Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title
Barefoot orthotic sports sleeve
Field of the invention
This invention relates to orthotic devices. More specifically, this invention
relates to foot
sleeves for barefoot sports, which have a pouch for an arch wedge.
Background of the Invention
Description of the related Art
Many people suffer from foot ailments such as "flat feet" or fallen arches.
This condition
can lead to pain in the knees and in the lower back. In order to alleviate
this condition,
many orthotic devices are currently available such as custom orthotic insoles.
As many
active barefoot activities, such as martial arts, gymnastics or yoga, are
practiced in bare
feet, wearing foot orthotic insoles designed to wear in shoes is not possible
or practical.
For example, the extra weight at the end of the foot caused by wearing a shoe
may
negatively affect kicking techniques. Furthermore, wearing shoes in a dojo or
gymnastics training gym or a yoga studio may be frowned upon or simply not
allowed.
Another option for arch support in barefoot sports is the use of ankle braces.
Ankle
braces come in many styles and are made of various materials. Some materials
such as
neoprene may be inappropriate because of the excess heat generated making the
feet
sweat and thus causing the foot to slip on the floor while exercising. Other
models of
ankle supports have laces or straps. These ankle braces with laces or straps
may also
cause bruising or pinching, for example when performing roundhouse kicks on
punching
bags. The laces and straps may also bruise or cut others while sparring which
makes
wearing them a safety hazard.
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While a formfitting ankle brace or sport socket which is open at the heel and
at the toes
could be used to hold a commercial!,' available arch pad in place against the
arch of the
foot, most of the currently available ankle braces are not long enough in the
arch section
and do not effectively hold the arch pad in place during active training.
Furthermore, the
bottom or plantar edge of ankle braces may roll back and bunch up creating a
tripping
hazard.
Recently, arch support wraps with arch support pads have become commercially
available for those wishing to perform barefoot sports. While these devices
may offer
arch support they sometimes have to be worn tightly in order to not slip off
the foot while
active and this can become uncomfortable for some athletes. Furthermore, any
movement that requires the foot to slide along the floor may cause the arch
support
wraps to catch on foam floor mats and thus create a tripping hazard.
Socks with pouches for arch pads may also be available. These are inadequate
for
barefoot sports, as many techniques, such as rapid changes in stances, require
the
athletes to pivot on the heel or on the ball of the foot. A full sock would
negatively affect
these changes in the stances. The full sock would also negatively affect the
grip and feel
of the floor that is required for many martial arts and gymnastics techniques.
What is needed is a formfitting foot sleeve made with comfortable materials,
which has a
pouch for an arch pad so that the arch pad will stay in place through various
movements. It should also be designed for maximum floor grip by having an open
heel
and open toe, allowing for a substantial part of the ball and heel of the foot
to directly
contact the floor, yet not be able to roll up and bunch up under the foot.
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Brief Summary of the Invention
The barefoot orthotic sports sleeve is an open toe and open heel formfitting
foot sleeve
with a pouch in the arch area of the foot into which an arch pad may be
inserted. The
barefoot orthotic sports sleeve further comprises a toe band between the first
and
second toe preventing the sleeve from rolling back and bunching up under the
foot.
The open toe and open heel design allows maximum barefoot contact with the
floor,
resulting in a better "grip" and minimal slipping as not only are the toes
exposed, but a
substantial part of the plantar side of the foot in the medial and lateral
metatarsophalangeal joint areas (ball of the foot). The bare heel and ball of
the foot is
especially important as it allows for the changes from the different stances
during basic
training and when the pivoting occurs on the heel or ball of the foot.
The lack of laces and straps makes the barefoot sports orthotic sleeve have
the
advantage of being easy to put on and take off. The strapless design also
reduces the
risk of bruising the dorsal surface of the foot while training. The risk of
injuring others
while sparring due to the laces or straps is also eliminated.
The barefoot orthotic sports sleeve has a toe band made of elastomeric textile
material
such as spandex which passes between the hallux and the second toe. This band
effectively prevents the foot sleeve from rolling up the foot or bunching up
under the
foot. The toe band also prevents the edge of the sleeve under the foot from
catching on
the floor mats (especially when an arch pad is inserted in the pouch) during
the
execution of the many movements, which require the foot to move close to the
floor and
slide in different directions.
The barefoot orthotic sports sleeve has a pouch at the bottom of the sleeve,
which is in
the shape of a semi oval, in order to accommodate arch support pads. The arch
pads
can be inserted into the pouch via an opening in the pouch. This capability of
hosting an
arch pad offers multiple solutions for athletes needing arch support while
performing
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barefoot sports, allowing the user to choose the type of support he or she
needs for
specific sports applications.
The barefoot orthotic sports sleeves are knit using a commercial sock-knitting
machine.
They may be made of different blends of yarn such as cotton, nylon, polyester,
polypropylene and elastomeric yarn such as Lycra. They are washable.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 depicts a perspective instep view of an embodiment of the present
device worn on
a right foot.
Fig. 2 depicts a lateral view of an embodiment of the present device worn on a
left foot
Fig. 3 depicts a plantar view of an embodiment of the present device worn on a
left foot
Fig. 4 depicts a cut-away view of the bottom or planter side of an embodiment
of the
present device.
Fig. 5 depicts a cut-away view of the bottom or planter side of an alternative
embodiment of the present device with an integrated pouch knit into the sleeve
with a
twin layer sock-knitting machine.
Fig. 6 depicts the toe band after it has been stitched together and turned
inside out.
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Detailed Description of the Invention
Fig. 1 depicts a perspective instep view of an embodiment of the barefoot
orthotic sports
sleeve 1, having an open heel and an open toe design as would be worn on a
human
right foot. The foot sleeve 1 of the present device is a formfitting sleeve
which may be
made of different blends of yarn such as cotton, nylon, polyester,
polypropylene and
elastomeric yarn such as Lycra. The sleeve 1 is knit on a commercial sock-
knitting
machine.
Figures 1, 2, 3 depict the edge element 4 which is obtained by sewing a 15 mm
elastomeric bias ribbon 1 using a three step zigzag stitch. The edge element 4
starts on
the dorsal side of the sleeve 1 at the conjunction of the hallux and second
toe, going
around to form the plantar side of the edge element 4 and returning to the
dorsal side of
the sleeve at the conjunction of the hallux and second toe. This sewing
operation results
in the dorsal and plantar sides of the edge element 4 defining a curve towards
the toe
end of the foot with the apex of the curve being adjacent to the conjunction
of the hallux
and second toe. The dorsal curved edge is identified as element 5a on Figure 1
and the
plantar curved edge element is identified as element 5b on Figure 3.
Fig. 2 further depicts how, on the lateral side of the foot sleeve 1, the edge
element 4
defines a curve extending from the apex 5a on the dorsal side of the foot
sleeve 1 to an
area adjacent to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the fifth toe. This area is
identified as
element 7a.
Fig. 1 depicts how, on the medial side of the foot sleeve 1, the edge element
4 defines a
curve extending from the apex 5a on the dorsal side of the foot sleeve 1 to an
area
adjacent to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the hallux. This area is
identified as element
7b.
As seen by Fig. 3, on the medial side of the foot sleeve 1, the edge element 4
defines a
curve extending from an area adjacent the conjunction of the hallux and second
toe 5b
on the plantar side of the foot sleeve 1 to the area adjacent to the
metatarsophalangeal
joint of the hallux 7b.
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Fig. 3 further depicts how, on the lateral side of the foot sleeve 1, the edge
element 4
defines a curve extending from an area adjacent the conjunction of the hallux
and
second toe 5b on the plantar side of the foot sleeve 1 to an area adjacent to
the
metatarsophalangeal joint of the fifth toe 7a.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 depicts an embodiment of the present device with the heel
opening
edge element 6 being a continuously sewn edge starting at point near the
Achilles
tendon and returning to the same starting point in order to prevent the stitch
joint from
being under the heel. The edge element 6 is obtained by sewing a 15 mm
elastomeric
bias ribbon using a three step zigzag stitch.
Toe edge element 4 and the heel edge element 6 may have an additional
thermoplastic
polyurethane elastomer band element sewn into them in alternative embodiments
of
the device according to the intended sport application.
Fig. 1 depicts the toe band element 2 attached to the dorsal side of the foot
sleeve 1
adjacent to the apex in the curve 5a of the edge element 4 using a zigzag
stitch.
Fig. 3 depicts how the toe band 2 is attached to the edge element 4 on the
plantar side
of the foot adjacent the apex 5b using a butt end bartack stitch.
Fig. 4 depicts a cutaway view of an embodiment of the device in which the semi
oval
pouch 3a is sewn to the bottom of the foot sleeve 1 using a zigzag stich. The
arch pad
pouch 3a of the present embodiment is made of a four way stretchable fabric
and is
sewn lengthwise into the bottom of the sleeve 1 adjacent to the arch area of
the foot.
The pouch opening 8a of this embodiment is located along a section adjacent
the apex
of the curved pouch 3a.
Figure 5 depicts a cutaway view of an alternative embodiment of the device in
which the
semi oval pouch 3b on the bottom of the foot sleeve 1 is knitted into the
fabric of the
sleeve 1 using the dial needles of a twin-layer sock-knitting machine wherein
the pouch
3b has a channel to allow the insertion of a semi oval arch wedge. As show in
Fig. 5, the
arch support pouch 3b has an opening 8b in this embodiment of the present
device at
the heel end of the pouch 3b due to the capabilities of the twin-layer sock-
knitting
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machine. The pouch opening 8b is offset towards the lateral side of the sleeve
1. An
additional triangular stitch element 10 is positioned on the medial side of
the pouch
opening 8b, effectively creating a channel identified as element 9, through
which the
arch pad is inserted. The triangular stitch element 10 further acts as a
retaining element
preventing the arch pad from sliding towards the opening of the pouch 8b and
coming
out of the pouch 3b during use of the device.
Fig.6 shows an embodiment of the toe band 2 of the present device before it is
attached
to the sleeve 1. The toe band 2 is made of a four way stretch fabric, which is
folded over
at the top end. The two layers of this fabric are serged together and tapered
toward the
middle resulting in a symmetrical "hourglass" shape. A three-thread overlock
stitch is
used to allow for stretching. The narrowest part of the toe band 11 is placed
215th of the
length from the top end (dorsal end) of the band 2. The tapering of the toe
band ends at
415th of the length from the top of the toe band. The last bottom 5th of the
length of the
toe band defines a radius ending at the bottom end (plantar end) of the toe
band. This
area is identified as element 12. The toe band is then turned inside out so
that the
stitching does not irritate the skin between the hallux and the second toe.
The bottom of
the toe band 13 is then stitched together using a straight stitch and cut so
that the
bottom edge describes a concave curve.
In operation, the user of the barefoot orthotic sports sleeve 1 inserts an
arch pad into the
pouch through the pouch opening 8a in one embodiment of the present device or
through the pouch opening 8b in an alternative embodiment of the present
device. As
shown in Fig. 1, the foot sleeve 1 is then slid onto the foot, as would be a
sock, making
sure the toe band 2 is between the hallux and second toe. The elastomeric
material of
the sleeve 1 and the arch pad pouch 3a or 3b, keep the arch pad firmly in
place up
against the arch of the foot throughout the various movements of different
barefoot
sports. The arch pad is removed for washing the foot sleeve 1.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific
embodiments
thereof, it is evident than some alternatives, modifications and variations
will be apparent
to those skilled in the art such as alternative elastomeric materials and
methods used to
fabricate the foot sleeve 1 and the toe band 2. Alternative methods of shaping
the
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edges 4 and 6 of the foot sleeve 1 may also be apparent. Accordingly, the
invention as
described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such
alternatives,
modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of
the appended
claims.
