CA1249928A - Athletic shoe with improved pivot cleating - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure An athletic shoe for field sports having a circular cleat formed on the sole in forward position substantially encompassing the ball-of-the-foot and toe portions of the sole, extending substantially across the width of the sole, and enclosing a surface coincident with the main surface of the sole. The shoe provides improved pivotability while also providing good traction, and can reduce the frequency of certain common leg injuries.

Description

l Z .1' b 3 3 2 ~3 Title: ATHLETIC SHOE WITH IMPRCVED PIVOT C~EATING

17 ~ t_l~e~
18 Thi~ in~ention is selated generally to cleated athletic 19 shoes for field ~ports and, more speciflcally, to athletic ~hoes with cleating to accommodate pivoting movements.

22 ~ L~_s~
23 Mo0t athletic ~hoes u~ed for field sports, such as 24 football, soccer, rugby, lacr~se, baseball and softball, have a number of tapered or hlade-like cleat~ or projections for the 26 purpose of increa~ing traction. Cleats dig into the turf to 27 prevent slipping during ~tarting, stopping, and cutting 28 maneUvers-29 Such cleats, however, in addition to providing desirable traction, typically provide very undesirable resi~tance to a ~24~3~2~3 1 pivoting actions. This can be a very significant disadvantage in

2 two ways.

3 ~hen pivoting i8 ~nhibited, the maneuverability of an

4 athle~e i8 limited. His performance is less than it could be.
Enhancing the ability of a player to pivot can greatly increafie 6 hiu effectiveness on the field.
7 In addition to inhibiting certain athletic pivoting 8 actions, cleats of the prior art tend to resist tension-relieving 3 pivoting when unwanted torque or force is applied to the athlete, particularly to a leg. If a leg is forcibly twisted when the 11 cleats have penetrated into the turf, and the foot is held firmly 12 on the turf, tbe cleats can prevent pivoting and thereby lead to 13 injuries, particularly common knee injurie~.
14 Attempts have been made in the past to make a cleated shoe which would accommodate pivoting movements and reduce the 16 aforesaid injury problem~. A variety of pivoting shoe6 have been 17 produced which have problems, are impractical, or fail to 18 function properly for one reason or another.
19 Some athletic 8hoes of the prior art have attempted to improve pivoting by providi~ a rotatable cleat. This approach 21 present~ a problem in that the rigors of field sports will easily 22 damage 6uch constructions. Furthermore, mud tends to clog such 23 devices and can make them fail prematurely. Thi~ approach, 24 ~herefore~ is deemed impractical in most cases.
Some other ~hoes of the prior art have ~epara~e spikes, 26 in some cases arced spikes, arranged in widely-spaced fashion 27 along an annular lineO Such separate spikes or edges tend to 28 resist pivoting, and fail to provide the desired level of 29 pivotability.

Some other prior shoe~ have included fixed annular 31 cleats. This invention relate~ to constructions of that type.

9~2~3 l Shoes of the prior art which have includea annular 2 cleats have failed to provide adlequate gripping action and/or 3 have failed to provide adequate pivoting action for several 4 specific reason~. Such shoe~ have not been accepted by athletes and have not been in wide use. Overcoming the problems of such 6 8hoe& of the prior art i8 a principal objective of thi~
7 invention.
8 The deficiencies of the prior art and the unique g characteristic~ and advantages of this invention can mos~ easily be de~cribed with reference to the foot of the athlete. ~he sole ll of the foot includes four basic portions. These are, in order 12 back to front: the heel portion; the arch portion; the ball-of-13 the-foot portiont and the toe portion.
14 The heel portion and the ball-of-the-foot poetion are tbo~e portions whiGh ~hare mo~t if not all of the player's weight 16 when the player i~ in a normal standing po6ition with his feet 17 generally flat on the ground. In ~uch position, the arch portion 1~ bears littl~ if any weight, an~ the toe portlon bears little if l9 any we~ght.
When a pl~ye~ i8 aOn hi8 toes~ in a "ready~ position, 21 virtually all of the player's wèight i5 normally shared by tne 22 toe portion and the ball-of-the-foot portion. The ~ame i8 23 usually true when a player is ~diggin~ in a running action.
24 Indeed, when a player is in the ready position the juncture of the phalanges (toe bone~) and the metatar~les i~ the center of 26 weight-bearing. In other words, the center of weight-bearing in 27 the forward portion& of the foot actually moves forward when a 28 player ~hifts to the ready po~ition.
29 The sole of an athletic ~hoe has portions imln~diately below ~uch four foot portions which may be designatecl, and herein 31 are designated, by the same terms.

124~

1 Prior art shoes having annular cleating fail to function 2 properly at least in part because of grossly improper placement 3 of an annular cleat -- centered much too far back from the 4 juncture of the toe and ball-of-the-foot portion~ where weight is centered in the ready position. Indeed, in the ready position, 6 normally the only position in which pivoting is important, such 7 prior shoes ~ay not pivot much better than shoe6 with the 8 ~tandard blade-like or tapered cleats.
9 Further negatively affecting the performance of at lea~t some of such prior art athletic shoes with annular cleats is the 11 fact that a raised ~ole port~on i6 enclosed by the annular 12 cleat. Such raised portion has the effect of preventing 13 slgnificant penetration of the turf and limiting the available 14 traction. Ar.other drawb~ck of the prior art is the small width of such annular cleats, whicb in prior art cleating arrangements 16 give~ l~a8 than desirable pivoting and gripping.
17 Without further elaboration on the shortco~ings of prior 18 athletic shoes, it c~n be 6aid that prior shoes have failed to 19 provi~e a combination of good tra~tion and good pivotability.
Therefore, the standard cleated ~ole3 have continued in u~e, witb 21 the risk~ and occurrence~ oP knee injuries and other injuries due 2~ to improper pivoting continuing substantially unabated. For 23 years th~re has been a strong, un~atisfied need ~or an improved 24 athletic shoe for field sport~.

26 Brief Summ~y of the Inven~i~n 27 This invention is an improved athletic shoe for f ield 28 sport& providing good pivotabiity without sacrificing traction.
29 Thls invention i~ a practical pivoting ~hoe construction which 3n overcome8 the problemR of pivoting shoes of the prior art and 31 provides greatly improved plvotability.

~49~28 1 The sole of the shoe of this invention includes a 2 substantially con~inuous annular cleat, having a generally 3 circular di~tal edge, which encompa~es most of the ball-of-the-4 foot and toe portions of sùch sole. Such circular cleat is centered on the juncture of the ball-of-the-foot and toe portions 6 of the sole, right beneath the juncture of the phalanges and the 7 metatarcles of the ~oot.
8 The annular cleat of this invention extends substan-9 tially across tbe wldth of the 801e. ~urthermore, such circular cleat encloses a sole area which is coincident with the main sole 11 6urfaceS that is, the enclo~ed 501e surface is not built up from 12 the main 801e ~urface which would interfere with penetration of 13 the surface of the pl~ying field.
14 In certain preferred embodiments, the circular cleat is the forward~o~t cleat on the shoe. In some embodiments, a 16 central cleat, preferably of the standard tapered frustoconical 17 sh~pe, is di~posed con~entrically within the circular cleat. In 18 some other embodiments, one or more circular cleat~ are disposed 19 concentrically within the principal circular cleat.
The circular cleat preferably has a radially outward 21 lateral surf~ce projecting at substantially right angles from the 22 main ~ole surface and a radlally inward surface flaring out~ardly 23 from the maln sole surface to converge with the outward surface.
24 This angling of the annular cleat tends to provide superior traction.
26 Certain embodiments of this invention are intended for 27 use on artificial turf. The sole of such embodiments include~ at 28 least three sub6tantially concentric annular projections or 29 cleats, each terminating ln a circular edge. One of the~e projections, referred to as a first projection, is in the same 31 position as the annular cleat~ of the embodiment previously 1 described, extending across the width of the sole and centered on 2 the juncture of the ball-of-the-foot and toe portions.
3 In addition to the first annular projection, there are 4 at lea~t ~wo additional annular projections, whiuh are spaced inwardly at successively shorter radii, all aroul1d the same 6 center point. There are preferably more than two ad~itional 7 annular pro~ection3 ~nd mo~t preferably six or more additional 8 annular pro~ections. The annular projections are preferably g ~paced at equal radial intervals in a pattern covering the ball-of-the-foot and toe port$ons of the sole.
11 Some verslons of the artificial turf embodir,~ent of this 12 invention will include at least one and preferably two or more 13 truncated-circle pro~ections which are concentric with t~e first 14 projection but are 6paced at gre~er radial locations. Such truncated-circle projections will be at the forwardmost end of 16 the toe portion and near the arch portion of the sole.
17 The larger number of cleats or projections which 18 characterize the artificial turf versions of this invention are 19 helpful in providing the traction which is necessary for good pivotability. The annular c~eats or projections of the 21 artificial turf versions of this invention are shorter than the 22 annular cleat or cleats used in versions intended for use on 23 natural turf. The height o such annular cleats for the 24 artificial turf ver8ion are usually from about 3 to about 8 mm/
and mo~t preferably from about 5 to about 7 mm.
26 In certain preferred embodiments of this invention ~here 27 are one or more ~reaks along the distal edge of the con~inuous 28 annul~r cleat or cleats. The breaks are minor interruptions or 29 discontinuities such that the cleats remain subs~antially con-tinuous. Such breaks serve to provide control of pivotability 31 and~or in some cases to increa~e bending flexibility of th~ 601e.

~2'~ ?28 1 The breaks may be in various shapes, includiny notches, 2 ~lots and slits of various kinds. Notches are V-shaped cutouts 3 which are widest at the distal edge of the annular cleat. Slots 4 are breaks having parallel walls which are preferably normal to the main sole surface. Thin slot~ or slits are one preferred 6 form of breaks~ In a particularly preferred form, the breaks 7 extend from the distal edge of the annular cleat substantially to 8 the main sole ~urface.
g A pair of breaks in an annular cleat, one at each inter-~ection of the cleat with a chord line extending across the sole, 11 will acilitate bending of the sole along such line. In some 12 ca~es, there may be two or three pairs of such breaks along two 13 or three chord lines acrosL the sole.
14 Each of the embodiments of this invention has e~cellent traction and significantly improved pivotability. The improved 16 pivotability i~ demon~trated dramatically in certain common 17 athletic moves, such as evasive spinning movements in body 18 contact sports. A wide variety of "moves" in many ield sports 19 are greatly facilitated and/or accelerated by the s~)oe o~` this invention, and many innovative playing techniques are made 21 PO88ible.
22 As previou~ly suggested, it fs believed that the 23 frequency of certain common leg injuries can be ~ignificantly 24 reduced by use of this invention. The pivotability made possible by this invention allow~ the turning release which can eliminate 26 common knee injuries and other leg injuries.

28 Objec~ Qf tbe Inventian 29 It is an object of this invention to provide an improved athletic shoe for field ~ports which will reduce the pos~ibility 31 of injuries, particularly knee injuries.

~2~ 28 1 Another object of this invention is to provide an 2 athletic shoe giving improved pivotability without sacriEicing 3 ~raction.
4 Another object of this invention is to provide an athletic shoe of the type specifically designed for pivoting 6 which allows easy pivotiny when the foot is in the ready 7 position, that i , with weight being borne by the toe and 8 ball-of-the-~oo~ portions of the sole.
g Another object of this inventiorl i~ to provide a pivoting athletic shoe which is comfortable and provides the 11 athlete a secure feeling of traction on the field.
12 These and other objects will be apparent f~orn ~he 13 following descriptions includiny the drawings, wherein:

Br~ef De~Li~L~ of the ~ ing~
16 FIGURE 1 iB a sole-up perspective view o~ a E~referred 17 athletic shoe in accordance with this invention.
18 FIGURE 2 i8 a plan view of FIGURE 1.
19 FIGURE 3 is a cleatless schematic plan view of an athletic shoe sole, illustra~ing the portions thereof.
21 FIGURE 4 is a sole-down sectional view, taken along 22 section 4-4 as ahown in FIGURE 2, including a player's foot.
23 FIGURE S is another sectional view as in FIGURE 4, but 24 illustrating the shoe and foot in the "ready~ position.
FIGURE 6 iB a sole-up perspective view, as in E`IGURE 1, 26 illustrating another embodiment of this invention.
27 FIGURE 7 is a plan ~iew of ano~her embo~iment of this 28 invention, prepared especially for use on artificial turE.
29 FIGURE 8 is a sec~ional view taken along sec~ion B 8 as 30 shown in FIGURE 7.
31 FIGU~E 9 is a magnified view of a portion of FIGU~E 8.

~ 3~ ~ 8 1 ~IGURES 10 and 11 are plan vieWG of the soles of two 2 additional embodiments of this invention.

4 ~a~ D~asLiQ~lQD-Qf-e=cf~ Ll--bQ~
FIGURES l, 2, 4 and 5 6how an athletic shoe 10 in accor-6 dance with a preferred embodim~nt of this invention. FIGURE 6 7 shows another shoe 50 in accordance with thi~ invention~ FIGURES
0 7-9 show a Ahoe 100 of this invention adapted for uQe on 9 artificial turf. FIGURES 10 ~nd 11 show two additional shoes 200 and 202, respectively, which are other preferred embodiments.
11 Shoe 10 has an upper 12 and a sole 14 affixed to upper 12 12 in the normal way. Upper 12 may be made of conventional 13 materials such as leather and canvas~ the makeup of upper 12 is 14 not of importance in this inve~tion. Sole 14 1B for~ed of a tough material which can flex in the normal manner depending on 16 how weight is applied thereto. Any of ~everal materials used for 17 tough cleated ~hoe ~oles can be used ~n thi~ invention. Rubber 18 and polyurethane are preferred.
19 The surface of a sole 14 which contacts the playing surface include~ a main ~ole surface 1~ and a number of cleats 21 which protrude therefrom. The cleats are preferably integrally 22 formed with main ~ole surface 16 in a molding process a~ is 23 common in sole manufacturing.
24 As illustrated in schematic FIGURE 3 and in ~IGURES 2, 4 and 5, which are aligned in the drawing with schematic FIGURE 3 26 sole 14 has four areas or port$ons which are defined by the 27 portions of the foot adjacent to them. These include: a heel 28 portion 18, immedlately below the player's heel; an arch portion 29 20, belo~ the arch of the player's foot; a ball-of-the-foot portion 22, below the ball of the player's foot; and a toe 31 portion 24, below the player'~ toes.

1~

1 As previously noted, the ball of the foot is that 2 portion which together with the heel bear6 weight when the player 3 i~ standing in a flat-iooted stance (PIGURE 4), while the toe and 4 ball-of-the-foot portions bear weight when the player is in the ready position (~IGURE 5).
6 Circular cleat 26 protrudes f rom main sole surface 16 7 near the forward end 27 of sole 14. Circular cleat 26 i~
8 centered on the juncture of ball-of-the-foot and toe portions 22 and 24~ Circular cleat 26 substantially encompasses ball-of-the-foot and toe portions 22 and 24 of sole 14, and extends acro s 11 the width o sole 14 at that point. Annular cleat 26 enclo~s a 12 sole area 28 having a surface which i~ coincident with main 801e 13 surface 16.
14 Circular cleat 26 has a radially outward lateral surface 30 which is normal (that 1~, perpendicular) to main sole ~urf~ce 16 16 and a radially inward lateral surface 32 which is concentric 17 with outward surface 30 and is flared outwardly to converge with 18 outward surface 30. The angle of outward and inward æurfaces 30 19 and 32 with respect to main sole surface 16 can vary, although the cvnfic~uration de~cribed above i5 highly pre~erred for good 21 traction.
22 Qutward and inward surfaces 30 and 3~ converge to a 23 shar~ circular distal edge 34, that is, an edge with little or no 24 ~flat." The distal edge of the annular cleat can be sharp or blunt. In some cases, the distal edge can be "cut off n or 26 flattened to a greater or lesser degree. Just how Rharp the 27 circular cleat should be is dependent on the kind of playing 2~ surface on which the shoe will be used. On relatively hard 29 playin~ surfaces, sharper circular cleats terd to be mo~t 3~ berleicial, while blunter circular oleat~ may be acceptable on 3~ softer sllrface;0 3~

1 Likewise, the depth of the cleats (that ia, the dlstance 2 from the main sole surface to the cliqtal edge of the annula~
3 cleat) may be chosen to accommodate the type of playing surface.
4 For example, longer cleats are preferred on natural turf, while shorter cleats are better for most artificial t~rf~.
6 The line of distal edge 34 i5 preferably in one plane 7 and continuous, but it can have some undulations, minor disconti-8 nuities, or other irregularities such as would not significantly 9 retard pivoting. Small breaks of various kind~ along the distal 1~ edge of the annular cleat can add a desirable degree of control 1~ to the pivotability of the shoe, and can tend to increase the 12 bending f lexibility of the sole. Embodiments with such breaks 13 will be described herein.
14 Annular cleat 26 i~ preferably circular. However, a 15 81 ightly oval shape or other off-round shape would be within the 16 scope of this invention as long as pivotlng i8 facilitated.
17 Annular cleat 26 preferably extends co~pletely across 1~ the width of sole 14. However, the circular cleat can be located 1~ slightly away ~rom the edge of sole 14. In some caaes, it may be deslrable to make minor changes in the wiclth of the sole to 21 acco~modate wider circular cleats.
~2 Circular cleat 26 is flexible to the extent that it will 23 not sl~nificantly interfere with the normal sole flexiny during 24 runnin(~ or nther foot movement. This provides a comfortable 25 ~eel in~ anc! also helps to keep mud f rom collecting on main sole 26 surface 16 in the area 28 enco~passed by sleat 26.
27 Loca~ecl concentrically within circular cleat 26 is a 28 stanc3arà f rusto~c~onical tapered cleat 38. Cleat 38 setves to 29 provide increased traction, and because of its location will not inter~ere at all with pivotiny. ~ndeed, cleat ~8 may help define 3l a center ~,nint fol pivotiny.

~L~4~ Z8 1 To the rear of circular cleat 26, in and/or near heel 2 portion 18r are ~everal ~tandard tapered cleats 36. These are 3 positioned sc as not to interfere with pivotinc~ when the foot and 4 801e are in the ready (on toes) position~ Instead of tapered cleats, bladed cleats, another circular cleat, or some other 6 kind~ of cleat~ could be u~ed in the heel psrtion.
7 FIGURE 6 illustrate~ another shoe 50 of this invention, 8 including a secQnd circular cleat 40 concentric with first g circular cleat 26 and having a smaller radius. A multiplicity of circular cleats may be desirable in certain cases, such as on 11 artif icial turf, and will not retard pivotability. An artificial 12 turf version of the shoe will be described in greater detail 13 herein.
14 It is usually preferred that circular cleat 26 be the forwardmost cleat. In some cases, however, a ~mall cleat of a 16 shape not retarding rotation can be placed forward of the 17 circular cleat at the very tip of the toe portion. Any such 18 cleat would have ~harp lateral end~ qo as not to significantly 19 rétard pivoting and preferably would be concentric with the circular cleat. As long as the location of the annular cleat (or 21 concentric annular cle~ts, as the case may be) remains in the 22 position descri~ed herein, it i8 possible to have more than one 23 (for example, two or èven three~ very small cleats at the tip of 24 the toe p~rtion, particularly for shoes intended for use on certain artificial turf~, as will now be described.
26 Artificial turf ~hoe 100 in accordance with this 27 invention, 6hown in ~IGURES 7-9, has an upper 104 and a sole 106 28 affixed together in the no~mal way. The lower 6urface of s~le 29 106, which contacts the artificial turf playing surface, includes a main ~ole surface 108 which is a generally flat even surface, 31 and a number ~f cleats or projections 110 extending f rom main ~24~

1sole surface 108. Projections 110 are preferably integrally 2 formed with main sole surface 108.
3Among the projections 110 are a series of seven 4 concentric continuous full-circle annular projections 112.
Annular projections 112 are centered at the junct~re of the 6 ball-of-the-foot and toe portion~ of the sole. The concentric 7annular projections 112 include a firs~ annular projection 114, 8 which has the largest radius of the f~ll-circl~ ~nnular g projections 112, and six ~dditional smaller annular projection~
116, spaced at ~uccessively shorter radial locations.
11 First annular projection 114 substanti~llv encompasses 12 the ball-of-the-foot and toe portions 22 and 24 and extends 13 substantially across ~he width of ~ole 106. The six additional 14 annular projections 116 are spaced at equal radial interval~ at 6ucce~sively shorter radial locations at po~ition~ toward the 16 mid-line of the sole. It is preferred to have more than two of 17 such additional annular projections 116 and most preferred to 18 have BiX or more.
19 Also on ~ole 106 are truncated-circle projections 118 and 120. Truncated-circle p~ojections 118 and 120 are along par~
21 of circles whlch are concentric with annular projections 112~ but 22 on greater radii. A forward portion 122 of truncated-circle 23 projectlon 118 is spaced just beyond first annular proiection 114 2~ near the forward end of sole 106. A rearward portion 124 of ~ truncated-circle projection 118 is spaced just beyond first 26 annular projection 114 near arch portion 20 of sole 106.
27 Rearward portion 124 itself has two scgment6 along arch portion 28 20. Similarly, truncated-circle projection 120 has a Forward 29 portion 126 at the tip of the toe.
To the rear of the ball-of-the-foot portion are a series 31 of additional projections which do not play an important role in 3~3~8 1 provluing t-; . pivotability which is characteristic of the shoe of 2 this invention. Among these are a series of annular projectiorls 3 on heel portion 18 of sole 106. 51hile the heel cleats are show 4 as annular projections centered on heel portion 18, other form~
S of gripping projections may be u~ed in the heel area.
6 Annular projections 112 have radially outward annular 7 ~urface 13G and radially inward annular surfaces 132 which 8 converge together in distal edges 134. See FIGURE 9. Distal 9 edges 134 of annular projectivns 112 are circular and relatively sharp. That is, the dis~al edges have very little fiatness.
11 Their ~haepnes~ makes turf penetration easier.
12 Distal edqeR 134 are evenly spaced from main sole 13 surface 108. Distal edges 134 are preferably spaced Lrom main 14 601e surface 108 by from about 3 to abut 8 mm. In the most preferred embodiments, such s~acing is from about 5 to 7 mm.
16 Thus, annul~r projections 112 are more than merely a tread 17 design; they are a series of short cleats having a siynificant 18 efect on shoe performance. ~hey provide a superb combination of 19 pivotability and traction to the athlete.
The edges of the truncated-circle projections 118 and 21 120 have the same spacing from main sole surface 108 as do distal 22 ed~es 134 of annular projection6 112.
23 The radially outward annular surfaces 130 of annular 24 projection~ 112 are preferably normal ~that is, perpendicular) to main ~ole surface 108. ~owever, other angular configuration~ are 26 accepta~le. It i8 desirable to make annular projections 112 of 27 sufficient width at their point of attachment to main sole 2~ surface 108, and sufficiently blunt near distal edges 134 such 29 that they will wear well and not tend to break off.
As noted above, annulae projections 112 and truncated-31 circle projections 118 and 120 are preferably of the same 3~

1 flexible material as the main por~ion of sole 106. rhis allows 2 good flexing of sole 106 during running action.
3 Annular projections 112 are the only projections ~rom 4 the main 601e surface 108 in the area which they cover. That is, the sole portion enclosed by first annular projection 114 is 6 ~ubstantially coincident with main sole surface 108, except of 7 course for the additional annular projections 116.
8 The cross-sectional shapes of annular pr~jections 112 9 and truncated-circle projections 118 and 120 are substantially congruent at all points along their lengths.
11 As previously mentioned, it is sometimes desirable to 12 include small breaks along the distal edges of the annular cleats 13 of this invention. Shoes 200 and 202, in FIGURES 10 and 11, 14 illustrate such embodiments of the invention.
Shoe 200 has an upper 208 and a sole 210 joined together 16 in the normal manner. A substantially continuous annular cleat 17 214 projects from main ~ole surface 212. Annular cleat 214 is 18 centered on the juncture of th~ ball-of-the-foot and toe portions 19 of sole 210 and extends across the width of sole 210.
Along the di~tal edg~ 224 are two breaks 22~. Breaks 21 22~ are in the form of notche~ having closely spaced parallel 22 walls 230. Each of the break~ 230 extends from distal edge 22~
23 to main sole surface 212. Walls 230 are substantially normal to 24 main sole surface 212. The two breaks 228 are at the intersec-tion of a chord line (not shown) with annular cleat 214. Such 26 breaks 228 facilitate bending of sole 210 along such chord line.
27 Breaks 228 are located on annular cleat 214 at a position where 28 bending of sole 210 may not in some cases be desirable, although 29 it is recognized that the main line of bending is at the juncture of arch portion and ball-of-the-foot portion, which i~ located at 31 the edge of annular cleat 214.

~'~4~28 1 ~thletic shae 202, shown in FIGURE 11, ha~ three pairs 2 of breaks 232, or a total of six breakc~ alon~ its anrlular cleat 3 234. Each of these pairs of breaks are on a separate chord line 4 extending acro6s the sole of the shoe. This adds bendincJ
S flexibility along three lines across annular cleat 234. Breaks 6 232 each have parallel walls 236. Parallel walls 236 are aligned 7 parallel to parallel wall lines extending across the shoe. T~is 8 alignment of breaks 232 tend~ to maximize the addition of 9 flexibility to the shoe.
The breaks along the distal edges of the annular cleats 11 of such embodiments may be in various forms, including V-shaped 12 cutouts or notches, narrow parallel-walled breaks, or e~en very 13 narrow breaks which could he de~cribed as slitsr The width and 14 configuration of the breaks will determine the extent of control which they impose on pivotability. Extremely narrow breaks will 16 do little to control pivotability, while wider breaks will have 17 greater controlling effect. However, the breaks of this 18 invention are all quite narrow, such that the annular cleats in 19 which they are formed remain substantially continuous and provide the pivotability advantages previously described.
21 In ~ome preferred embodiments, ~he breaks extend from 22 the distal edge of the annular cleat to the main sole surface.
23 Such breaks tend to add bending flexibility to the sole.
24 As can be seen, there are many variatiorls of this invention which are possible. Appropriate shoe designs embracing 26 the principles of thls invention will differ due to ~he nature of 27 the playing fiurface, the type of performance desired, and many 28 other factors.

29 While the principles of this invention have been described in connection with specific embodiments, it should be 31 understood clearly that these descriptions are made only by way ?28 2 f example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Claims (34)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. In an athletic shoe of the type having a sole with a main sole surface and cleats extending therefrom to provide traction, such sole having heel, arch, ball-of-the-foot, and toe portions, the improvement comprising:
a cleat forming a substantially circular distal edge encompassing substantially the entire ball-of-the-foot and toe portions of the sole, and extending across substantially the entire width of the sole;
said cleat being flexible to allow flexing of the sole; and said cleat enclosing a sole area, substantially all non-cleat portions of which are coincident with said main sole surface, said cleat having inner and outer annular surfaces angled with respect to said main sole surface and extending from said circular edge to intersection with said main sole surface.

2. The athletic shoe of claim 1 wherein said annular cleat is the forwardmost cleat.

3. The athletic shoe of claim 1 or 2, further including a central cleat disposed concentrically within said annular cleat.

4. The athletic shoe of claim 1 further including at least one additional annular cleat located concentrically within the first-mentioned annular cleat.

5. The athletic shoe of claim 1 wherein said outer annular surface is substantially normal to said main sole surface.

6. The athletic shoe of claim 2 wherein said outer annular surface is substantially normal to said main sole surface.

7. The athletic shoe of claim 5 or 6, wherein said inner annular surface converges with the outward annular surface such that said distal edge is sharp.

8. The athletic shoe of claim 1 including at least one break in the annular cleat along the distal edge.

9. The athletic shoe of claim 8 wherein the break is a notch along the distal edge.

10. The athletic shoe of claim 8 wherein said break extends from the distal edge substantially to the main sole surface.

11. The athletic shoe of claim 10 wherein the break has walls which are substantially normal to the main sole surface.

12. The athletic shoe of claim 10 wherein the walls of such break are parallel.

13. The athletic shoe of claim 8 wherein there are at least two such breaks.

14. The athletic shoe of claim 8 wherein there are a pair of such breaks at the intersections of such cleat with a chord line extending across the sole, whereby bending of the sole at such line is facilitated.

15. The athletic shoe of claim 14 wherein there are at least two such pairs of breaks along at least two of such chord lines.

16. The athletic shoe of claim 14 wherein the breaks are notches along the distal edge.

17. The athletic shoe of claim 14 wherein said breaks extend from the distal edge substantially to the main sole surface.

18. The athletic shoe of claim 17 wherein the breaks have walls which are substantially normal to the main sole surface.

19. The athletic shoe of claim 17 wherein the walls of such breaks are parallel.

20. The athletic shoe of claim 19 wherein said breaks are slits.

21. The athletic shoe of claim 1 further including at least two additional annular projections having substantially circular distal edges, said additional annular projections being located concentrically within the cleat spaced at successively shorter radial locations, and having inner and outer annular surfaces angled with respect to the main sole surface and extending to intersection with said main sole surface.

22. The athletic shoe of claim 21 having more than two of said additional annular projections.

23. The athletic shoe of claim 22 having at least six of said additional annular projections.

24. The athletic shoe of claim 21 further including at least one truncated-circle projection concentric with said cleat and at a greater radial location.

25. The athletic shoe of claim 24 having at least two of said truncated-circle projections spaced from said cleat at successively greater radial locations.

26. The athletic shoe of claim 24 wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the cleat, annular projections and truncated-circle projections are substantially congruent.

27. The athletic shoe of claim 21 wherein the distal edges of the cleat and the annular projections are spaced from said main sole surface by from about 3 to about 8 mm.

28. The athletic shoe of claim 6 wherein the distal edges of the cleat and the annular projections are spaced from said main sole surface by from about 5 to about 7 mm.

29. The athletic shoe of claim 21 wherein the outer annular surfaces of the cleat and the projections are substantially normal to said main sole surface.

30. The athletic shoe of claim 29 wherein the distal edges of the cleat and the projections are sharp edges.

31. The athletic shoe of claim 21 wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the cleat and the annular projections are substantially congruent.

32. The athletic shoe of claim 21 wherein the projections are integrally molded with the sole.

33. The athletic shoe of claim 32 wherein there are breaks in the cleat and the annular projections at the distal edges thereof.

34. The athletic shoe of claim 33 wherein such breaks are at the intersections of the cleat and the annular projections with a chord line across the sole to facilitate bending of the sole along such chord line.