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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
First Claim
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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, anda 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.

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