Insole for ballet shoes
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/RU2026/050032
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2025-02-24
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-27
Smart Images
Figure RU2026050032_27082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Insole for ballet shoes
[0002] SCOPE OF APPLICATION
[0003] The utility model relates to the field of light industry, in particular to such ballet shoe parts as pointe shoe insoles.
[0004] LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY
[0005] Pointe shoes are professional ballet shoes designed to support a ballerina while dancing on her toes. Pointe shoes are not differentiated by left or right—they are symmetrical. What distinguishes pointe shoes from other footwear is the rigid toe cap, known as a "box," which allows for the performance of "toe" ballet parts, when the ballerina dances on her toes. In their classic form, pointe shoes consist of a textile upper (the vamp), a rigid box placed inside to secure the foot, and a sole attached to the textile upper. An insole is attached to the shoe, often supplemented by an insole called a "lining."
[0006] The most common method for making a pointe shoe box is to assemble it layer by layer from various fabrics using glue. Once assembled and dried, the box acquires the rigid properties necessary for use in ballet dancing.
[0007] The ballerina's primary working element is the flat toe cap. It is on this cap that she performs all the basic dance elements. The correct geometry of the cap and its durability determine the correct execution of ballet elements and the prevention of irreversible changes in the ballerina's musculoskeletal system. The cap, constructed of several layers of fabric impregnated with glue, does not provide sufficient rigidity. As a result, after a short period of wearing pointe shoes, the cap begins to deform—changing its geometry and its original position in the shoe. Specifically, the external angle between the cap and the sole of the shoe and the position of the cap relative to the pointe shoe's axis of symmetry change.
[0008] If the heel becomes deformed, the pointe shoe is considered defective and must be discarded. The shoe's lifespan before such a defect occurs can be only a few hours.
[0009] The problem of reinforcing the toe of a pointe shoe to increase its durability for dance performance has been addressed in numerous ways. However, existing solutions have created additional difficulties for performing dance elements: for example, increasing the risk of injury to the ballerina or creating additional noise, which impairs the perception of the accompanying music. Furthermore, some solutions aimed at overcoming these issues are extremely complex, increasing the time, complexity, and labor intensity of pointe shoe production, and, consequently, the cost.
[0010] In order to strengthen the toe of a pointe shoe to ensure an increase in the duration of its suitability for performing dance elements, i.e. to create pointe shoes with an increased service life and adaptability to the individual characteristics of a ballerina's foot, which ensures protection of the dancer's foot from injury and deformation, a device has been created that is a protective element for the toe of a pointe shoe, made in the form of a plastic corner containing a horizontal part made with the possibility of attachment to the inner insole of a pointe shoe, placed between a rigid box and the inner lining of a pointe shoe, and a flat vertical part intended for combination with the toe of a pointe shoe, for supporting the pointe shoe on the floor surface (RU2760118 Cl, A43B 5 / 12, 11 / 22 / 2021). In addition, a distinctive feature of pointe shoes from any other footwear is the presence of an insole that provides support to the ballerina when performing "finger" ballet parts, when the ballerina performs a dance on her toes.
[0011] The main function of the insole is to support the ballerina's weight while dancing and not to break during long-term use.
[0012] The classic technique for a ballerina to stand on the heel of her foot was to "jump" onto it with a sharp movement, as the insole was made rigid and non-flexible to fulfill its primary purpose.
[0013] For modern ballet dance techniques, manufacturers have begun making a soft insole out of cardboard, which allows it to bend in the wide part of the foot—the "half-toes."
[0014] Standing on the heel with such an insole is achieved by rolling from a horizontal to a vertical position.
[0015] Conventional traditional insoles are made of leather (collar) or insole leatherboard (regenerated chopped and pressed leather with cellulose and glue), which have a short lifespan because the insole material softens with constant bending and unbending. Therefore, the main problem with cardboard or leather insoles is their short lifespan, as frequent bending causes the insole to lose its properties and become unable to support the weight of a ballerina when standing on the heel of her foot (it becomes unstable).
[0016] Once the insole softens, the shoes are subject to disposal, as they are not capable of holding the ballerina in an upright position (on the toes).
[0017] In order to increase the lifespan of dance shoes such as pointe shoes, manufacturers make the insole of such shoes from hard plastic (as, for example, in the decision US4199878 A, A43B3 / 00, 29.04.1980), which increases the difficulty and reduces the accuracy of performing dance elements.
[0018] Thus, the insoles to which the protective element known from RU2760118 Cl, A43B 5 / 12, 11 / 22 / 2021 is attached remain either short-lived if they are made of fabric or cardboard, or insufficiently flexible if they are made of solid plastic.
[0019] In order to give the insole flexibility in the "half-toe" area, ensuring the unimpeded execution of dance elements and the smooth transition from a horizontal to a vertical position, it is known to make the insole with transverse slits, allowing the insole to bend in one direction due to the opening of the slits and to become rigid due to their closing (GB2156652 B, A43B 5 / 12, 23.04.1987).
[0020] However, due to the fact that the slots have a certain height, when they are closed, the insole will uncontrollably bend in the direction opposite to their opening, due to which the required degree of bending of the insole for performing dance elements will not be ensured, which can lead to insufficient stability of the dancer, which, accordingly, is dangerous.
[0021] DISCLOSURE OF THE ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION
[0022] In order to provide the insole, which provides protection for the dancer's foot and toes from injury, with both flexibility and strength sufficient for performing dance elements, the claimed solution utilizes a means that ensures the fixation of the insole in a flat, non-curved position when the dancer performs elements "on the toes," without preventing it from bending in the opposite direction by an adjustable amount.
[0023] The technical result achieved by the proposed utility model consists of simultaneously increasing the flexibility and strength sufficient for performing dance elements, while increasing the durability of the trauma-safe insole of dance shoes.
[0024] To achieve this result, the insole of a dance shoe, which protects the dancer's foot and toes from injury, consists of a vertical part that protects the dancer's toes, and a horizontal, plantar part that protects the foot, wherein the plantar part of the insole contains T-shaped transverse grooves in the lower part that ensure bending of the insole in the direction of the solid side of the insole, and T-shaped inserts located inside said grooves that prevent bending of the insole in the opposite direction, wherein the insole is made of wear-resistant material.
[0025] To achieve the stated result, the entire set of features of the claimed solution, listed in the previous paragraph, is necessary, since without any of these features, the required durability of injury-safe, yet flexible and durable dance shoes will not be ensured, without which it is impossible to perform dance elements.
[0026] In this case, the insole can be made as a single piece, or as two pieces - vertical and horizontal, joined together by assembly operations using welding, for example, ultrasonic, or gluing, or using fasteners such as staples, rivets, or shoe nails.
[0027] In this case, the insole can be made, for example, from plastic or hard rubber, as well as any other existing polymeric materials that have sufficient plasticity.
[0028] In this case, the T-shaped inserts can be made from the same material as the entire insole, or from a material that is denser and more resistant to the loads received during the closing of the grooves.
[0029] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0030] Figures 1-5 show a wear-resistant protective insole for dance shoes in a flat position, namely, in a position where the transverse slots (T-shaped grooves) are closed, but the T-shaped inserts prevent the insole from bending in an undesirable direction.
[0031] Figures 6-9 show the wear-resistant protective insole of a rolling shoe in a curved position, namely, in a position where the slots (T-shaped grooves) are open and facilitate the bending of the insole required for performing dance elements.
[0032] Figure 10 shows a T-shaped insert, which is an integral element of the proposed insole of dance shoes.
[0033] IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] Taking into account existing pointe shoe designs and manufacturing methods, the proposed solution aims to address the problems discussed above. Specifically, the proposed invention increases the durability of dance shoe insoles, protecting dancers' feet and toes from injury without compromising their suitability for performing dance elements by increasing flexibility and strength, thereby ensuring the durability of the dance shoe as a whole.
[0035] As shown in Figures 1-9, the insole of a dance shoe, which protects the dancer's foot and toes from injury, consists of a vertical section 1, which protects the dancer's toes; a horizontal section 2; and a plantar section, which protects the dancer's foot. The section is constructed with transverse slits 3, which act as T-shaped grooves, allowing the insole to bend freely in the direction of the foot. Inside these slits are T-shaped inserts 4, which prevent the insole from bending in a direction opposite to the dancer's foot. This design of T-shaped grooves and inserts in a wear-resistant insole that protects the entire foot ensures the dancer's performance of dance elements while ensuring its durability.
[0036] Dance shoes, such as pointe shoes, designed for use with a designed protective insole consist of the following design elements:
[0037] pointe shoe sole;
[0038] textile upper of the pointe shoe, made, for example, from satin; inner lining;
[0039] pointe shoe insole;
[0040] protective toe element;
[0041] a lining or inner insole that protects the dancer's foot from contact with the insole of the pointe shoe and the fastening elements of the protective element to the insole.
[0042] The proposed solution is based on the design of classic pointe shoes, manufactured using a technology that bonds layers of fabric together to form a "box"—a rigid cocoon that encloses the ballerina's foot. The toe cap is the shoe's primary working element, the flat part of the box on which the ballerina stands during dance movements, i.e., when performing toe-pointing dance elements. It must support the ballerina's entire weight during dynamic dance movements. Because the greatest stress during dance falls on the toe cap, the toe cap is the first to be damaged during dance movements. In standard pointe shoe assembly, the toe cap is made using the papier-mâché method: layers of fabric are coated with glue, resulting in a durable toe cap after drying. Its strength determines the shoe's longevity. Adaptability, the ability of the rest of the box to conform to the shape of the ballerina's foot, is also crucial.In classic pointe shoes, the materials of the box absorb moisture from the foot during the ballerina's work. This moisture is released through sweating due to the ballerina's exertion. This softens the glue and the layers of fabric that form the box, which are held together by the glue, and the box takes on the shape of the foot. After work, the pointe shoe dries, and the box retains the shape created by the foot during work. This custom-fitting of the box to the ballerina's foot provides an additional benefit in protecting the ballerina's foot from injuries and deformities, such as hallux valgus, hammertoes, and ingrown nails.Since the heel of classic pointe shoes softens and loses shape quickly, unable to withstand high specific loads on a small surface area of the heel, the precision of ballet movements is impaired, it becomes more difficult for the ballerina to maintain balance on a deformed heel, as a result of which the safety of performing dance elements is lost, and in addition, the aesthetics of the shoe are also lost.
[0043] The use of a polymer protective element slows down the softening of the pointe shoe's toe, prolonging its lifespan. Furthermore, the use of a polymer insole extends the lifespan of the pointe shoe by preventing softening and deformation of the sole. Meanwhile, the insole's flexibility, provided by T-grooves with T-shaped inserts, does not interfere with dance movements and prevents dangerous bending of the insole.
[0044] Furthermore, the developed insole design is intended for use as an inner insole for dance shoes, which allows the insole to be used in classic pointe shoes without altering their traditional appearance.
[0045] The advantage of combining T-slots with T-inserts is their ease of manufacture - the elements can be manufactured separately from each other, which does not require complex production operations, since each individual element has a fairly simple shape, allowing them to be manufactured on existing equipment.
[0046] Furthermore, the removable T-shaped inserts allow for the use of inserts of different sizes in the designed insole, allowing for the insole's curvature to be adjusted to suit the individual needs of each dancer.
[0047] In general, T-grooves and T-inserts are manufactured to such dimensions that the internal dimensions of the grooves match the external dimensions of the inserts, which ensures that the inserts are held tightly in the grooves and that the insole remains level when it bends toward the closing of the grooves.
[0048] However, it's possible to make the stem of the T-shaped insert thinner than the vertical slot of the T-shaped groove. This allows the insole to bend in a controlled manner when bending toward the grooves, creating a curve tailored to the individual shape of the dancer's foot. And because the insole has multiple grooves that can accommodate multiple inserts with stems of varying thicknesses, the variety of curves allows for a tailored insole to suit any dancer.
[0049] As for the materials from which the developed insole of dance shoes is made, it is obvious to a specialist in the field of technology that any known wear-resistant materials can be used, possessing properties that ensure the insole is waterproof, resistant to bending and impacts that occur during the performance of dance elements, as well as non-toxic and hypoallergenic.
Claims
Utility model formula 1. An insole for dance shoes that protects the dancer's foot and toes from injury, consisting of a vertical portion that protects the dancer's toes and a horizontal plantar portion that protects the foot, wherein the plantar portion of the insole contains T-shaped transverse grooves in the lower portion that allow the insole to bend in the direction of the solid side of the insole, and T-shaped inserts located inside said grooves that prevent the insole from bending in the opposite direction, wherein the insole is made of a wear-resistant material.