Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HIGH HEEL SHOE OF IMPROVED COMFORT
This invention relates to a high heel shoe which is shaped and
arranged to improve the comfort of wearing for extended periods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
While many women wear high heeled shoes for fashion and for the
attractive appearance, they are accepted by the wearers to be very
uncomfortable
over extended periods. Despite this renowned discomfort, little attention has
been
given to trying to improve the comfort and it appears merely to be accepted
that the
pain is a by-product of the desire to wear such shoes.
US Patent 5,782,015 Dananberg issued July 21 st 1998 but now
abandoned and related Design patent D535,811 issued January 30th 2007 appears
to represent one of only very few attempts to ameliorate the problem. This
technology is sold commercially under the trade mark "Insolia" and is used in
shoes
sold by DKNY and JC Penny under the trade mark "lpanema".
Cole Haan has recently made attempts to collaborate with Nike using
air spring insert technology arising from sportswear shoes but this does not
attack
the problem from the foot structure point of view.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the invention to provide a high heel shoe which is
shaped and arranged with the intention of reducing the level of discomfort
suffered
by the wearer.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a high heel
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shoe for receiving the foot of a wearer, the shoe being shaped for a left or
right foot
with a medial shape which is different from a lateral shape and comprising:
a shoe outsole, outer shank and a shoe heel for engaging the ground;
a shoe insole on which the foot of the wearer is placed including a heel
seat extending from the rear of the shoe to a break line across the shoe, an
inner
shank extending downwardly and forwardly from the break line to a ball line
across
the shoe and a forefoot in front of the ball line;
wherein the heel seat of the insole is arranged such that, with the shoe
resting on the ground so as to define an imaginary horizontal line across the
heel
seat from the lateral edge of the shoe to the medial edge of the shoe, the
upper
surface of the heel seat on which the heel rests is angled relative to the
imaginary
line so that the medial edge of the heel seat is lifted upwardly relative to
the lateral
edge of the heel seat.
Preferably the heel seat is concave between the medial and lateral
edges.
Preferably the lifting of the heel seat at the medial edge is obtained by
providing a thickening of the insole at the heel seat.
Preferably the medial edge is lifted relative to the lateral edge to define
an angle which lies in the range approximately 3-5 degrees.
Preferably the medial edge is lifted relative to the lateral edge to define
an angle which is less than 10 degrees.
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Preferably the medial edge of the heel seat is raised along the length
of the heel seat from the rear of the shoe to the break line.
Preferably the arch support of the insole defines a medial line adjacent
the medial edge and a lateral line adjacent the lateral edge each extending
from the
break line to the ball line where the medial line is raised relative to the
lateral line so
as to follow the natural shape of the medial long arch of the foot in order to
support
the natural angle of the calcaneus, the navicular, the medial cuneiform and
the first
metatarsal.
Preferably the medial line commences at the break line at a height
greater than the lateral line at the break line created by the elevation of
the medial
edge of the heel seat.
Preferably an arched raised dome is provided on the shank of the
insole with the dome being spaced inwardly from the lateral edge and outwardly
from the medial edge with the dome commencing at or adjacent the ball line and
extending upwardly along the shank to a position underlying the base of the
metatarsals.
Preferably the dome is generally triangle shaped tapering upwardly
and inwardly from the ball line.
Preferably the dome extends across the ball line from one apex
located behind the second metatarsal head to a second apex behind the fourth
metatarsal head.
Preferably the dome is in the range 0.3 to 1.0 centimetres in height.
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Preferably the dome is formed of a resilient material applied on top of
the insole.
Preferably the insole is of increased thickness at the ball line relative to
the forward end of the insole.
Preferably the increased thickness at the ball line extends in front of
the ball line and tapers therefrom in thickness gradually toward the forward
end of
the insole and extends rearwardly into the shank and tapers gradually
rearwardly
into the shank.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a high
heel shoe for receiving the foot of a wearer, the shoe being shaped for a left
or right
foot with a medial shape which is different from a lateral shape and
comprising:
a shoe outsole, outer shank and a shoe heel for engaging the ground;
a shoe insole on which the foot of the wearer is placed including a heel
seat extending from a rear of the shoe to a break line across the shoe, an
inner
shank extending downwardly and forwardly from the break line to a ball line
across
the shoe and a forefoot in front of the ball line;
wherein the arch support of the insole defines a medial line adjacent
the medial edge and a lateral line adjacent the lateral edge each extending
from the
break line to the ball line where the medial line is raised relative to the
lateral line so
as to follow the natural shape of the medial long arch of the foot in order to
support
the natural angle of the calcaneus, the navicular, the medial cuneiform and
the first
metatarsal.
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According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a high
heel shoe for receiving the foot of a wearer, the shoe being shaped for a left
or right
foot with a medial shape which is different from a lateral shape and
comprising:
a shoe outsole, outer shank and a shoe heel for engaging the ground;
5 a shoe insole on which the foot of the wearer is placed including a heel
seat extending from a rear of the shoe to a break line across the shoe, an
inner
shank extending downwardly and forwardly from the break line to a ball line
across
the shoe and a forefoot in front of the ball line;
wherein an arched raised dome is provided on the shank of the insole
with the dome being spaced inwardly from the lateral edge and outwardly from
the
medial edge with the dome commencing at or adjacent to the ball line and
extending
upwardly along the shank to a position underlying the base of the metatarsals.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a high
heel shoe for receiving the foot of a wearer, the shoe being shaped for a left
or right
foot with a medial shape which is different from a lateral shape and
comprising:
a shoe outsole, outer shank and a shoe heel for engaging the ground;
a shoe insole on which the foot of the wearer is placed including a heel
seat extending from a rear of the shoe to a break line across the shoe, an
inner
shank extending downwardly and forwardly from the break line to a ball line
across
the shoe and a forefoot in front of the ball line;
wherein the insole is of increased thickness at the ball line relative to
the forward end of the insole.
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Thus the arrangement described hereinafter provides the following
features of importance in the modified design:
1. MEDIAL HEEL POST not to exceed 10 degrees.
The heel seat is designed such that the inside of the heel is angled
upwards approximately 3-5 degrees depending on heel height from level. The end
result is that the inside of the heel is wedged upwardly.
2. MEDIAL LONGUTUDINAL ARCH SUPPORT
The shoe is designed so that the insole follows the natural shape of the
inside long arch of the foot. It begins by following the line created by the
wedge of
the heel seat toward the mid-foot. The net result is that the medial arch of
the foot is
raised higher than the lateral arch of the foot in order to support the
natural angle of
the calcaneus, the navicular, the medial cuneiform and the first metatarsal.
3. LATERAL ARCH
The angle of the heel seat is more acute relative to the ground looking
from the lateral side of the shoe. In an attempt to offload some weight-
bearing from
the balls of the feet to the heel, the angle of the heel seat is moved more
parallel the
ground.
4. METATARSAL DOME
In an attempt to accommodate the parabolic nature of the metatarsal
heads in the transverse plane a dome bump is added to the insole of the shoe.
The
dome is an irregularly shaped triangle. One corner lies behind the second
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metatarsal head. The second corner lies behind the fourth metatarsal head and
the
final corner lies near mid-foot. The dome should not exceed 1 centimetre in
height.
5. ROCKER BOTTOM SOLE
Material is added beneath the sole of the insole. The greatest
thickness not to exceed one centimetre lies beneath the metatarsal heads and
tapers to zero at the end of the insole moving toward the toes. The effect is
to move
the contact point of the forefoot back away from the metatarsal heads to the
arch. A
slight rocker built into the build-up serves to move the wearer over the
metatarsal
heads more quickly to minimize full weight-bearing on the metatarsal heads.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is provided for the convenience of the reader to show a plan
view of a foot of a wearer identifying the components mentioned hereinafter to
define
locations of the foot relative to the shoe.
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the shoe according to the present
invention showing in dash line the location of a line along a medial of the
shoe and in
chain dot line a line along a lateral of the shoe.
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the shoe of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the shoe of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is an isometric view of the shoe of Figure 2 showing the insole
only for convenience of illustration.
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In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
For convenience of the reader, Figure 1 shows the bones of the foot so
as to assist in locating the positions on the shoe of the various components
of the
shoe in relation to the foot of the wearer. It will be appreciated that the
size of the
shoe will vary so that it matches the size of the foot to which it is intended
to follow
and therefore the locations of various components on the shoe are related to
the
arrangement of the foot rather than specific dimensions on the shoe itself.
Conventionally high heeled shoes comprise a shoe outsole 11, a shoe
shank portion 12 and a heel 13. These components form the outer of the shoe
which is intended to engage the ground.
In addition the shoe includes an insole generally indicated at 14 which
includes a forefoot 15 of the insole, a shank portion 16 of the insole and a
heel seat
17 of the insole.
The shoe further includes an upper 18 which is shaped and arranged
to provide the attractive appearance required for fashion shoes particularly
high
heeled shoes of the type of which the present invention is concerned.
The present invention is concerned particularly with shoes having a
high heel which is defined for the purpose is a shoe having a heel height
greater
than 2.0". It is well known that such shoes provide significant discomfort for
the
wearer but are still worn by many wearers in view of the attractive
appearance.
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As best shown in Figure 3, the insole 14 defines the heel seat 17 which
is separated from the shank portion 16 by a break line 20 and the shank
portion 16
is separated from the forefoot portion 15 by a ball line 21. The break line
and the
ball line thus form locations where the insole changes angle from the
shallowly
inclined heel seat 17 into the sharper inclined shank portion 16 and the
generally
horizontal forefoot portion 15.
Shoes also of course have a medial or inner side and a lateral or outer
side as shown in Figure 3. Thus the shoe includes a medial edge 22 of the
insole
and a lateral edge 23 of the insole. An imaginary line adjacent these edges is
marked on the shoe to provide a medial line 24 and a lateral line 25 which are
arranged at positions to engage the foot of the wearer when placed on the
insole.
The conventional shoe as described above is modified in the
arrangement described herein in a number of ways to provide an improved
comfort
for the wearer.
Firstly as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the heel seat 17 is modified
relative a conventional heel seat in that a wedge portion 17A is applied on
the
underside of the layer 17B forming the insole itself.
It will be appreciated in this regard that the insole is conventionally
formed from a sheet of a constant thickness such as leather or plastics
material
where the whole of the insole is a single flat sheet which is shaped to form
over the
components of the shoe and is laid as a strip over the outsole and the heel.
In the present arrangement the sheet forming the insole is modified by
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the addition of additional components which form the insole into the required
shape
as described herein.
Thus the wedge portion 17A shown best in Figure 4 is applied on the
underside of the sheet portion 17B on the medial side so as to extend from the
5 medial edge 22 while tapering down in thickness toward the lateral edge 23.
At the
same time the wedge member 17A has a curved upper surface 17C so that the
upper surface 17d of the heel seat is concave across its width.
Thus a horizontal imaginary line 17E across the shoe at the heel
defines an angle 17F relative to a line 17G generally following the shape of
the
10 wedge portion 17A. In this way the medial side of the heel seat is raised
by the
wedge member 17A at an angle of the order of 3 to 5 degrees first to raise the
medial edge 22 up by a distance of the order of 0.3 to 1.0 cm.
As shown in Figure 2 the raised medial edge 22 relative to the lower
medial edge 23 continues along the length of the heel seat from the rear edge
25 to
the break line 20.
As also shown in Figure 2, the medial edge 22 includes a portion 22A
at the shank 16 which is raised relative to the medial edge portion 23A at the
shank
16. Thus the line 24 which is the medial line of the insole which engages the
medial
side of the foot of the wearer is designed so that this medial line 24 follows
the
natural shape of the medial long arch of the foot. It commences at the raised
portion
22B of the medial edge of the heel seat at the break line 20 and it continues
through
the shank down toward the ball line 21. Along this full length, therefore the
net result
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is that the medial arch of the foot is raised higher than the lateral arch of
the foot in
order to support the natural angle of the calcaneus, the navicular, the medial
cuneiform and the first metatarsal.
In addition to this inclination of the insole from the lateral side
increasing in height gradually toward the medial side both at the heel seat
and the
shank, there is additionally provided a dome 30 which is applied onto the
inside
surface of the insole as a raised member having a height at its central
location of the
order of 0.3 tol.0 cm. The dome tapers outwardly to its side edges so that its
height
gradually decreases. The dome is applied on top of the inside surface of the
shank
portion of the insole. The dome is generally triangular in shape having a
first apex
31, a second apex 32 across the ball line 21 where the dome tapering toward
the top
apex 33. The dome is spaced inwardly from the medial line 24 and is spaced
away
from the lateral line 25. The dome is located so that the apex 31 lies just
behind the
second metatarsal head of the foot. The apex 32 lies just behind the fourth
metatarsal head. Thus at these locations the dome has tapered to a low height
or
zero height and in between these two apexes the dome rises to a maximum height
along a center line 35. Thus the dome is arched across its width. The apex 33
is
located adjacent the center of the shoe so that it lies underneath the base of
the
third metatarsal. This arrangement provides support for the parabolic nature
of the
metatarsal heads in the transverse plane. In this way the dome provides
support for
the metatarsals of the foot of the wearer and assists in maintaining the arch
shape.
A further addition to the insole comprises of the addition of a thickening
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piece 40 located at the ball line 21. This thickening piece 40 is at its
thickest at the
ball line 21 and tapers forwardly to a front edge 41 on the forefoot portion
and tapers
rearwardly to a rear edge 42 on the shank. This thickened portion extends
across
the full width of the insole. The greatest thickness at the ball line is
generally of the
order of 0.3 to 1.0 cm and is located beneath the metatarsal heads of the foot
and
tapers to zero forwardly and rearwardly. The effect of this is to move the
contact
point of the forefoot away from the metatarsal heads to the arch of the foot.
In practice the shape of the insole will be formed by moulding the
insole from a plastics material generally by an injection moulding technique
so that
the various thicknesses provided by the wedge 17A, the raised media[ line 24,
the
thickening portion 40, and the dome 30 are all part of a moulded structure
defining
the shape of the insole. The insole itself then can be used on a conventional
last so
as to be applied onto a conventional outsole and heel to provide the required
foot
support for the foot of the wearer.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made
within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit
and
scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
specification shall
be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
