WO2025128497A1

WO2025128497A1 - Supportive footwear systems and shock absorbers

Info

Publication number: WO2025128497A1
Application number: PCT/US2024/059276
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark Costin ROSER
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2023-12-14
Filing date: 2024-12-10
Publication date: 2025-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-14

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to footwear systems configured to provide lateral support to a lower limb of a user when worn. A footwear system may include a footwear body and one or more supports engaged to the footwear body to provide lateral support. In some embodiments, one or more energy dissipating tethers may be provided in the footwear system to dissipate energy during inversion and/or eversion of the user's ankle while wearing the footwear system. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the one or more supports may be configured to deform to dissipate energy in response to experiencing an applied force and/or energy threshold.

Description

SUPPORTIVE FOOTWEAR SYSTEMS AND SHOCK ABSORBERS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/642,586, filed May 3, 2024, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/609,911, filed December 14, 2023, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

[0002] Disclosed embodiments are related to footwear which may include structural supports to aid the support and locomotion of a user’s ankle.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Footwear such as boots have multiple duties that they help people perform. These duties include protection from weather, uneven ground, and other environmental conditions as well as providing support for various portions of a user’s foot and/or ankle. Separate prosthetics that may be attached to a user’s leg such as ankle braces may be separately used to provide additional stability and ankle protection for a user during certain types of activities and/or after an injury.

SUMMARY

[0004] In some embodiments, a footwear system comprising a footwear body is provided. The footwear system may include one or more supports configured to engage with the footwear body, and one or more tethers. The one or more tethers may be configured to be coupled to the one or more supports on a first side of the footwear body, wrap around a bottom portion of the footwear body, and be coupled to a portion of the footwear body opposite the first side. In some embodiments, the one or more tethers may be configured to dissipate energy when elongated, and the one or more supports may be configured to provide lateral support to an ankle of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user.

[0005] In some embodiments, a method of using a footwear system is provided. The method may include engaging one or more supports with a footwear body to provide lateral support to a user’s ankle when the footwear system is worn by the user. The method may also include coupling one or more tethers to the one or more supports on a first side of the footwear body, wrapping the one or more tethers around a bottom portion of the footwear body, and coupling the one or more tethers to a portion of the footwear body on a second side of the footwear body opposite the first side.

[0006] In some embodiments, a footwear system comprising a footwear body is provided. The footwear system may include one or more supports configured to be engaged with the footwear body. In some embodiments, the one or more supports are configured to provide lateral support to an ankle of a user when the footwear system is worn by the user. In some embodiments, one or more portions of the one or more supports may be configured to deform to dissipate energy.

[0007] In some embodiments, a method of using a footwear system is provided. The method may include engaging one or more supports with a footwear body to provide lateral support to a user’s ankle when the footwear system is worn by the user. The method may also include deforming one or more portions of the one or more supports to dissipate energy when the footwear system is worn by the user.

[0008] It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Further, other advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of various nonlimiting embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

[0010] Fig. 1 presents a schematic view of a medial side of footwear having supports, according to some embodiments;

[0011] FIG. 2 presents a schematic view of FIG. 1A, where the supports are shown to be disposed in corresponding receptacles, according to some embodiments;

[0012] FIG. 3 presents a schematic view of a medial side of footwear having receptacles, according to some embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 4 presents a schematic view of a lateral side of footwear having receptacles, according to some embodiments; [0014] FIG. 5A presents a schematic view of footwear having supports and an energy storage device, according to some embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 5B presents a schematic view of footwear having supports and an energy storage device, according to some embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 6A presents a schematic view of footwear having an exoskeleton attached to and bracing an upper region of the footwear, according to some embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 6B presents an enlarged view of region 6B of FIG. 6A;

[0018] FIG. 7A presents a schematic view of footwear having an exoskeleton attached to and bracing a lower region of the footwear, according to some embodiments; [0019] FIG. 7B presents an enlarged view of region 7B of FIG. 7 A;

[0020] FIG. 7C presents an enlarged rear view of region 7C of FIG. 7B;

[0021] FIG. 8A presents a schematic view of footwear having an exoskeleton attached to and bracing an upper and a lower region of the footwear, and further comprising supports, according to some embodiments;

[0022] FIG. 8B presents a schematic side and front view of the supports of FIG. 8A with a first size, according to some embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 8C presents a schematic side and front view of the supports of FIG. 8A with a second size, according to some embodiments;

[0024] FIG. 8D presents a schematic side and front view of the supports of FIG. 8A with a third size, according to some embodiments;

[0025] FIG. 9A presents a schematic view of a support configured for use in footwear, according to some embodiments;

[0026] FIG. 9B presents a schematic view of a support configured for use in footwear further comprising detents, according to some embodiments;

[0027] FIG. 10A presents a schematic side view of a support configured for use in footwear, according to some embodiments;

[0028] FIG. 10B presents a schematic side view of a support configured for use in footwear, according to some embodiments;

[0029] FIG. 11 A presents a schematic side view of a medial side of footwear system having tethers, according to some embodiments;

[0030] FIG. 1 IB presents a schematic side view of a lateral side of the footwear system of FIG. 11 A where the tethers are anchored to a support, according to some embodiments; [0031] FIG. 11C presents a schematic perspective view of the support of FIG. 1 IB, according to some embodiments;

[0032] FIG. 12A presents a schematic side view of a lateral side of a footwear system having a deformable support, according to some embodiments;

[0033] FIG. 12B presents a schematic perspective view of a deformable support with an energy dissipating zone in an upper region of the support, according to some embodiments;

[0034] FIG. 12C presents a schematic perspective view of a deformable support with an energy dissipating zone in a lower region of the support, according to some embodiments; [0035] FIG. 13A presents a schematic perspective view of a support having multiple layers, according to some embodiments;

[0036] FIG. 13B presents a schematic side view of the support of FIG. 13A, according to some embodiments;

[0037] FIG. 13C presents a schematic side view of a support having multiple layers, according to some embodiments;

[0038] FIG. 14A presents a schematic perspective view of a footwear system having tethers and a support, according to some embodiments;

[0039] FIG. 14B presents a schematic front view of a support configured for use in footwear, according to some embodiments;

[0040] FIG. 14C presents a schematic side view of the support of FIG. 14B, according to some embodiments;

[0041] FIG. 14D presents a schematic perspective view of the tethers and support of FIG. 14A, according to some embodiments; and

[0042] FIG. 15 presents a schematic perspective view of a footwear system having a semi-rigid support, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] While a variety of footwear may be worn by a user, such footwear may lack the support needed to ensure protection of a user’s lower limb (e.g., foot, ankle, etc.) during certain activities and/or recovery from medical injuries. A lack of support in footwear may lead to a variety of lower limb injuries including, but not limited to ankle sprain, chronic ankle instability, Achilles tendon issues, plantar fasciitis, Charcot foot, stroke, idiopathic foot pain, partial amputation, tarsal tunnel, metatarsalgia, and many other medical issues. To treat and/or prevent many of these issues, it is important to employ footwear which includes components to facilitate structural support for a user’s lower limb while the footwear is worn. In particular, providing lateral support to the lower limb of a user, and specifically to an ankle of the user in some embodiments, while the user is wearing footwear is desirable to ensuring stability and protection of the user’s lower limb, and thus to treating and preventing the aforementioned medical issues.

[0044] In view of the above, the inventor has recognized benefits associated with employing a device and system for providing a controllable level of lateral support in footwear to provide a desired, and in some instances an adjustable, amount of support for a user’s lower limb. In particular, the inventor has found that providing one or more supports in a footwear system can provide a controllable level of lateral support which may assist in recovery of a user’s lower limb following an injury or assist in preventing a user’s injury altogether. Such supports may be positioned on a lateral side, a medial side, and/or any other suitable part of a footwear body to provide a desired amount of lateral support to the user’s lower limb.

[0045] The inventor has recognized that in some cases, the lower limb of a user may experience a sufficiently high amplitude impact force in a non- vertical direction (e.g., due to uneven ground) which may result in injuries resulting from rotation of the ankle (e.g., ankle sprain). In particular, the inventor has recognized that activities such as sports (e.g., basketball, tennis, football, etc.), running, jumping, parachute jump landings, and other suitable activities may result in injuries to a user’s ankle due to abrupt, high-amplitude impact forces being exerted on the user’s ankle. In some instances, such injuries to the user’s ankle may occur due to hazardous surfaces and terrain including, but not limited to uneven terrain with or without obstacles (e.g., boulders, shrubs, debris, etc.), sloped terrain (e.g., hillsides), hard terrain (e.g., concrete), inclement weather conditions (e.g., wind, rain, and/or snow) which reduce the user’s grip upon landing, and bodies of water. While strapping or taping of the ankle can protect the ankle, this may transmit torque from a landing force to other body parts of the user (e.g., leg, knee, hip, etc.). Thus, the inventor has recognized a need for a footwear system having energy dissipation members that are configured to dissipate a load applied to a user’s lower limb (e.g., the user’s ankle joint) to limit or prevent lower limb injuries.

[0046] In view of the above, the inventor has recognized benefits associated with providing lateral supports configured to support a user’s lower limb, and in particular have recognized benefits associated with providing a footwear system that is capable of dissipating energy during movement and/or deformation of an article of footwear in directions that resist and/or absorb forces applied in one or more undesired directions of motion. That is, the inventor has appreciated that providing a footwear system with one or more energy absorbing structures may provide support and/or shock absorption against impact forces resulting from inversion and/or eversion (i.e., supination and pronation, respectively) of a user’s ankle. The inventor has found that inversion injuries (e.g., lateral ankle sprains) account for approximately 90% of all ankle injuries while high ankle sprains and eversion ankle sprains account for under 10% of ankle injuries. Thus, the inventor has appreciated benefits associated with providing energy dissipation and lateral support against inversion injuries, for example, by providing energy absorbing structures on a lateral side of the footwear system when worn by the user. In some embodiments, the energy absorbing structures may include one or more energy dissipating tethers (e.g., straps, cords, elastomeric laces, etc.) configured to elongate, deform, and/or rupture when an applied energy threshold is exceeded.

[0047] In some embodiments, the energy absorbing structures (e.g., energy dissipating tethers) may be secured to one or more supports engaged with the footwear and/or the footwear body itself. In some embodiments, the one or more supports may also function as energy dissipating members such that the one or more supports may deform or fracture to dissipate energy. That is, in some embodiments, both one or more energy absorbing structures and one or more supports may be provided in a footwear system, and the one or more supports may serve to provide lateral support to a user’s ankle and/or provide shock absorption (e.g., through one or more deformable portions located on the support) to limit and/or prevent inversion and/or eversion injuries.

[0048] Any suitable number of tethers may be used to provide energy dissipation in the footwear systems disclosed herein as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, a suitable number of tethers may be greater than or equal to 1 tether, 2 tethers, 3 tethers, 4 tethers, 5 tethers, or greater. The tethers may be of any suitable type as the disclosure is not so limited. That is, the term “tether” as used herein may refer to a strap, cord, lace, or any other suitable flexible elongate structure with energy dissipating properties that may be anchored to the lateral and/or medial side of the footwear body and/or to a support engaged with the footwear body to provide support to a user’s ankle. The tethers may be constructed of any suitable material including, but not limited to plastics, urethanes, rubbers, fabrics, or any other suitable material as the disclosure is not so limited. Appropriate types of construction for a tether may include, but are not limited to, braided cords, webbing, knit textiles, woven textiles, non-woven textiles, laminated cords, straps, laces, viscoelastic cords, or any other suitable construction as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the tethers according to the embodiments above may be folded and stitched together such that the tether may dissipate energy by rupturing the stitches that secure the folds. In some embodiments, the tethers may be constructed out of a material that has elastomeric properties to enhance the energy absorption capacity of the tethers.

[0049] As disclosed herein, the supports may also be of any suitable number, size, shape, material composition, or other characteristic as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the supports may also have features formed thereon such as connectors (e.g., detents) for registering a height of the supports, notches for interfacing with a desired pivot location, stiffening ribs, geometries with varying bending and flexure profiles, and other suitable features as described in greater detail below.

[0050] As disclosed herein, one or more energy absorbing structures and/or one or more deformable supports may be provided in a footwear system to dissipate energy. In some embodiments, the energy absorbing structures and/or deformable supports may have a predefined energy absorption threshold. That is, the energy absorbing structures and/or deformable supports may deform and/or rupture to dissipate energy when the energy threshold is exceeded. The energy absorption threshold of the energy absorbing structures may be quantified by the number of Joules of work dissipated as heat and/or structural deformation during energy dissipation. In some embodiments, a suitable energy absorption threshold of the energy absorbing structures (e.g., energy dissipating tethers) may be between or equal to 0.15 Joules and 3 Joules. The energy absorption threshold of the deformable supports may be quantified in terms of displacement and/or rotation, e.g., once the ankle of the user rotates beyond a threshold angle of inversion and/or eversion measured in the frontal plane, the deformable supports may transition from resilient (i.e., elastic) bending to plastic deformation at a yield point. In some embodiments, a suitable angle of rotation of the user’s ankle such that the yield point of the deformable supports is exceeded may be between or equal to 10 degrees and 20 degrees. In some embodiments, the energy absorption threshold of the energy absorbing structures and/or the deformable supports may be measured using a testing rig that can manually apply an inversion and/or an eversion force on an article of footwear incorporating the structures or supports. In some such embodiments, the test rig may apply a measured force to the footwear and measure the displacement (e.g., by measuring the ankle inversion and/or eversion rotation angle). The energy absorption threshold may then be calculated by multiplying the measured force by the displacement when plastic deformation occurs. [0051] Moreover, the inventor has recognized benefits associated with providing a controllable level of lateral support and/or shock absorption in conjunction with systems that aid in the locomotion of a user’s foot and ankle. This may be achieved by providing the footwear devices according to embodiments disclosed herein in conjunction with energy storage devices that release and store energy to assist in the movement of a user’s lower limb (e.g., foot and ankle) coincidentally with one or more stages of the gait cycle. In particular, to promote lateral support of a user’s lower limb while engaging in the gait cycle, it is important for the device according to embodiments disclosed herein to also be able to promote propulsive support (e.g., plantarflexion and/or dorsiflexion of a user’s lower limb including for example an ankle) and lower limb stability in the footwear (e.g., the ability to cradle the heel and other foot and/or ankle components while the device is in use).

[0052] The inventor has found that the aforementioned benefits may be realized by providing a footwear (e.g., a boot or high-top shoe) with an exoskeleton in some embodiments. In turn, the exoskeleton may include one or more receptacles that are configured to receive one or more supports, where the one or more supports are configured to alter the functional characteristics, such as the lateral support provided to an ankle, of the footwear. In addition or alternatively, the one or more supports may be engaged directly with the footwear without the use of a separate exoskeleton to provide a varying degree of support to the footwear. In any case, the one or more supports may be attached, inserted, affixed, fastened, or otherwise engaged to the footwear and/or the exoskeleton to promote lateral support in a frontal plane (e.g., to prevent against inversion and/or eversion) while also enabling propulsive support in a sagittal plane and lower limb stability in the footwear.

[0053] According to some aspects, a footwear system may include a restorative energy system formed using a portion of the footwear body and a yoke. In some embodiments, the yoke may be configured to rotate relative to at least a portion of the footwear body in a sagittal plane to promote dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of a user’s lower limb in accordance with the stages of the gait cycle. In some embodiments, an energy storage device (e.g., a spring) may be provided and connected to the yoke and the portion of the footwear body (e.g., the base) to promote the storing and/or releasing of energy to assist with movement of the user’s foot and ankle during the gait cycle. In some embodiments, one or more supports may also be provided and configured to be engaged with the footwear body and/or the yoke. The one or more supports may be configured to provide lateral support to an ankle of a user when the footwear system is worn by the user. [0054] According to some aspects, a separate restorative energy system is provided and configured to be engaged with a corresponding article of footwear (e.g., a boot). The restorative energy system may include an exoskeleton frame having a base and a yoke. The exoskeleton system may be integrated with the footwear during manufacture of the footwear or in an aftermarket capacity, and the integration of the exoskeleton system may be such that the exoskeleton is positioned between layers of an article of footwear, internal to the footwear, external to the footwear, or a combination thereof. The base and the yoke of the footwear may be configured to be engaged with first and second portions of a footwear body, respectively. The yoke may also be configured to rotate relative to the base and the first portion of the footwear body to help promote propulsive support regarding plantarflexion and dorsiflexion of the user’s foot and ankle. An energy storage device may also be provided and connected to the base and the yoke. For example, extension of the energy storage device may store energy during at least a portion of a range of movement of the yoke when the yoke is rotated in a first direction and the energy storage device may release energy during rotation in a second direction opposite the first direction. The energy storage device may be employed to promote the storing and/or releasing of energy to assist with movement of the user’s foot and ankle in accordance with the gait cycle. In some embodiments, one or more supports may be provided and configured to be attached to the base and/or the yoke to provide lateral support to an ankle of a user. Without wishing to be bound by theory, in some embodiments, only one of either the base and/or yoke may be provided in a footwear system or restorative energy system. In other embodiments, however, both of the base and the yoke may be provided, or neither the base nor the yoke may be provided.

[0055] In instances where an exoskeleton is used, the exoskeleton may be of any suitable size, shape, or other characteristic to promote propulsive support, drop-foot support, lateral support, and/or lower limb stability for a user. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, “drop-foot” refers to a condition of weakness that makes it difficult to lift one’s toes off the ground , thus resulting in the dragging of one’s toes. Such a condition is common after a stroke or the like. Accordingly, the exoskeleton may be constructed and arranged to provide drop-foot support to prevent the foot from dropping by limiting the amount of plantar flexion that a user may experience while the exoskeleton is worn. As noted above, the exoskeleton may include a base and/or a yoke which may be rotatably connected to one another. The base and/or yoke of the exoskeleton may also be positioned between layers of an article of footwear, internal to the footwear, external to the footwear, or a combination thereof as the disclosure is not so limited. [0056] In some embodiments, the base and the yoke may be made of the same material or different materials. In some such embodiments, the base and the yoke may be configured to behave differently from one another under load. For example, the base and the yoke may have different characteristics such as thickness, shape, and durometer values. The base and the yoke may also include different amounts of reinforcement and/or ribbing relative to one another. For example, the yoke may have greater amounts of structural reinforcement and ribbing than the base.

[0057] In some embodiments, the base and the yoke may be constructed of different materials. For example, the base and/or yoke may be constructed of a three dimensional printed, molded, or other appropriately formed material such as nylon, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyurethane (PU), other appropriate polymers, metals, combinations of the forgoing, or other appropriate material. In some instances, the yoke and/or base may be constructed of the same material as the corresponding footwear to which the base and/or the yoke are intended to be attached. Regardless of whether the base and the yoke are constructed from the same or different materials, in some embodiments the exoskeleton may be constructed and arranged to be semi- soft such that when no supports are attached to the exoskeleton, there will be minimal disturbance to the range of motion and activity performance of a user when engaging in the gait cycle. In turn, when supports (e.g., semirigid or rigid members) are added to the exoskeleton, it will change the performance of the system and permit varying stiffness profiles for the user. While the exoskeleton may be constructed to be semi-soft, in other embodiments the exoskeleton (e.g., the yoke portion) may be constructed to be semi-rigid or rigid (e.g., a rigid fabric or leather material). As used herein, the terms soft, semi-soft, semi-rigid, and rigid are used to refer to construction arrangements of the exoskeleton and/or the supports having flexure profiles of varying rigidity such that varying levels of compliance and support may be provided to the ankle of a user depending on a desired application.

[0058] In some embodiments, the base and/or the yoke may be made using any appropriate manufacturing process or combination of manufacturing process. For example, the base and/or yoke may be manufactured using injection molding, over molding, three dimensional printing, weaving, knitting, or sewing, adhesive bonding, riveting, materialshaping or any other suitable method. While such examples are disclosed above, the yoke and the base may be constructed and arranged using any suitable materials, manufacturing processes, and fabrication processes as the disclosure is not so limited. [0059] The base and yoke may be constructed and arranged to be rotatably connected to one another as disclosed herein. The base and yoke may be connected using any suitable connection means including, but not limited to mechanical hinges such as a pin hinge, an interlocking teeth hinge, rivets, axels, fulcrums, living hinges, or any other suitable hinge type connection or other rotatable connection. In the case of a living hinge, the base and the yoke may be connected to one another via a deformable zone (e.g., an elastomeric zone). As such, in some embodiments, the yoke and the base may overlap with one another. The amount of overlap between the yoke and the base may selectively alter the stiffness of the exoskeleton and the footwear system for a user (e.g., greater overlap between the base and the yoke may increase stiffness in the system). In some embodiments, the supports which may be engaged with the yoke and/or base may also overlap with the other of the yoke and/or base. [0060] As disclosed herein, a footwear system and/or a restorative energy system may include an energy storage device to promote the storing and/or releasing of energy to assist with movement of the user’s foot and ankle during various portions of a gait cycle. The inventor has found that during the gait cycle, the peak demand for energy occurs after midstance as the ankle is in the process of increasing dorsiflexion and then rapidly increasingly plantarflexion. In this process, the Achilles tendon, the soleus muscles, the gastrocnemius muscles, as well as other muscles and connective tissues of a user contribute to provide the energy needed during peak demand. In particular, the ankle system may consume 0.2 to 0.5 W/kg of power during dorsiflexion and between 2 to 4 W/kg of power during the transition from dorsiflexion to plantarflexion. Thus, by providing an energy storage device, at least a portion of the desired energy expended during a gait cycle of a user may be offset or supplemented by the energy stored and released by the energy storage device.

[0061] In some embodiments, a suitable energy storage device may include, but is not limited to elastic cords, woven cords, springs, elastic bands, bungee cords, elastic sheets, elastic ribs, shaped elastic component (e.g., formed of any suitable shape from injectionmolding, compression molding, 3D printing, etc.), die-cut elastic components, elastic- reinforced fabrics or other structural members, or any other suitable energy storage device capable of elastically deforming to store and release energy. For example, a 20 mm x 20 mm square patch of elastic-reinforced fabric may be provided and have a spring stiffness of greater than or equal to 500 N/m, 1,000 N/m, 20,000 N/m, 50,000 N/m, or any other suitable spring stiffness as values both greater and lesser than those noted are also contemplated. The energy storage device may also be comprised of suitable elastic or elastomeric materials such as rubbers, silicones, thermoplastics, urethanes, or any other suitable material. The embodiments of energy storage devices disclosed herein may be attached to the footwear body and/or the exoskeleton in any suitable arrangement as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, the energy storage device may be connected between a portion of the footwear body and the yoke, between the base and the yoke, or any other suitable connection arrangement. The energy storage device may also be located externally, internally, and/or integrally formed with a footwear as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0062] The one or more supports, or stiffeners as they may also be referred to as herein, may be provided at any suitable location of the footwear as well as the base and/or yoke of the exo skeleton. In some embodiments, a single support may be provided in the footwear and/or exoskeleton. In other embodiments, however, a plurality of supports (e.g., 2, 3, 4, or more) may be provided. In some embodiments, the supports may be provided on either the lateral and/or medial side of the footwear as well as at locations above and/or below the ankle joint of a user when the footwear is worn. This may help to provide varying stiffness profiles for the user. In a preferred embodiment, the inventor has recognized particular benefit with positioning a support on the medial side of the yoke in a footwear system, as the medial side of the yoke may provide the greatest lateral support with an incorporated stiffener by comparison to the other locations of the footwear. Nevertheless, the supports may be provided in any suitable arrangement and number along any suitable location of the footwear and/or exoskeleton as disclosed above.

[0063] The supports may have any suitable dimensions to promote lateral support of the ankle joint of a user while not obstructing plantarflexion and/or dorsiflexion of a user’s foot. In some embodiments, the supports may be of a suitable longitudinal (e.g., length) dimension greater than or equal to 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, 100 mm, 110 mm, 120 mm, 130 mm, 140 mm, or greater. The supports may also be of a suitable longitudinal dimension lesser than or equal to 150 mm, 140 mm, 130 mm, 120 mm, 110 mm, 100 mm, or lesser. In some embodiments, the supports may be of a suitable transverse (e.g., width) dimension greater than or equal to 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, 50 mm, 55 mm, or greater. The supports may also be of a suitable transverse dimension lesser than or equal to 60 mm, 55 mm, 50 mm, 45 mm, 40 mm, 35 mm, 30 mm, or lesser. In some embodiments, the supports may be of a suitable thickness greater than or equal to 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.8 mm, 1.9 mm, or greater. The supports may also be of a suitable thickness lesser than or equal to 2 mm, 1.9 mm, 1.8 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.6 mm, or lesser. The thickness of the supports could also vary across the longitudinal and/or transverse dimensions of the supports (e.g., one end portion of the supports may have a greater thickness than an opposing end portion to provide a desired stiffness profile). Combinations of the foregoing dimensional parameters for the supports are also contemplated, and values both greater and lesser than the aforementioned values may be used. In a preferred embodiment, the inventor has found particular benefit with providing a support having a longitudinal dimension of between about 80 mm and 120 mm (e.g., 100 mm), a transverse dimension of between about 20 mm and 40 mm (e.g., 30 mm), and a thickness of between about 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm (e.g., 1 mm). With regards to the above dimensions, the various dimensional parameters may refer to a maximum transverse, maximum longitudinal, and/or maximum thickness dimension of the support in some embodiments.

[0064] In some embodiments, the supports may be selectively removable from the portion of the article of footwear and/or the exoskeleton to which they are secured or positioned. In some arrangements, upon removal of the one or more supports, the footwear may function similar to footwear where no such supports are provided. The removability of the supports may also permit interchangeability of the supports to yield varying stiffness and flexure profiles as disclosed herein. For example, as a user is progressing through the stages of healing a lower limb injury, select locations of the lower limb may require additional or reduced stiffness. In such an example, two supports may be provided in a footwear system with one support being located at the medial side of the yoke and the other being located at the lateral side of the yoke. At a later stage of healing, the support located at the lateral side of the yoke may no longer be necessary and may thus be removed. Alternatively, the stiffness of the one or more supports provided on either side of the ankle may be changed to be appropriate for the specific stage of healing and/or activity to be performed by a user. While such an example is disclosed, the one or more supports may be provided at any suitable location of the medial and/or lateral side of the footwear body, the base, and/or the yoke at any suitable stage of healing or for any suitable application as the disclosure is not so limited. Further, in some embodiments, a single support located above an ankle joint and positioned on a medial side of the footwear when the footwear is worn may be desirable to provide an appropriate level of support and flexibility of the footwear during use. In some such embodiments, the single support may be spaced at a selectable variable distance relative to a pivot point of the footwear system. For example, the support may be connected to an exoskeleton and/or a footwear at one of a plurality of predetermined locations (e.g., by using appropriately arranged connectors) to change a distance between a distal end portion of the support and the pivot point of the footwear system (e.g., between a closest position relative to the pivot point and a furthest spaced apart position relative to the pivot point). By providing the support at a distance relative to the pivot point, the stiffness of the system may be reduced as compared to implementations where the distal end portion of the support is disposed closer to the pivot point. In some embodiments, the single support may be engaged with the pivot point of the footwear system and overlap the pivot point at a certain distance to provide an increased level of stiffness. While such arrangements are disclosed, a single support may be provided in any suitable arrangement as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0065] In contrast to embodiments where the supports are selectively removable as detailed above, in some embodiments the supports may be permanently retained on a corresponding article of footwear and/or the exoskeleton, e.g., the base or the yoke.

[0066] In some embodiments, the inventor has recognized that it may be desirable for the supports to be of a desired bending stiffness to provide a certain amount of lateral support or propulsive support to an ankle of a user. In some embodiments, the bending stiffness of a given support may be greater than or equal to 30 Newtons per meter (N/m), 50 N/m, 75 N/m, 100 N/m, 300 N/m, 500 N/m, 1,000 N/m, 3,000 N/m, 4,000 N/m, 5,000 N/m, 6,000 N/m, 7,500 N/m or greater. A suitable bending stiffness of a support may also be lesser than or equal to 10,000 N/m, 7,500 N/m, 6,000 N/m, 5,000 N/m, 4,000 N/m, 3,000 N/m, 1,000 N/m, or lesser. The aforementioned bending stiffness values of the supports may be provided in either the sagittal direction or the lateral direction, and values both greater and lesser than the aforementioned values may be used. In some embodiments, the bending stiffness in the sagittal direction may be greater or lesser than the bending stiffness in the lateral direction. In a preferred embodiment, the inventor has found particular benefit with providing a support having a lateral bending stiffness between or equal to 4,000 N/m and 6,000 N/m (e.g., 5,000 N/m).

[0067] In some embodiments, the supports may be constructed of a suitable material including, but not limited to plastics, urethanes, metals, composites, fiber composites (e.g., carbon fiber composites), combinations of the forgoing, and/or other suitable materials. The supports may also be constructed of a dynamic material, such as rate-adjusting damper material. As noted above, the supports may also be interchanged with one another. In such an arrangement, supports having materials with varying stiffness profiles may be interchanged with one another to change the amount of lateral and/or propulsive support for a user as needed. For example, when used for healing an ankle sprain, supports with decreasing stiffness may be progressively interchanged for one another (e.g., a semi-rigid support may be changed out for a semi-soft support with a lower stiffness in the lateral and/or sagittal direction when worn by a user) as a user progresses through the healing process.

[0068] In some embodiments, the supports may be of a suitable geometry to provide a certain stiffness profile. A suitable two-dimensional geometry of a support as viewed in plan view may include, but is not limited to a rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, an oval shape, or any other suitable two-dimensional geometry. In some embodiments, the supports may include appropriate stiffening three-dimensional geometries to provide a certain stiffness profile including, but not limited to a convex shape, a concave shape, a progressively curved shape, and a saddle shape. Thus, it should be noted that the currently disclosed supports are not limited to any particular type of support geometry size and/or shape as the disclosure is not so limited. Without wishing to be bound by theory, in some embodiments, the embodiments of supports disclosed herein may not rely solely upon their intrinsic levels of stiffness, but may also serve to increase the stiffness of the materials around them by altering the shape or the relative position of the surrounding material layers (e.g., footwear outer layer, footwear line, etc.) relative to one another.

[0069] In some embodiments, the supports may include one or more notches formed thereon. The notches may be configured to facilitate rotation of a pivot location of the footwear body and/or the exoskeleton (e.g., about the ankle joint of a user during use). Specifically, the notch may be oriented towards a location of the expected pivot location (e.g., the rotation of the ankle joint when worn). In some instances the notch may extend partially around the pivot location when worn while providing an open area of the notch coincident with the pivot location to provide a reduced stiffness at the pivot location. As noted above, the yoke and the base may rotatably connected to one another via any appropriate rotatable connection. Accordingly, in one example, one or more supports may be located on the yoke and/or base, and the supports may include notches that are oriented towards an axis of an associated ankle joint when worn. In another example, one or more supports may be located on a footwear body and/or the yoke of a footwear system, and the supports may be associated with a corresponding pivot point of the footwear body. By orienting a notch of the supports towards the pivot point, a greater degree of stiffness may be provided by the supports (e.g., since the support is closer to the pivot point) while still permitting rotation of the overall footwear.

[0070] The one of more notches of the supports may be of any suitable size, shape, or other characteristic as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the notch may be of a suitable shape including, but not limited to a semi-circle, semi-ovoid, square, rectangle, or any other suitable shape with an opening formed between two protrusions extending longitudinally away from a main body of the support as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0071] While embodiments related to the use of a notch is described above and/or supports spaced apart from a pivot point (e.g., ankle joint of a user) when a footwear is worn are described above, in some embodiments, the pivot point may overlap with the supports. In such an embodiment, the pivot point may be physically connected to the supports via a mechanical connector (e.g., a rivet, a nut, a bolt, a washer, etc.) such that the support at least partially overlaps the pivot connection and is connected or otherwise mechanically engaged to the pivot point. In some embodiments, this mechanical connection may be a rotatable connection between the support and the pivot point. The amount that the support overlaps the pivot connection may also influence the stiffness profile of the support. For example, a support that extends the entire length of a lateral or medial side of an article of footwear may provide greater stiffness and in turn lateral support, but may limit the propulsive support of the user’s foot. Said in a different way, the relative distance between the support and the connection point can change the stiffness profile of support.

[0072] In contrast to the embodiments detailed above, in some embodiments the supports may not overlap and/or be directly connected to the pivot point of a piece of footwear. Instead, the supports may be positioned at a selectable variable distance away from the pivot point (e.g., at one of a plurality of predetermined positions). Such an arrangement may provide a lesser amount of lateral support than when the supports are directly mechanically engaged to and/or overlap with the pivot connection.

[0073] In some embodiments, the supports may include one or more connectors to permit adjustability in the positioning of the supports. In particular, the one or more connectors may be configured to control an amount of a length of a corresponding support that is received in a corresponding receptacle. For example, different portions of a length of a support may be inserted into the receptacle when a support is connected at different locations to the connector including both partial insertions and full insertions into the receptacle. While such arrangements are disclosed, the supports may be retained at any suitable position within the receptacle at any suitable distance from the pivot point to provide a varying stiffness profile of the footwear system as the disclosure is not so limited. Thus, a desired position and orientation of the supports relative to a corresponding pivot point of the footwear body and/or the exoskeleton may be controlled as needed. The connectors may take the form of detents, holes, or other appropriate types of connectors that may allow the supports to be secured at a desired incremental positions on the footwear and/or exoskeleton relative to an associated ankle joint of the user when worn. For example, a given support may have three holes incrementally positioned and corresponding to a low, medium, and high position (e.g., the distance from the respective holes to the pivot point). As will be described in greater detail below, the supports may be received by one or more corresponding receptacles formed on the footwear body and/or the exo skeleton. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the supports may be secured at a desired position by fastening the support directly to the footwear body and/or exoskeleton, or by fastening the footwear through a corresponding receptacle in which the support is disposed when worn by a user. As noted above, the distance at which the support is fastened may influence the amount of lateral and/or propulsive support provided in the footwear system for the user.

[0074] In some embodiments, the supports may include corrugations in the form of a corrugated surface extending along a length of one or more surfaces of the supports to alter the directional stiffness of the supports for a given application. The corrugations may be arranged along any suitable location of the supports as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, to address an inversion injury, corrugations may be included in a support that are oriented to provide a greater directional stiffness in the inversion direction and in turn a lesser directional stiffness in the eversion direction. Similarly, to address an eversion injury, corrugations may be included in a support that are oriented to provide a greater directional stiffness in the eversion direction. As such, in some embodiments, the supports may be configured to have a first lateral bending resistance in a first direction and a second lateral bending resistance in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the first lateral bending resistance may be different than the second lateral bending resistance. While these examples are disclosed, other arrangements of directional stiffness for a given support are possible. For example, in some embodiments, corrugations in a support may be constructed and arranged to provide a greater directional stiffness in a sagittal direction to promote propulsive support.

[0075] In some embodiments, the supports may include one or more stiffening ribs formed thereon and extending along at least a portion of a length or other appropriate dimension of the support. The one or more stiffening ribs may be of any suitable size, shape, number, or other characteristic as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, a suitable number of stiffening ribs may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4 or more stiffening ribs. In other embodiments, however, no stiffening ribs may be provided on a given support. The stiffening ribs may also be selectively positioned on an associated support to provide directional stiffness to a select region of the support. For example, in some embodiments, a stiffening rib may be oriented to provide greater directional stiffness in an eversion direction, an inversion direction, and/or in a sagittal direction.

[0076] In reference to the embodiments of the supports disclosed herein, the user may selectively alter the position and/or orientation of the supports to yield different stiffness characteristics. In some embodiments, the supports may be rotated, flipped, moved further away from or closer to the pivot point, exchanged with supports with different stiffness, or other appropriate modifications to yield a different stiffness profile. For example, if a support has a flexure profile that is biased towards the eversion direction, the support may be flipped to provide bias towards the inversion direction.

[0077] The footwear and/or exo skeleton may include one or more receptacles which may be configured to receive the one or more supports as referenced above in any suitable fashion. The one or more receptacles may be sealed or otherwise enclosed to prevent the supports from being easily removed from the receptacles. In other embodiments, however, the receptacles may be configured such that the receptacles may be opened, or have a permanently exposed opening, to permit removability and interchangeability of the supports. [0078] In some embodiments, the receptacles may take the form of a variety of suitable engagement features to permit adjustability of the positioning of the supports on the footwear and/or the exoskeleton to which the supports may be connected. In some embodiments a suitable receptacle may include, but is not limited to slots, pockets, loops, connections (e.g., mechanically interlocking features, snape connectors, threaded fasteners, etc.), or any other suitable type of receptacle configured to receive one or more supports as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, pockets may be provided by sewing material into a layer of the footwear body (e.g., the liner and/or outer layer). In such an example, the shape and/or size of the receptacle may be selected to help secure the corresponding support to prevent inadvertent adjustment of the support in the anterior or posterior directions. In another example, slots may be formed in the base and/or yoke of the exoskeleton, and the supports may be configured to engage with the slots at a certain incremental position. While such examples are disclosed, the supports may be fastened to the footwear body and/or exoskeleton using any suitable type of method as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0079] In some embodiments, the receptacles may be positioned along any suitable side (e.g.,, lateral or medial sides) of the footwear body and/or the base and yoke of the exoskeleton as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the receptacles may be positioned above and/or below a pivot point of the footwear and/or the exoskeleton. In other embodiments, however, the receptacles may be positioned away from the pivot point to provide a lesser amount of support for a given application.

[0080] The footwear body itself may be constructed and arranged to include a variety of different layers and other features for a given application. In some embodiments, the footwear body may include an outer layer, an optionally provided liner material layer, and an optionally provided cushion layer. The outer layer may be constructed of a variety of suitable materials including, but not limited to leather, canvas, synthetic materials, or any other suitable material as the disclosure is not so limited. A liner material layer may be included and arranged internally to the outer layer. The liner material layer may include any suitable material such as a soft fabric or leather, and may be optionally waterproof. The cushion layer, if included, may be provided between the liner layer and the outer layer to provide an increased amount of padding and comfort for the end user. While the above arrangement is disclosed, the footwear may be constructed and arranged in any suitable configuration as the disclosure is not so limited, and the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied for use in host footwear of any suitable type.

[0081] In some embodiments, the inventor has recognized that the shape and size of the footwear materials itself may influence the stiffness of the overall footwear system. For example, the contour of the footwear material that is proximal to one or more supports which may be included in the system may be formed to selectively increase or decrease stiffness. In particular, a more rigid outer layer may increase stiffness and thus prevent buckling. The orientation of the outer and inner layers (e.g., liner layer and cushion layer) may also yield a varying amount of stiffness in the footwear system. For example, one or more supports may be positioned in the system such that the volume between two or more layers of the footwear is altered to increase the stiffness of the footwear itself, an exoskeleton yoke and/or an exoskeleton base.

[0082] While a variety of suitable articles of footwear have been referenced above, the embodiments disclosed herein may be employed for use in any suitable article of footwear including, but not limited to boots (e.g., hiking boots, work boots, tactical boots), high-top athletic sneakers, high-top shoes for the medical industry (e.g., doctors, nurses, waitstaff), dress shoes, low top sneakers, slippers, or any other suitable footwear type. It should be understood that in instances where lower profile footwear is used that may not extend above the ankle, appropriate structural features, such as a yoke, or other portion of the disclosed systems and devices may extend above an opening of the footwear to engage with an appropriate portion of the lower leg (e.g., ankle or calf) as the disclosure is not limited to only being used in boots.

[0083] The inventor has realized that the embodiments disclosed herein may provide a variety of benefits to an end user when provided for use in a footwear system and/or a restorative energy system. Such benefits include a wide array of adjustability of lateral and/or propulsive support for the ankle of a user, reduced occurrence of lower limb injuries, the ability to promote recovery of an injury of a user by adjusting and interchanging supports, providing targeted support and/or flexure by altering the individual characteristics of supports, and many other benefits. The inventor has also realized that benefits may be realized by reducing the level of support in a footwear system according to embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., such that there is no additional support) to a level comparable with traditional footwear. In such an embodiment, the one or more supports disclosed herein may be disengaged from the footwear system to optimize agility and comfort of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user while also allowing the user to engage one or more supports when needed for a certain terrain, activity, an incurred injury, or other suitable application.

[0084] The embodiments of footwear systems and restorative energy systems having supports disclosed herein may be used in any suitable application where it is beneficial to have an adjustable level of support in an article of footwear. For example, potential applications of the embodiments disclosed herein including post-injury recovery, postoperative recovery, and/or injury prevention in fields where having controllable support in footwear is important such as parachuting, hiking, sports, the workplace, policing, the medical industry, or any other suitable field as the disclosure is not so limited. Moreover, commonly used terms disclosed herein are described by the following.

[0085] The term “yoke” is used herein to describe a portion of an exoskeleton engageable with an upper portion of a footwear body, where the yoke is intended to be located near a portion of a user’s lower limb, which may also be referred to as a leg, at or above the user’s ankle joint.

[0086] The term “base” is used herein to describe a portion of an exoskeleton engageable with a lower portion of a footwear body, where the base is intended to be located near a portion of a user’s lower limb at or below the user’s ankle joint.

[0087] The term “sagittal plane”, also known as the “longitudinal plane”, is used herein to define a vertical plane which spans from the front to the back of the user such that the plane anatomically defines right and left halves of a user’s body. This term is used herein in reference to the direction of propulsive movement of a user’s body during a gait cycle where the general direction of movement of a user during forward movement (e.g., walking, running, etc.) may be oriented in a horizontal direction parallel to the ground and the sagittal plane when the footwear is disposed on a supporting underlying surface.

[0088] The term “frontal plane” is used herein to define a vertical plane which spans from the left to ride side of the user such that the plane anatomically defines front and back halves of a user’s body. This term is used herein in reference to the direction of lateral support of a user’ s body during the gait cycle wherein the lateral direction may be taken in a horizontal direction parallel to the ground and the frontal plane when the footwear is disposed on a supporting underlying surface.

[0089] The term “lateral side of footwear” is used herein to describe a portion of the footwear that is oriented to the outside of a foot of a user. In particular, the lateral side may be further defined as the side of the footwear that is closer to the digitus minimus pedis (i.e., the little toe) of a user’s foot.

[0090] The term “medial side of footwear” is used herein to describe a portion of the footwear that is oriented to the inside of a foot of a user. In particular, the medial side may be further defined as the side of the footwear that is closer to the hallux (i.e., the big toe) of a user’s foot.

[0091] The terms “supports” or “stiffeners” are used interchangeably herein to describe the structures that may be provided in a footwear system or a restorative energy system to enhance lateral (e.g., transverse) support to an ankle of a user.

[0092] The term “propulsive support” is used herein to describe the promotion of dorsiflexion and plantarflexion in the sagittal plane of a user’s foot during a gait cycle.

[0093] For the sake of clarity the embodiments described in the figures refer to a boot. However, it should be understood that these embodiments may be applied to any appropriate type of footwear and the reference to boots may be taken to also refer generally to other types of footwear as well as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0094] Turning to the figures, specific non-limiting embodiments are described in further detail. It should be understood that the various systems, components, features, and methods described relative to these embodiments may be used either individually and/or in any desired combination as the disclosure is not limited to only the specific embodiments described herein.

[0095] FIG. 1 presents a schematic view of one embodiment of a footwear system 100 having a lower boot portion 110 and an upper boot portion 120. The footwear system 100 may include two supports 600, where one support is associated with the lower boot portion 110 and where the other support is associated with the upper boot portion 120. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the supports 600 are connected directly to the body of the footwear (lower portion 110 and upper portion 120) using any appropriate type of connection. In some embodiments, the supports 600 may include a notch 620 and/or a plurality of detents 630 (e.g., holes) to permit adjustability in positioning the support, as is described in greater detail in reference to FIGs. 9A and 9B below. The footwear system 100 also includes a pivot point 140 which is located proximal on the footwear to an expected axis of rotation of an ankle joint of a user when the boot is worn. In the various embodiments disclosed herein, a longitudinal axis of a support (e.g., an axis parallel to a largest dimension of the support) may be oriented in a direction that is at least partially directed towards, and in some instances is directed towards, the pivot point of the footwear system. In some instances the longitudinal axis of the one or more supports may be oriented in a direction that is approximately parallel to a vertical direction of the footwear relative to a supporting surface the footwear system when the footwear system is disposed on the supporting surface in a normal orientation during use with the sole of the footwear system in contact with the supporting surface.

[0096] In the embodiment of the FIG. 1, the notches 620 of the one or more supports 600 are spaced apart from and oriented towards the pivot point 140 of the footwear from both above and below the pivot point. This separation distance between the supports and the pivot point may affect the overall lateral stiffness of the footwear in the lateral direction around the pivot point. While not shown in FIG. 1, the notch 120 may be positioned such that the notch at least partially overlaps with the pivot point 140 with the associated protrusions extending outwards longitudinally from the support on either side of the notch may be positioned on opposing sides of a rotational axis extending through the pivot point. Alternatively or additionally, the portions of the supports proximal to the pivot point may be connected to the pivot point 140, e.g., via a suitable mechanical fastener as disclosed herein, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0097] FIG. 2 presents a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 1, where the footwear system 100 further includes receptacles 130 positioned on the lower boot portion 110 and the upper boot portion 120. As shown in FIG. 2, the receptacles 130 are configured to receive and retain the supports 600 in a desired position and orientation relative to the footwear during use. Additionally, the receptacles may be configured to permit interchangeability of the supports 600 via releasable connections, removal of the support from an opening of the receptacle, detents, combinations of the forgoing and/or any other appropriate construction capable of selectively retaining an associated support in a desired position and orientation. FIG. 2 also shows the notches of the supports 600 as at least partially overlapping with the pivot point 140 to promote lateral support in the footwear system 100 while still providing sufficient flexibility about the pivot point to provide a desired level of propulsive support (plantarflexion and dorsiflexion). In some embodiments, the receptacles 130 may be affixed to or formed in the body of the footwear using any suitable method disclosed herein.

[0098] FIGs. 3 and 4 present schematic views of a medial side and a lateral side of a footwear system 100 having a plurality of receptacles 100, respectively. The footwear of FIGs. 3 and 4 may either correspond to the same piece of footwear with supports located on both the lateral and medial sides or separate footwear with supports only on one of the lateral and medial side as the disclosure is not limited in this fashion. In either illustrative embodiment, the receptacles 130 may be positioned at any suitable location along the footwear body (lower portion 110 and/or upper portion 120). This may include receptacles configured to position and maintain an orientation of the associated supports above and/or below the pivot point of the ankle when the footwear is worn. The receptacles 130 may be configured as a pocket, as shown in FIGs. 3 and 4, where the receptacles 130 may be configured to receive corresponding supports to provide increased and/or decreased lateral stiffness in the footwear system 100. However, other constructions for the receptacles may also be used. The receptacles 130 may be openable via an opening 131 to permit interchangeability of the corresponding supports, and thus may enable the use of supports having varying stiffness profiles. In view of the above, the receptacles and supports may be positioned along the lateral and/or medial sides of the footwear body. As disclosed herein and will be described in greater detail below, the receptacles and supports may also be positioned along the lateral and/or medial sides of an exoskeleton (e.g., base and/or yoke).

[0099] FIG. 5A presents a schematic view of a footwear system 100 showing an outer layer of the footwear while FIG. 5B presents the view of FIG. 5A with the outer layer removed for clarity to show the inner layers of the footwear system 100. In some embodiments, the footwear body may include a plurality of layers such as an outer layer, a footwear body liner, and a cushion layer which may be disposed between the outer layer and the liner to provide increased comfortability for the user. Moreover, the footwear body may be divided substantially into two portions as follows. The first portion is a footwear upper, which may be denoted by the region of the footwear body at or above the location of an ankle joint of the user when the footwear is worn. The second region is a footwear lower, which may be denoted by the region of the footwear body at or below the ankle joint of user when the footwear is worn. The footwear upper and the footwear lower may be configured to receive a base and a yoke of an exoskeleton, respectively.

[00100] In addition, as disclosed herein, an energy storage device may be included to provide added tension to the footwear system. In some such embodiments, the energy storage device may be attached to any suitable location along the footwear body (e.g., the footwear upper and/or the footwear lower) as the disclosure is not so limited. The energy storage device may also be attached to the base and/or the yoke of an exoskeleton in embodiments where an exoskeleton is included in the footwear system.

[00101] In FIG. 5 A, the footwear system includes an outsole 201, a lower collar 203, an ankle collar 207, a quarter panel 211, a toe box 213, and an interior gusset 209 that interrupts a lower eyestay 212 from an upper eyestay 208. The upper eyestay 208 may be sufficiently rigid to support a collar cantilever 205 with the support of at least one cantilever support 206. The cantilever support 206 acts in tension to help connect the collar cantilever 205 with the upper eyestay 208. The eyelets 210 may be used to anchor the cantilever supports 206 to receive further support under tension. As can be more easily seen in FIG. 5B, the upper eyestay 208 and the lower eyestay 212 may be reinforced by upper eyestay reinforcement 219 and lower eyestay reinforcement 220, respectively. The collar cantilever 205 may also be reinforced with the collar reinforcement 216. FIG. 5B also shows a sock liner and padding system 218 which may be at least partially elastic to provide the ability to stretch during movement in the gait cycle. The collar cantilever 205 may be connected to suitable energy storage devices, such as elastic sheet material 204 which may be anchored below the collar cantilever 206 and above the foot collar 203 and heel counter panel 202. A separate energy storage device 214 (e.g., an elastic cord) may also be provided in the system and engaged with the collar cantilever 205 via any suitable mechanical fastener. The internal layers shown in FIG. 5B may also include a structural toe protector 221.

[00102] Notably, the embodiments of FIGs. 5 A and 5B also include one or more receptacles 230 configured to receive corresponding one or more supports as described elsewhere herein. The receptacles are depicted as pockets including openable ends 231 which may be configured to removably receive the corresponding supports to control the stiffness of the footwear system. As shown in FIG. 5A, the receptacles 230 may be positioned on the outer layer of the boot 200. In contrast, in FIG. 5B, the receptacles 230 are shown as being positioned on the inner layers (e.g., the liner). Moreover, the receptacles 230 and corresponding supports may be positioned on any suitable location of the respective layers. For example, the receptacles 230 may be positioned in the upper region of the boot 200 on the ankle collar 207 or on an upper region of padding 218 while other receptacles 230 may be positioned on the quarter panel 211 or the lower region of padding 218. Again the receptacles may be arranged to position and orient the supports above and/or below the ankle when worn in an arrangement that may either be overlapping with the pivot point of the ankle or spaced apart from the pivot point. While such examples are disclosed, the receptacles and associated supports may be positioned on any suitable layer and at any suitable position and/or orientation on the lateral and/or medial side of the boot.

[00103] FIG. 6A presents a schematic view of a footwear system 300 having a footwear body with a lower portion 310 and an upper portion 320, where a yoke 330 is engaged with the upper portion 320. The yoke 330 is mechanically fastened to a pivot point 340 such that the yoke 330 may be rotatable relative to at least a portion of the footwear body. The yoke 330 may include receptacles 331 in the form of slots formed thereon, where the receptacles 331 may be configured to receive and lock a corresponding support in a desired position and orientation. However, other types of receptacles may also be used as disclosed herein. The yoke 330 also includes yoke supporting structures 332 to increase rigidity of the yoke 330 and eyelets 333 which are configured to engage with corresponding laces of the footwear to secure the yoke 330 in a desired orientation. The yoke 330 also includes anchor points 334 which may be configured to be engaged with an energy storage device (e.g., an elastic cord) to provide tension and propulsive support to the yoke 330. In some embodiments, as detailed above, the stiffness of the yoke 330 may be insufficient in a lateral and/or sagittal direction to support a force applied to the yoke 330 by the energy storage device during use. In some such embodiments, one or more supports may be provided and engaged with the receptacles 331 of the yoke such that the combined stiffness of the yoke 330 and one or more supports is sufficient to support the force applied to the yoke during use. [00104] In some embodiments, the yoke 330 may have at least a portion of the yoke 330 that extends at least partially around a perimeter of the upper portion 320 such that the portion extending partially around the perimeter of the footwear may be secured against an opposing side of the upper portion 320 and/or the laces of the footwear body. However, instances in which the yoke is only present on a single side of the footwear are also envisioned. Additionally, in some embodiments, an additional yoke 330 may be positioned on the opposing side of the upper portion 320 to provide increased support to the ankle of the user (e.g., a yoke 330 may be provided on both a lateral and medial side of the upper portion 320 of the footwear body). In some embodiments, the yoke 330 may be configured to be provided on a footwear body in conjunction with a base such as, for example, base 430 shown in FIG. 7A. Additionally, such an embodiment where both a yoke and a base are provided is detailed in reference to FIG. 8A below. The base and the yoke of such embodiments may be rotatably connected to one another at a pivot point (e.g., a rotatable connection positioned at or near the location of a user’s ankle when the footwear is worn). FIG. 6B presents an enlarged view of region 3B of FIG. 6A. As can be more easily seen in FIG. 6B, the slots of the receptacle 331 may be positioned vertically along the yoke to permit a support positioned therein to be received and supported on the yoke 330 at a desired position.

[00105] FIG. 7A presents a schematic view of a footwear system 400 having a footwear body with a lower portion 410 and an upper portion 420, where a base 430 is engaged with the lower portion 410. The base 430 may be mechanically fastened to a pivot point 440 of the footwear. The base 430 also includes a receptacle 431, for example, in the form of slots formed thereon, configured to receive and lock a corresponding support at a desired position and/or orientation. FIG. 7B presents an enlarged view of region 7B of FIG. 7A, where the slots of the receptacle 431 and the pivot point 440 to which the base 430 is fastened can be more easily seen. FIG. 7C presents an enlarged side view of region 7C of FIG. 7B, where a loop 435 is shown on the base 430. The loop 430 is configured to be attached to an energy storage device (e.g., an elastic band) to provide increased tension to the base 430 and to assist in providing propulsive support to the user. In some embodiments, such as those detailed in reference to FIG. 8A below, the base 430 may be provided in conjunction with a yoke on the footwear body. In some such embodiments, the base may be provided on a lower portion of the footwear body while the yoke is provided on or otherwise connected to an upper portion of the footwear body. The base and the yoke may also be provided on either the lateral and/or medial side of the footwear body as the disclosure is not so limited. The base and the yoke may be connected via any suitable rotatable connection to permit the yoke to rotate relative to the base to both permit dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the ankle joint and provide propulsive support for a user in one or more portions of the gait cycle. In some embodiments, one of the yoke or the base may overlap with the other of the yoke and the base to provide increased rigidity in the exoskeleton.

[00106] FIG. 8A presents a schematic view of a footwear system 500 having both a base 540 and a yoke 530 positioned on a lower portion 510 and an upper portion 520 of a footwear body, respectively. In FIG. 8A, the yoke 530 and the base 540 may be similar to the yoke and base described previously above. Additionally, the yoke and base may be rotatably connected to one another and a pivot point 550 of the footwear to which at least a portion of both the yoke 530 and the base 540 are fastened. Thus, the yoke 530 may be rotated relative to the base 540 and the lower portion 510 of the footwear body. FIG. 8A also shows supports 560 attached to both the yoke 530 and the base 540 via receptacles 531 and 541, respectively. The receptacles 531 and 541 may be configured as any suitable engagement features including, for example, the depicted slots or loops shown in FIG. 8A. On the base 540, the support 560 is disposed in the receptacle 541. However, the external fixation of a support by a receptacle (e.g., via hooks formed on the support engaging with slots, connections, or other external connections) may also be used. A similar arrangement may be present between the yoke 530 and the corresponding support 560. The respective supports 560 located on the base 540 and yoke 530 may be positioned at any suitable position relative to the pivot point approximately associated with an axis of rotation of the ankle joint when worn as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, the support 560 located on the base 540 is located closer to the pivot point 550 than the support 560 located on the yoke 530, and as such, the support 560 on the base 540 may provide greater stiffness to the footwear.

[00107] FIG. 8A also shows that the yoke 530 includes yoke supporting structures 532 to increase rigidity of the yoke 530 and eyelets 533 which are configured to engage with corresponding laces of the footwear to secure the yoke 530 in a desired orientation. The yoke supporting structure 532 may include one or more braces that extend between separate portions of the yoke 530 to limit the displacement of these structures away from each other and/or to increase a rigidity of the yoke. For example, the one or more supporting structures 532 may corresponding to the braces extending between a front portion of the yoke with a support disposed thereon and a rear portion of the yoke which may be attached to an energy storage device for applying a desired torque about the ankle joint during one or more portions of a gait cycle. This arrangement may help to prevent or at least limit the displacement relative to one another of these separate portions of the yoke when a restorative force is applied to the yoke during use. This may enable the yoke 530 to provide sufficient propulsive support for the user during the gait cycle. In particular, the braces may enable the yoke 530 to withstand the tension applied to one or more portions of the yoke during dorsiflexion and/or plantarflexion of a user’s foot during a gait cycle. The yoke 530 also includes anchor points 534 which may be configured to be engaged with an energy storage device (e.g., an elastic cord) to provide tension and stability to the yoke 530.

[00108] FIGs. 8B-D present various embodiments of a support 560 that may be implemented for use in the footwear system of FIG. 8A and/or other footwear system embodiments described herein. In each of FIGs. 8B, 8C, and 8D, the support 560 is shown to include a proximal portion 561 with a hook structure 562 which is configured to engage with a corresponding feature of the receptacle (e.g., loops, openings, slots, etc.) and a body that extends away from the proximal portion 561 towards an opposing distal end portion of the support. However, the sizing of the different supports 560 shown in the different figures is depicted as becoming progressively smaller in each of FIGs. 8B, 8C, and 8D. This corresponds to different size supports providing different amounts of stiffness that may be inserted into and removed from the corresponding one or more receptacles of the footwear system. The different length supports may also result in the supports being spaced further away from or closer to the pivot point which may also further change the resulting stiffness of the footwear. Moreover, as illustrated in FIGs. 8B and 8C, a support may include one or more stiffening ribs extending along at least a portion of a length of a support to increase a stiffness of the support. For example, FIG. 8B includes two stiffening ribs 563 formed thereon, while FIG. 8C includes one stiffening rib 563 formed thereon and FIG. 8D includes no stiffening ribs. Depending on their size, orientation, and position, the inclusion of stiffening ribs may serve to provide a varied stiffness profile to the support as needed. While such arrangements are disclosed above, the supports may be constructed and arranged in any suitable fashion as the disclosure is not so limited.

[00109] FIGs. 9A and 9B present further embodiments of supports 600. In FIG. 9A, the supports 600 include a support body 610 having a distal end and a proximal end, where a notch 620 is shown to be formed in the distal end of the support body 610. The notch 620 may consist of an opening formed between two protrusions extending longitudinally away from the support body 610. Moreover, the notch 620 may be oriented towards a location of the expected pivot location (e.g., the rotation axis of the ankle joint) when worn. The notch 620 may be configured to extend at least partially around and be coextensive with a corresponding pivot point of a footwear body and/or exoskeleton to permit lateral support and sufficient compliance relative to the rotational axis of the pivot point to facilitate dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of a user’s foot while engaged with the footwear. FIG. 9B shows a similar embodiment of a support 600 to that of FIG. 9A, but includes detents 630 in the form of holes formed on the support body 610. The detents 630 may be incrementally positioned along a longitudinal dimension (e.g., a length) of the support body 610 to allow the support 600 to be secured at a desired position on a corresponding footwear body and/or exoskeleton using corresponding detents, or other types of connectors, formed on the footwear body and/or an associated exoskeleton. For example, a fastener may be engaged with either the upper, middle, or lower detent 630 on the support 600 to secure the support 600 at a corresponding upper middle, or lower position on the footwear and/or exoskeleton which may again adjust the position of the support relative to the pivot point of the footwear.

[00110] FIGs. 10A and 10B present further embodiments of supports 700 having a targeted bending profile. In particular, in these embodiments, a targeted bending profile is achieved by providing a corrugated surface having a plurality of corrugations 730 that extend along at least a portion of a length of a first surface of a support body 710 of a support 700. The corrugations 730 may be of any suitable number, shape, spacing relative to one another, size, or any other suitable characteristic as the disclosure is not so limit. For example, as shown in FIGs. 10A and 10B, five corrugations 730 may be included in the support 700 that exhibit a smooth curved surface extending between the separate corrugations. However, embodiments in which different geometries including triangular, rectangular, and other appropriately shaped corrugations may be used as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the corrugations 730 may extend an entire length of the support 700. In other embodiments, however, the corrugations 730 may only extend along a portion of a length of the support 700. Such variations in corrugation spacing, number, shape, and/or size may result in varying degrees of targeted flexure in the support 700.

[00111] A distal end portion of the support body 710 may also include an optional engagement feature 720 (e.g., a hook) to permit engagement of the support 700 with a corresponding receptacle. The supports 700 may have a predefined orientation when engaged with a corresponding receptacle. For example, in some embodiments, the supports 700 may be oriented such that the corrugations 730 may provide targeted flexure of the support in an inversion direction, an eversion direction, and/or a direction in the sagittal plane. Accordingly, by providing various arrangements of corrugations 730 on supports 700, the supports 700 may exhibit targeted flexure profiles that enable support in a desired direction (e.g., the direction of support is opposite the direction of the targeted flexure where corrugations are situated). FIGs. 10A and 10B show supports 700 having opposing flexure profiles. For example, when engagement features 720 are engaged to corresponding receptacles on a medial side of footwear, the support of FIG. 10A may have a greater directional stiffness in an eversion direction while the support of FIG. 10B may have a greater directional stiffness in the inversion direction. While these specific examples are disclosed, the supports 700 may have any suitable number, size, or shape of corrugations 730 disposed along a dimension of the supports 700 to provide targeted flexure. Thus, the depicted supports may exhibit different bending stiffnesses in the inversion and eversion direction when used with the various footwear systems disclosed herein. [00112] FIGs. 11A-11C show an embodiment of a footwear system 800 including one or more tethers 810 which function as energy dissipating members configured to elongate, deform, and/or rupture when an applied force threshold and/or energy threshold is exceeded. As disclosed herein, the inventor has recognized that such energy dissipating members may be beneficial in promoting lateral support of a user’ s ankle and in preventing inversion and/or eversion injuries, especially in situations where the user is experiencing a high amplitude landing force (e.g., due to uneven ground when jumping, running, and/or landing during strenuous activities). As disclosed herein, the energy dissipating members may dissipate energy through material resistance of the members. That is, the energy dissipating members may be resilient (i.e., elastic) until an energy absorption threshold is exceeded, which causes plastic deformation and/or rupturing of the energy dissipating members. Thus, acting as shock-absorbers, or energy dampers, the energy dissipating members (e.g., tethers) dissipate a portion of the total landing energy by converting it to heat and material deformation. By dissipating energy over time and over the length of the energy dissipating members, the maximum peak force that can be imposed the ankle joint, leg bones, knee, hip and/or lumbar spine region may be reduced, thereby reducing the risk of injury. In addition, such energy dissipation may also serve to decelerate the rate at which the ankle joint, leg, bones, knee, hip, and lumbar spine region are put under load, which also reduces the risk of injury to the user. In particular, deceleration of the increased load on joints decelerates the stretching of ligaments and tendons, increasing their ability to withstand higher peak forces. The deceleration of force also provides additional time for the user’s autonomic nervous system to make compensatory responses to guard against injury and reduce the risk of injury. In some embodiments, one or more tethers may be used as a sacrificial element. That is, the tethers may potentially be reused multiple times when the applied force and/or total energy exerted on the footwear system is less than a threshold force and/or energy that would cause the tethers to plastically deform and/or rupture. Likewise, when a threshold force and/or energy is exerted on the tethers such that the tethers do indeed plastically deform and/or rupture, the tethers may be discarded and replaced to continue providing energy dissipation in the footwear system. In some embodiments, the tethers may have elastomeric properties to increase the potential energy absorption capacity of the tethers due to their ability to stretch under load.

[00113] FIG. 11 A shows a schematic side view of a medial side of the footwear system 800 including a footwear body 802. Tethers 810 may be engaged with a medial anchor point 820 to anchor the tethers on the medial side of the footwear. As shown in FIG. 11 A, the tethers 810 may be two tethers, and the two tethers may be tied (e.g., into a knot) around the medial anchor point 820 such that loops 812 are formed to secure a position of the tethers. In some embodiments, the anchor point may be “mushroom- shaped” such that the tethers may wrap around anchor point to be secured, and a head of the “mushroom” may prevent the tethers from slipping off the anchor point. While such an example is disclosed, any suitable type of anchor point may be used, e.g., one or more fasteners extending from and attached to the footwear body, one or more hooks, one or more loops, etc. In some embodiments, the anchor point may be located on the footwear body itself, e.g., one or more eyelets that the corresponding tethers may pass through to allow for the tethers to be tied together. For example, each of the two tethers shown in FIG. 11 A may have a corresponding eyelet, and the tethers may be tied into a knot after passing through their respective eyelets. In some embodiments, the tethers 810 may include a connecting strap 830 extending between two or more of the plurality of the tethers 810. The connecting strap 830 may serve to maintain a position of the tethers 810 to avoid the tethers becoming loose and/or to avoid the tethers catching onto foreign objects. Specifically, the inventor has recognized that it may be beneficial to hold the tethers in close proximity to the footwear body to limit entanglement of tethers during activities such as parachuting where it could become hazardous if a tether were to become entangled with parachute cord. As shown in FIG. 11A, the tethers 810 may extend from the medial side anchor point 820 and wrap underneath a bottom portion 806 of the footwear body 802.

[00114] FIG. 1 IB shows a schematic side view of a lateral side of the footwear system of FIG. 11A where the two tethers 810 are anchored to a support 840 via two lateral anchor points 842 formed on the support 840. In some embodiments, the support 840 may be engaged with the footwear body 802 by extending around a portion of the collar 804. That is, in some embodiments, the support 840 may include a portion that is external to the footwear body 802 and a portion that is disposed within an internal volume of the footwear body 802. However, in other embodiments, the support may be located only external to the footwear body or only internal to the footwear body as the disclosure is not so limited. As discussed above in reference to FIG. 11A, the tethers 810 may wrap underneath a bottom portion 806 of the footwear body 802 to permit the tethers to extend between the medial side and the lateral side of the footwear body. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGs. 11 A-l IB, the tethers may wrap underneath a recessed region 808 of the bottom portion 806 of the footwear body such that the tethers do not contact the ground and/or impede the user’s walking capabilities while the tethers are engaged. [00115] In addition to the above, in some embodiments, the inventor has recognized that the tethers may be used to help secure a position of the support 840 relative to the footwear system, e.g., the tethers may hold the support 840 in close proximity to the collar 804 and/or another external surface of the footwear body 802 to prevent inadvertent removal of the support while also allowing the support to bend during dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, inversion, and/or eversion of the user’s foot. That is, the tethers may apply a retaining force that maintains one or more supports in a desired position and orientation relative to the footwear body (e.g., the tethers may bias the one or more supports into engagement with a pocket). In addition, the tethers may dissipate energy in response to the footwear system experiencing an applied energy (e.g., when a user wearing the footwear system lands with a high amplitude of force causing inversion and/or eversion).

[00116] In some embodiments, the footwear body 802 may include a strap 850 positioned along an exterior of the footwear body with an opening 852. The tethers 810 may pass through the opening 852 and then connect to the lateral anchor point 842 such that the strap 850 maintains the tethers in close proximity to the footwear body. The strap 850 may also serve at least partially as a receptacle to retain a position of the support 840. That is, an external portion of the support 840 may slide behind the strap 850 to holster the support. [00117] FIG. 11C shows a schematic perspective view of the support 840 of FIG. 11B. As detailed above, the support 840 may include a first portion 844 and a second portion 846, where the first and second portions are configured to be positioned around a corresponding collar 804 of the footwear body 802 such that the first portion 844 is positioned external to the footwear body and the second portion 846 is positioned internal to the footwear body. The first portion 844 may include any suitable number of lateral anchor points 842 which may be configured to engage with any suitable number of corresponding tethers. The second portion 846 may include a notch 848 which may engage a fastener or pivot joint to secure the support to the footwear body 802. For example, a pivot joint may be provided within the interior of the footwear body, and the notch 848 may be positioned around the pivot joint to allow the support 840 to rotate with the user’s ankle during dorsiflexion and/or plantarflexion.

[00118] In the embodiments of FIGs. 11A-C, a singular support 840 is shown to be engaged with a lateral side of the footwear body 802. The inventor has recognized that such a configuration may be beneficial to provide additional support against ankle sprains or other injures stemming from inversion of the user’s ankle. However, the inventor has also recognized that it may be beneficial to provide additional support against eversion injures. Thus, in addition or alternatively, the footwear system may include one or more supports positioned on a medial side of the footwear body. In some such embodiments, the one or more supports may be positioned over a collar of the footwear body on the medial side similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 IB. While such examples have been disclosed above, one or more supports may be provided on any suitable location of the footwear body. In some embodiments, a suitable number of supports positioned on a lateral side of the footwear body may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more supports. Likewise, a suitable number of supports positioned on a medial side of the footwear body may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more supports. As disclosed herein, the supports may be constructed of any suitable material including, but not limited to plastics, urethanes, metals (e.g., aluminum, zinc, alloys, etc.), composites, fiber composites (e.g., carbon fiber composites), combinations of the foregoing, and/or other suitable materials. The supports may also be constructed of a dynamic material, such as rate-adjusting damper material. [00119] While one medial anchor point 820 is shown in the embodiments of FIGs. 11A-11C, any suitable number of medial anchor points may be used as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, a suitable number of medial anchor points may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more medial anchor points. In addition, while two lateral anchor points 842 are shown in FIG. 1 IB, any suitable number of lateral anchor points may be used as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, a suitable number of lateral anchor points may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more lateral anchor points. While the embodiments of FIGs. 11 A-l 1C show one anchor point 820 on a medial side of the footwear body 802 and two anchor points 842 on a support 840 positioned on a lateral side of the footwear body 802, the disclosure is not so limited. For example, only one tether may be included in the footwear system, and each of the medial and lateral sides of the footwear body may only include one anchor point to secure respective ends of the tether.

[00120] In some embodiments, an anchor point may be formed on a support engaged with the footwear body and/or on the footwear body itself, and a suitable type of anchor point may include a mechanical fastener (e.g., a rivet or pinned connection), an eyelet, one or more hooks, etc. In some embodiments, the tethers may be removably engaged with the anchor points, e.g., by untying the one or more tethers from the one or more anchor points when it is desirable to replace the tethers (e.g., after the tethers rupture in response to a threshold applied energy). In some embodiments, the tethers may be permanently engaged with the anchor points, e.g., via an adhesive connection, stitching, and/or by the tethers being integrally formed with the anchor points. [00121] FIG. 12A shows a schematic side view of a lateral side of a footwear system 900 having a deformable support 930. The footwear system 900 may include a footwear body with a lower portion 910 and an upper portion 920. An exoskeleton base 940 may be positioned on a lower portion 910 of the footwear body, and the base 940 may include a pivot joint 942 configured to engage the deformable support 930 to permit rotation of the support 930 with the upper portion 920 during dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. In particular, the deformable support may be engaged with the pivot joint 942 via a notch 934 located on the support. In some embodiments, the notch may be “U-shaped” as shown in FIG. 12A. In other embodiments, however, the notch may instead be configured as a hole through which the pivot joint is inserted. Other suitable types of pivot joint connections may be used including, but not limited to a ball and socket, a rotating mortise joint, or any other suitable connection type. Although the pivot joint 942 is shown to be integrally formed with the base 940 in FIG. 12A, the pivot joint 942 may instead be a separately formed joint coupled to the base 940 and/or the deformable support 930 as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, the pivot joint may be a barrel nut coupled to the base 940 which may function as a hinge around which the deformable support 930 rotates relative to the base 940.

[00122] In some embodiments, the amount of lateral support provided in the footwear may be adjustable by providing additional deformable supports, changing the stiffness characteristics of the deformable supports, changing the positioning of the deformable supports, etc. For example, the deformable support 930 may be adjusted upwards or downwards relative to the pivot joint 942 to vary the lateral support and stiffness. In such an example, the deformable support may be fully inserted downwards into engagement with the pivot joint (e.g., such as the configuration shown in FIG. 12A) to increase stiffness or may be elevated upwards relative to the pivot joint to decrease stiffness.

[00123] In some embodiments, the deformable support 930 may be constructed and arranged to be sacrificial. That is, the deformable support may function as an energy dissipating member that deforms in response to an applied threshold force and/or energy, and the support may be discarded and replaced with another deformable support after use. For example, the deformable support may be configured to plastically deform and/or fracture in response to a threshold force and/or energy being applied to the support during inversion and/or eversion of a user’s ankle when it is worn. In some instances, the footwear system may include an optional cord 932 (i.e., a rip cord) coupled to the support that a user may pull on to disengage the deformable support from the footwear system to permit replacement of the support. While one deformable support 930 and one cord 932 are shown in the embodiment of FIG. 12A, any suitable number of deformable supports and cords may be included in the footwear system as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, a footwear system may include one or more deformable supports and corresponding cords on a lateral side of the footwear body and/or one or more deformable supports and corresponding cords on a medial side of the footwear body.

[00124] In some embodiments, the inventor has recognized benefits associated with providing supports with varying stiffness profiles on each of the medial and lateral sides of the footwear body. For example, a rigid support may be provided on a medial side of the footwear body while a deformable support configured to dissipate energy may be provided on a lateral side of the footwear body. Such an example may serve to provide compound benefits of providing increased stiffness and lateral support to a user’s ankle while also reducing the amount of energy transferred to an ankle joint of a user wearing the footwear system during a potential injury event (e.g., an ankle sprain), which thereby may reduce the likelihood of injury for the user. While such an example is disclosed, other variations are possible including, but not limited to providing a deformable support on the medial side of the footwear body while a rigid support is provided on the lateral side of the footwear body, providing deformable supports configured to dissipate energy on both the medial and lateral sides of the footwear body, or any other suitable arrangement as the disclosure is not so limited.

[00125] FIGs. 12B-12C show embodiments of a deformable support 930 configured for use in a footwear system such as the one shown in FIG. 12A. The deformable support 930 includes a notch 934 configured to engage with a corresponding attachment point (e.g., a pivot joint) on the footwear body and/or an exoskeleton base (not shown). While the notch 934 is shown in the supports of FIGs. 12A-12C, in some embodiments the supports need not include a notch for engagement. In some embodiments, the supports may instead be received within a receptacle (e.g., a pocket) as disclosed herein. In addition, the deformable supports 930 may include a cord 932 attached to a portion of the support opposite from an expected location of a user’s ankle joint when the support is positioned on the footwear and the footwear is worn by the user. The cord may be pulled be a user to disengage the support form a corresponding footwear body to allow for replacement of the supports. The disclosed deformable supports may include one or more deformable portions located along a length of the deformable support. For example, in FIG. 12B, the deformable support 930 includes an energy dissipation portion 938 in an upper region of the support whereas in FIG. 12C the energy dissipation portion 938 is shown in a lower region of the support. The energy dissipation portions may serve to provide additional support to a select region of a user’s lower limb (e.g., ankle) by dissipating energy in a select portion of the deformable support 930 itself. In addition, the support may be positioned at a target location along the footwear body to provide additional lateral support. For example, the support may be positioned adjacent to the user’s ankle joint to mitigate ankle injuries (e.g., inversion ankle sprains). [00126] In some embodiments, the one or more deformable portions of the one or more supports may be positioned proximate to an axis of rotation of the one or more supports in a sagittal plane during dorsiflexion and/or plantarflexion. For example, the axis of rotation may be centered around a user’s ankle joint, and the one or more deformable portions of the one or more supports may be positioned adjacent to the ankle joint. In other embodiments, however, the one or more deformable portions may be spaced away from the axis of rotation in the sagittal plane. The one or more deformable portions may be positioned along any suitable length of the one or more supports relative to the axis of rotation of the one or more supports. For example, the one or more deformable portions may be spaced away from the axis of rotation at a distance of greater than or equal to 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, 100 mm, or greater. [00127] FIGs. 13A-13C show embodiments of a multi-layer support 1000 configured for use in a footwear system. The multi-layer support 1000 may be configured to deform and dissipate energy exerted on a user’s ankle during a potential injury event (e.g., inversion of the ankle) in one or more portions located along a length of the multi-layer support 1000. [00128] FIG. 13A shows a schematic perspective view of the multi-layer support 1000 The multi-layer support includes a first layer 1010, a second layer 1020, and an energy dissipation layer 1030 which may be positioned between the first and second layers. The multi-layer support may include a cord 1012 which may be pulled by the user to disengage the support 1000 from a corresponding footwear system, e.g., to allow for replacement of the support. The support may also include one or more fasteners 1040 to secure the first layer 1010, second layer 1020, and/or energy dissipation layer 1030 to one another. The fasteners may be of any suitable type including, but not limited to mechanical fasteners (e.g., rivets, screws, bolts, etc.), adhesive, stitching of the layers, welding, brazing, or any other suitable fastening type as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, at least one of the first layer 1010, the second layer 1020, and the energy dissipation layer 1030 may not be secured to the other layers.

[00129] FIG. 13B shows a schematic side view of the multi-layer support 1000 of FIG. 14A including the first layer 1010, the second layer 1020, and the energy dissipation layer 1030. As shown in FIG. 13B, the energy dissipation layer 1030 may only be bonded to the second layer 1020 via an adhesive layer 1050 while the first layer 1010 may not be anchored to the energy dissipation layer 1030. Such a configuration may serve to permit movement of first layer 1010 relative to the energy dissipation layer 1030 and the second layer 1020 which may provide increased lateral support and energy dissipation due to the friction created by the movement of the layers. In addition, the fastening elements 1040, 1042 may serve to anchor to the first layer 1010, second layer 1020, and/or the energy dissipation layer 1030 to one another.

[00130] FIG. 13C shows a schematic side view of the multi-layer support 1000 of FIG. 14A with an alternate energy dissipation layer 1032. The support may include a first layer 1010, a second layer 1020, and the energy dissipation layer 1032 positioned between the first and second layers. As disclosed above, the energy dissipation layer 1032 may only be secured to one of the first and second layers, e.g., the second layer 1020 via an adhesive layer 1050 as shown in FIG. 13C. The energy dissipating layer 1032 may include a material having spherical elements of varying size which may serve to increase energy dissipation capability of the multi-layer support by interrupting the transfer of energy across the spherical elements. [00131] While only three layers are shown in the embodiments of FIGs. 13A-13C, any suitable number of layers may be provided in a multi-layer support. In some embodiments, a multi-layer support may include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or more layers as the disclosure is not so limited. The layers may also be of any suitable material properties. For example, the first layer 1010 and second layer 1020 may be constructed of a rigid material that exhibits a first rigidity while the energy dissipation layer 1030 may be constructed out of an elastomeric or other appropriate material that exhibits a second rigidity that is less than the first rigidity. While such an example is disclosed, any suitable materials may be used for the layers including, but not limited to foams, rubbers, urethanes, fibers, polymers, plastics, metals, alloys, composites, viscoelastic materials, engineered cellular structures, or any other suitable material as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, an engineered cellular structure may be used for one or more of the layers, and the engineered cellular structure may have any suitable structural arrangement including, but not limited to lattices (e.g., surface-based lattices, strut lattices, planar-based lattices, etc), honeycombs, or any other suitable structural arrangement as the disclosure is not so limited.

[00132] FIG. 14A shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a footwear system 1100 having a tether 1140 and a support 1130. The footwear system includes a footwear body 1102 having a lower portion 1110 and an upper portion 1120. The support 1130 may be engaged with the footwear body 1102 by extending around a portion of the collar 1104. That is, the support 1130 may include a portion that is external to the footwear body 1102 and a portion that is disposed within an internal volume of the footwear body 1102. In other embodiments, however, the support 1130 may be located only external to the footwear body or only internal to the footwear body as the disclosure is not so limited. The support 1130 may include one or more slots 1138 configured to receive one or more portions of the tether 1140. The slots 1138 may permit a position and length of the tether to be adjusted to tighten the tether around the footwear body. As disclosed herein, any suitable number of tethers may be used, and the tethers may be configured as one or more straps, as shown in FIG. 14A. The tether 1140 may include on or more anchoring portions 1142 configured to be received in the one or more slots 1138. The tether 1140 may include an energy dissipation zone 1141 located along a portion of the tether. As shown in FIG. 14A, the energy dissipation zone 1141 may be configured as an accordion-style strap that may stretch and/or rupture to dissipate energy in response to an applied energy such as inversion or eversion of a user’s ankle. In some embodiments, the energy dissipating zone may be constructed and arranged to dissipate energy in a variety of ways including through a deformable material, rate-adjusting tethers, mated friction surfaces, or any other suitable energy dissipation arrangement as the disclosure is not so limited. The tether 1140 may include a plurality of tether portions 1143, 1144, 1145, which may be engaged to one another via any suitable fastening arrangement including, but not limited to stitching, adhesive, mechanical fasteners, etc. In some embodiments, the tether 1140 may be configured to selectively rupture in response to an applied energy at the locations in which the tether portions are fastened. The tether portions 1143, 1144, and 1145 may serve to keep the tether 1140 taught and to retain the support 1130 in engagement with the footwear body 1102 when the tether portions are wrapped around the footwear body. In particular, the first tether portion 1143 may secure the tether to the rear of the heel of the footwear body while the second tether portion 1144 and the third tether portion 1145 secure the tether to the sole of the footwear body. In some embodiments, one or more of the tether portions may extend from a lateral side of the footwear body to a medial side of the footwear body. That is, the tether may be anchored to the lateral side and/or medial side of the footwear body via one or more anchors 1150 to maintain a position of the support 1130 and to keep the tether taught to assist with energy dissipation. In some embodiments, the anchors may be engaged with an eyestay 1112 of the footwear body, one or more laces 1114 extending through the eyelets of the eyetstay, and/or one or more anchor points positioned on another exterior or interior location of the footwear body as the disclosure is not so limited. While three tether portions are shown in FIG. 14A, any suitable number of tether portions and/or tethers may be provided.

[00133] FIGs. 14B and 14C show schematic front and side views, respectively, of a support 1130 configured for use with the footwear system of FIG. 14A. The support 1130 may include a first portion 1132 and a second portion 1134. As disclosed herein, a portion of the support (e.g., first portion 1132) may be positioned external to the footwear body while a portion of the support (e.g. second portion 1134) may be positioned internal to the footwear body when the support is engaged with the footwear body. The first portion 1132 may include one or more slots 1138 configured to receive one or more corresponding tethers as disclosed above. While three slots 1138 are shown, any suitable number of slots may be provided such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more slots as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the first and second portions 1132, 1134 of the support 1130 may be different sizes. For example, as shown in FIGs. 14B-14C, the second portion 1134 may be longer than the first portion 1132. The second portion 1134 may include a notch 1136 configured to engage with a corresponding attachment point (e.g., a pivot point) on the footwear body and/or an exoskeleton base as disclosed herein. This may allow the support 1130 to pivot with the footwear body during dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the user’ s foot.

[00134] In some embodiments, the support 1130 may be configured as a deformable support which can elastically or plastically deform to dissipate energy. In some such embodiments, the support 1130 may include one or more energy dissipation zones 1139 which may be positioned on the first portion 1132 and/or the second portion 1134 of the support. The energy dissipation zones may include one or more recesses 1139 (e.g., sawtooth cuts) configured to urge the support to bend and deform along a select direction. For example, the support shown in FIG. 13C may be biased to bend in a clockwise direction indicated by arrow 1150 due to the location of the sawtooth cuts 1139. That is, in response to inversion of a user’s ankle while wearing a footwear system with support 1130 positioned on a lateral side, the support 1130 may be biased to bend clockwise such that the sawtooth cuts “close”, which may cause strain and plastic deformation in the support to dissipate energy. Such a configuration may help to prevent ankle sprains stemming from inversion of a user’ s ankle. In some embodiments, the sawtooth cuts 1139 may be formed on an opposite face of the first and second portions 1132, 1134 to the face shown in FIG. 14C, or the sawtooth cuts may be formed on different faces of the respective first and second portions as the disclosure is not so limited. In addition or alternatively, one or more sawtooth cuts may be formed on a side of the first and/or second portions of the support, e.g., along one of more of the sides indicated by arrows 1152, 1154.

[00135] While sawtooth cuts 1139 are shown in FIGs. 14B-14C, any suitable type of energy dissipation zones may be provided on the support including, but not limited to one or more through-holes formed in a face of the support, one or more energy dissipating materials attached to a portion of the support, etc. In some embodiments, the first portion 1132 and/or the second portion 1134 itself may be formed of an energy dissipating material as the disclosure is not so limited.

[00136] FIG. 14D shows a schematic perspective view of the tethers and support of FIG. 14A. As detailed above, the support may include a first portion 1132 and a second portion 1134, and the first portion may be engaged with a tether 1140 having an energy dissipation zone 1141. The tether 1140 may include tether portions 1143, 1144, and 1145 configured to wrap around and secure to an opposing side of the footwear body as shown in FIG. 14A. One or more of the tether portions, e.g., tether portions 1144 and 1145, may include one or more anchors 1146, 1148 to secure the tether portions to the footwear body. In some embodiments, the one or more anchors may be engaged to a second support positioned on an opposing side of the footwear body to the first support. The anchors 1146, 1148, may be connected to the footwear body and/or one or more supports in any suitable fashion as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, the anchors may include one or more hooks, one or more hollow cylinders configured to wrap around one or more laces, or any other method of engagement. In some embodiments, the anchors 1146, 1148 may include one or more quickrelease connections, e.g., the user may remove a pin to disconnect the anchors from the tether portions or to disconnect the anchors from their connection with the footwear body and/or a support.

[00137] FIG. 15 shows a schematic perspective view of a footwear system 1200 having a first semi-rigid support 1240. The footwear system includes a footwear body having a lower portion 1210, an upper portion 1220, and a bottom portion 1230. The support 1240 may extend along an exterior of the footwear body from the bottom portion 1230 to a collar 1222. In some embodiments, the support 1240 may wrap around the collar 1222 such that a portion of the support may be positioned internal to the footwear body. The support 1240 may include an energy dissipation zone 1242 positioned along a portion of the support to dissipate energy during inversion and/or eversion of the user’s ankle when wearing the footwear system. In some embodiments, the energy dissipation zone 1242 may be removed and replaced on the support 1240 after deforming to dissipate energy. The energy dissipation zone may be of any suitable type including, but not limited to hydraulic dampers, viscosity changing tether straps, stitched straps that may dissipate energy by rupturing the stitches, etc. In addition or alternatively, the entire support 1240 may be configured to deform to dissipate energy, and thus may also be removed and replaced after use. For example, the support 1240 may be formed integrally with the energy dissipation zone 1242. In some embodiments, a second semi-rigid support 1246 may be provided on an opposing side of the footwear body, and the second support may be constructed and arranged similarly to the first support, e.g., the second support may include an energy dissipation zone, the second support may wrap around the collar 1222, etc. In addition or alternatively to the supports 1240, 1246 engaging the collar 1222, the supports may be anchored to a bottom portion 1230 of the footwear body via a heel anchor assembly 1250. The heel anchor assembly 1250 may include one or more side braces 1252 and one or more rear braces 1254 to retain the footwear body within the heel anchor assembly. The side braces 1252 and rear braces 1254 may extend from a base plate 1256 which may extend at least partially underneath the bottom portion 1230.

[00138] While only the connection of the first support 1240 to the heel anchor assembly 1250 is shown in FIG. 15, the second support 1246 may additionally be connected to the heel anchor assembly. The one or more supports may be connected to the heel anchor assembly in any suitable fashion including, but not limited to via mechanical fasteners, adhesive, stitching, or the one or more supports may be integrally formed with the heel anchor assembly.

[00139] In addition, while two supports 1240, 1246 are shown in FIG. 15, any suitable number of supports and any suitable number of energy dissipation zones on the supports may be provided in the footwear system 1200. Moreover, any suitable number of side braces and rear braces may be provided in the heel anchor assembly. In some embodiments, a suitable number of side braces may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or more side braces. Likewise, in some embodiments, a suitable number of rear braces may be greater than or equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or more rear braces.

[00140] In some embodiments, the supports of may be constructed out of semi-rigid materials as described above. The inventor has recognized benefits associated with using a semi-rigid material (e.g., carbon fiber) for the support including that the support may be both resilient and energy-absorbing such that the support can first resist bending until reaching an energy threshold which may then cause the support to deform and dissipate energy. The inventor has found that such a configuration may serve to reduce ankle injuries stemming from inversion and/or eversion. In contrast, using a fully rigid support may reduce the amount of energy dissipation and result in the energy during inversion and/or eversion to be redirected to other regions of the body, e.g., tibia, fibula, knee, hip, lumbar region, etc. [00141] The embodiments described herein may be embodied as a method. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[00142] While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims

1. A footwear system comprising: a footwear body; and one or more supports configured to be engaged with the footwear body, wherein the one or more supports are configured to provide lateral support to an ankle of a user when the footwear system is worn by the user, wherein one or more portions of the one or more supports are configured to deform to dissipate energy.

2. The footwear system of claim 1, further comprising one or more cords coupled to each of the one or more supports, and wherein the one or more cords are configured to be pulled by the user to disengage the one or more supports from the footwear body.

3. The footwear system of claim 1, further comprising an exoskeleton base configured to be engaged with a lower portion of the footwear body.

4. The footwear system of claim 3, wherein the one or more supports are coupled to the exoskeleton base via a pivot joint of the exoskeleton base, and wherein the one or more supports are configured to rotate relative to the exoskeleton base via the pivot joint during dorsiflexion and plantarflexion when the footwear system is worn by the user.

5. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more supports have an asymmetric flex profile.

6. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more supports are positioned on an upper region of the one or more supports spaced apart from an axis of rotation of the ankle joint in a sagittal plane of the user when the footwear system is worn.

7. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more supports are positioned on a lower region of the one or more supports proximate to an axis of rotation of the ankle joint in a sagittal plane of the user when the footwear system is worn.

8. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more supports include one or more recesses.

9. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more supports are configured to deform in response to the one or more supports being exposed to a threshold energy.

10. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more supports are configured to deform to dissipate energy during pronation and supination of the ankle of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user.

11. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more supports each include a plurality of layers, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is an energy absorbing layer.

12. The footwear system of claim 1, wherein the one or more supports are engaged with the footwear body.

13. A method of using a footwear system comprising: engaging one or more supports with a footwear body to provide lateral support to a user’s ankle when the footwear system is worn by the user; and deforming one or more portions of the one or more supports to dissipate energy when the footwear system is worn by the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising disengaging the one or more supports from the footwear body.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein disengaging the one or more supports from the footwear body includes pulling on one or more cords coupled to each of the one or more supports.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising engaging an exoskeleton base with a lower portion of the footwear body.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising coupling the one or more supports to the exoskeleton base via a pivot joint of the exoskeleton base, and further comprising rotating the one or more supports relative to the exoskeleton base during dorsiflexion and plantarflexion when the footwear system is worn by the user.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein deforming the one or more portions of the one or more supports to dissipate energy occurs in response to the one or more supports being exposed to a threshold energy.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more supports are configured to deform to dissipate energy during pronation and supination of the ankle of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user.

20. A footwear system comprising: a footwear body; one or more supports configured to be engaged with the footwear body; and one or more tethers configured to be coupled to the one or more supports on a first side of the footwear body, wrap around a bottom portion of the footwear body, and be coupled to a portion of the footwear body on a second side of the footwear body opposite the first side, wherein the one or more tethers are configured to dissipate energy when elongated, wherein the one or more supports are configured to provide lateral support to an ankle of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user.

21. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the one or more supports each include a first portion positioned external to the footwear body and a second portion positioned within an internal volume of the footwear body.

22. The footwear system of claim 21, wherein the one or more supports are positioned over a collar of the footwear body.

23. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the one or more tethers are coupled to the one or more supports via one or more anchor points positioned on the one or more supports.

24. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the first side is a lateral side of the footwear body and the second side is a medial side of the footwear body.

25. The footwear system of claim 24, wherein the one or more tethers include one or more anchors to connect to the medial side and the lateral side of the footwear body.

26. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the one or more tethers are one or more laces, wherein the one or more laces are passed through one or more eyelets disposed on the footwear body, and wherein the one or more laces are tied together to secure a position of the one or more laces.

27. The footwear system of claim 20, further comprising a strap positioned on an exterior of the footwear body, wherein the strap includes one or more openings configured to receive the one or more tethers to secure the position of the one or more tethers.

28. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the one or more tethers include a plurality of tethers, and further comprising a connecting strap connecting two or more tethers of the plurality of tethers.

29. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the one or more tethers are configured to dissipate energy when elongated during pronation and supination of the ankle of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user.

30. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the one or more supports include one or more energy dissipating zones configured to dissipate energy during pronation and supination of the ankle of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user.

31. The footwear system of claim 30, wherein the one or more energy dissipating zones are positioned on an upper region of the one or more supports spaced apart from an axis of rotation of the ankle joint in a sagittal plane of the user when the footwear system is worn.

32. The footwear system of claim 30, wherein the one or more energy dissipating zones are positioned on a lower region of the one or more supports proximate to an axis of rotation of the ankle joint in a sagittal plane of the user when the footwear system is worn.

33. The footwear system of claim 30, wherein the one or more energy dissipating zones include one or more recesses.

34. The footwear system of claim 20, wherein the one or more supports includes a first support and a second support, and wherein the one or more tethers are connected to each of the first support and the second support.

35. A method of using a footwear system comprising: engaging one or more supports with a footwear body to provide lateral support to a user’s ankle when the footwear system is worn by the user; coupling one or more tethers to the one or more supports on a first side of the footwear body; wrapping the one or more tethers around a bottom portion of the footwear body; and coupling the one or more tethers to a portion of the footwear body on a second side of the footwear body opposite the first side.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein engaging the one or more supports with the footwear body includes positioning a first portion of the one or more supports external to the footwear body and positioning a second portion of the one or more supports within an internal volume of the footwear body.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising positioning the one or more supports over a collar of the footwear body.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein coupling the one or more tethers to the one or more supports includes coupling the one or more tethers to one or more anchor points positioned on the one or more supports.

39. The method of claim 35, the first side is a lateral side of the footwear body and the second side is a medial side of the footwear body.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the one or more tethers are configured to dissipate energy when elongated during pronation and supination of the ankle of the user when the footwear system is worn by the user.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the one or more tethers are one or more laces, and further comprising passing the one or more laces through one or more eyelets disposed on the footwear body, and further comprising tying the one or more laces together to secure a position of the one or more laces.

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising passing the one or more tethers through one or more openings in a strap positioned on an exterior of the footwear body to secure a position of the one or more tethers.

43. The method of claim 35, wherein the one or more supports includes a first support and a second support, and further comprising coupling the one or more tethers to each of the first support and the second support.