INSOLE

The present invention relates to insoles and, more particularly, to an insole which provides sufficient support to not only enable a shoe wearer to stand comfortably and walk comfortably, but also provide a buffer for foot treading, thereby enhancing the practicability of the insole.

A human being's feet bear her or his body weight, regardless of whether s/he is standing, walking, or running. With health awareness on the rise, an insole is often placed in a shoe to protect the human foot therein. In view of this, shoe manufacturers are keen to make insoles lighter, more comfortable, and tougher.

A conventional insole typically comes with an airbag therein to absorb impacts exerted by the heel. However, the airbag is disposed only at the heel-corresponding portion of the insole and thus fails to soothe the human foot completely, because of non-uniform distribution of pressure on the human foot in the course of foot treading.

In addition to non-uniform distribution of pressure on the human foot in the course of foot treading, the conventional airbag-equipped insole fails to give sufficient protection to the human foot because of variations in the shoe wearer's posture, center of gravity, and shape of the foot.

When designed to be full-foot sized, the conventional airbag-equipped insole bends to the detriment of its service life while the shoe wearer is walking or running. Furthermore, the conventional full-foot, airbag-equipped insole has a larger surface area, thereby incurring high production costs.

Therefore, it is important to provide an insole equipped with an airbag and characterized in that: a gas flows well within the airbag to give sufficient support, render walking or running smooth, and give comfort to the foot, while the shoe wearer is walking or running; the insole makes lengthy standing less tiring; the insole has a long service life; and the sole incurs low production costs.

In view of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an insole equipped with an airbag and characterized in that: a gas flows well within the airbag to give sufficient support, render walking or running smooth, and give comfort to the foot, while the shoe wearer is walking or running; the insole makes lengthy standing less tiring; the insole has a long service life; and the sole incurs low production costs.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides an insole, comprising: a hooked pad comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein the upper layer and the lower layer meet and define a closed space for containing a gas which flows therein, and the hooked pad is defined and divided into a bottom portion, a long end portion, and a short end portion, with the bottom portion being connected to the long end portion and the short end portion, the bottom portion corresponding in position to a heel, the long end portion corresponding in position to a medial longitudinal arch, and the short end portion corresponding in position to a lateral longitudinal arch.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the insole further comprises a lining disposed in the hooked pad.

In an embodiment of the insole of the present invention, the lining is made of memory foam.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the insole further comprises an anti-skid plate disposed at a pit of the hooked pad and connected to the lower layer to the bottom portion, the short end portion, and the long end portion.

In an embodiment of the insole of the present invention, the anti-skid plate extends from the top of the short end portion to the middle of the long end portion.

In an embodiment of the insole of the present invention, the anti-skid plate and the lower layer are formed integrally.

In an embodiment of the insole of the present invention, the long end portion is crescent-shaped.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the insole further comprises a transverse arch pad formed integrally with the long end portion.

In an embodiment of the insole of the present invention, the transverse arch pad is teardrop-shaped.

In an embodiment of the insole of the present invention, the lining extends into the transverse arch pad.

Due to its special structure, the insole of the present invention provides sufficient support, renders walking or running smooth, gives comfort to the foot, makes lengthy standing less tiring, has a long service life, and incurs low production costs.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic view of an insole 1 of the present invention. The insole 1 is for use in a shoe. As shown in FIG. 1, the insole 1 comprises a hooked pad 10 which further comprises a lining 11 and an anti-skid plate 20.

The hooked pad 10 comprises an upper layer 101 and a lower layer 102. The upper layer 101 and the lower layer 102 meet and define a closed space for containing a gas. The gas flows within the hooked pad 10 so that the closed space and the gas together function as an airbag.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a schematic view of the insole 1 corresponding in position to a human foot according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the hooked pad 10 is defined and divided into a bottom portion 103, a long end portion 105, and a short end portion 104 which correspond in position to different parts of a foot 2, respectively. The bottom portion 103 is connected to the long end portion 105 and the short end portion 104. The bottom portion 103 corresponds in position to the heel of the foot 2. The long end portion 105 corresponds in position to the medial longitudinal arch of the foot 2. The short end portion 104 corresponds in position to the lateral longitudinal arch of the foot 2. In a preferred embodiment, the long end portion is crescent-shaped and thus corresponds in shape to the medial longitudinal arch. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom portion 103 is thicker than the short end portion 104, because the heel bears the body weight of the shoe wearer more than the lateral longitudinal arch.

Referring to FIG. 1, in a preferred embodiment, the hooked pad 10 comprises therein a lining 11. The lining 11 is disposed between the upper layer 101 and the lower layer 102 and corresponds in shape to the upper layer 101. In a preferred embodiment, the lining 11 is made of memory foam and thus the gas flowing within the closed space of the hooked pad 10 functions as a buffer while foot treading is underway.

In a preferred embodiment, the insole 1 further comprises an anti-skid plate 20. The anti-skid plate 20 prevents the bottom portion 103, long end portion 105 and short end portion 104 from skidding; hence, due to the insole 1, it is feasible for the bottom portion 103, long end portion 105 and short end portion 104 to correspond in position to specific parts of the foot, respectively. For example, the bottom portion 103 corresponds in position to the heel, the long end portion 105 corresponds in position to the medial longitudinal arch, and the short end portion 104 corresponds in position to the lateral longitudinal arch. Referring to FIG. 1, the anti-skid plate 20 is disposed at a pit of the hooked pad 10 and joined with the lower layer 101 to connect the bottom portion 103, short end portion 104, and long end portion 105. In a preferred embodiment, the anti-skid plate 20 extends from the top of the short end portion 104 to the middle of the long end portion 105 and fills the pit of the hooked pad 10 to the full, so as to prevent the bottom portion 103, long end portion 105 and short end portion 104 from being wrongly aligned as a result of sliding. To enhance the ease of manufacturing, the anti-skid plate 20 and the lower layer 101 are formed integrally.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic view of the insole 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The insole 1 shown in FIG. 3 further comprises a transverse arch pad 30 which is teardrop-shaped, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The transverse arch pad 30 and the long end portion 105 are formed integrally. The transverse arch pad 30 is deemed an extension to the long end portion 105. In a preferred embodiment, the lining 11 extends into the transverse arch pad 30. Therefore, the transverse arch of the foot 2 is well supported to enable the shoe wearer to walk easily, walk comfortably, and stand comfortably.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of how the insole 1 operates according to the present invention when the heel of the human foot is in contact with the ground. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of how the insole 1 operates according to the present invention when the heel of the human foot is not in contact with the ground. Referring to FIG. 2, the insole 1 is disposed in a shoe 3. The bottom portion 103 corresponds in position to the heel, the long end portion 105 corresponds in position to the medial longitudinal arch, and the short end portion 104 corresponds in position to the lateral longitudinal arch. Referring to FIG. 4, when the shoe wearer's heels are each in contact with the ground (for example, when the shoe wearer is standing on the ground), the heels bear most of the body weight of the shoe wearer; In particular, the gas at the bottom portion 103 bears the brunt of the body weight of the shoe wearer and thus moves to the long end portion 105 and the short end portion 104, leaving the bottom portion 103 almost flat, rendering the long end portion 105 and the short end portion 104 full, thereby supporting the medial longitudinal arch and the lateral longitudinal arch. Being full, the long end portion 105 enables the shoe wearer to walk smoothly.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the shoe wearer walks (alternating between heel lowering and heel lifting), the point of application of force exerted by the foot 2 switches from the heel to the toes via the sole. As soon as the point of application of force exerted by the foot 2 reaches the sole, the gas positioned proximate to the long end portion 105 stops as a result of the force exerted on the sole and thus flows back to the bottom portion 103 and the short end portion 104 to not only flatten the front end of the long end portion 105 but also render the bottom portion 103 and the short end portion 104 full. As soon as the point of application of force exerted by the foot 2 reaches the toes, the gas positioned proximate to the bottom portion 103 and the short end portion 104 returns to the front end of the long end portion 105 so that the gas positioned proximate to the bottom portion 103, short end portion 104 and long end portion 105 store its initial state (unused). Hence, the gas flows within the closed space defined by the bottom portion 103, short end portion 104 and long end portion 105 and thereby gives full support to the foot 2 while the shoe wearer is walking or running.

Referring to FIG. 3, the insole of the present invention is characterized in that the gas flows within the closed space defined by the bottom portion 103, short end portion 104, long end portion 105 and the transverse arch pad 30 and thereby gives support to specific portions of the foot 2 (such as the heel, the medial longitudinal arch, the lateral longitudinal arch and the transverse arch) in different stages, respectively.

Due to its special structure, the insole of the present invention provides sufficient support, renders walking or running smooth, gives comfort to the foot, makes lengthy standing less tiring, has a long service life, and incurs low production costs.

The present invention is disclosed above by preferred embodiments. However, persons skilled in the art should understand that the preferred embodiments are illustrative of the present invention only, but should not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the present invention. Hence, all equivalent modifications and replacements made to the aforesaid embodiments should fall within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the legal protection for the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.