Abstract:
A weight adjustable orthotic insert system includes an orthotic insert and a weight adjusting leaf. The orthotic insert corrects joint misalignment of a user based on a weight plus any additional load, foot flexibility or activity level (e.g., momentum) of the user. The weight adjusting leaf may be attached to the orthotic insert when the user is carrying a payload over a distance (e.g., a heavy pack or body armor) so that the orthotic insert provides the proper degree of correction given the increased weight instead of being collapsed by the additional weight.

Description:
[0001]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
       CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX 
       [0004]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention relates generally to orthotic systems and methods. More particularly, this invention pertains to custom orthotic shoe inserts. 
         [0006]    The foot is an arched structure that experiences intermittent compression as a person&#39;s body weight and the weight of any load carried by the person pass over the arched structure. Additionally, different activities cause different loads on the foot. As a result, many people develop some degree of joint misalignment or postural collapse of the foot&#39;s arches over time and use which causes misalignment of ankles, knees, hips and back. When the misalignment becomes severe enough, one develops pain from even the simplest tasks like standing for any significant period of time and walking any distance. Plantar fasciitis is one common condition that is caused by postural collapse. It is the inflammation of a ligament connected between the heel bone and the base of the proximal phalanx. When a person&#39;s foot arches are reduced (i.e., fallen arches), plantar fasciitis often results and can become debilitating to stand or walk at all. Certain activities, over time, can contribute to joint misalignment and fallen arches such as excessive running or walking with insufficient arch support and running or walking with heavy loads. 
         [0007]    Military training typically involves daily runs and walks of significant distances with varying loads. Joint misalignment and fallen arches causing severe plantar fasciitis are common in the military. In civilian life, these problems typically manifest in people who are between 40 and 60 years old. However, in the military, these problems often manifest in personnel from the beginning of service and may manifest anytime thereafter. The problem can be debilitating and result in a medical discharge at any time. Cost of lost man hours, treatment costs including post discharge medical care and disability, as well as the cost of lost training dollars and the expense of recruiting and training replacement personnel are considerable. This is especially true for special operations personnel in whom millions of dollars of training may be invested. 
         [0008]    Custom orthotics (i.e., orthotic inserts) can be effective in addressing these joint misalignment and fallen arches issues. However, custom orthotics do not take into account the downward load on the orthotic as it varies by weight (plus carrying load), foot flexibility and activity level (momentum). Some orthotics are calibrated for static conditions, but changes in load or activity level cause forces outside of the operational parameters of the orthotic. For example: a soldier that adds an eighty pound pack can collapse through his orthotics that are calibrated to his body weight for activities of daily living. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Aspects of the present invention provide an orthotic system that is weight adjustable. In one embodiment, the system includes an orthotic insert and a releasably attached weight adjusting leaf. 
         [0010]    In one aspect, a weight adjustable orthotic insert system includes an orthotic insert and a weight adjusting leaf. The orthotic insert has an arch support portion configured to engage in the arch of the user&#39;s foot. The weight adjusting leaf is configured to releasably attach to the orthotic insert. 
         [0011]    In another aspect, a weight adjustable orthotic insert system includes a right orthotic insert, a first weight adjusting leaf, a left orthotic insert, and a second weight adjusting leaf. The right orthotic insert has an arch support portion configured to engage in arch of a right foot of the user. The first weight adjusting leaf is configured to releasably attach to the right orthotic insert. The left orthotic insert has an arch support portion configured to engage in arch of a left foot of the user. The second weight adjusting leaf is configured to releasably attach to the left orthotic insert. 
         [0012]    In another aspect, a weight adjustable orthotic insert system includes a weight adjusting leaf. The weight adjusting leaf is configured to releasably attach to an orthotic insert at an arch support portion of the orthotic insert. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a an elevated perspective view of a weight adjustable orthotic insert system. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an elevated perspective view of an upside down weight adjustable orthotic insert system. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is an elevated perspective view of an upside down orthotic insert of a weight adjustable orthotic insert system. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is an elevated perspective view of a weight adjustable orthotic insert system including an orthotic insert with an attached weight adjusting leaf. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a an elevated perspective view of an upside down weight adjustable orthotic insert system including an orthotic insert with an attached weight adjusting leaf. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is elevated perspective view of an upside down weight adjustable orthotic insert system including an orthotic insert with an attached weight adjusting leaf having a spring rate different than that of the weight adjustable orthotic insert system of  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
       [0019]    Reference will now be made in detail to optional embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawing and in the description referring to the same or like parts. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. 
         [0021]    To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, a number of terms are defined below. The terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but rather include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as set forth in the claims. 
         [0022]    As described herein, an upright position is considered to be the position of apparatus components while in proper operation or in a natural resting position as described herein. As used herein, the upright and normal position of a weight adjustable orthotic insert system  100  is determined when a right orthotic insert  102  of the system  100  and a left orthotic insert of the system  100  are inserted into shoes of a user, the user is wearing the shoes, and the user is standing upright on the footwear and inserts. Vertical, horizontal, above, below, side, top, bottom and other orientation terms are described with respect to this upright position during operation unless otherwise specified. The term “when” is used to specify orientation for relative positions of components, not as a temporal limitation of the claims or apparatus described and claimed herein unless otherwise specified. The terms “above”, “below”, “over”, and “under” mean “having an elevation or vertical height greater or lesser than” and are not intended to imply that one object or component is directly over or under another object or component. 
         [0023]    The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a weight adjustable orthotic insert system  100  includes a right orthotic insert  102 , a first weight adjusting leaf  104 , a left orthotic insert, and a second weight adjusting leaf. The right orthotic insert  102  has an arch support portion  106  configured to engage in arch of a right foot of a user. The first weight adjusting leaf  104  is configured to releasably attach to the right orthotic insert  102 . The left orthotic insert has an arch support portion configured to engage an arch of a left foot of the user. The second weight adjusting leaf is configured to releasably attach to the left orthotic insert. In one embodiment, the first weight adjusting leaf  102  is one of a plurality of first weight adjusting leaves  108 , and each first weight adjusting leaf of the plurality of first weight adjusting leaves  108  has a different spring rate. For example, one of the weight adjusting leaves  104  may be calibrated for a 100 pound weight increase while another weight adjusting leaf  110  is calibrated for a 50 pound user weight increase. Similarly, the second weight adjusting leaf is one of a plurality of second weight adjusting leaves, and each second weight adjusting leaf of the plurality of second weight adjusting leaves has a different spring rate. The left orthotic insert usually approximates a mirror image of the right orthotic insert  102 , as is standard practice in footwear and orthotic inserts. 
         [0025]    In one embodiment, the right and left orthotic inserts are dynamic (i.e., the inserts are flexible and resilient, particularly in the arch support portion of the insert). That is, the arch support portion of the insert supports the arch of the user&#39;s foot at a first predetermined height to provide full correction of any joint misalignment (e.g., when the user is standing on both feet, both inserts are custom molded and calibrated to fully correct the arch of each foot), and when the user bears all of the user&#39;s weight on the insert (e.g., weight transfer while walking), the arch support portion of the insert supports the arch of the user&#39;s foot by flexing to a second predetermined height less than the first predetermined height. In one embodiment, the orthotic inserts are custom fitted to the user to determine and provide full correction. That is, the arch of the user&#39;s foot is intended to be and is generally supported in an ideal posture (i.e., in a fully corrected position instead of a position less than the fully corrected position or ideal posture). In one embodiment, the arch support portion  106  of the right orthotic insert has a predetermined spring rate selected as a function of at least one of a weight of the user, an additional load of the user, a foot flexibility measure of a right foot of the user, or an activity level of the user. In one embodiment, the predetermined spring rate of the right orthotic insert is determined as a function of all of the weight of the user, the expected additional load of the user, the foot flexibility measure of the right foot of the user, and the activity level (e.g., momentum) of the user. Similarly, the arch support portion of the left orthotic insert has a predetermined spring rate selected as a function of at least one of a weight of the user, an additional load of the user, a foot flexibility measure of a left foot of the user, or an activity level of the user. In one embodiment, the predetermined spring rate of the left orthotic insert is determined as a function of all of the weight of the user, the expected additional load of the user, the foot flexibility measure of the left foot of the user, and the activity level (e.g., momentum) of the user. In one embodiment, each of the left and right orthotics has a predetermined spring rate calculated for that individual foot, and the spring rate of the right orthotic insert varies from the spring rate of the left orthotic insert. In another embodiment, the spring rate calculated for one orthotic insert is used for both orthotic inserts. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIGS. 3-6 , the first weight adjusting leaf  104  is configured to releasably attach to the right orthotic insert  102  such that the first weight adjusting leaf  104  contacts the arch support portion  106  of the right orthotic insert  102 . Similarly, the second weight adjusting leaf is configured to releasably attach to the left orthotic insert such that the second weight adjusting leaf contacts the arch support portion of the left orthotic insert. In one embodiment, the first weight adjusting leaf  104  is releasably attached to the right orthotic insert  102  via a first hook and loop fastener system. In one embodiment, the right orthotic insert  102  includes a first portion  302  of the hook and loop fastener system attached to a bottom  306  of the right orthotic insert  102  while the first weight adjusting leaf  102  includes a complementary second portion  304  of the first hook and loop fastener system attached to a top of the first weight adjusting leaf  104 . Similarly, the left orthotic insert includes a first portion of a second hook and loop fastener system attached to a bottom of the left orthotic insert while the second weight adjusting leaf includes a second portion of the second hook and loop fastener system attached to a top of the second weight adjusting leaf. In one embodiment, the first portion of each hook and loop fastener system is the loop portion while the second portion of the hook and loop fastener system is the hook portion. It is also contemplated that the weight adjusting leaves may be releasably attached to the orthotic inserts by various other means and methods such as snap fasteners, magnetic fasteners, and tucking or sliding the weight adjusting leaf into a full or partial pocket formed in the orthotic insert at the arch support portion of the orthotic insert. It is further contemplated that a bottom of each of the weight adjusting leaves may be releasably attached to a top of the respective orthotic insert via these or other attachment systems. 
         [0027]    In one embodiment, the right orthotic insert  102  includes a footbed cushion  502 , a resilient support  504 , and the first portion  302  of the hook and loop fastener system. The footbed cushion  502  is configured to extend from the heel of the user to toes of the user such that the whole foot of the user rests on the footbed cushion  502  when the user stands on the right orthotic insert  102 . The resilient support  504  forms the arch support portion of the right orthotic insert  102 . The resilient support  504  is configured to align at least one joint of the user when the user stands on the right orthotic insert  102 . The resilient support  504  extends from under the heel of the user through the arch of the user&#39;s foot. In one embodiment, the resilient support  504  ends just short of or at a ball of the foot of the user. As discussed above, the first portion  302  of the first hook and loop fastener system is affixed to the bottom of the resilient support  504  at the arch support portion  106  of the right orthotic insert  102 . In one embodiment, the right orthotic insert includes a cover  506  attached to the bottom of the footbed  502  and the bottom of the resilient support  504  such that at least a portion of the resilient support  504  is located (e.g., sandwiched) between the cover  506  and the footbed cushion  502 . The left orthotic insert of the weight adjustable orthotic insert system  100  is similarly formed. 
         [0028]    In one embodiment, the plurality of weight adjusting leaves including the first weight adjusting leaf  104  are formed to match a curvature of the arch support portion  106  of the right orthotic insert  102 . In one embodiment, each leaf of the plurality of weight adjusting leaves is generally semicircular from a top plan view. 
         [0029]    In operation, components of the weight adjustable orthotic insert system  100  cooperate to provide proper orthotic support to a user regardless of dramatic changes in the weight of the user. That is, each of the orthotic inserts is fitted to provide full, dynamic orthotic correction to the user based on the user&#39;s body weight. The weight adjusting leaves give the user the ability to change the spring rate and tuning of the orthotic inserts for increased activity level or loads. For example, when a soldier is fitted out with body armor, weapons systems, and other gear to transfer on foot from one position (e.g., outpost) to another, the soldier may add 100 pound calibrated weight adjusting leaf to each orthotic insert to provide proper support while moving the soldier&#39;s payload. Once the soldier reaches the new outpost and unloads all of his gear except for his body armor and weapons systems, the soldier may swap out the 100 pound calibrated weight adjusting leaf for a 50 pound calibrated weight adjusting leaf to provide proper orthotic support (prevent overcorrection) given the soldier&#39;s lighter payload. 
         [0030]    This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims. 
         [0031]    It will be understood that the particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention may be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims. 
         [0032]    All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein may be made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of the embodiments included herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0033]    Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful WEIGHT ADJUSTABLE CALIBRATED ORTHOTICS, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.