Interactive on-demand orthotic vending machine and method of producing orthotics

Abstract

An orthotic vending machine may comprise a measuring apparatus and an orthotic fabricating apparatus. The measuring apparatus may comprises a plurality of probes capable of sensing pressure at various pixels on the underside surfaces of the person's feet at various configurations (e.g., flat plane, shoe contour, or prescriptive optimal) and determining the heights at the various pixels for the various configurations. The fabricating apparatus may lay down a plurality of discs on a base layer having different hardnesses based on the measured pressure and heights by the measuring apparatus to fabricate customized orthotics. Alternatively, the fabricating apparatus may form the customized orthotic via solidifying a polymerizeable material in a honeycomb structure based on the measured pressure and heights by the measuring apparatus. As a further alternative, the fabricating apparatus may form the customized orthotic via milling orthotic blanks based on the measured pressure and heights by the measuring apparatus. The orthotic vending machine may be placed in shoe retail shops such that shoe purchasers may purchase a shoe and a customized orthotic during one visit to the shoe store.

1 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A method of providing an orthotic to a person, the method comprising the steps of:
 a) providing an orthotic machine;   b) measuring pressure distribution on an underside surface of a person's foot with the orthotic machine;   c) reconfiguring vertical positions of a plurality of probes of the orthotic machine until the pressure distribution on the underside surface of the person's foot is equalized throughout the underside surface of the person's foot;   d) recording vertical positions of the plurality of probes of the orthotic machine after the reconfiguring step; and   e) fabricating the orthotic with a contour matched to the vertical positions of the plurality of probes.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the measuring pressure distribution step comprises the steps of:
 i) instructing the person to step onto left and right platforms wherein the left platform comprises left plurality of probes and the right platform comprises right plurality of probes; 
 ii) vertically adjusting each of the left and right plurality of probes until pressure distribution on the underside surfaces of the person's feet is subtalar neutral; and 
 iii) sensing a pressure with a pressure sensor and a vertical position of each of the left and right plurality of probes. 
 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the fabricating step comprises the steps of:
 i) milling an orthotic blank. 
 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20  wherein in the fabricating step, the orthotics optimally redistributes the pressure on the underside surfaces of the person's feet. 
     
     
         24 . A measuring apparatus for measuring a height contour when a pressure distribution on an underside surface of a person's foot is optimal, the apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of probes, top surfaces of the probes collectively defining a platform which supports the person's foot, each of the plurality of probes having a threaded portion;   a support plate having a plurality of threaded apertures with each of the threaded portions of the plurality of probes threaded to the plurality of threaded apertures;   a plurality of sensors mounted to the plurality of probes for sensing a plurality of pressures on the underside surfaces of the person's foot;   a plurality of stepper motors engageable to the plurality of probes for rotating the threaded portions of the probes into and out of the threaded apertures;   a computer system in electrical communication with each of the plurality of pressure sensors mounted to the probes for receiving the sensed pressures, the computer being operative to record vertical positions of the plurality of probes.   
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24  further comprising an orthotic fabricating apparatus for fabricating an orthotic identical to the recorded vertical positions of the plurality of probes. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the orthotic fabricating apparatus comprises an entry port and a fabricating section, the entry port having a center railway for receiving a rail of an orthotic blank to align the orthotic blank to the fabricating section. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 25  further comprising:
 a user interface for displaying instructions to guide the person in vending the orthotics from the vending machine; 
 wherein the computer is in communication with the user interface and is operative to transmit the instructions to the user interface. 
 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27  wherein the user interface is a display for displaying the transmitted instructions and for displaying the pressure distribution of the underside surfaces of the person's foot. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 28  wherein the pressure distribution is color coded. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 26  wherein the rail is received into a groove of an upper gripper to align the orthotic blank to the fabricating section. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 26  wherein the rail is received into a groove of an upper roller to align the orthotic blank to the fabricating section. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 25  wherein the fabricating apparatus comprises a machining platform, an orthotic blank to be machined being aligned to the machining platform via a rail of the orthotic blank which the rail is receiveable into a groove. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 25  further comprising a communications port in communication with a server via a wide area network and the computer for transmitting the sensed data to the server. 
     
     
         34 . A measuring apparatus for measuring a height contour when a pressure distribution on an underside surface of a person's foot is optimal, the apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of probes, top surfaces of the probes collectively support the person's foot, each of the plurality of probes having a threaded portion;   a support plate having a plurality of threaded apertures with each of the threaded portions of the plurality of probes threaded to the plurality of threaded apertures;   a plurality of sensors mounted to the plurality of probes for sensing a plurality of pressures on the underside surfaces of the person's foot;   a plurality of stepper motors engageable to the plurality of probes for rotating the threaded portions of the probes into and out of the threaded apertures to adjust a vertical position of each of probes to reconfigure the top surfaces of the probes so that each of the sensors mounted to the probes after adjustment senses the same level of pressure; and   a computer system in electrical communication with each of the plurality of pressure sensors mounted to the probes for receiving the sensed pressures, the computer being operative to record vertical positions of the plurality of probes.