Orthopedic shoe

Abstract

Orthopedic shoe (10) comprising at least a sole (20) and a shaft area (22) connected to it on the upper side, wherein the shaft area (22) is longitudinally slit above a toecap (24) and such a two-part vamp (15) forms a variable overlapping, joining or slit-like open area (26), wherein the two halves (16, 18) of the two-part vamp (15) can be fixed in their relative positions to each other by means of at least one retaining band (12) which can be variably positioned on the respective outer sides of the vamp halves (16, 18), fixed therein and detachable from there against resistance, thereby making the opening width and the internal volume of the orthopedic shoe (10) variable.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an orthopedic shoe with a variably adjustable width and thus adaptable to a specific foot shape. It is thus an orthopedic shoe with a flexible fit.

[0002] Orthopedic footwear is worn for a variety of reasons. For example, it may be custom-made shoes that are fitted to a wearer to facilitate walking despite various foot misalignments and / or deformities. However, for some conditions requiring treatment, this is not effective because the shape of the foot changes in the short term, for example, due to temporary or variable swelling of the feet. This particularly applies to patients with lymphatic disorders.

[0003] To provide shoes with variable volume for such cases, US Patent No. 4,677,767 A, for example, proposes a shoe with an open toe and a shaft formed by two overlapping halves. The degree of overlap between the two halves can be adjusted using adjustable straps, each equipped with adjustable-length buckles, thus allowing for width adjustment of the entire shaft area and thus the shoe.

[0004] A shoe variant that is easier to handle, in contrast, in which the two halves of the shaft do not overlap, but can be fixed in the required width setting by means of a cover section connected to the upper side, is known from US 9 380 827 B1. The cover section can be fixed to the upper sides of the two shaft halves using hook-and-loop fasteners.

[0005] The shoe proposed in US 4 599 811 A also has sections that can be fixed to one another and are equipped with such hook-and-loop fasteners.

[0006] In contrast, JP 47 61 262 B2 proposes a shoe where the adjustable shaft areas can be fixed by means of short retaining straps, which also have adhesive surfaces with hook-and-loop fasteners, so that they can be attached to the shaft areas in different positions.

[0007] Finally, DE 20 2013 008 248 U1 discloses a two-part orthopaedic shoe with a flexible fit, which comprises a sandal part and an inner shoe that can be worn therein and which can be reversibly fixed in the sandal part by means of a suitable fastening.

[0008] Most of these well-known orthopedic shoes are basically suitable for the intended purpose, namely to provide the wearer with a shoe that can be repeatedly adjusted to the shape and volume of the foot, even in the case of varying degrees of swelling in the foot and leg area, as well as in the case of changing swelling.

[0009] However, since most of the shoes known from the prior art only have a limited adjustment range and therefore do not allow sufficient volume increase in the case of more swollen feet, and since, on the other hand, each adjustment process requires several successive steps and manual movements and is therefore time-consuming, it can be considered the primary aim of the invention in the present case to provide an orthopaedic shoe that is comfortable to wear and handle, which can also be adapted quickly and within wide limits to different foot shapes, and which can also be manufactured relatively inexpensively, with few individual parts and with few manufacturing steps.

[0010] These objects of the invention are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claim. Features of advantageous developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

[0011] To achieve at least some of the aforementioned objectives, the invention proposes an orthopedic shoe with a flexible fit that can be individually adapted to the wearer's specific needs in just a few simple steps. Due to its highly flexible fit, this shoe is particularly suitable as a so-called lymphatic shoe. A preferred target group for such a shoe may be lymphedema patients, who in many cases are forced to wear lymphatic compression bandages, which virtually precludes the use of conventional shoes.

[0012] In addition, such patients suffer from swelling of the feet, although this swelling does not remain the same over time but usually changes.

[0013] Patients requiring postoperative care who are temporarily unable to wear normal footwear may also be considered as a target group for the volume-adjustable orthopedic shoe according to the invention.

[0014] Both patients with lymphatic complaints and those with postoperative swelling face the additional difficulty that foot volume can change significantly over relatively short periods of time, which makes frequent adjustments necessary, particularly with state-of-the-art orthopedic shoes with buckle or strap systems for changing shoe volume, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming.

[0015] Common orthopedic shoes pose a number of difficulties for the wearer, particularly due to the lack of visual markings and the tendency of many patients to initially adjust the shoe too tightly and then spend several attempts finding a comfortable fit. Added to this is the specific problem that opening the shoe to remove it from the foot usually negates the previously found adjustment, which, due to the lack of visual markings, further reduces comfort during handling and subsequent re-wearing.

[0016] With the help of the orthopedic shoe equipped according to the invention, such patients are able to wear a closed shoe that can also meet fashion or aesthetic requirements better than was usually the case with the previously known shoes for the described purpose.

[0017] The orthopaedic shoe according to the invention is characterized by the fact that its width can be adjusted particularly easily and quickly and can therefore be permanently adapted to the changing needs of a wearer.

[0018] The orthopedic shoe comprises at least one sole and a shaft region connected to the upper side, wherein the shaft region is longitudinally slit above a toe cap and such a two-part toe cap can form a variable overlapping, joining, or slit-like open region. The two halves of the two-part toe cap can be fixed in their relative positions to one another by means of at least one retaining strap that can be variably positioned on the respective outer sides of the toe cap halves, fastened there in each case, and detachable from there against resistance, thereby varying the opening width and internal volume of the orthopedic shoe. This can be achieved by fixing the at least one retaining strap in a variable position on the respective outer sides of the toe cap halves.

[0019] The design of the orthopedic shoe according to the invention provides a closure system based on the fact that the at least one retaining strap can be positioned adhesively directly on the outer sides of the shoe, specifically in the required position. The material selection of the shoe's upper material provides the retaining strap with the desired adhesive force, which can be achieved in particular by using interacting adhesive surfaces, which can be achieved in particular by a hook-and-loop adhesive composite. In principle, the arrangement of more than one retaining strap is also conceivable. For example, it might be useful to use two, three, or more retaining straps.

[0020] If the upper material of the orthopedic shoe according to the invention is formed from a suitable velour material, it has numerous small loops that can serve as the basis for the closure principle for interaction with the adhesive bands or retaining bands. The retaining bands are preferably guided through a loop and adjustable in both directions along their longitudinal extent, thus creating a wide adjustment range. The fixation at one of the two overlapping areas of the shoe can be maintained at all times, while the other fixation can be released to open the shoe. Such a design has the advantage that the size adjustment of the shoe is largely maintained and the user does not have to constantly readjust it when opening the shoe and putting it on again at a later time.

[0021] In the following, exemplary embodiments will explain the invention in further detail and variants, as well as its advantages, with reference to the accompanying figures. The relative sizes of the individual elements in the figures do not always correspond to the actual sizes, as some shapes are simplified and others are enlarged relative to other elements for better illustration. Fig. 1 shows a schematic and perspective view of an embodiment of an orthopedic shoe according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows in a further schematic and perspective view the shoe according to Fig. 1, which is equipped with a retaining strap. Fig. 3 shows in a further schematic and perspective view the shoe according to Fig. 2, where the strap is fixed to the shoe on one side. Fig. 4 shows in a further schematic and perspective view the shoe according to Fig. 3, in which the retaining strap is fixed to the shoe at both ends so that the shoe is adjusted to a defined size. Fig. 5 shows, in a further schematic and perspective view, an alternative embodiment of the orthopaedic shoe according to the invention, which is equipped with adhesive surfaces on the upper sides of its shaft region, which serve as counter surfaces for the retaining strap that can be fixed there.

[0022] For identical or equivalent elements of the invention, the Fig. 1 to 5 generally have the same reference numerals. In some places, for the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures that are necessary for the description of the respective figure. The embodiments illustrated merely represent examples of how the invention can be designed and do not represent a final limitation. Furthermore, the features described below are not to be understood in close connection with other features of the respective embodiment, but can each be provided in a general context or used for this purpose.

[0023] In the enclosed Fig. 1 to 4, a preferred embodiment of an orthopaedic shoe 10 according to the invention is shown in schematic and perspective views, initially without a retaining strap 12 ( Fig. 1), then with the retaining strap 12 guided through a loop 14 ( Fig. 2), which is first fixed on the upper side to a first front sheet half 16 ( Fig. 3) before it is also fixed to the underlying second front half 18 for the final size adjustment of the shoe 10 ( Fig. 4). This already briefly characterizes the basic structure of this first embodiment of the orthopedic shoe 10. In principle, it is also conceivable to apply the configurations described below in connection with other shoe constructions. Such shoe constructions could, for example, be sandals. Such a configuration of other orthopedic devices would also be entirely possible.

[0024] The orthopedic shoe 10 according to the invention is not designed as a sandal or as a mere overshoe, but comprises, like a normal shoe, a rigid sole 20 and a shaft region 22 connected to the upper side. This shaft region 22, which is designed in terms of its appearance and shape similar to a conventional low shoe, is longitudinally slit above a toe cap 24 and thereby forms a two-part front part 15 with a variable overlapping and / or joining region 26, which in Fig. 1 is marked and clarified by the broken lines in the oval-circled area. There, the two halves 16 and 18 of the longitudinally slit front sheet 15 can overlap and be placed on top of each other with a variable degree of overlap.

[0025] The first front sheet half 16 partially covers the underlying second front sheet half 18. On the upper side and at the edge of the first front sheet half 16, within the overlapping and / or joining area 26, it is provided with an incorporated loop 14, the width of which is dimensioned such that the retaining strap 12 (cf. Fig. 2 to 4). However, without the retaining strap 12, the two front blade halves 16 and 18 of the front blade 15 lie loosely on top of each other, so that the width of the shaft area 22 of the shoe 10 is undefined when the retaining strap 12 is missing, as is the case in the basic state. Fig. 1 is clarified.

[0026] The slit-like opening of the upper shaft area 22 above the toe cap 24 allows for variable adjustment of the shoe 10 to the respective needs of the wearer, whereby the size is fixed by means of the adjustable and variably fixable retaining strap 12 on the outer sides of the toe halves 16 and 18. Even if the Fig. 1 to 5 along the longitudinal edges of the shaft region 22 gives the impression that the slit-like division of the front part 15 extends into the toe cap 24 of the shoe 10 and could only end at the front sole tip, the toe cap 24 is, however, preferably closed, so that the division of the front part 15 only begins above the toe cap 24 in the interest of better dimensional stability of the shoe 10.

[0027] As the Fig. 2 to 4, the two halves 16 and 18 of the two-part front sheet 15 can be connected by means of the threadable through the loop 14 (cf. Fig. 2) and variably positionable on the respective outer sides of the front sheet halves 16 and 18 (cf. Fig. 3) and the retaining strap 12 that can be fixed there (cf. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) in their relative positions to each other and in their degree of overlap, which also defines the width of the shoe 10 and adapts it to the given volume of the wearer's foot (not shown here) to be covered.

[0028] Because the retaining strap 12 is guided through the loop 14 located on the first front blade half 16, its height and positioning relative to the front blade halves 16 and 18 of the shaft area 22 are simultaneously fixed.

[0029] Preferably, the retaining strap 12 has, on its underside facing the upper side of the shaft region 22, a plurality of flexible barbs (not visible here), which can be reversibly fixed to the outer sides of both front vamp halves 16 and 18, which have a plurality of loop fibers. This connection, which functions according to the hook-and-loop principle, allows the retaining strap 12 to be attached to the desired position at any time and removed from there again against a certain resistance. In order to provide the required counter surface for the plurality of barbs on the retaining strap 12, the shaft region 22 and the front vamp 15 of the shoe 10 are made, at least on the outside, from a suitable felt or velour material, so that the retaining strap 12 can be positioned and fixed in any desired position on the outer sides of the first and second front vamp halves 16 and 18.

[0030] Due to this positionability of the retaining strap 12, the partially overlapping front blade halves 16 and 18 can be fixed in their relative positions to one another, whereby the opening width and the internal volume of the orthopedic shoe 10 can also be varied in the desired manner.

[0031] In order to change the opening width of the shoe 10, the retaining strap 12 can either be detached from the first front half 16, as shown by the Fig. 2 is illustrated schematically. Alternatively, the retaining strap 12 can also be arranged according to Fig. 3 are pressed onto the top of the first front half 16 and fixed there, while the part pointing downwards from the loop 14 remains detached from the second front half 18 located below the first front half 16 and can only be pressed onto there after the size of the shoe 10 has been adjusted (cf. Fig. 4).

[0032] In principle, however, the retaining strap 12 threaded through the loop 14 and held in position by the loop 14 can be pulled off both front leaf halves 16 and / or 18 against the resistance of the effective hook and loop fastener and positioned appropriately by longitudinal displacement through the loop 14 (cf. Fig. 2) before it is fixed in its position by pressing it onto the outer sides of both overlapping front halves 16 and 18 and the shoe 10 is thus adjusted in size.

[0033] A further embodiment variant of the orthopaedic shoe 10 according to the invention, not shown here, can optionally be equipped with two spaced-apart retaining straps 12, which in the described and in the Fig. 1 to 4, can be fixed to the upper sides of the two front blade halves 16 and 18 of the shaft region 22. These two retaining straps 12 can preferably be designed and / or dimensioned identically and can be guided through two spaced-apart loops 14, which can each be attached and incorporated at the edge of the first front blade half 16, in a comparable manner, as is exemplified by the single loop 14 in the Fig. 1 to 4 is shown.

[0034] In principle, the arrangement of more than two retaining straps 12 is also conceivable. For example, it might be expedient to arrange three retaining straps 12 on the upper sides or in the area of ​​the upper sides of the two front blade halves 16 and 18. Furthermore, it would be possible to additionally position one, two, or more retaining straps 12 in a rear part of the shaft region 22. Here, too, the shaft region could be divided into two halves in order to connect them in a suitable manner using one retaining strap 12 or even multiple retaining straps 12.

[0035] The Fig. 5 shows, in a further schematic and perspective view, an alternative embodiment of the orthopedic shoe 10 according to the invention, which is equipped with additional adhesive surfaces 30 on the upper sides of its shaft region 22, which serve as counter surfaces for the retaining strap 12 fixable there.

[0036] These adhesive surfaces 30, which act as counter surfaces for the hook-and-loop connections with the retaining strap 12, are particularly useful when the upper material of the shoe 10 does not have any micro-loops for interaction with the barbs of the retaining strap 12, for example because it is made of leather or a fabric material. In this case, the adhesive surfaces 30, which are, for example, Fig. 5 designed sufficiently large adhesive surfaces 30 provide a remedy, so that the functioning of the Fig. 5 shown shoe 10 is the same as in the variant according to Fig. 1 to 4 is the case.

[0037] Alternatively, shoe 10 can also be Fig. 5 can be equipped with two similar retaining straps 12, which, according to the modified variant described above, can be guided through two loops 14 arranged at a distance from one another, which are preferably arranged on the edge side of the upper first front sheet half 16.

[0038] The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it is conceivable to a person skilled in the art that modifications or variations of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. List of reference symbols 10 shoe, orthopedic shoe 12 retaining strap 14 loops 15 front sheet 16 front leaf half, first front leaf half 18 front half, second front half 20 sole 22 Shaft area 24 toe cap 26 Overlap and / or joining area 28 Edge seam 30 adhesive surface QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 4 677 767 A

[0003] US 9 380 827 B1

[0004] US 4 599 811 A

[0005] JP 47 61 262 B2

[0006] DE 20 2013 008 248 U1

[0007]

Claims

[1] Orthopaedic shoe (10) comprising at least one sole (20) and a shaft region (22) connected thereto on the upper side, wherein the shaft region (22) is longitudinally slit above a toe cap (24) and a front blade (15) divided in this way forms a variable overlapping, joining or slit-like open region (26), wherein the two halves (16, 18) of the two-part front blade (15) can be fixed in their relative positions to one another by means of at least one retaining band (12) which can be variably positioned on the respective outer sides of the front blade halves (16, 18), can be fixed there in each case and can be removed from there against resistance, whereby an opening width and an internal volume of the orthopaedic shoe (10) can be varied. [2] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one retaining strap (12) can be fixed at variable positions on the respective outer sides of the front leaf halves (16, 18). [3] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one retaining strap (12) is guided through a loop (14) located on one of the front blade halves (16 or 18) and is thus fixed in its height and / or positioning relative to the front blade halves (16, 18) of the shaft region (22). [4] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a first front blade half (16) of the shaft region (22) covers the second front blade half (18) at least partially overlapping. [5] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the loop (14) through which the at least one retaining strap (12) is guided is located on the upper side of the first front half (16). [6] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one retaining strap (12) has a plurality of flexible barbs which can be reversibly fixed to the outer sides of both front leaf halves (16, 18) which have a plurality of loop fibers. [7] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to claim 6, wherein the upper material of the front sheet (15) has the plurality of loop fibers acting as a counter surface or adhesive surface for the releasable fixation of the retaining strap (12). [8] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to claim 6, wherein both front leaf halves (16 and 18) of the front leaf (15) are provided with attached adhesive surfaces (30), which each have a plurality of loop fibers as counter and adhesive surfaces for fixing the retaining strap (12). [9] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8, in which at least two spaced-apart retaining straps (12) are provided on the upper sides of the two front leaf halves (16, 18) of the shaft region (22), which are in particular of identical design and / or dimension. [10] Orthopaedic shoe (10) according to claim 9, wherein each of the at least two retaining straps (12) is guided through a loop (14) arranged on the top side of the first front blade half (16) and is thus fixed in its height and / or positioning relative to the front blade halves (16, 18) of the shaft region (22).

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