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US-20260124097-A1 - DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FOOT MASSAGE

US20260124097A1US 20260124097 A1US20260124097 A1US 20260124097A1US-20260124097-A1

Abstract

A foot massage device is designed to be positioned under all or part of the foot and at least under the arch of the foot. The front face of the device comprises a plurality of non-hollow protuberances intended to come into contact with the arch of the foot to exert pressure capable of improving venous return, each protuberance having a base, a top, a height and a shape determining the volume occupied by the protuberance. The protuberances are made of a soft incompressible or moderately compressible material having a Poisson's coefficient greater than 0.30, and are shaped and arranged so that a flattening of the protuberances causes them to spread out, filling all or part of the volume between each of them and significantly increasing the surface area of the device in contact with the foot.

Inventors

  • HUGO LAURENT
  • Clément ANKAOUA
  • Maria-Luisa LE BELLER

Assignees

  • MILLET INNOVATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20230929
Priority Date
20221001

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A foot massage device, designed to be positioned under all or part of a foot and at least under an arch of the foot, the foot massage device comprising: a front face designed to be in contact with the foot, the front face of comprising a plurality of non-hollow protuberances configured to come into contact with the arch of the foot to exert pressure capable of improving venous return, each protuberance having a base, a top, a height and a shape determining a volume occupied by the protuberance, wherein the protuberances are made of a soft incompressible or moderately compressible material having a Poisson's coefficient greater than 0.30, and are shaped and arranged so that a flattening of the protuberances causes them to spread out, filling all or part of the volume between each of them and increasing a surface area of the device in contact with the foot.
  2. 2 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least in one region of the device, the protuberances are shaped and arranged so that a 50% reduction in their height causes them to spread out, filling the volume between each of them in a proportion of at least 60%.
  3. 3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least in the arch of the device, the protuberances are shaped and arranged so that a 50% reduction in their height causes them to spread out, filling the volume between each of them in a proportion of at least 90%.
  4. 4 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the protuberances are made of a material having a Shore A hardness comprised between 5 and 40 measured in accordance with ISO 48-4.
  5. 5 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the protuberances have an increasing height as they approach a maximum arch area of the foot.
  6. 6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the protuberances have, between their base and their top, a constant or variable height comprised between 1.5 mm and 25 mm.
  7. 7 . The device according to claim 1 , designed to also cover a heel and a sole of the foot and comprising protuberances at least in a region of a forefoot of the foot corresponding to a metatarsophalangeal line, and at least around a perimeter of the heel.
  8. 8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the protuberances are substantially hemispherical in shape and have a height comprised between 0.25 and 2.5 times a width of their base.
  9. 9 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least in the arch of the device, spacing between two protuberances is comprised between 0.1 and 0.5 times a width of the protuberances or an average value of their respective widths if they are not identical.
  10. 10 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the protuberances are made of an elastomer material.
  11. 11 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the protuberances are made of a material selected from the group comprising: Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene (SEBS), a silicone gel, in particular PolyDimethylSiloxane (PDMS), a Polyurethane foam (PU), an Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate foam (EVA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), EPDM rubber.
  12. 12 . The device according to claim 1 , comprising a base designed to support at least a heel and the arch of the foot, and a soft layer assembled on the base and in which the protuberances are formed.
  13. 13 . The device according to claim 12 , wherein the base is thermoformable at a temperature comprised between 60° and 80° C.
  14. 14 . The device according to claim 13 , wherein the base is made of a material included in the group comprising: Poly Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PCTG), Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG), Polycaprolactone (PCL), Polylactide type polyester (PLA), Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), Polyurethane (PU), Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), and a thermoformable resin.
  15. 15 . A method of manufacturing and shaping a device according to claim 13 , the method comprising: an initial step of manufacturing the device at an end of which the base has a determined shape, and a step of thermoforming the base to adapt its arch to the shape of a user's foot, the thermoforming step comprising the steps of: bringing the device to a thermoforming temperature, applying the device against the foot while the device is still hot and is still in a range of thermoforming temperatures, and exerting pressure under the device, in the arch, to thermoform the device to the shape of the arch of the foot.
  16. 16 . A method of manufacturing a device according to claim 1 , by two-material injection in a mold comprising a first impression designed to receive by injection a material forming a base of the device, and a second impression receiving after injection of the base, a material forming a soft layer.
  17. 17 . A method of foot massage for non-therapeutic purposes, using a device designed to be positioned under all or part of a foot and at least under an arch of the foot, the device comprising a front face designed to be in contact with the foot, the method comprising: providing, on the front face of the device, a plurality of non-hollow protuberances configured to come into contact with the arch of the foot to exert pressure capable of improving venous return, each protuberance having a base, a top, a height and a shape determining a volume occupied by the protuberance, the protuberances being made of a soft incompressible or moderately compressible material having a Poisson's coefficient greater than 0.30, and being shaped and arranged so that their flattening causes them to spread out, filling all or part of the volume between each of them and increasing a surface area of the device in contact with the foot, wherein the front face is configured to: provide a first phase of blood ejection by localized pressure of each protuberance on an area of the foot facing it, and provide a second phase of blood ejection after deformation of the protuberances under the effect of the pressure exerted by the foot, the compressed protuberances together forming an increased surface that exerts a venous return pressure on areas of the foot not solicited during the first phase of blood ejection.
  18. 18 . The method according to claim 17 , comprising providing, at least in one region of the device, protuberances shaped and arranged so that a 50% reduction in their height causes them to spread out, filling the volume between each of them in a proportion of at least 60%.
  19. 19 . The method according to claim 17 , comprising providing at least in the arch of the device, protuberances shaped and arranged so that a 50% reduction in their height causes them to spread out, filling the volume between each of them in a proportion of at least 90%.
  20. 20 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the protuberances are made of a material having a Shore A hardness comprised between 5 and 40 measured in accordance with ISO 48-4.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a 371 National Stage of International Application No. PCT/FR2023/051514, filed Sep. 29, 2023, which claims priority to French Patent Application No. FR2210058, filed Oct. 1, 2022, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a foot massage device designed to be positioned under all or part of the foot and at least under the arch of the foot, and a method of massaging the foot using such a device. BACKGROUND It is known to produce insoles having means for exerting a massage movement on a region of the foot, helping or facilitating the functioning of the plantar pump. An orthopedic insole is known, in particular through U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,352 or EP0971606, that comprises a plurality of cushion-type layers, provided on the insole surface, and including a first cushion-type layer in a forefoot joint area, a second cushion-type layer in a transition zone between the metatarsus and the tarsus, and a third cushion-type layer in the mid-foot transition zone. A shoe is also known, through CA 2827485 or WO 2012/110763, comprising an upper, a blood flow stimulating element and a sole element, the sole element embedding a fluid pump, a fluid reservoir usable to receive fluid at a high pressure from the pump via a first valve and a second valve usable to activate the blood flow stimulating element under the control of a processor. Sandals or insoles with protrusions available commercially under various brands are also known, having a presumed foot massage function. In particular, WO2019209642A1 describes a massage insole comprising protuberances whose flexion causes a foot massage effect. This document teaches modulating the flexibility and shape-height and width—of the protuberances to promote their flexion and thus maximize the massage effect. Documents US20070234593A1, GB2303780A and US20190142107A1 further describe insoles provided with protuberances or hollow projections providing a presumed massage effect and at the very least comfort. It would be desirable to provide a foot massage device to be placed under the foot, which offers better performance than known devices with respect to stimulating the plantar pump. SUMMARY Embodiments concern a foot massage device, designed to be positioned under all or part of the foot and at least under the arch of the foot, and comprising a front face designed to be in contact with the foot, wherein the front face of the device comprises a plurality of non-hollow protuberances intended to come into contact with the arch of the foot to exert pressure capable of improving venous return, each protuberance having a base, a top, a height and a shape determining the volume occupied by the protuberance. The protuberances are made of a soft incompressible or moderately compressible material having a Poisson's coefficient greater than 0.30, and are shaped and arranged so that a flattening of the protuberances causes them to spread out, filling all or part of the volume between each of them and significantly increasing the surface area of the device in contact with the foot. According to an embodiment, at least in one region of the device, the protuberances are shaped and arranged so that a 50% reduction in their height causes them to spread out, filling the volume between each of them in a proportion of at least 60%. According to an embodiment, at least in the arch region of the device, the protuberances are shaped and arranged so that a 50% reduction in their height causes them to spread out, filling the volume between each of them in a proportion of at least 90%. According to an embodiment, the protuberances are made of a material having a Shore A hardness between 5 and 40 measured in accordance with ISO 48-4. According to an embodiment, the protuberances have an increasing height as they approach the maximum arch area of the foot. According to one embodiment, the protuberances have, between their base and their top, a constant or variable height comprised between 1.5 mm and 25 mm. According to an embodiment, the device is designed to also cover the heel and the sole of the foot and includes protuberances at least in a region of the forefoot corresponding to the metatarsophalangeal line, and at least around the perimeter of the heel. According to an embodiment, the protuberances are substantially hemispherical in shape and have a height comprised between 0.25 times and 2.5 times the width of their base. According to an embodiment, at least in the arch region of the device the spacing between two protuberances is comprised between 0.1 times and 0.5 times the width of the protuberances or the average value of their respective widths if they are not identical. According to an embodiment, the protuberances are made of an elastomer material. According to an embodiment, the protuberances are made of a material selected from the group comprising Sty