Insert for rockered foot bed of footwear

Abstract

A molded insert, and methods for forming same, for a rockered foot bed of a boot, such as, but not limited to ice skating boots, or a rockered foot bed of a shoe, such as, but not limited to exercise, therapeutic, or physiological footwear, is described. The molded insert can be formed of any moldable material that is substantially firm when cured or dried. The moldable material can be used to fill in the concave portion of the rockered foot bed to form a flat, level or planar surface for the bottom of the wearer's foot, especially in the area corresponding from the beginning of the heel portion of the foot to the beginning of the ball of the foot (e.g., the midfoot portion), thus providing adequate support for the foot's arch during typical ice skating maneuvers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for forming an insert for a piece of footwear, comprising:
 providing a skate boot;   wherein the skate boot includes a rockered foot bed having an area defining a depression in a midfoot portion of the foot bed between a heel portion and a forefoot portion of the foot bed;   placing an amount of uncured or unhardened moldable material onto the depression;   causing a level top surface to be formed on the moldable material, wherein the level top surface extends along an entire length of the midfoot portion and between the heel portion and the forefoot portion; and   allowing the moldable material to cure or harden, wherein the level top surface of the insert is operable to be brought into abutting engagement with a bottom surface of a wearer's foot so as to provide arch support to the wearer's foot.   
     
     
         2 . The invention according to  claim 1 , wherein the depression extends, in a first direction, along a length of the foot bed, and, in a second direction, along a width of the foot bed. 
     
     
         3 . The invention according to  claim 1 , wherein the moldable material is manipulated so as to form the level top surface. 
     
     
         4 . The invention according to  claim 1 , wherein the piece of footwear is manipulated so as to allow the moldable material to form the level top surface. 
     
     
         5 . The invention according to  claim 1 , wherein the moldable material substantially fills an entire volume of the depression. 
     
     
         6 . The invention according to  claim 1 , wherein the insert includes a curved bottom surface. 
     
     
         7 . A method for forming an insert for a piece of footwear, comprising:
 providing a skate boot;   wherein the skate boot includes a rockered foot bed having an area defining a depression in a midfoot portion of the foot bed between a heel portion and a forefoot portion of the foot bed;   wherein the depression extends, in a first direction, along a length of the foot bed, and, in a second direction, along a width of the foot bed;   placing an amount of uncured or unhardened moldable material onto the depression, wherein the moldable material substantially fills an entire volume of the depression;   causing a level top surface to be formed on the moldable material, wherein the level top surface extends along an entire length of the midfoot portion and between the heel portion and the forefoot portion; and   allowing the moldable material to cure or harden, wherein the level top surface of the insert is operable to be brought into abutting engagement with a bottom surface of a wearer's foot so as to provide arch support to the wearer's foot.   
     
     
         8 . The invention according to  claim 7 , wherein the moldable material is manipulated so as to form the level top surface or wherein the piece of footwear is manipulated so as to allow the moldable material to form the level top surface. 
     
     
         9 . The invention according to  claim 7 , wherein the insert includes a curved bottom surface.