Ballet pointe shoe

Abstract

The invention relates to a custom-fitting, asymmetric ballet shoe with a shell ( 9 ) and liner ( 13 ) that enables the dancer to stand en pointe and perform the extreme movements required by ballet choreography with minimal discomfort, pain, and injury to the foot caused by the various aerial ballet maneuvers called for by both traditional and modern choreography. The shoe of the present invention is designed to redistribute the dancer's weight and the ground force reactions associated with dancing en pointe evenly across the toes while translating some of the force away from the distal aspect of the dancer's toes to the rest of the foot. The shoe has a removable cosmetic cover ( 18 ) to enable, inter alia, the color and design to be varied according to costume design and the cover's replacement when the fabric is worn, thereby extending the useful life of the remainder of the shoe.

1 . A ballet shoe for distributing the vertical forces exerted upon the foot of a dancer when the dancer is en pointe in an orthopaedically improved manner comprising: 
 a shell comprising a shank and a toe box, said toe box having an inner surface and an outer surface; and    a liner shaped to substantially fill the space between the toes of the dancer and said inner surface of said shell, said liner conforming to the three-dimensional topography of the dancer's toes.    
   
   
       2 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the liner further conforms to the portion of the forefoot of the dancer surmounting the lower portions of the metatarsal bones of the foot.  
   
   
       3 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said three-dimensional topography is attained when the foot is en pointe in an orthopaedically acceptable conformation.  
   
   
       4 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said liner is an orthopaedically acceptable foam.  
   
   
       5 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said liner is a dense closed cell foam.  
   
   
       6 . The shoe of  claim 5  wherein said foam is pelite.  
   
   
       7 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said shank is disposed to support at least a portion of the plantar surface of the foot.  
   
   
       8 . The shoe of  claim 7  wherein said shank supports the arch of the foot short of the heel.  
   
   
       9 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said toe box and said shank are integral.  
   
   
       10 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said toe box and said shank are molded.  
   
   
       11 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said toe box and said shank are molded from thermoplastic.  
   
   
       12 . The shoe of  claim 11  wherein said thermoplastic is polyethylene or polypropylene.  
   
   
       13 . The shoe of  claim 11  wherein said toe box and said shank form a unitary structure.  
   
   
       14 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein said vertical forces are substantially uniformly transmitted to at least the lower portions of the metatarsal bones of the foot.  
   
   
       15 . The shoe of  claim 1  further comprising a cover for said toe box portion of said shell, said cover being adapted for enveloping the heel of the dancer.  
   
   
       16 . A ballet shoe cover comprising: 
 a resilient outsole;    a portion adapted for enclosing a toe box of a shell, said shell comprising a toe box and a shank; and    a portion enclosing the heel of a dancer.    
   
   
       17 . The cover of  claim 16  further comprising an inner layer and an outer layer.  
   
   
       18 . The cover of  claim 17  wherein said inner layer includes an opening for inserting said shank.  
   
   
       19 . The cover of  claim 16  wherein said toe box further comprises a toe platform, wherein said resilient outsole extends to cover said toe platform.  
   
   
       20 . The cover of  claim 16  wherein said resilient outsole is leather.  
   
   
       21 . The cover of  claim 16  further comprising a strap or ribbon.  
   
   
       22 . The cover of  claim 16  further comprising a lace or drawstring.  
   
   
       23 . A method for making a ballet shoe comprising: 
 providing a shell comprising a toe box and a shank, said toe box having an inner surface and an outer surface, said toe box being capable of holding the forefoot of a dancer including at least a portion of the foot surmounting the lower portions of the metatarsal bones thereof; and    providing a liner to fit within said toe box of said shell, said liner being foam molded to substantially fill the space between the toes of the dancer and said inner surface of said shell, said liner being shaped to conform to the three-dimensional topography of the dancer's toes and to hold the toes of the dancer in an orthopaedically acceptable conformation.    
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said molding is performed upon a negative cast taken of the lower forefoot of the dancer while in a balance sustaining environment effective to attain the three-dimensional topography of the toes when the foot is en pointe in an orthopaedically acceptable conformation.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein said balance sustaining environment is a particulate solid.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein said particulate solid is sand.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said liner is a dense closed cell foam.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein said foam is pelite.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 23  further comprising providing a cover for said toe box portion of said shell, wherein said cover is adapted for enveloping the heel of the dancer.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said cover is replaceable.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 29  further comprising providing a plurality of said covers.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 31  wherein said covers vary aesthetically.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32  wherein said covers vary in color.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 29  wherein said cover further comprises a resilient outsole.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said toe box and said shank form a unitary structure.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said toe box and said shank are molded from thermoplastic.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 23  wherein said shell is selected from a standard set of shells.