Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
229 words
A foot exercising and massaging pad comprising: a base member; a plurality of upstanding resilient protuberances formed on a surface of said base member; an arch region and a toe joint region defined by protuberances of greater height; said arch region and toe joint region being spaced apart by a distance which approximates the distance between the arch and toe joint of a human foot; the protuberances in the arch region and in the toe joint region being varied in height in a direction transverse to said arch region and toe joint region with the variation in the height of the protuberances in said transverse direction approximating the curvature of the arch and toe joint of the human foot, and the protuberances in said arch region varying in height in a generally uniform manner in a direction along the axis of the arch region with the protuberances increasing gradually in height in proceeding from either end of the arch region along the axis of the arch region toward the center of the arch region, whereby the user of the exercising and massaging pad can increase the stimulation of the arch of the foot by moving the foot from the ends of the arch region toward the center of the arch region to bring protuberances of greater height in said arch region into contact with the arch of the foot.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
229 words
A foot exercising and massaging pad comprising: a base member; a plurality of upstanding resilient protuberances formed on a surface of said base member; an arch region and a toe joint region defined by protuberances of greater height; said arch region and toe joint region being spaced apart by a distance which approximates the distance between the arch and toe joint of a human foot; the protuberances in the arch region and in the toe joint region being varied in height in a direction transverse to said arch region and toe joint region with the variation in the height of the protuberances in said transverse direction approximating the curvature of the arch and toe joint of the human foot, and the protuberances in said arch region varying in height in a generally uniform manner in a direction along the axis of the arch region with the protuberances increasing gradually in height in proceeding from either end of the arch region along the axis of the arch region toward the center of the arch region, whereby the user of the exercising and massaging pad can increase the stimulation of the arch of the foot by moving the foot from the ends of the arch region toward the center of the arch region to bring protuberances of greater height in said arch region into contact with the arch of the foot.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
130 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 1 wherein the protuberances in said toe joint region are varied in height in a generally uniform manner in a direction along the axis of the toe joint region with The protuberances increasing gradually in height in proceeding from either end of the toe joint region along the axis of the toe joint region toward the center of the toe joint region, whereby the user of the exercising and massaging pad can increase the stimulation of the toe joint of the foot by moving the foot from the ends of the toe joint region toward the center of the toe joint region to bring protuberances of greater height in said toe joint region into contact with the toe joint of the foot.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 2 wherein the base member is formed of a resilient material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 3 wherein the base member and the upstanding protuberances are an integral structure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 1 wherein the base member is formed of a resilient material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 5 wherein the base member and the upstanding protuberances are an integral structure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 6 wherein said protuberances include an outwardly tapered base portion joining the protuberances to the surface of the base member, whereby forces applied to the protuberances are more uniformly transmitted to the base member through the outwardly tapered base portions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 7 wherein said protuberances include tapered shanks with the thicker portions of the shanks merging into the outwardly tapered base portions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 8 including rounded tips at the ends of said protuberances, and the thinner portions of said shanks merging into the rounded tips.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 9 wherein said protuberances have a substantially circular cross section.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 1 including an upstanding lip surrounding the said surface of the base member.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
The foot exercising and massaging pad of claim 1 wherein the depth of the arch region is non-uniform with the arch region having a relatively deep portion for a user having a long arch and a relatively shallow portion for a user with a short arch.