and up to the edge 13 of the end piece, along the two lateral parts, respectively interior 41 and exterior 42. As indicated, the wall 10 of the nozzle 1 is limited by a concave internal face 11 which corresponds substantially to the profile of the front 61 of the foot 6 and an external face 12 which corresponds to the internal profile of the front part or upper 51 of the liner 5, at the front of it.

By upper means, within the meaning of the invention, the front part of the upper of the bootie, from the instep to the toe.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper 51 of the boot is hatched and the wall 10 of the nozzle is dotted.

As we know, a dance shoe should be fairly light, but, to maintain the foot perfectly, the upper 51 must be relatively rigid and lasts as well as the sole 52, these parts having a thickness not negligible, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The entire bootie is covered with a fabric, usually satin or cotton.

As indicated, the material M from which the wall 10 of the end piece 1 is not only very elastic, but also particularly soft, its degree of hardness not exceeding 15 in Shore-A unit and being, preferably of the order of 4 to 6. Therefore, after stretching the tip for style the front of the foot and after threading the whole into the liner, the wall 10 of the end piece remains deformable and adapts inwardly to the shape of the front 61 of the foot 6 and, towards the outside, that of the internal face of the vamp rigid 51 of the liner 5, remaining perfectly applied on its two faces.

In addition, the material M of the wall 10 is sufficiently dense to not not to settle, even when the wall is stretched and supports a strong pressure.

It is particularly recommended to use, to make such a nozzle, a silicone elastomer with open cells, the composition of which can be adjusted from so as to obtain all of the required amounts of elasticity, softness and density.

The wall 10 of the end piece 1, thus tightened over its entire surface, between the foot and the vamp of the slipper, remains applied to the foot in its shape stretched, the thickness of the wall varying, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, between the front part 43 which provides shock absorption and the rear part which tapers along the foot to the exit of the slipper. The notch 30 is designed so as not to protrude outside the boot.

For example, at rest, the thickness of the wall 10 can be of the order from 1 to 3 mm along the peripheral edge 13 and of the order of 4 to 5 mm on the front part 43 of the end piece 1.

Due to this thinness and the elasticity of the material, the peripheral edge 13 of the endpiece is extensible, which facilitates threading of the foot and the perfect application, on its front 61, of the internal face 11 of the wall 10.

Foot 6 is therefore wrapped, beyond the joints metatarsophalangeal 61, that is to say over at least a third of its length, a kind of second skin which forms a thick cushioning cushion variable while retaining all the flexibility of the foot, unlike the devices known so far.

Indeed, thanks to the use of a material such as an elastomer silicone, which remains firm without being hard and can deform elastically at constant volume, the tip 1, clamped between the upper 51 of the liner 5 and the front 61 of the foot can follow, like a skin, the movements of the metatarsophalangeal bone part, while remaining perfectly fitted in the upper 51. In particular, injuries due to friction with the edge of the liner, at the metatarsophalangeal joints, can be avoided.

The contact with the silicone elastomer wall is pleasant and makes practically imperceptible the presence of the nozzle, which gives the dancer a feeling of balance necessary during movements.

In practice, the dancer never feels like touching the ground directly with his foot, as could be the case with others protective devices known so far.

On the other hand, without excessively increasing the length of the capped foot tip 1, gradually increasing the thickness of the tip on its front part 43 has a shock-absorbing effect and reduces the pressure felt by the foot, especially when it is supported the forefoot as is the case in classical dance, when the dancers move on points or in figure skating, when skaters or skaters perform jumps.

We know, in fact, that in classical dance, especially during spike movements and whatever the dance step, the weight of the dancer rests mainly on two or three toes, that is to say a few square centimeters.

Thanks to the holding and damping effect thus obtained, the dancer is less sensitive to shock waves and the front of her foot is distorts less, allowing it to dance much longer without feel the usual pain during rehearsals and shows.

As indicated, the underside 2 of the end piece 1 is advantageously provided with a notch 20 of asymmetrical shape, in order to take into account the relative positions of the support parts, respectively internal and external of the foot, while forming an elastic cushion around the first and fifth joints.

For the same reason, the upper face 3 of the end piece is also provided with a notch 30 which follows the profile of the toes and can, moreover, be enlarged so as to make the end piece invisible when it is fitted in the upper 51 of the liner 5.

Because the toe 1 follows the movements of the foot while remaining perfectly tight in the upper 51, no play can appear between the edge of the bootie and the foot and this avoids friction which, previously, caused foot irritation and even injury.

In addition, the use of an open cell material makes it possible to avoid the accumulation of sweat, the foot, even confined to the inside of the boot, is finding in the best conditions for the practice of dance with the necessary dexterity, giving flexibility and freedom of movement comparable to those of an unprotected foot.

We also know that dance shoes are generally very fragile items, especially in their front part, at the level of the upper which must be rigid and hard enough to keep the foot on the tips. Thanks to the density and the particular consistency of the material and its damping effect, the tip according to the invention makes it possible to reinforce the rigidity of the upper while avoiding the risk of softening in use which make the slipper unusable.

The use of the tip according to the invention will therefore increase the lifespan of the slippers which is usually only about one week for professional dancers and six months for amateur dancers.

The tip according to the invention therefore makes it possible to save important. However, such a tip is itself relatively inexpensive, because that it can be produced by molding and mass-produced industrially. Of more, as it is applied by stretching on the foot, the same model standard can adapt to different foot shapes and sizes.

In practice, it will be enough to have one or two models to cover all usual sizes for adults and one or two models for children.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the details of the mode of realization which has just been described as a simple example and covers the variants or other applications remaining within the scope of the claims.

In particular, if the use of silicone elastomer makes it possible to obtain excellent results, other subjects could present the same qualities of elasticity, firmness and flexibility allowing the tip to remain perfectly applied to the foot, forming a real skin following all foot movements.

On the other hand, the tips according to the invention are particularly suitable for dance shoes but can also find a application in all activities where tiptoe is particularly sought, for example for figure skating which also requires spikes and jumps. In this case, obviously, the form of the toe and the thickness of the wall would be adapted to the shape of the shoe of skating and its rigidity.

The reference signs inserted after the technical characteristics mentioned in the claims, have the sole purpose of facilitating the understanding of them and in no way limit their scope.

Claims (21)

Device for protecting the forefoot in a shoe (5), comprising a toe (1) consisting of a one-piece hollow part (1) limited by a continuous wall (10) opening along a peripheral edge (13) and having a concave internal face (11) fitting on the ball of the foot, and a convex external face (12) fitting in the upper of the shoe (5),
characterized by the fact that the end piece (1) is made of an elastically deformable material which is both soft and dense, said material (M) being, on the one hand, sufficiently elastic to allow removable threading, for each use, of the toe (1) with extension of the peripheral edge (13) and stretching in all directions of the wall (10), so that the latter is applied elastically to the entire front part of the foot by exceeding the metatarsal joint -phalangeal, on each side and, on the other hand, sufficiently soft so that the internal face of the toe (1) marries at all times the profile of the front of the foot by following slight variations thereof and sufficiently dense to maintain without compression an elastically compressible cushioning cushion, between each part of the forefoot and the upper (51) of the shoe (5), the wall (10) thus behaving like a second skin forming a body with all the front part (61) of the foot (6) while retaining the flexibility thereof inside the shoe (5) while maintaining permanent contact, inwardly with the foot (6) and outwardly with the inner face of the 'upper (51). Protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the material (M) constituting the end piece (1) has a degree of hardness not exceeding 15 in Shore-A unit. Protective device according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the material (M) constituting the end piece (1) is sufficiently elastic so that an elementary part supports, without risk of tearing, a longitudinal stretch d '' at least 5 times its length and may exceed 7 times its length. Protection device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material constituting the wall (10) of the end piece (1) is chemically neutral, hypoallergenic and biocompatible. Protective device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the toe remains threaded on the foot when the shoe is removed and is made of a washable material. Protection device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material constituting the wall (10) of the end piece (1) is a silicone elastomer with open cells. Protection device according to claim 6, characterized in that the material (M) constituting the end piece is a silicone elastomer, the composition of which is adjusted so as to have a hardness of 4 to 10 Shore, preferably 4 to 6 Shore. Protective device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that , at rest, the end piece substantially covers all of the phalanxes and is then stretched elastically to extend beyond the metatarsophalangeal joint. Protective device according to claim 8, characterized in that , by elastic stretching, the tip can cover up to 1/3 of the first and fifth metatarsals. Protective device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall (10) of the end piece (1) has a thickness which varies progressively and continuously between a peripheral edge (13) sufficiently thin to allow the threading of the toe on the foot by elastic stretching, and a front part (43) remaining, after stretching, sufficiently thick and elastically compressible to protect the toe with shock absorption. Protective device according to claim 10, characterized in that the front part (43) of the wall (10) of the end piece (1) has a thickness of the order of 4 to 5 mm. Protective device according to claim 10, characterized in that the peripheral edge (13) of the wall (10) of the end piece (1) has a thickness of the order of 1 to 3 mm. Protective device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that , by elastic stretching, the same model of toe can be adapted to different shapes and dimensions of the foot. Protective device according to claim 13, characterized in that the concave internal face (11) and the convex external face (12) of the wall (10) of the end piece each have an asymmetrical profile adapted to the side of the foot, respectively left or right, on which the tip is threaded. Protection device according to either of Claims 13 and 14, characterized in that it is produced, for adults, in at most two models covering, by elastic stretching, all the usual sizes of feet. Protection device according to either of Claims 13 and 14, characterized in that it is produced, for children, in at most two models covering, by elastic stretching, all the usual sizes of feet. Protective device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall (10) of the end piece (1) comprises a lower partition (2) in the form of a half-ellipse provided with a notch (20) of so as to form, below the first and fifth metatarsophalangeal joints of the foot (6), an elastic cushion tapering to the edge (13) of the toe (1). Protective device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall (10) of the end piece (1) comprises an upper partition (3) in the form of a half-ellipse provided with a notch (30) of so that the wall (10), after stretching and threading on the foot (6), does not protrude outside the shoe (5). Use of a protective device according to one of the claims 1 to 18 to protect the forefoot in booties dance. Use of a protective device according to one of the Claims 1 to 18 for increasing the life of ballet shoes. Use of a protective device according to one of the Claims 1 to 18 for protecting the forefoot in protective shoes sport.

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