Cushion for removable attachment to footwear

Abstract

A removable cushion for supplementing footwear is shown and described. The removable cushion includes a resilient sole, a heel pocket, a closure encircling the footwear or body of the user proximate the heel pocket to retain the removable cushion on the footwear at the heel, and a front closure encircling the front of the foot to retain the removable cushion on the front of the footwear at the front of the foot. The closures may comprise encircling straps bearing hook and loop fastener. The resilient sole may have a low wall projecting upwardly at an open toe area and between the heel pocket and the front closure. The resilient sole may comprise closed cell foam and may have treads and an elevated heel.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A cushion for removable attachment to footwear, the cushion comprising
 a resilient sole made from polymeric foam, the resilient sole including a proximal end near a heel of a user's footwear when the cushion is donned and a distal end near toes of the user's foot when the cushion is donned;   a front engagement element attached to the resilient sole proximate the distal end, and configured to partially envelop a front portion of a user's footwear, thereby retaining the resilient sole to the front portion of the user's footwear when the cushion is donned;   a heel pocket configured to partially surround a heel of the user's footwear and retain the heel stably therein when the cushion is donned; and   a rear engagement element attached to the heel pocket and configured to encircle a joint between a foot and a lower leg of the user when the cushion is donned, wherein the heel pocket snugly engages the heel, wherein the heel pocket and the front engagement element extend farther above the resilient sole than does any other component of the cushion between the heel pocket and the front engagement element.   
     
     
         2 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the rear engagement element includes one and only one rear strap projecting from the heel pocket and a first fastener having complementing parts on the rear strap and on the heel pocket. 
     
     
         3 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the first fastener comprises hook and loop fastener. 
     
     
         4 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the front engagement element comprises a left strap attached to the resilient sole at a left side of the resilient sole, a right strap attached to the resilient sole at a right side of the resilient sole, and a second fastener having respective complementing parts on the left strap and on the right strap. 
     
     
         5 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the second fastener comprises hook and loop fastener. 
     
     
         6 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the left strap and the right strap are configured to overlap one another when the cushion is donned. 
     
     
         7 . The cushion of  claim 1 , further comprising a first low wall projecting upwardly from the resilient sole between the heel pocket and the front engagement element. 
     
     
         8 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the front engagement element is open to expose a toe portion of the user's footwear at the distal end of the resilient sole when the cushion is donned. 
     
     
         9 . The cushion of  claim 8 , further comprising a second low wall projecting upwardly from the resilient sole along the exposed toe portion of the user's footwear. 
     
     
         10 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the resilient sole comprises treads on a bottom surface 
     
     
         11 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the resilient sole includes an elevated heel portion. 
     
     
         12 . The cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the resilient sole comprises closed cell polymeric foam. 
     
     
         13 . A cushion for removable attachment to footwear, the cushion comprising
 a resilient sole, the resilient sole including a proximal end near a heel of a user's footwear when the cushion is donned and a distal end near toes of the user's foot when the cushion is donned;   a front engagement element attached to the resilient sole proximate the distal end, and configured to partially envelop a front portion of a user's footwear, thereby retaining the resilient sole to the front portion of the user's footwear when the cushion is donned;   a heel pocket configured to partially surround a heel of the user's footwear and retain the heel stably therein when the cushion is donned;   a rear engagement element attached to the heel pocket and configured to encircle a joint between a foot and a lower leg of the user when the cushion is donned, wherein the heel pocket snugly engages the heel, wherein the heel pocket and the front engagement element extend farther above the resilient sole than does any other component of the cushion between the heel pocket and the front engagement element; and   at least one of a first low wall projecting upwardly from the resilient sole between the heel pocket and the front engagement element, and a second low wall projecting upwardly from the resilient sole along the exposed toe portion of the user's footwear, wherein the front engagement element is open to expose a toe portion of the user's footwear at the distal end of the resilient sole when the cushion is donned.