US20140090272A1

US20140090272A1 - Heel stabilization device

Info

Publication number: US20140090272A1
Application number: US14/035,972
Authority: US
Inventors: Tsan-Yu Tseng
Original assignee: RAPHA SHOES INTERNATIONAL CO Ltd
Current assignee: RAPHA SHOES INTERNATIONAL CO Ltd
Priority date: 2012-10-02
Filing date: 2013-09-25
Publication date: 2014-04-03
Also published as: JP2014073381A; TWM459742U; JP6335464B2

Abstract

A heel stabilization device includes a plurality of bumps formed on a shoe midsole or a shoe pad at predetermined locations corresponding to a foot heel in order to alter the contact forces at the locations when the foot heel is put into contact with the shoe pad or the shoe midsole. Thus, when a human body is standing or walking, a balance condition can be achieved to improve the discomfort of human body caused by long standing or walking.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a device for stabilizing the contact force of a heel with a shoe insole, and more particularly to a device positionable on a pad or a midsole of a shoe to stabilize the contact force between the shoe and a heel when a user wears the shoe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

With the prosperity of the economics, diseases of civilization become very common in the modern society, among which chronic pains are one of the most commonly suffered diseases of civilization. The primary cause of the chronic pains is generally bones and muscles losing their balances. Since human beings have been evolved millions of years from a creature that crawl with four legs to a creature that stands up and walks with two legs. To maintain balance of standing and walking, human bodies undergo an effect of compensation, which causes various harmful motions and postures from which various types of pain may result. Thus, maintaining joints and muscles of a human body at a position of neutralization and balance is a challenge that the medical experts and scientists are trying their best to overcome.
Referring to FIG. 3, a conventional design of heel cup (90) is illustrated, in which the left-hand side and right-hand side and the rear side of a heel are designed in the form of a cup. When a user wears a shoe that comprises such a heel cup, due to the fact that the heel and the body are not in balance, it is easy to shift to one side. As a result, the side of the heel that contacts more with the heel cup may result in a situation of contacting post, leading to discomfort.
Referring to FIG. 1, an improved heel stabilization device is provided for the purposes of replacing and removing the heel cup and arranging a plurality of bumps on a sole pad or a midsole at locations corresponding to an outer edge of an elliptic heel so that the circumference of the heel can be stabilized without easy shifting thereby achieving the purpose of stabilizing the ankle of the foot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above-discussed problems caused by imbalance of bones and muscles, to reduce the potential damages caused by the imbalance of bones and muscles, a novel theory and design is provided herein, wherein through a simple measure, the trouble of chronic pain of human bodies can be improved so as to make the human bodies conformable and not hurt with a low cost.
Thus, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a heel stabilization device, which adjusts the way how forces are applied to a heel in order to improve the balance of body posture and thus achieve self-adjustment of human body.
To achieve the above object, the technical solution that present invention adopts is to vary and increase the height of a pad or a midsole of a shoe by providing a plurality of bumps thereon at locations corresponding to a heel so as to reduce the contact forces between the heel and the sole at specific locations along an outer edge of the foot sole.
In standing or walking, three-point support is realized by arranging three bumps along the outer edge of the heel.
The bumps described above can be more than three bumps.
The bumps can be of any shape provided they are higher than the pad or the midsole.
The bumps can be integrally formed with the midsole of the shoe.
A pad with improved heel as described above can be positioned on an inside bottom of a shoe.
As such, the ankle joint of a user can be automatically adjusted to have the ankle joint of the user maintained as much as possible at a neutral balance position.
The pad with improved heel as described above comprises bumps projecting upward from a top surface of the pad.
The pad with improved heel as described above comprises bumps projecting downward from a bottom surface of the pad.
The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is schematic view showing a heel cup of a shoe pad.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Referring to FIG. 1, a heel stabilization device according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body (10) and bumps (11), (12), (13) that are provided on the main body (10).
The main body (10) is provided for being positioned under a foot sole and is generally formed of a cushioning material and has a top surface and a bottom surface to correspond to a human foot sole. In the instant embodiment, the main body (10) is made in the form of a shoe pad. The bumps (11), (12), (13) are distributed along an elliptic outer edge of the foot sole to provide an effect of stabilizing an ankle joint thereby changing the balance condition of the body posture and achieving self-adjustment of human body structure.
Referring to FIG. 2, a heel stabilization device according to a second embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body (10 a) and bumps (11 a), (12 a), (13 a) that are provided on the main body (10 a).
In the configuration of the instant embodiment, the main body (10 a) is made in the form of a shoe midsole. To have the main body (10 a) formed as a midsole, it is combined with a sole of a shoe, whereby a shoe pad is positionable on the main body (10 a) to provide the same effect of stabilizing the ankle joint for changing the balance condition of the body posture and achieving self-adjustment of human body structure.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A heel stabilization device, comprising a pad on which at least three bumps are provided to correspond to an elliptic outer edge of a foot sole.

2. The heel stabilization device according to claim 1, wherein the bumps are of a shape having a height projecting beyond the pad.

3. A heel stabilization device, comprising a midsole on which at least three bumps are provided to correspond to an elliptic outer edge of a foot sole.

4. The heel stabilization device according to claim 3, wherein the bumps are of a shape having a height projecting beyond the pad.