Abstract:
An insert for a pointe shoe or other shoe provides a simple, efficient way to secure ribbons, elastic, and loops to the shoe.

Description:
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/946,022, filed Jun. 25, 2007, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to shoes, and, in particular to an apparatus and method that enables a person to add ribbons and other securement means to a shoe that has no securement means, such as a pointe shoe, in an efficient manner. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     In traditional pointe shoes, a dancer buys the shoe and then, by hand, individually sews in ribbons or other securement mechanisms that are then used to secure the shoe to the dancer&#39;s foot. The dancer also may sew in an elastic that may be used to secure the shoe to the dancer&#39;s foot. This hand sewing requires skill and can be very time consuming. This creates a problem for the busy mothers of young dancers, who may not have the time or the skill to do the hand-sewing, and it creates a problem for professional dancers, who may wear out several pairs of shoes each week. If the ribbons and/or elastic are not installed securely, they may pull out of the shoe, preventing them from performing their intended function. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pointe shoe with some securement mechanisms installed; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of an insert that may be used to install the securement mechanisms of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a broken-away exploded perspective view of the insert of  FIG. 2  being installed in a pointe shoe; and 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the rear portion of the shoe of  FIG. 3  with the insert installed. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a pointe shoe  12  with some securement mechanisms installed, including a ribbon  16  and loops  20  which receive the ribbon  16 . These securement mechanisms may be sewn into the shoe  12  individually by hand, or they may be installed by means of a prefabricated insert  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . 
     The insert  10  includes a heel liner  14 , securement ribbons  16 , elastic strips  18 , and two loops  20 . The heel liner  14  is made of a stretch knit fabric and is shaped in a manner that enables it to conform to the shape of the inner surface  46  of the heel portion  42  of the shoe  12 . The top edge  13  of the heel liner  14  is essentially a straight horizontal edge, which aligns with the open top edge  40  of the heel portion  42  of the shoe  12 . The bottom edge  15  of the heel liner  14  defines left and right arcuate lobe portions  15 A,  15 B, which form a central recess  15 C, that is shaped like a large, inverted V. Each arcuate lobe portion  15 A,  15 B also has a smaller inverted V-shaped recess  15 D at the midpoint of its lower edge. These inverted V-shaped recesses  15 C,  15 D, as well as the properties of the thin, knit material from which it is made, help the heel liner  14  curve to conform to the shape of the inner surface  46  of the heel portion  42 . 
     The heel liner  14  is symmetrical about the central recess  15 C, with the lobes  15 A,  15 B being mirror images of each other, and with each pair of left and right ribbons  16 , left and right elastic strips  18 , and left and right loops  20  being equidistant from the central recess  15 C. It is expected that the prefabricated insert  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , will be sold in a kit, including two inserts  10 , which the user will then install into the pointe shoes  12 . 
     The heel portion  42  of the shoe  12  is made up of a rear wall  44  having an arcuate shape for extending around the rear of a foot. The rear wall  44  has an inner surface  46  and an outer surface  48 . To install the heel liner  14  into the shoe  12 , the central recess  15 C of the heel liner  14  is aligned with the rearmost point of the arcuate rear wall  44 . 
     There may be an adhesive on the back of the heel liner  14  for securing it to the shoe. The adhesive may be pre-installed as a layer  19 A on the rear surface  14 A of the heel liner  14  with a peel-off covering  19  protecting the adhesive layer until it is to be used, as shown in  FIG. 3 . ( FIG. 3  shows the adhesive layer  19 A being terminated before the ribbons  16  for clarity, but in actual use, the adhesive layer  19 A preferably would extend to the left and right ends of the heel liner  14  in order to provide good securement for the entire heel liner  14 .) Alternatively, an adhesive may be applied to the back of the heel liner or to the inside surface  46  of the heel  42  or both by the user as part of the installation process. If an adhesive is to be used, and if it is not provided as a pre-installed layer with a peel-off covering, then a tube or other container of adhesive (not shown) may be provided in the kit with a pair of inserts  10 . 
     The heel liner  14  may be stitched into the shoe after adhering it by means of an adhesive, or, alternatively, the user may stitch the insert  10  into the shoe  12  without using an adhesive. The stitching may be done by hand or by machine. 
       FIG. 4  shows some key points  50  where the heel liner  14  preferably is spot sewn to the shoe  12  by hand to firmly secure the liner  14  to the shoe  12 . Of course, the heel liner  14  may be stitched to the shoe  12  in many other places in addition to or instead of these key points  50 . 
     When the heel liner  14  is installed in the shoe  12 , it conforms to the shape of the rear wall  44  of the shoe  12 , and the rear surface  14 A of the heel liner  14  abuts the inner surface  46  of the rear wall  44  of the shoe  12  along substantially the entire rear surface  14 A of the heel liner  14 . 
     Prior to installing the heel liner  14  into the shoe  12 , the left and right securement ribbons  16  are fixed at their bottom ends  16 A adjacent to the left and right ends or the heel liner  14 , respectively, by stitching at left and right ribbon positions  22 , which are adjacent the left and right ends of the heel liner  14 . In this particular embodiment, each ribbon  16  is folded back on itself before stitching it to the heel liner  14  in order to provide improved strength. The ribbons  16  then extend upwardly from the heel liner  14 . When the heel liner  14  is installed in the shoe  12 , the ribbons  16  extend upwardly from the open top edge  40  of the shoe  12 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     The left and right elastic strips  18  also are prestitched to the heel liner  14  at their bottom ends  18 A prior to installing the heel liner  14  into the shoe  12 . The elastics  18  are located between the ribbons  16 . After the heel liner  14  is installed in the shoe  12 , the user decides how much of the elastic to use and then cuts off the elastic to the desired length and may then stitch the other end  18 B of the elastic  18  into the shoe  12  at the desired position, generally on the opposite side of the shoe.  FIG. 3  shows only the bottom end  18 A of the elastic strip  18 , as the rest has been cut off in order to provide the securement arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 , in which the elastics  18  are not used. 
     In addition to the left and right elastic strips  18 , there are left and right loops  20 , which are located between the elastic strips  18 . In this embodiment, the loops  20  are made of an elastic knit net material having a circular cross-section so that it is essentially a flattened tube. The ends  30 ,  32  of each loop  20  are offset from each other, with the end  30  on the rear side of the heel liner  14  and the end  32  on the front side of the heel liner  14  in order to limit the added thickness of the insert, and are stitched to the heel liner  14  prior to installing the heel liner  14  into the shoe. As with the other securement mechanisms (the ribbons  16  and the elastic strips  18 ), each end  30 ,  32  is stitched along more than one stitching line to ensure that it is secured to the heel liner  14  and does not pull free. In this embodiment, the securement mechanisms are machine stitched to the heel liner  14 , ensuring a repeatable, secure connection for every insert  10 . 
     Once the heel liner  14  has been installed in the shoe  12 , the ribbons  16  may be crossed across the front of the wearer&#39;s foot and then inserted through the loops  20  to help secure the shoe to the wearer&#39;s foot, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Of course, it would be possible to stitch the loops  20  or other securement means separately into the shoe in the same positions shown here but without using the heel liner  14 . However, by fixing the securement mechanisms to the heel liner  14  prior to securing the heel liner  14  to the rear wall  44  of the shoe  12 , it becomes much easier to ensure that the securement mechanisms are properly located and are securely fixed to the shoe  12 . 
     When the heel liner  14  is secured to the rear wall  44  of the shoe  12 , it causes the bottom ends of the securement ribbons  16 , of the elastic strips  18 , and of the loops  20  to be fixed to the rear wall  44 , so that pulling upwardly at the top ends of the ribbons  16  or of the elastic strips  18 , or pulling upwardly on the loops  20  pulls upwardly on the shoe  12  adjacent to the positions at which the securement mechanisms are fixed to the heel liner  14 , essentially as if the bottom ends of those securement mechanisms had been sewn directly into the rear wall  44  of the shoe  12 , thereby allowing the securement mechanisms to function normally to secure the shoe  12  to the wearer&#39;s foot. 
     The heel liner  14  preferably is a cream color to blend into the inside of the shoe  12 . The ribbons  16 , elastic  18 , and loops  20  preferably are a natural pink or ballet pink to blend with the wearer&#39;s ballet tights. However, other colors may be used. 
     While it is envisioned that the inserts  10  will be sold in a kit in pairs and inserted by the purchaser into the shoes  12 , it would also be possible to sell shoes with the inserts  10  already installed, so the buyer only has to cut the elastics  18  to length and stitch in the free ends of the elastics  18 . 
     It also should be noted that the dancer may not want to use all the features of the insert, in which case any unwanted securement mechanisms may easily be cut off, as the elastics  18  have been cut off in  FIG. 3 . Alternatively, inserts may be provided that do not have as many securement mechanisms as shown here. While the heel liner  14  shown here is installed conforming to and abutting the inner surface  46  of the rear wall  44 , it could alternatively be installed conforming to and abutting the outer surface  48 . 
     It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention as claimed.