Triathlon Insole

Abstract

An insole which provides cushioning and support to a user's foot subjected to ground forces and/or differing weather conditions encountered during active sports, for example triathlons, is herein disclosed. The insole comprises a base having a bottom side which defines recesses adapted to receive pads and pods having particular properties. The location and materials of the various pads and pods work together to provide ankle and foot stabilization, enhanced cushioning features, and resistance to insole movement during shoe operation.

Having described the invention, we claim: 
     
         1 . An insole for use in a shoe having a top side for contacting a user's foot and a bottom side for contacting the inside of a user's shoe, comprising:
 a. a base, said base having a base top surface and a base bottom surface, said base having a heel end, a toe end, a medial border and a lateral border, said medial and lateral borders extending from said heel end to said toe end along the medial and lateral sides of the insole, respectively, said base bottom side defining:
 (i) a forefoot area extending from the toe end to a location behind a metatarsal head area of the feet, 
 (ii) a midfoot area that extends from said metatarsal head area to an edge that lies forward of the calcaneus of the foot, 
 (iii) a heel area that extends from said midfoot area to said heel end, 
 (iv) a forefoot pad recession area located in said forefoot area, and extending under the hallux of the foot from near the distal end of the base proximally to the front of the first metatarsal head, and 
 (v) a stability cradle recession area located essentially along the midfoot and heel areas of the foot, 
   b. an arch support located in said midfoot area, said arch support extends transverse upwardly along the medial border and under the arch of the foot;   c. a stability cradle made of semi-rigid material and secured to said stability cradle recession area of said base bottom side, said stability cradle having a plurality of pod openings that allow pod components to extend therethrough and said stability cradle having a faceted bottom surface;   d. a forefoot pad secured to said forefoot pad recession area, said forefoot pad extending laterally and proximally under the lesser metatarsal heads of the foot to beneath the greater metatarsals; and   e. a lateral heel pod extending through a lateral heel pod opening in said stability cradle and being located on the lateral side of said heel area, said lateral heel pod having a criss-cross groove pattern on its bottom surface, and   f. a medial heel pod being located on the medial side of the heel area and extending through a medial heel pod opening, said medial heel pod being separated from said lateral heel pod component by a groove gap and said medical heel pod having a criss-cross groove pattern on its bottom surface.   
     
     
         2 . The insole of  claim 1  wherein the pod disposed under the medial side of the heel is made of a firmer material than the material of the lateral heel pod. 
     
     
         3 . The insole of  claim 2 , wherein the firmness of the lateral heel pod is in the range of Shore C 45-50 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is approximately Shore C 60. 
     
     
         4 . The insole of  claim 2 , wherein the firmness of the lateral heel pod is in the range of Shore C 50-55 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is in the range of about Shore C 65-70. 
     
     
         5 . The insole of  claim 2 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected to control a rate of pronation. 
     
     
         6 . The insole of  claim 2 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected based on a type of activity for which the insole is designed. 
     
     
         7 . The insole of  claim 1 , wherein the stability cradle is shaped to enable flexing of the first metatarsal during toe off. 
     
     
         8 . The insole of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a lateral midfoot pod located in the midfoot area along the lateral side of the insole and extending through a lateral midfoot pod opening, said lateral midfoot pod having a criss-cross groove pattern on its bottom surface. 
 
     
     
         9 . The insole of  claim 8 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected to control the rate of pronation. 
     
     
         10 . The insole of  claim 8 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected based on the type of activity for which the insole is designed. 
     
     
         11 . An insole for use in a shoe having a top side for contacting a user's foot and a bottom side for contacting the inside of a user's shoe, comprising:
 a. a base, said base having a base top surface and a base bottom surface, said base having a heel end, a toe end, a medial border and a lateral border, said medial and lateral borders extending from said heel end to said toe end along the medial and lateral sides of the insole, respectively,   b. an arch support extending transverse upwardly along the medial border and under the arch of the foot;   c. a stability cradle made of semi-rigid material with stability ribs, said stability cradle having pod openings that allow pod components to extend therethrough and said stability cradle having a faceted bottom surface;   d. a lateral heel pod extending through a lateral heel pod opening in said stability cradle on the lateral side of said heel area, said lateral heel pod components having a criss-cross groove pattern on its bottom surface,   e. a medial heel pod extending through a medial heel pod opening on the medial side of the heel area, said medial heel pod separated from said lateral heel pod component by a gap and said medial heel pod having a criss-cross groove pattern on its bottom surface, and   f. a lateral midfoot pod being located in the midfoot area along the lateral side of the insole and extending through a lateral midfoot pod opening, said lateral midfoot pod having a criss-cross groove pattern on its bottom surface.   
     
     
         12 . The insole of  claim 11  wherein the pod disposed under the medial side of the heel is made of a firmer material than the material of the lateral heel pod. 
     
     
         13 . The insole of  claim 12 , wherein the firmness of the lateral heel pod is in the range of Shore C 45-50 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is approximately Shore C 60. 
     
     
         14 . The insole of  claim 12 , wherein the firmness of the lateral heel pod is in the range of Shore C 50-55 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is in the range of about Shore C 65-70. 
     
     
         15 . The insole of  claim 12 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected to control the rate of pronation. 
     
     
         16 . The insole of  claim 12 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected based on the type of activity for which the insole is designed. 
     
     
         17 . The insole of  claim 11 , wherein the stability cradle is shaped to enable flexing of the 1st metatarsal during toe off. 
     
     
         18 . The insole of  claim 11  wherein the lateral midfoot pod is made of softer material than material used in medial heel pod. 
     
     
         19 . The insole of  claim 18 , wherein the firmness of the lateral midfoot pod is in the range of Shore C 45-50 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is approximately Shore C 60. 
     
     
         20 . The insole of  claim 18 , wherein the firmness of the lateral midfoot pod is in the range of Shore C 50-55 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is in the range of about Shore C 65-70. 
     
     
         21 . A method of making a cushion to control the motion of a foot in a shoe, the method comprising:
 providing a base having a base top surface and a base bottom surface, said base having a heel end, a toe end, a medial border and a lateral border, said borders extending from said heel end to said toe end, said base bottom side defining:
 (a) a forefoot area extending from the toe end to a location behind a metatarsal head area of the feet, 
 (b) a midfoot area that extends from said metatarsal head area to an edge that lies forward of the calcaneus of the foot, and 
 (c) a heel area that extends from said midfoot area to said heel end; 
   coupling a stability cradle to the base, said stability cradle being made of semi-rigid material and said stability cradle secured to a stability cradle recession area of said base bottom side, said stability cradle recession area located essentially along the midfoot and heel areas of the foot, said stability cradle having pod openings that allow pod components to extend therethrough and said stability cradle having a faceted surface;   coupling an arch support to the base, said arch support extends transverse upwardly along the medial border and under the arch of the foot;   coupling a forefoot pad to the base, said forefoot pad extending laterally and proximally under the lesser metatarsal heads of the foot to beneath the greater metatarsal; and,   extending interacting cooperative pod components through pod openings in said stability cradle, said pod components including a lateral heel pod located on the lateral side of said heel area, a medial heel pod separated from said lateral heel pod and located on the medial side of said heel area, and a lateral midfoot pod located on the lateral side of the midfoot area of the insole, said pod components having a criss-cross groove pattern on their bottom surface.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the medial heel pod is made of a firmer material than the material of the lateral heel pod. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the firmness of the lateral heel pod is in the range of Shore C 45-50 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is approximately Shore C 60. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the firmness of the lateral heel pod is in the range of Shore C 50-55 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is in the range of about Shore C 65-70. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the medial heel pod is made of a firmer material than the material of the lateral midfoot pod. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the firmness of the lateral midfoot pod is in the range of Shore C 45-50 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is approximately Shore C 60. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the firmness of the lateral midfoot pod is in the range of Shore C 50-55 and the firmness of the medial heel pod is in the range of about Shore C 65-70. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected to control the rate of pronation. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the firmness of the pods is selected based on the type of activity for which the insole is designed. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the stability cradle is shaped to enable flexing of the first metatarsal during toe off. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the base comprises an EVA foam material.