U.S. patent application number 09/879212 was filed with the patent office on 2001-10-11 for combined pronation and supination control plantar insert for shoes.
Invention is credited to Buratto, Alberto, Buratto, Camillo, Silvestrini, Bruno.
Application Number | 20010027616 09/879212 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11420456 |
Filed Date | 2001-10-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010027616 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Silvestrini, Bruno ; et
al. |
October 11, 2001 |
Combined pronation and supination control plantar insert for
shoes
Abstract
A combined pronation and supination control plantar insert for
shoes comprising posture control elements adapted to correct and/or
modify the posture of the entire tendon, bone and muscle structure
of the body, both laterally and medially and both for talipes
equinus and for talipes calcaneus. The plantar insert allows to
correct the main postural defects involving mastication, cervical
structures, the spinal column, hips, ankles and feet.
Inventors: |
Silvestrini, Bruno; (Roma,
IT) ; Buratto, Camillo; (Montebelluna, IT) ;
Buratto, Alberto; (Montebelluna, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Guido MODIANO
MODIANO & ASSOCIATI
Via Meravigli, 16
MILAN
20123
IT
|
Family ID: |
11420456 |
Appl. No.: |
09/879212 |
Filed: |
June 13, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09879212 |
Jun 13, 2001 |
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09347302 |
Jul 6, 1999 |
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6269554 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/144 ;
36/140 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 7/1464 20220101;
A43B 7/24 20130101; A61F 5/14 20130101; A43B 7/144 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/144 ;
36/140 |
International
Class: |
A61F 005/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 7, 1998 |
IT |
TV98A000101 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A combined pronation and supination control shoe plantar insert
for controlling posture of a user body, comprising a base element
and posture control means for correcting and modifying the posture
of the entire tendon, bone and muscle structure of the user body,
said posture control means comprising at least one element which is
movable transversely with respect to a longitudinal axis of said
base, in a plane which is parallel to a plane in which said base is
defined, said at least one element being adapted to vary the height
of the user at a hindfoot, in a medial and lateral region of the
foot, said at least one element constituting a direct support for
the foot of the user and being shaped so ad to adapt to the
morphology of said foot.
2. The plantar insert of claim 1, wherein said posture control
means are located at any of a hindfoot, midfoot and forefoot region
of the foot of a user.
3. The plantar insert of claim 1, including a heel region extending
along a longitudinal axis thereof, at which said posture control
means are located, said heel region comprising: a rigid base which
has a perimetric ridge forming a pair of first arc-like lateral
wings; a second wing; a first wall being perpendicular to said base
and lying on an axis which is substantially transverse to the axis
of said heel region; said first lateral wings joining in a rear
region of the base with said second wing which has a concave upper
surface connected to said base by way of said first wall.
4. The plantar insert of claim 3, comprising two third wings, said
first lateral wings being connected, in a front region of the base,
to said two third wings which are further connected to said base,
so as to form second walls, said second walls being arranged at an
angle with respect to an axis which lies transversely to said heel
region.
5. The plantar insert of claim 4, wherein said first wall and said
second walls have tips which protrude beyond an upper perimetric
edge of said first lateral wings, so as to form guiding seats for
said at least one element which is adjustably movable with respect
to said base.
6. The plantar insert of claim 5, wherein said at least one element
comprises an outer lateral surface which has a step-like
discontinuity, said discontinuity being shaped complementarily to
said first lateral wings, dimensions of said at least one element
being such as to allow the element to slide laterally and medially
as well as vertically between said first wall and said second
walls, respectively, of said second wing and of said third
wings.
7. The plantar insert of claim 6, wherein each one of said at least
one element has an internal lateral surface which is shaped
arc-like and joins with said concave upper surface of said second
wing so as to constitute supporting regions for an overlying part
of the user foot.
8. The plantar insert of claim 6, comprising at least one pair of
set screws, and complementarily threaded seats formed transversely
to said first lateral wings along an axis being offset with respect
to an axis that runs transversely to said heel region; position
adjustment of said at least one movable element with respect to
said base being provided by way of said at least one pair of set
screws which are freely rotatably associable at said suitable
seats.
9. The plantar insert of claim 8, comprising threaded seats formed
at facing outer lateral surfaces of said at least one element, said
screws being partially rotatably associated at said complementarily
threaded seats so as to allow sliding of said at least one element
with respect to said base.
10. The plantar insert of claim 8, wherein said first wall and said
second walls are inclined with respect to the axis which runs
transversely to said heel region.
11. The plantar insert of claim 8, wherein said screws are
positioned so as to be in any of a perpendicular and inclined
position, with respect to said outer lateral surfaces of said at
least one element.
Description
[0001] This is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.
No. 09/347,302.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a combined pronation and
supination control plantar insert for shoes.
[0003] From a functional point of view, the foot behaves like a
propeller whose blades are constituted by the hindfoot and the
forefoot.
[0004] The rolling action of a step can be seen as consisting of
three phases: a first contact phase, a second resting phase and a
third propulsion phase.
[0005] During the first contact phase, the foot tends to pronate
and therefore arrange itself inward; during the second resting
phase, the foot stiffens and tends to supinate, so that the weight
tends to shift toward the outer part of the foot; during the third
propulsion phase, the foot is in a central position with a slight
pronation in order to give impetus to the step.
[0006] All these movements of the foot can be considered equivalent
to the motion of a propeller.
[0007] Therefore, depending on the motion of the blades, the foot
relaxes and flattens or stiffens and therefore becomes hollow.
[0008] These two relaxation and stiffening phases are the two
movements that occur alternatively in the foot during upright
posture, running and jumping, and are known as pronation and
supination respectively.
[0009] The deformities commonly known as flatfoot and hollow foot
are due to predominant or persistent pronation (flatfoot) or
supination (hollow foot).
[0010] Ready-made plantar inserts are commercially available in
order to control the movement of the foot but they are usually
scarcely useful.
[0011] Their use is often discretionary and can cause damage if
said plantar inserts are incautiously worn by careless users.
[0012] Customizable plantar inserts manufactured by specialized
technicians are an altogether different matter.
[0013] In this case, the final product is customized and perfectly
matches the foot of the patient.
[0014] However, this requires the aid of labor-intensive techniques
(plaster cast of the foot and creation of a complementary shape,
assembly of different materials, refinement of the complementary
shape according to the defect to be corrected, etcetera) and
accordingly entails long production times.
[0015] Costs are high and it is impossible to modify the
configuration of said plantar inserts if changes in the foot and/or
in the structure of the bones, joints and muscles occur.
[0016] All these are only some of the main problems of this kind of
plantar inserts.
[0017] It should also be noted that the bad posture of the feet
does not affect only the bone, joint and muscle structures of said
foot, causing various localized disorders; it also affects the
entire supra- and subsegmental posture; accordingly, alterations
can occur which affect not only the foot and the joints closest to
it (talocrural joint, coxofemoral joint, knee joint) but also more
distal articulations (interchondral joints, costovertebral joints,
etcetera).
[0018] Many of the alterations affecting the cervical column and
related symptoms, reaching as far as the temporomandibular joint
with consequences for mastication, can in all likelihood originate
from the incorrect static and dynamic posture of the foot.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The aim of the present invention is to solve the
above-described problem, eliminating the drawbacks of the cited
prior art and thus providing a plantar insert which allows to
correct the main defects or problems of the foot.
[0020] Within the scope of the above aim, an important object is to
provide a plantar insert which not only allows to compensate and
correct flat feet and hollow feet by controlling and/or correcting
pronation and supination but also allows this correction in a
progressive and gradual form, so as to make it more acceptable to
the patient and adapted for the current configuration of his bone,
joint and muscle structures, said gradualness of the correction
being more important during the developmental period.
[0021] Another important object is to provide a plantar insert
which can be manufactured in a short time and can be equally
applied to the various cases of correction of the cited defects,
thus allowing accurate customization for any possible specific
case.
[0022] Another object is to provide a plantar insert which has low
manufacturing costs and can be customized in a short time to the
specific defect to be corrected for a single and specific user.
[0023] This aim, these objects and others which will become
apparent hereinafter are achieved by a combined pronation and
supination control plantar insert for shoes, characterized in that
it comprises posture control means adapted to correct and/or modify
the posture of the entire tendon, bone and muscle structure of the
body.
[0024] Advantageously, said means are constituted by one or more
elements which can move on one or more adjustable planes arranged
in a chosen point of the plantar insert.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description of a
particular but not exclusive embodiment, illustrated only by way of
non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a first partially sectional lateral perspective
view of the heel region of the plantar insert, on which the posture
control means are associated;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a second side perspective view of the heel
region;
[0028] FIGS. 3 and 4 are two side perspective views of the heel
region without the sliding blocks;
[0029] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the heel region of the plantar
insert;
[0030] FIG. 6 is a top view of the heel region of the plantar
insert;
[0031] FIG. 7 is a sectional view, taken along the plane VII-VII of
FIG. 6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] With reference to the above figures, an example is given of
a particular application of the posture control means for
correcting and/or modifying the posture of the entire tendon, bone
and muscle structure of the body by placing it in the heel region
1; as an alternative, said posture control means can be placed not
only in the hindfoot but also in the midfoot or also in the
forefoot or can be placed exclusively in the hindfoot or in the
midfoot or in the forefoot.
[0033] In the illustrated solution, therefore, the plantar insert
has, in the heel region 1, posture control means which are adapted
to correct and/or modify the posture of all of the bone and tendon
structure of the body; this placement may be preferred for the
problem of pronation and supination and therefore may be aimed at
hollow or flat feet.
[0034] Said posture control means provide, at the heel region 1, a
rigid base 2 having a perimetric ridge 3 which forms two first
lateral arc-like wings 4a and 4b blended, in a rear region, to a
second wing 5 which has a concave upper surface 6 which is blended
with the base 2 by way of a first wall 7 which is perpendicular
thereto and lies on an axis which is approximately transverse with
respect to the axis of the heel region 1 or is conveniently
inclined with respect to it.
[0035] The first lateral wings 4a and 4b are instead blended, in a
front region, with a pair of third wings 8a and 8b which blend with
the base 2, forming second walls 9a and 9b which are inclined with
respect to an axis which runs transversely to the heel region
1.
[0036] Both the first wall 7 and the second walls 9a and 9b have
tips which protrude beyond the upper perimetric edge 10a and 10b of
the first lateral wings 4a and 4b so as to form guiding seats for
elements which can move with respect to the base 2 and can be
adjusted; said elements are constituted by two sliding blocks 11a
and 11b.
[0037] Each one of said blocks has an external lateral surface 12a
and 12b which has a step-like discontinuity 13a and 13b which is
shaped complementarily to the first lateral wings 4a and 4b, and
the dimensions of the blocks are such as to allow them to slide
between the first wall 7 and the second walls 9a and 9b of the
second wing 5 and of the third wings 8a and 8b respectively.
[0038] Each block also has an internal lateral surface 14a and 14b
which is shaped conveniently and therefore arc-like and is blended
with the concave upper surface 6 of the second wing 5 so as to
constitute supporting regions for the overlying part of the
foot.
[0039] Adjustment of the position of the movable elements, and
therefore the possibility to adjust them in terms of their position
with respect to the base 2, is provided by means of at least one
pair of screws 15a and 15b which are freely rotatably associable at
suitable seats formed transversely with respect to the first
lateral wings 4a and 4b along axes, designated by the reference
numerals 16a and 16b, which do not coincide with the axis that runs
transversely to the heel region 1.
[0040] The blocks slide with respect to the base 2 because the ends
of the screws 15a and 15b are rotatably associable at
complementarily threaded seats 17a and 17b formed at the facing
external lateral surfaces 12a and 12b of the blocks 11a and
11b.
[0041] The simple adjustment of the position of the blocks with
respect to the base 2 therefore allows to customize, according to
the specific defect to be corrected and therefore to the specific
anatomical shape of the user, the configuration of the plantar
insert, varying the position of the blocks at the level of the
hindfoot in the medial and lateral region, so as to control, for
example, pronation and supination.
[0042] These adjustments are performed rapidly and easily.
[0043] It has thus been found that the invention has achieved the
intended aim and objects, a combined pronation and supination
control plantar insert having been obtained which allows to correct
the main defects or problems affecting the position of the foot by
varying the position of the movable elements with respect to the
base of the plantar insert in the chosen region of the foot.
[0044] The invention is of course susceptible of numerous
modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of
the same inventive concept.
[0045] Thus, for example, the posture control means adapted to
correct and/or modify the posture of the entire tendon, bone and
muscle structure of the body may be constituted not only by blocks
but also by wedges, sliders or other equivalent means, and their
position may be adjusted by virtue of means which are equivalent to
the screws, allowing to use optional flexible interposed elements,
such as springs or blocks made of plastics or other suitable
material.
[0046] To spatially orientate the posture control means, a ball
joint being positionable and lockable at various manners and
locations, may be used.
[0047] Moreover, as an alternative, the wedge system may instead
use a different system which allows the foot resting surface to
tilt, and therefore be adjusted, in the various spatial planes by
way of a spherical articulation (solid or hollow spherical segment)
which inherently has many degrees of freedom.
[0048] The system can then be locked in a given position,
compensating and/or correcting the configuration of the sole of the
foot.
[0049] Likewise, said system can be an independent object which can
be fitted in conventional shoes or in specifically provided shoes
or can be an integral part of shoes designed specifically for this
purpose and marketed as such.
[0050] The materials and the dimensions that constitute the
individual components of the plantar insert and said elements may
of course be the most pertinent according to specific
requirements.
[0051] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No.
TV98A000101 from which this application claims priority are
incorporated herein by reference.
* * * * *