Orthotic positioning apparatus and system
View Patent ↗An orthotic positioning apparatus includes a shoe having an interior and an exterior upper. The exterior upper includes a perimeter edge defining an elongate opening extending between a toe box and a foot opening. An insole is removably disposed within the interior and includes a toe area having multiple resilient toe separator elements projecting upwardly from a top surface of the insole along an arc. When the insole is disposed in the interior of the shoe, the resilient toe separator elements are positioned in the toe box and configured to separate adjacent toes of a user. A top edge of a cover is pivotally coupled to the toe box and configured to cover the elongate opening. The cover selectively pivots upwardly such that the elongate opening exposes the resilient toe separator elements.
1 . An orthotic positioning apparatus, comprising:
a shoe extending along a longitudinal axis, the shoe comprising an interior, an exterior upper, a foot opening, and a toe box, wherein the exterior upper comprises a perimeter edge defining an elongate opening extending between the toe box and the foot opening;
an insole removably disposed within the interior, wherein the insole comprises a top surface, a bottom surface, and a toe area configured to receive a user's toes;
a plurality of resilient toe separator elements disposed at the toe area, the plurality of resilient toe separator elements projecting upwardly from the top surface along an arc and positioned within the toe box, each of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements including a proximal end adjacent the toe area, a distal end opposite the proximal end, and a width configured to separate adjacent toes of the user's foot by a predetermined distance; a planar connector strip interconnecting the proximal ends of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements, the connector strip including an upper surface, each of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements projecting upwardly from the upper surface, wherein the bottom surface of the insole comprises a recess configured to receive the connector strip; and a cover configured to cover the elongate opening, wherein the cover comprises a side edge, a bottom edge substantially adjacent to the foot opening, and a top edge pivotally coupled to the toe box, wherein the cover is configured to selectively pivot from at least one of the top edge and the side edge to an open configuration such that the elongate opening is configured to expose the plurality of resilient toe separator elements in the open configuration when the insole is disposed in the shoe.
2 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the perimeter edge comprises a pair of lateral edges disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis and separated by a distance corresponding to a width of the toe area.
3 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising at least one stabilization element extending perpendicularly between the pair of lateral edges.
4 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the stabilization element obstructs at least a portion of the elongate opening.
5 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the stabilization element is at least one of adjustable and removable.
6 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the side edge of the cover is removably coupled to the lateral edges of the exterior upper via a zipper.
7 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the shoe and the insole comprises a heel configured to provide zero-drop.
8 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises an attachment portion disposed adjacent to the bottom edge.
9 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the exterior upper comprises an engagement element configured to selectively engage the attachment portion.
10 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the insole comprises a predetermined space between adjacent resilient toe separator elements, wherein the predetermined space is configured to accommodate one of the user's toes.
11 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined space is between 1.0 cm and 1.8 cm.
12 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the width of each of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements is less than the predetermined space.
13 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements comprises a dome shape having an elongate top surface extending along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis.
14 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements comprises a height greater than or equal to the predetermined space.
15 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the height ranges between 1.0 cm and 2.2 cm.
16 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements extends through the insole between the bottom surface and the top surface.
17 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of resilient toe separator elements includes a uniform cross-sectional area extending from the proximal end to the distal end.
18 . The orthotic positioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the connector strip is rigid such that the connector strip provides support and stability to the plurality of resilient toe separator elements.