Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
The benefits of Vionic® orthotic soles also apply to Vionic®
sandals, even Vionic® flip flops. The Vionic® sandal sole patent is recited in
the US utility patent US10244813B2,
titled Sandals with biomechanical foot
support. In response to the prior art of orthotic soles for flipflops or
slides, essentially consisting in costly custom solutions or temporary laminated
add-on soles, glued to the sandal footbed, the Vionic® patent recites single
density injection-molded solutions, providing biomechanical support that is both
cost-effective and permanent.
The
biomechanical support recited comprises a low footbed and raised contoured medial
(instep) support for Y-shaped thong or single strap slide-in type sandals. The bottom
of the soles is also roughed to increase traction and prevent slipping, alternatively designed with
grooves to enable water flow. The sandal soles may be designed with a concavity
under the arch to provide additional cushioning, or different length, and elasticity, of the Y-straps to support the user’s biomechanical foot
motion. Finally, the bottom of the sole may be slightly
tilted upwards, instead of flat, to provide additional
support.
Three patent drawings are included below, together with the abstract of the patent. An image of the Floriana marketed Vionic® sandal model, embodying invention features, is also included.
Figures 2A and 2B, respectively depict the top and bottom views
of the Vionic® sandal sole (110). Figure 4 depicts a detailed cross-sectional and
longitudinal view of the sole's front elevation. In particular, Figure 2A shows the grooves (117) on the bottom surface (116) to enhance water flow and traction. The oval-shaped cavity (118) beneath the arch of the foot is also depicted, with a short horizontal axis (217) and a longer vertical axis (218), designed to provide more cushioning aligned with the toe to heel axis and width axis of the foot.
The Y-anchor points (111), (112) and (113) for the Y-shaped thong strap are also shown on Figures 2A and 2B. The two rear anchor points (112) and (113) are slightly offset, to allow for different lengths of the two arms of the Y-shaped strap, with varying elasticity. Varying length and elasticity of the two arms are respectively designed to correlate with the movement of the user's foot, and to provide enhanced directional stability. Thus, for example, if the user's toes point inward or outward, the different pull from the two different lengths of the Y-arms of the strap, together with their varying elasticity, are both designed to provide beneficial support for re-centering the direction of the user's foot.
Sandals with biomechanical foot support, robust usability and cost-effectiveness are disclosed. The footwear may comprise a biomechanical sole and a Y-shaped rubber strap anchored to the sole. The sole has a top surface including a raised contour on the medial side of the sandal, and a low profile heel cup. The raised contour on the medial side and the heel cup match the natural anatomic shape of the foot, and thus provide biomechanical foot support. The bottom surface of the sole may be a roughed surface to provide necessary traction and friction when a wearer/user walks. The bottom surface further comprises a plurality of grooves to allow water to be expelled and increase traction. [Abstract US10244813B2]
Reference
Vionic®
https://www.vionicshoes.com/
