FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns all shoes with heels, in particular, but not exclusively, shoes such as specifically sandals, boots and ankle boots, as well as similar and comparable shoes, advantageously but not exclusively for women, hereafter generically shoes, with a heel in which the resting point of the heel of the foot, with respect to the zone of the toes, is at a height of at least 3 cm upward.

The present invention concerns those shoes which have a heel having a height of at least 3 cm, that is, those shoes which give the foot an inclined angle with respect to the leg.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Heeled shoes are known, in particular but not exclusively, women’s shoes, whether of the sandal, shoe, stiletto, wedge, kitten heels or platform type, with or without wedge, etc., in which the resting point of the heel of the foot is at least 3 cm higher than the zone where the forefoot, that is, the front part of the foot which also comprises the toes, rests.

However, it should be considered that the shape of the shoe can be such that the indicated height of about 3 cm can in fact become harmful, even when the heel has a difference in height of 2 cm.

It is known that the height of the heels creates a load that is proportional to the weight of the body on the forefoot, so that in the case of a very low heel, about 20- 28% of the body weight is unloaded on the forefoot, in the case of a 4 cm heel about 40% and in the case of a 7 cm heel about 52%, while in the case of a 10 cm heel about 66% of the body weight is unloaded on the forefoot.

While this type of shoes enhance the leg, they often cause plantar fasciitis in the wearer, especially in the case of prolonged use. Moreover, these shoes force the toes into the tip of the shoes due to the force of gravity, accentuated by the shape of the shoe itself.

During normal use, due to their physical conformation these shoes create problems for the foot and for the person’s behavior, as well as for the person’s supporting structure, this depending on the control that the user has to exert on the reciprocal position of the foot and his/her longitudinal position in the shoe, a position which under certain conditions, in addition to creating considerable physical-mental effort, can lead to the shoe not being used or even considerable pain, or rather unpleasant consequences as identified above.

The present invention therefore poses the problem of at least partly unloading the weight of the body over the entire sole of the foot, so as to make the use of said high-heeled shoes, that is, those shoes in which the heel of the foot rests at least 2- 3 cm higher than the position of the toes, normal and comfortable, or almost normal and comfortable.

It is also known that these shoes can have heels which, in some cases, reach dizzying heights of 12 or 15 cm and more, forcing women to find themselves with their toes, or the part directly behind them, or the terminal part of the foot, all or partly anchored and held, in the various shapes and structures, by the front means present in the actual shoe, front means which limit the sliding of the foot along the footbed, harnessing its front part.

It is known that when the heel reaches a certain height value, the foot is at an angle which can be too open with respect to the leg so that it normally tends to slip on the footbed, or similar or comparable element, and the body weight is unloaded entirely on the forefoot with serious consequences both for the foot as well as for the person’s supporting structure.

Moreover, in the event that the angle that the leg assumes, with respect to the foot, exceeds certain values, the fit may be unpleasant, especially when said angle affects the physical and physiological values of the foot and of the foot’s joints, as well as of the person’s upper structure, values that affect the reaction of the person’s physique with the risk of fractures and deformations, as well as affecting nutrition and psychophysical health.

In this condition, the problem of the tendency of the foot to slip with respect to the shoe arises, which grows as said angle increases.

In the worst cases, the foot finds itself sliding toward the tip of the shoe until it finds itself maintaining the position with the toes, or with a part of the last portion of the foot, so that this part has to support considerable stresses for which it is not anatomically designed.

This condition is highly damaging and often requires those who decide to wear this type of high-heeled shoe to suffer even considerably, at times even affecting the health of the foot and of the supporting bone structure.

Various systems have been proposed aimed at solving the problem of providing a comfortable support to the foot; however, these all concern footwear which has the heel positioned substantially at the same height with respect to where the sole of the foot is positioned.

For example, the proposals described in documents WO 2008/148448 Al, EP 2 550 887 Al, US 2005/049533 Al are known, which provide solutions that are applied to footwear in which the foot is parallel or substantially parallel to the ground, since the rear part has a very low heel (up to about 2 cm) compared to the rest of the shoe, and which, therefore, generally does not create physical or physiological problems for the foot, leg or spine, even if there are conditions of the feet, and/or of the legs and/or of the structure that supports them, whereby differences in height even slightly greater than about 2 cm become unthinkable.

In particular, document WO 2008/148448 Al describes a shoe comprising a membrane made of waterproof material, on which valves are over molded having the function of flexing due to the pressure of the foot during walking and at the same time facilitating the ventilation of the interior of the shoe, while maintaining the impermeability of the shoe itself. The solution described in WO 2008/148448 Al actually has the purpose of ventilating the sole on which the foot rests, and therefore valves are required which are activated by the pressure of the foot that the user exerts on a horizontal surface, that is, the ground, as he/she walks. This solution therefore requires numerous layers and an overall thickness that are not applicable to high-heeled shoes, which mostly have a sole with an inclined shape.

Document EP 2 550 887 Al concerns a waterproof sole which, according to the specification, serves to prevent water from remaining in the shoe, comprising a transpiring element and an insole on which there are disposed protruding portions open at the top, which perform a massage on the foot and at the same time allow air to circulate toward the transpiring element.

Document US 2005/049533 Al describes a device for reflexology and plantar massage which uses suckers which on each occasion, due to their constitution, draw and expel air. Furthermore, its purpose is to prevent a forward and backward movement between the foot and the upper, a necessary impediment in view of the foot-shoe/upper dimensional ratio.

Document WO 2011/045210 Al discloses a sole of the waterproof type and provides pumping elements which have a pumping function in order to ventilate the foot.

None of the solutions described in the documents cited above has a construction or conformation applicable to shoes that have a medium or high heel, where the morphology of shoes with heels requires on the one hand a substantially inclined/arched shape of the sole, and on the other only a minimal portion for the sole to rest on the ground.

These known solutions do not allow, nor are they designed, to hold the foot in a desired position so as to distribute its weight over the entire sole, rather than concentrate it on the forefoot, since they all concern types of shoes substantially without heels, in which the sole is entirely in contact with the ground.

Another disadvantage of shoes with high or medium-high heels is also that, given their conformation, the foot wearing them can come out accidentally, for example if the person wearing them takes rapid steps, such as during a dance or a brisk walk. For this purpose, footwear provided with straps which are fastened to the ankle and help to keep the foot inside the shoe is known; however, these straps, in addition to not being very comfortable, also give the shoe a particular aesthetic appearance which not everyone appreciates.

From this brief disclosure, it is clear how the state of the art is far from both the purposes as well as the proposed embodiment of the present invention.

In fact, the purpose of the present invention is to prevent, or at least control, the uncontrolled slipping of the foot and to integrate a substantial part of the sole of the foot with the part of the shoe on which at least said substantial part of the sole of the foot rests, this integration being aimed at preventing the weight of the body from unloading only on one part of the foot, in particular on the front part, weighing on the latter and in an improper manner on the foot, on the joint of the foot itself, in particular on the front part of the foot, and on the leg.

Although various strategies have been studied, current solutions for solving the problem of high heels, whether they are mechanical or chemical solutions, in many circumstances are not accepted by women, or they cause problems to one or more parts of the sole of the foot, or to the foot, or even to the joints of the foot and, not uncommonly, even to the spine.

There is therefore the need to provide a device for supporting and cooperating with the sole of a foot, such as a partial or total footbed, or an insole, which can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art in the case of highheeled shoes.

To do this, the invention provides a support device which provides a stable but comfortable support to the foot of a user, in particular if using shoes with a heel as in the present invention.

By stable support we mean a support which is stably interposed between at least part of the sole of the shoe, having a difference in height of at least 3 cm between the tip or front part of the shoe and the heel, and at least part of the sole of the foot.

In particular, the purpose of the invention is to prevent stresses, at least anomalous, on the toes, or on the end parts of the foot and, more generally, for the physiology of the foot and leg, on any part of the foot whatsoever which on each occasion is stressed in an anomalous manner by shoes with a heel having a difference in height of at least 3 cm between the resting point of the foot’s heel and the resting point of the toes, in particular, but not only, by shoes with heels over 3 cm high.

Another purpose of the present invention is also to provide a support device which makes a shoe suitable to be used also for fast walks or for dancing, preventing the risk of the shoe possibly slipping off in an unwanted manner.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a support device which is suitable to stabilize the foot to the shoe, in such a way as to reduce both unwanted “losses” of the shoe itself as well as possible dislocations or fractures of the foot.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other characteristics of the present invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purposes, and to resolve the technical problem disclosed above in a new and original way, also achieving considerable advantages compared to the state of the prior art, the present invention concerns a new formulation of the footbed, or of the insole that covers the footbed, on which the sole of the foot rests, for a shoe having a heel of at least 3 cm, that is, a difference in height of at least 3 cm between the resting point of the heel and the resting zone of the forefoot.

The present solution can be applied to shoes which have a difference in height between the resting point of the heel and the resting zone of the forefoot comprised between 3 and 15 cm, depending on the type and size.

According to the invention, the proposed general solution contributes, with the sole of the foot, or with one or more portions of the sole, to hold the foot in position, or substantially in position, with respect to the footbed and therefore with respect to the shoe, at the same time unloading weight on a wide surface, eliminating the concentration in the front part of the foot, as occurs today.

According to the invention, the sole of the foot is temporarily made integral, or substantially made integral, with the upper with suckers.

What characterizes the inventive idea of the present invention is the function of safeguarding and protecting the human body, in those cases where the body uses high-heeled shoes, shoes which, as mentioned, can cause damage to the people who use them.

Thanks to the suckers, which exert an anchoring and holding action, it is therefore possible to create a stable and defined connection between the sole of a user’s foot and the shoe.

In particular, it is possible to stabilize the shoe with respect to the user’s foot and leg, whereby fast movements of the foot and leg can be performed, such as for example during a conventional dance, such as for example waltz, tango, mazurka, Caribbean dances such as salsa, merengue and suchlike, or even cabaret dances like the cancan, or even during a brisk walk, without the risk of losing a shoe.

The support device according to the invention therefore allows to make even classic shoes of the strapless type, normally open at the top and without laces or straps, usable as dance shoes.

The support device according to the invention, in the form of a partial or total footbed or insole, can also be made as a whole as it is applied or in a single body, or applied or made on the shoe in stable terms, so as to cooperate at least with the front resting part of the sole of the foot.

According to the invention, the suckers provided are made of hypoallergenic plastic material which allows to temporarily anchor the sole of the foot for the entire, or for part, of its extension, that is, in at least two parts, such as at least the front part and the heel, or at least the front part of the sole of the foot.

In the case of a shoe with a heel that is above the sole of the foot by at least 3 cm, or around this value, the use of the double temporary anchoring holds the foot in position, unloads the weight at least onto the heel and onto the sole of the foot and distributes the weight over a large surface, without the weight bearing substantially on the front part of the foot.

According to one aspect of the invention, the sole of the shoe has an inclination comprised between about 8/10° and about 45°, depending on the difference in height that exists between the resting zone of the forefoot and the resting point of the heel.

The resting zone of the forefoot, that is, the zone that is placed in contact with the ground, depending on the height of the heel, can vary between about 25% and about 60% of the overall length of the sole. This is to say that at least a portion of the sole comprised between the resting zone and the heel itself is in fact suspended with respect to the ground.

Thanks to the device according to the invention and to the suckers, it is in fact possible to distribute at least part of the weight also along the suspended portion, with the advantages disclosed above.

According to the invention, the sole, or insole, can be integral with the footbed of the shoe, or be made integral with the footbed on each occasion, in whole or in part, also in terms of scheduled replacement; moreover, it can be made integral in replaceable terms with each use, or after a certain number of uses.

In this way, the invention allows the possible replacement, or cleaning or possibly even sanitizing treatment, at least of the insole, with substances suitable to at least improve the function and/or mitigate the impact on the foot’s skin.

Here and hereafter in the present description, the term footbed comprises any type of element according to the invention, on which the sole of the foot, or one or more parts thereof, rests.

It is known that heeled shoes are worn both with stockings of various types, shapes and constitutions, as well as without stockings, and the present invention applies to all types of use.

The purpose of the invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art by proposing a new and innovative solution.

The invention provides that the insole of the shoe or an insole, total or partial, can possibly be made integral, or able to be integrated, with the shoe, or also extractable and/or replaceable.

There are many means for connection between the insole and the footbed, so some are listed here by way of example: the insole can be located in a total or partial recess seating, it can cooperate with means which prevent its axial and/or lateral sliding, it can cooperate with sucker means present in the footbed or in the lower part of the insole, it can cooperate with mechanical means, or other types of means such as for example gluing means, even if possibly temporary, which create the desired and aimed for connection, it can cooperate with means such as gluing means or suchlike, etc..

According to the invention, the insole has on its surface, or on a part thereof, at least on the side facing toward the foot, sucker means, such as a plurality of suckers, for example in the shape of small or very small domes or jars, of various suitable shapes and designs, able to have the functions of a sucker operating in relation to the skin, or also to the skin and/or the material that covers, even only temporarily, at least a part of the lower part of the foot; the sucker means can also have various sizes, possibly reaching micrometric sizes.

According to the invention, the sucker means perform the function of anchoring and stable connection, and not that of drawing/expelling air, as in the cited prior art.

According to one aspect of the invention, the sucker means have no through holes or apertures.

The sucker means can be shaped as extensions which advantageously extend above a base, which can be continuous or reticular, that is, cover specific zones, or be applied on each occasion in an irremovable or removable, but not laterally displaceable, manner.

The extensions above the base can be, optionally and on each occasion, equipped with soothing substances, or substances that have other functions such as, for example, improving the gripping function without creating problems for the skin of the sole of the foot, or parts thereof

An example of such a possible conformation and possibly equal, similar or more suitable sizing, also according to the purpose of the insole, aimed at other purposes (specifically plasters), is present in NATURE 546, 396-400/2017, or in ADVANCED SCIENCE, published online on April 30, 2018 with the title: Highly Adaptable and Biocompatible Octopus-Like Adhesive Patches with Meniscus- Controlled Unfondable 3D Microtips for Underwater Surface and Hairy skin, although the product is intended for ontologically different purposes.

In any case, the device according to the invention, or at least the suckers, are preferably made of a biocompatible material, suitable to be placed directly in contact with the bare foot of a user.

Moreover, the conformation of the suckers is such as to allow a defined and stable anchoring both in dry as well as wet conditions, so as to be able to guarantee stability of use even in the event of wet feet, and also to be able to perform their function over time.

The insole according to the invention, which can be made integral with the shoe or applicable or replaceable, can cooperate with a bare foot, with a foot with a woman’s stocking or with a stocking which has one or more continuous layers in the lower part of the foot; by stocking, here we mean both long stockings, as well as intermediate or short stocking, and also footbeds in their various formulations.

According to a variant in which an insole according to the invention is provided, it is, totally or partly, made integral with at least the footbed.

According to one variant, the insole according to the invention can be, totally or partly, disassembled from the footbed.

According to another variant, the insole according to the invention is applied, totally or partly, at least temporarily to the insole.

According to another variant, the insole has in its lower part means for at least longitudinal attachment and/or retention with respect to the footbed, so that it cannot move, at least longitudinally, with respect to the footbed.

According to another variant, the insole is placed in a special seating present in the footbed.

According to another variant, the insole has one conformation toward the foot and a different conformation toward the footbed.

According to another variant, the composition toward the foot has an adequate number of small suckers, for example covering, partly or totally, the surface that cooperates, at least in terms sufficient for the purpose, in relation to the specific and/or punctual needs of the sole of the foot, or specific parts thereof, favoring the zones where the skin is normally thicker.

In this way, there can be provided structures that cooperate with the suckers which can, on each occasion, be imbibed or covered with water and/or soothing and/or protective liquids, and/or liquids that cooperate with human skin.

According to one variant, instead of covering the entire footbed, only the part that cooperates with the heel and/or with the front part of the foot is covered.

According to another variant, the suckers can be differentiated according to the characteristic/s of the specific part of the foot.

Again, the suckers can be sized according to how much the person’s weight bears in that zone. This means that there can be a differentiated conformation both in the longitudinal as well as in the transverse and/or orthogonal direction.

It is evident that what disclosed above represents the core of the invention; however, construction variants are possible in the application phase.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non- restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- figs, la and lb each show, by way of example, for the sole purpose of illustrating the context of the present disclosure, a possible section, with sizes and shapes appropriate on each occasion in terms of function and functionality, of a support device provided with suckers and a possible gradiation thereof in various positions with respect to the lower part of the foot;

- fig. 2 shows, schematically and by way of example, a sole of the left foot and/or footbed, with three zones identified by way of example;

- figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 show, by way of example, for a section of a high-heeled shoe, four possible examples of anchoring of the invention to the heeled shoe or to part thereof.

We must clarify that in the present description the phraseology and terminology used, as well as the figures in the attached drawings also as described, have the sole function of better illustrating and explaining the present invention, their function being to provide a non-limiting example of the invention itself, since the scope of protection is defined by the claims.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications. DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, figs. 1 a and 1 b, for the sole purpose of providing reference indications, show two possible embodiments of a support device 10 for a user’s foot, which comprises an insole element 12 provided with suckers 11.

According to the invention, in the example shown there is provided a footbed equipped with the device 10 according to the invention, which anchors, stable or replaceable, to the shoe, in different ways.

In other words, the device 10 according to the invention can be integrated with a shoe 18 in an integral manner, or it can be associated with it in a removable manner, so that it can be removed and possibly replaced when desired. In this case, the device 10 can also be of the disposable type.

It is in the spirit of the invention that the device 10 according to the invention is applied directly to the sole of a shoe 18, of which only the lower part is shown in fig. 3.

In general, the shoe 18 comprises a sole provided with a heel 19 and an upper, which can have different features in relation to the type of shoe.

The support device 10 in question can be, by way of example, an insole, of the type suitable to cooperate with a shoe 18 in order to make its fit more comfortable for a user. The device 10 according to the invention is particularly suitable to be used in shoes 18 with a high heel 19.

The shoe 18 is in particular a shoe with a high heel 19, in which by “high heel” we mean a heel of at least 3 cm, or possibly 2 cm upward in relation to the size of the shoe 18 and in relation to particular specific requirements dictated by the skin of the foot, or the partial or total structure of the leg and/or foot.

According to some embodiments, the shoe 18 can have a heel comprised between 3 and 15 cm, and therefore have an angle of inclination between the resting zone of the forefoot and the resting point of the heel comprised between about 9° and about 48°. These values substantially correspond to the inclination of the foot when shoes with a heel between 3 and 15 cm are used.

According to some embodiments, the resting zone of the forefoot, that is, the zone which is placed in contact with the ground as a function of the height of the heel 19, can vary between about 25% and 60% of the overall length of the sole.

According to some embodiments, at least a portion of the sole comprised between the resting zone and the heel 19 itself is in fact suspended with respect to the ground.

According to possible embodiments, the “suspended” zone is equal to at least 30% of the overall length of the sole.

According to the example embodiments of figs, la and lb, the suckers 11 extend from a common base of the insole element 12 and have a dimensional graduality I la, 11b, 11c.

In particular, the suckers 11, I la, 11b, 11c have a decreasing size in a longitudinal direction X from a rear part of the device 10 which is configured to cooperate with the zone of a heel A of the foot toward a front part which is configured to cooperate with a front zone B close to the toes.

According to possible variants, the suckers 11 can also have a dimensional graduality in the transverse direction Y, according to the distribution of the load of the user’s weight on the foot, and in particular on the sole of the foot.

According to some embodiments, the suckers 11, per se, are obtained using elastic or at least partly elastic or flexible material, in the example case, directly on the common base of the insole element 12, the sizes of which are correlated to the zone of the lower part of the foot, and/or of the footbed, with which it is provided that they have to cooperate, on each occasion.

According to possible variants, the suckers 11 are applied and connected in a fixed or removable manner to the insole element 12.

At least the suckers I la, 11b, 11c are made of an advantageously hypoallergenic elastic material.

The suckers I la, 11b, 11c can be all the same or have differentiated sizes and/or densities, or and or also/or densities which are differentiated by surface unit, or and or also which are all of the same type.

According to another variant, the suckers I la, 11b, 11c are of at least two different types; in this second case, the disposition of one type or the other will be at least coherent with the load and tensions it has to bear, both orthogonally and/or transversly.

According to some embodiments, the suckers 11 can be made in the shape of small or very small domes or jars, of various suitable shapes and designs.

In the example case of fig. la, the suckers have for example an inverted dome shape, while in fig. lb they have a different shape, in any case suitable to create an action of connection and gripping in relation to the skin, or also to the skin and/or material that covers, even only temporarily, at least a part of the lower part of the foot.

The suckers 11 can also have various sizes, for example from l-2cm, possibly reaching micrometric sizes.

Preferably, the support device 10 also comprising the suckers has a thickness of less than 0.5cm, so that it can be associated with substantially any type of shoe, without having to make modifications to the uppers, which can therefore also be of the traditional type.

According to some embodiments, the suckers 11 have a substantially full surface, that is, without holes or apertures for the passage of air which would prevent achieving a suitable effect of suction and gripping of the user’s foot.

The suckers 11 can in fact define the, or at least part of the, support surface of the user’s foot, which is therefore placed in direct contact with them, without prejudice to the use of any stockings.

Fig. 2 shows, by way of example, three possible zones of the sole of the device 10 and/or of a footbed 13, respectively a rear zone 14 which in this case substantially cooperates with the heel A, a front zone 15 which substantially cooperates with the front part B of the foot, an intermediate zone 16 which possibly cooperates with the intermediate part C of the foot.

It is in the spirit of the invention that, advantageously, at least one of the two zones, rear 14 and/or front 15 zone, is operative with surfaces that are, on each occasion, specific.

Always in the spirit of the invention, one or two zones can be operative, for example the front zone 15 or the rear zone 14, or the rear zone 14 and the front zone 15.

According to some embodiments, the suckers 11 also extend over at least one intermediate zone 16 suitable to cooperate with an intermediate part C of the foot, in order to increase the anchoring effect to the foot itself.

According to another variant, it is provided that all three zones, the rear 14, front 15 and intermediate 16 are operative; according to one of the possible variants, the intermediate zone 16 could possibly be shaped according to the resting profile of the foot.

It is in the spirit of the invention that the various zones 14, 15, 16, both on their own and also in union with one or both of the others, can present differentiations or be differently specialized, both longitudinally and possibly also, or only, orthogonally.

According to one variant, the intermediate zone 16, in the sole 10 according to the invention, could be missing or could not be equipped.

The specialized zones 14, 15 and 16 can have the same suckers 11.

According to one variant, the suckers 11 can have characteristics, sizes and/or shape according to the type of skin with which they have to cooperate in that zone, or even according to the effect to be obtained.

It is also in the spirit of the invention to use suckers 11 having differentiated characteristics, types, densities, or distribution, or also sizes differentiated according to one or more of the following factors: weight per surface unit, type of sucker, material that the suckers consist of, inclination of the foot, type of skin in a specific zone, etc..

According to some embodiments, the insole element 12 has one conformation toward the foot and a different conformation toward the footbed 13.

According to some embodiments, the device 10, during use, is associated with the footbed 13 of a shoe 18.

According to possible embodiments, the device 10 can be an autonomous and separate component from a footbed 13.

According to other embodiments, the device 10 can be integrated in and/or made integral with a footbed 13.

According to another variant, the device 10 according to the invention, that is, the insole element 12, in whole or in part, is at least temporarily applied to the footbed 13.

According to one variant, the device 10 and/or the insole element 12 could be at least partly recessed.

According to another variant, the device 10 and/or the insole element 12 is placed in a special seating, not shown, present in the footbed 13.

According to another variant, the device 10 and/or the insole element 12 has, in the lower part, attachment and/or retention means 21 suitable to cooperate with the footbed 13, so that it cannot move at least longitudinally with respect to the footbed 13.

Figs. 3 and 4 show, by way of example, some of the possible solutions of how the device 10 can cooperate with the footbed 13 using attachment and/or retention means 20, 21 which in fact prevent the device 10, or the insole element 12, from sliding along the footbed 13.

In fig. 3 there are provided, by way of example, attachment and/or retention means 20 comprising one or more saw teeth 22 of suitable sizes, in any case reduced, at least in depth.

The teeth 22 can be present only in the rear part B or in one or more zones which are stressed during the fit; at most, there could also be only one attachment and/or retention mean 20, 21, albeit temporary, the position of the device 10, or of the insole element 12, remaining determined by the foot resting on it.

In fig. 4 there are provided, by way of example, attachment and/or retention means 21 comprising one or more pegs 23, the sizes of which will be coherent with the zone of the shoe and/or the footbed 13 with which they cooperate, the pegs 23 can also be provided only in one point or in one zone, the device 10 remaining positioned by the applied foot.

The pegs 23 can be provided in the device 10, in particular in the insole element 12, or in the shoe, or in an intermediate element that can be applied as desired.

In fig. 5 the device 10 is positioned on the footbed 13, possibly with adhesive means 17 disposed in one or more zones, the device 10 remaining positioned by the applied foot.

As a variant, the device 10 cooperates with retention means present, depending on the choice, on the shoe or on the insole. In fig. 6 the device 10 comprises, by way of example, an insole element divided into two parts 10A and 10B, and involves the heel (10A) and sole (10B) of a user’s foot.

From the indications disclosed above, it is quite evident that the positioning of the device 10 can occur in many ways, the presence of at least a plurality of suckers

11 , the same or different, being essential, which are suitable to hold the foot so that at least part of the burden which concentrates on the front part of the foot is absorbed by the suckers 11 themselves.

According to possible variants, not shown, the device 10, or the insole element

12, according to the present invention, could also comprise means suitable to allow a quick and easy release of the suckers 11 with respect to the foot or the stocking of a user, such as for example a button or other system suitable to allow air to pass outside the suckers 11. The suckers 11 can all be associated with a same button or suchlike, or also be associated with respective buttons according to groups and/or zones.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the support device 10, or insole, as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art will be able to achieve other equivalent forms of support device 10, or insole, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate their reading and they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection defined by the claims.