KR20110021620A - Shoe sole with selp-pumping extendable spikes - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A shoe sole with self-pumping extendable spikes is provided, which does not cause inconvenience and is designed in order to bend according to an outsole. CONSTITUTION: A shoe sole with self-pumping extendable spikes comprises: a midsole which is attached to the upper portion of the footwear; a shoe sole body(15) including an outsole attached to the floor of the midsole in order to variable traction to the walk surface; a plurality of spike assemblies(71) projected from holes in order to increase traction of the outsole; and a pneumatic assembly offering the compacted air in order to selectively move to the projected location from the buried location.

Description

Shoe with SELP-PUMPING EXTENDABLE SPIKES

This application claims priority to a US application entitled “Shoe Soles with Self-Pumped Retractable Spikes,” filed Aug. 25, 2009, with Application No. 12 / 583,670.

In general, the present invention relates to sports shoes, and more particularly to shoes including retractable spikes.

Often, shoes, including spikes or cleats, are worn for sports applications that require good foot traction. For example, golf players use spiked shoes to stand and walk more safely and more reliably on slopes and wet grass.

Historically, golf shoes have small metal spikes attached to the sole by threaded connections in the sole. These spikes are durable and provide good traction but damage the turf of the golf course and scratch or cut the inner floor. In general, golf players should remove their spiked shoes before entering the office or clubhouse associated with the golf course. Most golf courses have limited or even no use of metal spikes.

Any type of golf spike that reduces damage to the grass and floor is a blunt spike composed of rigid plastic in the form of a single or multiple points. Most golf courses use these plastic spikes on grassy fairways and most indoors.

Plastic spikes have four major disadvantages. Firstly, these plastic spikes can damage green trimmed grass and even form small indentations.

Secondly, plastic spikes on some surfaces are more slippery than conventional shoes. For example, a plastic spike on a smooth or wet floor or outdoor walk surface can cause the wearer to slip and fall.

Third, plastic spikes are not as durable as metal spikes. Although the actual golf course turf does not wear out the plastic spikes fairly quickly, the life of the plastic spikes is considerably shortened, for example, when walking on concrete walkways and parking lots.

Fourth, plastic spikes build up in grass and mud, reducing their ability to provide good traction with the ground.

Attempts have been made to provide an intact shoe for golf by including a mechanism to protrude the spike only when necessary. Such mechanisms include cleats that can be cranked by hand or moved using one or more levers. These retractable spikes are known to have their own specific problems. For example, such mechanisms are known to be impaired by mud or rust. These mechanisms are difficult to manipulate because they must sit to safely enter or protrude the spikes. The inevitable mud and grass entering the moving parts shorten the actual life of the mechanism and cause wear and corrosion. Mechanical mechanisms add to the weight of the shoe and reduce the flexibility of the sole. Thus, despite attempts to produce better shoes, golf players have significant inconvenience associated with their shoes.

There is a considerable need for shoes that provide traction, if not required, with the disadvantages of conventional golf spikes. There is an additional need not to damage the golf green or other quality turf. Golf shoes are required that can be worn in clubhouses or other buildings, and are required to be able to cross the parking lot and walk in the aisles without excessive wear. There is a need for durable spike-shaped shoes that are safe to walk on all roads.

In the case of the retractable spikes, enough shoes are required to be easily manipulated so that the user does not sit or excessively delay the game. Preferably, such shoes do not require the wearer to replace consumable parts or mount auxiliary equipment and are preferably self-retaining.

The present invention relates to soles of golf or other sporting shoes, including plastic spikes that are easily protruding when needed and that can be retracted when not needed. The spike is driven by pneumatic pressure generated by the wearer's own movement. The selection mechanism for protruding or retracting the spikes is a switch that can be operated with a single click.

The sole includes an integrated pump that selectively compresses air into the reservoir, powered by the walking movement of the wearer. Air from the reservoir expands the plenum chamber, which exerts a downward force on the spike assembly. Air pressure is maintained by the check valve. The spikes protrude from the holes in the soles and then enter when the air pressure is released. Mud and grass are removed from spikes as they enter.

The plenum chamber is formed from a thin plenum membrane of durable elastic synthetic rubber attached between the midsole and the sole. The moving portion of the plenum membrane is attached with a rigid ferrule that moves like a piston in a hole formed in a complementary shape. The hole walls support the plenum membrane so that no excessive twisting of the material is caused to prevent the rubber from breaking under stress.

The plenum member is deflected to an upward facing position. When air pressure is released by pressing the switch, the plenum member and attached spikes are drawn into the floor.

All parts of the sole, including valves, can be made from synthetic polymer materials to prevent the need for lubricant and corrosion. The pump device, which consists of a pressure reservoir and a compressible bladder, is made of elastic rubber. They are designed to bend along the sole without causing inconvenience to the wearer. All materials are selected for durability and reliability of the sole.

1 is an exploded side perspective view of a shoe sole of the present invention;
2 is a top perspective view of the sole portion of the sole of FIG. 1 with most pneumatic components in position.
3A and 3B are cross-sectional views taken along line 3-3 of FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the retracted and protruding positions.
4 is an enlarged perspective view of the spike assembly of FIG.
5A and 5B are top, side and partial cross-sectional views of the sole of FIG. 1 in the retracted and protruding positions, respectively;
FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the midsole portion of the sole of FIG. 1; FIG.

The present invention provides various styles of upper (not shown) for the manufacture of shoes, including cleats or spikes, which may be extended or retracted as needed. To a sole assembly 10, which may be attached to the sole.

1 is an exploded side perspective view of a sole 10 of the present invention. In general, the sole 10 includes a midsole 20 for attaching to the upper, an outsole 90 for providing a durable walking surface, and a spike assembly 70 protruding selectively from the bottom of the sole 90. And a pneumatic system 40 to assist the movement of the spike assembly 70 using compressed gas such as air.

The sole 90 has an anterior portion 91 for supporting the front part of the foot, a rear portion 92 for supporting the heel, and an arch portion 93 for supporting the arch of the foot. ). Generally, a shoe heel 95 made of particularly durable material is attached to the bottom of the rear portion 92. As the heel 95 is attached, the heel 95 and the front portion 91 contact the ground when the wearer walks, and the arch portion 93 does not contact the ground or bear considerable weight.

Preferably, sole 90 includes a shallow cut-out on the upper surface of the sole to accommodate components of pneumatic system 40. A plurality of holes 94 penetrate the sole 90 from the top surface to the bottom surface. The hole 94 penetrates the heel 95 in this manner. The pneumatic system 40 further includes a heel pneumatic subsystem 43 that assists the movement of the spike assembly 70 through the heel 95.

Midsole 20 and sole 90 are attached with a plenum membrane 30 sandwiched therebetween by adhesives well known in the art. The midsole 20, the sole 90, and the plenum membrane 30 form a sole body 15 when attached to each other. The plenum membrane 30 is a sheet of strong elastic material such as nitrile, Viton, silicone rubber or other suitable material and includes a plurality of plenum members 33 formed therein by a molding process. The plenum membrane 30 may be a front plenum membrane 31 suitable for being fitted between the front portion 91 of the sole 90 and the midsole 20 or the rear of the heel 95 and the sole 90. It may be a heel membrane 32 suitable to fit between the parts.

The sole 10 is a ferrule 80 and traction, which can be understood as a thrust bearing for moving the spike body 71 between the retracted position and the protruding position. It further comprises a plurality of spike assemblies 70 consisting of a spike body 71 to provide.

2 is a top perspective view of a sole 90 that includes multiple parts of pneumatic system 40 mounted within each cut-out. Pneumatic system 40 is a section of tubing, switch valve 55 and spike assembly that connects the components such that compressed gas can be released to the atmosphere or directed to spike assembly 70 as needed. Pump means 42 for supplying compressed air to operate the engine.

The pump means 42 is to provide compressed air to assist the movement of the spike assembly 70 from the retracted position to the protruding position. In a preferred embodiment described and shown herein, the pump means is compressed in air communication with the bladder 41 as connected by a hollow, compressible bladder 41, tubing 60. It consists of an air reservoir 45 and two check valves 51a and 51b for maintaining air pressure in the pneumatic system 40 at a selected value. As the bladder 41 is compressed, such as by the weight of the wearer during walking, the air is pressurized to the reservoir 45 in which pressure is formed according to each step.

Any other means for providing compressed air through the walking movement of the wearer is progressively compressed forward from the rear as the wearer preferentially steps into the heel 95 and then the weight is transferred towards the front portion 95. Considered as if it is a flexible hollow pipe arranged in a serpentine form within the new floor body 15, but not shown.

Bladder 41 has a resilient bias in the expanded position. The bladder 41 is compressed by the weight of the wearer's downward step, and the air inside the bladder 41 is pressurized by the reservoir 45. As the wearer walks forward and lifts weight from above the bladder 41, the bladder 41 returns to the expanded position and draws additional air through the inlet tube 63.

The bladder 41 is most efficiently shaped to match the contour of the bottom of the heel of the wearer although the design details may vary. The reservoir 45 may be formed in the same form as the bladder 41 or may be formed in any other form fitted within the sole 10 and selected for effective operation. In the preferred embodiment shown in this figure, the reservoir 45 is shown as a pair of elongated tubes connected to one another. The purpose of separating the reservoir 45 into two elongate halves is to provide a form that bends along the wearer's foot so as not to interfere with walking.

The plurality of holes 94 arranged in the front portion 91 of the sole 90 are shaped to receive the spike body 71 from the bottom and the ferrule 80 and the plenum member 33 from the top. In a preferred embodiment described and shown herein, the plenum member 33 is a portion of the plenum membrane 30 that is shaped during molding processing in the form of an upwardly deflected dome spring. The complex form of the plenum member 33 can be more clearly understood from FIG. 3 as described below.

4 is a bottom perspective view of the spike assembly 70. The spike assembly 70 includes a spike body 71 and a ferrule 80. The spike body 17 includes a threaded connector 74 and the ferrule 80 includes a threaded hole 81 for receiving the threaded connector 74. Ferrule 80 has an upper surface 82.

The spike body 71 additionally includes a spike shaft 75 and a flange 72 including a tip 76 for increasing traction and contacting the ground. Flange 72 is a sharpened tool to help connect and disconnect spike body 71 from ferrule 80 and into ferrule 80 to replace spike body 71 if tip 76 is damaged. And a plurality of engagement holes 73 for receiving (not shown).

Each plenum member 33 is attached to the upper surface 82 of one ferrule 80. This can be done by adhesion. In the most preferred embodiment, the plenum member 33 is formed by molding a suitable material in the form of the heel membrane 32 and the front membrane 31. In addition, it is most preferred to attach the ferrule 80 to the plenum member 33 by a process of co-molding as is well known. That is, a suitable number of ferrules 80 are placed into the prepared mold and then the rubber material is pressed into the mold so that each ferrule 80 is firmly embedded under one plenum member 33. 32) is formed.

Alternatively, the plenum member 33 may be separate units not connected to each other. The plenum member 33 can have a variety of forms other than those described and illustrated herein as can be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

5A and 5B are partially cutaway top and side perspective views of the sole of FIG. 1 in the retracted and protruding positions, respectively. FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the midsole portion of the sole of FIG. 1; FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bottom face of the midsole 20 includes a plenum cutout 24 that reflects the position of the aperture 94 within the sole 90. However, the plenum cutout 24 is a relief cutout and does not pass through the midsole 20. The plenum cutouts 24 are connected in line by the air channel 22. The air channel 22 is arranged to align with the outlet of the feed tube 62 as well shown in FIG. 2.

When the sole 90, the plenum membrane 30 and the midsole 20 are attached to the sole floor 15, the air channel 22 delivers compressed air to all the plenum members of the front plenum membrane 31. Cooperate with feed tube 62 to feed 33. After the compressed air passes through the air channel 22, the compressed air enters the heel tubing 64 and the borehole 96 to actuate the plenum member 33 of the heel membrane 32. Through).

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the spike assembly 70 is moved by expansion of the plenum (or “expansion”) chamber 34 from the retracted position (FIG. 3A) to the protruding position (FIG. 3B). do. In FIG. 3A, the plenum chamber 34 is arranged in the retracted position, the plenum member 33 and the ferrule 80 are almost entirely retracted within the plenum cutout 24 and the spike tip 76 is Rarely protrudes below the bottom surface of the sole 9.

In FIG. 3B, the plenum chamber 34 is arranged in the expanded position as the compressed air enters through the air channel 24, the end of which is shown behind the plenum chamber 934. The plenum chamber 34 is formed by a plenum cutout 24 forming an upper portion and an upper wall of the side wall and a plenum member 33 forming a bottom wall and the bottom portion of the side wall. The plenum cutout 24 is relatively rigid and is not affected by the ingress of compressed air. The plenum member 33 is elastically formed and movable and inverts downward when the pressure in the plenum chamber exceeds its design value, which is generally approximately 5 to 45 psi. When the plenum member 33 is pressed downward as shown in FIG. 3B, the plenum member moves the spike assembly 70 to a protruding position where the entire spike shaft 75 protrudes below the bottom of the sole 90. Pressurize.

In FIG. 3A, the plenum member 33 in the retracted position may be shown as a generally dome-shaped portion of the plenum membrane 30, with the spike assembly 70 at the bottom of the dome biased upwards. Attached. In FIG. 3B, the plenum member 33 is brought to the outside by the pressure of air or compressed gas introduced between the plenum membrane 30 and the midsole 20 via a tubing 60 connected to the pump means 42. It is moved to the inverted position. In the inverted position of FIGS. 5B and 3B, a plenum cavity 34 is formed, which is maintained in the expanded position by being filled with compressed air from the pump means 42.

A deviation from the simple convex dome shape is adapted to the plenum member 33 to fit tightly around the ferrule 80 and also when the plenum member 33 is moved from the retracted position to the withdrawal position. The plenum member 33 is adapted to move the spike assembly 70 by a relatively long downward distance. The plenum member 33 bounces ("pop") from the retracted position to the protruding position without significant stretching of any portion of the plenum member 33. In the inverted position, the walls of the plenum member 33 are walls shaped in the form of rigid ferrules 80 and holes 94 so that the plenum member 33 is turned over against over-expansion. Is supported by. The shape of the support and plenum member 33 from the ferrule 80 and the hole 94 cooperate to provide a movement mechanism for the highly durable and rigid spike assembly 70.

3A and 3B form part of the volume of the plenum cavity 34 when the plenum member 33 is flipped over and a cutout portion 24 for receiving each plenum member 33 in the retracted position. The midsole 20 is shown as including. This is a preferred embodiment of the present invention but alternative designs are possible, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

To assemble the sole 10, the midsole 20 is attached with a suitable shoe upper (not shown), as is known. The upper may be of a type suitable for wearing during sports involving golf or soccer, or may be of type for walking on snow or ice, or for hiking on loose soil or mud.

A front plenum membrane comprising an attached ferrule 80 is disposed above the front portion 91 of the sole 90 so that the ferrules 80 are respectively inserted into the holes 94. Parts of pneumatic system 40 are arranged in each cut-out in sole 90. Sections of tubing 60, such as flexible tubing of durable synthetic rubber, are used to connect the parts as shown in FIG. 2. Tubing 60 includes an intake tube 61, a supply tube 62, an outlet tube 63 and a heel tube 64.

The feed tube 62 connects the plenum members 33 in line with the pump means 42 by a switch valve 55. The plenum members may be connected to each other by a small section of tubing 60 or more preferably may be cut by channel 24 to the lower surface of midsole 20 as shown in FIG. 6. Heel tube 64 travels through borehole 96 through sole 90 to supply compressed gas to heel subsystem 43. In general, the spike assembly 70 is arranged only in the front and heel portions of the sole, because each arch portion 93 does not support the wearer's significant weight.

After the upper portion of the pneumatic system 40 is assembled on the upper surface of the sole 90, the heel tube 64 is inserted into the borehole 96 and the midsole 20 and the sole 90 are flipped between them. It is attached together with the membrane 30. In general, suitable adhesives are distributed over the complementary surface of the bottom of midsole 20 and the flat (non-cut-out) upper surface of sole 90. The midsole 20 and the sole 90 are then optionally compressed with each other in the mold to form a gastight bond between the sole 90, the midsole 20, and the plenum membrane 30.

In a similar manner, the heel pneumatic subsystem 43 is assembled to the bottom of the sole 90 and the sole 90 and the heel 95 are joined together with a heel membrane inserted therebetween. The heel tube 64 connects the plenum members 33 in line with the pump means 42 to actuate the spike assembly 70 located in the heel 95.

Since the air channel 24 does not work effectively if it is partially blocked by the adhesive, the adhesive provided between the midsole 20 and the sole 90 and between the sole 90 and the heel 95 is accurately measured and Is placed. This can be achieved by using sheets of preformed solid adhesive, by using an adhesive printed string, by offset printing, by machine-controlled syringe dispensing or by a similar technique known in the art. Can be performed by

Finally, spike body 71 is connected to ferrule 80 by screwing into threaded hole 81. Optionally, a tool (not shown) comprising a prong suitable for fitting into the engagement hole 73 may be used to rotate the spike body 71.

As the wearer walks, bladder 41 is alternatively compressed or released. When the bladder 41 is released, the bladder 41 is filled in its own expanded state by sucking air through the check valve 51 and the inlet tubing 61. When the bladder 41 is compressed, air is prevented from being recovered through the inlet tube 61 by the check valve 51a, whereby air is pressurized from the bladder 41 by the check valve 51b. It is pressurized into the reservoir 45.

Air then flows to a switch valve 55 comprising a switch or toggle switch such as pushbutton 58, a rocket switch or other suitable switch means. The switch valve 55 is a two-way valve capable of directing the air received from the reservoir 45 into the supply tube 62 or the discharge tube 61 as selected by the wearer using the pushbutton 58.

If the "relief" mode is selected, a small amount of air is sucked into the inlet tube 61 and discharged from the discharge tube 63 at each step. This pressure of the circulating air is not sufficient to project the spike tip 76 and overturn the plenum member 33 relative to the wearer's weight.

In order to operate the spike assembly 70 for increased traction of the shoe while wearing, the switch valve 55 is set to maintain pressure in the pneumatic system 40. Pushbutton 58 may be manipulated by hand, by tapping it using a golf club or hiking stick, or by pressing the heel of one shoe against switch 28 of the other shoe. Only a single click is required to vary the switch valve 55 from the "pressure" mode to the relief mode or vice versa.

When the switch valve 55 is in the pressure mode, compressed air from the reservoir 45 is guided through the feed tube 62 to compress the plenum member 33. Typically, the pressure is sufficient to immediately reverse the plenum member 33 and substantially protrudes the spike tip 76 below the sole 90. As the pressure received in the reservoir 45 is insufficient, the pump means 42 adds the additional pressure required by the wearer by walking a few steps. The switch valve 55 keeps the pneumatic system 40 closed, whereby the spike tip 76 remains protruding and supports the weight of the wearer.

Check valves 51a and 51b are suitable for maintaining pneumatic system 40 at a predetermined pressure when the pressure mode is selected. Check valves 51a and 51b prevent backflow of compressed air until the target pressure is reached. The check valves 51a and 51b can then be evacuated with excess air to maintain proper flexibility and ductility of the sole 10 during walking and to prevent the generation of undesirable stresses in the pneumatic system 40.

Depending on the use of the shoe including the sole 10 of the present invention, the bottom surface of the sole 90 is generally flat. In this case, the spike body 71 is preferably dimensioned such that the tip 76 is coplanar with the bottom surface of the sole 90 or slightly retracts above the bottom of the sole 90.

Alternatively, sole 90 may have permanent thread features such as ripple, ridge or other texture pattern. In this case, the spike body 71 may retract enough to protrude somewhat from the sole 90 in the retracted position of the tip 96. Various design choices are possible and at the same time the advantages of the present invention can be constructed.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, various modifications may be made in accordance with the form, composition, structure and arrangement of parts herein without detracting from the advantages of the present invention. Accordingly, all features herein are to be understood as illustrative and not restrictive, and modifications within the true spirit and method of the present invention may be included in the appended claims.

10: sole 42: pump
41: bladder 51: check valve
58: pushbutton 71: spike

Claims (9)

In a shoe sole having an upper, the sole is
A sole bottom body, the sole bottom body comprising a midsole for attaching to an upper portion of the shoe and an outsole attached to the bottom of the midsole to provide variable traction to the walking surface, the sole restoring the sole A plurality of holes therethrough;
A plurality of spike assemblies, each of the plurality of spike assemblies having a protruding position and a retracted position in the shin floor body, wherein a portion of the spike assembly protrudes from the hole to increase traction of the sole on the ground And
A pneumatic assembly providing compressed air to selectively move the plurality of spike assemblies from the retracted position to the protruding position, wherein the pneumatic assembly is adapted to determine the retracted or protruding position of the spike assembly. A shoe sole comprising selection means for selecting and comprising pump means powered by a wearer's walk to provide compressed air for moving the spike assembly from the retracted position to a protruding position. . 2. The pump as recited in claim 1, wherein said pump means comprises a pump powered by a wearer's walk to compress and store the atmosphere and means for directing compressed air from said pump to said plurality of spike assemblies. Sole characterized by. The method of claim 2, wherein the pump
A compression body, the compression body comprising an inlet for the atmosphere and an outlet for the compressed air,
A compressed air reservoir connected to said outlet of said compression body,
A one-way flow valve connected between the compressed air reservoir and the compression body to prevent return of compressed air from the reservoir to the compression body; and
A one-way flow valve connected between the inlet for the atmosphere and the compression body to prevent return of compressed air from the compression body to the atmosphere. 2. The pneumatic assembly of claim 1, wherein the pneumatic assembly further comprises a plurality of plenum members in air communication with the pump means and arranged between the sole and the midsole, wherein each plenum member is protruding from the retracted position. And wherein each plenum member is attached over one said spike assembly such that it moves from a retracted position into a raised position formed by compressed air to move said spike assembly between positions. 2. The pneumatic assembly of claim 1, further comprising an elastic plenum membrane attached between the sole and the midsole, the plurality of portions of the plenum membrane being compressed in which the portions are supplied by the pump means. Arranged over the aperture of the sole to expand downwardly into the aperture when operated by air, the portions of the plenum membrane being adapted to move the spike assembly from the retracted position to the protruding position upon inflation; The sole, characterized in that to apply downward force. In a shoe sole having an upper, the sole is
A foot sole body attached to the upper of the shoe to provide an optionally variable traction to the walking surface, the foot bottom body comprising a plurality of holes into the bottom surface of the foot bottom body,
-A plurality of spike assemblies substantially arranged in the plurality of holes, the spike assembly including a spike tip for increasing walking traction, the spike assembly having the spike tip being adapted to provide increased traction A shoe sole having a protruding position protruding below the sole bottom body and a retracted position within the sole bottom body, wherein the walking movement of the wearer forms a movement of the spike assembly between the retracted position and the protruding position . 7. The method of claim 6, wherein each spike assembly includes a ferrule permanently connected within the floorboard body, the detachable connection with the ferrule such that the spike body can be replaced and removed without separating the floorboard body. A shoe sole comprising a spike body. 7. The shoe sole of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of expansion chambers arranged in the sole floor body, the sole being pressed down onto the one spike assembly in accordance with the expansion of each of the expansion chambers by compressed air. Wherein each expansion chamber is arranged on the one spike assembly such that the spike assembly is moved from the retracted position to the protruding position, wherein the compressed air is formed by a walking movement of the wearer. 9. The compression bladder of claim 8, wherein the sole further comprises pump means for forming compressed air to inflate the expansion chamber, the pump means being alternately compressed and released by a wearer's footstep. And a valve means for regulating the pressure of the compressed air, an intake for the atmosphere, and an outlet in communication with the expansion chamber for supplying compressed air from the compression bladder to the expansion chamber.

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