Footwear having slow recovery liner

• US 5,946,825 A
• Filed: 01/31/1997
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nine West Development Corporation (Premier Brands Group Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nine West Group Incorporated (Premier Brands Group Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Ludemann, John F., Koh, Kanae H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STASHICK, ANTHONY D
• Application Number:
  US08/792,873
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 36/88, 36/71, 36/43, 36/44, 36/55, 36/54, 36/72 R, 36/37
• US Class Current: 36/44
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/40 with cushions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/028 Resilient uppers, e.g. shock absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/26 Tongues for shoes

Abstract

A cushion for use inside footwear having an interior for receiving a foot of a wearer. The cushion includes a liner made of cushioning material. The liner is sized and shaped for reception on an interior surface of the footwear in a position for engaging the foot when the foot is inserted into the interior of the footwear for cushioning an interface between the foot and the interior surface of the footwear with which the liner is engaged. The liner includes a visual cushioning indicator for visually indicating the operability of the cushion to perform a cushioning function during an immediately prior use by the wearer and for subsequent use.

Claims

1. A cushion for use inside footwear having an interior for receiving a foot of a wearer, the cushion comprising:

a liner made of cushioning material sized and shaped for reception on a sole of the footwear in a position for engaging the foot when the foot is inserted into the interior of the footwear for cushioning an interface between the foot and the sole, the liner including a visual cushioning indicator for visually indicating the operability of the cushion to perform a cushioning function during an immediately prior use by the wearer and for subsequent use, the visual cushioning indicator comprising;

at least one protrusion projecting upward from a surface of the liner as received on the sole of the footwear, the protrusion having a cushioning active status in which the protrusion projects visually perceptibly outward from an adjacent area of the liner in an uncompressed state when the region of the liner including the protrusion is not compressed and in which the protrusion generally conforms to the shape of the adjacent area of the liner in a compressed state when the region including the protrusion is compressed so as not to project visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area, the protrusion further having a cushioning inactive status in which the protrusion does not project visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area in either of the compressed and uncompressed states of the region of the liner including the protrusion, and

a first layer of slow recovery foam having an uncompressed thickness and capable of being compressed in a region engaged by the foot to a compressed thickness which is less than the uncompressed thickness, said first layer being constructed to return the compressed region from the compressed thickness substantially to the uncompressed thickness at a rate selected to permit the wearer to remove the footwear from the foot and visually inspect the region returning substantially to the uncompressed thickness thereby to visually indicate that the cushion is functioning to cushion the foot with the sole of the footwear;

a cloth sheet overlying said first layer as received on the sole of the footwear; and

a second layer of foam underlying said first layer as received on the sole of the footwear, said second layer having an uncompressed thickness and capable of being compressed in a region engaged by the foot to a compressed thickness which is less than the uncompressed thickness, said second layer of foam being constructed to return the compressed region from the compressed thickness substantially to the uncompressed thickness at a faster rate than that of said first layer.

2. A cushion as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first layer has less resistance to compression than said second layer.

3. A cushion as set forth in claim 2 wherein the cushion is a sockliner for removable reception over the sole of the footwear.

4. A cushion as set forth in claim 3 wherein the sockliner includes an arch along a medial side of the sockliner for supporting a medial portion of the foot and a wall defining a heel cup extending rearward from the arch, around a rearward end of the sockliner and forward to a lateral side of the sockliner opposite the medial side for receiving a heel of the foot of the wearer to mold flesh of the heel into a cushioning position under a heel bone of the wearer.

5. A cushion for use inside footwear having an interior for receiving a foot of a wearer, the cushion comprising a liner made of cushioning material sized for reception on an interior surface of the footwear in a position for engaging the foot when the foot is inserted into the interior of the footwear for cushioning an interface between the foot and the interior surface of the footwear with which the liner is engaged, the liner including a visual cushioning indicator for visually indicating the operability of the cushion to perform a cushioning function during an immediately prior use by the wearer and for subsequent use, the visual cushioning indicator comprising at least one protrusion formed in a surface of the liner, the protrusion having a cushioning active status in which the protrusion projects visually perceptibly outward from an adjacent area of the liner in an uncompressed state when the region of the liner including the protrusion is not compressed and in which the protrusion generally conforms to the shape of the adjacent area of the liner in a compressed state when the region including the protrusion is compressed so as not to project visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area, the protrusion further having a cushioning inactive status in which the protrusion does not project visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area in either of the compressed and uncompressed states of the region of the liner including the protrusion, wherein the cushion is sized and shaped for reception on an inside surface of a tongue of the footwear so that the protrusions project generally downward as received on the tongue of the footwear.

6. A cushion as set forth in claim 5 further comprising a cloth sheet underlying the layer as received on the tongue of the footwear.

7. A cushion for use inside footwear having an interior for receiving a foot of a wearer, the cushion comprising a liner made of cushioning material sized for reception on an interior surface of the footwear in a position for engaging the foot when the foot is inserted into the interior of the footwear for cushioning an interface between the foot and the interior surface of the footwear with which the liner is engaged, the liner including a visual cushioning indicator for visually indicating the operability of the cushion to perform a cushioning function during an immediately prior use by the wearer and for subsequent use, the visual cushioning indicator comprising at least one protrusion formed in a surface of the liner, the protrusion having a cushioning active status in which the protrusion projects visually perceptibly outward from an adjacent area of the liner in an uncompressed state when the region of the liner including the protrusion is not compressed and in which the protrusion generally conforms to the shape of the adjacent area of the liner in a compressed state when the region including the protrusion is compressed so as not to project visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area, the protrusion further having a cushioning inactive status in which the protrusion does not project visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area in either of the compressed and uncompressed states of the region of the liner including the protrusion, wherein the layer of slow recovery foam is constructed to return the compressed region from the compressed thickness substantially to the uncompressed thickness in about five to about ten seconds after the foot is removed from the interior of the footwear.

8. A cushion for use inside footwear to provide cushioning to a foot received within the footwear, the cushion comprising:

a first layer made of compliant slow recovery foam having an initial thickness prior to use and a compressed thickness thinner than said initial thickness during use resulting from pressure applied to the cushion by the foot, said slow recovery foam being sized for reception on an interior surface of the footwear and having a resiliency capable of restoring the cushion substantially to said initial thickness after the foot is withdrawn from the footwear and pressure is relieved from the cushion, the resiliency of said slow recovery foam being selected to restore the cushion to said initial thickness sufficiently slowly that the foot may be withdrawn from the footwear and the cushion may be visually inspected before the resiliency fully restores the cushion to said initial thickness thereby providing a visual indication that the cushion effectively cushioned the foot during prior use and is capable of effectively cushioning the foot during future use, said first layer of slow recovery foam including at least one protrusion formed in a surface of said first layer, the protrusion protecting visually perceptibly outward from an adjacent area of said first layer when the protrusion and adjacent area are not compressed to indicate that the cushion effectively cushioned the foot during prior use and is capable of effectively cushioning the foot during future use and not protecting visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area of said first laver when the protrusion and adjacent area are not compressed to indicate that the cushion has a reduced capability of effectively cushioning the foot during future use, wherein the cushion is sized and shaped for reception on a sole of the footwear so that the protrusions project upward as received on the sole of the footwear;

a cloth sheet overlying said first layer as received on the sole of the footwear; and

a second layer of foam underlying said first layer as received on the sole of the footwear, said second layer having an uncompressed thickness and being capable of being compressed in a region engaged by the foot to a compressed thickness which is less than the uncompressed thickness, said second layer being constructed to return the compressed region from the compressed thickness substantially to the uncompressed thickness at a faster rate than said first layer.

9. A cushion as set forth in claim 8 wherein said first layer has less resistance to compression than said second layer.

10. A cushion as set forth in claim 9 wherein the cushion is a sockliner for removable reception on the sole of the footwear.

11. A cushion as set forth in claim 10 wherein the sockliner includes an arch along a medial side of the sockliner for supporting a medial portion of the foot and a wall defining a heel cup extending rearward from the arch, around a rearward end of the sockliner and forward to a lateral side of the sockliner opposite the medial side for receiving a heel of the foot of the wearer to mold flesh of the heel into a cushioning position under a heel bone of the wearer.

12. A cushion for use inside footwear to provide cushioning to a foot received within the footwear, the cushion comprising a layer made of compliant slow recovery foam having an initial thickness prior to use and a compressed thickness thinner than said initial thickness during use resulting from pressure applied to the cushion by the foot, the foam being sized for reception on an interior surface of the footwear and having a resiliency capable of restoring the cushion substantially to said initial thickness after the foot is withdrawn from the footwear and pressure is relieved from the cushion, the resiliency of the foam being selected to restore the cushion to said initial thickness sufficiently slowly that the foot may be withdrawn from the footwear and the cushion may be visually inspected before the resiliency fully restores the cushion to said initial thickness thereby providing a visual indication that the cushion effectively cushioned the foot during prior use and is capable of effectively cushioning the foot during future use, wherein the layer of slow recovery foam includes at least one protrusion formed in a surface of the layer, the protrusion projecting visually perceptibly outward from an adjacent area of the layer when the protrusion and adjacent area are not compressed to indicate that the cushion effectively cushioned the foot during prior use and is capable of effectively cushioning the foot during future use and not protecting visually perceptibly outward from the adjacent area of the layer when the protrusion and adjacent area are not compressed to indicate that the cushion has a reduced capability of effectively cushioning the foot during future use, and wherein the cushion is sized and shaped for reception on an inside surface of a tongue of the footwear so that the protrusions project generally downward as received on the tongue of the footwear.