GB1593044A

GB1593044A - Orthopaedic device for attachment to a heel or a sole of a shoe

Info

Publication number: GB1593044A
Application number: GB1731978A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Fosserat J P; THUILLARD Y
Current assignee: Fosserat J P; THUILLARD Y
Priority date: 1977-04-29
Filing date: 1978-05-02
Publication date: 1981-07-15
Also published as: FR2388539A1; CH599766A5; FR2388539B1; DE2818986A1

Description

(54) ORTHOPAEDIC DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT TO A HEEL ORASOLEOFASHOE (71) We, JEAN-PIERRE FOSSERAT, of 65, Rue Prulay, Meyrin, Geneve, Switzerland, and YVES THUILLARD, of 1, Rue Dummont, Geneve, Switzerland, both of Swiss nationality, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to an orthopaedic device for attachment to a heel or sole of a shoe.

The present device is intended for causing an abduction or an adduction of feet and of legs.

This is obtained by utilising the weight of a walker so that, at every step, the weight of the walker on his shoe causes a rotary motion of the shoe relative to the ground. Such a rotary motion allows correction of faults in the bone structure of the foot and leg.

According to the present invention, there is provided an orthopaedic device for attachment to a heel or sole of a shoe, the device comprising an upper part including a plate for securing to the shoe, the upper part being connected to a separate lower part having a ground engaging plate there being resilient means to urge, these parts apart, and said parts being able to be pressed towards one another along an axis against the bias of said resilient means and there being a mechanism between said plates to provide relative rotation between the parts about said axis as said parts are pressed towards one another.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cut-away side view of an orthopaedic device intended to be fixed in the heel of a shoe, the device being shown in an unloaded, extended condition; Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the device shown in Figure 1 and is shown in a collapsed condition as it would be when submitted to a pressure; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 and showing how extent of collapse can be limited; Figure 4 is a top plan view of a lower part of the device; Figure 5 is an underneath plan view of an upper part of the device; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic sectional side view showing how the device may be fitted in a heel of a shoe; and Figure 7 is a digrammatic sectional side view of a tool with an abrasive head for drilling in a heel of a shoe the cavity necessary to lodge the device.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1, the device includes an upper part 2 comprising a plate 10, preferably metallic, and a toothed crown wheel 7 fixed to the plate 10. Teeth of this crown wheel, which are identical to one another, each have a vertical face and an oblique face. A hollow shaft 3 depends from the plate 10 and lies on the central axis of the toothed wheel 7. A lower part 1, having a ground engaging surface or sole 9 fixed thereto, also comprises a plate 11, preferably metallic, and a toothed crown wheel 8 fixed to the plate 11, the wheel 8 being identical to the crown wheel 7.A shaft 4 depends from the plate 11 and lies on the central axis of the toothed wheel 8, the external diameter of the shaft 4 corresponding to the internal diameter of the hollow shaft 3 and the shaft 4 extending into the bore of the shaft 3 so that the two parts 1 and 2 have a common axis about which they can rotate.

In Figure 1, the device is shown in an extended condition where the teeth of the wheel 7 and 8 are not meshing with one another, no pressure being exerted between the two parts 1 and 2 to press them together. The oblique faces of the teeth of the wheel 7 are, however, in contact with the opposed oblique faces of the teeth of the wheel 8. The parts 1 and 2 are maintained in this fully extended position by resilient means. In the example shown, this means is a resilient sleeve 5, for example made of rubber, which is fixed by its sides ot the outside edges of the parts 1 and 2, respectively.

The sleeve 5 in the example illustrated not serves to maintain a certain separation of the parts 1 and 2 also to fix them one to the other.

Both functions could however be made by separate elements.

Figure 2 shows the device when a vertical pressure is applied between the parts 1 and 2.

The resilient sleeve 5 crumples under the pressure and the shaft 4 is driven further into the shaft 3 so that the teeth of the wheel 7 are slid between the wheel of the teeth 8, so that both crowns are entirely engaged one within the other. With the oblique faces of the crown wheel 7 having slid against the oblique faces of the crown wheel 8, both crown wheels have thereby been caused to rotate one with respect to the other. The sole 9, which is in contact with the ground, adheres normally to this latter, so it is the upper part 2, and with it the whole of the shoe and therefore of the foot as well as the leg, which undergoes a rotary motion.

Figure 2 shows an adjustable stop 12 (not visible in Figure 1); this stop allows adjustment of the amplitude of rotary movement; the stop 12 in the present example is a screw. This screw is introduced in a thread made in a bore in the shaft 4. In the condition shown in Figure 2, this screw hardly protrudes beyond the open end of the shaft 4 and so does not constitute an obstacle to the shaft 4 being pushed completely into the bore of the shaft 3.

Figure 3 shows a condition of the stop 12 where the screw protrudes significantly from the end of the shaft 4 so that the free end of the screw bears on the inner end of the shaft 3 when the two parts 1, 2 are pressed together, thereby limiting the travel of the two parts towards one another, the shaft 4 being unable to enter the shaft 3 completely. Thus, the amplitude of travel is limited by the length of screw which protrudes from the end of the shaft 4.

The stop 12 can easily be screwed or unscrewed, i.e. adjusted, without dismantling of the device; the screw head is accessible through an opening 13 made in the sole 9 and plate 11. Thus, a screwdriver is sufficient to make the adjustment.

It will be appreciated that the stop 12 could, for example, be fixed elsewhere than in the cylinder 4. Also, the resilient sleeve 5 could be replaced by springs, and the lower part 1 could be connected to the upper part 2 by means other than the resilient sleeve 5.

Figure 4 illustrates that the lower part 1 could be formed in such a way that the plate 11 has the form of a heel of a shoe. In this form, the upper part 2 would normally have the same profile and thus the whole device can replace a normal heel of a shoe.

Figure 5 shows a form of upper part 2 in which the plate 10 is circular and ofjust greater diameter than the diameter of the crown wheel 7. In this form, the profile of the lower part 1 would normally also be circular.

As shown in Figure 6, the device is usually driven into the heel of a shoe. The advantage of this is the possibility to mount the device on any shoe; it is only necessary to make a cylindrical cavity in the heel. Such a cavity can easily be obtained with a rotary tool of a kind such as that shown in Figure 7. The tool has a cylindrical abrasive head 14 with a diameter corresponding to the size of cavity to be bored, the head 14 being fixed on a shaft 15. A shoulder stop 16 prevents driving of the tool beyond a predetermined depth into the heel.

The shaft 15 can be fixed on a turning machine of a shoemaker and the head 14 can then be set on the heel to bore the cavity.

The device can be fixed not only in the heel of a shoe but anywhere on a shoe's sole; however, it will be appreciated that the best place is the heel.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A orthopaedic device for attachment to a heel or sole of a shoe, the device comprising an upper part including a plate for securing to the shoe, the upper part being connected to a separate lower part having a ground engaging plate, there being resilient means to urge these parts apart, and these parts being able to be pressed towards one another along the axis against the bias of said resilient means and there being a mechanism between said plates to provide relative rotation between the parts about said axis as said parts are pressed towards one another.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 and further comprising two shafts, one on each said part, one of the shafts extending into a bore in the other of the shafts and being able to slide and rotate in said bore, the axis of said shafts coinciding with the first mentioned axis.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein said mechanism comprises a toothed wheel on one said part interengaging with a toothed wheel on said other part, the teeth being so shaped that, upon said parts being pressed towards one another, the teeth on one of said wheels ride on the teeth of the other wheel to cause said relative rotation.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 3, wherein each tooth of each toothed wheel has a face extending parallel to said axis and a face extending obliquely thereto, the oblique faces of respective wheels contacting one another.

5. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said resilient bias is provided by a resilient band which interconnects said parts.

6. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said resilient bias is provided by spring means.

7. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and further comprising a stop to limit travel of said parts towards one another.

8. A device as climed in Claim 7 as appendant to Claim 2, wherein said stop comprises a screw threadably mounted in a threaded bore in the inner-most shaft, the screw being able to protrude from the free end of this shaft to abut against the inner end of the bore of the other shaft.

9. A device as claiMed in Claim 8, wherein a head of the screw is accessible through an

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. pressure and the shaft 4 is driven further into the shaft 3 so that the teeth of the wheel 7 are slid between the wheel of the teeth 8, so that both crowns are entirely engaged one within the other. With the oblique faces of the crown wheel 7 having slid against the oblique faces of the crown wheel 8, both crown wheels have thereby been caused to rotate one with respect to the other. The sole 9, which is in contact with the ground, adheres normally to this latter, so it is the upper part 2, and with it the whole of the shoe and therefore of the foot as well as the leg, which undergoes a rotary motion. Figure 2 shows an adjustable stop 12 (not visible in Figure 1); this stop allows adjustment of the amplitude of rotary movement; the stop 12 in the present example is a screw. This screw is introduced in a thread made in a bore in the shaft 4. In the condition shown in Figure 2, this screw hardly protrudes beyond the open end of the shaft 4 and so does not constitute an obstacle to the shaft 4 being pushed completely into the bore of the shaft 3. Figure 3 shows a condition of the stop 12 where the screw protrudes significantly from the end of the shaft 4 so that the free end of the screw bears on the inner end of the shaft 3 when the two parts 1, 2 are pressed together, thereby limiting the travel of the two parts towards one another, the shaft 4 being unable to enter the shaft 3 completely. Thus, the amplitude of travel is limited by the length of screw which protrudes from the end of the shaft 4. The stop 12 can easily be screwed or unscrewed, i.e. adjusted, without dismantling of the device; the screw head is accessible through an opening 13 made in the sole 9 and plate 11. Thus, a screwdriver is sufficient to make the adjustment. It will be appreciated that the stop 12 could, for example, be fixed elsewhere than in the cylinder 4. Also, the resilient sleeve 5 could be replaced by springs, and the lower part 1 could be connected to the upper part 2 by means other than the resilient sleeve 5. Figure 4 illustrates that the lower part 1 could be formed in such a way that the plate 11 has the form of a heel of a shoe. In this form, the upper part 2 would normally have the same profile and thus the whole device can replace a normal heel of a shoe. Figure 5 shows a form of upper part 2 in which the plate 10 is circular and ofjust greater diameter than the diameter of the crown wheel 7. In this form, the profile of the lower part 1 would normally also be circular. As shown in Figure 6, the device is usually driven into the heel of a shoe. The advantage of this is the possibility to mount the device on any shoe; it is only necessary to make a cylindrical cavity in the heel. Such a cavity can easily be obtained with a rotary tool of a kind such as that shown in Figure 7. The tool has a cylindrical abrasive head 14 with a diameter corresponding to the size of cavity to be bored, the head 14 being fixed on a shaft 15. A shoulder stop 16 prevents driving of the tool beyond a predetermined depth into the heel. The shaft 15 can be fixed on a turning machine of a shoemaker and the head 14 can then be set on the heel to bore the cavity. The device can be fixed not only in the heel of a shoe but anywhere on a shoe's sole; however, it will be appreciated that the best place is the heel. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A orthopaedic device for attachment to a heel or sole of a shoe, the device comprising an upper part including a plate for securing to the shoe, the upper part being connected to a separate lower part having a ground engaging plate, there being resilient means to urge these parts apart, and these parts being able to be pressed towards one another along the axis against the bias of said resilient means and there being a mechanism between said plates to provide relative rotation between the parts about said axis as said parts are pressed towards one another.

opening in the base of said lower part so that the position of the screw in said threaded bore can be adjusted.

10. A orthopaedic device for attachment to a heel or sole of a shoe, substantially as hereinbore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6, or Figure 4, or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A shoe having a heel or sole with a device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.