US-12616273-B2 - Shoe with improved stability

US12616273B2US 12616273 B2US12616273 B2US 12616273B2US-12616273-B2

Abstract

A shoe with an interstitial (e.g., between the toes) support for the user's foot that provides improved stability to the user's foot. The internal toe-reliant support includes two to four posts that extend into the gaps between toes in the foot and are positioned proximate the vertices or posterior ends of the gaps. The posts inhibit or limit motion of the foot within the shoe, such as when initiating or terminating a motion in a medial, lateral or forward direction (e.g., while walking, hiking or running on level ground or downhill), or when initiating or terminating a clockwise or counterclockwise pivoting motion about the toe portion of the shoe.

Inventors

Mark Aaron Thatcher

Assignees

SAZZI IP, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210712

Claims (9)

1 . An athletic shoe, comprising: a sole; an upper attached to the sole about a circumference of the sole, the upper and sole defining an interior space configured to receive and enclose a human foot therein; two to four posts of flexible non-stretchable material disposed in a forefoot portion of the interior space, the flexible non-stretchable material configured to stretch less than 5% of its original length, the posts extending between and attached to the upper and the sole, the posts spaced apart from a front end of the shoe, each of the posts configured to extend into a gap between adjacent toes in the foot and be positioned at proximate a vertex of the gap between the adjacent toes, each post having one or more leverage control surfaces that engage the vertex between said adjacent toes to allow a user to initiate and terminate a sideways or forward motion or initiate and terminate a pivoting action more quickly, one or more of the posts configured to be disposed on a medial side of a center or third toe of the foot and/or one or more of the posts configured to be disposed on a lateral side of the center or third toe of the foot when the foot is inside the shoe; and an adjustable strap having a first strap portion extending around an upper portion of a heel counter of the shoe configured to be disposed behind an Achilles tendon of the foot, the first strap portion extending anteriorly from said upper portion of the heel counter along a medial side and a lateral side of the upper, one end of the first strap portion extending to and fixedly and directly anchored in the medial side and the lateral side of the sole, a loop or buckle attached to an end of a second strap portion that extends to an end of the second strap portion extending to and fixedly and directly anchored in the lateral side of the sole, the loop or buckle receiving an end of the first strap portion to fasten the first strap portion to the second strap portion of the strap; wherein the posts are configured to distribute a load exerted by the foot to the upper and sole during motion of the foot, and wherein the strap is adjustable to adjust a distance between the upper portion of the heel counter and the posts to thereby move the foot anteriorly so that each post is positioned at the vertex between adjacent toes, the leverage control surfaces of each post engaging the vertex to thereby bear on the foot to allow the user to initiate and terminate a sideways or forward motion or change direction of motion more quickly while preventing shifting or sliding of the foot inside the upper, thereby optimizing athletic performance and comfort during use of the shoe.
2 . The shoe of claim 1 , wherein the posts inhibit motion of the foot within the shoe in one or more of a medial direction, a lateral direction, an anterior direction, a clockwise rotational direction, and a counterclockwise rotational direction.
3 . The shoe of claim 1 , wherein the two to four posts are two posts, a first post configured to extend between a big toe and a second toe of the foot, and a second post configured to extend between the third toe and a fourth toe of the foot.
4 . The shoe of claim 1 , wherein the two to four posts are two posts, a first post configured to extend between a big toe and a second toe of the foot, and a second post configured to extend between the third toe and a fifth toe of the foot.
5 . The shoe of claim 1 , wherein the two to four posts are three posts, a first post configured to extend between a big toe and a second toe of the foot, a second post configured to extend between the second toe and the third toe of the foot, and a third post configured to extend between the third toe and a fourth toe of the foot.
6 . The shoe of claim 1 , wherein the two to four posts are three posts, a first post configured to extend between a big toe and a second toe of the foot, a second post configured to extend between the second toe and the third toe of the foot, and a third post configured to extend between a fourth toe and a fifth toe of the foot.
7 . The shoe of claim 1 , wherein the two to four posts are three posts, a first post configured to extend between a big toe and a second toe of the foot, a second post configured to extend between the third toe and a fourth toe of the foot, and a third post configured to extend between the fourth toe and a fifth toe of the foot.
8 . The shoe of claim 1 , wherein the two to four posts are four posts, a first post configured to extend between a big toe and a second toe of the foot, a second post configured to extend between the second toe and the third toe of the foot, a third post configured to extend between the third toe and a fourth toe of the foot, and a fourth post configured to extend between the fourth toe and a fifth toe of the foot.
9 . The shoe of claim 8 , wherein an end of the first post is disposed anteriorly of an end of the second post, the end of the second post is disposed anteriorly of an end of the third post, the end of the third post is disposed anteriorly of an end of the fourth post.

Description

BACKGROUND Field The present invention is directed to shoes, and more particularly to shoes with improved interstitial (e.g., between the toes) and toe reliant stabilization for feet. Description of the Related Art Shoe designs vary in construction, including the material of the upper and the sole, depending on its intended use (e.g., dress shoe, athletic shoe). Conventional shoes encase a foot, thereby providing exterior support for a foot. As a result, a foot still can move (e.g., shift, slide), sometimes loosely, within a shoe during ambulation. A user can tighten the shoe (e.g. by tightening shoe laces) to inhibit motion of the foot within the shoe, but this tightening of the encasement of the shoe over and around the foot results in added and unnecessary compression of the foot, which can constrict circulation in the foot, result in foot fatigue and/or cause discomfort. Shoes can also be subjected to varying forces and stresses, depending on the user's activity. Athletic shoes, for example, can experience medial and lateral motion forces and/or quick rotational forces caused by the user's motion, or their pivoting about the toe portion of the shoe (e.g., while playing tennis). Such forces and stresses are borne solely by the exterior encasement of the shoe. Such forces can be concentrated and extreme due to any distal terminated movement of the foot within the shoe. For example, medial or lateral forces exerted on a conventional shoe by corresponding medial or lateral motion of the user's foot are borne by the medial or lateral sides of the shoe (e.g., especially at the lateral junction between the upper and the sole). Such forces and stresses can sometimes lead to failure of the shoe (e.g., at the lateral junction between the upper and the sole). SUMMARY In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is a need for an improved shoe design with internal support for the user's foot that provides improved stability to the user's foot without relying solely on tightening the exterior encasement of the shoe around the user's foot. In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is a need for an improved shoe design with interstitial (e.g., between the toes) support for the user's foot that provides improved toe reliant stability to the user's foot. In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is a need for an improved shoe design with internal shoe support (e.g., interstitial or between the toes) for the user's foot that provides improved medial-lateral performance of the shoe during a medial or lateral initiation or termination of motion by the user. In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is a need for an improved shoe design with internal support for the user's foot that provides forward impedance for improved stability to a user's foot when moving on a decline or downhill or when braking while moving (e.g., walking, running, hiking) on a level surface, which can advantageously inhibit (e.g., prevent) pain from toe percussion into the toe box of the shoe. In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, there is a need for an improved shoe design with internal support for the user's foot that provides improved rotational performance of the shoe during the initiation or termination of a pivoting motion (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise) by the user. Such improved design can accelerate the initiation of motion through the footbed as well as accelerate the termination of motion. In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a shoe is provided that comprises a sole and an upper attached to the sole about a circumference of the sole, the upper and sole defining an interior space configured to receive a human foot therein. The shoe also comprises two to four posts of flexible non-elastic material disposed in a forefoot portion of the interior space. The posts extend between and are attached to the upper and to the sole, the posts spaced apart from a front end of the shoe. The posts are configured to extend into gaps between the toes and be positioned proximate (e.g., at or next to) vertices of the gaps between the toes. One or more of the posts is configured to be disposed on a medial side of a center or third toe of the foot when the shoe is in use, and one or more of the posts is configured to be disposed on a lateral side of the center or third toe of the foot when the shoe is in use. The posts are configured to match the arc of the vertices of the toes and configured to distribute a load exerted by the foot during motion of the foot through to the upper and the sole of the shoe. The posts in combination with the corresponding toes inhibit motion of the foot inside the shoe in one or more of a medial direction, a lateral direction, an anterior direction, a clockwise rotational direction, and a counterclockwise rotational direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a medial side of a left shoe. FIG. 2 is a schematic side vi