Custom sole insert for high heel shoes

Abstract

A high heel shoe that contains a sole insert that includes a forward region supporting the forefoot and a reduced thickness or cut out area disposed beneath the first metatarsal head. The reduced thickness or cut out area provides less support to the first metatarsal head than is provided to other areas of the forward region that support the forefoot. The rear region supports the midfoot and the rearfoot including the heel, with the rear region extending from the forefoot to the back of the optional heel. An arch support may also be provided. Also disclosed are the sole insert itself, methods of making the sole insert and methods of making shoes that contain the sole insert.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shoe comprising:
 a shoe body, a high heel, a sock liner, and a sole insert installed between the sole and the sock liner, wherein the sole insert comprises:
 a forward region supporting the forefoot and extending up to the base of the toes, the forward region comprising a reduced thickness or cut out area disposed beneath the first metatarsal head, the reduced thickness or cut out area providing less support to said first metatarsal head than is provided to the other metatarsal heads, and 
 a rear region supporting the midfoot and the rearfoot including the heel, with the rear region extending from the forefoot to the back of the heel. 
   
     
     
         2 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the forward region comprises a cut out area disposed beneath the first metatarsal head and the sole insert comprises a gel material that includes an adhesive on top and bottom surfaces thereof to secure the sole insert to the sock liner and shoe. 
     
     
         3 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the sole insert is a custom sole insert having dimensions determined based on a heel-to-ball measurement of the wearer's foot and a shape based on the insole of the shoe. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe of  claim 1 , with the insole further comprising an arch support. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe of  claim 1 , further comprising a heel cup configured to accommodate the heel, with the heel cup either forming a depression relative to other portions of the rear region or made of a material that is softer than material in other portions of the rear region so that the heel cup is configured to lower an angle of the foot relative to the floor. 
     
     
         6 . A method of manufacturing a custom sole insert for a foot and to be installed in a shoe, the method comprising: processing foot impression data received from a client computing device;
 determining a heel-to-ball distance from the foot impression;   selecting a basic insole having a size and a shape corresponding to both the heel-to-ball distance of the wearer and the shoe;   generating a 3D model of the custom sole insert, the generating comprising removing a margin around the basic sole insert and providing a reduced thickness or cut out area for and beneath the first metatarsal heard of the wearer's foot, and   fabricating from the 3D model data the custom sole insert using a manufacturing device,   wherein the custom sole insert extends from the forefoot to the back of the heel and comprises the reduced thickness or cut out area under the first metatarsal head of the wearer's foot.   
     
     
         7 . A custom sole insert comprising:
 a forward region supporting the forefoot and extending up to the base of the toes, the forward region comprising a reduced thickness or cut out area disposed beneath the first metatarsal head, the reduced thickness or cut out area providing less support to said first metatarsal head than is provided to the other metatarsal heads, and   a rear region supporting the midfoot and the rearfoot including the heel, with the rear region extending from the forefoot to the back of the heel.   
     
     
         8 . The sole insert of  claim 7 , wherein the forward region comprises a cut out area beneath of the forefoot region configured to accommodate the first metatarsal head, the cut out region being arcuate and free of sole insert material, and the sole insert comprises a gel material that includes an adhesive on top and bottom surfaces thereof to secure the sole insert to the sock liner and shoe. 
     
     
         9 . The sole insert of  claim 7 , wherein the rear region further comprises a heel cup configured to accommodate the heel, with the heel cup either forming a depression relative to other portions of the rear region or made of a material that is softer than material in other portions of the rear region so that the heel cup is configured to lower an angle of the foot relative to the floor. 
     
     
         10 . The sole insert of  claim 7 , further comprising an arch support. 
     
     
         11 . A method of manufacturing the custom sole insert of  claim 7 , the method comprising:
 receiving from a client device foot impression data that includes a depth image of a foot,   computing from the depth image of the foot a plurality of foot dimensions,   generating from the plurality of foot dimensions 3D model data for a custom sole insert,   fabricating from the 3D model data the custom sole insert using a manufacturing device,   wherein the custom sole insert extends from the forefoot to the back of the heel and comprises a hollow area under the first metatarsal head of the wearer's foot.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein computing the plurality of foot dimension data further comprises:
 locating the most medial portion of the foot on the depth image, and   determining the sesamoid height based on the location of the most medial portion of the foot on the depth image.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein computing the plurality of foot dimension data further comprises:
 selecting a landmark axis on the depth image,   identifying the first metatarsal joint on the depth image, and   calculating a straight line projection along the landmark axis.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein identifying the first metatarsal joint on the depth image further comprises:
 locating the approximate region of the first metatarsal joint,   blurring the depth image using a filter,   identifying the regional maximum of the region of the first metatarsal joint, and   locating the center of the first metatarsal joint as the centroid of the regional maximum.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein generating 3D model data for the custom sole insert further comprises:
 determining a shoe size based on the plurality of foot dimensions,   selecting a basic insole having predetermined dimensions corresponding to the shoe size,   forming a bounding box around the basic insole, and   delimiting a boundary for the hollow area of the custom sole insert.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the depth image of the foot is obtained by:
 providing a compressible material that retains its shape when deformed,   pressing the wearer's foot into the compressible material such that an impression of at least the bottom of the foot is formed in the material, and   scanning the impression using a scanning device comprising a range camera,   wherein the scanning device generates a depth image of the impression.   
     
     
         17 . A method of capturing the anatomy of a foot for use in the design of a custom sole insert, the method comprising:
 providing a compressible material that retains its shape when deformed,   pressing the foot into the compressible material such that an impression of at least the bottom of the foot is formed in the material, and   scanning the impression using a scanning device comprising a range camera,   wherein the scanning device generates a depth image of the impression.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the depth image of the impression is used to provide a plurality of foot dimensions, and the method further comprises:
 generating from the plurality of foot dimensions 3D model data for a custom sole insert,   fabricating from the 3D model data the custom sole insert using a manufacturing device,   wherein the custom sole insert extends from the forefoot to the back of the heel and comprises a hollow area under the first metatarsal head of the wearer's foot.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  which further comprises:
 providing a high heel shoe having a shoe body, a sole and an elevated heel, and 
 installing the custom sole insert inside the high heel shoe. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the insole further comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive on top and bottom surfaces, and a sock liner, wherein the custom sole insert is installed above the sole and under the sock liner via the adhesive.