GB1573573A - Footwear sole with non-slip tread profile - Google Patents

Description

(54) FOOTWEAR SOLE WITH NON-SLIP TREAD PROFILE (71) I, HERBERT FUNCK, a citizen of Luxembourg residing at Am Wasserbogen 43, D-8032 Grafelfing-Lochham, West Germany, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a Patent may be granted to me and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention concerns a footwear sole -which is designed to support the natural rolling motion of the wearer's foot and which has a non-slip tread profile.

During walking, the natural, physiologically correct rolling motion of the foot should progress from the heel along the outer ball of the foot (little toe ball) towards the inner ball (bigtoe ball) to the big toe, which is on the inner side of the foot. This natural rolling motion can be supported and assisted by giving an appropriate shape to the shoe, the sole, or to inserted socks or liners. For example, for this purpose the sole of the shoe may be made thicker or stronger in the area of the ball of the foot in the vicinity of the outer edge of the sole than on the inwardly situated side thereof so as to impart a certain inwardly directed slant to the wearer's foot.

In non-slip soles with a tread profile formed by ribs, ridges, studs, spikes or the like, an economically unjustifiably large amount of additional material is needed for the reinforcement of the entire sole in the outwardly situated regions thereof.

The present invention aims to provide an improved footwear sole with a non-slip tread profile which supports the natural rolling motion of the wearer's foot without requiring major quantities of additional material for this purpose.

According to the invention, there is provided a footwear sole designed to support the natural rolling motion of the wearer's foot, the sole having a tread profile formed by non-slip elements, at least a portion of the elements along the outside edge of the sole with respect to the wearer's foot which lie beneath the weightreceiving or stepping area of the little toe ball projecting further from the sole than the elements at the inside edge of the sole which lie beneath the weight-receiving or stepping area of the big toe ball in use.

The sole of the invention has the advantage over similar conventional tread profile soles that only the actually projecting parts of the tread profile are given increased height, thereby achieving considerable savings with regard to expensive sole material as well as a significant weight reduction.

Thanks to the greater depth of the tread pro file in the region of the sole which is the first to receive the weight or load of the forefoot when this is put down, the new sole has even further improved non-slip properties. Conveniently, the elevation difference between outer and inner tread profile regions are approximately of the order of 1 to 3 mm, because it is within this range that orthopaedically beneficial support is provided to assist the rolling motion of the foot.

One example of execution of the present invention is hereinafter more specifically described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a non-slip tread profile sole, and Figure 2 shows the sole according to Figure 1 in cross section taken along the line A-B.

In Figure 1, the arrow 2 indicates the characteristic natural rolling motion involved during walking from the heel 3 of the sole 1 along the outer, little toe ball towards the inner, big toe ball and the big toe itself. In the outer sole region 5 beneath the ball of the little toe, the tread profile elements, that is to say the ridges, ribs, studs or like formations, are taller by about 1 to 3 mm than the corresponding tread profile elements in the inwardly situated sole region 4 which is beneath the ball of the big toe.

As may be noted from Figure 2, it is possible in such a sole 1 that only the profile elements 6 in the region of the outside margin are made taller to form a step of elevation H whilst the profile elements 7 in the middle region of the sole as well as in the inner sole region have the same height. Alternatively the tread profile elements may become gradually and progressively taller from the inside edge towards the outside edge of the sole.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A footwear sole designed to support the natural rolling motion of the wearer's foot, the sole having a tread profile formed by non-slip elements, at least a portion of the elements along the outside edge of the sole with respect to the wearer's foot which lie beneath the weight-receiving or stepping area of the little toe ball projecting further from the sole than the elements at the inside edge of the sole which lie beneath the weight-receiving or stepping area of the big toe ball in use.

2. A footwear sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of the elements along the outside edge of the sole project from lmm to 3mm further from the sole than said elements at the inside edge of the sole.

3. A footwear sole as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-slip elements are ridges or studs.

4. A footwear sole substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the big toe. As may be noted from Figure 2, it is possible in such a sole 1 that only the profile elements 6 in the region of the outside margin are made taller to form a step of elevation H whilst the profile elements 7 in the middle region of the sole as well as in the inner sole region have the same height. Alternatively the tread profile elements may become gradually and progressively taller from the inside edge towards the outside edge of the sole. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A footwear sole designed to support the natural rolling motion of the wearer's foot, the sole having a tread profile formed by non-slip elements, at least a portion of the elements along the outside edge of the sole with respect to the wearer's foot which lie beneath the weight-receiving or stepping area of the little toe ball projecting further from the sole than the elements at the inside edge of the sole which lie beneath the weight-receiving or stepping area of the big toe ball in use.

2. A footwear sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least a portion of the elements along the outside edge of the sole project from lmm to 3mm further from the sole than said elements at the inside edge of the sole.

3. A footwear sole as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-slip elements are ridges or studs.

4. A footwear sole substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.