Patent Publication Number: US-2016227874-A1

Title: Foot stabilizing device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a foot stabilizing device, and more particularly, to the foot stabilizing device that uses a reducing stress structure to reduce the force in contact with a user&#39;s foot. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A human foot contains 26 bones and 33 joints, and these bones and joints are covered by more than 100 muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, nerves, skin, and soft tissues. Regardless of standing or walking, the whole operation of the feet is very complicated. 
     Since both feet are provided for supporting the whole body weight and the structure of human bones and muscles intertwined with each other, therefore the knees and pelvis may be affected when there is a problem of the foot structure. In a more serious case, spine may be skewed, and the bone structure further affects the functions of human organs. Podiatric medicine begins to be taken increasingly more serious, and feasible solutions are provided by podiatric medicine to prevent the aforementioned problems. 
     In international podiatric medicine, insole is generally used as a foot aid to correct and treat foot problems. However, the design of most of the present existing insoles are based on the three-point mechanics of human arch, so that a transverse arch, an inner arch and an outer arch of the foot arch achieve a three-point stress balance. The present existing insoles come with various different designs, such as three support points according to the three-point mechanics which refer to protrusions or recesses formed at a first metatarsal position, a fifth metatarsal position, and a heel position, or a heel cup design attempting to cover and stabilize a user&#39;s foot. However, the contact position of the foot with the insole may be shifted after a long time of walking, so that the foot will slide on the insole, and an unstable situation of the feet may occur. 
     In addition, portions of a foot which are between a second phalange and a second metatarsus and between a third phalange and a third metatarsus protrude further to the outside than other metatarsus, and such corresponding portions still have a planar surface on the insole, and thus the foot may slide forward or sideway when these portions are in contact with the insole every time, and the foot stability for a perfect walking posture is ruined. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses a foot stabilizing device having a reducing stress structure formed on a contact surface of an insole body or a sole body with a user&#39;s foot and provided for reducing the contact force of user&#39;s foot with the reducing stress structure and stabilizing the foot to prevent the foot from sliding forward or sideway. 
     The present invention provides a foot stabilizing device which is an insole body having a toe region, a foot sole region, a foot arch region and a foot heel region sequentially disposed from an insole front-end to an insole rear-end, characterized in that the insole body comprises a reducing stress structure extended longitudinally from the center position of a rear end of the toe region to the middle position of the foot sole region. 
     The present invention also provides a foot stabilizing device which is a sole body having a foot contacting surface, and the foot contacting surface has a toe region, a foot sole region, a foot arch region and a foot heel region sequentially disposed from a sole front-end to a sole rear-end, characterized in that the foot contacting surface comprises a reducing stress structure extended longitudinally from the center position of a rear end of the toe region to the middle position of the foot sole region. 
     The present invention at least has the effects of: 
     1. stabilizing the position of the foot to prevent the foot from sliding forward or sideway; and 
     2. allowing the user to walk with an almost perfect walking posture. 
     The detailed features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment so as to enable persons skilled in the art to gain insight into the technical disclosure of the present invention, implement the present invention accordingly, and readily understand the objectives and advantages of the present invention by perusal of the contents disclosed in the specification, the claims, and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a foot stabilizing device with an oval shaped reducing stress structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a foot stabilizing device with another oval shaped reducing stress structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a user&#39;s foot stepping on the foot stabilizing device as depicted in  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a foot stabilizing device with a prolate elliptical shaped reducing stress structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a foot stabilizing device with another prolate elliptical shaped reducing stress structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a user&#39;s foot stepping on the foot stabilizing device as depicted in  FIG. 4  or  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view of the foot stabilizing as depicted in  FIG. 4  further including an assistant reducing stress structure; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of the foot stabilizing as depicted in  FIG. 5  further including an assistant reducing stress structure; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of a user&#39;s foot stepping on the foot stabilizing device as depicted in  FIG. 7  or  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional view of a reducing stress structure which is a structure with a concave lower surface in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a sectional view of a reducing stress structure which is a structure with both concave upper and lower surfaces in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic view of a foot stabilizing device with a reducing stress structure and an assistant reducing stress structure made of a soft substance in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a sectional view of Section A-A of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a schematic view of another foot stabilizing device with a reducing stress structure and an assistant reducing stress structure made of a soft substance in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a sectional view of Section B-B of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a schematic view of a foot stabilizing device further comprising balancing bumps in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 17  is a schematic view of another foot stabilizing device further comprising balancing bumps in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2  for a foot stabilizing device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the foot stabilizing device may be an insole body  10  or a sole body  11 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , the foot stabilizing device, which is the insole body  10 , has a toe region  21 , a foot sole region  22 , a foot arch region  23  and a foot heel region  24  sequentially disposed from an insole front-end  12   a  to an insole rear-end  13   a  of the insole body  10 . In  FIG. 2 , the sole body  11  has a foot contacting surface  111 , and a shoe body may be installed along an edge of the contour of the sole body  11  to build the structure of the shoe body. The foot stabilizing device, which is the sole body  11 , has a toe region  21 , a foot sole region  22 , a foot arch region  23  and a foot heel region  24  disposed sequentially from a sole front-end  12   b  to a sole rear-end  13   b  of the foot contacting surface  111 . 
     In  FIG. 3 , a foot may be divided into three main parts, respectively, forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot. The toe region  21  and the foot sole region  22  are configured to be corresponsive to a user&#39;s forefoot, and the forefoot is formed by five toe phalanges and five metatarsus connected to the toe phalanges, wherein the phalange is formed by many small bones, and the metatarsus and the phalanges are connected to form a forefoot sole. The hindfoot has seven heel bones, and these heel bones are connected by ligaments and connected with five parallel metatarsal bones and primarily provided for supporting a user&#39;s body weight and maintain the balance of the user&#39;s body. The midfoot has a foot arch with an arch-shaped structure, and the foot arch comprises a transverse arch, an inner arch, and an outer arch, and these arches provide the functions of absorbing reaction forces coming from the ground, dispersing weight, and maintain the user&#39;s feet in a normal walking situation. 
     When the user&#39;s foot steps on the insole body  10  or the sole body  11 , the user&#39;s toe is situated in the toe region  21 , and the user&#39;s metatarsus is situated in the foot sole region  22 , and the arch is situated in the foot arch region  23 , and the heel is situated in the foot heel region  24 . 
     In  FIGS. 1 to 3 , these preferred embodiments are characterized in that a reducing stress structure  30  is formed on the insole body  10  or the foot contacting surface  111  of the sole body  11  and disposed on the foot sole region  22 . The reducing stress structure  30  is longitudinally extended from the center position of a rear end of the toe region  21  to the middle position of the foot sole region  22 . The center position of the rear end of the toe region  21  refers to the position between a second toe and a third toe of the user&#39;s foot when the foot steps on the insole body  10  or the sole body  11 . The middle position of the foot sole region  22  refers to the position between a second metatarsus and a third metatarsus of the user&#39;s foot when the foot steps on the insole body  10  or the sole body  11 . 
     The reducing stress structure  30  has a width equal to one-third of the width of the insole body  10  or the foot contacting surface  111 . In other words, the insole body  10  or the foot contacting surface  111  is divided into three equal parts along the horizontal direction, and the reducing stress structure  30  is situated at the middle position of the insole body  10  or the foot contacting surface  111  in the horizontal direction. The reducing stress structure  30  may be in an oval shape (or a triangular shape with three round angles), and the oval shape has a tapered end  32   a  proximate to the toe region  21  to fit the tapered shape of a human foot sole tapered from the metatarsus towards the phalange. By extending the reducing stress structure  30  longitudinally from the center position of the rear end of the toe region  21  to the middle position of the foot sole region  22 , the contact area and contact force between the second metatarsus and the insole body  10  or the sole body  11  as well as that between the third metatarsus and the insole body  10  or the sole body  11  can be reduced when the user lifts or drops the foot in a walk, so as to solve the problem of sliding the foot forward or sideway. 
     In  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the reducing stress structure  30   a  is further extended towards to the foot heel region  24  and to the front end of the foot arch region  23 , so that the shape of the reducing stress structure  30   a  is changed from the oval shape into a better prolate elliptical shape for increasing the area of the reducing stress structure  30   a.  Similarly, both ends of the prolate elliptical shape have a tapered end  32   b,  and the reducing stress structure  30   a  has a width equal to one-third of the width of the insole body  10  or the foot contacting surface  111 . With the installation of the reducing stress structure  30   a,  the user&#39;s walking posture is more stable, and the contact force between the position of the second metatarsus and the third metatarsus of the user&#39;s foot towards the toe ditch position and the heel position and the reducing stress structure  30   a  can be reduced to overcome the problem of sliding the foot forward while walking, 
     Regardless of the oval shape (or considered as a triangular shape with three round angles) or the prolate elliptical shape, both shapes are slender in coordination with the long shape of the foot bones. Compared with the traditional circular aid structure, the present invention can achieve a more effective effect of stabilizing the foot. 
     To cope with different sizes of the insole body  10  or the sole body  11 , the reducing stress structure  30   a  in the prolate elliptical shape may have a length from 8.5 cm to 12 cm or from 8.8 cm to 11.7 cm, and a width from 2.5 cm to 4 cm, or from 2.8 cm to 3.7 cm. 
     In  FIGS. 7 to 9 , an assistant reducing stress structure  31  is installed on the foot contacting surface  111  of the insole body  10  or the sole body  11  to further reduce the stress imposed on the user&#39;s outer arch. The assistant reducing stress structure  31  is disposed at a lateral side of the foot arch region  23  which is the position opposite to the outer arch. The assistant reducing stress structure  31  is in the shape of a meniscus and disposed along an edge of the insole body  10  or the foot contacting surface  111 , so that the short arc edge of the meniscus is disposed along the edge of the insole body  10  or the foot contacting surface  111 . Even not fully shown in the figures, the assistant reducing stress structure  31  may be used selectively and flexibly with the reducing stress structure  30 ,  30   a  in the oval shape or the prolate elliptical shape. Similarly, the assistant reducing stress structure  31  can reduce the contact force of the user&#39;s foot outer arch with the insole body  10  and the sole body  11  and stabilize the foot and prevent it from shaking sideway. 
     In each of the aforementioned figures, the reducing stress structure  30 ,  30   a  or the assistant reducing stress structure  31  may be a structure with a concave upper surface. In 
       FIGS. 10 and 11 , as the foot stabilizing device is the insole body  10 , the reducing stress structure  30   a  is a structure with a concave lower surface or a structure with both concave upper and lower surfaces. Even not shown in the figures, the assistant reducing stress structure  31  may also be a structure with a concave lower surface or a structure with both concave upper and lower surfaces for reducing the structural strength of the insole body  10  at the reducing stress structure  30 ,  30   a  or the assistant reducing stress structure  31 , such that when the user&#39;s foot steps on the insole body  10  or the sole body  11 , the contact force around a second metatarsus and a third metatarsus of the foot can be reduced. 
     In  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the reducing stress structure  30   a  or the assistant reducing stress structure  31  are made of a soft substance  40  with a hardness smaller than the hardness of the insole body  10  or the sole body  11 . For example, the sectional view shows that a portion of the insole body  10  at the reducing stress structure  30   a  or the assistant reducing stress structure  31  is removed, and the soft substance  40  is filled and fixed to the insole body  10 . The reducing stress structure  30   a  is just provided for illustration only, and the reducing stress structure  30  may also be made of a soft substance to achieve the effect of reducing the structural strength and the contact force. 
     In  FIGS. 14 and 15 , when the reducing stress structure  30 ,  30   a  or the assistant reducing stress structure  31  made of a soft substance  40  is applied to the sole body  11 , just the sole body  11  in a portion of the foot contacting surface  111  corresponsive to the reducing stress structure  30 ,  30   a  or the assistant reducing stress structure  31  is removed, and then the soft substance  40  is filled and fixed to the sole body  11 . 
     In  FIG. 16 , if the reducing stress structure is in an oval shape, a first balancing bump  51  is arranged in a region of the reducing stress structure  30  to further improve the stability of lifting and stepping the foot on the reducing stress structure  30 . The first balancing bump  51  is disposed on a line of symmetry  33  of the reducing stress structure  30 , wherein the line of symmetry  33  refers to the center line of reducing stress structure  30 , and the reducing stress structure  30  is substantially symmetrical with respect to the line of symmetry  33 . Wherein, the first balancing bump  51  has a height lower than the height of the surface of the insole body  10  or the sole body  11  in order to reduce the contact area and contact force of the user&#39;s sole with the insole body  10  or the sole body  11  while using the first balancing bump  51  to achieve the effect of supporting and balancing the user&#39;s foot. 
     To further improve the supporting and balancing effects, a second balancing bump  52  is added on an outer side of a region of the reducing stress structure  30  and inside the foot sole region  22 , and the second balancing bump  52  is disposed on an extension of the line of symmetry  33 . 
     In  FIG. 17 , when the reducing stress structure  30   a  is in the prolate elliptical shape, the first balancing bump  51  and the second balancing bump  52  may be formed in the region of the reducing stress structure  30   a,  and disposed on the line of symmetry  33  of the reducing stress structure  30   a,  and the height of the first balancing bump  51  and the second balancing bump  52  is lower than the height of the surface of the insole body  10  or the sole body  11  to also achieve the effect of supporting and balancing the user&#39;s foot. 
     Each implementation mode of the preferred embodiments is capable of reducing the contact force of the user&#39;s foot with the insole body  10  or the sole body  11  and overcoming the problem of rubbing the second metatarsus and the third metatarsus of the foot with the insole body  10  and the sole body  11 , thereby improving the stability of the foot. 
     The features of the present invention are disclosed above by the preferred embodiment to allow persons skilled in the art to gain insight into the contents of the present invention and implement the present invention accordingly. The preferred embodiment of the present invention should not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the present invention. Hence, all equivalent modifications or amendments made to the aforesaid embodiment should fall within the scope of the appended claims.