Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
  • A43B13/18—Resilient soles
  • A43B13/189—Resilient soles filled with a non-compressible fluid, e.g. gel, water
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
  • A43B13/143—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form provided with wedged, concave or convex end portions, e.g. for improving roll-off of the foot
  • A43B13/145—Convex portions, e.g. with a bump or projection, e.g. 'Masai' type shoes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
  • A43B13/18—Resilient soles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
  • A43B13/18—Resilient soles
  • A43B13/20—Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas
  • A43B13/203—Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas provided with a pump or valve
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/14—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the constructive form
  • A43B13/18—Resilient soles
  • A43B13/20—Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas
  • A43B13/206—Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas provided with tubes or pipes or tubular shaped cushioning members
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/28—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by their attachment, also attachment of combined soles and heels
  • A43B13/36—Easily-exchangeable soles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B17/00—Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined
  • A43B17/02—Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined wedge-like or resilient
  • A43B17/03—Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined wedge-like or resilient filled with a gas, e.g. air
  • A43B17/035—Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined wedge-like or resilient filled with a gas, e.g. air provided with a pump or valve
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
  • A43B3/34—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use with electrical or electronic arrangements
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/1405—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form
  • A43B7/1415—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot
  • A43B7/142—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot situated under the medial arch, i.e. under the navicular or cuneiform bones
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/1405—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form
  • A43B7/1415—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot
  • A43B7/1425—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot situated under the ball of the foot, i.e. the joint between the first metatarsal and first phalange
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/1405—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form
  • A43B7/1415—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot
  • A43B7/1435—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot situated under the joint between the fifth phalange and the fifth metatarsal bone
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/1405—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form
  • A43B7/1415—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot
  • A43B7/144—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot situated under the heel, i.e. the calcaneus bone
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/1405—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form
  • A43B7/1415—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot
  • A43B7/1445—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with pads or holes on one or more locations, or having an anatomical or curved form characterised by the location under the foot situated under the midfoot, i.e. the second, third or fourth metatarsal
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B7/00—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements
  • A43B7/14—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts
  • A43B7/22—Footwear with health or hygienic arrangements with foot-supporting parts with fixed flat-foot insertions, metatarsal supports, ankle flaps or the like

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to footwear such as a shoe, including an
• the shoe sole includes a
• the removable midsole portion may extend the length of the shoe sole or may form only a part of the shoe sole and can
• the removable midsole portion provides the capability to permit replacement of
• the removable midsole portion allows
• the invention further relates to a shoe sole which includes at least one
• non-orthotic removable midsole insert at least one chamber or compartment
• a control system capable of automatically adjusting the pressure in
• shoe designs cause the chronic injuries in the same way they cause ankle sprains
• a pressure-transmitting medium like liquid, gas, or gel
• a still further object of one or more embodiments of the invention is to
• the present invention attempts, as closely as possible, to
• the invention relates to the structure
• this invention are non-orthotic. Even more specifically, this invention relates to the
• this invention relates to support and cushioning
• cushioning are similar in structure to the fat pads of the foot, which
• the invention comprises a sole having at least a portion thereof which is naturally
• the shoe includes a naturally rounded
• one or more embodiments of this invention relate to
• the removable midsole portion of the present invention may be provided
• Figs. 1-10 and 12-75 represent embodiments similar to those disclosed in
• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art conventional athletic shoe to
• FIG. 2 illustrates in a close-up frontal plane cross section of the heel at the
• Fig. 3 shows, in the same close-up cross section as Fig. 2, a naturally
• Fig. 4 shows a rear view of a barefoot heel tilted laterally 20 degrees.
• Fig. 5 shows, in a frontal plane cross section at the ankle joint area of the
• Fig. 6 shows, in a frontal plane cross section, the Fig. 5 design when tilted
• Fig. 7 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the ankle joint area of the
• Fig. 8 is a sequential series of frontal plane cross sections of the barefoot heel at the ankle j oint area.
• Fig. 8 A is an unloaded and upright barefoot heel.
• Fig. 8B is a heel moderately loaded by full body weight and upright.
• Fig. 8C is a heavily loaded heel at peak landing force while running
• Fig. 8D is heavily loaded heel shown tilted out laterally by about 20
• Fig. 9 shows a sequential series of frontal plane cross sections of a shoe
• Fig. 10 shows two perspective views and a close-up view of a part of a
• shoe sole with a structure like the fibrous connective tissue of the groups of fat
• Fig. 10A shows a quartered section of a shoe sole with a structure
• Fig. 10B shows a horizontal plane close-up of the inner structures of an
• Fig. 10C shows a horizontal section of a shoe sole with a structure
• Figs. 1 1A-11C are frontal plane cross-sectional views showing three
• Fig. 1 ID is an exploded view of an embodiment of a removable midsole
• Figs. 1 IE- 1 IF are cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of interlocking interfaces for releasably securing the removable midsole of the
• Fig. 11 G is a frontal plane cross-section of a removable midsole formed
• FIGS. 11H-11 J show other frontal plane sections.
• Fig. 1 IK shows a sagittal plane section and Fig. 1 IL shows a horizontal plane top
• Fig. 11M-1 10 are frontal plane cross-sectional views showing three
• midsole sections and a control system such as a microprocessor.
• Fig. 1 IP is an exploded view of an embodiment of a removable midsole
• Figs. 12A-12C show a series of conventional shoe sole cross sections in
• sipes and in which some or all of the sipes do not originate from any outer shoe
• Fig. 12D shows a similar approach as is shown in Figs. 12A-12C applied
• Figs. 13A-13B show, in frontal plane cross section at the heel area, shoe
• Fig. 14 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel portion of a shoe
• Fig. 15 shows, in frontal plane cross section, the most general case of a
• Figs. 16A-16C show, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, a quadrant-
• Fig. 17 shows a frontal plane cross section at the heel portion of a shoe
• Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 17, but of a shoe with fully rounded sides
• Fig. 19 is a view similar to Fig. 18 where the fully rounded sole thickness
• Fig. 20 is a view similar to Figs. 17-19 wherein the sole thickness varies
• Fig. 21 is a frontal plane cross section showing a density variation in the midsole.
• Fig. 22 is a view similar to Fig. 21 wherein the firmest density material is at the outermost edge of the midsole contour.
• Fig. 23 is a view similar to Figs. 21 and 22 showing still another density variation, one which is asymmetrical.
• Fig. 24 shows a variation in the thickness of the sole for the quadrant-
• Fig. 25 shows a quadrant-sided embodiment as in Fig. 24 wherein the
• Fig. 26 shows a bottom sole tread design that provides a similar density
• FIG. 27 shows embodiments similar to those shown in Figs. 14-16, but
• Fig. 28 shows embodiments of the invention with shoe sole sides having
• Fig. 29 is a frontal plane cross-section showing a shoe sole of uniform
• Figs. 30A-30D show a load-bearing flat component of a shoe sole and a
• Figs. 31 A-3 IB are diagrammatic sketches showing a rounded side sole
• Fig. 32 is a side view of a stable rounded shoe according to the invention.
• Fig. 33 A is a cross-sectional view of the forefoot portion of a shoe sole
• Fig. 33B is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 33B of Figs. 32 and
• Fig. 33C is a cross-sectional view of the heel portion taken along lines
• Fig. 33D is a top view of the shoe sole shown in Fig. 32
• Figs. 34A-34D are frontal plane cross-sectional views of a shoe sole
• Figs. 35 A-35 C show a rounded sole design according to the invention
• Fig. 36 is a diagrammatic frontal plane cross-sectional view of static
• Fig. 37 is a diagrammatic frontal plane view of a plurality of moment
• Fig. 38 shows a design with naturally rounded sides extended to other
• Fig. 39 illustrates a fully rounded shoe sole design extended to the bottom
• Fig. 40 shows a fully rounded shoe sole design abbreviated along the sides
• Fig. 41 illustrates a street shoe with a correctly rounded sole according to the invention and side edges perpendicular to the ground.
• Fig. 42 shows several embodiments wherein the bottom sole includes
• Fig. 43 is a rear view of a heel of a foot for explaining the use of a
• FIG. 44 is a rear view of a conventional athletic shoe unstably rotating
• Figs. 45A-45C illustrate functionally the principles of natural deformation
• Fig. 46 shows variations in the relative density of the shoe sole including
• the shoe insole to maximize an ability of the sole to deform naturally.
• Fig. 47 shows a shoe having naturally rounded sides bent inwardly from a
• Fig. 48 shows a shoe sole having a fully rounded design but having sides
• Fig. 49 shows the theoretically ideal stability plane concept applied to a
• shoe sole such as a shoe sole comprising a forefoot lift.
• Fig. 49 A is a cross sectional view of the forefoot portion taken along line
• Fig. 49B is a view taken along line 49B of Fig. 49D.
• Fig. 49C is a view of the heel along line 49C of Fig. 49D.
• Fig. 49D is a top view of the shoe sole with a thicker forefoot section
• Figs. 50A-50E show a plurality of side sagittal plane cross sectional views
• Fig. 51 shows the use of the theoretically ideal stability plane concept
• Fig. 51 A is a cross sectional view of the forefoot portion taken along line
• Fig. 51 B is a view taken along line 51B ofFig. 51D.
• Fig. 51C is a view taken along the heel along line 51C in Fig. 5 ID.
• Fig. 51 D is a top view of the shoe sole with sides that are abbreviated to
• Fig. 5 IE is a sagittal plane cross section of the shoe sole of Fig. 5 ID.
• Fig. 52 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, the use of a high
• Fig. 53 shows the footprints of the natural barefoot sole and shoe sole.
• Fig. 53 A shows the foot upright with its sole flat on the ground.
• Fig. 53B shows the foot tilted out 20 degrees to about its normal limit.
• Fig. 53C shows a shoe sole of the same size when tilted out 20 degrees to
• Fig. 54 shows footprints like those shown in Figs. 53 A and 53B of a right
• Fig. 55 shows a shoe sole with a lateral stability sipe in the form of a
• Fig. 55 A is a top view of a conventional shoe sole with a corresponding
• Fig. 55B is a cross section of the shoe sole with lateral stability sipe.
• Fig. 55C is a top view like Fig. 55A, but showing the print of the shoe
• Fig. 56 shows a medial stability sipe that is analogous to the lateral sipe
• the head of the first metatarsal and the first phalange are included with the heel to form a medial support section.
• Fig. 57 shows footprints 37 and 17, like Fig. 54. of a right bare foot
• Fig. 58A-D show the use of flexible and relatively inelastic fiber in the
• Fig. 59A-D show the use of flexible inelastic fiber or fiber strands, woven
• Fig. 60A-D show the use of embedded flexible inelastic fiber or fiber
• Fig. 60E shows a frontal plane cross section of a fibrous capsule shell 191
• Fig. 61 shows a view of a bottom sole structure 149, but with no side
• Fig. 62 shows a similar structure to Fig. 61, but with only the section
• Fig. 63 C compares the footprint made by a conventional shoe 35 with the
• Fig. 63D shows an overhead perspective of the actual bone structures of
• Fig. 64 shows on the right side an upper shoe sole surface of the rounded side that is complementary to the shape of the wearer's foot sole; on the left side
• Fig. 64 shows an upper surface between complementary and parallel to the flat
• Fig. 65 indicates the angular measurements of the rounded shoe sole sides
• Fig. 66 shows a shoe sole without rounded stability sides.
• Figs. 67-68 also shows a shoe sole without rounded stability sides.
• Figs. 69A-E show the implications of relative difference in range of
• Fig. 70 shows an invention for a shoe sole that covers the full range of
• Fig. 71 shows an electronic image of the relative forces present at the
• Figs. 72G-H show shoe soles with only one or more of the essential
• Fig. 72G shows a shoe sole combining additional stability corrections 96a
• Fig. 72H shows a shoe sole with symmetrical stability additions 96a and
• Figs. 73A-73D show in close-up sections of the shoe sole various new
• sipes including both slits and channels.
• Fig. 74 shows, in Figs. 74A-74E, a plurality of side sagittal plane cross-
• Fig. 75 shows, in Figs. 75A-75C, a method, known from the prior art, for
• the present invention relates to the provision of a removable midsole
• the removable midsole insert or a removable midsole portion in a shoe sole.
• non-orthotic means that the
• the removable midsole or midsole portion can be used in combination
• midsole portion can also include a combination of features shown in any
• the present invention may replace all or any portion or portions of the various
• Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a shoe, such as a typical athletic shoe
• the athletic shoe 20 includes an upper portion
• Fig. 2 illustrates, in a close-up, a cross-section of a typical shoe of existing
• shoe upper 21 (shown in the thickened and darkened line), while providing no
• lever arm extension since it is flexible instead of rigid, nonetheless creates
• a compression force 150 (a composite of the force of gravity on the body and a sideways motion
• the resulting destabilizing force acts to pull the shoe sole in rotation
• the compression force 150 also creates a
• tension force 155b which is the mirror image of tension force 155a.
• Fig. 3 shows, in a close-up cross section of a naturally rounded design of
• Fig. 4 shows (in a rear view) that, in contrast, the bare foot is naturally
• FIG. 5 shows, in cross section of the upright heel deformed by body
• the shoe upper sides can overlap and be attached to either the
• bottom sole optimally thin and tapering as shown, can extend upward around the
• the attachment of the shoe upper sides should be at or near the lower or
• Fig. 5 The design shown in Fig. 5 is based on a fundamentally different
• the fabric can be reinforced in areas of particularly high tension, like
• the reinforcement can take many forms, such as like that of corners of the jib sail
• the relative density of the shoe sole is as
• stabilized sides design is that it provides natural stability as close to that of the
• Fig. 6 shows a close-up cross-section
• the shoe sole In order to avoid creating unnatural torque on the shoe sole, the shoe
• uppers may be joined or bonded only to the bottom sole, not the midsole, so that
• the bottom sole 149 is preferably thin, at least on the stability sides, so
• Fig. 5 design is for a shoe construction, including: a shoe
• applicant's prior shoe sole inventions such as the naturally rounded shoe sole
• Fig. 7 shows, in cross-section at the heel, the tension-stabilized sides
• Figs. 8A-8D show the natural cushioning of the human bare foot 27, in cross sections at the heel.
• Fig. 8 A shows the bare heel upright and unloaded, with
• Fig. 8B shows the bare heel upright but under the moderate pressure of
• ankle joint such as the knee, hip and back, particularly in the horizontal plane, so that the entire body is properly adjusted to absorb shock correctly.
• Fig. 8D shows the bare foot deformed under full body weight and tilted
• Figs. 9A-9D show, also in cross-sections at the heel, a naturally rounded
• shoe sole design that parallels as closely as possible the overall natural cushioning
• the optimal pressure-transmitting medium is that
• gas under pressure, gas is significantly less optimal.
• the gas, gel, or liquid, or any combination thereof is significantly less optimal.
• the gas, gel, or liquid, or any combination thereof is significantly less optimal.
• thickness of the cushioning compartment 161 can vary, as can the bottom sole
• the optimal relative sizes should be those that approximate most
• cushioning compartments or pads 161 can be placed anywhere from directly
• compartment 161 should be tuned to approximate as closely as possible the
• Fig. 9 conforms to the natural contour of the foot and to the natural
• Fig. 9 provides firm support to foot support structures by providing
• Fig. 9D shows the same shoe sole design when fully loaded and tilted to
• Figs. 9A-D is modified to provide a natural crease or upward taper 162, which
• the joint may be moved up slightly so that the fabric side does not come in contact with the ground, or it may be covered with a coating to provide
• Fig. 9 design provides a structural basis for the
• shoe sole to conform very easily to the natural shape of the human foot and to
• Fig. 9 design could also be
• Fig. 9 shows a shoe construction for a shoe
• elements of the human foot including at least the heel; the compartment or
• compartments contain a pressure-transmitting medium like liquid, gas, or gel;
• the load-bearing is transmitted progressively at least in part to the relatively
• FIGs. 10 A-C focus more on the exact detail of shoe soles modeled after
• FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of cross sections of a part of a rounded shoe sole 28 with a
• the chambers in the foot are structured as
• upper midsole 147 would correspond to the outer surface 167 of the calcaneus 159 and would be the origin of the U shaped whorl chambers 164 noted above.
• Fig. 10B shows a close-up of the interior structure of the large chambers
• compartments are dissipated to other areas of the network of fat pads under any
• cushioning compartment 161 such as the compartment under the heel shown in
• Fig. 9 is subdivided into smaller chambers, like those shown in Fig. 10, then actual contact between the lower surface of the upper midsole 165 and the upper
• Fig. 10 design shows a shoe construction including: a
• the heel including at least the heel; the compartments containing a pressure-transmitting
• the material of the compartments and the pressure-transmitting medium are such
• That shoe sole construction can have shoe sole compartments that are
• socks could be produced to serve the same function, with the
• the sock could be relatively less abrasive than the heel area.
• the invention shown in Figures 11A-11C is a removable and re- insertable, non-orthotic midsole section 145.
• the non-orthotic midsole section 145 is a removable and re- insertable, non-orthotic midsole section 145.
• the non-orthotic midsole section 145 is a removable and re- insertable, non-orthotic midsole section 145.
• midsole section 145 can be attached permanently to adjoining portions of the
• the rounded shoe sole 28 after initial insertion using glue or other common forms of attachment.
• the rounded shoe sole 28 has an upper surface 30 and a lower
• midsole section 145 can be removable
• midsole 145 can also, optionally, include a concavely rounded side, as shown in
• Fig. 11 A or a concavely rounded underneath portion or be conventionally
• All or part of the preferred insole 2 can also be removable or can be integrated into the upper portion of the midsole
• the removable portion or portions of the midsole section 145 can be
• Heel lift 38 is typically formed from cushioning material
• the removable portion of the midsole section 145 can extend the entire
• a heel area as shown in cross-section in Fig. 11G
• a midtarsal area as shown in cross-section in Fig. 11H
• a forefoot area as shown in cross-
• the removable portion and/or midsole section 145 may be fabricated in any way.
• the midsole section 145 as well as other midsole portions of the shoe
• sole such as the midsole 148 and the upper midsole 147, can be fabricated from
• any suitable material such as elastomeric foam materials. Examples of current
• elastomeric foam materials include polyether urethane, polyester
• urethane polyurethane foams
• ethylene vinyl acetate ethylene vinyl acetate/polyethylene copolymer
• polyester elastomers such as Hytrel®.
• fiuoroelastomers chlorinated polyethylene, chlorosulfonated polyethylene,
• propylene polymers polybutadiene, butadiene styrene rubber, and silicone
• shoe sole midsole materials are polyurethanes, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene
• the midsole section 145 itself can incorporate
• Figure 1 ID shows
• Figure 1 ID is a perspective view to indicate the placement of disks or
• a flexible, resilient midsole material such as ethyl vinyl
• EVA acetate
• the disks or capsules may include a gas, gel, liquid or any other
• the cushioning material may optionally be any suitable cushioning material.
• the cushioning material may optionally be any suitable cushioning material.
• the cushioning material may optionally be any suitable cushioning material.
• polyurethane film Other similar materials may also be employed.
• encapsulation can be used to form the cushioning material into an insertable
• the cushioning material for example disks or compartments
• a cushioning compartment or disk 161 can generally be placed anywhere in the removable midsole section 145 or in only a
• one or more compartments or disks 161 may constitute all or substantially all of the midsole section 145. As shown in Figure 1 IL, cushioning disks or
• compartments may also be suitably located at other essential support elements
• midsole section 145 also be incorporated partially or completely in a midsole section 145, such as in
• the Figure 1 ID invention can be made of all mass-
• One of the advantages provided by the removable midsole section 145 of the present invention is that it allows replacement of foamed plastic portions
• the removable midsole section 145 can also be transferred from one
• pair of shoes composed generally of shoe uppers and bottom sole like Figure 1 IC to another pair like Figure 1 IC, providing cost savings.
• the replacement midsole section 145 can be
• midsole or entire midsoles that are firmer, softer, thicker or thinner, either
• Figure 1 ID shows an example of
• Such replacement midsole sections 145 can be made to include density
• Such replacement removable midsole sections 145 can be made to
• Replacement removable midsole sections 145 may be held in position at
• a portion of the midsole material may be fixed in the shoe sole
• the removable midsole section 145 has a lower surface interface 8 with
• the interface 8 would typically
• the interface 8 can also be bounded by non-slip or controlled slippage
• the two surfaces which form the interface 8 can have interlocking
• the removable midsole section 145 of the present invention may be
• the midsole section 145 may be inserted into the interior cavity of the shoe upper and affixed to or
• a bottom sole 149 is first inserted into the interior cavity of the
• sole 149 is then attached to the upper 21, preferably by a stitch that weaves
• an adhesive can be applied to the bottom sole 149.
• bottom sole 149 is inserted into the upper 21.
• 145 can be releasably secured in place by any suitable method, including
• the removable midsole section 145 preferably includes
• the protrusions occupy corresponding recesses in the bottom sole 149.
• the removable midsole section 145 may be glued to affix
• an adhesive can be used on the bottom side of the midsole section 145 to secure the midsole to the bottom sole 149.
• sections 145 may also be employed on the left or right side, respectively.
• pronation-prone wearers on the medial side, or on the lateral side for sports which tend to encourage supination-prone wearers are other potentially
• Individual removable midsole sections 145 can be custom made for a
• Figs. 11M-1 IP show shoe soles with one or more encapsulated midsole
• sections or chambers such as bladders 188 for containing fluid such as a gas
• Figs. 1 1M-1 IP also include the inventor ' s concavely rounded sides as
• Fig. 1 1M shows a non-removable
• the bladders or sections 188 can be any size
• midsole or other suitable material section 161 may be controlled by electric
• Figure 11M shows a shoe sole embodiment with the applicant's
• bladder or encapsulated midsole section 188 located in only a single side and
• the middle portion is also possible, but not shown, as is a an embodiment with a
• bladder or encapsulated midsole section 188 located in both the medial and
• Each of the bladders 188 is
• fluid valve 210 located in midsole section 145, although the location could be
• bladders 188 with one or more midsole sections is also possible but not shown.
• Fig. 1 IM is to provide better lateral or side-to-side stability through the use of
• 1 IM embodiment is to provide a structural means by which to change the
• Each fluid bladder or midsole section 188 may be provided with an
• a control system opens (perhaps only partially) a
• the release of fluid from the fluid bladder or section 188 may be
• the sole of the shoe is divided into zones which roughly
• element can be merged with adjacent zones, such as a lateral metatarsal head
• the pressure sensing system preferably measures the relative change in
• control system 300 receives pressure data from the pressure sensing system and
• the pressure sensing system may include a pressure sensing device 104
• the sole of the shoe disposed in the sole of the shoe at each zone.
• the sole of the shoe disposed in the sole of the shoe at each zone.
• pressure sensing device 104 is a pressure sensitive variable capacitor which
• the dielectric can be made from any suitable material
• flexible conductive plates are preferably covered by a flexible sheath (such as rubber) for added protection.
• a flexible sheath such as rubber
• the dielectric must have a relatively high compression limit and a
• the pressure sensing system also includes pressure sensing circuitry 120
• Each variable capacitor forms part of a conventional frequency-to- voltage converter (FVC) which outputs a voltage proportional to the FVC
• An adjustable reference oscillator may be
• control system 300 to control system 300 via data lines, each of which is connected to control
• control system 300 can control the multiplexer to selectively
• the fluid pressure system selectively reduces the impact of the user's
• each zone, and embedded in the shoe sole is at least one bladder or midsole
• a fluid duct 206 is
• fluid duct is connected at its other end to a fluid reservoir.
• fluid duct is connected at its other end to a fluid reservoir.
• bladder or midsole section 188 connects bladder or midsole section 188 with ambient air, which acts as a
• a flow regulator which in this embodiment is a
• fluid valve 210 is disposed in fluid duct 206 to regulate the flow of fluid
• Fluid valve 210 is adjustable over a range of openings
• variable metering to control the flow of fluid exiting bladder or section
• 188 may be any suitable conventional valve such as a solenoid valve as in
• Control system 300 which preferably includes a programmable
• microcomputer having conventional RAM and/or ROM, receives information
• Control system 300 receives digital data
• Control system 300 is also in communication
• fluid valves 210 to vary the opening of fluid valves 210 and thus control
• control system 300 is in electrical communication with fluid valves 210.
• the preferred programmable microcomputer of control system 300 is the preferred programmable microcomputer of control system 300.
• selected D/A converter receives the data and produces an analog voltage

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• 2000
  • 2000-03-16 CA CA002367633A patent/CA2367633A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-03-16 WO PCT/US2000/006763 patent/WO2000054616A1/en active Search and Examination
  • 2000-03-16 CN CN00807239A patent/CN1372441A/zh active Pending
  • 2000-03-16 EP EP00916352A patent/EP1182944A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-03-16 JP JP2000604709A patent/JP2002538866A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-03-16 AU AU37468/00A patent/AU3746800A/en not_active Abandoned

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