Orthotic insert

Claim 1

An insert removeably placed within a finished article of footwear comprising, in combination: a full length first blank dimensioned to underlie the plantar surface of a person's foot and formed of flexible, resiliently deformable material along its entire extent, a second blank extending from a cacaneal area of the person's plantar surface to a metatarsal head area bonded to a bottom face of said front blank and formed from alternating layers of fiberglass/resin and graphite, two of said fiberglass/resin layers forming outer most surfaces of said second blank, said second blank molded and set to conform identically to the plantar surface of the person's foot along the areas of support therefor when the foot is beneficially oriented, each said graphite layer formed from a bundle of graphite fibers directionally oriented along specific axes to provide controlled, preprogrammed deformation of said insert when used in a gait cycle, whereby said insert nests within the inner portion of the finished footwear article and provides continuous control of weight distribution to the foot by insert distortion as the weight is shifted from the calcaneal area forward through the subtalar and midtarsal joint and thence to the metatarsal heads.

Claim 11

A method for forming an orthotic device to be removeably placed in finished footwear such as shoes or the like comprising the steps of: providing a first blank and dimensioning said first blank to underlie a plantar surface of a person's foot, providing a second blank extending from a metatarsal head area to the calcaneal area of a person's foot, forming said first blank from a resilient pad which underlies an abrasion resistant and perspiration dispersing layer, forming said second blank from alternate layers of resin impregnated mesh and graphite bundles, orienting said graphite bundles in appropriate directions to encourage deflection of said insert in certain areas and retard deflection in other areas, heating said insert to render deformable said insert, providing a mold of the plantar surface of the person's foot, positioning said first blank against the mold, positioning said second blank against said first blank, applying force on said insert against the mold to deform said insert thereto exactly, and allowing said insert to set, whereby said insert not only replicates the contour of the mold and therefore the person's plantar foot surface but also controls and supports foot flexure in a preprogrammed manner by the graphite bundle orientation.

Claim 12

A method for forming an orthotic device to be removeably placed in finished footwear such as shoes or the like comprising the steps of: providing a first blank and dimensioning said first blank to underlie a plantar surface of a person's foot, providing a second blank extending from a metatarsal head area to the calcaneal area of a person's foot, forming said first blank from a resilient pad which underlies an abrasion resistant and perspiration dispersing layer, forming said second blank from alternate layers of resin impregnated mesh and graphite bundles, orienting said graphite bundles in appropriate directions to encourage deflection of said insert in certain areas and retard deflection in other areas, heating said insert to render deformable said insert, providing a mold of the plantar surface of the person's foot, positioning said first blank against the mold, positioning said second blank against said first blank, applying force on said insert against the mold to deform said insert thereto exactly, and allowing said insert to set, whereby said insert not only replicates the contour of the mold and therefore the person's plantar foot surface but also controls and supports foot flexure in a preprogrammed manner by the graphite bundle orientation.