WO2010003467A1

WO2010003467A1 - A sole and a shoe, and a method for preparing the sole and a method for preparing the shoe

Info

Publication number: WO2010003467A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/059123
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alf Joman
Original assignee: Camp Scandinavia Ab
Priority date: 2008-07-11
Filing date: 2008-07-11
Publication date: 2010-01-14

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sole (1) for use with or in a shoe, wherein the sole (1) has a longitudinal (2) direction, a transversal (3) direction, and a thickness orthogonal to the longitudinal (2) and transversal (3) direction, wherein the sole (1) has at least one slit (6) and/or at least one aperture extending at least partly through the thickness of the sole (1) for adjustment of the sole (1) in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal (2) direction and the transversal (3) direction for adapting the sole (1) to a foot. Also, the invention relates to a shoe comprising the sole, a method of preparing the sole and a method of preparing the shoe. The slit/aperture may be arranged in a front part (4) and/or a back part (5) of the sole.

Description

A SOLE AND A SHOE, AND A METHOD FOR PREPARING THE SOLE AND A METHOD FOR PREPARING THE SHOE

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a sole for use with or in a shoe. The invention also relates to a shoe. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of preparing the sole, and a method of preparing the shoe.

BACKGROUND ART Shoes, and especially orthopaedic shoes, are commonly used for treating various pathologies, involving the sole of the human foot and the shape of the human foot. Some examples of pathologies, requiring the use of orthopaedic shoes or soles, are diabetic ulcers, blisters, hyperkeratoses, corns, rheumatoid arthritis, various traumas, abrasions, lacerations, hallux valgus, and pathologies of the skeletal apparatus, or the like. Shoes, which are not adapted individually, will in many cases exert pressures on different parts of a foot in a person having the problems mentioned above. Such pressure may cause several further problems, such as wounds or ulcers, and it may even be impossible to find a shoe that fits the foot. In some cases, a shoe of a larger size must be used to accommodate a foot with a wide or swollen front part; however, the back part of this shoe may then be too large and will not fit correctly to the heel.

There are various types of insoles, wherein the sole is adapted to a foot by using different materials in different parts of the sole. For example, WO 2006/035469 describes a sole, in which parts of the sole could be exchanged to another material to adapt the sole to a foot having a specific problem. Also, US 5768803 describe a sole in which parts of the sole can be exchanged for another material that is better suited for a foot having annoying changes.

No shoe or sole are shown that are adaptable to a foot, which for example is too wide for the shoe, or which has a bump on its side. A bump on an unexpected part of the foot will probably be subject to pressure from any shoe disclosed so far. Hence, there is a need for a sole or a shoe for solving the problems above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to eliminate at least one of the drawbacks mentioned above, which is achieved by assigning to the sole the characteristics according to its adherent claims. A second object of the invention is to provide a shoe having an adaptable sole. A third object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a sole. A fourth aspect of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a shoe having an adaptable sole. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a sole for use with or in a shoe, wherein the sole has a longitudinal direction, a transversal direction, and a thickness orthogonal to the longitudinal and transversal direction. The sole has at least one slit and/or at least one aperture extending at least partly through the thickness of the sole for adjustment of the sole in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal and the transversal direction for adapting the sole to a foot.

Said slit(s) is/are going in any direction. Said at least one aperture is of any shape, such as in the form of a triangle, a diamond, a hexagonal, or a circle. At least two apertures with the form of triangles and/or diamonds and/or hexagonals have outer edges of which at least one line is in common for the apertures. Moreover, at least two apertures with the form of hexagonals have outer edges of which at least one line is in common. Furthermore, at least three apertures with the form of triangles and/or diamonds and/or hexagonals have outer edges of which at least two lines are in common. The sole can have both at least one slit and at least one aperture, which are situated in a front part and/or in the back part of the sole.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a shoe is provided comprising the sole according to the above and an outer sole, wherein the sole is optionally attached to the outer sole, and is adapted individually to a foot by being adjustable by extension or compression in any direction in the plane comprising the transversal or longitudinal direction. The sole is optionally attached to the outer sole in such way that at least one opening is formed at least partly through the thickness of the sole corresponding to at least one slit and/or at least one aperture being widened, prolonged or enlarged by the adjustment of the sole. The sole is optionally attached in the adjusted state by an adhesive, a double-stick tape or thermal welding to the outer sole.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a method of preparing the sole is provided. The method has the steps of form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling the sole, having a longitudinal direction and a transversal direction, and, make at least one slit and/or aperture in the sole at least partly through the thickness of the sole either during the form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling of the sole and/or after the same. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method of preparing the shoe is provided. The method has the steps of form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling a sole, having a longitudinal direction and a transversal direction; make at least one slit and/or aperture in the sole at least partly through the thickness of the sole either during the form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling of the sole and/or after the same; adjusting the sole in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal and transversal direction for adapting the shoe individually to a foot. In one embodiment of the shoe making method, an optional step comprises attaching the sole in the adjusted state to an outer sole by an adhesive, a double-stick tape or thermal welding. In another embodiment of the shoe making method, another optional step comprises attaching an insole onto the sole. In yet another embodiment of the shoe making method an additional optional step comprises attaching an upper part of a shoe to the edges of the sole. Optionally, in one embodiment, at least one wedge is provided, which is arranged into at least one recess being said slit(s) and/or aperture(s) for providing a fixed widening of the sole. Each slit and/or aperture may go through the whole thickness of the sole or only partly go through it. Any combination of at least one slit/aperture going through the whole thickness of the sole and at least one slit/aperture partly going through the thickness of the sole may also be provided. A slit/aperture going through the whole thickness of the sole facilitates the adjustability of the sole, i.e. makes it more flexible, while a slit/aperture only partly going through the thickness of the sole makes the sole somewhat stiffer. An advantage of a slit/aperture only partly going through the sole is that a part or a layer of the sole if the sole comprises layers may be left untouched, thereby keeping for example its impermeable, leak proof, or hermetical, in regard of air, water, or any other media, or insulation or damping feature, if the layer is a membrane with such a function. In this case, such an untouched layer is of course sufficiently flexible to be able to be stretched in accordance with the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a sole according to the invention having slits in the longitudinal direction,

Figure 2 shows one embodiment of the sole, wherein the sole has apertures in the form of triangles,

Figure 3 illustrates different forms of apertures, Figure 4 shows one embodiment of the invention having slits and apertures,

Figure 5 shows one embodiment of the sole having slits, wherein the sole has been adjusted in the transversal direction,

Figure 6 shows one embodiment of a sole having apertures in the form of triangles, wherein the sole is adjusted in the transversal direction, Figure 7 shows one embodiment of the sole having apertures in the form of triangles, wherein the sole is adjusted in the longitudinal direction.

Figure 8 shows one embodiment of the sole being adapted to receive a wedge therein for widening the sole, and

Figure 9 shows a view in cross-section of a part of the sole with an example of a wedge according to Figure 8.

Same reference numerals have been used to indicate the same parts in the figures to increase the readability of the description and for the sake of clarity. The figures are not made to scale, and the relative dimensions of the illustrated objects may be disproportional.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The expression "adjustment" of the sole in the context of this invention, means that the sole is adapted to a foot by stretching, widening, elongating or compressing the sole in any direction in order to adapt the sole to a foot. Widening and/or elongating of the sole is/are made by some kind of stretching, which extends or prolongs the sole in the widening direction. Further, compression in one direction will result in an elongation or prolongation in a direction substantially orthogonal to the compression direction, or vice versa. It will be referred to the "plane" in the following, meaning the plane comprising the longitudinal direction and the transversal direction of the sole, if nothing else is stated.

The adjustment of the sole is made in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal direction and the transversal direction. In an orthogonal system this would mean the x- and y- plane, while the z-plane is orthogonal to the x- and y- plane, and z would involve the direction of the thickness of the sole, which is orthogonal to the longitudinal (x) direction and the transversal (y) direction. The present invention thus relates to a sole 1 for use in combination with or incorporated in a shoe. Such a sole 1 is shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, wherein the sole 1 has a longitudinal direction 2, a transversal direction 3, and a thickness orthogonal to the longitudinal 2 and transversal direction 3. The sole 1 has at least one slit 6 and/or at least one aperture 7a extending at least partly through the thickness of the sole 1 for adjustment of the sole in any direction, e.g. in the plane comprising the longitudinal 2 direction and the transversal 3 direction, for adapting the sole 1 to a foot.

The purpose with the slits 6 and/or apertures 7a is to be able to adapt the sole 1 individually to a foot of a patient. Since the sole comprises slits 6 and/or apertures 7a, it is possible to adjust the sole 1 , e.g. making it larger and/or smaller and/or reshaping it, by stretching/elongating or compressing the sole in any direction, preferably in the plane comprising the longitudinal 2 direction and/or the transversal 3 direction for adapting the sole 1 to a foot. This is advantageous when for example a patient has a wide foot that does not fit in existing shoes. The sole will then be adapted to the foot, for example be widened, by the personnel in an orthopaedic work shop, and optionally fastened to an outer sole when it is in the widened state, which will be described below.

The slit(s) 6 may be arranged in any direction of the plane/sole 1. This makes it possible to provide a slit in a suitable direction for making it possible to stretch the sole in a desired direction. The slit/slits 6 can be provided substantially in the longitudinal 2 direction and/or the transversal 3 direction, which for example makes it easy to adjust the sole in the transversal and/or the longitudinal direction by stretching or elongation in the transversal and/or longitudinal direction. Further, the sole can be compressed in the longitudinal direction, which will elongate, i.e. widen the sole in the transversal direction, or vice versa. Common problems with shoes for patients, having for example diabetic ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, hallux valgus and the like, are that the existing shoe is too slim and fits too tight over the foot, and there is a need to widen the shoe. When the sole is widened, the shoe may be partly or fully widened, and there is more space for the foot, which reduces the risk of pressure on the foot. Pressure on the foot is a problem for example in diabetic patients, who need to reduce the risk of getting ulcers on the feet. Further, bumps or blisters or other problems related to the sole of the foot in shoes could be avoided with the sole according to the present invention. The sole can be adjusted so that the sensitive areas of the sole of the foot is adapted to fit to the widened slits and/or apertures, thereby avoiding pressure on these parts on the sole of the foot.

The adjustment of the sole can be made in any direction. As an example, the sole can be stretched in the transversal direction and thereby the sole is widened, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Further, the sole can be adjusted by stretching the sole in an inclined direction compared to the transversal or longitudinal direction, as shown with an arrow 70 in Figure 7. A sole is shown in Figure 7; this sole 1 has been stretched in either direction of the arrows 70' in the longitudinal direction. This adjustment is made in order to adapt the sole to a foot having a bump at the location of the widened part or bulge of the sole. The adjustment of the sole may be done by pulling in one direction while holding the sole similar to an anvil or stretching the sole by pulling in the sole, e.g. drawing the slits 6 and/or apertures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e apart, in opposite directions or any desired direction.

The sole 1 may have one or several slits 6, which makes it possible to adjust and/or reshape the shoe in several ways, or in several directions. Further, the sole may have one or several apertures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, resulting in that the adjustment by stretching for widening and/or elongation of the sole can be larger than in the case wherein one slit is provided. Also, the slits or apertures may be located and combined in different ways so that the sole may be stretched to be widened or elongated to different degrees in different parts of the sole 1. The foot may have a very gnarled or hooked shape, which makes it necessary to adjust/reshape the sole, e.g. by widening or elongating it, to a higher degree than for minor deformations, e.g. the bumps.

Figure 3 illustrates that the apertures may be of any shape. The apertures may be in the form of triangles 7a, diamonds 7b, hexagonals 7c, or circles 7e. The apertures, independent of shape, may be combined in any suitable number and may be arranged relative each other such that at least two apertures have at least one common outer edge or contour. As an example, several hexagonals 7d may have the outer edges of at least two thereof in common. The important is that the shape of the apertures makes the sole 1 flexible in a desired direction of adjustment by stretching or elongation. The adjustment may also be caused by compression in one direction, resulting in an elongation in any other direction, which e.g. is substantially orthogonal to the compression direction. The forms or shapes of the apertures mentioned above make the sole flexible. The sole may be provided with both one or several slits 6 and one or several apertures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, such a sole is shown in Figure 4. This makes the sole even more flexible, since the slits can widen the sole over the length of the slits, while the apertures can give a more local widening of the sole. The slits may be preferred when the foot is generally too wide for the shoe, while the apertures may be preferred for locally placed bumps on the side of the foot and/or on the sole of the foot.

Blisters, ulcers, bumps, swelling of the foot and other problems can be located on any place of the foot, such as for example blisters on the heel. The main problems in feet are commonly located on the front part of the foot; the slits 6 and/or the apertures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e may therefore be provided in a front part 4 of the sole (see Figure 1).

The slits may extend over the whole length of the sole. A patient with a swollen foot may need a sole which is widened over the whole length. Since people have very different feet, different kinds of soles will be desired. The slits 6 and/or apertures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e may therefore also be situated in the front part 4 and/or in the back part 5 of the sole 1 , or be arranged in any desired combination of slits, apertures, shapes and locations relative to each other, and in any number on the sole. Fig 8 shows an alternate sole 1 , which has at least one recess 80 provided adjacent to a longitudinal side of sole 1 , or, if desired, to a transversal side of the sole. Said recess is adapted to receive a wedge 81 to provide a widening of the sole 1 that is to be fixed longitudinally and/or transversally by the wedge 81 introduced therein. Alternatively, said recess could be provided as going through the sole 1 , thus forming a slit or aperture without the recess 80, into which the wedge 81 is arranged. The outer edge or contour 82 of the sole 1 and the recess 80 surrounds the wedge 80 as shown in Figure 8. The outer edge 82 could work as a border or rim protruding above the sole 1.

The sole may be made of a polymeric material, which is a flexible material and suitable for shoe soles. The polymer may be selected from the group consisting of EVA, and other polymeric materials suitable for use within the shoe industry. In the case of using the wedge 81 , the material of the wedge could be the same as the sole 1. Alternatively, the material of the wedge 81 could be of a different quality, such as being softer or stiffen It may be desired to adjust the sole 1 in the longitudinal 2 direction, and the sole may then have one or several slits 6 arranged in the transversal direction 3. This could be the case if a patient has a bump at the heel or in the front part of a toe. The heel or the toe could then be released from pressure by adjusting the sole in the longitudinal direction 2 by stretching or elongating the sole in the longitudinal direction 2. Further, the sole could be compressed in the transversal direction 3 and thereby be elongated in the longitudinal direction 2.

When the sole 1 is adjusted in one direction by stretching or elongation, for example in the transversal 3 direction, the sole may be shortened in the orthogonal direction, i.e. the longitudinal 2 direction. This may be compensated by using a sole that is longer than what would be necessary without the adjustment in the transversal 3 direction. The vice versa relates to the adjustment in the longitudinal direction.

The invention also relates to a shoe comprising the sole 1 described above. Then, the sole is adjusted by stretching or elongation in any direction and is optionally fastened to an outer sole when being in the adjusted shape. Examples of soles extended in the transversal 3 direction are shown in Figures 5 and 6. A sole 51 is optionally attached to an outer sole, wherein the sole 51 is adapted individually to a foot by adjustment in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal 2 and the transversal 3 direction, see Figure 1 , and is optionally attached to the outer sole. Openings 58 are then formed through the thickness of the sole corresponding to the slits 6 and/or apertures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, which have been widened, prolonged or enlarged by the adjustment of the sole.

Another embodiment of an adjusted sole 1 is shown in Figure 6. The sole is adjusted in the transversal direction by stretching in that direction as shown with an arrow 60 or compressed in the longitudinal direction, i.e. in the opposite directions of the arrows 70' in Figure 7. In this way, the sole is adapted to a sole of a foot that is wider than normally in the front part of a sole. The apertures 7a are then widened by the adjustment, which is shown in Figure 6, compared with the apertures in Figure 2, wherein the corresponding sole is shown in its unadjusted state. In one embodiment, the wedge 81 is provided to be used for fixation of the widening of one or several slits 6 or apertures 7a in the sole, as shown in Figure 8. The at least one recess 80 may be provided on the sole 1 at any desired location, but, preferably, at the edge or contour of a slit 6 or an aperture 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, as shown in fig 9. A recess may be provided in the outer sole to accommodate the wedge 81 for providing a smooth transition between the wedge part and the sole part.

In summary, several kinds of soles can be made, e.g. having different combinations of width and length, which are provided with one or several apertures and/or slits for adapting to the shape of a foot of a patient. Then, the personnel of the orthopaedic work shop chooses the most suitable sole for the foot and adjust it to the patient. The sole 1 may optionally be attached in the adjusted state, i.e. the stretched or compressed state, by an adhesive to the outer sole or by another suitable way, such as thermal welding. The adhesive is selected, so that it adheres both to the sole and to the outer sole. The personnel at the orthopaedic workshop form the shoe individually to the patient and the foot of the patient encountering the specific problems for the patient, as discussed above. The sole is optionally attached to the outer sole after stretching, elongating or compressing the sole in the desired direction. When adapting the sole to the foot of the patient, this reduces the risk for exerting pressure on the foot, which may result in problems, such as blisters, ulcers and pain. Hence, an individually adapted shoe may be made using the sole as described above.

The present invention also relates to a method of preparing a sole 1 according to the invention, wherein the method comprises the steps: a) to form press, mould, injection mould or mill the sole 1 having a longitudinal 2 direction and a transversal 3 direction, and in one embodiment, optionally b) to slit or cut the sole 1 at least partly through the thickness of the sole and thereby forming at least one slit 6 and/or aperture 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e as disclosed above. Conventional methods of form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling soles can be used. After the step of form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling the sole 1 , the step of making the slit 6 or aperture 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e may optionally follow in a complementary or supplementary step as at least one slit and/or aperture may already be integrated in the sole when making the sole. The slits and apertures are optionally made by cutting, punching, or by similar methods, which is performed at least partly through the thickness of the sole, but, preferably, performed such that the slits and apertures are extending through the whole thickness. The slits and/or apertures may be made directly in the sole 1 when making it and/or afterwards. This means that at least one additional slit and/or aperture may be made in the sole afterwards for enhancing the adjustability of the sole if future needs for more slits/apertures arise after manufacture of the sole. After the sole 1 , 51 is manufactured and the slits and apertures are included in the sole, the sole is adapted individually for a patient as described above. Further, the present invention relates to a method of preparing a shoe as described above, wherein the method comprises the steps: c) to form press, mould, injection mould or mill a sole 1 , 51 having a longitudinal 2 direction and a transversal 3 direction, and in one embodiment, optionally d) to slit or cut the sole 1 , 51 at least partly through the thickness of the sole and thereby forming optional slits 6 and/or apertures 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e as described above, and in another embodiment, e) to adjust the sole 1 , 51 in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal 2 and the transversal 3 direction for adapting the sole and the shoe individually to a foot, and in yet another embodiment, optionally f) to attach the sole 1 , 51 in the adjusted state to an outer sole, e.g. by an adhesive, double-stick tape or by thermal welding, and in a further embodiment, g) to optionally attach an insole onto the sole 1 , 51 , and in an additional embodiment, optionally h) to attach an upper part of a shoe to the edges of the sole 1 , 51. The sole 1 , 51 can be used as a middle or intermediary separate sole between an outer sole and an insole. The sole 1 , 51 may be a loose sole or be attached to either the outer sole or the insole, or both. However, the sole can also be regarded as the insole, if no additional insole is attached to the sole. Hence, the sole according to the present invention can be used as an insole or as an intermediate sole between the insole and the outer sole or be incorporated in the shoe, e.g. the outer sole, the adjustable sole 1 , 51 and the insole may be made as one sole, i.e. one unit, or one, more than one, or all of the soles may be loose. Also, further layers of different kinds of soles can optionally be arranged in the shoe, e.g. to increase the comfort of the wearer.

It is important that the material of the sole is flexible. When the sole is adjusted in a proper way and is adapted to a foot of a patient, the sole is preferably attached to an outer sole, even though this is not a must. In this way the sole is fixed in the adjusted state, and is thus in the stretched, elongated or compressed state. The outer sole is made of a durable material. Any conventional outer sole may be used, but the sole has to be adaptable to the form of the adjusted sole 1 , 51 according to the present invention. An outer sole that is larger than the sole can be used, which thereafter is cut according to the form of the sole adapted to the patient. When making outer soles for the shoes, any conventional material for outer soles may be used.

As discussed above, optionally an insole is attached to the sole, which will make the shoe more comfortable to wear for the patient. The insole may be of any kind. The insole may need to be adapted to the sole 1 , 51 , since the sole is amended in form compared to regular soles. The insole can be made too large initially, and then be cut to fit to the sole.

Finally, an upper part of a shoe may optionally be attached to the sole or to the shoe comprising the sole 1 , 51 , which is made in conventional way. In the claims, the term "comprises/comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means, elements or method steps may be implemented. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different embodiments, these may possibly be combined in other ways, and the inclusion of different embodiments does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible. In addition, singular references do not exclude plurality. The terms "a", "an" does not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as clarifying examples and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims

1. A sole (1) for use with or in a shoe, wherein the sole (1) has a longitudinal (2) direction, a transversal (3) direction, and a thickness orthogonal to the longitudinal (2) and transversal (3) direction, characterised in that the sole (1) has at least one slit (6) and/or at least one aperture (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) extending at least partly through the thickness of the sole (1) for adjustment of the sole (1) in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal (2) direction and the transversal (3) direction for adapting the sole (1) to a foot.

2. The sole (1) according to claim 1 , characterised in that said at least one slit (6) and/or said at least one aperture (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) is/are extending through the thickness of the sole (1).

3. The sole (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said at least one slit (6) is arranged in any of the longitudinal or transversal direction.

4. The sole (1) according to claim 1 , 2 or 3, characterised in that said at least one slit (6) is arranged substantially in the longitudinal (2) direction.

5. The sole (1 ) according to claim 1 , 2, 3 or 4, characterised in that said sole comprises several slits (6).

6. The sole (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said sole comprises several apertures (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e).

7. The sole (1) according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said at least one aperture (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) is of any shape, such as in the form of a triangle (7a), a diamond (7b), a hexagonal (7c), or a circle (7e).

8. The sole (1) according to claim 7, characterised in that at least two apertures (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) with the form of triangles (7a) and/or diamonds (7b) and/or hexagonals (7c, 7d) have outer edges of which at least one line is in common for the apertures.

9. The sole (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the sole (1) comprises both slits (6) and apertures (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e).

10. The sole (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least one slit (6) and/or said at least one aperture (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) are positioned in a front part (4) of the sole (1).

11. The sole (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the at least one slit (6) is extending over substantially the whole length of the sole (1).

12. The sole (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least one slit (6) and/or said at least one aperture (7 a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) is/are situated in the front part (4) and/or in the back part (5) of the sole (1).

13. The sole (1) according to any of claims 1 , 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10 or 12 when not depending on claim 4, characterised in that said at least one slit (6) is arranged substantially in the transversal (3) direction.

14. A shoe comprising the sole (1 , 51) according to any of claims 1-13 , characterised in that the sole (1 , 51) is adapted to be optionally attached to an outer sole, and arranged to be adapted individually to a foot by being adjusted in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal (2) and transversal (3) direction in such a way that at least one opening (6, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 58) is formed at least partly through the thickness of the sole (1 , 51) corresponding to the at least one slit (6) and/or at least one aperture (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) which have been widened, prolonged or enlarged by the adjustment of the sole.

15. The shoe according to claim 14, characterised in that the sole (1 , 51) is adapted to be optionally attached in the adjusted state by an adhesive, a double- stick tape, or thermal welding to the outer sole.

16. A method of preparing a sole (1 , 51) according to any of claims 1-13, wherein the method comprises the steps: - to form press, mould, injection mould or mill the sole (1 , 51) having a longitudinal (2) direction and a transversal (3) direction, and

- to make at least one slit (6) and/or aperture(7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) in the sole (1 , 51) at least partly through the thickness of the sole either during the form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling of the sole and/or after the same.

17. A method of preparing a shoe according to any of claims 14-15, wherein the method comprises the steps:

- to form press, mould, injection mould or mill a sole (1 , 51) having a longitudinal (2) direction and a transversal (3) direction,

- to make at least one slit (6) and/or aperture(7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e) in the sole (1 , 51) at least partly through the thickness of the sole either during the form pressing, moulding, injection moulding or milling of the sole and/or after the same,

- to adjust the sole (1 , 51) in any direction in the plane comprising the longitudinal (2) and transversal (3) direction for adapting the shoe individually to a foot,

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein at least one wedge (81) is provided, which is adapted to be arranged into said slit (6) for fixation thereof.