System and method for forming custom-made shoe inserts

• US 4,876,758 A
• Filed: 03/31/1987
• Issued: 10/31/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amfit LLC
• Original Assignee: Amfit, Inc
• Inventors: Lamb, Reginald T., Rolloff, Paul D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meyers, Steven N.
• Application Number:
  US07/034,077
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 12/1 R, 12/146 C, 12/146 D, 12/146 M, 12/146 L, 12/142 N, 128/779, 128/80 DB, 33/504, 33/512, 33/551, 33/515, 33/552, 33/560, 33/561
• US Class Current: 12/142.00N
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/28 Adapting the inner sole or the side of the upper of the shoe to the sole of the foot
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 1/02 Foot-measuring devices measuring the shape, pattern or size of the body for diagnostic purposes A61B5/103, e.g. measuring physical dimensions A61B5/107
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 1/022 involving making footprints or permanent moulds of the foot
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 39/00 Machines for making foot-supporting pads or instep-raisers for flat feet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1078 by moulding
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4207 in which a model is traced or scanned and corresponding data recorded
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36048 Verify, probe workpiece, if position deviation edit, modify program
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37043 Touch probe, store position of touch point on surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37054 Digitize every grid point of a raster
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37057 Several feelers, probes touch model in rasterpoints
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45243 Shoe, footwear making
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49025 By positioning plurality of rods, pins to form together a mold, maquette

Abstract

A foot impression unit is provided with an array of gauging elements, a control mechanism for urging the gauging elements into contact with the undersurface of a person'"'"'s foot to form an impression of the undersurface of the foot, a locking mechanism for releasably locking the gauging elements in place to retain that impression, and a sensing mechanism for scanning the gauging elements to produce digital signals indicative of the positions of the gauging elements. These digital signals are stored and processed by a computer to provide a stored data record serving as a digital representation of the impression of the undersurface of the foot. The computer may also be employed to provide stored additional information for modifying that data record to compensate for a perceived defect of the foot. In response to the stored data record and any stored additional information for modifying that data record, a shaping unit shapes an insert blank to form a custom-made shoe insert conforming to the undersurface of the foot and compensating for any perceived defect of the foot.

Claims

1. Apparatus for digitizing the undersurface of a person'"'"'s foot, said apparatus comprising:

an array of gauging elements, each of aid gauging elements including an activator;

a frame for supporting the person'"'"'s foot and for supporting the gauging elements in spaced relationship for independently guided movement towards the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot;

control means, supported by the frame, for urging the gauging elements into contact with the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot;

sensor means, supported by the frame and movable relative to the gauging elements, for scanning the gauging elements to sense the positions of the gauging elements and produce digital signals indicative of those positions;

said sensor means including a plurality of sensors, each corresponding to an associated one of the gauging elements, and a support structure, movably supported by the frame adjacent to each of the gauging elements, for supporting each of the sensors adjacent to the corresponding gauging element;

each of said sensors being operable, when moved adjacent to the activator of the corresponding gauging element, for detecting that activator to sense the position of the corresponding gauging element and produce a digital signal indicative of that position;

control means, supported by the frame and coupled to the support structure of the sensor means, for moving the support structure and the sensors supported thereon relative to the gauging elements to scan the gauging elements; and

storage means, coupled to the sensor means, for storing the digital signals indicative of the positions of the gauging elements to provide a digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein:

each of said gauging elements includes a magnetic activator; and

each of said sensors comprises a hall-effect sensor for detecting the magnetic activator of the corresponding gauging element.

3. A method of producing a custom-made shoe insert for a person'"'"'s foot, said method comprising the steps of:

forming a digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot;

storing the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot;

modifying the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot to compensate for a defect of the person'"'"'s foot; and

shaping a blank of material in accordance with the modified digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot to form the custom-made shoe insert.

4. A method of producing a custom-made shoe insert for a person'"'"'s foot, said method comprising the steps of:

forming a digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot;

storing the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot;

storing information for modifying the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot; and

shaping a blank of material in accordance with the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot and the information for modifying that digital representation to form the custom-made shoe insert.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein said last-mentioned storing step comprises storing information for modifying the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot to provide compensation for one or more characteristics of the person'"'"'s foot.

6. A method as in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying a specified area of the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot in accordance with a specified ramp correction.

7. The method as in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying a specified area of the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot in accordance with a ramp correction having a specified maximum height at the inside or outside of the person'"'"'s foot.

8. A method as in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying the entire digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot in accordance with a constant height adjustment.

9. A method as in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying a specified area of the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot in accordance with a specified pad or depression of specified shape, size, position and thickness or depth.

10. A method as in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot in accordance with a specified constant percentage increase or decrease in height.

11. A method in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying a specified area of the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot in accordance with a ramp correction having a specified maximum height increase at the heel end of the person'"'"'s foot.

12. A method as in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying a toe crest or sulcus portion of the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot by a specified amount.

13. A method as in claim 5 wherein said information is operable for modifying the digital representation of the undersurface of the person'"'"'s foot by prompting an operator to modify the custom-made shoe insert in a specified manner.