AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING INDIVIDUALLY FORMED FOOTWEAR

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to footwear, more particularly to an apparatus for forming personalized insoles, shoes and other footwear.

Background of the invention

Approximately 70% of the world population suffer from some sort of foot problems. Only few of the total number have had a chance to purchase insoles that alleviate at least part of the problems. Traditionally, custom-made shoes and insoles have been manufactured by professional shoemakers, physiotherapists, or podiatrists. So far the associated purchase process has been rather time-consuming and costly; a person willing to spend 120-250 EUR on custom made insoles or more than 300 EUR in bespoke shoes has to visit one of aforesaid professionals or their remote partner to get their feet characteristics measured including e.g. a foot size and other properties, advantageously also problem-causing features, after which the order is placed in a waiting list for initiating the actual manufacturing process by the professional. Often the delay between placing the order and receiving the customized shoes/insoles thus extends to few days or even few weeks, which makes the overall process rather awkward especially from a standpoint of a casual client. Foot motion/gait problems reflect to soles, ankles, knees, hips, back, etc; that is why their treatment and prevention is particularly beneficial to the whole human well-being. An individual takes around 15 000-16 000 steps every day. The load on feet in sports is many times the weight of the body. For example, the ground force is about three times one's body weight while running and 7.5 times while playing basketball due to jumps and other irregular moves. Provided that the foot position is correct, the load divides evenly between the upper joints.

A common condition called pronation refers to inward (i.e. medial) roll of the foot (especially heel and arch), which turns into overpronation when the foot rolls too much. In contrast, oversupination is caused by

too small inward roll. Both conditions easily cause pain, wear and even stress injuries in the feet and various body joints.

Different (arch) support insoles are available for correcting the foot position. They have been designed to support longitudinal medial and lateral arch but without separately glued wedges they do not actually correct foot position. Wedging is a time-consuming and expensive process. The obtained result depends on the person doing the task and still tends to be rather inaccurate. As another drawback, after gluing the wedges to the soles one cannot take a new mold without first removing the wedges.

Ready-made supports in the insoles do not provide a perfect match to anyone's feet, as people do not generally bear identical feet shape. Accordingly, many support insoles are ultimately deemed inconvenient due to their lousy fit.

Summary of the invention

Now there is invented an improved method and technical equipment implementing the method, by which an individually formed shoe or insole can be manufactured, which shoe or insole provides natural arch support. The invention relates particularly to an apparatus, which is characterized by what is stated in the independent claim. Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The present invention provides an apparatus for use in process of manufacturing an insole for a shoe or other footwear, which insole comprises at least one layer made of thermoplastic material, the apparatus comprising: feet analysis means for selecting an appropriate insole perform for a client, said feet analysis means including a podoscope, an image data acquisition means and image data visualization means; and a frame for integrating said feet analysis means into an integrated unit.

According to an embodiment, said frame comprises: a housing for the podoscope; a vertical support connected from its lower part to said

housing; and a horizontal support connected to an upper part of said vertical support.

According to an embodiment, said housing is a podium, in which said podoscope is arranged to be embedded.

According to an embodiment, said image data acquisition means are connected to a lower part of said vertical support.

According to an embodiment, said horizontal support is arranged to be used as a plane for said image data visualization means.

According to an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a molding stand with at least one casting pad.

The arrangement according to the invention provides significant advantages. First, the apparatus assists in manufacturing an individually formed shoe or insole, which provides natural arch support and divides the ground force more evenly through the foot, knee, hip, and the back. Secondly, it reduces overpronation or oversupination and realigns the gait. This affects positively to the body posture and alleviates fatigue, sprained ankles, rubbing and pain. The floor space required by the apparatus is very small, i.e. less than 0,5 m2, whereby it can be conveniently introduced even in small retail shops. The apparatus does not require any fixed installation, so it is easily portable within a retail shop or from one shop to another. Furthermore, the design and the dimensions of the apparatus are adapted to provide an optimum ergonomics for the client during the procedure of analysing his/her feet.

This aspect of the invention and the embodiments related thereto will become apparent in view of the detailed disclosure of the embodiments further below.

List of drawings

In the following, various embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a sketch of two insole embodiments according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram representing one example of a method of the invention wherein individually formed footwear is provided to a client;

Figs. 3a, 3b show some examples of an apparatus for use in the process of providing the client with individually formed footwear;

Fig. 4 depicts a podoscope including a transparent glass plate on which the client is standing during the feet analysis; and

Fig. 5 further visualizes selected method steps of figure 2.

Description of embodiments

A preform (~blanket) insole has at least one layer, which is made of thermoplastic and reaches out at least from under the heel to under the plantar arch of the target person's, hereinafter client, foot. Advantageously two or three material layers that are connected together are used in the perform insole for the comfort of the client. The upper layer (if used) of the preform insole is placed against the foot and the lower layer is placed against the shoe. Materials of these two layers can be selected among any prior art materials used in insoles. For example, the lower layer may be constructed from a known material such as Rheluflex (trademark of Rhenoflex GmbH Ltd) comprising non- woven polyester as a carrier, ionomerresin-ethylvinylacetate blend as an extruded core, and EVA-Hotmelt as an adhesive.

The middle layer of the insole (in case of three layers) is made of thermoplastic. The used thermoplastic can be selected from a large group of known thermoplastics. The critical value is the temperature, so-called glass transition temperature, where the thermoplastic becomes plastic and on the other hand turns back to solid form when the temperature is decreasing after shaping the insole. This temperature should not generally be so high that the insole feels uncomfortable against the client's foot. Notwithstanding a high glass transition temperature, a thermoplastic is still applicable if it can be cooled down enough prior to placing in contact with the foot provided that the thermoplastic remains plastic, i.e. mouldable. Adequate temperature for the thermoplastic to become plastic is preferably somewhere under 95 ⁰ C and above 45 ⁰ C. Advantageously the range is from 50 ⁰ C to 85 ⁰ C. Suitable materials that become or are plastic within the preferred ranges are for example thermoplastic polyesters A- PET (Amorphous polyester terephthalate) and PETG (glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate, which is a copolyester), or such with essentially similar characteristics. Also e.g. ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride) can be used.

Thickness of the thermoplastic layer shall be preferably selected so as to provide reasonable support to the client's foot when the layer is in a rigid state. The thickness may also vary throughout the layer, if e.g. more flexibility is desired under the toe area (thinner) than the plantar arch area (thicker).

Other characteristic required for the thermoplastic dictates that it should be rigid under the melting temperature.

With reference to an embodiment shown in the upper sketch 102 of figure 1 , the middle layer 104 (or the only layer) made of thermoplastic can cover laterally the whole area of the insole. In alternative embodiment, see sketch 1 10, the layer 1 12 covers laterally only a part of the insole. In that option it is necessary that the thermoplastic reach out lengthwise at least under the heel to under the plantar arch and in lateral direction advantageously almost to the whole width of the insole. As one feasible implementation, the thermoplastic layer is designed so

as to reach out from under the heel to the metatarsophalangeal joint of the foot so that transverse arch can be supported. Also, a precut pad can be placed under the transverse arch when the insole is shaped to lift the transverse arch into the optimum position. However, it is advantageous to keep some range at the edge of the insole without the hard thermoplastic in case there is need for little adjustment when the insole is placed in the shoe. Also, the toe area of the insole should remain without the hard thermoplastic to enable natural movement of the foot during walking or running.

One major aspect of the invention relates to producing a preform of an insole that is ready in one piece (thus possibly having separate layers that are connected together with adhesive or such) and easy to heat over the glass transition temperature of the included thermoplastic. After cooling the insole is preferably rigid one-piece structure that corrects the foot position and supports the foot, especially the plantar arch and transverse arch thereof. The plantar arch can be adjusted to a proper high position by pulling the client's toe up and/or by lifting his/her heel up while keeping the toes against a support surface (Windlass effect). The adjustments can be carried out on a soft pad with or without further manual guiding. Alternatively, a trained person may reach a decent result just by hands without a supporting surface.

Alternatively, a shoe can be provided, said shoe having a sole, which can be shaped according to client's foot for correcting the incorrect position thereof. The shoe in this case shall have at least one material layer of thermoplastic. The shoe is advantageously manufactured to include all necessary layers and is just personalized upon purchase.

Suitable shoes include, for example, various types of walking shoes, sport shoes, boots, sandals and soft gym shoes.

The sole is advantageously at least a two-piece structure including a thermoplastic layer either situated on top of the sole material or being integrated, for example embedded, within it. The one or more sole layers excluding the thermoplastic layer may comprise e.g. EVA (ethyl vinylacetate) or other prior art materials; e.g. aforesaid EVA is even available in different hardnesses. If there is more than one layer

the thermoplastic layer can be smaller in lateral direction than the whole sole. It is essential that the thermoplastic layer reaches out at least from under the heel to under the plantar arch of the foot the same way as with the insole. The thermoplastic materials can be selected the same way as with the insole. It may be advantageous to make at least the outer surface of the sole of some wear resistant and good friction characteristics-having material. Optionally, e.g. viscoelastic foam or other material, which may also be thermosensitive, can be used within the shoe, whereby the shoe internals also reshape in addition to mere insole and provide additional comfort/support. With this embodiment can be assured very comfortable personalised shoe that supports tightly the bone structure of the feet and ankle. This is very important if the client has a for example diabetes or rheumatism and the shoe shouldn't cause any friction or abnormal pressure to the foot.

In a further alternative, footwear such as shoes (walking, sports, discipline-specific, etc), skates, ski boots, etc can be offered with preinstalled insoles in accordance with the invention, which insoles shall be then personalized before use. The layers inside the shoe that receive the insole of the invention shall advantageously conform to the insole shapes. Optionally, e.g. viscoelastic foam or other material that is optionally thermosensitive can be used within the shoe, whereby the shoe internals also reshape in addition to mere insole.

Figure 2 discloses a flow diagram, by way of example only, of the method for providing individually formed insoles to a client by a retailer. The insoles may be provided as such or with shoes that may even include the insoles of the invention by default. Likewise, shoes including a mouldable sole of the invention can be offered via the method presented hereinafter.

The present concept makes it possible to finalize customised insoles only a few minutes after receiving the assignment. The insoles can be provided to the retailers as a part of a complete service package including a sales spot, equipment for feet study, and equipment for making customized insoles. The service package may also include

training the sales personnel via an educational program that may be an (intensive) course or lection-based.

In step 202, a method start-up, a sales spot is prepared 218 for use at retailer premises. The sales spot may be advantageously delivered as an apparatus comprising a number of separate elements integrated together as an analysis and manufacturing unit. The apparatus includes the necessary means to rapidly provide a customer with properly shaped insoles. In particular, the apparatus comprises a frame for integrating feet analysis means and preferably at least part of the insole manufacturing means into an integrated unit.

Figure 3a shows an example of the apparatus. The apparatus 300 comprises the feet analysis means preferably including a podoscope 302, a camera system 304, and a computer 306. The podoscope is, by definition, a device for analysing the interaction of the foot and a supporting surface. A client stands on a transparent glass plate of the podoscope, see reference numeral 404 of sketch 402 in figure 4, whereupon an image of his feet is shown through a mirror to the person doing the measurements, see lower sketch 410. The feet analysis means preferably further includes image data acquisition means 304 (also referred as numeral 406 in Fig. 4), such as an optical scanner, a camera, or some other suitable apparatus for optically and/or electrically imaging the client's feet and their position (errors). Such imaging technology enables storing client-dependent data at the retailer for future use and archiving purposes.

The image data acquisition means 304 are preferably connected to the computer 306 (also referred as numeral 502 in Fig. 5), which is configured to visualize different views, e.g. foot images with optional zooming, silhouettes, etc, on a display based on the gathered data. The trained sales clerk may then point out to the client, via the visualized image, the problems found in his feet position and explain how the situation can actually be improved by the custom-made insoles in accordance with the invention. The computer may also be configured to store the data, preferably client-specifically. Instead of, or in addition to, the computer, a printer connected to the image data acquisition

means 304 can used to visualize the foot images, whereby printed images can be stored. Further, either the computer may include a data transfer interface of its own, e.g. a network interface, or a separate data transfer interface may be coupled thereto or directly to the data acquisition means to transfer the acquired data to external destinations such as the retailer chain's central server or third parties' databases, if allowed by the client.

The feet analysis means are connected to each other with the frame 308. The frame comprises a housing 308a for the podoscope 302, a vertical support 308b and a horizontal support 308c for the computer 306 and/or the printer.

The housing 308a is designed as a podium, wherein the podoscope 302 can be embedded such that the upper layer (i.e. glass plate) of the podoscope and the upper layer of the housing remain substantially on the same plane. In other words, the height of the housing 308a is primarily dictated by the height of the podoscope 302 and the possible space required by the power lines and the connecting cables of the podoscope 302, and it is preferably within the range of 5 to 25 cm, more preferably within range of 10 to 20 cm such that it is easy for a client to step on it. Furthermore, the housing may preferably be designed such that there is a margin around the borders of the podoscope, whereby the width and depth of the upper layer of the housing extend several centimetres beyond the borders of the podoscope in horizontal plane. This facilitates the client to step on the housing and stand steadily on it, and on other hand, the mechanical structure of the housing can be made robust.

The vertical support 308b is connected to a border of the housing 308a such that the client may unimpededly step on the podoscope. The image data acquisition means 304, i.e. the camera or the optical scanner, may be connected, preferably embedded, in the lower part of the vertical support. The vertical support 308b may be equipped with a mirror towards the podoscope, which further facilitates the client to step on the housing and stand steadily on it. The vertical support 308b also serves as a housing for the connecting cables between the podoscope

302, the image data acquisition means 304 and the computer 306. Furthermore, the upper end of the vertical support may be provided with a handgrip 308d to make it easier for the client to remain his balance while standing on the housing.

The horizontal support 308c, which is connected to the upper part of the vertical support 308b, is primarily meant to be used as a plane for the computer 306 and/or the printer. Thus, the dimensions of the horizontal support 308c are preferably chosen such that at least a laptop PC can be securely placed on the top of the support. The horizontal support 308c may comprise a raised edge or a border list 308e on one or more borders of the plane, preferably at least on the back border of the plane, in order to prevent the computer 306 and/or the printer falling from the plane. The horizontal support 308c may further comprise a ready-installed interface for connecting the computer 306 and/or the printer to the podoscope 302 and the image data acquisition means 304.

The advantages of such an apparatus are obvious. The floor space required by the apparatus is very small, i.e. less than 0,5 m2, whereby it can be conveniently introduced even in small retail shops. The apparatus does not require any fixed installation, so it is easily portable within a retail shop or from one shop to another. Furthermore, the design and the dimensions of the apparatus are adapted to provide an optimum ergonomics for the client during the procedure of analysing his/her feet.

According to an embodiment, the idea of integrating the necessary elements together as an analysis and manufacturing unit is further enhanced by including a molding stand with one or more casting pads (i.e. a pillow/cushion) made of a flexible material into the apparatus. This embodiment is illustrated in Figure 3b. Therein, the apparatus as depicted in Fig. 3a is further equipped with a casting pad 310 placed above the podoscope 302. The casting pad 310 is preferably removable, i.e. it is a stand-alone element, which can be placed on the housing 308a when the heated insole performs are molded into form suitable for the client. Alternatively, there may exist rails or a hinge

between the casting pad 310 and the housing 308a, which allow the casting pad 310 to be removed on the top of the podoscope 302, but still remain the casting pad attached to the housing 308a. Furthermore, there preferably exists means for attaching the casting pad securely to the housing 308a, wherein said means may include e.g. a groove in the housing, in which groove the borders of the casting pad are fitted, or an anti-skid surface provided between the casting pad 310 and the housing 308a, or some kind of locking system equipped e.g. with a latch.

The sales spot, as such, preferably further includes a stand or a rack with a number of insole preforms (preferably packaged in lightweight, space-saving and at least partially transparent cases, made of e.g. cardboard) with varying properties (size, thickness, basic design, etc), and a heating system, see numeral 504 of figure 5, such as an oven for heating the insole preforms.

Yet, the start-up phase includes educating 220 the sales clerks and other personnel about the sales and customisation processes of the insoles of the invention. Reverting to the execution-time flow of the invention, step 204 refers to a client-specific analysis phase during which a trained sales clerk initially studies the client's needs either by manual/ocular investigation of the feet or by listening to the client, preferably by doing both.

In step 206 a proper pair of preforms has already been determined and they are heated up to a temperature that enables reformation of at least predefined portions thereof as a response to a physical force introduced on them. The material selections for the preforms as explained hereinbefore guarantee a softening temperature for the predetermined portions that is still tolerable by the client, e.g. 85°C. After heating the perform to a reasonably high temperature as aforesaid 85 ⁰ C, it is preferable to wait until the temperature drops to a more convenient reading like 70-75 ⁰ C from the standpoint of the client. Alternatively, the client may wear a sock or corresponding protection to insulate the foot from extensive heat. The heating device is advantageously selected and configured so that the heating up time is

preferably only a few minutes or less in order to provide the client with swift service.

In step 208 the heated preforms are preferably placed on the casting pad of a molding stand, for example, and the client is instructed to introduce force via his soles to the preform surfaces meanwhile the clerk guides the client's feet to a proper position and manually, shapes, by physical interaction, e.g. through fingertips, the insoles to conform to the feet and achieve an improved mold according to the principles of the invention, see step 210 in figure 2 and numeral 506 in figure 5. Shaping may refer to introducing protrusions to a desired direction from the original insole form/plane, for example. Furthermore, the client may stand on the preforms to introduce the necessary pressure corresponding to the real weight bearing posture.

In step 212 the clerk checks whether each insole conforms to the respective foot (sole) of the client and provides improved foot position and body posture, refer to numerals 508 and 510 of figure 5. In case there is still some tweaking to do, the method may be redirected to a proper antecedent step such as step 206, 208, or 210. Otherwise, the individually formed insoles are fit to the client's shoes, which may require slight further adjustments like cutting the border areas, etc 224. The method execution is ended in step 216. It is waited until the temperature of the insoles drops under the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic after which the insoles can be taken into use. In case the retailer in question is willing to maintain a customer register or forward such information to a centralized register possibly maintained by the retail chain, the insole manufacturer or some other third party, the customer data may be stored 226 to facilitate future business with the same client. This preferably happens only after receiving an explicit acceptance for storing personal information by the client. Step 226 may also include providing insole maintenance instructions to the client.

Although the above method was described from the standpoint of a pair of insoles that are individually shaped to the client, which still is the preferred scenario, it is feasible for providing a single insole (or a single shoe) alike.

In the current invention also a liner or other element/layer to be placed in a shoe and possibly provided with a shoe or other footwear can be considered as the insole of the invention provided that it features similar effects and overall applicability.

Likewise, a shoe of the invention may be offered in the spirit of the above method. Especially a shoe sole or a part thereof may be constructed by following the ideas presented hereinbefore with reference to an insole. E.g. the sole of a soft gym shoe, a ballet shoe, a sandal or other type of shoe with soft enough portions suitable for manual molding after heating can be reformed accordingly.

Instead of heating, the preforms may be reshaped by utilizing some other feature than an embedded thermoplastic material. For example, certain resins can be hardened by utilizing predetermined chemical substances. However, in applying those it's important to select materials that enable trouble-free but still real-time reshaping of the preform on the client's foot, i.e. they must not introduce health hazards, e.g. burns, to the client upon or after the reshaping procedure.

In addition to humans, the invention may also be applied in manufacturing customized footwear for animals.

A skilled man appreciates that any of the embodiments described above may be implemented as a combination with one or more of the other embodiments, unless there is explicitly or implicitly stated that certain embodiments are only alternatives to each other.

It is obvious that the present invention is not limited solely to the above- presented embodiments, but it can be modified within the scope of the appended claims.