Patent ID: 6841757

Claim:
An electrical heating insert for thermoforming or drying the thermally formable padding of an article of footwear, comprising; electrical resistance heater; a layer of thermally conductive material, adjacent to the padding to be thermoformed or dried by said electrical resistance heater; electrical conductors for connection to a common source of electrical power, said electrical heater comprises at least one piece of electrically resistive polymer sheet, adapted to reach a temperature sufficient to soften said thermally formable padding, when connected to a first relatively high power level of said common source of electrical power by said electrical conductors, and to attain a temperature which is not sufficient to soften said thermally formable padding but sufficient to provide drying out of moisture and/or warming of the padding, when connected via the electrical conductors to a second, relatively low electrical power level of said common source of electrical power.