KR20210092731A - Shock Absorbing Footwear Device - Google Patents

Abstract

A force absorbing device for a footwear appliance includes a shoe upper and a shoe sole having a flat sole surface such that forces between the shoe upper and the flat sole surface are absorbed by a force relieving structure disposed on the shoe sole. Articles of footwear include a split sole system that redefines a shoe sole to be coplanar with a force relief interface for receiving sudden forces and effectively mitigating these forces by storing kinetic energy and releasing it over time. The elastic field of the force relieving structure is defined by an elastic material adapted to deform in response to a received force. Frictional engagement between the top and bottom soles can also be enhanced by surface properties such as dimples, voids and lubricants in addition to interference engagement with elastic fields.

Description

Shock Absorbing Footwear Device

It is a tunable reactive elastic kinetic energy converter and storage field system for footwear devices.

Sports injuries, such as overstressed musculoskeletal structures, can be traumatic and career-ending. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are particularly notorious and prone to recurrence. These and other injuries often result from some form of load (e.g., force and torque) transmitted through an athlete's footwear to the foot and anatomical members such as bones, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, or other tissue structures. Occurs. This mitigation of load transfer can substantially eliminate or mitigate the risk of injury to the feet, ankles, lower legs, and knees. Because an athlete's footwear defines a ground interface, the footwear defines a focal point of potentially dangerous load transfer. Athletic shoe soles often use high friction materials such as rubber and flexible polymers to "grip" the playing surface, and texture, ribs ( rib) or protrusions are also used. These existing materials and structures increase the transfer of loads from the bow to the play surface and, if not relieved, raise these loads to the injury threshold.

Cushions, padding, and air bladders are known to distribute forces in conventional footwear, but these devices exhibit behavior similar to conventional springs. Most conventional mechanical springs have a single, consistent amount of stiffness throughout deformation, e.g., stretching or compression, until a displacement limit is reached, at which point the stiffness increases and becomes nearly inelastic. (force/displacement). Conventional constant-force springs are characterized by large displacements and small forces, such as those found in vacuum cleaner cords and tape measures. Constant force and other non-linear springs are generally characterized by low load minimal fluctuations or "cushioning" when a constant force is reached and displacement continues equal to the constant force.

A force limiting, energy absorbing device for a footwear device includes a shoe upper and a shoe sole having a flat sole surface, wherein the force between the shoe upper and the flat sole surface in ground contact is in an elastic or elastic field. It is limited by the absorption, storage and controlled release of kinetic energy. Some energy is naturally lost due to friction in the movement between the sole and the device, which may in part control the transmission. Footwear products, such as shoes or boots, effectively relieve these forces by storing kinetic energy and releasing over time to return the shoe to its unloaded configuration, and a force mitigating interface for receiving sudden forces. ) with a split-sole system that redefines the shoe sole to be coplanar. The elastic field of the force relieving structure is defined by an elastic material adapted to deform in response to a received force. Frictional engagement between the upper and lower soles can be enhanced by surface properties such as dimples, voids and lubricants in addition to elastic fields or interference engagement with existing elastic members.

Sports injuries can be caused by sudden or shocking forces, for example, from running, twisting, turning, landing or falling, and the like. Forces are usually transmitted from the play or ground surface to the skeletal or anatomical structures (bones, tendons, ligaments) that must travel through the footwear device or footwear. Often injuries result from lateral/medial or anterior/posterior forces or perhaps some combination of these and some combination of these and torques to the bottom of the sole surface that are transmitted to the wearer's foot with little absorption or relaxation of the existing shoe. The configuration of the present application places a divided nominally planar, horizontal structure in the shoe sole so that the energy associated with the lateral, medial front and rear forces and torques of the lower or ground contacting surface is not transmitted to the upper or the wearer through the interface layer. without being absorbed to limit these loads. The result is a nominally coplanar system, in which the load in the plane defined by the shoe sole is relieved and divided by a system that stores and dissipates the mechanical energy of the mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical or magnetic elements of a continuous or discrete system. Controls load transfer through the outsole structure.

Further use addresses the orthopedic needs of overstressed skeletal structures in an aging population. Addressed social needs include reducing the likelihood of traumatic injuries to the knee, ankle, and Achilles tendon, reducing repetitive load injuries, as well as promoting foot discomfort and fatigue, foot stimulation in diabetic patients, rehabilitation, and preventing plantar fasciitis. ) to reduce the likelihood of diseases such as It should be further noted that the force relaxation techniques in this application are applicable to all dimensional components, eg, lateral, medial, anterior, aft and vertical, irrespective of the dimension in which the force relaxation is illustrated.

The construction of the present application is based, in part, on the observation that footwear often includes minimal load absorbing materials or structures and that what is present follows a conventional spring response. Unfortunately, the conventional approach has the disadvantage that the conventional spring response with a substantially linear force/displacement curve approaches the maximum displacement quickly so that high impact forces are often transmitted to the wearer with little relief. That is, conventional active footwear using rubber or foam layers often used in conventional shoe construction is not sufficient to mitigate the transfer of potentially harmful loads. The maximum compression threshold is quickly reached and the shoe sole serves as a substantially solid, inelastic material to transfer the load with little or no relief capacity.

The configuration of the present application uses an elastic field defined by a deformable material that absorbs the force and slowly releases the stored force over time to avoid sudden or maximum impact. The elastic field uses a deformable member that deforms or “bends” along the longitudinal direction, or funnels such that there is a zone of deformation controlled by the channel geometry using a retractable channel and a compressible material spring system (CSS). A channel that narrows with a funnel-like transition allows drawing, pulling, or pushing of a compressible material such as a polymer foam. The configuration may be such that when a portion of the elastic material is deformed by movement between the layers and the next portion of the elastic material is deformed by a similar amount, it remains at about the same deformation. Alternatively, a cam system can be used to deform the spring as it moves between layers to achieve a non-linear load displacement action.

The disclosed systems are adapted to modulate forces between or through split sole shoe structures, and can be modified or tuned for timing (rate) and magnitude of compression and release of stored energy. Accordingly, the configuration of the present application substantially overcomes the above disadvantages by disclosing a force absorbing and relieving system comprising an elastic field or spring structure packaged to be encapsulated in a shoe sole. An elastic field that can be combined with friction, a spring system exhibits a flat or other non-linear response rather than an initial displacement proportional response followed by increased stiffness, so sudden or shock loads are constant, such as displacements to relieve loads that tend to be injured. or a controlled force response.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout different drawings. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
1 is a perspective view of a perimeter-based shoe sole force relief approach;
2 is a force/performance graph of detrimental forces mitigated by the approach of the present application.
Figures 3a-3b show force relaxation curves realized by an elastic field as in Figure 1;
4 is a side view of a split sole shoe system including a force relief structure disclosed herein;
5 shows an oblique plane approach to constant force elastic field force spring storage.
Figures 6a-6d show the inclined surface as in Figure 5 in the force relief structure of the split sole interface of Figure 4;
7A and 7B illustrate a dimple approach to the force relief structure at the split sole interface of FIG. 4 ;
8 shows an alternative force relief structure using a pincer element.
9A-9E show a pincer implementation in the force relief structure at the split sole interface of FIG. 4 ;

The configuration below shows an approach to constructing devices, structures, and mechanisms that control the transfer of load through a shoe to the foot by displacement of a spring structure or system thereof. The configuration of the present application uses a combination of springs to form a spring system with the desired response characteristics. Simultaneously filed, pending application entitled "FOOTWEAR FORCE MITIGATION ASSEMBLY" <Insert WPI18-19 App. #>, force relief structures and other structures are used in sole systems that hold and encapsulate slidable sole components together.

The description below describes the construction of a split sole shoe using a constant force, substantially constant force, or non-linear spring structure to mitigate the deleterious transmission of lateral and torsional (twisting) forces transmitted from the shoe sole, while carrying the load required for normal use. An example of a footwear device or shoe to implement is provided. Assemblies comprising constant and non-linear force spring systems implement an elastic field approach where the counterforce is based on the area of the meshed elastic field rather than the length of the elongated or retracted spring. The disclosed elastic field constant force spring for exerting a linear force response is also applicable in alternative situations without departing from the claimed approach.

1 is a perspective view of a perimeter-based shoe sole force relief approach; 1 , a perspective view of a peripheral beam structure is shown in the form of a resilient beam arranged circumferentially around a shoe sole surface. Referring to FIG. 1 , a peripheral beam structure 100 includes a bottom planar surface 110 having a plurality of beams 120 disposed about a perimeter 112 in the form of a footwear device. Alternatively, materials including various lengths, cross-sections, curvatures, and composites of the beam may be used depending on the tier thresholds and properties of the desired response. Beam 120 extends at right angles from bottom plane 110 and is adapted to slidably engage the top plane, discussed further below, into a sheet of elastic material or homogeneous molding 102 from which the shape of the footwear may be cut. can be formed with

2 is a load displacement, performance graph of potentially harmful energy absorbed to relieve force by the approach of the present application, and shows the control and levitation thresholds implemented in the configuration of the present application. 1 and 2 , a force graph 168 shows the relationship between the load on the vertical axis 174 and the corresponding displacement on the horizontal axis 176 . The injury threshold 170 is defined by the excessive force of the shoe sole against the bottom plane 110 (the ground or play surface), where the excessive load or combination of loads transfers an undesirable level of load to the wearer interface. do. While these thresholds are conceptual and difficult to quantify, high energies and sports can impose loads between the shoe and the play surface as the wearer runs, changes direction, jumps, and twists. Moderate loads maintain a firm transmission through the outsole to the play surface. At some thresholds, these forces, if not relieved, are sufficient to transmit loads to anatomical structures such as the foot, ankle or leg bones, muscles, ligaments, meniscus, or tendons to cause injury. This is the load that the disclosed load relief structure seeks to solve.

Control threshold 172 defines the load at which relief for a potential traumatic injury begins to occur. Sustained energy transfer causes progressively greater displacement below the traumatic injury threshold to relieve the force below the traumatic injury threshold 170 to prevent traumatic injury. Relaxation is such that lateral-medial, anterior-posterior and rotational loads less than the control threshold 172 are allowed, and the nominal horizontal load and rotational torque about the nominal vertical axis greater than the control threshold 172 is at (177). The load is absorbed by the load relief structure indicated by line 175 before reaching the load reaching the injury threshold 170 shown by line 175' until crossing the injury threshold.

A shoe as defined in this application includes any kind of footwear disposed between the wearer's foot and the surface on which the shoe is deployed. Although examples of motion are depicted in this application, deployment can be any gait activity, such as walking, running, hiking, climbing, or any use of positioning the wearer's feet and ankles in a load-bearing situation with the floor, ground, or play surface. can As is evident by the examples in this application, the foot and ankle define the focus of force on the skeletal frame of the wearer during any gait activity, and thus are the target of force relaxation disclosed herein. In particular, the configuration of the present application is beneficial for high-impact exercise because these activities generate forces that seek the extreme thresholds of human ability. Significant media attention has been focused on sports-related injuries, especially at the university and professional level, and consequently the financial aspects of rehabilitation and illegal omissions have attracted the attention of sports management agencies. Identical or similar structures can be adapted to mitigate low loads that can lead to repetitive load injuries.

Figures 3a and 3b show the force relaxation curves realized by the elastic field as in Figure 2; 3A is a graph of prior art force displacement performance. In the conventional spring approach, the force 210 of the extended spring increases with the displacement 212 of the spring (line 214 ). An increasing level of force is required for the continuous displacement of an object connected to the spring, and a complementary restoring force is generated upon release.

3B is a graph of a constant or non-linear load spring response as defined herein; In contrast to the spring of Figure 3a, the elastic field is a constant or non-linear load spring such that the force 220 required for displacement 222 remains substantially constant over the displacement distance (after the initial compression period) plotted by line 224. define.

The disclosed split sole (layered) footwear system can be envisioned as two components, one for interfacing with the external environment and one for holding the foot. Between these two components is a system that controls the load transfer.

There are two independent systems.

One system is between two mutually slidable layers on the sole of a shoe to control a nominal horizontal load, including torque about a nominal vertical axis. The slidable layer under the foot must transmit the vertical load through the low friction interface.

Another system controls the nominal vertical load transfer between the shoe sole and the footbed. This vertical system is a kind of suspension system. This vertical spring system supporting the footbed may be located on the side of the heel, anteriorly, medially and laterally, or a combination thereof.

These non-linear spring systems placed on the medial and lateral sides can serve to rotationally tilt the footbed and flatten uneven terrain by keeping vertical loads more similar to the lateral and medial side than the vertical absorbent systems in current shoes. Existing approaches do not address these banking and leveling capabilities.

This vertical system can also relieve vertical loads that can cause or contribute to traumatic injuries or that can cause repetitive load injuries with non-linear spring systems at low loads.

These two systems are essentially independent and can be used separately or together. In some embodiments, the vertical spring system supporting the footbed may be located on top of the horizontal system. It is desirable for such a system to be integrated into a shoe sole without significantly increasing external dimensions, sole thickness or weight.

Responses to reduce the likelihood of traumatic injury should limit the load required for daily play or work. In these situations, the shoe can feel like an ordinary shoe for all ordinary play, maneuvers and tasks. For reducing repetitive load injuries and for comfort, rehabilitation, diabetics and plantar fasciitis, the response can be at lower loads to absorb short-term shocks at lower loads.

4 is a side view of a split sole shoe system including a force relief structure disclosed herein; 4 shows a sole plane 80 including one or more force relief structures 150-1..150-3 (150 overall) disposed to regulate coplanar movement in an article of footwear 151 (shoe). shows In contrast to the circumferential force relief beam shown in FIG. 1 , the force relief structure 150 disposed in the sole is limited in height to avoid imposing excessive height constraints on the footwear. The force relief structure 150 includes any suitable elastic field arrangement, structure or assembly, such as dimples and bumps, channel springs, pincers, etc. discussed further below. Further, the definition of "spring" means an object or device suitable for storing and releasing kinetic energy with force and distance, which need not be coiled or helical metal, but rather is adjustable with an elastic field as disclosed herein. include the response.

The article of footwear 151 is a shock absorber comprising an upper sole 80-1 in communication with a wearer, and a lower sole 80-2 adapted to receive a force from the ground in response to movement of the footwear against the ground. Defines a footwear device. The force relief structure 150 - N includes a deformable member 50 that defines an elastic field when deformed to define an elastic field interface 62 between the top sole and the bottom sole. The upper sole 80-1 and the lower sole 80-2 are of a coplanar arrangement and are adapted to parallel displacement via a friction sliding and/or force relief structure 150, wherein the elastic field interface 62 receives the force received. is arranged to pass between the upper sole and the lower sole. That is, the upper sole 80-1 is supported on the lower sole 80-2, and any part or area of the sole area not supported by a specific force relief structure is on the portion of the lower sole guided by frictional engagement. laid Although capable of handling all components of motion (anterior, posterior, left and right lateral and vertical), the elastic field interface is deformable in response to a force received from the ground, where the received force is in the plane defined by the sole 80 There is a tendency to misalign the upper sole and lower sole due to deformation of the elastic field interface in . It is generally characterized as a lateral component of a force having a substantial component parallel to the ground, but an elastic field can be arranged to oppose a normal force.

The one or more deformable members 50 define an elastic field that is controlled not by height but by the cross-section and elasticity of the material. In other words, the compact deformable member 50 can achieve force relief through a wider, but not necessarily higher cross-section, and thus a suitable reaction force at a low profile suitable for mounting between the layers 80 of a split sole. (counterforce) can be achieved.

An additional feature entails a return to an undeformed position after load relaxation. This feature combines limiting the load through a combination of friction and linear return springs at the sliding interface. For example, it may combine a rubber band attached to a cleat that is attached to or integrated with a top layer and a bottom layer, and it can be combined with an interface designed to have a specific coefficient of friction designed to extend the slidable interface, There may be a specific roughness of the interface or in particular of the selected material. In many cases, this can be achieved if the deformed member naturally returns to its undeformed state. The load is not limited as in non-linear spring systems. Limiting the coefficient of friction limits the normal and tangential load ratios on the slidable interface, which is not the same as load limiting. Ideally, this friction system would "self adjust" to the player's weight. Because it is thin, it is useful for sports such as gymnastics and soccer.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the elastic field 42 is defined by an elastic and/or deformable material, such as a compressible foam, from which the deformable member 444 is formed. Compression or deformation of a material in an elastic field produces a constant resistance or spring-like force defined by the nature and magnitude of the elastic field being deformed with each incremental displacement. The force relief structure 150 further includes a tapered region 442 defined by an inclined surface 452 . The elastic field 42 includes a portion of the deformable member 444 within the tapered region 442 in which the deformable member 444 is compressed. Tapered region 442 thus has an area of greater cross-section and an area of reduced cross-section as measured by inclined surface 452 . The deformable member 44 positioned in the tapered region 442 is adapted to be disposed from an area of greater cross-section to an area of reduced cross-section in response to the received force 446 . By keeping the elastic field magnitude constant, the reaction force (with respect to the applied force 446 ) is also constant. Thus, when the incompressible foam defining the deformable member 444 is pulled through the rigid channel abutting the inclined surface 452, a constant or desired nonlinear, reaction force may respond to the displacement and otherwise contribute to a detrimental load. absorb the energy

6a-6d show the inclined surface as in FIG. 5 in the force relief structure of the segmented sole interface of FIG. 4 ; Figures 6a-6d show an inclined plane approach to the constant force elastic field force spring reservoir in the structure of Figure 4; The upper sole 80-1 and the lower sole 80-2 define opposing parallel planes, and the resilient interface attaches to one of the opposing parallel planes such that the actuator responds to transmitting a received force to deform the deformable member. defined by an actuator and a deformable member attached to the other of opposing parallel planes.

4-6D , a solid member 450 defining the actuator resides in a circumferential recess 460 surrounded by an inclined surface 452 . The solid member 450 is adhered to the upper sole 80-1, and the recess 460 is in the lower sole 80-2. The tapered region 442 is defined by a cavity having at least one inclined surface 452 in slidably communication with the solid member 450 for compression in response to a received force direction 46 . The slidable interface between the upper sole 80-1 and the lower sole 80-1 may also be used to supplement the elastic field interface with a friction component.

The approach of FIGS. 6A-6D depicts a relatively undeformable protrusion surrounded by a conformable region that defines an elastic field in which compression occurs. Another dimple approach below depicts a rigid projection moving into a recess while mounted on a deformable bed where compression occurs.

Versions of the dimple cam and bumps have been previously disclosed for footwear and may be used with other spring systems to be disclosed in the future. The dimple cam and bump system can have a high initial stiffness and can be separated by providing a controlled load transfer function after the initial displacement of the bump from the center of the dimple cam.

A combination of two kinds of springs, one that is almost linear with respect to tension and displacement, the second is stiff at first, possibly adjustable, initially with a small displacement that increases the load significantly and then can be adjusted to be softer or even negative. that is, including the possibility of combining with a load that decreases as the displacement increases. The combination of the two springs will occur in response to a spring system that is initially stiff and then substantially constant. This system response can be stiff at first to transmit the desired control load, then is almost constant just above the normal control load to absorb energy and reduce the load that can cause traumatic injury due to overloading. It can also be adapted to absorb small shocks that can lead to repetitive types of injuries and fatigue.

A shaped dimple cam and bump, non-linear, nominally horizontal spring consists of two interfacing, engaging components. On one side are elements with a nominally flat or regular curved surface with specially shaped dimples or depressions that act as a kind of cam surface. This dimple-cam interfaces with an element comprising protrusions or bumps on a counter-surface that are pseudo-planar or regularly curved. The opposing surfaces of the two elements should be relatively stiff with low friction, such as Teflon®. The bumps are resilient in the dimple direction, perpendicular to two slidable surfaces, one with the dimple cam and the other with the bump. The bump may have a preload against the dimple. A spring may be incorporated into the element containing the bump. For example, it can be a leaf spring that includes two slots that are nearly parallel through the element or includes a hard surface layer on either side of the bump. There may be multiple bridges, tethers or ligaments that link to the rest of the components, each bridge or ligament acting like a spring on a trampoline. The bumps may be supported on the back by a spring such as a wave spring or a spring material such as a foam that can act alone or in combination with a leaf or bridge ligament spring. These springs respond nominally vertically while the bumps are displaced nominally horizontally against the dimples.

The nominal horizontal load-displacement relationship for dimples and bumps can be adjusted or controlled mainly by the shape of the dimples and the bump shape. One embodiment may have a relatively tight-fitting pocket in the dimple that matches the curvature or shape of at least a portion of the bump. The lateral load to displace it will be relatively high, providing the initial high stiffness portion of the spring. This can be adjusted by the extent of the fit area of the bump and the dimple cam of the interface. The subsequent load-displacement relationship can be adjusted by the curvature or shape of the dimple cam beyond the initial pocket. The shape can be different in different directions, providing various tunability of the load-displacement relationship as a function of direction. A smaller slope corresponds to a lower stiffness to the nominal horizontal displacement. The steepness of the slope in the direction of displacement of the bump at the dimple and the stiffness of the nominal vertical spring supporting the bump control the stiffness of the system. Curvature is the approximate slope change. The dimple curvature in the direction of displacement, the approximate maximum curvature of the bump contact portion, and the vertical stiffness variation of the spring system supporting the bump control the stiffness variation during displacement.

7A and 7B show dimple access to the force relief structure at the split sole interface of FIG. 4 ; 7A and 7B , the elastic field for the split sole implementation absorbs forces by aligning the upper sole 80 - 1 and the lower sole 80 - 2 . The elastic field is disposed against a rigid centering element 350 and the centering element 350 mounted on the deformable bed 450 and is lateral between the upper sole 80-1 and the lower sole 80-2. and an inclined surface 352 oriented to compress the elastic field (deformable bed 450) in response to displacement. In the example shown, the deformable member includes a deformable bed 450 above the centering element 350 and the inclined surface 352 is defined at the center by a recess 360 . The recessed portion 360 slopes around the centering element 350 that engages the sloped surface 352 in response to a force received in a planar direction defined by the top and bottom soles 80-1, 80-2. It is a circular dimple region with

The centering element 350 is thus present in the recess 360 in a “dimpled” arrangement between the top sole 80-1 and bottom sole 80-2 surfaces. The inclined surface 352 serves to hold the centering element 350 in the recess 360 until it is deployed by a lateral or forward/backward force, and is attached to a resilient tether 354 or band to bias the centering arrangement. assisted by 7B shows the displaced centering element 350 slidably disposed over the inclined surface 352 , while the stretched tether 354 ′ applies tension to return to the central position. Variations in the recess size and slope plane can impose a centering bias between the upper sole 80-1 and the lower sole 80-2 to maintain firm control of the appropriate force.

Accordingly, the elastic field interface forms the force relief structure 150 of the deformable bed 450 when the centering element 350 disposed between the upper sole 80-1 and the lower sole 80-2 is compressed off-center. and dimple centering element 350 . The deformable bed 450 is a deformable member 50 of the force relief structure 150 .

The dimple can occupy a circular area to handle 360 degrees of force. In the region between the upper sole and the lower sole 80 - 1 , 80 - 2 , the elastic field interface 62 may include a plurality of force relief structures 150 , such that each force relief structure has an effective relief angle and an effective relief angle. It has a plurality of force relief assemblies to collectively cover the received force generated in 360 degrees around the upper sole and the lower sole. In other words, some force relieving structures may act on forces anywhere 360 degrees of the plane defining the sole 80 . Others can handle a subset range of forces and can be aggregated to accommodate all directions.

The elastic field in FIGS. 6A-6D and 7A-7B represents an equilibrium position defined by the alignment of the upper sole 80-1 and the lower sole 80-2. The elastic field is a spring loaded perpendicular to the interface when the layers 80-1 and 80-2 are displaced relative to each other. During alignment or "centering" of the actuator/projection, the elastic field, if used, does not deform beyond the intended preload and does not store energy due to the nominal horizontal relative displacement across the slidable interface between the layers. Acting by the received force, the deformable member defining the elastic field responds to the received force by the deformation. The elastic field is transformed in response to deformation and adapted to store kinetic energy converted into elasticity. This elastic energy is used to return to the equilibrium position at the end of the loading event.

8 shows an alternative arrangement of a pincer system including force relief structures for multiple motion components. 8 shows a deformable member in the form of a “pincer”; A pincer can be defined as a blunt, concave jaw or extension, positioned about the same length as the thumb and forefinger and used to grab or pull.

In the configuration of FIG. 8 , the defined deformable member defines that the side annular member 55 wraps around or pinches the relatively rigid central post 40 . A plurality of resilient side arms 55 extend around the rigid post 40 . The resilient arm may be constrained by other rigid stops or pins at 90 and 270 degrees around the rigid post. Attached to a hinged sliding center post 53 (slider) that allows the pin to move towards the rigid post with little or no load at 0 degrees, outward movement of the pincer causes elastic deformation of the annular member 55 of the pincer I need this. In response to the received force, the side arms slidably engage the annular surface of the actuator for deformation in response to the received force. In the configuration shown in FIG. 8 , an opposing pair of pincer systems and a corresponding central post 53 are used so that the side arms each oppose to absorb coplanar movement in 360 degrees, as further described below. It should extend towards the actuator.

The force relief structure 150 includes a pincer-shaped deformable member 50 having a sliding central post 53 and the side members defined by an upper sole 80-1 and a lower sole 80-2, It is defined by opposing annular members 55-1..55-2 extending along a common plane. The sole 80 - 2 also includes one or more relief slots 84 having a longitudinal dimension substantially parallel to the annular member 55 . A rigid member (40-1 .. 40-2) defines the actuator and extends perpendicular to a common plane and is placed between annular members (55-1..55-2) (55 overall) as if "twisted" by a pincer. It seems to be "picked up".

With continued reference to FIG. 8 , the sliding central post 53 is coupled to one of the wearer interface or sole surface, and the rigid member 40-1 is coupled to the other of the wearer interface or sole surface. That is, the central post 53 and the rigid member 40 are attached to opposing top and bottom soles 80-1..80-2 disposed by the force received. A base 57 engages a central post 53 in a relief slot 84 . When movement is received by the relief slot 84 , when the central post 53 is blocked by interference with the rigid member 40 , the slot 84 is rigid in a direction passing through the center of the rigid member 40 . It moves with the central post (40) except in the direction defined by the member (40). To accommodate, in the configuration of FIG. 9 , another force relief structure 150 - 2 is defined by an opposing cylindrical rigid member 40 - 2 . The opposing cylindrical rigid member 40-2 is engaged by a pincer having a central post 53 and a gap 85 in the reverse direction, so that in case of movement to "block" the central post, the opposing rigid member 40 and The pincer opposes the force through movement provided from the relief slot 84 .

The annular member 55 is adapted to slidably deform around the rigid member 40 in response to a received force. As shown, the rigid member 40 is cylindrical and the annular member 55 is substantially semicircular to simultaneously engage the circumference of the rigid member 40 . The annular member 55 defines an arc about its circumference and terminates in an opposing gap or slot 85 from the central post 53 from which the annular member 55 extends.

The force relief structure 150-1..150-2 of FIG. 8 absorbs forces from a wider range of directions. In general, left and right lateral forces, and forward or backward forces will elastically deform deformable member 150 . The force to place the central post 53 against the rigid member 40 may be relieved by the opposing deformable member 150-2. This configuration includes an opposing cylindrical rigid member 40-2 engaged by a pincer having a central post and gap or slot 84 in opposite directions. Thus, 360 degree force relaxation can be achieved.

In the example of FIGS. 8 and 9A-9F , the force relief structure 150 further includes a pincer having a central post 53 and opposing annular members 55 extending along a common plane therefrom and a rigid member 40 . extends perpendicular to a common plane and is disposed between the annular members.

The annular member is lateral and extends circularly or substantially circularly around the rigid member 40 (actuator) that is responsive to the received force. The central post 53 is coupled to one of the wearer interface or sole surface, and the rigid member 40 is coupled to the other of the wearer interface or sole surface. The opposing annular member 55 thus has the central post 53 and rigid member 40 separated and the annular member 55 deformed to permit relative movement of the central post 53 relative to the rigid member 40 . It is adapted to be slidably deformed around the rigid member 40 in response to a received force when needed.

In the exemplary arrangement, the rigid member 40 is cylindrical and the annular member 55 is substantially semi-circular to simultaneously engage the circumference of the rigid member 40 . Thus, the annular member 55 forms an arc about its circumference and terminates in a gap 85 opposite the central post 53 from which the annular member 55 extends.

9A-9E show the response of the force relief structure of FIG. 8 at the split sole interface of FIG. 4 ; 8 and 9A-9E , an opposing pair of pincers has a 360 degree angle that tends to displace the upper sole and lower sole 80-1, 80-2 through a combination of deformation of the annular member 55. handle power. 9A shows the resting or equilibrium position. The force relief structures 150-1..150-2 each have opposing force relief structures having annular members 55 extending in a direction substantially opposite to the annular member 55 of the opposing force relief structure 150, respectively. define a pair of That is, the "openings" of the pincer structure face the other openings of the opposing pincer structure as each encloses a respective rigid member 40 .

9B and 9C , in response to the forward or posterior component of the force 946 , an annular member 55 of one of the opposing pair of force relief structures is slidable outwardly along the rigid member 40 . to be transformed The deformed annular member 55' expands to accommodate movement from the rigid member, while the center post 53' of the opposing pincer cannot advance and thus fully engages the rigid member 40 and is placed in the slot 84. do.

9D and 9E show the deflection from a lateral (left or right) force in response to a component of the received force in the lateral direction 946, wherein the annular member 55' on the opposite side of the opposing pair is rigid. It abuts against the member 40 and deforms outward.

FIG. 9f shows that in response to a force applied in a rotational or diagonal direction, one annular member 55' of the opposing pair abuts the rigid member 40 and deforms outwardly, and the annular member opposite the other annular member Depending on the direction and axis of the force 946 it may deform 55'' (dashed line) outward against the rigid member or remain undeformed.

While the systems and methods defined herein have been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that they may vary in form and detail without departing from the scope of the invention, which is encompassed by the appended claims. It will be understood that changes may be made.

Claims (19)

A shock absorbing footwear device comprising:
an upper sole communicating with the wearer;
a lower sole configured to receive a force from the ground surface in response to movement of the footwear against the ground surface; and
an elastic field interface between the upper sole and the lower sole, wherein the upper sole and the lower sole are in a coplanar arrangement and are suitable for parallel displacement, the elastic field interface with the upper sole and a device disposed to transmit a received force between the lower sole. The elastic field interface of claim 1 , wherein the elastic field interface is deformable in response to a force received from the ground surface, and the received force causes the upper sole and the lower sole to be out of alignment by deformation of the elastic field interface. of alignment) A device that tends to align. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising an equilibrium position defined by alignment of the upper sole and the lower sole, wherein the elastic field has a deformable member responsive to a force received by the deformation; wherein the elastic field is adapted to store kinetic energy in response to the deformation to return to the equilibrium position. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upper sole and the lower sole define opposing parallel planes, and wherein the resilient interface is attached to an actuator attached to one of the opposing parallel planes or curved surfaces and to the other of the opposing parallel planes. An apparatus defined by a deformable member, wherein the actuator is responsive to transmission of a received force to deform the deformable member. The deformable bed of claim 1 , wherein the elastic field has a protrusion and an inclined surface disposed against the protrusion and oriented to compress the elastic field in response to a lateral displacement between the upper sole and the lower sole. bed) further comprising a device. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the deformable member faces a recess and the protrusion extends towards the recess. 7. The force received according to claim 6, wherein said recess is a circular dimpled area having a slope around said deformable member, said deformable member in a planar direction defined by said upper sole and said lower sole. engaging the inclined surface in response to 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a slidable interface between the upper sole and the lower sole, the slidable interface supplementing the elastic field interface with a friction component. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the deformable member includes a center post connected to a plurality of flanking arms extending about a rigid member, the center post responsive to a received force. and the side arms slidably engage the annular surface of the actuator for deformation in response to the received force. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a pair of opposing actuators and a corresponding central post, wherein the side arms extend toward the opposing actuators to absorb 360 degrees of coplanar movement. 2. The elastic field interface of claim 1, wherein the elastic field interface is defined by a force relief structure disposed between the upper sole and the lower sole, wherein the force relief structure responds to the received force and a deformable member defining the elastic field. a solid actuator adapted to deform the deformable member in response. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the resilient field interface comprises a plurality of force relief structures, each force relief structure having an effective relief angle, and wherein the plurality of force relief assemblies are 360 degrees around the upper sole and the lower sole. A device that as a whole covers the received power radiating from the device. According to claim 1, wherein the force relief structure,
a pincer having a central post and opposing annular members extending therefrom along a common plane; and
a rigid member extending perpendicular to the common plane and disposed between the annular members;
the central post is coupled to one of the wearer interface or the sole surface and the rigid member is coupled to the other of the wearer interface or the sole surface;
wherein the opposing annular member is adapted to slidably deform about the rigid member in response to the received force. 14. The annular member of claim 13, wherein the rigid member is cylindrical and the annular member is substantially semicircular for simultaneous engagement on a circumference of the rigid member, the annular member defining an arc about the circumference, and wherein the annular member is substantially semicircular for simultaneous engagement on a circumference of the rigid member. terminating in a gap opposite from the central post from which it extends. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a pair of opposing force relief structures, each having an annular member extending in substantially opposite directions relative to the annular member of the opposing force relief structure. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein in response to a forward or posterior component of a force, an annular member of one of the pair of opposing force relief structures is slidably deformed outwardly along the rigid member. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein in response to a component of a force received in a lateral direction, the annular member on corresponding sides of the opposing pair deforms outwardly against the rigid member. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein in response to a force received in a rotational direction, an annular member of one of the opposing pair deforms outwardly against the rigid member, and an annular member opposite the other annular member deforms the rigid member. A device that deforms outwardly against a member. A method of alleviating harmful forces between the sole of a footwear and the ground surface, comprising:
receiving a disposing force at a lower sole adapted to receive a force from the ground surface in response to movement of the footwear against the ground surface; and
in response to the placement force, deforming an elastic field interface between the lower sole and an upper sole in communication with a wearer, wherein the upper sole and the lower sole are in a coplanar arrangement, suitable for parallel displacement, and wherein the elastic field interface is suitable for parallel displacement; wherein the deforming step is arranged to transmit a received force between the upper sole and the lower sole.

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