EP0574432A1

EP0574432A1 - Sports shoe sole

Info

Publication number: EP0574432A1
Application number: EP92905202A
Authority: EP
Inventors: David John Miers
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-02-25
Filing date: 1992-02-25
Publication date: 1993-12-22
Also published as: JPH06509240A; BR9205669A; EP0574432A4; WO1992014373A1

Abstract

Semelle de chaussure comprenant une partie en forme de semelle (1) pourvue d'une extrémité ou d'un bout avant (2) et d'une extrémité arrière ou de talon (3), d'un côté médian interne (1a) et d'un côté latéral externe (1b). Des protubérances (5) en forme de lames s'étendent vers le bas à partir de la semelle (1) et sont disposées à un angle par rapport à une ligne longitudinale (4) allant du bout (2) au talon (3) de la semelle (1). Les protubérances angulaires fournissent une meilleure prise au côté externe du pied d'un utilisateur lorsque celui-ci est en train de tourner. La hauteur des protubérances (20) diminue progressivement à partir du talon (13) de la semelle vers le bout avant (12). Les protubérances (5) sont disposées en rangées qui s'étendent transversalement par rapport à la semelle (1), du côté médian (1a) au côté latéral (1b) de celle-ci. La semelle comprend au moins une zone de flexion transversale située à proximité ou au niveau de l'emplacement du creux du pied, et une zone de flexion longitudinale s'étendant le long de la ligne généralement centrale (4) de la semelle (1), du bout avant (2) jusqu'au talon (3).Shoe sole comprising a sole-shaped part (1) provided with a front end or end (2) and a rear end or heel (3), on an internal median side (1a) and on an external lateral side (1b). Blade-like protrusions (5) extend downward from the sole (1) and are arranged at an angle to a longitudinal line (4) running from the tip (2) to the heel (3) of the sole (1). The angular protrusions provide a better grip on the outer side of a user's foot when the user is spinning. The height of the protrusions (20) gradually decreases from the heel (13) of the sole towards the front end (12). The protrusions (5) are arranged in rows which extend transversely with respect to the sole (1), from the median side (1a) to the lateral side (1b) thereof. The sole comprises at least one transverse flexion zone located near or at the location of the hollow of the foot, and a longitudinal flexion zone extending along the generally central line (4) of the sole (1) , from the front end (2) to the heel (3).

Description

SPORTS SHOE SOLE This invention relates, in general terms, to shoe soles, and more particularly, but not exclusively, relates to sports shoe soles having formations on the bottom surfaces thereof intended to promote more effective, or improved, grip on or with a playing surface.

Sports shoes having soles of the general type referred to in the preceding paragraph are well known. Such sports shoes are usually provided with soles having a patterned surface, with the nature and extent of such patterning being dependent upon the intended usage for such shoes. By way of example only, clearly the patterning would be different for a shoe intended for use on a playing surface which would always be firm, as for example synthetic and/or indoor sports surfaces such as synthetic tennis courts, basketball courts, etc., as compared with playing surfaces, in particular surfaces exposed to the elements, wherein the texture, degree of firmness, etc. can vary markedly dependent upon ambient weather conditions, h . a practical sense, and by way of example only, quite dearly the amount, and type, of "grip" needed for playing a sport such as football on a natural grassed surface would be totally different to that needed for playing basketball on an inside court (generally in the form of a timber floor). Furthermore, the type - in terms of size, etc. - of patterning must change from surface to surface. With a tennis court or internal playing surface for example, care must be taken to mi_n__mise, if not remove altogether, the possibility of unwanted damage thereto. One problem normally associated with the use of patterned surfaces on sports shoe soles arises from the fact that such patterned surfaces, of what might be termed the conventional type, have been found to provide substantially the same factional engagement with the relevant playing surface more or less regardless of the direction of what might be termed the factional force vector acting on the sole itself during the course of normal usage. From a practical point of view it should be realised that the factional forces acting or prevalent can vary markedly dependent upon the task being performed by the wearer of the shoe, as for example running in a straight line, turning, accelerating from rest or decelerating, etc.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET The present invention seeks to provide an improvement over the known art in the form of a sports shoe sole providing substantially improved factional engagement with a playing surface, more especially during any turning movement. The arrangement in accordance with the present invention is intended particularly, but not exdusively, for use on playing surfaces which are not susceptible to variations in firmness, texture, ete. by virtue of changing climatic conditions, as for ©cample so-called Astro-turf or en-tout cas as used in tennis courts, etc. It should be realised, however, that the arrangement in accordance with the present invention can be appropriately adapted so as to be usable on any playing surface, indoor or outdoor, artificial or natural.

In accordance with the present invention, therefore, a shoe sole induding a sole portion having respective forward toe and rearward heel ends, an inner medial side (as herein defined) and an outer lateral side (as herein defined), said sole portion induding a plurality of shaped longitudinally spaced-apart members projecting downwardly therefrom, each said member being disposed at an angle to a line extending substantially longitudinally of said sole portion from said toe end to said heel end, each said member extending downwardly from said sole portion to an elongated and relatively thin lowermost free end, and wherein said members are disposed in substantially parallel relationship along substantially the entire longitudinal dimension of said shoe.

Each member or projection has a height defined as the distance from the sole portion to the lower extremity and the height of the projections nearer to the toe end may be less than the height of those projections doser to the heel end. Preferably the height reduction is progressive towards the toe end.

At least one of the projections on the medial side, and more preferably at least that projection nearest to the toe end, may have an outer corner at the end of the lower extremity or free end thereof which is nearer to the medial side of the sole portion which is displaced towards the lateral side of the sole portion and away from the line of the medial side. This enables a ball to be kicked with the inside of the foot so as to loft the ball without the projections on the medial striking the

SUBSTITUTE SHEET ball first.

There may be provided at least one, but preferably more - than one, transverse flexing zone across the sole portion at or in the vicinity of the location of the ball of the foot, the or each such transverse flexing zone not having any projections thereon nor containing portions of any projections. Such a construction enables the sole portion to bend across the ball of the foot, thereby enabling the foot to bend along its natural transverse flexing line. More particularly, by providing more than one such transverse flexing zone, the overall flexibility of the sole is greatly enhanced, improving both the comfort and performance of the overall shoe.

In one possible embodiment suitable for most sports, each of the projections on the lateral and medial sides is angled obliquely across the sole portion, with the end of each projection nearer to the medial side being located forwardly and doser to the toe end of the sole portion. In an alternative embodiment, suitable particularly for sports in which there is much forward pushing or forward acceleration, at least one of the projections on the medial side and at least one of the projections on the lateral side may extend transverse and normal to the general longitudinal line of the sole portion, the medial and lateral projections normal to the longitudinal line being located towards the toe end of the sole portion forwardly of the angled projections whereby forward force at the toe end of the sole portion is borne by the projections normal to the longitudinal line. The projections may be described as "blade-like" because, when viewed in underneath plan, they do not appear circular like standard stops or studs, or even square, but are preferably elongated and relatively thin. The average length of the parallel or long sides of each projection is always larger than the average width of the projection.

Projections thus shaped are more easily pushed into the ground, to provide improved grip. They also provide a large area to push against when orientated generally transversely of the direction of pushing force. In contrast thereto, a standard so-called stop is rounded and cuts its way through the ground, offering reduced resistance. This

SUBSTITUTE SHEET is a disadvantage to the wearer since maximum grip is desirable. The blade-like projections of the present invention give far more grip than standard round stops, when orientated so the largest cross-sectional area thereof is generally normal to the direction of travel or of pushing force.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more dearly understood and put into practical effect there shall now be described in detail a preferred embodiment of a sports shoe sole in accordance with the invention. The ensuing description is given by way of non-limitative example only and is with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereiiu

Fig. 1 illustrates an underneath plan view of a left-foot shoe sole in accordance with the present invention;

Fig.2 represents a bottom perspective view, taken from one side, of the sole of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 represents a view similar to Fig. 2, but taken from the other side, of an alternative embodiment of a shoe sole in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 4 represents an underneath plan view of yet another embodiment of a shoe sole in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A sports shoe sole according to the present invention indudes a sole portion, generally designated 1, having respective forward or toe and rearward or heel ends 2 and 3 and with an (imaginary) line - designated 4 - extending substantially longitudinally of the sole portion 1 generally from the toe end 2 to the rear end 3 thereof. The sole portion 1 furthermore indudes so-called inner medial and outer lateral sides la and lb respectively. Throughout the ensuing description the expressions "in a medial side" and/or "in a medial edge" of the sole portion 1 are intended to refer to that side la of the sole portion 1 which is nearer to the sole portion to be worn on the other foot of the user. In other words, and this with reference to Fig. 1, the medial side la for purposes of the ensuing description is the left-hand side as illustrated, whilst the lateral side lb is the right hand side as

SUBSTITUTE SHEET illustrated.

In the preferred embodiment as illustrated, for example, in Figs. 1 and 2, a sole in accordance with the present invention indudes a plurality of shaped blade-like projections 5 disposed thereon and extending downwardly therefrom. Each projection 5 as illustrated extends downwardly from the sole portion 1 to an elongated and relatively thin lower extremity or surface 6. The shaped projections 5 have substantially upright front faces 7 which face generally towards the toe end 2 of the shoe and which provide a reaction to rearwardly directed factional forces. The upright faces 7 are inclined or disposed at an angle to the substantially longitudinal line 4 extending along the length of the sole from the front toe end 2 to Hie rear heel end 3 thereof, with the edge of each front face 7 nearer to the medial side la being forward of the opposite edge of the front face 7 nearer to the lateral side lb. The projections 5 are suffi ently numerous and located so that, first of all, there are projections provided across at least the inner medial side la of the sole portion 1, and preferably across substantially the full width of the sole portion 1 from the medial side la to the lateral side lb, and secondly the frictional force vectors acting on the sole portion 1 and directed from the lateral side lb of the toe end 2 towards the medial side la of the rear end 3 across several of those projections 5.

In an especially preferred embodiment, as illustrated for example in Figs. 1 and 2, there are provided a plurality of rows, a-k, of discrete projections 5, arranged substantially collinearly across the width of the sole portion 1, with adjacent projections 5 in each such row a-k being disposed at an angle to said substantially longitudinal line 4. In the arrangement as illustrated each projection 5 is arranged so as to extend normally from the surface of the sole portion, such that there is a finite space 8 provided between adjacent pairs of said projections 5.

In an especially preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the spacing

8 between adjacent pairs of projections 5 will be substantially constant.

In yet an alternative embodiment, not shown, the projections may take the form of a plurality of parallel-disposed yet spaced-apart members, each member or projection extending

SUBSTITUTE SHEET substantially across the entire width of the sole portion, but again at an angle to the longitudinal line. I other words, with such an arrangement the or each projection can take the form of a single member extending substantially laterally of said sole, from the medial side to the lateral side thereof. In a variation of that alternative arrangement, again not shown, each such member can indude at least one, and preferably a plurality, of spaced-apart discontinuities at the free end thereof.

With arrangements of the aforementioned type it has been found that the front faces 7, or in other words those which face generally towards the lateral side lb of the toe end 2 of the shoe, provide greater factional grip on the outside foot of the user during a tttrning motion, for example. This comes about by reason of the fact that the front faces 7 will be disposed substantially at right angles to the direction of the frictional reaction force applied by the playing surface and acting on the projections 5 themselves during any turning movement. The front faces 7 of the projections 5 are such as to provide the optimum fbrwardly-facing area substantially at right angles to the direction in which the user is pushing, thereby maximising the grip of or of the outside foot during a turning movement. Conversely, the other foot of the user - which will be on the inside during any turning movement - will have the front faces 7 of the projections 5 thereof extending in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the frictional forces, so that the sole of the inside foot provides less grip than the sole of the outside foot during any turning movement, at least until such time as the wearer "straightens up" out of a turn. It is this variation in grip which provides what might be termed a differential turning effect, which results in any turning action being smoother and more effident. In perhaps a more practical vein, this effect can minimise the likelihood of or onset of injury, since the weight of the user is distributed more correctly during a turning movement, which a greater force being applied through the outside leg or foot. In a strict mechanical sense, the benefits of such should be self-evident.

In an especially preferred embodiment, the or each projection 5 disposed at or in the vicinity of the ball of the foot and at the medial side of the sole portion 1 will be expected to come under

SUBSTITUTE SHEET most pressure during a turning movement of the shoe wearer. Such projections will therefor preferably be substantially thickened on that side dosest to the heel end 3, whereby to mix mise the possibility of buckling. Furthermore, such projection^) may be undercut, whereby to enhance grip thereof with the relevant surface during any flexing of the shoe sole, which could be expected to come about during, for example, a turning movement.

In a further alternative, the actual sole portion 1 will exhibit thickening at or in the vicinity of the projection(s) 5 referred to in the preceding paragraph. Such selective thickening has been found to add to the comfort of the wearer, since that region of the foot to be subjected to the most pressure or load during any turning movement will be the most heavily padded.

The sole portion 1 may extend continuously from the toe end 2 to the heel end 3 and the projections 5 preferably may be provided throughout the complete toe to heel length. However it is possible for the projections 5 to be provided only from the toe 2 end to a region of the sole portion in the vicinity of the instep, with the heel portion being free of projections or alternatively induding thereon projections of a different type, as for example those currently in vogue in accord with the known art. Preferably the arrangement of the projections on the left shoe are a mirror image of the pattern of projections on the right shoe.

In a preferred embodiment, the projections 5 are provided in a plurality of transverse and substantially parallel lines, preferably extending across substantially the full width from the medial side la to the lateral side lb. The projections 5 in each line may be separated by relatively narrow slots or spaces 8. The separation of the individual projections 5 enables the sole portion 1 to be flexed in a natural manner aσoss one or more lines of flexing without the projections 5 providing unacceptably high resistance to flexing.

The lines of projections a-k, in the preferred embodiment of Figs 1 and 2, may be substantially parallel and may, for example, be arranged at an angle of between 30 ' and 60 ^* to the longitudinal line 4. In the preferred embodiment, the lines a-k of projections 5 extend at

SUBSTITUTE SHEET about 45^* to the longitudinal line 4 so that frictional force vectors directed from the lateral side lb of the toe end 2 towards the medial side la- of the rear end 3 at about 45" to the longitudinal line 4 cross the front faces 7 of the projections 5 at about 90 ^* . At this angle of the frictional force the projections 5 will provide maximum resistance to the frictional forces applied by the playing surface so that the maximum frictional force on the outside foot during turning is possible when the force is at about 45^* to the longitudinal line 4 of the outside foot.

Similarly, at this angle of turning the forces on the inside foot can be generally along the lines a-k of projections 5 and at this angle there will be minimal resistance to frictional force.

The slots or spaces 8 separating adjacent projections 5 in each transverse row or line may be substantially at right angles to the general plane of the sole portion 1. The plane of each slot or space 8 may be angled relative to the longitudinal line 4, e.g. at between 60 ^* and 90^* to that line.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the projections 5 have generally fiat bottom faces 6 which are preferably parallel to the bottom surface 9 of the sole portion 1. These bottom faces 6 are adapted to engage with the playing surface and provide support and, when bearing against the playing surface, contribute to the frictional engagement between the sole portion 1 and the playing surface. The total area of the flat bottom faces 6 of all of the projections 5 may be between 20% and 50% of the total area of the sole portion 1 and may be greater than 50% for some playing surfaces, such as synthetic tennis courts. In one possible embodiment the flat bottom faces 6 may provide from 25% to 40%, and preferably from 30% to 35%, of the total sole area.

Although in the preferred embodiment the projections 5 are provided in a plurality of transverse lines a-k, it is possible in an alternative embodiment to provide projections which are staggered relative to adjacent projections, and furthermore to arrange for the size of the pacing 8 between adjacent projections to vary. With this arrangement the front faces 7 can face generally towards the lateral side lb of the toe end 3 as described above, but when viewed along a line from the medial toe end towards the lateral rear end there need not be

SUBSTITUTE SHEET relatively large open channels or dear zones without projections.

The projections 5 may taper slightly so as to be thicker at their bases. The projections 5 increase in thickness as they approach the surface of the sole 1, eventually merging into the sole 1. The sole and projections 5 are moulded in one piece so that the tapering of each projection 5 gives maximum strength thereto and prevents a potential split line being created at the join of the sole and the projection. The rate of increase in thickness of the projections 5, while being generally similar, may vary from row to row and even from one side to another on some projections. This variation is because the projections need to have sides as steep as possible to penetrate the ground and give grip, but they also need support so they do not bend and buckle under the pressure of running and turning. This will provide some additional strength to the projections. Alternatively, the projections may be substantially rectangular in cross-section from top to bottom thereof.

The thickness of the protrusion(s) at or in the vicinity of the ball of the foot may be mύr mised at its inner and while being thickened for strength towards .the medial side. This si to mmimise the amount of non bending area of the sole in this important bending zone. The protrusions will not flex as the sole flexes.

The projections 5 may be between 3 mm and 20 mm in height. Each projection may be for example between 10 mm and 25 mm in length (measured along the line of the front face) and between 3 mm and 8 mm in thickness. If desired, the projections 5 nearer to the toe end 2 may have a lesser height than the projections 5 towards the rear end 3. The heights may progressively reduce towards the toe end 2 so as to provide a more natural feel for the wearer and particularly during forward running action where contact of the toe end 2 with the playing surface provides the most feel for the wearer.

Preferably the sole portion 1 is made in one integral piece, e.g. of resilient rubber or plastics material. Alternatively, however, the projections or projecting members 5 may be removably attached to the sole portion 1 in any known manner. The majority, if not all, of the projections 5 have faces

SUBSTITUTE SHEET which thicken towards the sole portion with a profile which is generally hyperbolic or parabolic with the maximum steepness being at or dose to the lower bottom face or free end 6, so that the faces 6 of the projections at the lower extremities are the dosest to being normal to the general plane 9 of the sole portion 1. This is in fact preferably true all the way along the height of the projections. The formulae describing the hyperbolas or parabolas on the projections 5 may vary from projection to projection and side to side, because of the various roles they play in running and turning and the various pressures exerted thereon and thereby.

The medial projection 5' as shown in Fig. 3 has an outer corner 20 at the end of the lower extremity 6 which is nearer to the medial side la of the sole portion 1. The outer corner 20 may be displaced towards the lateral side lb of the sole portion 1 and away from the line of the medial side la. The medial projection 5' has an outer end extending from the outer corner 20 to the sole portion 1, the outer end being inclined to the general plane 9 of the sole portion 1 so that the outer end extends substantially from the medial edge la of the sole portion 1. The medial projections) 5' is nearest to the toe end 2 of the sole portion 1 whereby a shoe having the sole portion 1 secured thereto can be used to strike a ball with the inside of the foot without the medial projection 5' striking the ball before the inside of the foot. To explain this further, there is a particular kicking action in soccer, for example, that relies upon the inside of the footwear coming into contact with the ball. In particular, the foot may need to be angled to reach under the ball and impart loft. If the projection 5' at the forward end and at the inside, i.e. nearest to the major toe, extends in the medial direction to be generally immediately vertically below the inner edge la of the sole portion 1, the point of that projection 5' at its lower extremity would contact the ground or the ball first and may limit the ability of the user to place the foot under the ball to produce the desired loft. Preferably the projection 5' nearest to the toe end 2 of the sole portion 1 and at the medial side la of the sole has its outer edge tapered or chamfered. The second medial projection 5' counting from the toe end

SUBSTITUTE SHEET 2 of the sole portion 1 also may have an outer corner displaced laterally away from the medial side la of the sole portion 1 and towards the lateral side lb.

Having the ability to flick mud off a sole is one of the advantages of this style of boot. Aspects affecting this indude the flexing of the sole portion 1 which is preferably of rubber or suitable plastics material, the spacing 8 between the projections 5 and the amount of space in the centre of the sole unoccupied by projections 5.

The shoe sole 1 may indude a longitudinal flexing zone extending along the general centre line 4 of the sole portion 1 from the toe end 2 to the rear end 3. The longitudinal flexing zone preferably contains no portions of any projections os that the sole portion 1 can fle along the general centre line 4 enabling the projections on opposite sides of the longitudinal flexing zone to move apart slightly during such flexing and enable mud to be dislodged from the shoe sole in use.

In Figs 3 and 4 transverse flexing zones 31 and 32 extend across the sole portion at, or in the vicinity of, the location of the ball of the foot. The zones 31 and 32 do not have any projections 5 thereon nor contain portions of any projections. This enables the sole portion 1 to bend across the ball of the foot enabling the foot to bend along its natural transverse flexing line. In most movements, the foot needs to bend across the ball of the foot. The projections 5' provide a strong resistance to bending, so if they are positioned in these zones 31 and 32, they resist bending on the natural flexing line, making the sole fed more rigid to the user and restricting performance.

For a variety of reasons, induding m imising the likelihood of damage to other players and/or the playing surface, the projections 5 preferably will have rounded edges as appropriate, exhibiting no sharp edges which could constitute a cutting edge or surface. Finally, it is to be understood that the aforegoing description refers merely to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that variations and modifications will be possible thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the ambit of which is to be determined from the following claims.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Claims

C AIMS

1. A shoe sole induding a sole portion having respective foεward toe and rearward heel ends, an inner medial side (as hereinbefore defined) and an outer lateral side (as hereinbefore defined), said sole portion induding a plurality of shaped longitudinally spaced- apart members projecting downwardly therefrom, each said member being disposed at an angle to a line extending substantially longitudinally of said sole portion from said toe end to said heel end, each said member extending downwardly from said sole portion to an elongated and relatively thin lowermost free end, and wherein said members are disposed in substantially parallel relationship along substantially the entire longitudinal dimension of said shoe.

2. The shoe sole according to claim 1, wherein said projecting members are in the form of a plurality of parallel-disposed, spaced apart substantially continuous members each extending across said sole portion, at said angle to said longitudinal line, across the entire width of said sole portion, from said medial side to said lateral side thereof.

3. The shoe sole according to claim 2, wherein each said substantially continuous member indudes at least one discontinuity at said lower free end thereof.

4. The shoe sole according to claim 3, induding a plurality of said discontinuities in each said member.

5. The shoe sole according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein each discontinuity extends from the lower free end of the or each said projecting member to the surface of said sole portion, thereby providing a row of a plurality of discrete, spaced-apart projections extending downwardly from said sole portion and collinearly across said shoe at said angle to said longitudinal line.

6. The shoe sole according to claim 5, wherein each of said plurality of collinearly arranged projections is of the same general dimension, with substantially constant spacing between adjacent pairs of collinearly arranged projections.

7. The shoe sole according to claim. 5, wherein each of said plurality of collinearly arranged projections is of substantially the same general dimension but wherein, in at least one of said rows of

SUBSTITUTE SHEET collinearly-arranged projections, the spacing provided between at least one pair of adjacent projections is enlarged, whereby to provide a substantial void therebetween, said void constituting a flexure zone for said sole.

8. The shoe sole according to claim 7, wherein the or each said projection is disposed at an angle relative to said generally longitudinal line so that an outer end nearer to the medial side of said sole portion is located forwardly of a centre end of that angled projection remote from said medial side of said sole portion, said angled medial projection thereby providing increased grip for the outside foot of a wearer during turning movement as a result of extending normal to or being relatively dose to being normal to the direction of pushing force on said angled medial projection during such turning movement.

9. The shoe sole according to claim 8, wherein each member has a height, defined as the distance from the surface of said sole portion to said lower extremity, with the height of each said member being substantially the same.

10. The shoe sole according to claim 8, wherein the height of those projections nearer to said toe end is less than the height of those projections nearer to said heel end.

11. The shoe sole according to claim 10, wherein the height of said projections progressively reduces from said heel end of said sole portion towards said toe end.

12. The shoe sole according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the height of said projections is in the range of from 3 mm to 20 mm.

13. The shoe sole according to claim 12, wherein each projection has a length (when measured along the line of the front face thereof) of between 10 and 25 mm and a thickness of between 3 mm and 8 mm.

14. The shoe sole according to any one of the preceding claims, made in one integral piece of a resilient rubber or plastics material.

15. The shoe sole according to any one of claims 1 to 13, where said members or projections are each removable from said sole portion.

16. The shoe sole according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said members/projections indude a taper so as to be thidcer at

SUBSTITUTE SHEET their base, where connected to said sole portion, than at their lowermost

17. The shoe sole according to claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination of said members to said longitudinally extending line is in the range of from 30 ^* to 60 ^* .

18. The shoe sole according to claim 17, wherein said angle of indination is 45 ^* .

19. The shoe sole according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each member/projection in elevation is generally trapezium- shaped, one of the two parallel sides of the trapezium being attached to the sole portion and the other being the lowermost free end that comes into contact with the ground so that the lowermost free end of each member indudes a lower edge substantially parallel to the sole portion.

20. The shoe sole according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein said members/projections are substantially rectangular when viewed in elevation.

21. The shoe sole according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the total area of said flat lower edge surfaces of said members is from 20% to 50% of the total area of the bottom surface of said sole.

22. The shoe sole according to claim 1, wherein said members are arranged in staggered fashion across said shoe sole, with adjacent ones of said projections not being arranged collinearly.

23. The shoe sole according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of said projections has an outer corner at the end of said lower free end which is nearer to said medial side of said sole portion, and said outer corner is displaced towards said lateral side of said sole portion and away from the line of said medial side.

24. The shoe sole according to claim 23, wherein said medial projection which has its outer corner displaced towards said lateral side has an outer end extending from said outer corner to said sole portion, said outer end being inclined to the general plane of said sole portion so that said outer end extends substantially from said medial edge of said sole portion.

25. The shoe sole according to claim 23 or claim 24, wherein that medial projection nearest to said toe end of said sole portion is

SUBSTITUTE SHEET provided with said laterally displaced outer corner whereby a shoe having the sole portion thereof secured thereto can be used to strike a ball with the inside of the foot without said medial projection with said laterally displaced outer corner striking the ball before the inside of the foot.

26. The shoe sole according to claim 25, wherein the second medial projection counting from said toe end of said sole portion also has an outer corner displaced laterally away from said medial side of said sole portion and towards said lateral side.

27. The shoe sole according claim 26, wherein all the projections not having their outer corners displaced laterally extend at their lower free ends substantially completely to the adjacent edge of said sole portion.

28. The shoe sole according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein there is provided at least one transverse flexing zone across said sole portion at or in the vicinity of the location of the ball of the foot, the or each said transverse flexing zone not having any projections thereon nor containing portions of any projections and thereby enabling the sole portion to bend across the ball of the foot thereby enabling the foot to bend along its natural transverse flexing line.

29. The shoe sole according to claim 28, induding at least one longitudinal flexing zone extending along a general centre line of said sole portion from said toe end to said rear end, the or each longitudinal flexing zone containing no portions of any projections so as to enable the sole portion to flex along the general centre line and enabling the projections on opposite sides of the longitudinal flexing zone to move apart slightly during such flexing and enable mud to be dislodged from the shoe sole in use. 30 A shoe induding a sole as claimed in claim 1.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET