Ballet pointe shoe

Abstract

A ballet pointe shoe has an upper which includes a tunnel having an open mouth by way of which a shank insert can be removably and replaceably installed in the tunnel. The tunnel may extend into at least a portion of the base of the toe box of the shoe. The mouth of the tunnel may be revealably concealed beneath an insole and may be accessed via the throat and foot compartment of the upper for installing, removing or replacing a shank insert without even partial deconstruction of the shoe. The shank insert may be one selected from a set of shank inserts which includes ones having different flexural rigidity profiles. An elastic loop may be routed-under a portion of the shank insert extending from the mouth of the tunnel or under a ledge which may be disposed beneath the insole and extends rearward of the mouth. In some embodiments a lower portion of said elastic loop may be releaseably captured between the ledge and a rear portion of said shank insert. In some embodiments a shank insert and/or the toe box may be thermally reshaped.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A ballet pointe shoe for use by a ballet dancer, said ballet pointe shoe comprising:
 (a) an insole;   (b) an upper having a foot compartment and a throat by way of which a foot of the ballet dancer enters said foot compartment, said insole being disposed inside said foot compartment, said upper including a toe box having a base, said upper further including a tunnel disposed beneath the insole, said tunnel extending longitudinally into at least a portion of said base of said toe box, said tunnel having an open mouth which is revealably concealed beneath said insole, said mouth of said tunnel being accessible by way of said throat and said foot compartment;   (c) an outsole disposed beneath said upper; and   (d) a shank insert, a portion of said shank insert being removably and replaceably received in said tunnel when said shank insert is installed in said tunnel, said shank insert being removable from the ballet pointe shoe by withdrawing said portion of said shank insert from said tunnel by way of said open mouth of said tunnel and said throat of said upper, said shank insert being replaceable by inserting said portion of said shank insert into said tunnel by way of said throat of said upper and said open mouth of said tunnel.   
     
     
         2 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said shank insert is selected from a set of two or more shank inserts, at least one of said shank inserts in said set having a first flexural rigidity profile, at least one other of said shank inserts in said set having a second flexural rigidity profile which differs from said first flexural rigidity profile. 
     
     
         4 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a ledge which is disposed beneath said insole and which extends longitudinally rearward of said open mouth of said tunnel, said open mouth of said tunnel being revealably concealed beneath said insole and said ledge. 
     
     
         5 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said upper includes an inner liner and wherein a portion of said inner liner lies beneath said ledge. 
     
     
         6 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said upper includes an inner liner and wherein a portion of said inner liner extends beneath said open mouth of said tunnel. 
     
     
         7 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 4 , further comprising an elastic loop mounted removably in said upper for continuously applying an elastic force between an instep portion of a foot of the ballet dancer and said ledge to continuously urge said ledge toward a sole of the foot of the ballet dancer during the use of the ballet pointe shoe, said elastic loop having an upper portion which, during said use, overlies an instep portion of a foot of a ballet dancer, wherein said ledge extends longitudinally rearward beyond said open mouth of said tunnel, and wherein a lower portion of said elastic loop is routed beneath said ledge. 
     
     
         8 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said lower portion of said elastic loop is releaseably captured between said ledge and said rear portion of said shank insert. 
     
     
         9 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising an elastic loop mounted removably in said upper for continuously applying an elastic force between an instep portion of a foot of the ballet dancer and said shank insert to continuously urge said shank insert toward a sole of the foot of the ballet dancer during the use of the ballet pointe shoe, said elastic loop having an upper portion which, during said use, overlies an instep portion of a foot of a ballet dancer, said elastic loop having a lower portion which is routed beneath a rear portion of said shank insert. 
     
     
         10 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said shank insert is formed of a thermoplastic material and wherein said shank insert has an altered shape which differs from a previous shape of said shank insert and wherein said shank insert has been reshaped from said previous shape into said altered shape by heating at least said portion of said shank insert to a temperature at which at least said portion of said shank insert is in a softened state, said temperature being a temperature which is below a melting temperature of said thermoplastic material, applying a bending moment to said shank insert when at least said portion of said shank insert is in said softened state-and lowering the temperature of at least said portion of said shank insert to a lower temperature at which said altered shape is retained even in the absence of said bending moment. 
     
     
         11 . The ballet pointe shoe as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said toe box is formed of a thermoplastic material and wherein said toe box can be reshaped into an altered shape which differs from a previous shape of said toe box by heating at least said portion of said toe box to a temperature at which at least said portion of said toe box is in a softened state, said temperature being a temperature which is below a melting temperature of said thermoplastic material, said heating being carried out by applying heat without removing said toe box from the ballet pointe shoe, applying a force to said toe box when at least said portion of said toe box is in said softened state to reshape said toe box from said previous shape into said altered shape and, lowering the temperature of at least said portion of said toe box to a lower temperature at which said altered shape is retained even in the absence of said force.