GB2045597A - Orthopaedic shoe and kit - Google Patents

Abstract

An upper unit 1 comprises an upper 2 and a mid-sole 3. An intermediate unit 8, between the upper unit 1 and a sole-and-heel unit 11, has a peripheral lip 9 for locating the mid-sole 3. Recesses 16, 17 in the units 8, 11 define a through- hole 14 occupied by a caliper stub 12 and/or a plug 13. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Orthopaedic shoe and kit This invention relates to an orthopaedic shoe and a kit from which the shoe can be constructed.

The problem with which the invention is concerned is that of providing an orthopaedic shoe which can be constructed from a kit of parts by unskilled or semi-skilled labour on the basis of a prescription. Typical features of orthopaedic shoes may be caliper sockets in the heel region and modifications of the shape of the sole to provide wedges or rockers, for example. The provision of such features brings the risk of weakening the shoe construction, distorting the upper, or obtaining an unwanted wear pattern on the sole unless great skill is exercised. The invention is based on the idea of providing a self-contained upper unit and a self-contained sole-and-heel unit made independent of each other by an intermediate unit, so that many of the modifications necessary to allow for deformities can be applied between the upper unit and the sole-and-heel unit.

Accordingly, the invention provides an orthopaedic shoe comprising: an upper unit comprising an upper and a flexible mid-sole which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise, the mid-sole being bonded to the underside of the upper; a sole-and-heel unit which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise and in its thickness; and an intermediate unit which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise, the intermediate unit being disposed between the mid-sole and the sole-andheel unit and having a peripheral lip which locates the mid-sole; the peripheral contours of the intermediate unit and of the sole-andheel unit being substantially identical; the hind part of the top surface of the sole-andheel unit and the hindpart of the bottom surface of the intermediate unit having respective transverse recesses defining a through hole occupied by a caliper stub and/or a plug.

The invention also provides an orthopaedic shoe kit comprising: (a) a plurality of upper units of different sizes, each comprising an upper and a flexible mid-sole which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise, the mid-sole being bonded to the upper; (b) a plurality of intermediate units of different sizes, each intermediate unit being continuous lengthwise and breadthwise and having a peripheral lip for locating a respective one of the mid-soles of the upper units, the hindpart of the bottom surface of each intermediate unit having a transverse recess of a given cross-section;; (c) a plurality of sole-and-heel units of different sizes, each being continuous lengthwise and breadthwise and in its thickness and having a peripheral contour substantially identical to that of a respective one of the intermediate units, the hindpart of the top surface of each sole-and-heel unit having a transverse recess of a given cross-section which, together with the transverse recess of any of the intermediate units, defines a through-hole of a given cross-section; and (d) a plurality of caliper stubs and plugs capable of occupying the said through-hole.

The kit preferably also comprises a plurality of adaptation inserts, for insertion between a mid-sole and a sole-and-heel unit, preferably under the intermediate unit, in order to provide wedge or rocker effects, for instance, without applying adaptation elements to the underside of the sole-and-heel unit, which could result in an undesirable wear pattern.

The adaptation inserts may simply comprise sheets which can be superimposed to build up a wedge or a rocker for instance.

The upper selected may be of leather, or of thermosoftening plastics material having a lining of resilient expanded thermosoftening plastics material of closed cell construction, or of a combination of the two in which the forepart is of thermosoftening plastics material having the said lining and the hindpart is of leather, the forepart covering the toes and the dorsum of the foot and extending to behind the metatarsal heads, the hindpart covering the heel and including a pair of wings for covering the foot.

The kit preferably includes a plurality of insoles of resilient expanded thermosoftening plastics material, which can be shaped to the patient's foot. A preferred insole comprises a top layer of lower density and a bottom layer of higher density. Alternatively, each upper unit may include an insole.

The caliper stub selected may be tubular and may receive one or two spurs or it may have a pivotabe connector or connectors for fixing to a caliper. Considerable force may be exerted on the caliper stub in use, particularly if it is provided with a backstop, and it is therefore preferable for the stub to have a wing or wings extending lengthwise of the shoe and interposed between the intermediate unit and the sole-and-heel unit; preferable a rivet passes through the or each wing to secure it to the adjacent units. If the caliper stub selected does not occupy the throughhole, the space surrounding the stub is occupied by a plug; preferably the stub is moulded into the plug. If no caliper stub is required, the through-hole is occupied by a plug alone.

It is important for the therapist or orthotist to be in a position to supply the shoe with the type of closure best suited to the patient.

Practice has shown that trial and error is the best way of finding a closure which suits a given individual. In order to allow the style of closure (e.g. lacing, buckle and strap, or elas ticated gusset) to be selected, a preferred upper unit has a pair of elongate longitudinally-slotted hollow members fixed to respective wings for closure over the foot, the kit further comprising a plurality of connecting means each comprising a pair of elongate elements which are a friction fit in the respective hollow members of each upper unit and are removable from them longitudinally, the elongate elements having respective lateral extensions for projecting from respective longitudinal slots in the hollow members, the extensions being releasably connected or connectible to each other or being connected to each other by resilient means which are sufficiently extensible to allow the shoe to be donned and doffed. Such connecting means are disclosed in the specification of my copending application No. 27568/78.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of the component parts of an orthopaedic shoe, before assembly; Figure 2 is a side view of the assembled shoe; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through another orthopaedic shoe.

The shoe illustrated in Figs. land 2 has an upper unit 1 comprising an upper 2 and a mid-sole 3. The upper 2 has a forepart 4 of PVC (polyvinylchloride) bonded to a backing of textile material which is in turn bonded to a lining of low density " Plastazote" (a Trade Mark for an expanded cross-linked polyethylene). The hindpart 6 of the upper is of leather and is constructed in the conventional way, several pieces of leather being stitched together to provide adequate support for the heel. The hindpart 6 includes a pair of wings 7 for closure over the foot and is stitched and/or bonded (e.g. welded) to the forepart 4. Alternatively, the forepart and hindpart of the upper may be of the same material. The mid-sole 3, e.g. of polyurethane, is bonded to the underside of the upper 2, preferably by being moulded in situ.The mid-sole 3 is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise, i.e. it is not made up of separate longitudinal or transverse sections joined together. It is preferably also continuous in its thickness, but alternatively, if desired, it may be laminated.

The shoe also comprises an intermediate unit 8 compatible with the mid-sole 3. The unit 8 is, for example, of polyurethane and is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise; it is preferably also continuous in its thickness, although it may have parts built up by lamination, as explained below. The unit 8 has a peripheral lip 9 for locating the mid-sole 3, which is to be bonded to it.

The shoe further comprises a sole-and-heel unit 11, e.g. of polyurethane or rubber, hav ing a flat bottom surface and a top surface which rises from a sole region to a heel region. An outer sole or one or more adaptation elements, such as a wedge or a rocker, may be affixed to the bottom surface, but this is not preferred. The unit 11 is continuous lengthwise, breadthwise and in its thickness, and is bonded to the intermediate unit 8. The continuity of the individual components 3, 8, and 11 makes the resulting shoe strong and able to resist damage due to modifications carried out to accomodate deformities, particularly modifications of the intermediate unit 8.

A caliper stub 12, in the form of a steel tube, is embedded in an injection-moulded polyurethane plug 1 3 which is received by and occupies a through-hole 1 4 of rectangular cross-section defined by transverse recesses 16, 1 7 in the units 8, 11 respectively. The stub 12 has wings 18.

In assembling the shoe, adhesive is applied to the facing surfaces of the units 8, 11 and to the plug 13 and the exposed wings 18.

The units 8, 11, which have the same peripheral contour, are brought together, with the plug 1 3 occupying the through-hole 1 4 and with the wings 1 8 covered laterally by the units 8, 11. Rivets 1 9 are passed through the wings 18. The unit 8 is then bonded to the mid-sole by means of an adhesive.

If no caliper stub is required, the throughhole 14 is occupied by a plain, solid polyurethane plug 1 3a (Fig. 3). If a wedge or rocker effect is required, this can be achieved by applying an adaptation insert 21 (Fig. 3), built up of polyurethane sheets, to the bottom of the intermediate unit 8 and rounding off their edges before bonding the sole-and-heel unit 11 to the unit 8. The continuity of the bottom surface of the shoe thus remains unbroken.

A kit for assembling a shoe as described above comprises: a plurality of upper units 1 of different sizes and of various materials, as described above; a plurality of intermediate units 8 of different sizes; a plurality of sole and-heel units 11 of different sizes; a plurality of caliper stubs 1 2 of different designs, all embedded in plugs 1 3 having the same cross section as the through-hole 14, except for the largest caliper stub, which is of rectangular cross-section and fits in the through-hole 1 4 so as to occupy it; at least one plain plug 1 3a; and polyurethane sheeting for building up adaptation inserts 21, as well as ready made adaptation inserts.

One way of using this kit, as an alternative to the way described above, is to select an upper unit and a sole-and-heel unit of the required size and the required stub or plug, which is inserted in the recess in the sole-and heel unit, to arrange the upper unit in the required attitude and at the required height in relation to the sole-and-heel unit, and to cast an intermediate unit in situ between the upper unit and the sole-and-heel unit.

In certain cases the patient may need to wear the upper unit alone, so that the midsole functions as a sole proper.

Claims (8)

1. A shoe comprising: an upper unit comprising an upper and a flexible mid-sole which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise, the mid-sole being bonded to the underside of the upper; a sole-and-heel unit which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise and in its thickness; and an intermediate unit which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise, the intermediate unit being disposed between the mid-sole and the sole-and-heel unit and having a peripheral lip which locates the midsole, the peripheral contours of the intermediate unit and of the sole-and-heel unit being substantially identical.

2. A shoe as claimed in claim 1, in which the hindpart of the top surface of the soleand-heel unit and the hindpart of the bottom surface of the intermediate unit have respective transverse recesses defining a throughhole occupied by a caliper stub and/or a plug.

3. A shoe as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the forepart of the upper is of thermosoftening plastics material having a lining or resilient expanded thermosoftening plastics material of closed cell construction, and the hindpart of the upper is of leather, the forepart covering the toes and the dorsum of the foot and extending to behind the metatarsal heads, the hindpart covering the heel and including a pair of wings for covering the foot.

4. A shoe kit comprising: (a) a plurality of upper units of different sizes, each comprising an upper and a flexible mid-sole which is continuous lengthwise and breadthwise, the mid-sole being bonded to the upper; (b) a plurality of intermediate units of different sizes, each intermediate unit being continuous lengthwise and breadthwise and having a peripheral lip for locating a respective one of the mid-soles of the upper units; and (c) a plurality of sole-and-heel units of different sizes, each being continuous lengthwise and breadthwise and in its thickness and having a peripheral contour substantially identical to that of a respective one of the intermediate units.

5. A kit as claimed in claim 4, in which the hindpart of the bottom surface of each intermediate unit has a transverse recess of a given cross-section, the hindpart of the top surface of each sole-and-heel unit has a transverse recess of a given cross-section which, together with the recess of any of the intermediate units defines a through-hole of a given cross-section, and the kit includes a plurality of caliper stubs and plugs capable of occupying the said through-hole.

6. A kit as claimed in claim 4 or 5, including a plurality of adaptation inserts for insertion between the mid-sole and the soleand-heel unit.

7. A shoe as claimed in claim 1, substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, Figs. 1 and 2 or Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A shoe kit substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.