Custom Formable Footbed and Shoe Insert

Abstract

A customizeable footbed, a self-customizing footwear having a customizable footbed, and a method for customizing a footbed to conform to contours of a foot is provided. The customizable footbed may include a plurality of packets, each packet comprising an exterior membrane defining a chamber therein, and an interior filling within the chamber. The interior filling may be selected from a group consisting of two or more components of a curable material that chemically react upon mixing of the components to irreversibly form a solid or semi-solid resin or a gel. The plurality of packets may be configured to burst upon application of a pressure such that the interior fillings of the packets flow into and mix within the intermediate space.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A customizeable footbed comprising:
 a top layer which, when the footbed is in an operating configuration faces a bottom of a foot;   a bottom layer opposite the top layer which, when the footbed is the operating configuration is positioned away from the bottom of the foot, the top and bottom layers defining an intermediate space therebetween; and   a plurality of packets arranged within the intermediate space, each packet comprising an exterior membrane defining a chamber therein, and an interior filling within the chamber, the interior filling being selected from a group consisting of two or more components of a curable material that chemically react upon mixing of the components to irreversibly form a solid or semi-solid resin or a gel,   wherein the plurality of packets are configured to burst upon application of a pressure corresponding to that of the foot being rocked back and forth on the top layer such that the interior fillings of the packets flow into and mix within the intermediate space.   
     
     
         2 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom layer comprises an elastomeric polymer. 
     
     
         3 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior membrane comprises a thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         4 . The customizable footbed of  claim 3 , wherein the exterior membrane comprises a low-density polyethlyene polymer. 
     
     
         5 . The customizable footbed of  claim 3 , wherein the exterior membrane has an average thickness from about 5 mm to about 10 mm. 
     
     
         6 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the curable material is a two-component or multi-component resin that spontaneously reacts upon mixing of the components. 
     
     
         7 . The customizable footbed of  claim 6 , wherein the curable material is selected from a group consisting of polyurethane resins, silicone resins, epoxy resins, and melamin resins. 
     
     
         8 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the curable material is a quick-curing material that solidifies into a desired shape within 30 mins upon mixing of the components. 
     
     
         9 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of packets are configured to burst upon application of a pressure from about 0.1 N/cm 2  to 1 kN/cm 2 . 
     
     
         10 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of packets has a three-dimensional shape. 
     
     
         11 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional shape is selected from a group consisting of hemis-spherical, cubic, hexagonal prism, pentagonal prism, rectangular prism, square prism, cone, and tetragonal pyramid shapes. 
     
     
         12 . The customizable footbed of  claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of packets has a square prism shape 
     
     
         13 . The customizable footbed of  claim 12 , wherein a ratio of a width and a height of the square prism is from about 1:2 to about 2:1. 
     
     
         14 . The customizable footbed of  claim 13 , wherein a ratio of a width and a height of the the square prism is 1:1. 
     
     
         15 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of packets are uniformly sized and shaped, and arranged in a two-dimensional array. 
     
     
         16 . The customizable footbed of  claim 15 , wherein the packets are spaced apart by a distance from about 0.05″ to about 0.1″. 
     
     
         17 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of packets are arranged to form at least a first two-dimensional array across a first section of the footbed corresponding to a first portion of the foot, and a second array forming a second section of the footbed corresponding to a second portion of the foot. 
     
     
         18 . The customizable footbed of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of packets are formed from a singly shaped polymeric film bonded to a flat polymeric film. 
     
     
         19 . A self-customizing footwear comprising:
 an upper,   an insole, and   an outsole,   wherein the insole comprises
 a top layer which, when the insole is in an operating configuration is faces a bottom of a foot; 
 a bottom layer opposite the top layer which, when the insole is the operating configuration is positioned away from the bottom of the foot, the top and bottom layers defining an intermediate space therebetween; and 
 a plurality of packets arranged within the intermediate space, each packet comprising an exterior membrane defining a chamber therein, and an interior filling within the chamber, the interior filling being selected from a group consisting of two or more components of a curable material that chemically react upon mixing of the components to irreversibly form a solid or semi-solid resin or a gel, 
 wherein the plurality of packets are configured to burst upon application of a pressure corresponding to that of the foot being rocked back and forth while wearing the footware such that the interior fillings of the packets flow into and mix within the intermediate space. 
   
     
     
         20 . A method for customizing a footbed to conform to contours of a foot, comprising:
 applying a pressure to burst a plurality of packets, each packet comprising an exterior membrane defining a chamber therein, and an interior filling within the chamber, the interior filling being selected from a group consisting of two or more components of a curable material;   mixing the components of the curable material to initiate a chemical reaction such that the components irreversibly react to form a solid or semi-solid resin or a gel; and   holding the foot against the footbed for a period of less than 30 mins such that the curable material reacts to form a shape comforming to the courtours of the foot.   
     
     
         21 . A customizeable footbed comprising:
 a top layer;   a bottom layer; and   a plurality of blister packets arranged between the top and bottom layers, each packet comprising an exterior membrane defining a chamber therein, and an interior filling within the chamber, the interior filling being selected from a group consisting of two or more components of a curable material that chemically react upon mixing of the components to irreversibly form a solid or semi-solid resin or a gel,   wherein the plurality of blister packets are configured to rupture upon application of a pressure corresponding to that of the foot being rocked back and forth on the top layer such that the interior fillings of the packets intermix.