GB2203025A - Improvements in or relating to sports or casual shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

In a structure for the sole of shoes suitable for use in sports or any casual wear, the sole 33-36 is provided with spherical bodies 32 at the front portion and/or at the heel portion thereof, such that the softness and hardness can be adjusted to enhance the elasticity of the sole of the shoes by virtue of the fact that the spherical bodies can be inflated or replaced, thereby obtaining a shock absorbing effect to relieve impact during running and fatigue after long walking. The spherical bodies are inserted into holes 15 from inside the shoe and are provided with an inflation port or valve for liquid or gas. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SPORTS OR CASUAL SHOES This invention relates to sports shoes or causal shoes. Generally speaking, most people subject their bodies to varying degress of impact during exercise.

Various professional data show that the forces exerted on the heel and front sole of the foot during running is three to four times higher than that during walking in the usual manner. Hence, there will be an impact three to four times higher than the individual body weight exerted on the body from the ground, resulting in many sports injuries or making the exercisers exhausted.

Accordingly, commercially available sports shoes, suitable for running or jogging, or casual shoes, suitable for walking, have various designs. The soles of such shoes, however, usually do not match individual requirements of the exercisers to obtain the desired elasticity.

It is an object of the invention to reduce or overcome the disadvantages of conventional shoes so as to relieve the impact on the heel and front sole of the foot during exercise, thereby reducing injuries or fatigue.

According to the present invention there is provided a sports shoe or casual shoe, having an upper and a sole, the sole comprising an outer sole, an inserted heel, a mid-sole and an inner-sole pad, wherein the inserted heel, mid-sole and inner-sole pad are formed with one or more holes in the heel and front portion of the sole, and wherein a spherical body or bodies is(are) received in said hole(s) and can be inserted from the inner-sole pad of the shoe through the mid-sole and inserted heel so that the foot, when present, and the inside of the outer sole make tangents to the body (bodies). The or each spherical body may be inflatable and/or replaceable by a similar body in order to accommodate individual body weights and habits of exercise.For wearers who prefer hard soles, the spherical bodies may be filled with an increased volume of air; for those who prefer soft soles, the spherical bodies can be softened by pumping some air therefrom.

Furthermore, the elasticity of the sole may also be adjusted by replacing the inflatable spheres with solid fibreglass spherical bodies of different hardnesses (in three different hardnesses of 350, 450, or 559)- to accommodate individual habits of exercise. The geometrical arc of the spherical bodies of the present invention are in direct contact with the wearer's feet at both heel and step points and through the outsole to the ground over a minimum of area and the wearer's feet and the outsole lie at tangents to the spherical bodies, unlike other designs of non-spherical bodies which cannot contact the feet and the ground simultaneously, or cannot be inflated freely or replaced.

In the structure of ordinary sports or casual shoes, each shoe is constructed with an upper and a sole of the length from the heel to the toes, the sole comprising an outer sole, an inserted heel (also known as a wedge) a mid-sole (usually made of a layer of fibre board called "Texon") and an insole pad (removable insole).

As indicated above, the sole of the present invention is formed with one or more punched holes which directly penetrate from the insole pad to the outer sole through the mid-sole and the inserted heel. These holes are provided so that the wearer may insert small balls of different diameters and durometer hardness into the space to provide adequate elasticity and support during activity.

It is important that the foot and the ground, through the outsole, only make direct contact with the spherical body which then becomes more pliable, thereby increasing the cushioning effect of the sole.

The structure of the sole according to the present invention enables the impacting force from the ground to be evenly distributed over the surface of the spherical bodies; and, since they are inflatable, the sole becomes just like the tyre of an automobile, with the outer sole being compared to the tyre, and the spherical shock-absorbing body or bodies being compared to the inner tube which can be inflated to maintain a given elasticity. In addition, the weight of the shoe itself is reduced, because the punched portions are supplemented by spherical bodies with air sacs; air being lighter than EVA or PU, the materials of which the inserted heel is usually made. During exercise, the ligher the shoes, the greater the benefits to the speed of the exerciser.The geometric characteristics of the spherical bodies are used to achieve an optimum limit of elasticity, and in this context it is to be noted that for objects of the same nature, a spherical body moves farther and jumps higher than objects of other shapes.

Furthermore, as the wearer has direct access to the spherical bodies, he has the option further to increase the flexibility of use by varying the degree of inflation of the bodies with a fluid medium. The inflation can be effected using or other gases such as hydrogen or helium or.even by injection of liquids, such as oils, emulsions, or water.

In view of this possibility, the wearer can pump out hot air from the bodies in the course of a long marathon run or game. The repeated compression of the midsole materials can cause a rise in temperature through internal friction, and the shoes can get up to at least 150C hotter. This elevated temperature makes the air inside the ball expand and become firmer to an inadequate extent of cushioning.The valves on the spherical bodies can therefore be used to adjust the air volume to wearer liking In order to enable the invention to be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate diagrammatically and by way of example some embodiments thereof, and in which::- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sports shoe provided with spherical elastomeric bodies according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view showing spherical elastomeric bodies provided in a sole structure; Figure 3 is a side view showing the spherical elastomeric bodies being inflated by an air plump; Figure 4 is a top fiew of the sports shoe provided with sperical elastomeric bodies; Figure 5 shows the functioning of the spherical elastomeric bodies in response to the commonly encountered pressures from different directions; Figure 6 is a side view of the sole indicating that any number of spherical bodies may be inserted into each hole provided, according to the wearer's requirements.

Figure 7 is a perspective view; Figure 8 a top view, and Figure 9 a cross-section view showing the construction of a sole structure required for basketball shoes.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a sports shoe 10 and the positions where the elastomeric bodies are provided and their connections relative to the overall structure of the sole. The shoe has an upper and a sole structure formed by an inner sole pad 33 (removable insole), a mid-sole 34 ("Texon" board ), an inserted heel 35 (wedge) and an outer sole 36. In the heel region of the shoe, a hole 15 is punched through the sole pad 33, the mid-sole 34 and the inserted heel 35 and terminates at the inside of the outer sole 36. A spherical elastomeric body 32 is inserted in the hole 15 so that the inside of the outer sole 36 makes a tangent to the body.Holes similar to the hole 15 are formed, in a similar manner, on the front portion of the sole, the holes being of smaller diameter and more in number than the hole 15 and are arranged in two or three rows each with a plurality of holes, and spherical elastomeric bodies of smaller diameter are accommodated in respective holes, thereby serving to increase the elasticity of the sole.

Figure 2 shows part of the sole structure 20 according to the present invention which is formed with the punched hole 15. The spherical elastomeric body 32 in the hole is indicated by a broken line and is provided with an inflation port 32a. The front portion of the sole structure 20 is formed with a number of holes 15, also containing spherical bodies 32, the positions of which are also represented by broken lines.

Figure 3 shows how air can be pumped into or extracted from the spherical body 32 by an air plump 40, so as to increase or decrease the hardness of the spherical body for matching the body weight and individual requirements of the wearer to achieve the object of increasing elasticity.

Figure 4 is top view of the sole of the sports shoe showing the positions where the spherical bodies are provided in the holes 15.

Figure 5 shows the functioning of the spherical bodies in response to the pressures from different directions as commonly encountered when in use.

Figure 6 is a side view of the sole and shows that any number of spherical bodies may be inserted into each hole provided, according to the wearer's requirements. The enlargements show the effect of increased pressure and the cushioning effects of the spherical bodies. In the demonstration X kg = weight of the wearer plus the force of impact; a) shows the positions of the bodies with no weight on the shoe and b) shows the positions of the bodies with X kg on the shoe, and the spherical bodies absorbing the impact.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 show the construction of the sole of a shoe required for basketball, the spherical elastomeric bodies being positioned where the highest percentage of impact related injuries are received, due to the nature of movement required in participation of such a game.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS:

1. A sports shoe or casual shoe, having an upper and a sole, the sole comprising an outer sole, an inserted heel, a mid-sole and an inner-sole pad, wherein the inserted heel, mid-sole and inner-sole pad are formed with one or more holes in the heel and front portion of the sole, and wherein a spherical body or bodies is(are) received in said hole(s) and can be inserted from the inner-sole pad of the shoe through the mid-sole and inserted heel so that the foot, when present, and the inside of the outer sole make tangents to the body (bodies).

2. A shoe as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the or each spherical body is provided with an inflation port or valve through which the wearer may directly inflate with a fluid medium or deflate the body from the inner-sole pad of the shoe with a small pump, thereby changing the elasticity thereof to match the requirements of the wearer.

3. A shoe as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a plurality of spherical bodies of the same configuration but different diameters and hardnesses ar provided and are fully replaceable by the wearer from the inner-sole pad in said holes.

4. A shoe as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a pluraltuy of spherical bodies dependent on the wearer's requirements are provided for insertion into the holes in the inserted heel and/ or the front portions of the sole to achieve the shock absorbing effect.

5. A shoe as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the spherical bodies must also extend to any desired shape (a circle, an oval, a semi-circle, or a flattened circle all including an accessible inflation valve).

6. A sports shoe or casual shoe substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of 7 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.