The present invention relates to a heel protector of the kind defined in the preamble of the accompanying Claim 1.

It is well known that new shoes are very liable to cause blisters. It is also well known that the shoes of hikers and walkers are liable to cause blisters despite the shoes being well worn-in and despite the training undergone by such persons.

At the present time, there is no really effective device that v/ill prevent blistering of the heel. Experienced walkers and hikers apply adhesive tape or plasters to their heels as a preventative measure. However, adhesive tape/plεster tends to fasten to the wearer' s socks after a time, causing further discomfort.

U.S. 1,469,010, G3-260 657 and DE-440 212 teach heel protectors, or heel cushions, that are intended to be placed between the heel of the foot and the insole of the shoe. The known heel protectors have the form of a first sheet that is adapted and intended to support the v/hole of the sole or plantar of the heel, and a second sheet which generally has a single curve with the generatrice of the sheet perpendicular to the plane of the first sheet, wherein the bottom edge of the second sheet is connected to at least the side edges of the first sheet, such that, in practice, the heel protector will form a rigid cupped structure whose wall height decreases in a direction towards the rear edge of the first sheet. The known heel protector is therefore unable to begin in the forward/rearward direction of the shoe/the foot.

These known heel protectors are intended to reduce sliding friction. However, they are unable in practice to fulfil

their main object, namely to prevent or limit the occurrence of blisters.

U.S. 1,469,010 describes a heel protector that is included structurally in the definition given in the preamble of Claim 1.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel heel protector, or heel pad, which further reduces the occurrence of blisters.

The inventive heel protector is defined in the accompanying Claim 1.

Further developments of the heel protector are set forth in the depending Claims.

According to one embodiment of an inventive heel protector at present preferred, the heel protector is comprised of a thin, flexible plastic sheet that can be deformed with respect to shape. There is cut from this sheet a blank which is symmetrical in relation to a straight line in the plane of the sheet. The blank includes two generally rectangular laminae or sheet-elements that are mutually joined by a bridge of material whose width transversely to the symmetry line is approximately half the width of the smallest sheet- element. The generally rectangular laminae/sheet-elements have rounded corners. The narrower sheet-element is intended to support the sole of the wearer's heel in the shoe, whereas the broader sheet-element is intended to be folded-up about the bridge into a generally vertical position, and is intended to be deformed into a generally single-curved shape so as to embrace the region of the attachment of the Achilles tendon to the foot.

Because the bridge is narrow and is bent up generally to a right angle with respect to the narrower sheet-element, its resistance to bending is very low. Those edge-parts of the broader sheet-element that lie outside lines which are generally parallel with the symmetry line and which constitute continuations of the side-edges of the bridge can be easily bent and/or deformed so that said edge-part will adapt to the shape of the rear side of the heel, and extend generally along the side surfaces of the heel. The sheet- elements are sufficiently stable to maintain their given shape. The stability of at least the broader sheet-element shall be sufficient to prevent said element from collapsing in use, and the bridge will preferably be capable of holding the broader sheet-element in a generally vertical position.

The inner surface of the heel protector, i.e. the surface proximal to the heel part, may be roughened or coated with a layer of material that will reduce sliding between the foot and the inner surface of the heel protector. The outer surface of the heel protector will preferably be smooth. Optionally, the inner surface of the heel protector may be provided with a sticky coating, particularly that part which supports the sole of the heel.

The heel protector may be placed either between the foot and a sock, or stocking, or between the shoe and a sock.

The invention provides the important advantage that both of the main parts of the heel protector can be easily folded relative to one another in the front/rear direction of the foot, via the hinge formed by the bridge, in the absence of any deformation in that part of the heel protector that embraces the rear part of the heel.

Another advantage afforded by the inventive heel protector is that it can be produced by cutting a blank from a sheet and

thereafter moulding and adapting the blank manually to the desired shape. The various parts of the heel protector, i.e. the sheet-elements and the bridge, do not need to be joined together.

However, the inventive concept includes the option of producing the sheet-elements and the bridge as separate members that are mutually joined with the use of conventional fastener means.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment of the inventive heel protector and also with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a view from above of a flat sheet-blank from which the heel protector can be shaped.

Fig. 2 is a view from above of the shaped heel protector.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the heel protector.

The blank 1 shown in Fig. 1 has been cut from a thin sheet of smooth plastic material. The blank 1 includes a generally rectangular first sheet-element 2 that is dimensioned to fit into a shoe in the heel region of the inner sole of the shoe. The width of the sheet-element 2 corresponds generally to the free, inner width in the heel region of the shoe. The sheet- element 2 serves to support essentially the whole area of the heel plantar of the foot, the contour of the contact surface of the heel plantar or sole against the sheet-element being shown at 6 by way of example. The corners of the sheet- element 2 are appropriately rounded, particularly in the proximity of the bridge 4, so that the rear end-region of the sheet-element 2 can be adapted to the curvature of the heel

part of the shoe, therewith enabling the sheet-element 2 to be placed furthest to the rear of the inner sole of the shoe.

The sheet-element 2 merges with a generally rectangular second sheet-element 3 via the bridge . The sheet-elements 2 and 3 and the bridge 4 are symmetrical in relation to a symmetry line 7 in the plane of the blank 1. The width of the bridge 4 is substantially smaller than the width of the sheet-element 2, for instance half said width. The width of the sheet-element 3 of the illustrated embodiment is greater than the width of the sheet-element 2. Because the width of the bridge 4 is much smaller than the width of the sheet- element 3, the side-edges 5 of said sheet can be folded in towards one another and curved, such as to form an inner intersection between the sheet-elements 2 and 3 at the position of the bridge 4, on both sides of the blank. The blank 1 can be shaped, raised, to form the heel protector by bending the bridge 4 to an angle of about 90°, such that the sheet-members 2 and 3 define an approximate right angle with the symmetry plane. The side edges 5 can be bent or curved to a generally cupped shape, so as to conform shape-wise to the region of the bottom Achilles tendon attachment to the foot. That side of the blank 1 which lies proximal to the foot in use may be coated or covered with a textile material, or may be provided with an outer layer that limits sliding of the heel protector relative to the foot.

One advantage afforded by the invention is that the heel protector can be formed from a flat blank, while the recesses in the blank that delimit the two sheet-elements and define the bridge enable the second sheet-element to be easily curved to a shape in which said sheet embraces the rear part of the heel, while, at the same time, enabling the two sheet- elements 2 and 3 to be readily bent solely via the bridge 4.