Shoe slimming insole

Abstract

An insole for use in a shoe or other footwear which enables a better fit for feet that are narrower in girth than the upper of a shoe and/or narrower than the width of the sole. The insoles are also useful in footwear that have uppers that have stretched over time and/or feet that change in size due to swelling or weight gain and weight loss. The insole has at least one pair of flaps that are substantially vertical or perpendicular with respect to the insole pad when inserted into the footwear, and are positioned between a wearer's foot and the sidewalls of the upper, thus adjusting the inner girth of the footwear and decreasing the space within the upper. The insoles can be manufactured with varying thicknesses of the insole pad and/or flaps, or alternatively, a kit with removable, interchangeable and replaceable flaps and insoles of varying thicknesses can be made that enable the user to choose the insole and/or flaps which provide the best fit in varying types and styles of footwear. The flaps can be integral with the insole, securably attached, or instead removably attachable to the insoles by attachment members.

1 . An insole for narrowing the internal girth in a cavity of an upper of footwear comprising: 
 an insole body having a top side, a bottom side, and side edges;    at least one pair of flaps, wherein the flaps are attached to the insole body and are positioned to extend beyond the side edges of the insole, the flaps being adapted to be upwardly positioned against sidewalls of the upper when placed within the footwear; and    wherein said flaps narrow the internal girth of the footwear by decreasing space within the footwear upper.    
   
   
       2 . The insole of  claim 1 , having a body and/or flap comprised of multiple layers.  
   
   
       3 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the flaps are integral or removably attached to the insole body.  
   
   
       4 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein each flap has a furrow adjacent to the side edges of the insole body to facilitate positioning of the flaps to a substantially vertical position within the footwear.  
   
   
       5 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the insole and/or flaps are comprised of padding material.  
   
   
       6 . The insole of  claim 5 , having a top layer comprised of cloth material, wherein the top layer covers the padding material.  
   
   
       7 . The insole of  claim 1 , further comprising a flap support member, wherein the support member is placed within the flap or upon the flap.  
   
   
       8 . The insole of  claim 6 , wherein the layers are held together by heat bonding and/or stitching.  
   
   
       9 . The insole of  claim 1 , having a first pair and a second pair of flaps.  
   
   
       10 . The insole of  claim 9 , wherein the first pair of flaps is positioned near a metatarsal area of a foot, and wherein the second pair of flaps is positioned in a heel area of a foot or between a heel area and an arch area of a foot.  
   
   
       11 . The insole of  claim 1 , having a body that conforms to a shape of an underside of a wearer's foot and has a heel area that is at least partially concave and/or an arch area that is at least partially raised.  
   
   
       12 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the pad and/or flaps have a thickness of at least 1/16 inch to at least about ½ inch.  
   
   
       13 . The insole of  claim 12 , wherein during use the flaps are positioned between a wearer's foot and the sidewalls of the upper.  
   
   
       14 . The insole of  claim 13 , wherein the girth adjustment within the footwear is at least ⅛ inch to 1 inch.  
   
   
       15 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the side edges of the insole body are contoured or cut in an area adjacent to said flaps to facilitate upward positioning of the flaps.  
   
   
       16 . The insole of  claim 1 , further comprising attachment members on at least a portion of the insole body and flaps, wherein the attachment members are used to removably attach the flaps to the insole body.  
   
   
       17 . An insole kit for narrowing the internal girth of a cavity of an upper of footwear comprising: 
 an insole body having a top side, a bottom side, and side edges;    at least one pair of flaps, wherein the flaps are removably attachable to the insole body and extend beyond the side edges of the insole body when attached to the body;    attachment members on at least portion of the insole body and flaps, wherein the attachment members are used to removably attach the flaps to the insole body and form an insole, and wherein the flaps are adapted to be upwardly positioned against sidewalls of the upper when placed within the footwear; and    wherein the flaps narrow the internal girth of the footwear when placed within the footwear, by decreasing space within the footwear upper.    
   
   
       18 . The kit of  claim 17 , comprised of a plurality of insole bodies and a plurality of flaps, wherein at least one insole that comprises a body and at least one pair of flaps is made from said kit.  
   
   
       19 . A method of narrowing the internal girth of a cavity of an upper of footwear comprising: 
 providing an insole body having a top side, a bottom side, and side edges;    providing at least one pair of flaps;    making an insole by removably or securably attaching the at least one pair of flaps to the insole body, wherein the flaps are positioned to extend beyond the side edges of the insole body;    placing the insole within the cavity of the upper; and    positioning each flap of the pair to a substantially vertical position, thereby causing an internal girth adjustment within the cavity of the upper.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the flaps have a thickness of at least 1/16 inch to ½ inch, thereby causing an internal girth adjustment of at least ⅛ inch to 1 inch.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of placing a furrow in each flap, wherein the furrow is positioned adjacent to the side edges of the insole and facilitates the positioning of the flaps within the footwear to a substantially vertical position.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a first pair of flaps and a second pair of flaps;    positioning the first pair of flaps near a metatarsal area of a wearer's foot; and    positioning the second pair of flaps in an area between a heel and an arch area of a wearer's foot; and    attaching the first pair of flaps and the second pair of flaps to the insole body prior to placing the insole in the footwear.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the insole is used in footwear that are wider in width that a wearer's foot and/or that has an upper stretched from wear.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the insole is used in footwear for feet that change in size due to swelling or weight changes.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein during use the flaps are positioned between a wearer's foot and sidewalls of the upper to decrease space within the cavity of the upper.