US2760281A

US2760281A - Moldable foot support

Info

Publication number: US2760281A
Application number: US410756A
Authority: US
Inventors: Murray D Cosin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-02-17
Filing date: 1954-02-17
Publication date: 1956-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1973-08-28

Description

Aug. 28, 1956 M. D. @Csm 2,760,281

MOLDABLE FOOT SUPPORT Filed Feb. 17-l 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet l Zweaoi'l Mway .0. 00.61224.

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Aug. 28, 1956 M. D. coslN 2,760,281

MOLDABLE FooT SUPPORT Filed Feb. 17, 1954 s sheets-sheet 2 Murcy. Coasif, zy www aumm Hawzeys Filed Feb. 17, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent O n MOLDABLE FGOT SUPPORT Murray D. Cosin, Endicott, N. l Application February 17, 1954, Serial No. 410,756

3 Claims. (Cl. 36--71) V'I'his invention relates to foot supporting devices, and more particularly to devices adapted to be inserted in the toe area of shoes or other footwear for promoting natural action of the foot in walking. The present application is a continuation-in-part of the inventors copending application, Serial No. 337,035, iiled February 16, 1953, now abandoned.

It will be observed that in normal barefoot walking on a soft surface, such as sand, the toes tend to contract and push the surface material into the area immediately behind them, forming a buttress, which the toes may grip. -This normal grasping action exercises not only the toe muscles but also the muscles which control the main arch of the foot, and thus serves to keep the entire foot in healthy condition. The buttress thus formed also provides an anchor for the forward part of the foot, limiting 2,760,281 Patented Aug. 28,` 1956 ice ' 2 nent imprint while retaining a considerable amountof resilience. The insert is made of a slow flowing, pressure moldable material which retains its plasticity indefinitely, but is sufficiently cohesive to retain its molded shapeiwhen pressure is removed. After a short period of weaigthel pad-adapts itself to the contour of the under surfaceof vthe v soft surface. This buttress promotes constant and active,

use of the toes in the normal manner during'walkingso'as to restore and maintain their muscle' tone, and also helps` to eliminate arch strains byproviding an Vanchor for the forepart of the foot. An innersole thus constructed also 1 aiords better weight distribution overithe under surfaces the tendency of the foot to pronate and elongate along its longitudinal axis, and increases the areaof weight bearing surface, thus providing better weight distribution.

The hard, at insoles of conventional footwear aiord no comparable anchor for the foot in walking, and eliminate much of the natural toe action which would normally maintain the tone of the toe and arch supporting muscles. As `a result, constant walking in such footwear, and on the hard surfaces usually encountered, tends to develop strains in the arch supporting muscles and displacement of the bones, particularly in the metatarsal region, as well as loss of tone of the toe muscles. On hard surfaces, furthermore, the concentration of weight on the ball of the foot is likely to produce sore spots and callouses.

Arch supporting devices provide temporary relief for strains and displacements, and improve weight distribution, but such devices discourage, rather than encourage, proper exercise of the foot muscles. For example, metatarsal pads cause extension, rather than contraction of the toes in Walking. The corrective exercises ordinarily prescribed to overcome muscular weaknesses of the foot are tedious and time-consuming, and patients rarely practice them with sucient regularity to achieve satisfactory results.

The object of this invention is to provide a moldable insert adapted to be installed in the forward part of a shoe or other footwear, which simulates the buttress naturally formed by the grasping action of the toes in walking on soft sand, or a similar surface.

In one form, the device here described consists inV general of a pad of resilient, somewhat plastic material, ex-

tending over the entire inner surface of the shoe or sole, having an insert of more iowable material in the general region of the area between the heads of the metatarsal bones of the foot and the proximal phalangeal shafts of the toes. The pad is formed of two layers, or is split through the forepart, and the ilowable insert material trapped between the less plastic layers so as to limit its ow. The pad may be placed in the shoe as a separate inner sole or permanently built into the shoe. The pad is preferably made of a material which will take a permaofthe foot than a iiat surface, thus reducing concentra` tion of pressure on .the heel and ball. As well as` providing an excellent corrective for footailments developed in walking on hard surfaces, the inner sole is ofgrfeat benefit in maintaining the health and comfort'of normal feet. A r i f In another form, the pad may consist of aniimperviof'us envelope enclosing a moldable materialwhich Yremains permanently plastic. The envelope may be attachedin various ways to the sock lining of a shoe or slipper, or may be built into the inner sole of the shoe. v. In the drawings illustrating the invention; A,

Fig. l is a longitudinal cross-section of a shoe in which al separate inner sole, constructed according `to ltheAin-Il vention has been installed; t f

Fig. 2 -is a top view ofan inner sole, construe-ted ac-v cording to the invention, which has been worn suficiently to mold the insert to the desired contour;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-section of the inner sole taken alongthe line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Y f Fig. 4 is a detail view of the separate parts used to make upA the inner sole; v n K Fig. 5 illustrates 'a modified` constructionofthe inner sole; Y j

. Fig. 6 illustrates the inner sole as adapted tobe built into a shoe; '.1 l

Fig. 7 illustrates a moldable toe insert, constructed according to the invention, installed in a conventional shoe insole;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section of a strip of material from which 'a modification of the .insert may be formed; v

Fig. 9 illustrates one step in forming a toe insertfrom the strip of Pig. 8; Fig. 10 isa plan view of a completed insert formed from the strip of Fig. 8;

Fig. 1l is a cross-section taken along line 151.-11 `of Y Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a cross-section of a modification of Fig..l0; y

Fig.` 13 is a bottom view of a sole pad or sock lining, with amoditlcation of theinsert installed; l Fig. 14 is a plan View of a toe sling pad incorporating the insert; Fig. l5 is a side view of thel sling of Fig. 15.-

VIn Fig. lthe inner sole is shown installed in a clonventionalshoe having a sole 10 and insole-11 between which is interposed a layer of ller vmaterial 12... 'The inner sole itself as illustrated in Figs. l, 3 and 4, consists of a resilient bottom 1ayer'13, a resilient upper layer 14, each about 1A@ in.y thick or thicker, a plastic insert and sock lining 16 of material ordinarily'used for.. the purpose such as thin natural ory artificial leather, or,cloth. The resilient layers 13 and 14fare Amade ofY a material which will take a permanentl imprint of the foot afteria short period of wear while retainingV a certain'anountllof resiliency. A composition of uncured spongerubber'iid of the he used.

outer edges.

cork, such as thatdisclosedin Patent Number 2,288,686, i

` to Daniels, has beenfound especially suitable for the pur layers. YA vcompound Vof cork, petroleum asphalt, and

plasticizer, used for pipe insulation Vand sold under the trademark No-Drip* by the G, 'Morte'll Co., fhas been found suitable. Other. similar. materialsmaybe used however, the chiefY requirements being that thejinsert hindithe toes, and at the same time sufficiently stifE'and cohesive so as to retain its inoldedshape .andnot to spread beyond thedesired area. Y d K s' VIn the inner sole as manufactured, the insert is about E /gg y in.` tofjza in. ,thick throughout the roughly triangular inV outlineas shown in Fig. 4, and has a somewhat .concave edge 30. It is placed on the lower pad layer 13 with the front Ycornertilted somewhat toward the large toe area, intheposition indicated by the dotted'outline 17. Theupper .padY layery 14 is then placed on top .and cemented to the lower Ylayer up to the edge ofthe insert, thus trapping the insert material and restricting its flow. The sock lining 16 is cemented to the upper'pad layer. Any suitable materialbe suciently .ilowable under pressure to form 'the'relatively high ridge required tojll inthe space

be-r tween twostrips

33 and 34, Ao'f a rubber hydrochloride film i such as' that sold under the trademark Pliotilmiv by'thej Goodyear Tire & Rubberv Co., or other exible material. A silicone layer about figinl to M6 in. thick placed bertween Pliollm has been found generally,V satisfactory. YVIn'- sert blanks 3S havingthe general shape of a right triangle with a slightly curvedfhypotenuse are then die cutlfrorn the strip of Fig. .8, as. shown inlFig. 9. A blank V35 is then placed between two layers 37 and 38 of polyethylene 5 lm cut to the same general shape but of slightly larger size than the blank,.and the margins of the. polyethylene film layers heat sealed along the line 39 all around the blank; The heat sealing is preferably performed Yby means i of a die which fits closely enougharound the blank to prevent trapping ofrany substantial amount ofY air, the die must yet have enough clearance to avoid putting pressure *on the blank and squeezing Vthe silicone compound out from between the Pliolm layers, :as silicone compound.

i in the'margin would prevent the polyethylene iillmlayers adhesive such as Vrubber cement may vbe used. For better` Y seating in the shoe, the under edge of the assembled inner sole may be tapered all around, as indicated at the -heel edge '18,in' Fig. l and the side edges V19 andr20in`Fig.v v37.

n After a short period of wear the insert becomes molded by the Wearers foot to kthe Ygeneral shape shown in Figs. l,

from sealing properly. The silicone is thus trappedin ai.

leak-proof, exible envelope.

Another method of confining a silicone compound 4to v form a moldable toe insert is to dip one of the blanks '35 in latex and allow the latex to dry, for forminga unitary l .25

envelope 40 as shown in Fig. l2.

The polyethylene film or latex covered siliconeinserts may be installed in a pad of eitherof the types described in Figs. .l-5, or may be installed in a conventional inso'1e.f

asshown ,in Fig. 7. The insert is placed in a right shoe for example, with the apex V42 about on the centerline of the shoe, 1A' inch to2 inches Vback'fromV the toe of the sole, the curved edge 43 about parallel to the right outer edge of the sole,land the rear edge slantingslightly for- 2 and. The major bulk of the insert material ispushed up into an 'arcuate Vridge l22 which conforms to the hollow between the-toes and the ball of the foot. This ridge is high in the middle and tapers downward towardthe

Depressions

23, 24, 25, 26 and j27. are formed around the forward edge of the insert to .conform to'the balls ofthe toes, and the rear part 28 is attened outV `to t the ball of the foot. shapes itself to theoverall contour of the under. surface of the foot;

The upper pad 14 'also In theV modification of Fig. 5, the separate resilient .f layers 13 and 14 are replaced by a single layer 29, approximately 1/5 in. thickwhich is vsplit through'the forepart toV receive Vthe insert 1S. After the insert is in place, the split portion is cementedtogether around the edges.

Fig. 6 illustrates a composite insole incorporatingthe moldable inner sole'and adapted to be builtintoa shoe in place of the conventional dat insole. The insert .15 and upper and lower pads 13 andk 14 are; assembled as in .the separate'. inner vsole and cementedy toV the conventional insole 11,?the edgesof the pads extending to the edges of Infthis case the inner sole terminates at the archvof the Y Y" shoe, the rear edge being suitably tapered.

' the insole. The Aassembly is'thenV attached'Y tofthejupper 1 .in the usual manner. YIn certain types'of footwear, particu- Y larly finwomens shoes, it may be preferable to havethe `moldable. inner soleV cover only thejforepartof the shoe.

. Fig. 7 illustrates another type ofnpermanent installa.

'tion of .the toe insert in ashoe. Here` the Conventional Vleather insole V11'is split Yin the forepart, in much the vsame Ymanner aspad 29 in Fig. 5.l 'The insert l15 is put in Vp lace f between the split portions of the 'insoleforeparg `and the g insole is then Yassembled in a shoe in the conventional manner. Y `Y Figs. l0, 1l and 12., illustrate an insert .n'whirch the moldable plastic material 3.1 is asilicone fluid or lguna .As the iirst steprin the'prefelred method 4for making .s115111 insert,y a layer ofsilicone compound spread `.bef-

` portions .cemented together lall around the inset-if. The

ward from right to left. The trapped siliconeis molded by wear to form the desired ridge behind the toes. The sizeof the insert maybe varied for use in mens, womens and childrens shoes. For an average mans shoe,ghow` ever., the size of the blank 3 5 may be about 1% inches from the rear edge 41 .to the apex 42, and about 2 inches wide at the rear.

In Fig. 13, the insert blank is shown attached to thebottom of a thin sole pad or sock Vlining 45, This View represents the under side of a pad or. lining for the right.A foot.' The insert blank is laid in placeV against the under side of the pad, and covered by a patch 416.`V T he patch is secured 'by a row of close stitching 47v around the `edge ofthe insert blank. Preferably a lyerV of latex cement',

`or similar adhesive is applied around the'margin 48 of the patch before stitching so as to ensure a ,complete .Seal around the insert.V Alternatively, therstitching ,rrrlayfbe` Y 'Y omitted and the patch attachedby cement'alone.. The

assembled sock lining and insert may be installed perma- .Y nently ina shoe,-or may be glued to a resilientlayerrsuch as pad 13, to form a removable 'inner sol e. Y l Y Y. Fig. 14 shows a pad for the forward part-'of the foot Y only, held in lplace .'by a toe sling. An insert of the type shown fin Fig.. l'l Vor 1.2 is placed in the splitforepartdof'a sponge rubber pad 48 to which Vare attached an instepY strap49 andatoe strapSO. This padis held ,ontherstrap's Y and is convenient for wear in bedroom slippers or other footwear. d The. moldable Linsert becomes moldedto the Y 'desired ridge form and *has thesame effectv as when installed in a shoe.

The type of materials which are suitable formakingthe sealedtyp Ofinsert are permanently plastic,-.slow-owing, non-resilient substance'srsuch as silicone fiuids,oils, Vor gums. `For example ditunctional polysiloxane, disubistituted polysiloxane, and diralkyl-,aryl-alkenyl polysiloioy ane, vor combinations .of ,these substances or .other substances withsimilarpropertie'smay'be used. Inertfllers .such ascalcium carbonate, ground cork or similar ma e- .rialsmayrbe .added to provide greater Ybulk and thus decrease they cost. The essential .characteristics .of a mate- ,nal usedrvforgthis purpose ,areplasticiti/,Y ,iluidi ty, softness @liee-@allega- .Tlle material. 1.1111. been@ which. te-

tains these characteristics indenitely and is not substantially aected by temperature changes. The material should ow readily under light pressure but should be nonresilient and suiciently cohesive to retain an imprint when the pressure is removed.

The separate self contained type of moldable insert gives the wearer all the benefits resulting from the natural toe action, and has the advantage of taking only a negligible amount of space in the shoe. In fact, the insert, when molded occupies only the space behind theV toes which would otherwise be empty, so that the tit of the shoe is not altered. The insert may thus be used in a shoe of the wearers normal size.

What is claimed is:

l. A toe grip for footgear, comprising an insert of plastic material which is sufficiently slow owing to remain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is sufficiently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, and means for confining said material in a piece of footgear to the sole region disposed, when the footgear is worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between the heads of the metatarsal bones and the balls of the toes.

2. A toe grip for footgear, comprising an insert of plastic material which is suciently slow flowing to remain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is suiiciently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, and means for confining said material in a piece of footgear to a sole region adapted, when the footgear is worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot, said region being bounded by a irst transverse line disposed to lie ahead of the heads of the metatarsal bones of the foot, by a second line extending forward from the rst in the vicinity of the large toe of the foot, and by a third line extending rearward from the second to the rst along the vicinity of the balls of the other toes of the foot.

3. A toe grip as described in claim 2, said rst and second lines being substantially straight and at right angles to one another, and the third line being somewhat bowed outward.

4. A toe grip for footgear, comprising a sealed impervious envelope, and an insert of plastic material which is sufficiently slow owing to remain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is suciently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, said insert being confined in said envelope.

5. A toe grip device for footgear, comprising a pair of layers of flexible material adapted to be disposed, one above the other, in a piece of footgear and to extend over the sole part thereof, and an insert of plastic material which is suiciently slow owing to remain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is suciently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, said insert being disposed between said layers in the region disposed, when the footgear is worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between the heads of the metatarsal bones and the balls of the toes, said layers being secured together around said insert so as to confine the insert to said region.

6. A toe grip device for footgear, comprising a piece of exible material adapted to be disposed in a piece of footgear and to extend over the sole part thereof, said piece having a forepart comprising upper and lower laminations, and an insert of plastic material which is Sulliciently slow flowing to remain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is suiciently flowable at body temperature to be molded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, said insert being disposed between said laminations in the region disposed, when the footgear is worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between the heads of the metatarsal bones and the balls of the toes, said laminations being secured together around said insert so as to conne the insert to said region.

7. A toe grip device for footgear, comprising a piece of flexible material adapted to be disposed in a piece of footgear and to extend over the sole part thereof, an insert of plastic material which is suthciently slow flowing to remain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is suiiciently owable at body temperature to be molded by action of the hum-an foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, said insert being disposed on the under side of said piece in the region disposed, when the footgear is Worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between the heads of the metatarsal bones and the balls of the toes, land a patch of flexible material disposed under said insert and secured to said piece all around the insert so as to confine the insert to said region.

8. A toe grip for a piece of footgear, comprising a pad of permanently deformable material adapted to be disposed over the sole of a piece of footgear, said pad having a forepart comprising upper and lower layers, and an insert of plastic material which is suciently slow flowing to remain substantially static when unstressed and to resist displacement by light external pressure, but is suiciently fiowable at body temperature to be molded by action of the human foot in walking and which is adapted to retain the aforesaid characteristics substantially permanently, said insert being disposed between said layers in the region disposed, when the footgear is Worn, to underlie the toe cavity of the foot between the heads of the metatarsal bones and the balls of the toes, said layers being secured together around said insert so as to confine the insert to said region.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,008,985 Latteman July 23, 1935 2,055,072 Everston Sept. 22, 1936 2,288,686 Daniels July 7, 1942 2,313,870 Golden Mar. 16, 1943 2,409,594 Sherman Oct. 15, 1946 2,546,827 Lavinthal Mar. 27, 1951 2,641,066 Filardo Iune 9, 1953