A foot bed insertable into a shoe and heat moldable to conform to the user's foot is provided. The foot bed comprises a three layer laminate in which the base, or bottom, layer comprises a relatively thick, heat deformable foam rubber material which maintains a compression set upon cooling. The middle layer is of foamed elastomer which is highly resistant to permanent deformation both of ambient temperature and at the moderately elevated temperatures used in molding the base layer. A top, or face, layer which is thinner and less compressible than the middle layer acts to uniformly distribute compression loads to the middle layer and to transmit lateral movements for absorption within the middle layer.
A shoe insole having superior cushioning and comfort, good resistance to buckling, and excellent retention of cushioning properties after wear. The insole consists of three layers: (a) a bottom layer having compressive strength of at least 0.3 kg/cm.sup.2 at 40% strain, (b) an intermediate layer having less compressive strength at 40% strain than the bottom layer, and (c) a top layer constructed of fabric. The three layers are laminated together and shaped to fit inside of an article of footwear.
A shoe insert for use with a shoe or sneaker to reduce impact to the foot and to absorb shock and attenuate shock to the foot. The insert is comprised of a base layer of a relatively resilient material, a foam layer disposed over the base layer, a fabric disposed over the foam layer and means integrally forming the base layer, foam layer and fabric into a sheet tri-laminate. A support layer is disposed only at the heel area and is constructed of a rigid material of higher density than that of the tri-laminate. Means are provided for attaching and forming the tri-laminate with the support layer.
A shoe insert for use with a shoe or sneaker to reduce impact to the foot and to absorb shock and attenuate shock to the foot. The insert is comprised of a base layer of a relatively resilient material, a foam layer disposed over the base layer, a fabric disposed over the foam layer and means integrally forming the base layer, foam layer and fabric into a sheet tri-laminate. A support layer is disposed only at the heel area and is constructed of a rigid material of higher density than that of the tri-laminate. Means are provided for attaching and forming the tri-laminate with the support layer.
A shoe insert for use with a shoe or sneaker to reduce impact to the foot and to absorb shock and attenuate shock to the foot. The insert is comprised of a base layer of a relatively resilient material, a foam layer disposed over the base layer, a fabric disposed over the foam layer and means integrally forming the base layer, foam layer and fabric into a sheet tri-laminate. A support layer is disposed only at the heel area and is constructed of a rigid material of higher density than that of the tri-laminate. Means are provided for attaching and forming the tri-laminate with the support layer.
A custom insole is made up of a plurality of layers of a thermoformable material united together at their interfaces to conform in size and contour to the bottom surface of a foot, the layers comprising at least one strength layer and at least one filler layer united to the strength layer and contoured to conform to the bottom surface of the foot; and an arch flange curves upwardly for a distance to laterally support the bone structure in the arch area of the foot. In the method of making the insole, an unformed blank of thermoformable material is placed on a resilient support portion with the ball portion on a firm surface and, by placing the foot on top of the layers and applying downward pressure, it will cause the heel of the foot to form a depression in the heel portion and the ball portion of the foot to flatten out the layers resting on the firm surface. When the foot is removed, the blank is removed and the bottom surface beneath the heel is flattened to align it with the flat undersurface of the ball portion of the insole.
