Footwear insole system

Abstract

A footwear insole system for use with an article of footwear including a base insole component and an upper insole component. The base insole includes a chassis and first and a second shock absorbing inserts. The upper insole includes a spacer panel, first and a second gel insert members, and a fabric sheet layer. The insole system may be permanently secured to an article of footwear or the insole system may be replaceable or interchangeable for installation and removal to and from an article of footwear by a user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An insole system for an article of footwear comprising:
 a base insole comprising a chassis having an upper surface and a lower surface, a lateral side and a medial side, a heel end and a forefoot end, and a heel portion, a midfoot portion, and a forefoot portion;   first and second shock absorbing inserts mounted to the chassis; and   an upper insole mounted to the upper surface of the chassis.   
     
     
         2 . The insole system of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis defines a central well formed at the heel portion, the central well comprising a peripheral wall defined along the well at the heel portion and extending along the lateral and medial sides of the chassis until gradually tapering at the midfoot portion, the peripheral wall defining a collar surface that is generally transverse the wall and between the wall and an outer contour of the chassis. 
     
     
         3 . The insole system of  claim 2 , wherein the first shock absorbing insert is mounted to the forefoot portion and the second shock absorbing insert is mounted to the heel portion. 
     
     
         4 . The insole system of  claim 3 , wherein the upper insole comprises a spacer panel having at least one opening formed therein, first and second gel insert members, and a fabric sheet. 
     
     
         5 . The insole system of  claim 4 , wherein the spacer panel extends along the midfoot and forefoot portions of the base insole, the first gel insert member being fitted within the opening of the spacer panel to be adjacent the first shock absorbing insert, the second gel insert member abutting a portion of the spacer panel proximal the midfoot portion and being adjacent the second shock absorbing insert, and the fabric sheet mounted atop the spacer panel and the first and second gel insert members. 
     
     
         6 . The insole system of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis is formed from a high density polyethylene material and the first and second shock absorbing inserts are formed from a polyurethane material. 
     
     
         7 . The insole system of  claim 4 , where in the spacer panel of the upper insole is formed from a polyurethane material and the first and second gel insert members are formed from a thermoplastic elastomer material. 
     
     
         8 . The insole system of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second gel insert members comprise a nanoclay gel material defining a cell pattern. 
     
     
         9 . The insole system of  claim 8 , wherein the cell pattern is a hexagon-shaped honeycomb pattern with a plurality of recessed cells bounded by upright cell wall segments. 
     
     
         10 . The insole system of  claim 4 , wherein the upper insole is affixed to the base insole by adhering a portion of the fabric sheet to the collar surface of the chassis. 
     
     
         11 . The insole system of  claim 10 , further comprising adhering the spacer panel to the upper surface of the chassis. 
     
     
         12 . The insole system of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the chassis, the shock absorbing inserts, the spacer panel, the gel insert members and the fabric sheet comprise antimicrobial materials. 
     
     
         13 . An insole for replaceable incorporation into a shoe, the insole comprising an insole base layer, an upper insole cover layer, and at least one gel insert member retained between the insole base layer and the upper insole cover layer. 
     
     
         14 . The insole of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one gel insert member comprises a nanoclay gel. 
     
     
         15 . The insole of  claim 14 , wherein the nanoclay gel of the at least one gel insert member comprises a honeycomb cell molding pattern. 
     
     
         16 . The insole of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one gel insert member is not affixed to the insole base layer or the upper insole cover layer. 
     
     
         17 . The insole of  claim 16 , further comprising an intermediate insole layer between the insole base layer and the upper insole cover layer, and wherein the at least one gel insert member is retained in place within at least one recess between the insole base layer and the upper insole cover layer formed by the intermediate insole layer. 
     
     
         18 . The insole of  claim 13 , further comprising at least one shock absorbing insert mounted to the insole base layer and underlying the at least one gel insert member. 
     
     
         19 . A shoe comprising an outsole and an upper attached to the outsole, the shoe further comprising an insole system within the upper over the outsole, the insole system comprising a base insole comprising a chassis having an upper surface and a lower surface, a lateral side and a medial side, a heel end and a forefoot end, and a heel portion, a midfoot portion, and a forefoot portion; first and second shock absorbing inserts mounted to the chassis; and an upper insole mounted to the upper surface of the chassis. 
     
     
         20 . The shoe of  claim 19 , wherein the chassis defines a central well formed at the heel portion, the central well comprising a peripheral wall defined along the well at the heel portion and extending along the lateral and medial sides of the chassis until gradually tapering at the midfoot portion, the peripheral wall defining a collar surface that is generally transverse the wall and between the wall and an outer contour of the chassis.