Customized footwear and process for manufacturing such footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear for distributing pressure evenly on various regions of the foot comprising an upper and at least one moldable foam piece attached to an inner surface of the upper is provided, together with an article of footwear manufactured by a process comprising attaching at least one moldable foam piece to the inner surface of the upper of the footwear and stretching the upper over a footwear last comprising at least one cavity cut into the surface of the last that accommodates the moldable foam piece.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 614,068, filed Sep. 29, 2004.FIELD OF INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to footwear. In particular, this invention relates to a design, construction, and process of manufacturing for footwear that better supports and stabilizes the skeletal structure of the feet. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Most types of climbing footwear are generally designed to fit very snugly around the toes and heel of the foot. This type of snug design allows efficient transfer of power and energy from the human body to rock or ice surfaces. However, the snug design often forces the toes into a curled or knuckled position. In order to hold the foot in the curled or knuckled position, the footwear must exert pressure onto the top portion of the toes, under the ball of the foot, and the back and upper portions of the heel. Due to the differences in individual foot shap...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a shoe that evenly distributes pressure on the foot's toes, instep region, ankle, and heel. This is achieved by attaching a moldable foam piece to the shoe's inner surface in these areas. The foam piece is custom-made to match the shape of the foot and is compressed against the foot when the shoe is tightened, creating a comfortable fit. The shoe can also have pull tabs attached to the heel for added comfort. The manufacturing process involves heating and shaping the foam piece and attaching it to the shoe. The technical effect of this invention is improved comfort and even pressure distribution on the foot.

Problems solved by technology

However, the snug design often forces the toes into a curled or knuckled position.

Due to the differences in individual foot shapes, the pressure exerted by the footwear on the toes and heel, as well as under the ball of the foot, can be quite uncomfortable and sometimes painful, which can affect a climber's performance.

However, the shape and support of this type of footwear cannot be modified and therefore the footwear cannot be formed to the foot.

However, the thermoplastic structure is typically bulky and heavy, and has limited rigidity, and the moldability of the footwear is limited to the upper portion.

A major limitation of this type of footwear is that the bladder is generally not integrated into the main structure of the footwear via mutual composite linkage or mechanical attachment.

Also, the self-contained bladder system can only achieve one set of stiffness after molding, which leaves no customization of desired support.

Therefore, the footwear cannot be customized to the feet.

During this process, if a moldable foam piece is attached to the inside surface of the footwear upper, the foam becomes and remains compressed, thereby losing its moldable properties.

The various types of footwear and various processes for manufacturing the footwear described above do not adequately provide for even distribution of pressure on various regions of the wearer's foot.

In addition, the footwear and the processes described above do not adequately prevent moldable materials that are attached to the upper and the insole of the footwear from being compressed during the process of fitting the upper or insole of the footwear to a footwear last.

Images