Patent Publication Number: US-2017360154-A1

Title: High-heel shoes

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/632,173 filed Feb. 26, 2015, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the shoes for women, namely, to the high/superhigh-heel shoes. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     On the basis of various studies it was found that regular use of high-heel shoes results in negative changes in operation of the locomotive system, cardiovascular system, respiratory and urinary systems, brain and spinal cord. Some of these changes, for example, Achilles tendon shortening, are a direct consequence of the leg position in the high-heel shoe and does not depend on the shoe design. Some other changes, for instance, load concentration on front part of a foot, especially, on the foot anchorage under a big toe metatarsophalangeal articulation, and as a consequence, transverse platypodia and hallux valgus, circulatory disturbance due to soft tissues compression/expansion, can be mitigated and even eliminated by changing form of the base portion of shoes and improving its supporting comfort. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  schematically show the main foot support zones and the forces acting on the foot in these zones in the known high-heel shoes. 
     The main foot supporting zones  1 ,  2  and  3  are located in different planes not parallel to each other. Two of them (zones  2  and  3 ) are not parallel to the bearing surface  4 , which leads to generation of the displacing forces F d3  and F d2  in the heel area and in the zone of the external base part of a foot correspondingly. 
     The toe part of a foot is pressed into the shoe toe by these forces, which results in deformation of both the toes of the foot and the toe of the shoe. Horizontal projections of the above-mentioned forces tend to rotate the foot inside relative to the support surface (the phenomenon known as “clubfoot”). Vertical plane projections of the above forces are trying to turn the foot out in its ankle joint (the phenomenon known as an “ankle turn”). 
     An increased load is carried by zone  1  supporting the big toe metatarsophalangeal articulation. 
     In the known high-heel shoes the external base part of a foot often loses contact with the insole, which increases instability. 
     Various solutions are known designed to improve the comfort of wearing high/superhigh-heel shoes. 
     Dananberg et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,650 discloses an orthotic device for insertion into a high-heeled shoe of such shape that the support surface in the heel area is nearly parallel or even has a slight rear inclination relative to the ground. 
     Such embodiment of the support surface reduces the load acting on the front part of a foot but does not allow correct distribution of the load between a big toe metatarsophalangeal articulation and a little toe metatarsophalangeal articulation, keeping an increased load on the big toe metatarsophalangeal articulation. 
     Takayama, Pub. No. US 2013/0227859 proposes a shape of a support surface which lifts four toes except the big toe. The lifting force is set to be greater than the force of a level plane naturally pressing said four toes when the foot is placed on the level plane. 
     It is known that a considerable load cannot be carried by the tips of these four toes and, therefore, such shape slightly unloads the big toe metatarsophalangeal articulation zone supporting area, which is insufficient to considerably increase high heel-shoes wearing comfort. 
     An object of the invention is mitigation or elimination of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known solutions, i.e. increase of high/superhigh heel-shoes wearing comfort by means of redistribution of loads acting on various sections of the foot bearing surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This aim is achieved with a high-heel shoe comprising a support surface for a user&#39;s foot comprising: a portion for receiving an external front part of a foot, wherein the support surface has a substantially planar horizontal portion, the distance of which to the lowest point of the support surface is at least 5 mm, in the zone of the maximum distance of the external part of a foot from the longitudinal axis of a foot passing between the second and the third toes through the most remote from them point of a heel. 
     The presence of such portion provides for the full contact of the external base part of a foot with the support surface and reduces the load on the big toe metatarsophalangeal articulation zone supporting area. 
     Such shape of the supporting surface for the wearer&#39;s foot better corresponds to the foot anatomy, therefore, increasing a foot to support surface contact area, which improves a foot on shoe pressure distribution uniformity. 
     The invention is illustrated by the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 and 2 —schematic presentation in different projections of a static position of foot in the high-heel shoe of the traditional geometry; 
         FIGS. 3 and 4 —the same schematic presentation, but for the high-heel shoe in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 5 —presentation in the horizontal plane projection of the shoe support surface; 
         FIG. 6 —the high-heel shoe support surface according to the present invention, perspective view; 
         FIG. 7 —a section by plane  8  in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8 —a section by plane  9  in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 5  demonstrates the horizontal projection of the high-heel shoe support surface  6  according to the invention. The axis  12  extends through the point B, which is between the second and the third toes, and the most remote from them point A of a heel. The point C on the external part of a foot is the most remote from the axis  12 . The perpendicular  13  to the axis  12  has the largest length of all perpendiculars drawn from the external part of a foot to the axis  12 . A substantially planar horizontal portion  7 , the distance of which to the lowest point of the support surface is no less than 5 mm, is located in the area of the point C. 
       FIG. 6  shows the high-heel shoe support surface according to the invention, perspective view. The support surface  6  comprises a substantially planar horizontal portion  7 , the distance of which to the horizontal plane  5  parallel to the bearing surface  4  and passing though the lowest point of the support surface is at least 5 mm. The cross-section by the plane  8  passes through the point C. The cross-section by the plane  9  extends perpendicular to the plane  8  in the area of the portion  7 . The lines  10  and  11  of the intersection of the support surface with the planes  8  and  9  have practically horizontal fragments where they pass through the portion  7 . 
       FIG. 7  demonstrates the cross-section by the plane  8  extending through the point C. The line  10  of the intersection of the support surface  6  with the plane  8  has a practically horizontal portion near the point C. The distance  14  between this horizontal portion and the horizontal plane  5  passing through the lowest point of the support surface is more than 5 mm. 
       FIG. 8  shows the cross-section by the plane  9  extending perpendicular to the plane  8  in the area of the portion  7 . The line  11  of the intersection of the support surface  6  with the plane  9  has a practically horizontal portion near the plane  8 . The distance  14  between this horizontal portion and the horizontal plane  5  passing through the lowest point of the support surface is more than 5 mm. 
     The presence of said horizontal portion provides for the full contact of the external base part of a foot with the support surface and reduces the load on the big toe metatarsophalangeal articulation zone supporting area. 
     Using of the shoe in accordance with the present invention provides for the following benefits:
         full support of the external base part of a foot on the shoe support surface;   statically balanced position of the foot;   increase of foot to support surface contact area, because the shape of the support surface better corresponds to the foot anatomy, which, in turn, improves a foot on shoe pressure distribution uniformity.       

     As a result, the shoe according to the present invention provides a bearing comfort, mitigating the problems arising in the process of wearing high/superhigh-heel shoes.