Gel pad for footwear

Abstract

A gel pad for use in a sockliner designed to strategically support the weight of the wearer and to distribute underfoot pressure. The gel pad includes a base having a top face, a bottom face and a central floor portion associated with the bottom face, an outer flange positioned on the perimeter of the bottom face surrounding the central floor portion, and a plurality of spaced apart hollow pillars positioned across the surface of the central floor portion. The network of hollow pillars support the body weight of the wearer without bottoming out and the pillars are sufficiently spaced from each other to allow for expansion horizontally when the pillars are compressed vertically. Each of the pillars may be substantially octagonally shaped.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention is directed to a footwear construction and, more particularly, to a gel pad having a network of hollow motion pillars for engaging the wearer's foot during impact.[0002]Numerous attempts have been made over the years to incorporate into footwear means for providing improved cushioning and support within a shoe's construction. Most articles of footwear are generically designed to accommodate as many foot shapes as possible in order to appeal to a broad range of consumers. Consequently, the resulting fit and comfort will vary greatly from person to person because satisfying the ergonomic needs of such a broad range of individuals with a single design is extremely difficult.[0003]Shoes, at their most fundamental level, are intended to provide protection and comfort to the human foot during the course of day-to-day activities. Footwear designs have varied greatly over time as well as from culture to culture, with the predominate foc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a gel pad that evenly distributes pressure and provides comfort and support for the wearer. The gel pad is positioned in the center heel area of footwear and includes a network of hollow motion pillars that provide cushonking and improved support over a long day without bottoming out. The combination of the central floor portion, plural hollow pillars, outer flange, and gel material helps to improve the distribution of pressure. The hollow pillars compress vertically, allowing for additional compression and cushoning without resistance or pressure increases due to bottoming out. The gel pad can be directly incorporated into a shoe or aftermarket sockliner, or integrated with a strobel insole or insole board. It can also be left uncovered or have a removable sockliner placed over it.

Problems solved by technology

Consequently, the resulting fit and comfort will vary greatly from person to person because satisfying the ergonomic needs of such a broad range of individuals with a single design is extremely difficult.

While these types of materials may provide comfort in the short-term, such materials quickly compress, thus failing to provide sufficient support and / or cushioning over the course of an entire day.

The point of the heel striking the ground typically takes the greatest amount of pounding.

This does not provide enough support under the heel to absorb shock from striking the ground.

Although many of these aftermarket insoles are marketed as a simple solution for increasing support and / or comfort, their use is often associated with fit problems and ultimately fail to deliver the improvements promised.

This is because the space and structural limitations of a variety of footwear interiors were not considered when these insoles were designed.

Individuals generally find footwear uncomfortable after a full day of wear, regardless of whether the individual is relying only on the support elements built within the shoe's structure or if they have added additional support in the form of a purchased aftermarket insole.

In particular, such current support elements fail to adequately distribute an individual's weight during footstrike, causing most of the force to be borne by the individual's heel.

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