Footwear and foot support member configured to allow relative heel/forefoot motion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9936759-B2
Application number	US-201514751510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 22, 2012
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A shoe can include support members for a plantar surface of a foot that include: (a) a heel support plate; (b) a forefoot support plate; (c) a heel securing strap component for securely engaging a heel supporting component with a wearer's heel; and (d) a unidirectional hinge, wherein the hinge allows the heel support plate to rotate internally with respect to the forefoot support plate and limit the heel support plate from rotating externally with respect to the forefoot support plate. The support member allows the shoe to twist and move with the foot, allowing the ankle to remain neutral, rather than the shoe fighting the foot's natural motion. The unidirectional nature of the hinge plate also prevents the shoe from rotating externally beyond a predetermined limit point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A support member for a plantar surface of a foot, comprising:
a heel support plate that includes a heel plantar support surface, a heel lateral wing, and a heel medial wing, wherein the heel lateral wing extends from a lateral side of the heel support plate and the heel medial wing extends from a medial side of the heel support plate;
a raised perimeter side wall extending upward from the heel plantar support surface and around a rear heel area of the heel support plate from the lateral side of the heel support plate to the medial side of the heel support plate;
a forefoot support plate that includes a forefoot lateral wing and a forefoot medial wing, wherein the forefoot lateral wing extends from a lateral side of the forefoot support plate and the forefoot medial wing extends from a medial side of the forefoot support plate, wherein the forefoot support plate further includes: (a) a forefoot plantar support surface, (b) a first lateral wrap extending from a ball portion of the forefoot support plate toward the lateral side of the forefoot support plate, wherein an outside perimeter edge of the first lateral wrap includes a first raised side wall extending upward from the forefoot plantar support surface, wherein the first raised side wall is configured to engage and support a lateral side surface of a wearer's foot, and (c) a second lateral wrap extending from the ball portion of the forefoot support plate toward the lateral side of the forefoot support plate, wherein an outside perimeter edge of the second lateral wrap includes a second raised side wall extending upward from the forefoot plantar support surface, wherein the second raised side wall is configured to engage and support the lateral side surface of a wearer's foot; and
a strap system, wherein the strap system includes an ankle strap, a lateral heel strap and a medial heel strap, and wherein the strap system is configured such that, when the support member is engaged with a foot of a human wearer,
the ankle strap completely surrounds and is secured to the wearer's ankle,
the lateral heel strap extends from under a wearer's lateral malleolus to a lateral anchor location under a heel of the wearer's foot, and
the medial heel strap extends from under a wearer's medial malleolus to a medial anchor location under the heel of the wearer's foot,

wherein interaction of the heel medial wing and the heel lateral wing of the heel support plate and the forefoot medial wing and the forefoot lateral wing of the forefoot support plate allows the heel support plate to rotate internally with respect to the forefoot support plate and limits the heel support plate from rotating externally beyond a predetermined extent with respect to the forefoot support plate.

2. The support member according to claim 1 , wherein the raised perimeter side wall includes a medial slot defined therein configured to receive the medial heel strap and a lateral slot defined therein configured to receive the lateral heel strap.

3. The support member according to claim 1 , wherein the heel support plate is formed as a unitary, one-piece construction with the heel lateral wing and the heel medial wing and the forefoot support plate is formed as a unitary, one-piece construction with the forefoot lateral wing and the forefoot medial wing.

4. The support member according to claim 1 , wherein each of the heel support plate and the forefoot support plate is formed as one or more pieces from a rigid polymeric material.

5. The support member according to claim 1 , wherein the heel lateral wing overlaps the forefoot lateral wing and the forefoot medial wing overlaps the heel medial wing.

6. The support member according to claim 5 , wherein a top surface of the forefoot lateral wing includes a recessed area for receiving an overlapping portion of a bottom surface of the heel lateral wing.

7. The support member according to claim 5 , wherein a top surface of the heel medial wing includes a recessed area for receiving an overlapping portion of a bottom surface of the forefoot medial wing.

8. The support member according to claim 5 , wherein the heel lateral wing can rotate in a direction away from the forefoot lateral wing but rotation of the heel lateral wing in a direction toward the forefoot lateral wing is limited by the overlap between the heel lateral wing and the forefoot lateral wing.

9. The support member according to claim 5 , wherein the heel medial wing can rotate in a direction away from the forefoot medial wing but rotation of the heel medial wing in a direction toward the forefoot medial wing is limited by the overlap between the heel medial wing and the forefoot medial wing.

10. A support member for a plantar surface of a foot, comprising:
a heel support plate that includes a heel lateral wing and a heel medial wing, wherein the heel lateral wing extends from a lateral side of the heel support plate and the heel medial wing extends from a medial side of the heel support plate;
a forefoot support plate that includes a forefoot lateral wing and a forefoot medial wing, wherein the forefoot lateral wing extends from a lateral side of the forefoot support plate and the forefoot medial wing extends from a medial side of the forefoot support plate, wherein the forefoot support plate further includes: (a) a forefoot plantar support surface, (b) a first lateral wrap extending from a ball portion of the forefoot support plate toward the lateral side of the forefoot support plate, wherein an outside perimeter edge of the first lateral wrap includes a first raised side wall extending upward from the forefoot plantar support surface, wherein the first raised side wall is configured to engage and support a lateral side surface of a wearer's foot, and (c) a second lateral wrap extending from the ball portion of the forefoot support plate toward the lateral side of the forefoot support plate, wherein an outside perimeter edge of the second lateral wrap includes a second raised side wall extending upward from the forefoot plantar support surface, wherein the second raised side wall is configured to engage and support the lateral side surface of a wearer's foot; and
a strap system, wherein the strap system includes an ankle strap, a lateral heel strap and a medial heel strap, and wherein the strap system is configured such that, when the support member is engaged with a foot of a human wearer,
the ankle strap completely surrounds and is secured to the wearer's ankle,
the lateral heel strap extends from under a wearer's lateral malleolus to a lateral anchor location under a heel of the wearer's foot, and
the medial heel strap extends from under a wearer's medial malleolus to a medial anchor location under the heel of the wearer's foot,

wherein interaction of the heel medial wing and the heel lateral wing of the heel support plate and the forefoot medial wing and the forefoot lateral wing of the forefoot support plate allows the heel support plate to rotate internally with respect to the forefoot support plate and limits the heel support plate from rotating externally beyond a predetermined extent with respect to the forefoot support plate.

11. The support member according to claim 10 , wherein the first lateral wrap and the first raised side wall are separated from the second lateral wrap and the second raised side wall by a space extending inward from the lateral side of the forefoot support plate between the first raised side wall and the second raised side wall.

12. The support member according to claim 10 , wherein the heel support plate further includes a heel plantar support surface, and wherein the support member further comprises a

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Nurse Matthew A
• Hurd John
• Bishop Jennifer L

Classifications

• A43B13/125

  characterised by the midsole or middle layer · CPC title

• A43B7/148

  Recesses or holes filled with supports or pads · CPC title

• A43B3/0073

  Y-shaped · CPC title

• A43B13/127

  the midsole being multilayer · CPC title

• A43B23/0265 Primary

  having different properties in different directions · CPC title