CA1147145A - Shoe sole construction - Google Patents
Shoe sole constructionInfo
- Publication number
- CA1147145A CA1147145A CA000372211A CA372211A CA1147145A CA 1147145 A CA1147145 A CA 1147145A CA 000372211 A CA000372211 A CA 000372211A CA 372211 A CA372211 A CA 372211A CA 1147145 A CA1147145 A CA 1147145A
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- sole
- lugs
- foot
- shoe
- ground
- Prior art date
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Abstract
SHOE SOLE CONSTRUCTION
ABSTRACT
A shoe sole having a tread defining a longitudinally orientated concavity with the lower extremities of the sole embodied in downwardly and outwardly disposed flex-ible lugs to cushion the foot against impact loads. An imaginary plane containing the lowermost points of inner and outer lugs, adjacent each side of the sole, inter-sects a projection of the sole edge at an acute angle.
Accordingly, the lugs may readily flex relative to other sole components for cushioning purposes. Rows of lugs spaced inwardly from the sole edges are of a lesser vertical dimension than the outermost lugs and serve to supplement cushioning. A web extends between some of the outer lugs to reinforce same against load deflection.
Further, the outer lugs may be of non-uniform lateral dimension at the heel portion of the sole.
ABSTRACT
A shoe sole having a tread defining a longitudinally orientated concavity with the lower extremities of the sole embodied in downwardly and outwardly disposed flex-ible lugs to cushion the foot against impact loads. An imaginary plane containing the lowermost points of inner and outer lugs, adjacent each side of the sole, inter-sects a projection of the sole edge at an acute angle.
Accordingly, the lugs may readily flex relative to other sole components for cushioning purposes. Rows of lugs spaced inwardly from the sole edges are of a lesser vertical dimension than the outermost lugs and serve to supplement cushioning. A web extends between some of the outer lugs to reinforce same against load deflection.
Further, the outer lugs may be of non-uniform lateral dimension at the heel portion of the sole.
Description
The present invention relates generally to shoes and specifically to shoe sole construction. The increased popularity of competitive and recreational running, witnessed in the last few years, has resulted in the introduction of a wide variety of athletic shoe designs wherein shoe upper and sole construction have embodied changes directed toward specific objectives. For example, in the prior art is shoe sole construction having "flared" side edges extending continuously about the heel portion ostensibly for supplementing heel 10 stability, and sole constructions with tread designs directed toward minimizing impact loads on the foot and leg.
To the extent the prior art is known, efforts have been made to provide soles for athletic shoes with the sole having cupped tread surfaces with the outer tread surfaces being continuous in order to affect a momentary seal between the sole and floor for traction purposes.
The present invention is embodied in sole construc-tion wherein sole components are intended to provide, among other objectives, desired cushioning of the wearer's foot and leg regardless of the surface run on to reduce impact loads and the chance of foot or leg injuries to the wearer.
The present sole constructlon benefits from a lengthwise orientated concave shape extending along the shoe sole with the composite surfaces of the sole tread defining the concavity. The lower extremities of the tread are adapted to flex upwardly and outwardly relative to the shoe upper upon ground contact. Accordingly, a central portion of the outer sole directly below the foot is supported in cantilever fashion b~ the tread and resiliently cu~hions the foot as the shoe comes into maximum ground contact. As greater impact loads are encountered by the heel portion of the shoe, this feature is .. ,",~
particularly important when embodied within the heel. The forward portion of the sole underlying the forefoot and ball of the foot, while not subjected to as great impact forces, does bear greater overall loads during running, which loads are resiliently supported by the forward tread portion of the present sole while importantly providing the sole flexibility desired.
While the present invention is shown and described in conjunction with an athletic shoe, such is not intended to imply limited use of same but rather the present sole construc-tion may be further utilized in other footwear as later elaborated upon.
The present invention is embodied within shoe sole construction including an outer series of resilient tread ; components spaced about the sole margin each having downwardly converging walls terminating in a lowermost extremity, an inner series of resilient tread components offset inwardly ~rom the sole margin and each being oE a lesser height than those components of said outer series and each having a lowermost extremity offset upward and inwardly from an adjacent outer tread component extremity, said lowermost extremities of ; adjacent outer and inner tread components on one side of the sole axis being within an outwardly and downwardly inclined plane, said plane intersecting an upright plane containing the sole edge to define an acute included angle, certain outer tread components contactible firstly with a ground surface and deformahle to cushion impact loads, certain inner tread compon-ents subsequently contactible with the ground surfa~e to supplement the cushioning action of the outer tread components, and said outer tread components when in ~oot biased contact with the ground being displaced outwardly past said upright plane.
In the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe embodying the present sole improvements;
Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of Figure l;
Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken along lines 3-3 and 4~4 of Figure 1 showing the transverse configura-tions of heel and forefoot sole portions;
Figures 5 and 6 correspond to Figures 3 and 4 and show the sole heel and forefoot sole portions in ground contact;
Figure 7 is a sectional view of modified sole COh-struction;
Figure 8 is another sectional view of a further formof modified sole construction;
Figure 9 is a sectional view of still another form of modified sole construction;
Figure 10 is a plan view of a distinct shbe sole and heel embodying the present invention;
Figure 11 is a bottom plan view of shoe sole con-struction embodying the present invention; and Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of Figure 11 rotated throug~ ninety degrees.
With continuing attentlon to the drawing, the ref-erence numeral 1 indicates the upper o~ an athletic shoe customarily fabricated from stltched fabric or leather pieces.
The upper forms no part of the present invention and, accord- -ingly, further details of same are superfluous.
The present sole construction is indicated generally at 2 and includes a tread or that portion of the sole coming into ground conkact. Customaxily, athletic shoes of the type shown have sole including an insble 3, a mid-sole 4, a resilient heel wedge 5 and an outer sole 6. The upper 1 and mid-sole 4 are typically bonded to one another by an adhesive. In athletic shoes it is further typical to form the heel portion of outer sole 6 integral with the forefoot portion of the sole with the combined portions constituting the shoe sole tread.
With attention first to the heel portion of the sole, approximately the left half of the sole as viewed in Figure 2, said heel portion, as typically shown in Figure 3, includes an outer series of xesilient components or lugs 7 each having out-wardly and downwardly inclined walls (relative the sole major axis) at 10 and ll terminating at a lower extremity or edge 12.
Wall ll constitutes a lug bottom wall. An inner series of resil-ient components or lugs 13 is offset from the sole edge andstaggered relative the outer series of components and is of lesser vertical dimension with each including downwardly inclin-ed walls at 14 and 15 terminating at a lower extremity or edge 16. A plane at Pl contains lower edges 12 and 16 of the inner and outer lugs of Figure 3 and intersects a second plane P2 common to the outer wall 10 of an outer lug 7 and an inclined side 5A of heel wedge 5. While the term "plane" is used in the foregoing description, it will be understood that wall surface 10 may be other than planar as may inclined walls 11 and 14, 15 of lugs 7 and 13. ~he intersection of Pl and P2 defines an acute included angle at x.
With attention now to Figure 4, mid-sole 4 is shown suitably secured to the undersida of upper 1 as by an adhesive and serves to receive the forefoot portion (the right hand half of Figure 2) of outer sole 6. Outer sole 6 is pro-vided with an outer row or series of tread components or lugs 17 each having an outer wall 13 and a bottom wall 20 converging at a lowermost extremity or edge 21. Inner rows or series of tread components or lugs are indi-cated at 22 and 23 with the lugs of each row having wall surfaces generally corresponding to those wall surfaces of outer lugs 17 but of a lesser vertical distance resulting in lugs 22-23 being of lesser overall height.
~ 5 s Lugs 22 and 23 terminate downwardly in lowermost extremi.ties 24 and 25 within a plane P3 which plana intersects a plane P4 con-taining outer lug wall 18, at an acute angle at y. While plane P4 is shown as being vertical, the same is preferably outwardly inclined from the side 4A of mid-sole 4.
Now with attention to Figure 5, showing heel portion of the present sole construction in foot biased contact with-a ground surface S, the lugs 7 a.re shown displaced outwardly and compressed from their unbiased position of Figure 3. Subsequent-10 ly, inner series of lugs 13 are also compressed under footpressure, deforming upon contact with the ground surface.
Importantly, lower edges 12 initially contact -the ground surface and flex to cushion initial ground contact with their compression and outward displacement contributing to the cushioning effectO
Supplementing the action of lugs 7, and after displacement of same, inner lugs 13 also yield under heel pressure to provide a second stage of shock or impact absorption.
The ground engagement and lateral displacement of outer lugs 7 also contributes toward heel stability~ Further, 20 non-uniform displacement and compression of the sole lugs accommodates asymmetrical sole loading as occurs when the runner . executes a change of direction. The redu~ed section side areas of resilient heel wedge 5 and mid-sole 4 will also be, of course, subjected to some degree of compression during ground con-tact.
In a similar manner, outer lugs 17 of the forefoot portion of the sole are initially displaced upon contact with ground surface S per Figure 6. Subsequent to ini-tial displace ment of outer lugs 17, the inner series of lugs 22 and 23 come into progressive (in a lateral direction) contact wlth the 30 ground to provide supplementary or secondary cushioning to the forefoot beyond that already provided by the flexing of outer lugs 17.
Forefoot lugs 17, 22 and 23, in addition to cushion-ing against jarring impact, serve to provide a tread pattern highly adaptable to flexibly encompass rocks, projections and other small obstructions on the ground surface without signifi-cantly effecting foot-to-ground relationship or significantly diminishing tread traction. Further, the lugs provide excellent traction and permit independent degrees of lug flexing and compression, advantageous during execution of changes of direction by the weare.r.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 show sectional views of modified s sole con~tructions corresponding to the typical he~l port~on sect~onal vlew of Pigure 3 of th~ ~ir6t de~cribed form of the lnvention~ In Figure 7, an outer sole $~
indi~ated at 26 affixed ln a su~table manner to a heel wedge 27 with a mid-sole indicated at 28. The he~l wed~e has outwardly and downwardly sloped sides 27A ~or greater resillency. Outer ~ole components or lugs are lndicated at 30 with laterally spaced ~eries of inner lugs indicated at 31 and 32 each wlth vertical sidewalls.
Lowermo~t extremiti~s of the luys 30Ao 31A and 32A are wlt~in a plane P5 which ~nter~ects a plane P6 containing an incllned side of the h~el to form an acute ~ncluded angle w. It wlll be ~een that the lugs 30-32 progre~sive~
ly cushion against ground impact much tn the same manner as th~ first de8cribed ~ole by reason ffl outer lug~ 30 initially contactl~g the ground with lugs 31 and 32 aub~eq~ently engaging and de~nrming upon ~urface contact .
me lateral extreml~ies Of heel wedge 27, being of reducecl ~ection, will al~o Compre~ and deform upwardly r01ative to th~ ~hoe upper to fuxther cu~hlon the foot .
In Figure 8~ an outer ~ole 35 18 afixed to a mid-sole 36 on an upper 1. Mid-~ole 36 has outwardly and downwardly illclined s~d~ 36A,.7 Outer 501e lug~ are ~ndicated at 38 wlth serie o lnner lug~ at 40 and 41.
A plane P7 ct)ntair~s tlle lowermo~t extremiti~3 or lug~ 38 and 40 along on~ ~ide o~ ~he ~ol~PO Plane P7 interl!3ect~ ~
ec:ond plan~3 ~8 common to mid- 3sole ~ide ~urface 36~
and d~flnea an acute in~luded anslle ~0 Th~ cush~onlng action~ of lugs 38, 40 and 41 of the he~l portion ~hown 30 ~ n Figur~ 8 are believed obviou~ ~n view of the ~ore-yoin~ description of the ~arller dle3crib~d cu~hior~iny 7~
actions.
In Figure 9, the mid-sole is dispensed with and an outer sole 42 is provided with inclined sidewalls as at 42A
extending downwardly and outwardly from a shoe upper 1. ~he concave lowermost or tread surface 44 of the outer sole is shown without lugs. An arc shown as a line Ll defines the tread surface and intersects a second line L2 projected from outex-sole sidewall 42A to define an acute included angle q. Accord-ingly, the lower side edge of outer sole 42 is of a sectional configuration as to be highly flexible to cushion against impact loads.
In the forms of the invention viewed in Figures 7, 8 and 9 only the heel portion of the sole is illustrated. When applying the modified forms of the invention to the forefoot portion of the sole, it will be appreciated that the'forefoot sole width will be somewhat greater as will be the transverse spacing of the lugs thereon as generally shown in Figure 4.
In Figure 10, I show the present invention applied to a conventional shoe or boot sole wherein a separate raised heel at 46 is provided with a row of outer lugs 47 and inner lugs 48 similar to the heel portion lugs 7 and 13 shown in Figure 3. In continuing similarity to that form of the inven-tion shown in Figures 3 through 6, the forefoot sole portion of the sole of Figure 10 includes multiple rows of outer and inner lugs at 50 and 51 respectively.
With attention now to Figures 11 and 12 wherein modiied shoe sole construction is indicated at 2', parts of the modified shoe sole construction corresponding to parts earlier described in the first form of the invention are identified with prime reference numerals. The sole 2' is of a shoe for the right foot.
The heel portion of the modified sole is approxi-g mately the left hand half of the outer sole 6' viewed inFigure 11 and includes an outer series of resilient components or lugs 7' each having outwardly and downwardly inclined walls (relative the sole major axis A) at 10' and 11' terminating at a lowermost extremity 12'. An inner series of resilient components or lugs 13' is offset from the sole edge and may be staggered relative to the outer series of lugs and are of lesser vertical dimension with each including downwardly inclined walls at 14 and 15' terminating at a lower extremity 16'. A plane Pl' contains lower edges 12' and 16' of the inner and outer lugs and intersects a second plane P2'conmon to the outer wall 10' of an outer lug 7' and an inclined side 5A' of a heel wedge 5' at an acute included angle x'. A mid-sole at 4' also has downwardly and outwardly diverging sidewalls at 4A'. The heel wedge 5' and mid-sole 4' accordingly have side areas of reduced section which contribute to wedge and mid-sole compressibility.
With attention specifically to Figure 12 the inside of the wearer's right foot will be associated with the left hand side of the Figure. Reinforciny means at 55 is shown as a web extending intermediate some o~ said outer lugs and serves to reinforce same against severe distortion during maximum loading. The web 55 extends about the curved heel portion of the shoe sole construction and forwardly along the inside edge thereof terminating forwardly approximately at the instep of the shoe. Left foot sole construction would be a mirror image of Figure 11.
With attention to Figure 12, it will be seen that the outer lugs 7' are not necessarily of uniform lateral dimension upon comparison of the two lugs illustrated having different l~ngths indicated respectively at Dl and D2. The length of the outer lug 7' is greater to provide additional support to the inside of the wearer's foot during heel impact -- 10 ~
with a ground surface and hence reduce the tendency of the ankle to pronate.
The shoe sole material may be a suitable synthetic such as polyurethane, which lends itself to low cost molding operations yet provides the desirable sole qualities of durability and flexibility. A somewhat more costly sole may be of rubber.
To the extent the prior art is known, efforts have been made to provide soles for athletic shoes with the sole having cupped tread surfaces with the outer tread surfaces being continuous in order to affect a momentary seal between the sole and floor for traction purposes.
The present invention is embodied in sole construc-tion wherein sole components are intended to provide, among other objectives, desired cushioning of the wearer's foot and leg regardless of the surface run on to reduce impact loads and the chance of foot or leg injuries to the wearer.
The present sole constructlon benefits from a lengthwise orientated concave shape extending along the shoe sole with the composite surfaces of the sole tread defining the concavity. The lower extremities of the tread are adapted to flex upwardly and outwardly relative to the shoe upper upon ground contact. Accordingly, a central portion of the outer sole directly below the foot is supported in cantilever fashion b~ the tread and resiliently cu~hions the foot as the shoe comes into maximum ground contact. As greater impact loads are encountered by the heel portion of the shoe, this feature is .. ,",~
particularly important when embodied within the heel. The forward portion of the sole underlying the forefoot and ball of the foot, while not subjected to as great impact forces, does bear greater overall loads during running, which loads are resiliently supported by the forward tread portion of the present sole while importantly providing the sole flexibility desired.
While the present invention is shown and described in conjunction with an athletic shoe, such is not intended to imply limited use of same but rather the present sole construc-tion may be further utilized in other footwear as later elaborated upon.
The present invention is embodied within shoe sole construction including an outer series of resilient tread ; components spaced about the sole margin each having downwardly converging walls terminating in a lowermost extremity, an inner series of resilient tread components offset inwardly ~rom the sole margin and each being oE a lesser height than those components of said outer series and each having a lowermost extremity offset upward and inwardly from an adjacent outer tread component extremity, said lowermost extremities of ; adjacent outer and inner tread components on one side of the sole axis being within an outwardly and downwardly inclined plane, said plane intersecting an upright plane containing the sole edge to define an acute included angle, certain outer tread components contactible firstly with a ground surface and deformahle to cushion impact loads, certain inner tread compon-ents subsequently contactible with the ground surfa~e to supplement the cushioning action of the outer tread components, and said outer tread components when in ~oot biased contact with the ground being displaced outwardly past said upright plane.
In the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe embodying the present sole improvements;
Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of Figure l;
Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken along lines 3-3 and 4~4 of Figure 1 showing the transverse configura-tions of heel and forefoot sole portions;
Figures 5 and 6 correspond to Figures 3 and 4 and show the sole heel and forefoot sole portions in ground contact;
Figure 7 is a sectional view of modified sole COh-struction;
Figure 8 is another sectional view of a further formof modified sole construction;
Figure 9 is a sectional view of still another form of modified sole construction;
Figure 10 is a plan view of a distinct shbe sole and heel embodying the present invention;
Figure 11 is a bottom plan view of shoe sole con-struction embodying the present invention; and Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of Figure 11 rotated throug~ ninety degrees.
With continuing attentlon to the drawing, the ref-erence numeral 1 indicates the upper o~ an athletic shoe customarily fabricated from stltched fabric or leather pieces.
The upper forms no part of the present invention and, accord- -ingly, further details of same are superfluous.
The present sole construction is indicated generally at 2 and includes a tread or that portion of the sole coming into ground conkact. Customaxily, athletic shoes of the type shown have sole including an insble 3, a mid-sole 4, a resilient heel wedge 5 and an outer sole 6. The upper 1 and mid-sole 4 are typically bonded to one another by an adhesive. In athletic shoes it is further typical to form the heel portion of outer sole 6 integral with the forefoot portion of the sole with the combined portions constituting the shoe sole tread.
With attention first to the heel portion of the sole, approximately the left half of the sole as viewed in Figure 2, said heel portion, as typically shown in Figure 3, includes an outer series of xesilient components or lugs 7 each having out-wardly and downwardly inclined walls (relative the sole major axis) at 10 and ll terminating at a lower extremity or edge 12.
Wall ll constitutes a lug bottom wall. An inner series of resil-ient components or lugs 13 is offset from the sole edge andstaggered relative the outer series of components and is of lesser vertical dimension with each including downwardly inclin-ed walls at 14 and 15 terminating at a lower extremity or edge 16. A plane at Pl contains lower edges 12 and 16 of the inner and outer lugs of Figure 3 and intersects a second plane P2 common to the outer wall 10 of an outer lug 7 and an inclined side 5A of heel wedge 5. While the term "plane" is used in the foregoing description, it will be understood that wall surface 10 may be other than planar as may inclined walls 11 and 14, 15 of lugs 7 and 13. ~he intersection of Pl and P2 defines an acute included angle at x.
With attention now to Figure 4, mid-sole 4 is shown suitably secured to the undersida of upper 1 as by an adhesive and serves to receive the forefoot portion (the right hand half of Figure 2) of outer sole 6. Outer sole 6 is pro-vided with an outer row or series of tread components or lugs 17 each having an outer wall 13 and a bottom wall 20 converging at a lowermost extremity or edge 21. Inner rows or series of tread components or lugs are indi-cated at 22 and 23 with the lugs of each row having wall surfaces generally corresponding to those wall surfaces of outer lugs 17 but of a lesser vertical distance resulting in lugs 22-23 being of lesser overall height.
~ 5 s Lugs 22 and 23 terminate downwardly in lowermost extremi.ties 24 and 25 within a plane P3 which plana intersects a plane P4 con-taining outer lug wall 18, at an acute angle at y. While plane P4 is shown as being vertical, the same is preferably outwardly inclined from the side 4A of mid-sole 4.
Now with attention to Figure 5, showing heel portion of the present sole construction in foot biased contact with-a ground surface S, the lugs 7 a.re shown displaced outwardly and compressed from their unbiased position of Figure 3. Subsequent-10 ly, inner series of lugs 13 are also compressed under footpressure, deforming upon contact with the ground surface.
Importantly, lower edges 12 initially contact -the ground surface and flex to cushion initial ground contact with their compression and outward displacement contributing to the cushioning effectO
Supplementing the action of lugs 7, and after displacement of same, inner lugs 13 also yield under heel pressure to provide a second stage of shock or impact absorption.
The ground engagement and lateral displacement of outer lugs 7 also contributes toward heel stability~ Further, 20 non-uniform displacement and compression of the sole lugs accommodates asymmetrical sole loading as occurs when the runner . executes a change of direction. The redu~ed section side areas of resilient heel wedge 5 and mid-sole 4 will also be, of course, subjected to some degree of compression during ground con-tact.
In a similar manner, outer lugs 17 of the forefoot portion of the sole are initially displaced upon contact with ground surface S per Figure 6. Subsequent to ini-tial displace ment of outer lugs 17, the inner series of lugs 22 and 23 come into progressive (in a lateral direction) contact wlth the 30 ground to provide supplementary or secondary cushioning to the forefoot beyond that already provided by the flexing of outer lugs 17.
Forefoot lugs 17, 22 and 23, in addition to cushion-ing against jarring impact, serve to provide a tread pattern highly adaptable to flexibly encompass rocks, projections and other small obstructions on the ground surface without signifi-cantly effecting foot-to-ground relationship or significantly diminishing tread traction. Further, the lugs provide excellent traction and permit independent degrees of lug flexing and compression, advantageous during execution of changes of direction by the weare.r.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 show sectional views of modified s sole con~tructions corresponding to the typical he~l port~on sect~onal vlew of Pigure 3 of th~ ~ir6t de~cribed form of the lnvention~ In Figure 7, an outer sole $~
indi~ated at 26 affixed ln a su~table manner to a heel wedge 27 with a mid-sole indicated at 28. The he~l wed~e has outwardly and downwardly sloped sides 27A ~or greater resillency. Outer ~ole components or lugs are lndicated at 30 with laterally spaced ~eries of inner lugs indicated at 31 and 32 each wlth vertical sidewalls.
Lowermo~t extremiti~s of the luys 30Ao 31A and 32A are wlt~in a plane P5 which ~nter~ects a plane P6 containing an incllned side of the h~el to form an acute ~ncluded angle w. It wlll be ~een that the lugs 30-32 progre~sive~
ly cushion against ground impact much tn the same manner as th~ first de8cribed ~ole by reason ffl outer lug~ 30 initially contactl~g the ground with lugs 31 and 32 aub~eq~ently engaging and de~nrming upon ~urface contact .
me lateral extreml~ies Of heel wedge 27, being of reducecl ~ection, will al~o Compre~ and deform upwardly r01ative to th~ ~hoe upper to fuxther cu~hlon the foot .
In Figure 8~ an outer ~ole 35 18 afixed to a mid-sole 36 on an upper 1. Mid-~ole 36 has outwardly and downwardly illclined s~d~ 36A,.7 Outer 501e lug~ are ~ndicated at 38 wlth serie o lnner lug~ at 40 and 41.
A plane P7 ct)ntair~s tlle lowermo~t extremiti~3 or lug~ 38 and 40 along on~ ~ide o~ ~he ~ol~PO Plane P7 interl!3ect~ ~
ec:ond plan~3 ~8 common to mid- 3sole ~ide ~urface 36~
and d~flnea an acute in~luded anslle ~0 Th~ cush~onlng action~ of lugs 38, 40 and 41 of the he~l portion ~hown 30 ~ n Figur~ 8 are believed obviou~ ~n view of the ~ore-yoin~ description of the ~arller dle3crib~d cu~hior~iny 7~
actions.
In Figure 9, the mid-sole is dispensed with and an outer sole 42 is provided with inclined sidewalls as at 42A
extending downwardly and outwardly from a shoe upper 1. ~he concave lowermost or tread surface 44 of the outer sole is shown without lugs. An arc shown as a line Ll defines the tread surface and intersects a second line L2 projected from outex-sole sidewall 42A to define an acute included angle q. Accord-ingly, the lower side edge of outer sole 42 is of a sectional configuration as to be highly flexible to cushion against impact loads.
In the forms of the invention viewed in Figures 7, 8 and 9 only the heel portion of the sole is illustrated. When applying the modified forms of the invention to the forefoot portion of the sole, it will be appreciated that the'forefoot sole width will be somewhat greater as will be the transverse spacing of the lugs thereon as generally shown in Figure 4.
In Figure 10, I show the present invention applied to a conventional shoe or boot sole wherein a separate raised heel at 46 is provided with a row of outer lugs 47 and inner lugs 48 similar to the heel portion lugs 7 and 13 shown in Figure 3. In continuing similarity to that form of the inven-tion shown in Figures 3 through 6, the forefoot sole portion of the sole of Figure 10 includes multiple rows of outer and inner lugs at 50 and 51 respectively.
With attention now to Figures 11 and 12 wherein modiied shoe sole construction is indicated at 2', parts of the modified shoe sole construction corresponding to parts earlier described in the first form of the invention are identified with prime reference numerals. The sole 2' is of a shoe for the right foot.
The heel portion of the modified sole is approxi-g mately the left hand half of the outer sole 6' viewed inFigure 11 and includes an outer series of resilient components or lugs 7' each having outwardly and downwardly inclined walls (relative the sole major axis A) at 10' and 11' terminating at a lowermost extremity 12'. An inner series of resilient components or lugs 13' is offset from the sole edge and may be staggered relative to the outer series of lugs and are of lesser vertical dimension with each including downwardly inclined walls at 14 and 15' terminating at a lower extremity 16'. A plane Pl' contains lower edges 12' and 16' of the inner and outer lugs and intersects a second plane P2'conmon to the outer wall 10' of an outer lug 7' and an inclined side 5A' of a heel wedge 5' at an acute included angle x'. A mid-sole at 4' also has downwardly and outwardly diverging sidewalls at 4A'. The heel wedge 5' and mid-sole 4' accordingly have side areas of reduced section which contribute to wedge and mid-sole compressibility.
With attention specifically to Figure 12 the inside of the wearer's right foot will be associated with the left hand side of the Figure. Reinforciny means at 55 is shown as a web extending intermediate some o~ said outer lugs and serves to reinforce same against severe distortion during maximum loading. The web 55 extends about the curved heel portion of the shoe sole construction and forwardly along the inside edge thereof terminating forwardly approximately at the instep of the shoe. Left foot sole construction would be a mirror image of Figure 11.
With attention to Figure 12, it will be seen that the outer lugs 7' are not necessarily of uniform lateral dimension upon comparison of the two lugs illustrated having different l~ngths indicated respectively at Dl and D2. The length of the outer lug 7' is greater to provide additional support to the inside of the wearer's foot during heel impact -- 10 ~
with a ground surface and hence reduce the tendency of the ankle to pronate.
The shoe sole material may be a suitable synthetic such as polyurethane, which lends itself to low cost molding operations yet provides the desirable sole qualities of durability and flexibility. A somewhat more costly sole may be of rubber.
Claims (7)
1. A shoe sole, which comprises:
a lower surface having a central portion and a peripheral portion;
means for cushioning the foot and leg of a wearer against impact loads comprising a plurality of tread members disposed about said peripheral portion of said lower surface and inclined downwardly and outwardly from said peripheral portion of said lower surface, said tread members being such that they support said central portion in cantilevered fashion and that at least their lower extremities are urged resiliently laterally outwardly with respect to said central portion upon foot induced impact with the ground.
a lower surface having a central portion and a peripheral portion;
means for cushioning the foot and leg of a wearer against impact loads comprising a plurality of tread members disposed about said peripheral portion of said lower surface and inclined downwardly and outwardly from said peripheral portion of said lower surface, said tread members being such that they support said central portion in cantilevered fashion and that at least their lower extremities are urged resiliently laterally outwardly with respect to said central portion upon foot induced impact with the ground.
2. A shoe sole according to claim 1 wherein said tread members are integral with said lower surface.
3. A shoe sole according to claim 1 wherein said tread members each include a side boundary and a lower boundary each of which extends downwardly and outwardly from said lower surface of said sole for being urged resiliently laterally outwardly with respect to said central portion upon contacting the ground whereby to resiliently cushion the foot and leg of the wearer.
4. A shoe sole according to claim 3, wherein said side boundary and said lower boundary converge towards one another.
5. A shoe sole according to claim 3 wherein said side boundary and said lower boundary converge towards one another to meet an area adapted to contact the ground upon impact so as to be urged resiliently laterally out-wardly.
6. A shoe, which comprises:
an upper;
a resilient midsole connected to said upper;
and a sole positioned below and fastened to said midsole, said sole comprising a lower surface having a central portion and a peripheral portion;
means for cushioning the foot and leg of a wearer against impact loads comprising a plurality of tread members disposed about said peripheral portion of said lower surface and inclined downwardly and outwardly from said peripheral portion of said lower surface, said tread members being such that they support said central portion in cantilevered fashion and that at least their lower extremities are urged resiliently laterally outwardly with respect to said central portion upon foot induced impact with the ground whereby to resiliently cushion the foot and leg of the wearer.
an upper;
a resilient midsole connected to said upper;
and a sole positioned below and fastened to said midsole, said sole comprising a lower surface having a central portion and a peripheral portion;
means for cushioning the foot and leg of a wearer against impact loads comprising a plurality of tread members disposed about said peripheral portion of said lower surface and inclined downwardly and outwardly from said peripheral portion of said lower surface, said tread members being such that they support said central portion in cantilevered fashion and that at least their lower extremities are urged resiliently laterally outwardly with respect to said central portion upon foot induced impact with the ground whereby to resiliently cushion the foot and leg of the wearer.
7. A shoe according to claim 6 wherein said midsole includes a reduced section side area positioned above said tread members which is compressed upon ground impact for providing additional resiliency and shock-absorption.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000372211A CA1147145A (en) | 1977-11-21 | 1981-03-03 | Shoe sole construction |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US85348277A | 1977-11-21 | 1977-11-21 | |
| US853,482 | 1977-11-21 | ||
| CA315,733A CA1097064A (en) | 1977-11-21 | 1978-11-02 | Shoe sole construction |
| CA000372211A CA1147145A (en) | 1977-11-21 | 1981-03-03 | Shoe sole construction |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1147145A true CA1147145A (en) | 1983-05-31 |
Family
ID=27165965
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000372211A Expired CA1147145A (en) | 1977-11-21 | 1981-03-03 | Shoe sole construction |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1147145A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5509218A (en) * | 1994-12-19 | 1996-04-23 | Arcan; Mircea | Cushioning devices for feet |
-
1981
- 1981-03-03 CA CA000372211A patent/CA1147145A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5509218A (en) * | 1994-12-19 | 1996-04-23 | Arcan; Mircea | Cushioning devices for feet |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |