Inversion/eversion limiting support
First Claim
1. An article of footwear having a longitudinal axis extending between a heel region and a toe region, and a transverse axis extending substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis between medial and lateral sides of the article of footwear, said article of footwear comprising:
- an upper and a sole; and
at least one support including at least one finger-like support element extending along said upper, said at least one finger-like support element having a breadth extending a distance generally away from said upper and a width extending a distance generally along said upper, said distance that said breadth extends away from said upper being greater than said distance that said width extends along said upper so that said at least one finger-like element is capable of flexing in a plantar/dorsi flexion plane and resists flexing in a medial/lateral flexion plane for limiting eversion/inversion.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved article of footwear for limiting inversion and eversion of the ankle is disclosed. The article of footwear includes at least one support which limits eversion and inversion while permitting a full range of motion in the plantar and dorsi flexion plane. The support includes a plurality of finger-like elements extending vertically upward from the sole along the upper The breadth of each finger-like element is greater than its width so that the element will freely bend in the dorsi and plantar flexion plane and not in the medial and lateral flexion plane. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the article of footwear has supports located in the rear-foot, mid-foot and forefoot regions of the article of footwear for preventing inversion and eversion as well as for enhancing the fit of the article of footwear and containing the foot over the sole.
109 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An article of footwear having a longitudinal axis extending between a heel region and a toe region, and a transverse axis extending substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis between medial and lateral sides of the article of footwear, said article of footwear comprising:
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an upper and a sole; and at least one support including at least one finger-like support element extending along said upper, said at least one finger-like support element having a breadth extending a distance generally away from said upper and a width extending a distance generally along said upper, said distance that said breadth extends away from said upper being greater than said distance that said width extends along said upper so that said at least one finger-like element is capable of flexing in a plantar/dorsi flexion plane and resists flexing in a medial/lateral flexion plane for limiting eversion/inversion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An article of footwear having medial/lateral support for limiting eversion/inversion comprising:
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an upper and a sole attached to each other; a support for limiting flexion in a medial/lateral flexion plane, said support including a plurality of spaced apart, radially extending finger-like support elements and a support base; said support base secured to said sole and said finger-like support elements extending upwardly from said base along said upper, each said finger-like support element having a breadth extending away from said upper a greater distance than said respective finger-like support element extends along said upper; and said base including a lower portion which extends a distance along said sole in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of said article of footwear, said distance being sufficient to support said base without effecting the comfort of the user while wearing the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An article of footwear having increased support for limiting inversion/eversion comprising:
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an upper operatively attached to a sole and extending between a heel area and a toe area of said article of footwear; a radially shaped support extending along said upper and including a base and at least one flexible finger-like support element extending away from said base and along said upper, said at least one finger-like support element extends a first distance away from said upper and a second distance along said upper, said first distance being greater than said second distance such that said finger-like support element easily flexes in a heel/toe flexion plane and resists flexion in a direction perpendicular to said heel/toe flexion plane; and said support having a contour which conforms to curvatures of an ankle region of a user so that the article of footwear comfortably receives and supports an ankle when worn. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification