[0001 ] Ballet Shoe

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62/137,596, filed March 24, 2015 and entitled "BALLET SHOE."

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The preferred invention relates generally to a ballet shoe, and more particularly, to a preferred men's ballet shoe that provides comfort and support to the ball and heel of a wearer's foot and raises the heel of a wearer's foot.

[0004] Ballet shoes are generally known. Ballet shoes are typically constructed of a minimum number of components, including a slipper to encase the wearer's foot and a thin sole made of a durable yet relatively imsupportive material. Such shoes perform the basic function of enabimg a dancer to dance, but are typically not designed to prevent or reduce the likelihood of the multitude of injuries and discomforts that are likely to result after long periods of dancing. Similarly, such basic shoes generally require a wearer's feet to remain completely flat against the ground when the dancer plies, requiring the dancer to greatly flex and strain his ankle joints.

[0005] It would be desirable to design, construct and utilize a ballet shoe that provides support for the wearer's feet and ankles so as to reduce the wearer's potential injury risk and to increase dancer's comfort.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Briefly stated, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a ballet shoe having a first padded portion proximate the ball of a wearer's foot and a lift proximate the heel of a wearer's foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings an embodiment which is presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

[0008] Fig. I is side perspective view of a ballet shoe in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the shoe is positioned on a wearer's/dancer's foot; [0009] Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the ballet shoe of Fig. 1 ; and

[0010] Fig. 3 is a top plan view of an interior of the ballet shoe of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011 ] Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms "a", "an", and "the" are not limited to one element but instead should be read as meaning "at least one." The words "right", "left", "lower", and "upper" designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words "inwardly" or "distally" and "outwardly" or "proximally" refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center or orientation of the device and related parts thereof. The terminology includes the above-listed words, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

[0012] Referring to Figs. 1-3, a ballet shoe 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment is used by a dancer to enable greater comfort while dancing and allow the dancer to more easily pile and perform additional dance movements and techniques. The plie typically involves a movement where the dancer bends the knees, generally outwardly, and straightens them again, usually with the feet turned out, the back held straight and heels firmly planted on the ground. The ballet shoe 10 preferably includes a body 30, a heel lift 12, a padded heel pad 14 located inside the shoe 10 proximate the heel of the dancer's foot and the heel lift 12, a ball pad 15 on the inside or outside of the bottom of the shoe 10 proximate the ball of the dancer's foot and a padded sole 16 proximate the ball of the dancer's foot and the ball pad 15. The body 30 preferably defines and forms the bottom, sides and top of the shoe 10 and is constructed of a lightweight, flexible textile material that is generally able to conform to and take on the general size and shape of the dancer's foot. The body 30 preferably secures the heel lift 12 and heel pad 14 to the ball pad 14 and padded sole 16. The body 30 may be constructed of a single portion of material or an assembly of various portions of material, but is formed of a front portion 30a and a rear portion 30b in the preferred embodiment. The front portion 30a is secured to the rear portion 30b at an attachment line 31 in the preferred embodiment. The front portion 30a is secured to the rear portion 30b along the attachment line 31 by stitching in the preferred embodiment, but is not so limited and may be adhesively bonded, clamped, fastened, stapled or otherwise secured along the attachment line. The attachment line 31 is preferably positioned between the heel lift 12 and padded sole 16 in the preferred embodiment.

[0013] The body 30 is preferably constructed of the textile, which may be comprised of cloth, satin, polyester, leather or other related materials that are able to take on the general size and shape of the body 30 and is able to withstand the normal use conditions of the body 30. The front and rear portions 30a, 30b are preferably colored or configured to take on a color that is similar or the same as the skin color of the dancer and both are preferably the same color. The front and rear portions 30a, 30b are not limited to having a color or taking on the color of the dancer's skin color and may have nearly any color and may have difference colors relative to each other. The body 30 is also preferably configured to conform relatively closely to the shape of the dancer's foot and provides for flexibility of the foot, as a result of the flexibility of the material and construc tion of the body 30 and the separation or split of the heel lift 12 and associated heel pad 14 from the padded sole 16 and associated bail pad 15. The split of the heel lift 12 and padded sole 16 from each other enhances the lightweight and low profile

configuration of the preferred shoe 10.

[0014] The padded sole 16 is preferably a crescent or semi-ovular shape that covers the portion of the shoe 10 on which the ball pad 15 is located, thereby enabling the dancer to obtain the appropriate amount of traction while simultaneously providing adequate protection from wear to the ball pad 15. The sole 16 is not limited to such a shape or configuration, but can be of any shape or configuration suitable for enabling a dancer's preferred level of traction. The padded sole 16 is preferably connected to the body 30 on an outside surface of the body 30 and may be stitched, adhesively bonded, fastened, clamped or othenvise secured to the body 30. The ball pad 15 is similarly, preferably connected to the body 30 on an inside surface of the body 30 and may be stitched, adhesively bonded, fastened, clamped or othenvise secured to the body 30. The sole 16 is preferably made of can v as, linen, or felt, but is not so limited and may be constructed of other suitable materials, such as leather, polymeric materials or other similar durable materials that are able to take on the general size and shape of the sole 16 and withstand the normal operating conditions of the sole 16.

[0015] The heel pad 14 of the ballet shoe 10 is preferably located proximate the heel of the wearer's foot, such that it provides cushioning and comfort at the base of the wearer's heel. The heel pad 14 is preferably connected to an inner surface of the body 30 and may be stitched, adhesively bonded, fastened, clamped or otherwise secured to the body 30. The heel lift 12 is similarly, preferably connected to an outer surface of the body 30 and may be stitched, adhesively bonded, fastened, clamped or otherwise secured to the body 30. Because dancing, and ballet dancing in particular, places a great deal of stress and exertion on the heels and balls of a dancer's feet, such as through repeated leaping and turning motions, padded and supportive surfaces to absorb the impact of such motions is desirable. The ball pads 15 and the heel pads 14 preferably provide such padded and supportive surfaces. Left untreated, such repetitive impacts can result in a number of injuries to a dancer, such as bunions and other bursa sac disorders, damage to the metatarsal bones, and metatarsophalangeal joint sprain (commonly known as "turf toe"). The ball pads 15 and heel pads 14 of the preferred ballet shoe 10 are constructed of a padding material, such as foam, composite, fabric or other related materials to lessen the damage caused by such repetitive impacts. The materials for the ball and heel pads 15, 14 are not limited to the specifically identified materials and may be constructed of any other material suitable for protecting a wearer's foot that is able to take on the general size and shape of the bail and heel pads 15, 14, withstand the normal operating conditions of the ball and heel pads 15, 14 and perform the desired functions of the ball and heel pads 15, 14. The bail and heel pads 15, 14 are also preferably arranged within the ballet shoe 10 such that they are not visible to an audience when worn by a dancer, but are not so limited.

[0016] In the preferred embodimen t, the heel pad 14 on the inside of the body 30 and the heel lift 12 on the outside of the body 30 define a stack or sandwich of ma terials that protect and cushion the dancer's heel. In addition, the preferred ball pad 15 on the inside of the body 30 and the sole 16 on the outside of the body 30 define a stack or sandwich of materials that protect and cushion the ball of the dancer's foot. This relatively lightweight and low-profile stack of materials provides protection to the dancer's heel and ball of the foot to limit injuries and increase comfort for the ballet dancer.

[0017] The heel lift 12 of the ballet shoe 10 is preferably located proximate the wearer's heel so as to raise the wearer's heel slightly above the remainder of his foot. This configuration aids a dancer's ability to piie, enabling the dancer to bend his knees further while maintaining his posture with his feet flat on the ground and back held straight. The heel lift 12 is preferably constructed of a durable, semi-rigid material, such as a hard plastic or wooden material, but is not so limited and the heel lift 12 may be constructed of any material suitable for raising a wearer's heel while withstanding the normal operating conditions of ballet dancing, such as leather, rubber, bunched fabrics, composite materials, polymeric materials or the like.

[0018] The ballet shoe 10 preferably includes a side wall 18 which is cut lower than average when compared with other ballet shoes and a rear wail 20 which is cut higher than average when compared with other ballet shoes. The low cut side wall 18 enables greater flexibility of the ballet shoe 10 while also producing an aesthetically pleasing look that is preferred for ballet performance. The high cut rear wall 20 preferably enables greater stability and support within the ballet shoe 10. The ballet shoe 10 can deviate from the cuts of the side and rear wails 18, 20, as described herein without deviating from the preferred inventive concept.

[0019] The body 30 is preferably constructed of a canvas material. The canvas material enables a construction that allows the shoe 10 to stretch across its width to accommodate the flexibility necessary in ballet dancing while simultaneously providing a taut fit to support the dancer's movements and maintain an aesthetically pleasing shape. The canvas material is preferably tightly folded around the ballei shoe 10, pressed on to the bottom surface of the ballet shoe 10, and hammered into place to ensure its construction, but is not necessarily limited to such a construction method. The ballet shoe 10 is not limited to a horizonta!ly-streichable canvas material, but may be constructed of any ma terial suitable for meeting the demands of a ballet dancer, such as leather, satin, fabric or other similar materials that are able to take on the general size and shape of the shoe 10, withstand the normal operating conditions of the shoe 10 and provide a generally aesthetically appealing appearance.

[0020] The ballet shoe 10 also preferably contains a strap 22 that secures the shoe around the wearer's ankle or the top of the dancer's foot. The strap 22 is preferably secured to the body 30 of the ballet shoe .10 on each side of the rear wall 20, enabling the wearer to wrap the strap 22 around his ankle. The strap 22 is preferably a single piece of elastornerie material, but the strap 22 may be constructed of any material suitable for stabilizing the ballet shoe 10 to the wearer and the ballet shoe 10 may contain more than one strap 22. The strap 22 is not necessarily attached to the ballet shoe 10 at the rear wall 20, but may be positioned in any location on the ballet shoe 10 suitable for fastening the shoe 10 to the wearer's foot while ballet dancing.

[0021 j It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. For example, the ball pad 15 and sole 16 may be mounted to the outside of the body 30 and the heel lift 12 and heel pad 14 may be mounted to the outside of the body 30 or each of these components may be mounted inside the body 30, which may provide certain aesthetic and ornamental advantages to the shoe 10. Alternati vely, one of the combinations of the ball pad 14 and sole 16 or the heel lift 12 and heel pad 14 may be disparateiy mounted to the inside or outside of the body 30, such that only one is positioned outside of the body 30. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the present disclosure.