Footwear and the manufacture thereof
An insole board for a high-heel shoe, said insole board includes a heel supporting area having a concave heel cup adapted to underlie a heel of the wearer, a medial arch support area adapted to underlie the arch of the wearer's foot and extending toeward of but short of the ball of the wearer's foot, and a forefoot area adapted to underlie the ball of the foot and forefoot of the wearer. The medial arch support area has a raised contour for supporting a portion of a sole of the wearer's foot underlying the wearer's arch, and the forefoot support area includes a hollow having a resiliently deformable material therein.
1. An insole hoard for a high-heel shoe, said insole board comprising a heel supporting area having a concave heel cup adapted to underlie a heel of the wearer, a medial arch support area adapted to underlie the arch of the wearer's foot and extending toeward of but short of the ball of the wearer's foot, and a forefoot area adapted to underlie the ball of the foot and forefoot of the wearer, wherein the medial arch support area has a raised contoured element formed of a firm but resiliently deformable material having a durometer of 28-32 on the Shore C scale adapted to underlie between a highest point of the arch of the wearer's foot between the 2 nd to 4 th metatarsals of the wearer's foot and extending toewards of but terminating short of the ball of the wearer's foot, and the forefoot support area includes a cut out filled with a plug of a resiliently deformable material having a durometer of 28-32 on the Shore C scale, adapted to underlie the heads of the metatarsals of the wearer's foot.
2. The insole hoard of claim 1 , wherein the concave heel cup further includes a padding or cushion formed of a resiliently deformable material.
3. The insole board of claim 2 , wherein the concave heel cup is padded or cushioned with a resiliently deformable material having a durometer in the range of 28-32 on the Shore C scale.
4. The insole board of claim 1 , wherein the raised contoured element is bonded or glued directly to a foot supporting surface of the insole board.
5. The insole board of claim 1 , wherein the raised contoured element is fastened onto the insole board via sewing, bonding, gluing or friction fit.
6. The insole board of claim 1 , wherein the foot supporting surface of the insole board is covered, at least in part with a resiliently deformable foam liner.
7. The insole board of claim 6 , wherein the resiliently deformable foam liner is covered at least in part with a natural leather or synthetic material liner.
8. The insole board of claim 7 , wherein the natural leather or synthetic material liner extends from the heel to the medial arch support area of the insole board.
9. The insole board of claim 7 , wherein the leather or synthetic liner extends from the heel toeward but short of the ball of the wearer's foot.
10. The insole board of claim 7 , wherein the medial arch support area contoured element is mounted to the insole board, and is covered by the leather or synthetic liner.
11. The insole board of claim 1 , Wherein the insole board is formed of an injection molded polymer material.
12. The insole board of claim 11 , wherein the injection molded polymer material comprises polypropylene.
13. The insole board of claim 1 , wherein the raised contoured element is formed of a low density ethyl vinyl acetate.
14. A shoe comprising an insole board as claimed in claim 1 .