US1508533A - Cleat for athletic footwear - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 16 1924.

7 1,508,533 R. RICHARDS CLZAT FOR ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR Filed Feb. 7. 1921' indent-0m 075/6 H 0 racs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. RICHARDS, or DALLAS, TEXAS, Assrenon or ONE-HALF '10 GEORGE oscan.

BERG, or MADISON, WISCONSIN.

CLEAT FOR ATHLETIC roorwEAn.

Application filed February 7, 1921. Serial No. 443,125.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN R. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dallas, county of Dallas, and State of Texas, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Cleats for Athletic Footwear, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates generally to clea for athletic footwear, but relates more particularly to cleats for attachment to shoes for use in playing football.

In playing the game of football the tractive efiort which can be exerted by the player is of great importance and it is necessary to further this end as much as possible. In a game where the teams are. quite evenly matched the ability of one team to exert slightly greater tractive effort than the other may be the determining factor in deciding the contest. Thus it is the practice to provide football shoes having cleats thereon that are best adapted to the character of the field on which the game is to be played. For a wet, muddy field cleats of conical form are provided and for a dry field elongated cleats are usually provided. These cleats, as heretofore constructed have been built up of several layers of leather, the cobbler or shoemaker usuallynailing the successive layers as they are applied and after the building up of the several layers, cuts or shapes the cleat to desired form. This is a slow laborious and tedious operation; --is one which shoemakers dislike to attend to and results in making a very expensive shoe. As the cleats become worn or destroyed new ones must be applied and the same laborious task is encbuntered. The element of time is often an important factor because it may be necessary to change cleats upon short notice or else to use the shoe with a missing or inefiiciently cleated bottom.

While it is desirable to have a cleat which will be strong and durable it should be one which will not absorb moisture and become heavy and also one to which mud will not cling or adhere. The cleat heretofore universally used is defective in these respects as it both absorbs moisture and holds to a a considerable degree mud or soil into which it projects -and thus reduces the effectiveness of the player in several ways. As by increasing weight of the shoe, thus hindering locomotion and by providing a flatter bottom thus minimizing the tractive effort that can be exerted without slipping.

The general object of my invention is to provide a cleat for athletic footwear which tions applicable to footballparaphernalia.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a cleat for athletic footwear which can be quickly and easily manufactured at low cost and which shall be very durable 111'1158."

My invention consists generally in a cleat constructionwhereby the above named objects, together with others that will appear hereinafter, are attainable; and my invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate what I consider at the present time to be the preferred embodiment thereof.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view of the sole of a shoe, bottom side up, equipped with conical cleats, embodying my invention.

. Fi 2 is an enlarged sectional view substantially on the line 2--2 of Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view 0 one of the conical cleats.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating, however, an elongated cleat.

Fig. 5 is asectional view upon an enlarged scale taken substantially along the line 5.5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the elongated cleat shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, I have there n shown my cleat construction as designed for use when the game is to be played upon a muddy field. A number of cleats are shown in Fig. 1, but inasmuch as they are or may" be all alike, a description of one will sufiice for all. The main or body portion 1 of the cleat is conical in form being truncated, however, to provide a flat on surface 2. As here shown, the conical body portion 1 is mounted ugpn a metallic base portion 3 which is slig tly larger in size than the bottom of the main part of the body portion 1; thus providing marginal portions 4:, which, in turn, are provided with holes 5 to receive the nails or fastening devices indicated by means of dotted lines in Fig. 2, and to which the reference character 6 is applied. The body portion 1 may be formed of material of difl'erent kinds, but is preferably a material which is susceptible of being molded, such for example as rubber or fibre. When fibre is used it is preferably treated so as to be substantially non-absorbing and hence capable of retaining its original, desired characteristic of lightnessv in Weight; While the body portion 1, which may be referrel to as a non-metallic device, may be fastened to the metallic" base '3 in various ways, I prefer to attach or secure it by embedding therein, a stud 7 which is preferably provided with annular projections 8 for the purpose of more securely anchoring it in place. The stud 7 is preferably a metallic stud of such construction that the outer end 9 thereof can be hammered or formed over the openin 10 in the base plate 3, thereby firmly riveting or securing the respective parts together. The metallic base plate 3 is prefera ly curved or camber-ed so that sufficient s ace is provided for the accommodation o the rivet portion 9 of the stud and so that it shall have no tendency to buckle or distort the sole of the shoe.

One of the rules with respect to the game of football, as played amongst regulated bodies or organizations, provides that no metal parts of the players paraphernalia or equipment shall be exposed and for this reason I prefer to cover the marginal portions of the base plate 3 by means of a non-metallic covering. This covering may be formed in various ways, but as here shown, it is formed by providing flanged integrally formed ortions 11 at the base of the member 1. oles may be provided in the flanged portion 11 for alignment with the holes 5 in the base plate 6, if desired, to accommodate the heads of the nails or other devices 6 whereby thecleat, as a whole, is fastened to the sole of the shoe, but it is not thought that the rule against exposed metallic parts would apply as an inhibition against ex osing mere y the heads of the fastening evices in a 0 eat of the construction which l have devised.

It is not thought necessary to describe in detail the cleat shown in Figs- 4:, 5, and 6 inasmuch as the construction there shown is quite similar to that already described, the only diflerence being that the base 15 is of elongated rectangular form and the body portion 13 of the cleat is also of elongated form, though still of tapering -construction. Two fastening devices 14: are provided for the purpose of securing the body portion 13 to the base portion 12.

l have referred to the base portion as mosses a metallic member and this is the form that it preferably takes, but it may be formed of some other material which is, light in weight and yet of suflicient rigidity to receive and distribute the pressure throughout a considerable area of the sole ofthe shoe as this is necessary in order that maximum of comfort to the wearer may result.

The many advantages of my easily attachable and detachable cleat will be apparent to thoseskilled in this art Without further comment, but inasmuch as this disclosure will suggest to others modified constructions whereby the substantial objects and purposes of my invention may be attained, ll do not Wish to be limited to the specific construction'herein shown and described except only as may be necessary by limitations in the hereunto appended claims.

I claim IHA detachable cleat for athletic footwear, said cleat being formed of a non metallic body portion and a cambered metallic base.

2. A detachable cleat for athletic footwear, said cleat being formed of a non- .metallicbody portion and a metallic base,

said base being bf greater diameter than the bodyso as to form an extension around the same and having therein a plurality of holes to receive fastening devices and a nonmetallic cove-ring for the extension.

A detachable cleat for athletic footwear, said cleat being formed'of a nonmetallic body portion and a metallic base, said-base being of greater diameter than the body and having therein a plurality of holes to receive fastening devices, and a non-metallic covering on the outer side of the base portion extending beyond the body of the cleat. I

4. A. cleat for athletic footwear embodying therein a non-metallic body portion, a cambered metallic base portion, and a rivet member securing the parts together, said rivet having a head portion contacting one side of the metal base and having an annular flange abutting the other side the rivet head being disposedin the recess in the base formed by the camber.

5. A cleat for athletic footwear, the said cleat being formed of a non-metallic body portion and a metallic base portion, said base portion being enlarged and camber-ed, a stud like rivet secured to the metallic base around which the non-metallic portion is molded, said non-metallic portion being tapered downwardly from the base, the nonmetallic portion being provided with an annular flange for completely covering the metallic base and means for securing the cleatv in position.

In testimony whereot l have hereunto set my hand, this 29th day of January, 1921.

JOHN R. RICHARDS.

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