DE29911499U1 - Insole for a shoe - Google Patents

Description

Spannrit Schuhkomponenten GmbH 1 July 1999

S 27841 A Le/Sg/sb/sm

Insole for a shoe

The invention relates to an insole for a shoe according to the preamble of claim 1.

A generic insole for a shoe for reflexology massage is known from the patent specification EP O 520 003 Bl. The insole described there has several integrally formed, cushion-shaped elevations on its upper side in the area of the reflex zones of the sole of the foot and consists entirely of a foam material with a hardness of 30° to 45° Shore A. Synthetic latex is said to be the preferred material. It is manufactured using "standard manufacturing processes for foam bodies".

In general, the arrangement of the elevations of an insole suitable for reflexology massage serves to stimulate nerves that originate from the corresponding reflex zones while walking, essentially through pressure, i.e. through acupressure, which stimulates the blood circulation and metabolism of the organs associated with the individual reflex zones. In order to achieve the desired effect of reflexology massage, it is necessary to achieve sufficient stimulation of the reflex zones through the appropriate pressure without the wearing properties of the insole used suffering as a result. The relatively soft Irmen sole according to patent EP 0 520 003 Bl requires that the "apex areas of the individual elevations" be raised by approximately 1.5 times the average thickness of the areas of the base sole adjoining the individual elevations above the

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upper side of the base sole". With an average thickness of the insole of 1.5 to 2.5 mm, this results in a total thickness of the insole of 3.75 to 6.25 mm in the area of the apex areas of the elevations. However, the foam material used will compress as you walk due to its "soft elastic behavior", which will lead to a deterioration in the massage effect with prolonged use. In addition, such a foam material will tend to tear and "run through".

In general, it is relatively complex to produce an insole in accordance with patent specification EP 0 520 003 Bl, since the compression of the material must be maintained by increasing the amount of material used and possible post-processing steps are necessary after foaming. The possibility of reducing production costs is also limited by the price of the material used.

The object of the invention is to create a durable insole for a shoe that is suitable for reflexology massage, offers a high level of individual comfort and is easy to manufacture with low material costs and is therefore particularly cost-effective.

The object is achieved according to the invention with an insole for a shoe according to claim 1.

Appropriate further developments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The insole according to the invention has a contour that essentially corresponds to the outline of the shoe and has on its upper side facing the foot several integrally formed, cushion-shaped elevations that

areas of reflex zones on the sole of the foot. In addition, ventilation openings extending through the insole are provided. According to the invention, the insole consists of an acetate compound, preferably polyethylene (PE), which adapts permanently to any footbed shape through use from its essentially flat basic shape.

The inner sole can be designed as an insole and/or be firmly connected to the insole or outsole of a shoe. The upper side can advantageously be provided with an additional cover sole made of skin-friendly material, in particular with a thin leather sole or with a textile layer, which can then also have ventilation openings in the appropriate places. It is particularly advantageous if the ventilation openings of the inner sole are also lined with the additional cover sole, whereby the additional cover sole is preferably made of air-permeable material.

In addition, the lower side of the insole can also be provided with an additional lower insole. The lower insole consists in particular of a foot-friendly and breathable material, which is preferably a textile material.

Equipping the insole according to the invention with at least one additional upper cover sole serves to increase the wearing comfort of the insole, as the insole thereby has a particularly foot-friendly and pleasant surface. In the case that an additional cover sole is applied to both the upper and lower sides of the insole, there is the further advantage of being able to turn the insole, with the actual lower side of the insole according to the invention then facing the foot. It would therefore be conceivable to select the materials used for the upper and lower sides according to their properties so that the one

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Side is optimized for use in summer (good sweat absorption) and the other side is optimized for use in winter (good warming effect).

The additional insole(s) can be applied by gluing them onto the upper or lower side of the insole.

The insole itself can be produced in its essentially flat basic form by in-mold casting using the acetate compound according to the invention, preferably PE compound. In principle, no further work steps are necessary, so that this and the material savings make it possible to produce the insole particularly cost-effectively.

According to the invention, an acetate compound is used which adapts permanently to any footbed shape through use, i.e. essentially through the effect of pressure and/or heat in the shoe while walking. When used for the first time, the insole deforms from its essentially flat basic shape into the shape corresponding to the footbed of the wearer and/or the shoe. This happens while retaining the elevations on the upper side, which are basically predetermined by the manufacturing process, as well as the ventilation openings. An effective reflex zone massage with a high level of comfort is thus retained even when adjusted, so that the insole can be used as an acupressure and relaxation sole for the whole day without any loss of comfort or functionality.

Since the insole is permanently adapted to the shape of the footbed through use, i.e. it does not change its shape when no pressure and/or heat is applied, it is possible to use the insole, if it is shaped as an insole, alternately in several shoes with the same wearing comfort.

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comfort. The renewed application of pressure and heat naturally results in the insole being adapted to a certain extent to the shape of the footbed of the corresponding shoe. This further increases comfort.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the insole has a hardness of 80° to 100° Shore A before use. A hardness of 95° Shore A is particularly preferred.

The significantly increased hardness of the insole compared to the state of the art significantly improves the massage effect of the raised areas. Nevertheless, the comfort is guaranteed by the adaptability of the insole to any three-dimensional footbed shape described above.

The relative hardness of the insole also makes it easy to insert an insole into a shoe.

In addition, the relatively harder but equally flexible material offers a high level of durability, in particular a high level of stability of the basic shape of the insole with the elevations and ventilation openings to prevent "running through".

When used while walking, the insole may be slightly softer due to the effect of pressure and/or heat. This can increase comfort in addition to the adaptability to the shape of the footbed. It goes without saying that the insole, which is slightly softer during use, essentially maintains its shape with the integrally formed elevations and ventilation openings, whereby, in contrast to the state of the art, there is no compression of the insole material and thus no deterioration of the

massage effect and wearing properties, and no reduction in service life. In the insole according to the invention, there are also no differences in hardness between the molded elevations and the rest of the insole, which could potentially limit wearing comfort.

Preferably, in one embodiment of the insole according to the invention, an acetate compound is used as the material, which is a foot-compatible resin in the form of an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). An acetate compound is preferred here, which is particularly skin-friendly and in particular anti-allergic and tactilely pleasant.

The material can be cast or injected into shape and offers particularly high fatigue strength during use.

The shape of the insole according to the invention is preferably such that the cushion-shaped elevations on the upper side rise by approximately 0.5 times to a maximum of 1.5 times the average thickness of the adjacent areas of the basic shape. The average thickness is to be regarded as the arithmetic mean of the thickness of the corresponding adjacent area of the insole along the edge of the elevations.

This preferred embodiment provides an optimal massage effect while at the same time being very comfortable to wear.

The cushion-shaped elevations are located in the area of selected reflex zones on the sole of the foot and/or in anatomically particularly suitable places. Their size can be adapted to the size of the corresponding reflex zones or reflex zone areas.

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The shape is essentially cushion- or teardrop-shaped with gently sloping flanks.

Furthermore, it is preferred if the insole has ventilation openings of a size of 2 to 5 mm ² to improve the ventilation of the sole of the foot and thus to increase comfort. These ventilation openings extend essentially from the upper to the lower side of the insole and can be arranged evenly and distributed essentially over the entire insole. An arrangement in partial areas of the insole is also possible. The areas of the elevations can also be provided with ventilation openings if particularly intensive ventilation is desired.

Preferably, the distance between the ventilation openings is chosen to be large enough so that there is no risk of the material of the insole tearing between two adjacent ventilation openings.

A first embodiment of the insole according to the invention with depressions on the upper side is particularly preferred, which have a depth of about 0.6 mm in relation to the upper side of the insole and a size of 2 to 5 mm ² . The depressions can be arranged distributed essentially over the entire upper side of the insole. An arrangement of the depressions only in partial areas of the upper side, as well as an arrangement of the depressions in the area of the cushion-shaped massaging elevations is also possible.

The indentations provide a particularly pleasant type of massage effect. This provides the foot with a large contact surface on the upper side of the insole, but the indentations provide an additional massage effect.

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A second embodiment of the insole according to the invention with studs on the upper side is also particularly preferred, which rise approximately 0.6 mm above the upper side of the insole and have a size of 2 to 5 mm ² . The reference plane is the adjacent area without taking into account the elevations and other studs. The studs can be evenly distributed and essentially over the entire upper side of the insole. An arrangement in partial areas on the upper side is also possible. The areas of the elevations can also be provided with studs if a particularly intensive reflex zone massage is desired. It is also possible for the insole according to the invention to be provided with both studs and depressions.

The nubs of the preferred embodiment provide a particularly intensive massage effect in addition to stimulating other reflex zones. In addition, the nubs on the upper side of the insole have a slip-reducing effect, especially when wearing fine socks, stockings or tights.

In a preferred embodiment, the insole according to the invention has an average thickness of 1.0 to 2 mm. A thickness of 1.5 mm is particularly preferred. The average thickness is the thickness of the essentially flat insole without elevations, knobs and ventilation openings. Due to the material used, this thickness is less than the thickness of prior art insoles made of foam material, since on the one hand the durability of the material used is greater and on the other hand, due to the stability of the material used in the invention, the compression of foam material does not have to be maintained by increasing the use of material, i.e. by increasing the average thickness of the insole.

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The reduced thickness offers the advantage of using less material and thus reducing costs, as well as the advantage of improved handling when inserting an insole shaped as an insole into a shoe. The reduced thickness also offers increased comfort and makes it easier to put on and take off the shoe, since the fit of the shoe is hardly changed by such an additional and subsequently inserted insole.

Further preferred is an embodiment of the insole according to the invention in which the insole in its essentially flat basic shape has an essentially flat lower side without elevations, i.e. a lower side without specially shaped accumulations of material extending over the middle lower surface.

In addition, the essentially flat lower side offers the further advantage of being easier to insert into a shoe when the inner sole is designed as an insole.

The lower side of the insole adapts to any footbed shape when in use. However, this does not result in any elevations in the sense of material accumulating in certain areas.

An additional advantage of the essentially flat lower side when the inner sole is designed as an insole is that it can be used as a reversible sole with two different functional sides. In such an application, the inner sole can, if desired, also be used as a comfortable insole that adapts to the shape of the foot by simply turning it over and inserting it into the other shoe (left or right).

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The insole can be used in a shoe with essentially no reflex zone massaging effect. This applies in particular in the case of an embodiment of the insole according to the invention with additional cover soles or at least with an additional cover sole which is arranged on one of the two sides of the insole, in particular of course on the essentially flat actual lower side of the insole. The essentially flat side equipped with the additional cover sole then offers a particularly high level of comfort with essentially no reflex zone massaging effect, which is perceived as pleasant in particular when walking barefoot in the shoe.

In order to easily adapt the insole according to the invention, in particular an insole designed as an insole, to a specific shoe and foot size, the insole in a particularly advantageous embodiment has linear elevations or groove-shaped depressions which determine the outline of the insole for different sizes or lengths. The corresponding elevations or depressions are advantageously attached in such a way that the cushion-shaped elevations for the reflex zone massage of an insole cut back to a specific size always lie essentially in the area of the corresponding reflex zones of the sole of the foot.

The ability to cut to different sizes saves manufacturing costs, as only one or two basic shapes of the insole (for men's and women's shoes) need to be produced to cover the common shoe size range. In addition, storage costs can be significantly reduced, as only one size of insole is required. In addition, the individual adaptability to the respective foot and shoe size ensures optimal comfort and a reliable massage effect on the reflex zones.

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The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments based on the accompanying drawings.

The drawings show:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an insole for a shoe according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of an insole for a shoe along the section A-A in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of an insole for a shoe according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an insole for a shoe along the section B-B in Fig. 3.

The first preferred embodiment of an insole 1 according to the invention shown in plan view in Fig. 1 offers an acupressure and relaxation sole suitable for reflexology massage with pleasant wearing properties.

The insole 1 has a basic shape that approximately corresponds to the outline of a foot or a shoe. On the upper side 5 there are integrally formed cushion-shaped or, when viewed from above, drop-shaped elevations 2, which are each assigned to corresponding reflex zones or reflex zone areas of the sole of the foot. Distributed essentially over the entire insole 1, with the exception of the areas of the elevations 2, there are also integrally formed massaging and anti-slip studs 4 and ventilation openings 3. The ventilation openings 3 extend from the upper side 5 through the insole 1. The studs 4 extend approximately 0.6 mm over the upper

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Page 5. The elevations 2 extend with their peaks approximately 2.0 mm above the upper side of the insole 1, which is on average 1.5 mm thick.

According to the invention, the material used is a foot-compatible ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) which adapts permanently to any footbed shape during use, particularly under the influence of pressure and/or heat. However, the insole is shown in Fig. 1 in its essentially flat basic shape before use. The insole 1 is manufactured by molding or injection molding.

Fig. 2 serves to illustrate the first preferred embodiment of the insole 1 according to the invention and shows a longitudinal section along the line A-A in Fig. 1.

A stud 4 and the elevation 2 rise above the essentially flat upper side 5 of the insole 1 facing the foot. The different heights of the apex area of the elevation 2 and the stud 4 are clearly visible. The elevation 2 extends like a plateau in the reflex zone area and has flanks that slope gently towards the middle upper side 5. The two ventilation openings 3 shown extend from the upper side 5 to the lower side 6 through the insole 1. The lower side 6 facing the shoe is essentially flat without any shaped elevations or additional thickening material accumulations.

Fig. 3 and 4 show a second preferred embodiment of an insole 1 according to the invention. This insole 1 of the second preferred embodiment corresponds essentially to the insole 1 already described in Fig. 1 and 2. In this case, identical reference numerals designate the same features of the insole according to the invention as already described in Fig. 1

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and 2. A more detailed description of these already mentioned features will therefore be omitted below.

Fig. 3 shows a top view of a second preferred embodiment of an insole 1 according to the invention, which has integrally formed depressions 8 on its upper side 5, distributed essentially over the entire insole 1 with the exception of the areas of the elevations 2. These depressions 8 have a depth of approximately 0.6 mm in relation to the upper side 5 of the insole 1 and have a size of 2 to 5 mm ² .

The preferred second embodiment of the insole 1 according to the invention shown in Fig. 3 has these depressions 8 instead of the studs 4 as provided in the first preferred embodiment of an insole 1 according to the invention according to Fig. 1. It is of course also possible to combine both embodiments (with studs 4 and with depressions 8) and thus to provide an insole 1 according to the invention which, for example, is provided with studs 4 in some areas and with depressions 8 in other areas. An alternating arrangement of studs 4 and depressions 8 over the upper side of the insole 1 is of course also conceivable.

Fig. 4 illustrates the structure of the second preferred embodiment of the insole 1 according to the invention in longitudinal section along the line B-B in Fig. 3.

In the case of the second preferred embodiment, the insole 1 according to the invention has an additional upper cover sole 7 on its upper side 5 and an additional lower cover sole 9 on its lower side 6. In this case, both cover soles are made of foot-friendly and air-permeable material. The additional upper cover sole 7 is applied to the upper side 5 of the insole 1 in such a way that it follows the contour of the integrally formed cushion-shaped elevations 2 as well as the contour of the ventilation openings 3 and the depressions 8. In particular, as shown in Fig. 4, the additional cover sole 7

also the inner walls of the ventilation openings 3, with the additional insole 7 extending essentially to the lower side 6 of the insole 1 according to the invention. Although the ventilation openings 3 in Fig. 4 appear to be closed off by the additional insoles 7 and 9 essentially on the lower side 6 of the insole 1, a very good ventilation effect is nevertheless achieved due to the suitable choice of the air-permeable materials used for these additional insoles 7 and 9. It would also be conceivable for the insoles 7 and 9 not to be continuous in the area of the ventilation openings 3, but to have openings of a corresponding size there, so that ventilation can take place directly through the ventilation openings 3 without further intermediate layers.

The additional insoles 7 and 9 are applied to the upper side 5 and the lower side 6 of the insole, for example, by gluing and pressing, whereby in particular the upper additional insole 7 but of course also the lower additional insole 9 can particularly well and safely follow the contour of the upper side 5 with the depressions 8, the elevations 2 and the ventilation openings 3 or the lower side 6 of the insole 1 according to the invention.

Claims (14)

1. Insole ( 1 ) for a shoe, with an outline that essentially corresponds to the outline of the shoe, which has on its upper side (5) facing the foot several integrally molded cushion-shaped elevations ( 2 ) in the region of reflex zones of the sole of the foot as well as ventilation openings ( 3 ), characterized in that the insole ( 1 ) consists of an acetate compound, in particular a polyethylene compound, and through use adapts permanently to any footbed shape from an originally essentially flat basic shape. 2. Insole according to claim 1, characterized in that the insole ( 1 ) has a hardness of 90° to 100° Shore A, in particular a hardness of 95° Shore A, before use. 3. Insole according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the acetate compound is a foot-compatible resin in the form of an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). 4. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cushion-shaped elevations ( 2 ) rise on the upper side (5) by approximately 0.5 to 1.5 times the average thickness of adjacent regions of the other basic shape. 5. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the insole ( 1 ) has an average thickness of 1.0 to 2.0 mm, in particular 1.5 mm. 6. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the ventilation openings ( 3 ) have a size of 2 to 5 mm ² . 7. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the insole ( 1 ) in its essentially flat basic shape has an essentially flat lower side (6). 8. Insole according to claim 7, characterized in that the lower side (6) has an additional lower cover sole ( 9 ), in particular made of a foot-compatible and air-permeable material, preferably of a textile material. 9. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the insole has at least on its upper side (5) an additional upper cover sole ( 7 ) made of a foot-compatible material, in particular leather or a textile material. 10. Insole according to claim 9, characterized in that the additional upper insole ( 7 ) also lines the ventilation openings ( 3 ). 11. Insole according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the additional upper insole ( 7 ) is substantially permeable to air. 12. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the insole ( 1 ) has elevations which determine the outline of the insole ( 1 ) for different foot and shoe sizes. 13. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the insole ( 1 ) has depressions (8) on the upper side ( 5 ) which have a depth of approximately 0.6 mm with respect to the upper side (5) of the insole and a size of 2 to 5 mm ² . 14. Insole according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the insole ( 1 ) has knobs (4) on the upper side ( 5 ) which rise approximately 0.6 mm above the upper side (5) of the insole and have a size of 2 to 5 mm ² .