Patent ID: 8117768

Claim:
An anatomical toepiece for insertion into the footbed of a footwear article, the toepiece comprising: a) a molded core comprising: i) an anchoring flange for embedded attachment within the footbed of the footwear article; ii) an inter-toe engagement portion which extends upwardly from the anchoring flange for engagement between the great toe and the adjacent digit; and iii) a wing which caps the inter-toe engagement portion, wherein II) the inter-toe engagement portion has an instep sidewall curved in an arc from top to bottom to mimic the contour of the digit adjacent the great toe and an outer sidewall curved in an arc from top to bottom to mimic the curved contour of the great toe, and III) a back surface curved to contour to the curvature of a foot and forming a slanted arc such that the bottom of the arc is adjacent the front of the foot wear article and the wing portion capping the inter-toe engagement portion rests atop the foot, extending outwardly in both directions over a portion of the upper forefoot.