US20140259758A1

US20140259758A1 - Insole with seahorse reinforcing element

Info

Publication number: US20140259758A1
Application number: US13/845,952
Authority: US
Inventors: Torng-Haur Yeh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-03-18
Filing date: 2013-03-18
Publication date: 2014-09-18

Abstract

A insole with a seahorse reinforcing element is a combination of a soft insole and harder reinforcing element. The reinforcing element is integrally formed with a transverse arch support having the shape similar to the seahorse mouth and crown, an medial longitudinal arch support having the shape of the seahorse vertical body, and a heel support having the shape of the seahorse hooked tail. By strengthening the support of the insole, the invention can prevent discomfort in the transverse arch and the medial longitudinal arch due to sinking. At the same time, the invention reinforces the support for the starting position of walking, thereby saving user's efforts.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to an insole and, in particular, to an insole with a seahorse reinforcing element.
2. Related Art
According to the foot anatomy, the foot structure contains 26 bones of irregular shapes, 30 joints, and more than 100 ligaments, thereby forming a complex but stable structure. The structure is usually divided into the heel, the foot middle and forefoot parts.
The heel includes the calcaneus in direct contact with the ground, and the talus above the calcaneus and forming the ankle joint along the tibia.
The foot middle part consists of five small tarsals (including the navicular, cuboid and three cuneiforms). These bones are tightly connected by ligaments, forming the outer arch and the inner arch of the foot.
The forefoot contains 19 bones, including five metatarsals and 14 phalanges that make up the toes.
Also, according to foot biomechanics, the human body stands on the first metatarsal, the fifth metatarsal, and the calcaneus. The arch among the three points of the foot then supports the body. The medial longitudinal arch between the first metatarsal and the calcaneus can provide a modest stretch and torque and absorb the reaction from the ground while walking or running, thereby absorbing shocks on various terrains. While walking, the heel receives pressure from the ground first. Afterwards, the pressure moves from the fifth metatarsal head to the first metatarsal head. The person is then able to move forward and walk.
The above paragraphs describe the mechanical principles on the foot structure corresponding to standing and walking. To help relieve pressure on the feet, the insoles have to strengthen their support at appropriate positions. After the pressure on the feet is released, the person can gain more comfort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, an objective of the invention is to provide an insole that can reduce pressure on the foot and increase comfort.
To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the disclosed insole reinforcing structure involves the combination of a harder reinforcing element to the soft insole of single density. The soft insole thus obtains better supports at the transverse arch, the medial longitudinal arch, and the heel.
The reinforcing element consists of a transverse arch support, a medial longitudinal arch support, and a heal support integrally formed into a hard plastic with the shape of a seahorse.
The transverse arch support has a shape similar to the seahorse mouth and crown. It includes an arch metatarsal pad support and a forefoot inner support extending to the first metatarsal head.
The medial longitudinal arch support has a shape similar to the vertical body of the seahorse. It includes a plane base extending from the metatarsal support downward to the heel and a curved wing supporting the medial longitudinal arch between the first metatarsal and the calcaneus.
The heel support has a shape similar to the hooked tail of the seahorse. The plane base forms a U-shaped cup pad around the calcaneus for covering the heel.
By reinforcing the supports of the three key areas, the transverse arch, the medial longitudinal arch and the heel, the transverse arch and the medial longitudinal arch feel less discomfort due to sinking. Since the starting position for walking is strengthened, the invention achieves the goal of saving efforts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements.
Please refer to FIG. 1 for a three-dimensional exploded view of the invention. The invention combines a single-density soft insole with a seahorse-shaped reinforcing element with higher hardness. The bottom of the single-density insole is formed with a concave block 10 in advance corresponding to the shape of the reinforcing element for the combination thereof. The reinforcement element mainly provides strong supports to the transverse arch 11, the medial longitudinal arch 12, and the heel 13 of the single-density insole. That is, the reinforcing element is integrally formed hard plastic consisting of a transverse arch support 20, a medial longitudinal arch support 21, and a heel support 22.
The transverse arch support 20 has a shape similar to the mouth and crown of a seahorse. It includes an arch metatarsal pad support 201 and a forefoot inner support 202 extending to the first metatarsal head. Since the inner side of the forefoot is the starting point for pushing forward as one walks, it is necessary to strengthen the support. Therefore, the forefoot inner support 202 is deliberately molded to have the design of reinforcing ribs 2021. In this embodiment, there are several loop ribs.
The medial longitudinal arch support 21 has a shape similar to the vertical body of a seahorse. It includes a plane base 211 extending from the metatarsal pad support 201 downward to the calcaneus, and a curved wing 212 supporting the medial longitudinal arch from the first metatarsal to the calcaneus. To prevent the curved wing 212 from providing excessive support to the medial longitudinal arch and causing discomfort, the curved wing is cut to have several notches 2121, thereby providing better elasticity. In this embodiment, the curved wing is cut into three parallel grooves.
The heel support 22 has a shape similar to hooked tail of a seahorse. The plane base 211 forms a U-shaped cup pad 221 around the calcaneus to cover the heel.
The reinforcing element strengthens the supports to the transverse arch, the medial longitudinal arch and the heel. Thus, the transverse arch and the medial longitudinal arch can avoid the discomfort caused due to sinking. As the starting point for walking receives reinforced support, the invention can achieve the goal of saving labor.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An insole with a seahorse reinforcing element formed by combing a soft insole with a harder reinforcing element, the bottom of the soft insole being formed with a concave block according to the shape of the reinforcing element for the combination thereof, and the reinforcing element consisting of a transverse arch support, a medial longitudinal arch support, and a heel support integrally formed together, wherein:

the transverse arch support has a shape similar to the seahorse mouth and crown, and includes an arch metatarsal pad support and a forefoot inner support extending to the first metatarsal head;

the medial longitudinal arch support has a shape similar to the vertical body of the seahorse, and includes a plane base extending from the metatarsal support downward to the heel and a curved wing supporting the medial longitudinal arch between the first metatarsal and the calcaneus;

the heel support has a shape similar to the hooked tail of the seahorse, with the plane base forming a U-shaped cup pad around the calcaneus to cover the heel;

the reinforcing element strengthens supports to the transverse arch, the medial longitudinal arch, and the heel so that the transverse arch and the medial longitudinal arch are prevented from experiencing discomfort due to sinking, and the starting position for walking is reinforced to save labor.

2. The insole with a seahorse reinforcing element of claim 1, wherein the forefoot inner support has reinforcing ribs.

3. The insole with a seahorse reinforcing element of claim 2, wherein the reinforcing ribs are a plurality of loop ribs.

4. The insole with a seahorse reinforcing element of claim 1, wherein the curved wing has at least one notch to increase the elasticity thereof.