IE42240B1 - Foot exercise sandal - Google Patents

Abstract

1523971 Sandals SCHOLL (UK) Ltd 16 Jan 1976 [17 Jan 1975 22 March 1975] 01831/76 Heading A3B A foot exercise sandal comprises a sole 1 whose upper surface includes a ridge 3 extending in use, under the arches of at least the second to fourth toes, increasing in height to the second toe and dropping downwardly, at 4, in the region of the big and second toes to merge into a depression 5 for the ball of the big toe and a flattened portion for the toe, the sole upper surface being held in engagement with the sole of a wearer's foot by a strap 7 over the wearer's instep. The ridge 3 preferably extends from the outer side of the sole i.e. the little toe side and the downwardly extending portion 4 of the ridge may be at the outer face of the big toe, at the inner face of the second toe or between these toes. The ridge may become broader towards the portion 4. In one form, Fig. 3 the portion 4 is inclined to the vertical from its upper end to the flattened portion and in another form, Fig. 5 (not shown) the portion 4 has a rounded upper end which merges into a groove (4') at its lower end which slightly undercuts the ridge and merges with the depression 5. A shallow depression is preferably provided in front of the ridge 3 for the ends of the toes and a shallow heel depression and an arch corresponding to the foot arch are provided. The sole 1 is substantially rigid, is preferably of one piece and may have a heel. There is a covering 6 on the sole lower face to the bottom surface of which a coating e.g. non slip material may be applied. All or part of the sole upper face may carry a resilient layer. The strap 7 is positioned behind the ridge 3 and may be of two pieces, as shown, secured together by a buckle or press studs and may be permanently screwed or nailed to the sole or may be changeable for a different strap, then fixed by press studs to the sole.

Description

This invention relates to foot exercise sandals which serve to activate the foot muscles and tend to prevent, alleviate and overcome malformation of the feet.

Such sandals are known which comprise a one piece sole 5 held against the sole of the feet hy a strap or like means disposed over the instep of the wearer's foot and adapted to the shape of the instep arch of the foot so that the sole is suspended only hy the strap from the instep of the foot in contact with the sole of the foot. The full width of the sole is provided beneath the arches of the wearer's toes with a curved hump and when walking in the sandals the toes grip over the hump and are stimulated into active operation. This gripping action assists in strengthening the muscles of the toes and foot and is performed quite naturally since otherwise it would be impossible for the wearer to prevent the sandals falling off.

The shape of the hump is important since it can cause deformation in the foot despite the tendency to strengthen the muscles. A common deformity in human feet is hallux valgus where the first, i.e. the big toe, is curved outwardly i.e. towards the other toes and this tends to become more pronounced which is undesirable for the health of the body.

For the wearer of such sandals it is conventional to refer to the part of the foot at the outer side of the fifth toe as the outer side of the sole so that the outer side of the big toe is that part of the big toe which is alongside the second toe, the inner side of the sole being that which is on the same side of the sole as the free face of the wearer's big toe.

It has been- proposed that the hump is positioned to underlie the outer four toes of the foot. This hump forms - 2 42240 a steep slope adjacent to the location of the big toe merging into a depression in the sole and this hump is extended under the big toe.

When a foot exercising sandal of this kind is worn, especially when the second to the fifth toes carry out the gripping action on the hump when the wearer walks, the hump acts correctively in reducing a hallux valgus tendency, when such sandals are worn. However, particularly if the muscular and tendon system of the wearer's foot is weaker than normal the big toe tends to be twisted about its longitudinal axis leading to discomfort and dissatisfaction and/or the big toe cannot lie flat as is necessary for the proper functioning of the big toe during walking and running.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a foot exercise sandal in which the aforesaid disadvantages are minimised or eliminated.

According to the present invention a sole element for a foot exercise sandal comprises a substantially rigid sole element having on its upper surface a hump in a position, in use,to underlie the arches of some of the toes extending transversely of the element and rising from the outer region of the element to a maximum height under the region of the second toe, the zone of the element beneath ' the big toe being so formed that the big toe is located in a substantially flat position and said zone is separated from the hump by a generally upstanding face.

The generally upstanding face is preferably inclined to the vertical, such inclination being inclined frditi the maximum height of the hump towards a substantially flat surface forming the zone on. which the big toe Is located in a substantially flat position.

Alternatively, the generally upstanding face of the hump is undercut and at its lower portion merges into the substantially flat surface .

From another aspect of the invention a foot exercise sandal comprises a sole element,means on the sole elanent disposed over the wearer’s instep to secure the sandal suspended from the wearer's instep with the upper surface of the sole in engagement with the sole of the wearer's foot, and a hump on the upper surface of the sole and disposed to lie in use beneath part of the arches of the wearer's toes, the hump extending transversely of the sole elenents,under at least the second to the fertn toes of tne wearer's foot ana rising in heignt following the Pq contour of the arches of the toes from the outer marginal area of the sole to a maximum height beneath the region of the second toe, and then dropping in a generally vertical direction in the region of the outer face of the big toe and the inner face of the second toe and merging into a depression for the ball of the big toe of the wearer and a flattened portion to receive the big toe in a substantially flat position.

The hump may extend outwardly of the sole under the fifth toe preferably decreasing in height and may extend to the outer' side of the sole. In one preferred construction the depression for the ball of the wearer's big toe extends forwardly along the sole to form a seat for the free end portion of the big toe. At the same time the oig toe will tend to press downwardly onto the sole thereby exercis25 ing the big toe muscles to act naturally to assist in maintaining the correct balance of the wearer's body in walking. The second to fifth toes however will be fully exercised by their gripping action on the hump.

A slight hollow normally is provided in the heel area of the sole. - 4 42240 The sole may be of a solid piece of wood, plastic or metal and may be covered with leather, plastics material, rubber, foamed rubber or foamed plastics material, over part or the whole plantar surface of the sole. The whole or part of the underside of the sole portion may be provided with a hard wearing sole of rubber, plastics material, leather or manufactured leather.

This formation of the sandal ensures that the wearer's big toe remains lying completely straight when standing or walking on the foot without there being any risk Of the big toe twisting about its longitudinal axis while for the other toes optimum utilisation of the exercising action of the toe gripping- hump is made possible.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, an embodiment in accordance therewith will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 is a plan view of a sandal for the left foot, the strap being only indicated; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the sandal along the line II-II in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a cross-section along the line III-III in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the sandal of Figs. to 3; and, Fig. 5 is a cross section of the hump of another construction showing the formation of the transverse hump.

In the drawings the same references are used for the same parts. - 5 Fig. 1 is a plan view of the sole 1. It can he seen that the upper side of the sole 1 which is engaged by . the sole of the foot is adapted to the arch of the foot beneath the toes. In the heel portion of the sandal a j shallow depression 2 is provided for the heel: this is ΐ of considerable assistance since it minimises any sideways movement of the wearer's heel on the heel portion of the sandal in use as in walking. The forward part of the sole beneath the arch.of the second to the fifth toes has a hump ί 3 and preferably a shallow depression (not shown) for the ends of the toes is provided in front of the toe gripping hump 3= The toe gripping hump 3 begins adjacent the outside of the sole, either below the fifth toe or preferably ι ί below the fourth toe. Adjacent to the outer face of the 15 big toe, that is to say either in the region of the second ‘ toe, or between the latter and the big toe, the toe gripping hump drops in the form of a vertical or substantially vertical face 4, and at its base it runs into a depression for the portion of the ball of the foot and for the portion of the big toe in front of the middle joint thereof. The dropping contour of the hump may be at the outer face of the big toe or it may be at the inner face of the second toe or in the zone'bridging these points.

The depression 5 into which the hump drops may as shown in Figs. 1-4 extend from the ball of the big toe forwardly under substantially the full length of the big toe to its free end.

The sole 1 is provided with a strap 7 which is shown broken away in the drawing by which the sandal is suspended from the wearer's instep. The strap 7 is the only means of | £ - 6 ! I connecting the sandal to the foot and is disposed behind the hump so that when the toes are flexed to grip on the hump the sole of the sandal from the toes back to the heel is urged into engagement with the sole of the wearer's foot.

The sole'l is preferably provided on its lower face with a hard wearing covering 6.

As Figs. 1 to 4 show, the toe gripping hump first rises from the outer portion of the sole in the direction of the middle of the sole, and then shortly before reaching the big toe curves and falls substantially vertically. Thus the big toe can be supported substantially completely horizontially by the bed provided for the ball of the big tos. When the sandals are worn therefore no torsional forces about its longitudinal axis can be applied to the big toe, and thus even the slightest twisting is completely avoided, so that the foot exercising sandal can be used for long periods without complaint.

The sandal preferably has a one-piece sole. The sole may however consist of a plurality of parts and/or bp provided with a heel, but is generally substantially rigid from end to end.

In one form of this construction as seen in Fig. 5 in the region of the outer face of the big toe and the second toe the hump has a rounded portion 4 which as the surface of the hump falls merges into a groove 4' extending towards the outside of the foot, and this grooved surface merges smoothly into the depression 5 for the big toe. The groove 4' may be of any suitable shape in section across the medial axis of the sole element such as circular, arcuate, ellipsoidal or irregular curved formation. She groove or undercut may have any suitable dimensions, and the groove extends for example from the vertical plane through the innermost point of the portion 4' about 0.5 to 8 mm in the direction t - 142240 of the outside margin of the sole element normal to the longitudinal medial plane of the sole element and may extend from said vertical plane 1.0 to 4.0 mm preferably 1.5 to 3.5 mm-towards the outer edge of the sole element.

The groove preferably extends across the full width of the hump i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the sole element.

By using this undercut portion of the hump the big toe is constrained into a straight condition when the wearer is using the sandal particularly in standing or walking without any risk of the big toe twisting about its longitudinal axis.

A coating, for example of the usual sole materials used for shoes or of other non-slip materials such as leather, rubber, synthetic or manufactured leather, or synthetic plastics material, preferably porous rubber, such as e.g. cellular crepe may be applied to the bottom walking side.

Tfte sole or the holding strap may in addition be provided with two known spreaders which pass between sane of the toes to keep than apart. The one-piece or multi-part strap may be made of any materials usual in show manufacture, such as leather, synthetic or manufactured leather, rubber, synthetic plastics material, fabric or textiles, vegetable materials such as straw, or flexible metal bands. It may be closed by a buckle or similar devices such as press buttons.

The sole piece may be for example of nylon reinforced as with metal rods or strips io make it substantially rigid or of other substantially rigid plastics material. It may 30 be coated on the upper surface with a thin layer e.g. 2-4 mms. thick, of a resilient material such as leather, rubber - 8 42240 or synthetic plastics material which if desired may he foamed such as polyurethane foam. Such resilient layer may be over the whole of the upper surface of the sole portion or over part of the sole portion for example over 5 the heel, under the longitudinal arch of the wearer's foot and/or over the front portion which may cover the hump.

The strap 7 is shown as in two parts each secured by screws or other means such as nails or screws to the side of the sole portion, the two parts being mutually engage10 able by a buckle (not shown). The strap may be in one piece. Any strap may be used but it must be such that in wear the sole is suspended from the wearer's instep, with the plantar surface of the wearer's foot at least at th6 area of the metatarsal heads and arches of the toes kept in engagement with the upper surface of the sole. The strap may be changeable for a different strap and may be removable easily as by connecting to the sole by press stud connections.

The hump extends preferahly from the outside of the Bole piece or at least inwardly from the wearer's fourth toe, or adjacent to the outerside of the sole piece under the wearer's little toe, partially across the sole piece preferably in a curved path to follow the arches under the wearer's toes, and rises towards the wearer's second toe. As shown, the hump may become broader as it approaches the big toe.

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS:1. A sole element for a foot exercise sandal comprising a substantially rigid sole element having on its upper surface, in a position in use, to underlie the arches of some of 5 the toes, a hump extending transversely of the element and rising from the outer region of the element to a maximum height under the region of the second toe, the zone of the element beneath the big toe being so formed that · the big toe is located in a substantially flat position io and said zone is separated from the hump by a generally upstanding face.

2. A sole element according to Claim 1 wherein the generally upstanding face is inclined to the vertical.

3. A sole element according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the 15 generally upstanding face is inclined from the maximum height of the hump towards a substantially flat surface forming the zone on which the big toe is located in a substantially flat position.

4. A sole element according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the generally upstanding face of the hump is undercut and at 20 its lower portion merges into a substantially flat surface, forming the zone on which the big toe is located in a substantially flat position.

5. A sole element according to Claim 4 wherein the hump in the region between the outer face of the big toe and 25 the second toe has a rounded portion which as it descends merges into a groove or hollow merging at its lower end by a smooth curve into the bed for the big toe. - 10 42240

6. A sole element according to any of Claims 1 to 5 wherein the zone has a depression to receive the hall of the foot and the extremity of the big toe. 5

7. A foot exercise sandal comprising a sole element^means pn the sole element disposed over the wearer's instep to secure the sandal suspended from the wearer’s instep with the upper surface of the sole in engagement with the sole of the wearer's foot, and a hump on the upper surface of the 10 sole and disposed to lie in use beneath the arches of some of tiie wearer's toes,the hump extending transversely of the sole element under at least the second to the fourth toes of the wearer's foot and rising in height following the contour of the arches of the toes from the outer region of the sole to a maximum height be15 neath the region of the second toe and then dropping in a generally vertical direction in the region of the outer face of the big toe and the inner face of the second toe and merging into a depression for the ball of the big toe of the wearer. 20

8. A foot exercise sandal according to Claim 7 wherein the hump in the region between the outer face of the big toe and the second toe has a rounded portion which as it descends nergas into an undercut groove or hollow merging at its lower end by a smooth curve into the depression for the ball of the 25 toe.

9. A foot exercise sandal according to Claim 7 or 8 wherein the depression for the ball of the wearer's big toe extends forwardly along the sole to form a seat for the free end portion of the big toe. - 11 4224ο

10. A foot exercise sandal substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 or Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.