Method of fabricating custom-fitted footbed

Abstract

A method and article of manufacture for fabricating a footbed for an article of footwear includes the use of a moldable gel material which is shaped by having the wearer place his / her foot on the upper surface of the footbed. The thus-molded gel material is then subjected to sunlight for at least a predetermined time period to permanently solidify the thus-molded gel material in conformity to the shape of the wearer's foot.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] I Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention, relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to the fabrication of footwear that conforms to the wearer's foot. [0003] II Description of the Prior Art [0004] The wearing of shoes, boots, sandals and other footwear has been a common practice for thousands of years. It has long been recognized that the comfort of the footwear to the wearer and the distribution of the wearer's weight and pressure are both optimized when the shape of the footbed, that is the portion of the shoe that supports the foot, conform to the shape of the foot. Footbeds have long been produced in a number of standardized sizes in an attempt to meet the great variety of shapes, sizes, and arches of humans. [0005] When, for example, a conventionally made sandal or shoe, is initially put on, it is often relatively stiff and unyielding and thus uncomfortable. After a considerable length of time, usually measured in weeks...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and article for forming a customized footbed in a safe, environmentally sound, efficient, reliable and cost-effective manner.

[0013] It is another object of the invention to provide a method and article of the type described in which injury or burns to the wearer are avoided and which can be achieved in a simple and rapid manner with minimum effort by the wearer.

Problems solved by technology

When, for example, a conventionally made sandal or shoe, is initially put on, it is often relatively stiff and unyielding and thus uncomfortable.

This approach requires the use of heat and thus may burn the wearer during its fabrication.

In addition, an insole fabricated by this process is unsuitable for use in certain footwear, such as an open-toed sandal, since the insole cannot remain in place in a sandal.

This procedure is, however, complex, relatively costly and time-consuming, and is thus of limited applicability.

This process is, however, time-consuming and complex, and since it requires the use of heat, it exposes the wearer to possible harm.

Moreover, since the entire sandal must be heated to solidify the gel, some of the other materials of the sandal may be damaged by the heat during the shaping process.

As in the earlier-described prior approaches, the need for heating and cooling increases the time and cost of the process while exposing the wearer to possible injury and burns, particularly when the wearer places his / her bare foot on the heated footbed.

These prior art processes also often require the use of heating devices such as a microwave oven for its practice, which further increases their cost and complexity.

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