CUSTOM SHOE FORMER

Description

BACKGROUND

Footwear, particularly shoes, are designed to protect the feet, provide comfort, and in many instances, add to one's aesthetic appeal. Shoes come in a variety of designs, shapes, and sizes, and are typically made to fit a generic foot shape in the corresponding size. However, the shape and contour of individuals'feet can vary greatly. Factors such as foot length, width, arch height, and specific foot conditions like bunions, hammer toes, etc., make it difficult for mass-produced shoes to provide a perfect fit for everyone.

The realm of performance footwear, especially shoes for sports like soccer, basketball, or rock climbing, for example, emphasizes the need for well-fitting footwear. Soccer shoes, for instance, require a very snug fit for optimum performance since they are designed to enhance the player's speed, traction, control, and feel of the ball. Any loose or improper fit can adversely affect a player's performance. Furthermore, athletes such as soccer and basketball players and rock climbers often size down their shoes to improve their performance, which can lead to discomfort or injury if a shoe impinges on areas of the foot. Additionally, shoes that get wet often shrink when they are drying out, further creating the possibility of improper fit.

To mitigate these issues, shoe formers have been developed and used. Shoe formers are inserts that are placed inside shoes when not in use to maintain their structure, stretch the upper of the shoe to generally create a roomier fit, and prevent deformation. Traditional shoe formers are typically made of wood, metal, or plastic and serve to maintain the shoe's shape while it is not being worn, helping to prevent shrinkage, creasing, and deformation.

However, these traditional shoe formers have limitations. They are usually of limited ranges of size and shape, and therefore they may fail to adapt to the variations in the shape and contour of an individual's feet. In addition, custom shoe formers that are hand crafted may take many hours for a skilled craftsman to make, resulting in high cost that discourages many athletes from using them. Furthermore, even skilled craftsmen of shoe formers may not be able to take into account the differences between how different feet fit within different shoes. The limitations of current shoe formers have resulted in limited usage and reduced effectiveness.

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers. For example, the described techniques provide for generating a foot model for a custom shoe former for a subject's foot based at least in part on a foot model (e.g., a representation of a portion of the foot). The foot model may be obtained by scanning the foot of the subject. One or more transforms may be applied to the foot model, where the one or more transforms may be based on parameters of a shoe which the subject intends to use a shoe former. A custom shoe former may be fabricated that accounts for the shape of the subject's foot and the parameters of the shoe, which may provide improved performance and fit for the subject upon wearing shoes in which the shoe former is employed

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example of a foot model that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein.

FIGS. 2A-2C show views of shoes that support methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein.

FIG. 3 shows a view of a shoe former model that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C show a view of a shoe former that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a system that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a system that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Shoe formers (sometimes also called shoe stretchers, shoe trees, or shoe shapers) are used for various reasons including to improve the fit of shoes, to enhance performance for certain types of footwear, to maintain the shape of the footwear between uses, and to absorb odor from the footwear. For example, some athletes such as soccer players, basketball players, football players, rugby players, and rock climbers use very tight-fitting shoes to enhance performance, even sizing down by one or two sizes in some cases to achieve the desired performance.

Shoe formers may be used to pre-stretch footwear to a person's feet, and may continue to be employed between uses of footwear to maintain the fit. For example, some athletes store their footwear using shoe formers to shape and maintain the desired fit.

Current shoe formers are either generically sized and shaped or custom crafted to correspond to a person's feet. Generically sized and shaped shoe formers generally do not provide the fit desired for high performance or bespoke comfort. On the other hand, custom shoe formers typically take substantial time from a skilled craftsman to be formed to the person's feet, as the craftsman measures key parameters of the feet and sculpts the shoe formers to match the contours of the feet. Thus, custom shoe formers can be prohibitively expensive for other than professional athletes or high end shoes. In addition, even custom shoe formers may fail to properly account for the shape of the feet as inserted in particular shoes, and may thus result in less than optimal fit or performance.

According to aspects described herein, a custom shoe former may be formed using a three-dimensional (3D) model of a person's feet, and may account for parameters of specific shoes for which it is designed to be used. For example, a custom shoe former as described herein may be custom to a specific user's foot, as well as a specific shoe model (e.g., a specific make and model and size of the shoe).

Initially, the model of the person's feet may be obtained using 3D scanning. The foot model may be transformed using parameters of specific footwear such as midsole drop and toe spring angle, or other parameters. The custom shoe former may then be manufactured using at least a portion (e.g., forefoot portion) of the transformed foot model. For example, the transformed foot model may be split on the frontal plane at some portion of the foot (e.g., metatarsals) and the forefoot portion may be combined digitally with a heel section to form a complete shoe former digital model. The digital model may then be turned into a custom shoe former using a variety of manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, machining, or molding. Alternatively, the forefoot portion may be manufactured separately (e.g., 3D printed, machined, molded), and attached to a heel section that may be the same or a different material. The custom shoe former may be manufactured out of a variety of materials such as plastic or wood (e.g., cedar).

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of models that relate to methods for manufacturing a custom shoe former. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to methods for manufacturing a custom shoe former.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a foot model 102 that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein. The foot model 102 may be obtained by scanning a subject's foot. For example, a 3-dimensional (3D) scanner may be used that generates a 3D model of the foot using laser scanning or other scanning techniques. The scanning may be performed while the subject's foot is weighted, partially weighted, or unweighted. In some cases, a thin sock may be over the subject's foot during the scanning to simplify contours around the toes of the foot. One or more parameters of the foot model 102 may be obtained such as a location 112 of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model 102. Additional parameters of the foot model 102 that may obtained include length, width, arch height, or volume.

In some cases, the subject may have problem areas in their feet that may be addressed using the custom shoe former. For example, the subject may have a problem area on one of their feet such as bunions or other areas of discomfort. In some cases, the problem area may be identified based on analysis of dynamic movement of the foot. For example, a dynamic movement metric of the foot may be identified and associated with a region of the foot. To address these problems, a region of the shoe former model may be adjusted (e.g., inflated) prior to using the shoe former model to manufacture the shoe former.

FIGS. 2A-2C show views 200 of shoes that support methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein. The shoes 104 are shown in FIGS. 2A-2C with sets of parameters 105 that are associated with the shoes 104. In particular, FIG. 2A shows a cutaway view 200-a of a shoe 104-a with parameters 105-a of the shoe 104-a that may be determined for manufacturing a custom shoe former. For example, the parameters 105-a may include midsole drop 106-a or toe spring angle 108-a. Midsole drop 106-a may represent the difference between the height or thickness of the midsole 110 under the heel compared to the height or thickness under the ball of the foot. In some cases, midsole drop 106-a may be represented by an angle (e.g., ramp angle) of the drop between the heel and the midsole.

Toe spring angle 108-a may represent the amount of upward curve of the sole underneath the toes or forefoot. In some cases toe spring angle 108-a may be represented by a scalar (e.g., degrees). Alternatively, toe spring angle 108-a may be represented by a vector, which may include offsets of one or more points along the length of the shoe 104-a. For example, toe spring angle 108-a may include linear or angular offsets at intervals from the midsole to the toes of the shoe 104-a. Yet alternatively, toe spring angle 108-a may be represented by a polynomial curve approximation of a curve of shoe 104-a from the midsole to the toes of the shoe 104-a. Parameters 105-a may include additional parameters for describing characteristics of the shoe 104-a such as arch height, volume, length, width, or lateral curve.

FIGS. 2B and 2C show views of different shoes to illustrate the difference in parameters 105 for different models of shoes. For example, shoes for sports such as tennis, skateboarding, or basketball, such as shoe 104-b illustrated in view 200-b, may be relatively flat, having a midsole drop 106-b that may be in the range of zero (0) to five (5) millimeters. In addition, shoe 104-b illustrates a low toe spring angle 108-b of three (3) degrees, which may be consistent with a shoe designed more for lateral movement than forward movement. In contrast, shoe 104-c shown in view 200-c of FIG. 2C illustrates a high midsole drop 106-c that may be present in some shoes such as high heels. For example, shoe 104-c has a midsole drop of 70 mm, and may also have low toe spring angle 108-c. The same foot inserted in shoes 104-b and 104-c would result in different angles and flex in the foot, which alters the shape of the foot within the shoes. The ranges of parameters 105-a, 105-b, and 105-c illustrate that accounting for parameters 105 in manufacturing a custom shoe former provides significant benefit in adapting the shoe former to how the foot would be shaped when inserted into the different styles of footwear.

Parameters 105 may be determined from specifications provided by a manufacturer of the shoe 104. Alternatively, parameters 105 may be determined from measurements of the shoe 104 such as can be obtained by non-destructive, or in some cases destructive (e.g., sectioning), processes for obtaining measurements of shoe 104.

FIG. 3 shows a view 300 of a shoe former model 120 that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein. The shoe former model 120 may be obtained by applying one or more transforms to the foot model 102, where the transforms may be based on the parameters 105 of the shoe 104.

The transforms may include transforms that bend or warp a model such as foot model 102 according to parameters such as one or more of parameters 105. In some cases, multiple transforms may be applied sequentially to foot model 102 to generate shoe former model 120. For example, a first transform may be applied based on a first parameter of parameters 105 and a second transform may be subsequently applied based on a second parameter of parameters 105. Additionally or alternatively, a single transform may be applied according to multiple parameters. For example, foot model 102 may be modified by a deformation transform according to parameters 105 including midsole drop 106 and toe spring angle 108. Deformation transforms include shear, bend, linear, or non-linear transformations.

In some examples, a transform (e.g., deformation transform) may be applied to a region of the foot model 102 between the location 112 of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model 102 and a heel region of the foot model 102 based at least in part on the midsole drop 106 of the shoe 104. Additionally or alternatively, a transform (e.g., deformation transform) may be applied about a line that is based at least in part on the location 112 of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model 102 based at least in part on the toe spring angle 108 of the shoe 104. In some cases, the toe spring angle 108 may be represented by a scalar (e.g., angle), by a vector (e.g., vector of offsets or angles), or a polynomial curve.

The shoe former model 120 may be split to obtain a shoe former forefoot model 130. For example, a plane 125 may be obtained, and the shoe former model 120 may be split at the plane 125. The plane 125 may be determined based on an offset 145 from the location 112 of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model 102. For example, the offset 145 may be a fixed offset, or may be determined based on other parameters of the foot model 102 such as the length of the foot model 102 (e.g., offset 145 may be a percentage of the length of the foot model 102). Additionally or alternatively, offset 145 may be determined based on one or more parameters of shoe 104. For example, offset 145 may be determined such that the shoe former forefoot model 130 fills the shoe 104 (e.g., substantially fills, within a threshold) forward of the opening of the shoe 104.

FIG. 4A shows a view 400-a of a shoe former 150 that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein. Shoe former 150 may be manufactured as a single workpiece or as multiple workpieces that are attached together. Shoe former 150 may be manufactured using one or more types of additive manufacturing (e.g., 3D printing) or subtractive manufacturing (e.g., cutting, milling). In one example, a rear portion 154 may be obtained from one or more parameters of foot model 102 or shoe 104 (e.g., length) and may be combined with shoe former forefoot model 130 to obtain a complete model of shoe former 150 that may be manufactured (e.g., 3D printed). In some cases, shoe former 150 may be 3D printed from a plastic material (thermoplastic). In some cases, an infill may be added to shoe former 150 prior to 3D printing. The infill may be selected to reduce an amount of material used for 3D printing, or for aesthetics, or both.

Alternatively, a forefoot portion 152 of a shoe former may be manufactured (e.g., 3D printed, milled, cut) based on shoe former forefoot model 130, and may be attached to a rear portion 154, which may be manufactured from the same or different materials. For example, cedar provides benefits for shoe formers in odor protection by absorbing moisture from the shoe. Thus, forefoot portion 152 may be milled from cedar, and may be attached to a rear portion 154 that may be plastic or metal. The rear portion may be molded, 3D printed, or milled, in various cases. For example, the rear portion 154 may be selected from a set of available (e.g., prefabricated) rear portions 154 based on the length of the foot model 102 or shoe 104.

The shoe former 150 (e.g., pair of shoe formers) may then be used to pre-shape or maintain shape of footwear (e.g., the footwear may be stored with the custom shoe formers).

FIG. 4B shows a view 400-b of shoe former 150 that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein. For example, view 400-b illustrates a top view of shoe former 150, showing the forefoot portion 152 and rear portion 154.

FIG. 4C shows a view 400-c of shoe former 150 that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein. For example, view 400-c illustrates an isometric view of shoe former 150, showing the forefoot portion 152 and rear portion 154.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a system 520 that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein. System 520 may include scanner 525, shoe characterizer 530, shoe former model generator 535, shoe former forefoot manufacturer 545, and shoe former assembler 555. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses 560).

The scanner 525 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for scanning a foot of a subject to obtain a foot model (e.g., a representation of the foot). The scanner 525 may be, for example, a 3D scanner.

The shoe characterizer 530 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining parameters of a shoe. For example, the parameters may be specific to a certain make, model, and size of shoe. Shoe characterizer 530 may obtain the parameters via an interface to shoe manufacturers, or may obtain measurements of the specific shoe model. The parameters may include forefoot drop, toe spring angle, and other parameters.

The shoe former model generator 535 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for applying one or more transforms to the foot model obtained by the scanner 525 based on one or more parameters obtained from the shoe characterizer 350. For example, shoe former model generator 535 may apply a transform (e.g., deformation transform) to a region of the foot model between the location of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model and a heel region of the foot model based at least in part on the midsole drop of the shoe. Additionally or alternatively, a transform (e.g., deformation transform) may be applied about a line that is based at least in part on the location of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model based at least in part on the toe spring angle of the shoe. Shoe former model generator 535 may split the shoe former model to obtain a shoe former forefoot model. For example, the shoe former model may be split at a plane that is determined based on (e.g., offset from) the location of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model, or based on other parameters of the foot model or shoe.

The shoe former forefoot manufacturer 545 may generate a forefoot portion of a shoe former based on shoe former forefoot model output by shoe former model generator 535. Shoe former forefoot manufacturer 545 may include means for additive or subtractive manufacturing such as a 3D printer or a milling machine. For example, shoe former forefoot manufacturer 545 may 3D print forefoot portion from plastic, or may mill forefoot portion from plastic or other materials (e.g., cedar, other wood species).

Shoe former assembler 555 may assemble forefoot portion of the shoe former with a rear portion that may be molded, 3D printed, or milled from materials such as plastic, metal, or wood, to obtain a finished shoe former of a pair of shoe formers to be used with a pair of shoes (e.g., pair of shoe formers).

FIG. 6 shows an example of a system 600 that supports methods for manufacturing custom shoe formers in accordance with examples described herein.

System 600 may include computing platform 605, scanner 525, and shoe former forefoot manufacturer 545. Computing platform 605 may include I/O controller 610, transceiver 615, processor 620, and memory 630. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 645).

The I/O controller 610 may manage input signals and output signals for the computing platform 605. The I/O controller 610 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the computing platform 605. In some cases, the I/O controller 610 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controller 610 may be implemented as part of processor 620. In some cases, a user may interact with the computing platform via the I/O controller 610 or via hardware components (e.g., input devices, output devices) controlled by the I/O controller 610.

Memory 630 may include various types of memory including volatile or non-volatile memory devices. The memory 630 may store computer-readable, computer-executable software (e.g., code 635) including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor 620 to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 630 may contain, among other things, a basic input/output system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The processor 620 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 620 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 620. The processor 620 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 630 to perform various functions.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a method 700 for manufacturing custom orthotic sandal in accordance with examples described herein. The operations of the method 700 may be implemented by a system 520 or system 600 or its components as described herein. In some examples, a processor 620 may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of a computing platform 605 to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the computing platform 605 may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

The method 700 may include scanning a foot of a subject to obtain a foot model at 705. The scanning of the foot may be performed using a 3D scanner. The foot model may be a representation of a portion of the foot.

At 710, the method 700 may include identifying one or more parameters of a shoe. The one or more parameters may include a midsole drop of the shoe or a toe spring angle of the shoe.

At 715, the method 700 may include applying one or more transforms to the foot model to obtain a shoe former model, wherein the one or more transforms are based at least in part on the one or more parameters of the shoe. In some cases, the one or more transforms include a first transform applied to a region of the foot model between locations of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model and a heel region of the foot model based at least in part on the midsole drop of the shoe. In some cases, the one or more transforms include a second transform applied about a line that is based at least in part on locations of metatarsophalangeal joints in the foot model based at least in part on the toe spring angle of the shoe.

At 720, the method 700 may include manufacturing a shoe former out of a material according to the shoe former model. In some cases, manufacturing the shoe former includes splitting the shoe former model to obtain a shoe former forefoot model, wherein manufacturing the shoe former comprises manufacturing a forefoot portion of the shoe former from the shoe former forefoot model and a rear portion of the shoe former based at least in part on a length of the shoe. The shoe former may be manufactured using additive or subtractive manufacturing, and may be manufactured out of one or more materials such as plastic, wood (e.g., cedar), or metal.

It should be noted that these methods describe examples of implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that other implementations are possible. In some examples, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined. For example, aspects of each of the methods may include steps or aspects of the other methods, or other steps or techniques described herein.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer readable media includes both non transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk read only memory (CDROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer, or a general purpose or special purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.

As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on.”

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “exemplary” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples. ” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.