Patent Publication Number: US-2015059212-A1

Title: Footwear with plane and firm foot supporting surface

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is in a field of footwear. The main goal of this invention is to provide footwear with a plane, firm and even surface for supporting human foot , which, in inventor&#39;s opinion, is a natural surface for a human foot to stand on. Current footwear, instead of providing this natural standing surface, are providing a surface which reflects a shape of a bottom of a human foot which, in inventor&#39;s opinion, is not a natural surface for human foot to stand on and causes a lot of problems with body posture, which eventually lead to pains and aches including back pain. Back pain caused by uneven foot supporting surfaces in current footwear has been experienced by the inventor and many of his family members and friends. 
     Farther more, this invention provides a footwear that has a foot supporting surface which stays parallel to the surface on which the user is walking, which is also a correct surface to walk on. When user walks on horizontal floor then the foot supporting surface (the surface on which the user puts his/her weight) stays horizontal, which does not happen using current state of art. If user walks on a sloped surface the foot supporting surface stays parallel to the slope, which also doesn&#39;t happen using current state of art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Objective of this invention is to provide footwear with a plane and even surface for supporting human foot , which is a natural surface for a human foot to stand on. Current footwear instead of providing this natural standing surface are providing a surface which reflects a shape of a bottom of a human foot, which, in inventor&#39;s opinion, is not a natural surface for human foot to stand on, and causes a lot of problems with body posture, which eventually lead to pains and aches including back pain. 
     Farther more, this invention provides a footwear with a surface that stays parallel to the surface on which the user is walking, which is also a correct surface to walk on. When user walks on horizontal floor then the foot supporting surface stays horizontal. When user walks on a sloped surface then the foot supporting surface stays parallel to the slope. 
     Farther more, the objective of this invention is to provide plane and even foot supporting surface which is also firm, smooth and comfortable. In opposite to current footwear, which uses very soft spongy and relatively thick insoles which do not provide a correct surface for the human foot to stand on and are too soft to keep steady standing surface. 
     Farther more, the objective of this invention is to provide a simple way to make already available footwear into a footwear with a plane, firm and even foot supporting surface. 
     This invention also shows an application of a plane even foot supporting surface in different kind of footwear including: shoes, work boots, sport footwear, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skate board footwear, high heels, rubber boots, athletic shoes, footwear for women, men, children, boys and girls, for winter, spring, summer and fall seasons, for people with back problem as well as for people who have one leg shorter than the other. 
     In addition, this invention allows to maintain plane and even foot supporting surface while the footwear is in use by providing means to straighten the foot supporting surface to its original even plane form. It also shows ways to fix the unwanted damage which happens as a result of wearing off. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1 . Side view of an plane and even surface footwear standing on the floor 
         FIG. 2 . Side view of the plane surface footwear with a soft-touch insole and a plane surface reinforcement bar. 
         FIG. 3 . Side view of the plane surface footwear with the engraved floor touching surface. 
         FIG. 4A . Side view of the plane surface footwear with the sole made of rotatably connected stubs. 
         FIG. 4B . Side view of the plane surface footwear with the sole made of rotatably connected stubs shown with the users heel up. The footwear includes the elastic string to provide the negative bias to move the sole to its re-set position. 
         FIG. 5A . Side view of a sole made of few flexible sheets shown at the time when the footwear rests flat on the ground. 
         FIG. 5B . Side view of a sole made of few flexible sheets shown at the time when the footwear heel part is raised up. 
         FIG. 6A . Side view of horizontal leveling of a foot supporting surface of regular shoe using means of liquid plastic. 
         FIG. 6B . Side view of a footwear with horizontally leveled foot supporting surface with a comfortable touch insole installed on its top and a plastic cover insolation placed before applying liquid plastic. 
         FIG. 7A . Front view of the plane level footwear with a single set of laces. 
         FIG. 7B . Front view of the plane surface footwear with double laces. 
         FIG. 7C . Rear view of the plane surface footwear with a reinforcer bar. 
         FIG. 7D . A side view of the plane surface footwear with a sufficient room to allow user&#39;s foot to move up and down. 
         FIG. 8A . A side view of the plane surface footwear with firm insoles. 
         FIG. 8B  A side view of the firm even plane insoles as a replacement for soft shaped cushions. 
         FIG. 8C . A top view of the firm and even insoles. 
         FIG. 9 . A side view of a plane surface outside use slippers. 
         FIG. 10 . A side view of the plane surface inside home use slippers. 
         FIG. 11 . A side view of the plane surface sandals 
         FIG. 12  A. Bottom view of a sole with the floor touching surface smaller than the foot supporting surface. 
         FIG. 12B . Bottom view of a sole with the floor touching surface smaller than the foot supporting surface and with the floor touching surface designed for easier, not sole banding way. 
         FIG. 12C . Another bottom view of a sole with the floor touching surface which is smaller than the foot supporting surface. 
         FIG. 12  D. Bottom view of a sole with the floor touching surface greater or the same as the foot supporting surface. 
         FIG. 13  A. Side view of the plane surface high heel shoes. 
         FIG. 13.B . Side view of the plane surface footwear with a replaceable or removable floor touching surface. 
         FIG. 14  A. Top view of a sole made of balls. 
         FIG. 14  B. Side view of the sole made of balls. 
         FIG. 15  A. Top view of a sole made of posts. 
         FIG. 15  B. Side view of the sole made of posts. 
         FIG. 16  A. Top view of a sole made of hexagonal posts. 
         FIG. 16  B. Side view of the sole made of hexagonal posts. 
         FIG. 17 . Side view of the plane surface footwear being sanded as a part of its maintenance or making. 
         FIG. 18  A. Side view of the plane surface footwear being bent as a part of its maintenance. 
         FIG. 18  B. Top view of the plane surface footwear being bent as a part of its maintenance. 
         FIG. 12  E. Bottom view of a sole with the floor touching surface greater than the foot supporting surface. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invented plane surface footwear provides a footwear with a flat, firm and even foot supporting surface which, in inventor&#39;s opinion, is a natural surface for foot to stand on. Standing on the plane, firm and even surface which is parallel to the ground is the natural way for foot to determine how the rest of human body, including back and surrounding it muscle structure, should be positioned and how it should work. 
     The footwear with a flat supporting surface allows its user to correctly “read” the surface (floor, ground) on which he (she) stands and, by natural means of bone and muscle structure, to keep his body in correct position. By doing so it forces the user&#39;s muscle structure to put pressure on the bone structure so that it gradually moves into its correct position significantly lowering or even completely eliminating back pain. (it is confirmed by inventor&#39;s personal experience since he suffers from back pain scoliosis, once he started to wear self-made shoes with a firm and even foot supporting surface his back pain went away almost instantaneously !!!) 
       FIG. 1 . shows a plane surface footwear with a flat, firm and even foot supporting surface ( 1 ). This footwear rests on an even and horizontal plane ground. A foot ( 2 ) wearing this footwear rests on the flat, firm and plane foot supporting surface ( 1 ). The definition of a foot ( 2 ) throughout this description includes the following: either a bare foot, or a foot with a suck on, or a foot with a few sucks on. 
     The plane of a ground touching surface ( 3 ) is parallel to the plane of the flat and even foot supporting surface ( 1 ). A sole ( 4 ) is connecting both of these surfaces and provides even and smooth support of the foot supporting surface ( 1 ). The upper ( 5 ) is attached to the sole ( 4 ), it encloses the user&#39;s foot ( 2 ). 
       FIG. 2 . shows a footwear with a flat and even foot supporting surface ( 1 ) which includes a plane and even insole ( 6 ), which can be replaced if used off or damaged. User&#39;s foot stands on the insole ( 6 ). A top surface of the insole ( 6 ) is an even plane parallel to plane of the of the floor (ground) on which the footwear stands.  FIG. 2 . also shows a reinforcement bar ( 14 ) which is imbedded inside the sole ( 4 ), the reinforcement bar prevents the sole from banding and keeps it straight and even. The reinforcement bar ( 14 ) should be made of a strong and rigid material like metal, aluminium, strong plastic or other materials which can provide enough strength and rigidity to keep the sole ( 4 ) straight. 
       FIG. 3 . shows a footwear with a flat and even foot supporting surface with a threaded floor touching surface ( 7 ). The threaded floor touching surface ( 7 ) is at the bottom part of a sole ( 4 ) to provide a better traction between the footwear and the ground as well as to keep the plane of a foot supporting surface ( 1 ) parallel to the ground (floor) on which it rests. The foot supporting surface may include the flat and firm insole with a comfortable touch surface ( 20 ). The threaded floor touching surface ( 7 ) is designed to keep the top surface of the insole ( 6 ) to be parallel to the plane of the ground (floor) on which the footwear rests. The treads on the floor touching surface should be dense enough to provide a smooth and even support for the foot supporting surface. A sloped sole ( 19 ) makes the forward walking easier with less banding pressure on the sole. Foot with a suck ( 21 ) 
       FIG. 4  shows a footwear with a plane and even foot supporting surface where a sole is made of rotatably connected stubs ( 8 ). This kind of sole ( 8 ) allows to keep the footwear flexible while providing a flat and even surface for the part of a foot which supports the weight of user&#39;s body. When user moves forward the heel part of the foot moves up and the weight of users body rests on the toe (as shown). In this situation the sole with a rotatably connected stubs allows to provide flat and even supporting surface for the toe while the rest of the sole moves up together with the rest of the foot (as shown). The upper can be made with overlapping straps ( 17 ) which can be attached to the stubs ( 8 ), this allows to keep the flexibility and durability of the footwear. A regular kind of upper made of one piece enclosure also can be used. In order to prevent the toe part of the footwear to be bent up, as is the case in commonly used shoes, a negative bias ( 9 ) can be provided, for example an elastic string or a spring, which goes through the opening made in a sole. This negative bias ( 9 ) can be applied in a single piece sole ( 4 ) as well as in a sole with many connected stubs ( 8 ). The strength of the negative bias can also be adjusted by the tension adjuster ( 18 ), for example by use of a tightening bolt with one part attached to the elastic string while the other part of the elastic string is permanently attached at the front toe part of the sole. 
     FIGS.  5 A, 5 B show a flexible sole ( 10 ) made of a few sheets of plastic. Similarly to the sole made of rotatable connected stubs ( 8 ) it provides level and even foot supporting surface when the whole foot rests on it, at the same time it provides plane , firm supporting surface for the toe when the heel is up and the body weight rests on the toe. The flexible sole made of few sheets of plastic ( 10 ) is at the same time flexible and less susceptible to deformation. In order to keep the sheets together they should be enclosed inside a enclosing sole which is attached to the upper. 
       FIGS. 6A  , 6 B show a simple way to make a suitable regular footwear into a footwear with a plane and even foot supporting surface. In order to do so a regular footwear with leveled (sanded or jointed to a plane if necessary) floor touching surface is placed on a horizontal plane floor, original insole is removed and a liquid plastic ( 11 ) is poured in to fill up the footwear&#39;s valley. Once the level of the liquid plastic is high enough to cover the unevenness of the valley the adding of the liquid plastic is stopped. After some time the liquid plastic cures and it&#39;s top surface is hard and parallel to the floor touching surface, to the horizontal plane on which the footwear was placed. If there are some small bumps due to the air packets they can be easily removed with a scraper or sand paper. To make this footwear a bit more comfortable and practical on top of the created flat and eve foot supporting surface an even and firm insole can be placed or glued to. Design of such is shown in  FIGS. 8  A,B,C. To make the sole to support the foot supporting surface more even the bottom of the sole can be evened up using, for example, an electric power sand belt or jointer. If this evening by sanding or jointing of the sole is being done it should be done before the liquid plastic is poured in. 
     Sometimes it is advantageous to put a tin plastic cover (( 15 )  FIG. 6B ) inside a footwear before the liquid plastic is poured in, in this way there is less air packets after the curing. The duck tape or similar kind of tape can also be used as a cover ( 15 ) to prevent or minimize air packets. 
       FIG. 7A . shows a front view of a footwear with a flat and even foot supporting surface resting on the horizontal plane floor. The sole has an opening trough which goes the negative bias string. 
       FIGS. 7  B. shows a front and a side view of a footwear with a flat and even foot supporting surface resting on a horizontal plane floor, said footwear has two independent laces ( 23 ) and ( 24 ) respectively. First lace is located over a lower part of the foot while the second one is located over the higher part of the foot. This way user can tighten one lace at different tension than the other. This two lace system is especially useful for a firm none flexible soles, it allows the heel to move up while the sole stays put on the ground. Obviously it also can be used with a flexible soles. There may be more than two independent laces on each footwear. There also can be only one lace ( 22 ) on each shoe as it is in most of regular footwear.  FIG. 7C  shows a rear view with a reinforcing bar ( 14 ).  FIG. 7D  also shows a heel slide softener ( 16 ) which allows for the heel to slide up and down without applying too much friction on the heel. 
       FIG. 8 . shows flat and firm insoles with a comfortable touch top surface ( 20 ). The flat and firm insole ( 20 ) can be made with a base ( 13 ) made, for example, of plastic sheet , on top of which a tin and even thickness fabric ( 12 ) is glued (as shown in  FIG. 8   a.c ). The sheet of plastic used for the base ( 13 ) can be of even thickness, this way once placed on flat and even supporting surface its top plane would stay parallel to the ground (floor) on which the footwear stands. The flat and firm insole with a comfortable touch surface ( 20 ) can be the top part of the plane and even foot supporting surface ( 1 ). For firmer hold the insole ( 20 ) can be glued in, which would prevent it from sliding and slipping relative to the sole. 
       FIG. 9  shows outdoor slippers with a flat and even foot supporting surface. This slippers are designed with a stronger sole compare to inside home use slippers which makes them more suited for outside use. The flat and even foot supporting surface includes plane and firm insoles with a comfortable touch surface ( 20 ). 
       FIG. 10 . shows indoor slippers to be use inside home with a flat and even foot supporting surface which includes plane and firm insole with a comfortable touch surface ( 20 ). 
       FIG. 11 . shows sandals with a flat and even foot supporting surface which includes plane and firm insole with a comfortable touch surface ( 20 ). 
     The plane and even foot supporting surface with a flat and firm comfortable touch insole ( 20 ) can be applied in all kind of footwear: work safety boots (with or without metal plates and or metal toes) shoes, sport footwear, athletic footwear, boots, rubber boots, army boots, sneakers, soccer shoes, tennis, golf shoes, basketball shoes, volleyball shoes, skate board footwear, football footwear, footwear for men and women, kids and children. Also for people with back and posture problems. 
       FIG. 12 . shows bottom view of the soles with a focus on the relations between the floor touching surface and the plane and even foot supporting surface. The right side of each drawing shows a front (toe part) of the soles while the left side shows a heel part of the soles. As it can be noticed the ground touching surface can be smaller than the plane and even foot supporting surface as shown in  FIGS. 12  A,B,C, or it can be the same size as shown in  FIG. 12  D, or it can be larger than the plane and even foot supporting surface as shown in  FIG. 2  E. The particular design can be made such as to make the walking easy especially when the sole is not too flexible as shown in  FIGS. 12  A,B,C. 
       FIG. 13 . shows high heels with a flat and even foot supporting surface which includes the plane and firm comfortable touch insole. In  FIG. 13  B. the replaceable floor touching part of the insole ( 15 ) can be removed and replaced by a new one once used off due to uneven wear off. The design of the insole ( 4 ) can also be such that once the floor touching part ( 15 ) is removed it can be used without it and its ground touching surface also provides smooth and even support for the foot supporting surface and its plane is also parallel to the plane of foot supporting surface. 
     The foot supporting surface, the top surface of the insole, can be made to be a slippery one. This allows for free and unrestricted foot movement and prevents foot irritation and pain. The slippery top surface of the insole allows to adjust foot position while walking and has a positive impact on the posture and users back, which can easily adjust to their natural position. It also feels very comfortable and fresh, improves air circulation and prevents excessive sweating. It benefits users who wear sucks as well as users who don&#39;t use sucks. The inventor has tried it himself with a very significant improvement to his back pain and posture problems. The slippery insoles can be made of a various materials, like plastic, HIP plastic, moulded plastic, metal or slippery fabrics, elastic, silk or others. They can be made to be replaceable so if the old insole breaks down and, or, gets dirty it can be replaced with a new one. They also can be glued in (fro example: using glue or silicone) for a more permanent installment or can be placed without a glue, as long as they are cut exactly to match available space. The insoles can also be made of less slippery or none slippery materials, rough plastic or high friction fabric. 
       FIG. 14  shows different designs for soles.  FIGS. 14A and 14B  show soles made of balls ( 25 ).  FIGS. 15A and 15  B show sole made of posts ( 26 ).  FIG. 16A and 16  B show soles made of hexagonal posts, there also can be square posts or other shapes. In all cases the objects are inclosed and attached to at least one layer of the shown sole enclosure. 
       FIG. 17  shows means to create the floor touching surface so its plane is parallel to the plane of foot supporting surface with use of power sander. The active surface of the power sander  29  is set to be horizontal, while the pressing device  28  is putting pressure on the foot supporting surface with a horizontal plane panel, which is at the bottom of this device. The top plane of the pressing device is parallel to its low horizontal plane panel. This method allows to make the plane of the floor touching surface to be parallel to the plane of the foot supporting surface. This method can be used both as a way to maintain the parallelity of these two surfaces, in case when the floor touching surface changes due to the wear off, or, it can be used as a way to turn uneven floor touching surface into one which is even and parallel to the foot supporting surface in already existing footwear.  FIG. 18  shows means to straighten the even plane footwear in case when it gets bent during usage. Since during usage the general tendency is to band the footwear in such a way that the toe part of the footwear bands up relatively to the rest of the foot supporting surface therefore there is a need to contract this problem. While not in use the footwear can be placed into a straightening device where the supporting base  29  applies support to the toe and the heel areas of the footwear, as shown, while the pressing bar  31  puts downward pressure to counter the unwanted band. The turning nut  32  is attached to the bolt  30  and applies pressure on the pressing bar  31 , which, in turn, contra bands the footwear. After the footwear is taken off the straightening device its foot supporting surface again becomes even and plane.