Patent Publication Number: US-2018029207-A1

Title: Orthotic Removal Tool

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/368,585 filed on Jul. 29, 2016, and fully incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a small hand held tool use to remove orthotic inserts from shoes. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Orthotic inserts, commonly referred to as simply “orthotics”, are pad like inserts that are placed on the footbed inside of shoes. Orthotics are used to aid an individual with balance and walking, and a variety of foot related health issues. U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,196, to Brown, describes the orthopedic uses of the orthotic, and the human physiology associated with the use of orthotics, and its teachings are incorporated herein. The orthotic is specifically designed for each individual user. In many cases the orthotic is specially molded to the shape of the bottom of the user&#39;s foot. Most people own many pairs of shoes, but will typically only have one or two sets of specially designed orthotics. This is due, in part, to the fact that orthotics can be expensive. As a result the individual will have to remove the set of orthotics from one pair of shoes and insert them into a new pair of shoes, every time the individual wishes to change shoes. This is often quite difficult because the orthotics are designed to fit securely within the shoe. 
     It is important that the orthotic be securely held within the shoe. If the orthotic slips it could lead to an imbalance of the wearer and potentially lead to a stumble or fall. As a result orthotics are snuggly and securely held within the shoe. Unfortunately, because the orthotic is snuggly inserted into the shoe it can be very difficult to remove the orthotic from the shoe. Orthotics are often commonly worn by the elderly, who frequently have limited dexterity and hand strength. Both make it difficult to remove orthotics from shoes. There is a need, therefore, for a device that will aid in the removal of orthotics from shoes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a small hand held tool with a narrow tip that is sized to slid into the shoe and between the edge of the inserted orthotic and the inside edge of the shoe to allow the user to lift up an edge of the orthotic to allow its removal. The tool includes a grip end with soft material to aid in holding the tool. There is an LED light incorporated into the tool so that the removal tool can be used in low light or in a dark room. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the orthotic removal tool. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the orthotic removal tool in use. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the orthotic being removed from the shoe. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, and that there may be a variety of other alternate embodiments. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specified structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the varying embodiments of the present invention. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the orthotic removal tool  10  showing most of the components. The orthotic removal tool  10  consists of blade  20  attached to a housing  30  which is attached to a handle  40 . In one embodiment the blade  20 , housing  30  and handle  40  are made from a single piece of material. In one embodiment the material is a light metal such as aluminum, but in most embodiments it is made of a rigid molded plastic. The blade  20  has a tip  21  that is narrow enough to fit under an orthotic O that is securely fitted into the inside of a shoe S. 
     The housing  30  has a housing opening  33  on the back side of the tool  10 , with a housing cover  34  to securely close the opening  33 . (These are not shown in the drawings.) The opening  33  provides access to insert the LED  31 , the battery  35  that provides electrical power to operate the LED  31 , and the button  32  or on/off switch that turns on and off the LED  31 . The LED  31 , the battery  35  and the button  32  are electronically attached so that the user can turn on and off the LED  31  by pressing the button  32 . In the preferred embodiment the battery  35  is a standard flat watch battery. 
     The handle  40  is attached to and extends from the housing  30 . In one embodiment there is a hole  42  located at the end of the handle  40  to allow the orthotic removal tool  10  to be hung up on a hook or peg, or to attach a string or lanyard. There is a handle cover  41  that is sized to fit and is disposed over the handle  40 . The handle cover  41  is made from a soft rubberized material that makes it easier to hold the handle  40  and to manipulate the orthotic removal tool  10 . In one embodiment there are a series of ridges  43  that provide additional gripping at the housing end of the handle cover  41 . the ridges  43  are located where the user&#39;s thumb will typically be placed on the handle. In one embodiment the ridges  43  are positioned directly over the bottom  32  so that the user can activate the LED  31 . 
     In the preferred embodiment the handle cover  41  is made of soft and pliable, yet durable, silica gel, which is known and commonly used for similar purposes. It is sized to fit snugly over the handle  40 . With modern production techniques the gel handle cover  41  can be precisely sized to fit snugly and securely over the handle  40 . The handle  40  is attached to the blade  20 , either directly or in combination with the housing  30 , so that the handle  40  provides leverage when the tip  21  is inserted under the orthotic and the orthotic removal tool  10  is used as a lever to dislodge the orthotic O from the inside of the shoe S. 
     The orthotic removal tool  10  includes a LED  31  and a on-off button  32 . The integrated LED  31  serves two separate purposes. First it allows the use of the orthotic removal tool  10  in rooms with low or no light, such as a darkened bedroom where one occupant is sleeping. The user can use the LED  31  as a flashlight to find shoes and orthotics. The LED  31  also allows the user to illuminate the inside of the shoe, which aids in locating a convenient spot to insert the tip  21  between the side of the shoe and the orthotic. 
     The LED  31  is a standard small LED light. In one embodiment there is a small beveled lens placed over the LED  31  such that the light from the LED  31  is directed toward the tip  31  end of the blade  30 . The button  32  can turn on and off the LED  31  in at least two iterations. In one version the button  32  is a pressure sensitive button that only turns on the LED  31  when the button  32  is pressed. In a second embodiment the button  32  is an on-off switch button that turns on with the first push, then turns off with the second push. In a third embodiment the LED  31  includes a light sensitive electric eye diode that will only allow the LED  31  to be illuminated when the area is dark. In a fourth embodiment there is a pressure sensitive switch attached between the blade  20  and the housing  30  that turns on and off the LED when the tip  21  of the blade  20  is twisted when the tip  21  is inserted under the orthotic. 
     In one embodiment, shown in  FIG. 1 , the blade  20  is a beveled tetrahedron that narrows from where it attaches to the housing  30  down the tip  21 , and also becomes thinner from the housing  30  to the tip  21 . In an alternate embodiment, shown in  FIG. 4 , the blade  20   s  is a curved, concave, and somewhat spoon shape, which narrows to a curved tip  21   a.    
     In the preferred embodiment the orthotic removal tool  10  is 9 inches long from the tip  21  to the hole  42  end, it is 1½ inches wide and one eighth inch thick. It is understood that the size can vary, but since it is a small hand tool it won&#39;t be longer than 12 inches or shorter than 6 inches, nor wider than 2 inches or narrower than one half inch. 
     The orthotic removal tool  10  is shown in use in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . In use the tool  10  is held by the handle  40 , and the tip  21  is inserted into the shoe S and between the inside edge of the shoe S and the orthotic O securely inserted therein. The tip  21  is narrow enough to slide between the inside of the shoe S and the orthotic O, but if it is not the shoe S is generally made of a somewhat pliable material such as leather that has some give so that the edge of the shoe S can be pushed away and the tip  21  slid under the orthotic O. The user can use the side of the shoe S as a fulcrum, and the handle  40  as a lever to pry the orthotic O upwards, as shown in  FIG. 3 . Once the orthotic O is up from the footbed of the shoe S the user can grab the orthotic O itself and remove it entirely from the shoe S as shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 3  shows the orthotic removal tool  10  being inserted under the arch near the middle of the orthotic O, but the tip  21  can be inserted anywhere to pry up the orthotic O. 
     The present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain both the ends and the advantages mentioned, as well as other benefits inherent therein. While the present invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such reference does not imply a limitation to the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The depicted and described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the present invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.