Boots – shoes – and leggings – Orthopedic boot or shoe with corrective element – Arch support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-25
2002-02-12
Yu, Mickey (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Orthopedic boot or shoe with corrective element
Arch support
C036S091000, C036S145000, C036S161000, C036S156000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06345455
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of therapeutic arch supports for feet, and more particularly to a therapeutic arch support having an arch curve being flexibly adjustable during use and a method of using the arch support.
2. Description of Related Art
Prior arch supports provide flexible cushioning material for support of an arch of a foot. Typical prior art insole supports have provided pliable cushion pads that can be utilized to build up the cushioning materials of a shoe insole for support of an arch. An adjustable arch support is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,985, issued to DeMarchi, which discloses a sport boot that contains a sole overlaid by an upper boot having an internal support surface for the foot. Within the sport boot is a supporting structure that includes a flexible, elastically deformable series of upper tongues that extend upwards against the internal sidewall of the sport boot, and includes a deformable series of lower support blades that extend downwards toward the internal support surface of the sport boot. A central control blade is adjustable laterally with a control screw built into the base of the sport boot. The lateral movement of the central control blade adjusts the arch support provided in the horizontal direction to adapt the support blades against the arch of the user's foot. The control screw requires adjustment with a screw driver or similar tool while the sport boot sole is stationary to allow horizontal adjustment of the central control blade, thereby limiting the adjustment of the arch support to unweighted situations between strides by a wearer of the sport boot. The control blades are required to be installed as a unit into a specially designed sport boot having the required adjustment screws.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,153, issued to Fisher et al., discloses an insole for relieving bottom of heel pain by providing a pliable contoured insole with upwardly curved arch and a depression for the heel of the foot. The curved arch support is offered in a non-adjustable height.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,528, issued to Skinner et al., discloses a cushion insole including a separate arch support member which can be replaced as a unit with similar arch support members of various sizes to conform to the arch of the user. The arch support member can be moved forward or backwards and is required to be replaced as a unit with the cushion insole removed from the shoe of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,157, issued to Boisvert, et al., discloses an adjustable shoe insole having superimposed layers of flexible pad materials such as leather and/or cork that are stacked for height adjustment of the arch support. The height of the arch area is adjusted by adding or removing of flexible pad materials when the insole is removed from the shoe and/or the foot is removed from the shoe and not contacting the insole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,329, issued to Herbig, discloses an adjustable arch support having an interior arch member that is adjustable horizontally with an adjusting screw. The interior arch member is only moved as a unit and the curvature of the arch curve is not altered during horizontal movement. The arch support is inserted into a shoe as a unit and requires a hollow area to accommodate the adjusting screw which is turned by an adjusting tool while the shoe is stationary and unweighted.
The prior adjustable arch supports only provide arch adjustments that are generally lateral movements of members controlled by adjusting screws that require significant modifications to enclosing shoes or supporting sports boots. Therefore, there is a need for an improved adjustable arch orthotic providing therapeutic support of the longitudinal arch of a foot, with the medial longitudinal arch curve of the orthotic being intrinsically self-adjusting in height during each weighted and unweighted cycle during walking or running. There is another need for providing a method of treatment using an orthosis having an adjustable medial longitudinal arch curvature that is selectively adjustable in height and slope by the user of the orthosis under a physician's direction for treatment of heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, arch pain, tendinitis, and/or metatarsalgia. An additional need is to provide an orthotic having repetitively adjustable height and slope of the medial longitudinal arch curve, with the height and slope of the arch curve being extrinsically adjustable by user manipulation of a tensioning means connecting to the underside of the arch curve for therapeutic strengthening of the arch and foot to prevent recurrence of arch and foot pain.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable arch curve orthotic for therapeutic support of the arch of the foot and that is removably insertable in any appropriately sized shoe and/or boot of a user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable arch curve orthotic for therapeutic support of the arch of the foot and that is removably placable in and/or on an appropriately sized sandal of a user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an arch curve orthosis having an inherently and repetitively adjustable arch curve height of the orthosis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable orthosis providing rigid support for the forefoot and heel areas of the foot, and providing adjustable slopes of the anterior and posterior curves of the arch region of the orthosis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a removably insertable orthotic having a medial longitudinal arch curvature that adjusts in height with each step taken by the user of the orthosis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an orthosis having an adjustable medial longitudinal arch curvature that is selectively adjustable in height and slope by the user of the orthosis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of utilizing an orthosis having an adjustable medial longitudinal arch curvature that supports the arch of the foot to prevent the arch from collapsing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for treatment of inflamation and pain in the feet by applying an orthosis having an adjustable medial longitudinal arch curve that is selectively adjustable in height and slope by the user of the orthosis applied against the foot or feet of the user.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Other subjects and advantages will be accomplished by the present invention which comprises an improved arch support orthosis including an arch curvature being self-adjustable during use, the arch support orthosis being fittable underneath the foot and being sized and shaped to be removably placed proximal a foot supporting surface of a shoe of a user. The arch support orthosis is sized for support of the foot from about the metatarsal bones of the foot to about the calcaneus bone of the foot, with the orthosis including a first or upper surface having a plurality of contours for support of the foot. The orthosis includes a second surface being downwardly faced for contact with the supporting surface of the shoe. The orthosis further includes a medial portion and a lateral portion on opposed sides of a medial longitudinal arch curve of the orthosis being sized to be removably placed underneath the medial longitudinal arch of the foot of a user.
The forefoot portion of the orthosis is shaped to be positionable underneath the metatarsal bones of the foot. The heel portion of the orthosis is shaped to be positionable underneath the calcaneus bone of the foot. The medial portion of the first or upper surface of the orthosis is shaped to be positionable underneath the arch of the foot, with the medial longitudinal arch curve being generally convex in curvature. The arch curve includes an anterior slope that is inclined at the leading porti
Greer, Jr. Jack K.
Reed, Jr. W. Gilmer
Greer Reed Biomedical, LLC
Greer, Jr. Jack K.
Moh'andesi Jila M.
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