|
(11) | EP 2 944 211 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| (54) | Orthotic insert |
| (57) An orthotic insert (2) for supporting a foot of a user is disclosed. The insert comprises
an upper layer (4) of a first material for forming part of a body portion of the insert,
a lower layer (6) of said first material for forming part of said body portion, and
an insert member (8) for forming a weight bearing support of said insert and located
between said first layer and said second layer.
|
[0001] The present invention relates to an orthotic insert, and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to an orthotic insert for supporting a foot of a user.
[0002] Orthotic inserts for supporting a foot of a user to correct the user's gait are known which comprise a body of suitable material such as a flexible plastics material for providing support to selected parts of a user's foot such as arches, and a heel portion of a different, stronger plastics material, which is bonded to the body for supporting the user's weight through the user's heel. The orthotic insert is then placed inside a user's shoe to provide suitable support in correcting gait of a user.
[0003] This arrangement suffers from a number of drawbacks. Firstly, bonding the heel portion to an external surface of the body by means of adhesive creates recesses in the external surface in which bacteria can collect and which are difficult to keep clean. Also, since the heel portion forms part of the external surface of the orthotic insert, it must be constructed from sufficiently robust material (for example, a high density plastics material such as EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate)) to avoid becoming worn through use, as a result of which the heel portion significantly contributes to the weight of the orthotic insert. In addition, the range of mechanical properties (such as flexibility) of the orthotic insert comprising the body and the heel portion is limited.
[0004] Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome one or more of the above disadvantages of the prior art.
[0005] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming an orthotic insert comprising:
providing at least one first layer of a first material for forming part of a body portion of the insert;
providing at least one second layer of said first material for forming part of said body portion;
arranging at least one insert member for forming a weight bearing support of the insert between at least one said first layer and at least one said second layer; and
bonding at least one said first layer to at least one said second layer adjacent respective edge regions thereof.
[0006] By arranging at least one insert member for forming a weight bearing support of the insert between at least one first layer and at least one second layer for forming part of the body of the insert, and bonding at least one said first layer to at least one said second layer adjacent respective edge regions thereof, this provides the advantage of enabling the foot orthotic to have a continuous smooth external surface, which facilitates cleaning of the orthotic insert. In addition, since the insert member does not form part of the external surface of the orthotic insert, it does not need to be made from a wear resistant material and can be hollow, making the orthotic insert as a whole lighter in construction. In addition, the use of an internal weight bearing support enables a wider range of mechanical properties, such as flexibility, of the orthotic insert to be achieved.
[0009] This provides the advantage of enabling a wider variety of shapes and mechanical properties to be achieved.
[0010] At least one said insert member may be adapted to affect the flexibility of the orthotic insert.
[0013] At least one said first and/or second layer may contain carbon fibres and/or glass and/or polyester and/or wood fibres and/or aramid fibres.
[0014] At least one said insert member may be formed of a second material, different from said first material.
[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an orthotic insert comprising:
at least one first layer of a first material for forming part of a body portion of the insert;
at least one second layer of said first material for forming part of said body portion; and
at least one insert member for forming a weight bearing support of said insert and located between at least one said first layer and at least one said second layer wherein at least one said first layer is bonded to at least one said second layer adjacent respective edge regions thereof.
At least one said insert member may affect the flexibility of the orthotic insert.
[0018] At least one said insert member may be formed of a second material different from said first material.
[0021] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an orthotic insert embodying the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of an upper body layer and a lower body layer of the orthotic insert of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a plan view of an insert member of a first embodiment of the invention; and
Figure 4 is a plan view of an insert member of a second embodiment of the invention.
[0022] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, an orthotic insert 2 for insertion into a shoe of a user for supporting a foot of the user has a body formed from an upper layer 4 and a lower layer 6 having a hollow weight bearing insert member 8 formed by an additive manufacturing process such as fused deposition modelling, selective laser sintering, stereolithography or polyjet printing located between the upper 4 and lower 6 layers.
[0023] In order to form the insert 2, a former body (not shown) is made from a digital scan of a user's foot, and corrections are made to the former to provide the necessary foot support to correct the user's gait. The lower layer 6 is then formed by adding layers of composite material containing carbon fibres, and when enough layers of composite material have been added to form the lower layer 6, the insert member 8 is located in position on the lower layer 6. The upper layer 4 is then formed by adding layers of composite material containing carbon fibres until enough layers have been added to form the upper layer 4. The upper 4 and lower 6 layers are then vacuum formed on the former body to take their desired shape, and the first 4 and second 6 layers are then bonded together at respective end regions thereof by means of a suitable adhesive and encased in epoxy resin. The insert member 8 is located to support a heel of the user, but does not form part of the external surface of the orthotic insert.
[0024] Referring to Figure 4, an insert member 10 of a second embodiment of the present invention has a protrusion 12 extending therefrom which engages the upper 4 and/or lower 6 body layer of the insert 2 in use and thereby influences the flexibility of the orthotic insert 2 as a whole.
[0025] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
providing at least one first layer of a first material for forming part of a body portion of the insert;
providing at least one second layer of said first material for forming part of said body portion;
arranging at least one insert member for forming a weight bearing support of the insert between at least one said first layer and at least one said second layer; and
bonding at least one said first layer to at least one said second layer adjacent respective edge regions thereof.
at least one first layer of a first material for forming part of a body portion of the insert;
at least one second layer of said first material for forming part of said body portion; and
at least one insert member for forming a weight bearing support of said insert and located between at least one said first layer and at least one said second layer wherein at least one said first layer is bonded to at least one said second layer adjacent respective edge regions thereof.
said insert member is adapted to affect the flexibility of the orthotic insert.
one said first and/or second layer contains carbon fibres and/or glass and/or polyester and/or wood fibres and/or aramid fibres.