Toe Post for Thong-Style Sandals

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/631,906, filed Apr. 9, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that it is not conflicting with the present application.

The invention relates generally to sandals and more particularly to sandals having toe posts designed for improved comfort and health of a user.

Generally, sandals having a thong or flip flop design providing a toe post for placement between a user's first and second toes (commonly known as the first digital webspace of the foot) can cause an abnormal gait pattern in the user, with the user having to make compensatory lower leg muscle contractures due to lack of sufficient toe purchase in the sandal. Poorly fitting toe posts can cause abnormal movements such as excessive flexion and extension of the foot and toes, as the foot attempts to adapt to the unstable sandal. Additionally, a common complaint regarding traditional sandals is regarding the friction and discomfort that occurs as a result of the position or poorly contoured toe post. Many conventional toe posts cause pain and discomfort for many users, thereby precluding them from wearing thong design sandals. Traditional thong toe posts, which are often slender and fragile, tend to break or tear quickly with use, and can detach from the sandal's sole. This is referred to as “blow out.”

The altered gait that can occur in users wearing some traditional thong design sandals can lead to unusual stresses not occurring in users who do not wear such footwear and instead wear, for example, athletic sneakers. This is due to the fact that, when worn, a thong or flip flop sandal is not directly connected to the user's foot. Therefore, this causes the toes to have to be more engaged to keep the foot and the sandal together. Furthermore, in traditional sandals, especially those with a loose fit or inadequate support, wearers often subconsciously grip with their toes to keep the sandals from slipping off. This toe gripping leads to overuse of certain muscles and can contribute to conditions like hammertoes, tendinitis, metatarsalgia and painful callouses to name a few. Furthermore, this can increase the forces across the ankle and foot, and therefore cause compensatory joint positions during gait and standing, which can lead to discomfort or other lower extremity conditions. Therefore, there is a need for a solution to the above problems for users who wish to use sandals having a thong or flip flop design.

The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description.

Provided herein is a thong-style sandal having a toe post, wherein the toe post comprises a novel anatomic design to fit the first and second toe sulcus (first digital webspace) of a user. In some embodiments, the shape of the toe post enables improved grip and toe purchase. In such embodiments, typical compensatory gait patterns that can occur in users wearing thong or flip flop sandals can be reduced or largely eliminated. In some embodiments, the disclosed thong-style sandal can provide a more comfortable and natural feeling for a user as opposed to traditional thong or flip flop type sandals.

In some embodiments, a thong-style sandal is provided, having a novel and robust anchoring attachment to the sandal's sole. In some embodiments, the robust anchoring attachment may be configured to prevent blow out, and thus may ensure the corresponding thong-style sandal remains intact and functional during use.

The above aspects or examples and advantages, as well as other aspects or examples and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuing description and accompanying drawings.

What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

It should be understood that, for clarity of the drawings and of the specification, some or all details about some structural components or steps that are known in the art are not shown or described if they are not necessary for the invention to be understood by one of ordinary skills in the art.

depicts a top, side perspective view of a thong-style sandal, according to an aspect. The thong-style sandals (“thong sandals”, “sandals”)disclosed herein may comprise a toe post, which is associated with straps, a footbed, and a sole. Generally, the toe postand the strapsmay be provided as a single unitary element, and may include three points at which this single unitary element attaches to the footbedand/or sole. In some embodiments, the toe postand the straps, may be made separately and then joined together and they may be structurally different and/or made from different materials. The toe postmay attach to the footbedat attachment point, and the strapsmay attach to the footbedat attachment pointsin order to facilitate a secure attachment of the toe postand strapsto the footbed. In an embodiment, the sandal may be constructed from foam PU (polyurethane foam), rubber, TPE or PVC blend, etc., in accordance with the needs of the user, use case, etc. In some embodiments, the sandalmay have a unibody single piece sandal configuration that has the same anatomically improved toe postdisclosed herein. It is understood that in unibody sandals the strapsare not “plugin,” and instead, together with footbed, they form a monolithic sandal made by using a single mold.

A toe post that fits well between the user's toes, such as the herein disclosed toe post, may be configured to distribute pressure exerted on the user's toes by the toe postevenly, thus avoiding or reducing potential soreness and irritation that may occur with extended wear and use of the disclosed thong-style sandals. Furthermore, the disclosed toe postmay be configured to force or otherwise facilitate proper toe alignment in a user, and thus can aid in natural gait and foot mechanics, which can be beneficial for overall foot health and comfort, especially during long periods of walking or standing. As is understood, the disclosed thong-style sandalas-a-whole is also preferably configured to fit well to a user's foot and mimic the natural shape of the foot, thus encouraging proper alignment of the user's toes, arch, and heel. This in turn further reduces the need for user's toes to grip the thong style sandalin place, thus avoiding the need for corresponding compensatory action.

depicts a left side elevation view of a thong-style sandal, according to an aspect.depicts a right-side elevation view of a thong-style sandal, according to an aspect. In an embodiment, the footbedmay be configured to be a suitable shape to conform to a user's foot, to facilitate proper engagement with the user. It should be understood that the size and general dimensions of the footbedmay be varied in accordance with the needs of the intended user.

depicts a top plan view of a thong-style sandal, according to an aspect.depicts a bottom plan view of a thong-style sandal, according to an aspect. In an embodiment, the toe postmay comprise a toe post anchorthat is passed through the footbedand the soleto anchor the toe postinto the footbedand/or the sole. In an embodiment, each strapmay comprise a corresponding strap anchorthat is passed through the footbedand the soleto anchor the strapsinto the footbedand/or the sole. In said embodiments, the toe post anchorand the strap anchorsmay also pass through the footbed. The toe post anchorsand strap anchorsmay be configured to be securely engaged with the soleto prevent damage and/or blow out during use of the sandal.

As is understood, while in use, the force exerted upon the toe postby the user may be greater than the force exerted upon strapsby the user, as a result of the toe postbeing disposed between the user's toes while in use. To accommodate this greater amount of force being exerted upon the toe post, the toe postmay be thicker than conventional toe posts present in the market. Furthermore, the anchoring structure of the toe post (e.g., the toe post anchor) may be wider (or otherwise larger) than the corresponding anchoring structures of conventional toe posts currently available in the market. In an embodiment, the top portion of the anchor (shown byas will be discussed in further detail when referring to) conforms to the post transitioning from the sole.

depicts a front elevation view of a thong-style sandal, according to an aspect.depicts a rear elevation view of a thong-style sandal, according to an aspect. In some embodiments, the toe postof the thong-style sandalmay be suitably configured to improve its structure and function, and to fit comfortably between the first and second toe sulcus of a user, as disclosed herein. In said embodiments, the shape of the toe postenables for example improved grip and toe purchase, thus providing a more secure engagement between the user and the thong-style sandal. As such, among other benefits, a user may maintain a normal gait during use, and thus may experience no discomfort or injury from wearing the disclosed thong-style sandals.

depicts a front elevation cross-sectional view of a thong-style sandal, taken along lines-of, according to an aspect. Generally, as shown in, the thong-style sandalsdisclosed herein may have a substantially flat footbed, but still providing a shape that conforms to a user's foot, such as in the arch area. In some embodiments, the footbed and/or the sole may be provided with any suitable surface pattern. However, it should be understood that, generally, the footbedmay be substantially flat and having a smooth surface, as shown in.

depicts a rear elevation view of a toe posthaving straps, according to an aspect. The toe postmay include a toe post anchorand may be associated with the toe postvia a flange. The widened surface area of the flangemay provide part of the anatomical improvement of the sandals disclosed herein that transition the unique contour of the toe postof the sandal disclosed to the footbed (in), allowing for better toe grip. In some embodiments, the flangemay also assist with reducing breaking, blow out, or pulling out of the toe post from the bed of the sandal and as well as providing a smooth contour between the toe postand the footbed (in). As described hereinabove, each strapmay include or otherwise be associated with a corresponding strap anchor. As is understood, the toe post anchorand strap anchorsmay be configured to facilitate the secure engagement between the toe postand strapsand the footbed (in) and/or sole (in).

depict a front view, a side sectional view, and a rear view, respectively, of a toe postfor a right foot that may be used for any of the thong-style sandals disclosed herein, according to an aspect.depicts a side sectional view taken along lines A-Aof.depicts a bottom plan view of a toe post anchorof a toe post, according to an aspect. Generally, the toe postsdisclosed herein may be provided with a substantially concave configuration (as viewed from the front and rear views depicted in), by the opposite lateral sides of the toe post, extending between the top and bottom outer edgesand, respectively, on each side of the toe post, curving inwards toward the vertical axis A-A. It should be noted that each of the two opposite lateral sides of the toe postare configured to receive user's toes when the sandal is in use. The concave configuration of the toe postimproves several aspects of the disclosed toe post, including the grip of the user's foot and toes onto the footbed of the thong-style sandal. In an embodiment, a particular asymmetrical configuration, as described hereinafter, of the toe post, is also provided. The asymmetrical configuration also improves the engagement of the toe postwith the user's toes better and more effectively than in typical, traditional, or conventional flip flop sandals. As described hereinabove, the toe postmay be engaged or otherwise associated with a toe post anchor, wherein the toe post anchoris configured to secure the toe postto the footbed of the thong-style sandal.

In referring to the asymmetrical configuration of the toe post, the top outer edgesand bottom outer edgesof the toe postare shown in. As shown in, the toe postmay curve inwards towards a vertical central axis represented by line A-Aof. The vertical central axis A-Amay generally be central with respect to the distance between the two top outer edgesand also with respect to the two bottom outer edges. However, as shown in, the central axis A-Ais not disposed symmetrically (thus, giving the toe post an asymmetrical configuration) with respect to the entire mass or volume of the toe post. For example, as shown, the vertical central axis A-Ais not symmetrical to the center outer edges shown byand. In other words, the distance from the central axis A-Ato center outer edge(adjacent to a user's second toe) is smaller than the distance from the central axis A-Ato center outer edge(adjacent to a user's largest toe). Thus, in an embodiment, the larger side of the toe post occurs on the side of the toe post that is adjacent to the user's largest toe and the smaller side of the toe post occurs on the side of the toe post that is adjacent to the user's second toe. That allows for better transfer of grip forces from the user's foot to the sandal, and thus to better control the sandal. It also allows for a better anatomic fit of toe post. Lastly, it also reduces medial and lateral drift of the sandal to the foot.

It should be understood that the units utilized the embodiment depicted inmay be in millimeters, but that the exact sizing specifications of the disclosed toe post, toe post anchorand other structures of the thong-style sandal may be varied in accordance with the needs of the user. As is understood, the toe post anchormay be configured to be inserted through the footbed and sole of a thong-style sandal, such as footbedand soleof thong-style sandalof, to secure the toe postto the footbed and sole.

In some embodiments, the toe posts disclosed herein are provided with a rotation about the central axis A-A. That is, a twist is present throughout the column-like shape of the toe post from bottom to top. The twist is apparent for example inand when referring to the front curvature linesand the back curvature lines, shown and discussed in further detail when referring to.

depict various views of molds produced from the first webspace impression from an exemplary user's foot, according to an aspect. The first webspace refers to the space between a person's first (largest) and second toes.depicts a perspective view of a mold taken from a person's right foot.depict a rear perspective view and a front perspective view, respectively, of a mold taken from a person's left foot.depict rear perspective views of molds produced from two exemplary right feet, and two exemplary left feet, respectively, according to an aspect.depict rear perspective views of molds produced from an exemplary left foot and an exemplary right foot, according to an aspect. As with the molds shown in, the molds depicted inare taken from the webspace between a person's first and second toes. The rear curvature linesshown on the molds as examples are provided to more clearly depict the twist/rotation that occurs along the vertical axes of the molds, and thus, of the improved toe post disclosed herein.

depicts a perspective view of a toe posthaving a soft claddingto interface with the human skin between the first and second toes, according to an aspect. The soft cladding can better interface with the human skin between the first and second toes and provides a better interface and fit, reducing the need for toe flexion/extension in order to keep the sandal engaged with the foot. In an embodiment, the bi-material construct of the post uses strong TPU (or other similar materials) for the core (not shown) of the toe post, the core being cladded or overlayed with a softer layer, of a less dense TPU (or other similar materials), for comfort. In an embodiment, the bi-material toe postmay be monolithic and may be manufactured by injection molding. The cladding overlayof a softer material may ranging from 1-3 mm. The cladding overlaymay be made also from SEBS (Styrene-Ethylene-Butylene-Styrene).

depicts a perspective view of a toe post associated with the sandal straps, the toe post having a soft cladding, according to an aspect.depicts a perspective view of a toe post associated with the sandal straps, the toe post being depicted without a soft cladding, according to an aspect. As shown byandin, the strapof higher density may be thinned in order to “flush” with the toe post's cladding layer. Referring to, it should be noted that in some embodiments, the coreof the toe post may need to be thinner to accommodate the cladding layer. Still, the corewould preferably maintain the improved anatomical configuration of the toe post disclosed herein (asymmetry, concavity, etc.). The cladding overlaymay need to be extended further down the whole strapor part thereof, for better and more comfortable engagement with the user's foot.

depicts a rear perspective view of a right foot toe post having straps, according to an aspect. As described hereinabove, and as clearly shown in, when the right foot toe postis seen from the top, a counterclockwise twist/rotationis an important aspect of the improved configuration of toe post. It should be understood that when a left foot toe post would be seen from the top, a clockwise twist/rotation would be observed instead. The preferred range of the toe post's rotation in the respective direction is 5-30 degrees. An even more preferred range of rotation is 10-15 degrees.shows atandthat in an embodiment there may be arc and radius differences for the side of the toe postcorresponding to the first/large toe of a sandal user compared to the side of the toe postcorresponding to the second toe of the user.

It should be understood that, given that the human foot can vary greatly from person to person, the toe post disclosed herein had to be derived from modeling multiple human anatomic samples into a universal, anatomically improved toe post.

Generally, the toe posts disclosed herein may be adapted from exemplary shapes of the webspaces of the first and second toes of male and female users, such that the toe post conforms as closely as possible to the natural space occurring between a user's toes. In this way, sandals that conform to the foot's natural shape, such as the thong style sandals disclosed herein which make use of such toe posts, distribute weight and pressure more evenly across the foot. This reduces the likelihood of overcompensation by certain parts of the foot (like the ball of the foot or the toes) during walking, leading to a more natural gait pattern. The disclosed anatomically improved thong-style sandal having the well-placed and suitably shaped toe postis configured to minimize the need for the user to grip the thong-style sandal with their toes, thus allowing the user's toes to remain more relaxed during walking. Better-fitting toe posts reduce the strain on the foot muscles and joints. When the user's foot is more properly engaged with a sandal, there's less need for compensatory muscular effort, reducing overall foot fatigue. Furthermore, the anatomically improved toe postreduces the need for unnatural movements while walking, such as excessive flexion and extension of the user's foot and toes, thus promoting a more efficient and comfortable gait.

Generally, the features disclosed herein may each assist in providing a more natural gait pattern to a user, and accordingly reduce stress, strain, injury, discomfort, and so on. The asymmetry of the toe posts disclosed herein, which conform to the naturally occurring space between a user's first and second toes, may provide such assistance.

As is understood, improved comfort and anatomic fit in sandals, particularly through features like the disclosed toe postcan significantly influence the biomechanics of a user's gait, reducing the need for compensatory movements in the feet and toes, thus reducing the likelihood of discomfort or injury while wearing. The anatomically improved toe postis configured to conform more closely to the natural shape of the toes, which enhances stability and reduces slippage of the user's foot inside the thong-style sandal. As such, the anatomically complementarily shaped toe postcan reduce these issues by aligning better with the natural spacing and movement of the user's toes. In summary, toe posts that offer an improved anatomical fit and comfort can greatly reduce the need for compensatory foot and toe movements while walking in sandals. This leads to a more natural and efficient walking pattern, which can contribute to overall foot health and comfort.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. As used in this application, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.

The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.

Further, as used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A “set” of items may include one or more of such items. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases.

Throughout this description, the aspects, embodiments or examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus or procedures disclosed. Although some of the examples may involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives.

Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one aspect, embodiment or example are not intended to be excluded from a similar role(s) in other aspects, embodiments or examples.

Aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention may be described as processes, which are usually depicted using a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may depict the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. With regard to flowcharts, it should be understood that additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the described methods.

Although aspects, embodiments and/or examples have been illustrated and described herein, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate of the same and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the aspects, embodiments and/or examples illustrated and described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover such alternate aspects, embodiments and/or examples.