GB2425931A - Taps for dance shoes - Google Patents

Abstract

A tap for a dance shoe comprises a sound amplifying chamber (2/2), air passage slots (4/4) and sound discharge apertures (4/4A). Air travels into the sound chamber via air passage slots in the side walls of the tap, and out of the sound discharge aperture in the base of the tap to enhance the click of the tap during dance movements. The sound chamber may be divided into 4 smaller chambers by 2 crossed bars (3/3) that provide additional strength to support the dancer's weight. The aperture or wall thickness can be enlarged or minimised to provide different click effects eg. sharper or duller sounds. A shock absorber pad or sound resistant board may be placed between the tap and the sole of the shoe to change the quality of the sound and provide comfort. The walls may be rounded to enable the dancer to execute dance moves and minimise any damage to the floor and the underside of tap may have ridges/patterns to provide extra grip, the ridges may form a turning point circle (9/9) to enable dancers to perform spins and turns. The tap may be detachably attached to a dancing shoe via screw posts and have a flat end (10/10) to help dancers perform any required movement on the toes. The tap may be made from ferrous or non-ferrous materials that are very light in weight to allow dancers to enhance their performance.

Description

Introduction

My invention relates to the design of the TIP - a sound producing component which is an essential part of the Irish Dance hard shoe. Made from ferrous & non ferrous metals the Tips are attached to the sole of the shoe, more particularly to the toe part and have been specially designed to enhance dancer's performance by the introduction of the intensified tapping sound quality and prolonging the Tip's longevity.

With its distinctive shape the Tip consist of one main part drw ill which is hollow inside which forms the Sound Amplifying Chamber drw, Air Passage Slots & Sound Discharge Aperture.

The primary object of my invention resides in the Tip's ability to produce desirable tapping sound effects due to the fact that Tip is made from Ferrous and non ferrous metals where greater resonance of sound effects can be achieved by support of incorporated Sound Amplifying Chamber, Air Passage Slots & Sound Discharge Apertures.

An ability of changing the tapping sound quality by simply placing shock absorber pads/sound resistant boards between the Tip and the sole of the shoe due to the method used to attach/detach the Tips at anytime by means of screws supports my primary object. 2..

Detailed description

Sound Amplifying Chamber drw 2/2 is an area surrounded by relatively thin walls and screw posts and its purpose is to intensify the tapping sound. Totally hollow inside makes the Tip very light in weight due to which sharp and loud tapping sounds are produced and its lightness reduces the diminishing fatigue of the dancer Sound Amplifying Chamber is divided into 4 smaller chambers by 2 Crossed Bars drw 3/3.

Crossed bars are designed to provide resting support for shock absorber pads /sound resistant boards etc, support dancer's weight and provide additional strength to maintain Tip's shape as its subject of constant pressure and dance movements with forced impact against the hard surface. Crossed bars are much wider towards the centre where most of the tapping and pressure is applied and much narrower towards the back to provide extra support to the screw posts for securing Tip to the sole of the shoe.

Air Passage Slots drw 4/4 on either side of the wall are designed to allow air to pass through the walls into the designated chambers and discharge the sound produced by an impact straight out through the Sound Discharged Apertures drw 4/4 A enabling the Tip produce sharper/clearer tapping sound quality. It also reduces weight of the Tip.

Drw 5/5 shows number of relatively broad & upright standing screw posts located around the inside edge of the Sound Amplifying Chamber.

Purpose of the screw posts incorporated inside the Sound Amplifying Chamber is: * To support dancer's weight( in addition to crossed bars), * Secure the TIP to the sole of the shoe, * Hold firmly shock absorber pad / sound resistant board or any other suitable materials which will help t to achieve desirable sound effect to enhance the performance & give necessary comfort for dancer's feet As it can be seen from drw 5/5 top part of the screw posts are semi open from the top and it has been designed this way to reduce weight of the TIP whilst providing stud fasteners with inverted threads secure holding position in the screw posts itself.

Drw 6/6 shows number of threaded screw posts to ensure the corners and the centre of the back of the Tip are securely attached to the sole of the shoe by means of screws Stud fasteners with inverted screw threads are pushed through the holes made in the sole of the shoe, then aligned with screw posts on the TIP and the tightened with countersunk screws through countersunk holes made in the base of the Tip drw 7/7. This will ensure that screws are not protruding from the bottom of the Tip that may cause damage to the floor's surface This glue free method used in my invention ensures a simple, accurate and firm fixing which enable dancers to attach & remove the TIP at any time by means of a screwdriver.

Having now described the method used to attach / detach the Tips I would not restrict myself from using other suitable methods of securing the TIPS to the shoes without loosing its external appearance. a

Ridged Surface Drw 8/8 shows Ridged Surface - chevron style pattern applied to the largest part of the Tip.

Its purpose is to provide dancers with extra grip between the Tip and the dance floor to prevent slipping and it is emphasised that tapping must be perform on suitable dance floor.

Turning Point Circle pattern drw 9/9 is another feature of my invention.

The main object behind this feature is to enable dancers to perform spins and turns with minimum effort and maximum results.

Turning Point Circle pattern applied to the upper part of the Tip and will encourage dancers get as high as possible on the ball of their feet to enable spin and turns. This concludes that pattern applied to the Tip helps dancers to improve their performance.

To meet individual requirement patterns can be changed/removed keeping the base of the Tip smooth.

Front Flat Cut Front view of the Tip drw 10/10 shows Front Flat Cut - wide semi-oval cut on the curved edge on the front part of the Tip that has been specially designed to allow dancers execute movements where balancing is involved for example: standing/walking/tapping on toes etc. An angle has been applied to the Front Flat Cut (for left & right Tip) to alleviate the stress on ankles caused by execution of movements involving balancing/walking/standing/tapping/hopping etc on toes.

It is emphasised that whilst all the features in my invention play a vital role in producing desirable tapping sound effects the loudness of the tapping sound will have to be generated by the dancer's ability to strike the floor with controlled force and the surface of the floor upon which tapping is performed. Li-.

Summery of the invention Current TIPS used on the Irish Dance hard shoe are made from various synthetic materials which can only produce a curtain sound quality.

In my invention Tips are made from ferrous or non ferrous metals where greater resonance of sounds can be achieved. The sound quality in my invention depends on various aspects.

For example if the walls of the Tips are thin which makes them light in weight then sharp and loud sound quality produced -if the walls are thick then it becomes heavier in weight consequently duller in sound. Height of the Tip, wideness of the Air Passage Slots and Sound Discharge Apertures can also play vital role in various tapping sound qualities.

One of the major roles in producing desirable sound quality of course depends on the material and the manufacturing method used.

Ferrous and non ferrous metals have different molecular structures and strength and subsequently will produce various sounds caused by an impact either against each other or against materials upon which tapping is performed (for example wooden - linoleum - fibreglass surfaced floor) Tips made from ferrous and non ferrous metals will dramatically prolong its longevity.

Sound resistant board placed between the Tip and sole of the shoe will enhance the sound quality or shock absorber pad will partially absorb the sound producing different sound quality effects.

Method used to attach/detach Tips by means of screws and stud fasteners will provide dancers with extra security and peace of mind giving full control over replacing old pair of shoes and attaching existing Tips on to a new pair.

To avoid any damage to the floor upon which tapping is performed all edges of the Tip have been rounded.

All features listed in this description including fastening method are subject to minor alterations and improvements to meet individual requirements without departing from the spirit of the invention and loosing its overall appearance. 5,.

Claims (1)

1. Claims Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my

   invention I wish to claim my invention as follows: 1 Tip - A distinctive shaped sound producing component for attaching to the toe part of the sole of the hard shoe for Irish Dancing 2 Tip - made from ferrous metals which enable dancers produce loud tapping and trebling sounds when striking floor of against each other 3 Tip - made from non ferrous metals for producing loud tapping and trebling sounds when striking floor or against each other 4 Tip - sound producing component consisting of I main part with hollow inside forming Sound Amplifying Chamber surrounded by thin walls which makes Tip light in weight to enable dancers to produce loud & clear tapping sound depending of floor's surface and dancers ability to strike the floor with controlled force Tip - with 2 crossed bars located inside the Sound Amplifying Chamber as described in claim 4 for the purpose of supporting dancers weight, providing resting support for various sound resistant boards/shock absorber pads, strengthening the Tip's shape which is subject to enormous pressure created by complicated footwork 6 According to claim 4 the Tip is hollow inside and light in weigh which helps to prevent diminishing fatigue of the dancer and enhances tapping sound 7 Tip - with Air Passage Slots on either side of the wall enabling airflow passage into the dedicated chamber and discharge of sound caused by tapping through the Sound Discharge Apertures located in the same chamber, producing sharp and clear sound effect in order enable the Tip to produce sharper and clearer tapping sound quality 8 Tip - with relatively broad upright standing screw posts located inside the Sound Amplifying Chamber for the purpose of giving an additional support to dancer's weight, firmly securing the Tip to the sole of the shoe and securely holding various sound resistant boards/shock absorber pads and other such boards/pads to enhance the sound quality 9 Tip - with relatively broad upright standing screw posts semi open from the top to accommodate flat headed stud fasteners with inverted threads and countersunk holes on the base to guide countersunk screws for accurate and firm fixing with the stud fasteners enabling attach/detach Tips at anytime by mean of a screw driver According to claim 9, countersunk holes are placed in the base of the Tip to avoid screws from protruding and damaging floor upon which tapping is performed 11 Threaded screw posts in the centre and each corner of the back part of the Tip for securing Tip to the sole of the shoe by means of flat headed screws 12 Ridged surface in chevron style pattern that can be changed or removed is applied to the largest part of the Tip to give extra grip between the floor and the Tip and It is emphasised that tapping must be performed on suitable floor 13 Turning Point Circle - pattern applied to the upper part of the Tip to encourage dancers get as high as possible on the ball of their feet in order to perform spins and turns with minimum effort and maximum results 14 Front Flat Cut - flattened area in the semi-oval shape on the widest of part of the Tip to enable dancers execute movements involving balancing/walking/standing/hopping and tapping on toes etc Front Flat Cut according to claim 14 is angled to elevate ankle stress caused my movements involving balancing on toes where greater concentration is required to avoid injuries 16 Tips - with its edges slightly rounded to minimise damage that may cause to the floor upon which tapping is performed 17 According to all above claims some features are subject to alteration and improvements to meet individual requirements without loosing Tip's external appearance and purpose p Summery of Claims Distinctive shaped Sound Producing Component Tips' for the Irish Dance hard shoe made from ferrous or non ferrous metals for greater resonance sounds and designed to enhance dancers performance by intensified tapping sound produced when the Taps brought in contact with the dance floor Longevity of the Tips is dramatically prolonged due to the material from which Taps are made Full control over attaching/detaching Tips at anytime by means of flat headed stud fasteners with inverted threads, flat headed screws and countersunk screws with number of broad upright standing and threaded screw posts Full control over producing desirable sound effects by placing sound resistant board/s shock absorbent pad/s between the Tip and sole of the shoe Light in weigh to alleviate diminishing fatigue of the dancer Hollow inside with incorporated Sound Amplifying Chamber, Air Passage Slots and Sound Discharge Apertures to enable loud and clear tapping sounds Crossed Bars inside the Sound Amplifying Chamber to support dancer's weight, provide resting support for any sound enhancing pads/boards and help to maintain the shape of the Tip which is subject of great pressure from complicated footwork and strenuous movements with applied force Chevron pattern for extra grip and Turning Point Circle to assist with spins & Turns Flat Front Cut with applied angle for left and right Tip to alleviate ankle stress / reduce injuries & to enable walking/tapping/standing on toes with minimum effort All features are subject to alteration and improvements to meet dancer's requirement which will not change Tip's external appearance and purpose