US3903762A

US3903762A - Golf shoe cleat wrench

Info

Publication number: US3903762A
Application number: US398007A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Acrea
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-09-17
Filing date: 1973-09-17
Publication date: 1975-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1992-09-09

Abstract

A wrench for installing and removing shoe cleats threaded into the bottom of athletic spiked shoes having a cleat spike receiving tapered hole and two opposite side work hardened knobended cleat hole wrench torque projections at the cleat engaging end of the wrench. The wrench shank is grasped with the thumb pressing downward immediately to the rear of the cleat-engaging end to start and hold the knob-ended wrench torque projections in place and the wrench shank is angled upward so the hand and tool clear the other cleat spikes as the tool turns the cleat into or out from a shoe sole or heel.

Description

United States Patent Acrea Sept. 9, 1975 GOLF SHOE CLEAT WRENCH Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith [76] Inventor: Charles E. Acrea, l 109 Dunbarton Asslsmm bxammer jlames Smith Dr Richardson, 75080 Attorney, Agent, or Ftrm-Warren H. Klntzmger [22] Filed: Sept. 17, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 398,007

A wrench for installing and removing shoe cleats [52] US. Cl 81/90 C .threaded the Fq of athlenc Spiked Shoes hav' mg a cleat spike rece1v1ng tapered hole and two oppo- [51] Int. Cl 825!) 13/48 58 d f S h 8 l /90 C site side work hardened knob-ended cleat hole wrench 1e 0 care torque projections at the cleat g g g end of the l References Cited wrench. The wrench shank 1s grasped with the thumb I pressing downward immediately to the rear of the UNITED STATES PATENTS cleat-engaging end to start and hold the knob-ended 2,222,145 11/1940 James 81/90 C X wrench torque projections in place and the wrench 2,770,991 11/1956 Myers 81/90 C Shank is angled upward so the hand and too] Clear tha 3,412,635 ll/l968 Chmielewski 81/90 C other cleat spikes as the tool turns the cleat into or out from a shoe sole or heel.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures GOLF SHOE CLEAT WRENCH Shoe cleat installing and removing tools heretofore I generally have been of a type projecting straight up from the cleat being worked, and manually pressed down thereon to maintain torque engagement with the cleat. Such tools typically have straight wrench projections of generally rectangular cross-section, and have a tendency to become disengaged because there is no means for holding (except manual downward pressure) the wrench projections in the cleat wrench torque openings. Means for aligning the wrench projections in the cleat wrench torque openings has also been lacking in such tools. With the downwardly maintained manual pressure required to engage these wrench projections all to often one receives barked knuckles and skinned hands upon accidental disengagement.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a shoe cleat wrench facilitating the installation and removal of shoe spiked cleats with minimum difficulty and awkwardness, and in minimum time.

Another object is to provide such a shoe cleat wrench safe to use with minimal injury potential.

A further object is to provide a shoe cleat wrench suitable for use on various types of shoe cleat spikes with positive engagement and holding of wrench projections in the cleat wrench torque openings.

Another object is to provide for positive alignment of cleat wrench projections in cleat wrench torque openings.

Features of this invention useful in accomplishing the above objects include, in an athletic shoe cleat wrench, a wrench tool having a manually grasped shank body angled upward from a shoe cleat engaging end for hand and tool clearance from other cleat spikes. The shoe cleat engaging end has two downward wrench projections that fit into torque openings in a cleat, and a tapered opening in the wrench end in line with and be tween the two wrench projections that fit a cleat spike. The two wrench projections are preferably swage dieformed for work-hardened strength and to shape each projection to have knobbed end, a necked-down portion, and a tapered shoulder. The tapered hole centers the wrench on the cleat and pivotally guides the wrench about the spike as a centering alignment guide, while the wrench projections with the knobby ends, like hammer-spread spike ends, securely engage the cleats with cleat wrench torque projection locking beneath wrench torque opening edges. Manual turning force is applied through the two wrench projections to the edges of the cleat openings to thread the cleat either into or from (depending on rotational direction) a shoe bottom.

A specific embodiment representing what is presently regarded as the best mode of carrying out the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of spiked cleat equipped golf shoe with applicants cleat wrench being used to remove or to install spike cleats from the sole and heel of the shoe;

FIG. 2, an enlarged front view of the wrench projection end of the cleat wrench;

FIG. 3, a top view of the cleat wrench;

FIG. 4, a side elevation view of the cleat wrench;

FIG. 5, a side elevation of a spiked cleat engaged by a cleat wrench taken in section along line 55 of FIG.

FIG. 6, a side elevation view of an alternate type of spiked cleat from that of FIG. 5 with a cleat wrench, sectioned along line 5-5 of FIG. 2, in position for use; and,

FIG. 7, a bottom view of the wrench projection end of the cleat wrench.

Referring to the drawing:

The golf (or athletic) shoe 10 of FIG. 1 is shown to be equipped with a plurality of shoe cleats 11, each having a spike 12, mounted both on the sole l3 and the heel 14 of the shoe 10. This is with a threaded projection 15 (shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) of each spiked shoe cleat 11 threaded into respective threaded holes 16 in the sole l3 and heel 14 of the shoe 10. The shank body 17 of the cleat wrench 18 is fashioned to be grasped by the hand, and is angled up from the cleat engaging tool head end 19 of the wrench 18 for tool and hand clearance from other cleat spikes 12.

Shoe cleats 11, in addition to the spike 12 and threaded projection 15, are each equipped with a shallow conically shaped disc 20 having rim edge lock projections 21 (or other lock indentation formed bottom projections) that lock the cleat 11 in place when tightened against the sole 13 or heel 14. Each cleat disc 20 is also provided with two cleat wrench torque openings 22 on opposite sides and generally laterally aligned with the spike 12 of the shoe cleat 11.

The cleat engaging tool head 19 on the cleat wrench of FIG. 2 is shown to have two downwardly formed wrench projections 23 each having a knobbed end 24 generally of modified rectangular to oval shape with rounded corners (See FIG. 7) in plan view, a swage dieformed, work hardened neck 25 generally of similarly modified rectangular to oval shape in cross-section, and a relatively broad shoulder 26 generally rectangular in cross-section throughout the arc of the downward turn. The knobbed ends 24, actually like hammerspread ends in miniature, catch under the edges of the cleat wrench torque openings 22 holding the wrench projections 23 in semi-positive lock engagement when the cleat wrench 18 is torqued while in use.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a turned over cutout 27 provides stress relief between each wrench projection 23 turn down and the cleat engaging tool head center projection 28. Stress relief helps prevent cracking and breaking of the wrench projections 23 due to stress concentrations that could otherwise be excessive when torque is applied to the tool head 19. The tool head center projection 28 has a conically tapered hole 29 laterally centered between the wrench projections 23 for centering and pivotally guiding tool head 19 on a spike 12 or spike 12' and aligning the wrench projections 23 in the wrench torque openings 22.

The spike 12 of a spiked shoe cleat 11 is typically a compound truncated cone, as best shown in FIG. 5 or in the form of a simple truncated cone as with spike 12' of spiked shoe cleat 11' of FIG. 6.

Obviously, cleat wrenches 18 must be usable on various commercial spiked cleat designs such as typified by those having a truncated cone section 30 at the base of spike 12 and by the spike 12' of cleat 1 l having a continuous cone to large diameter base 31 with termination section 32 on the disc 20 of the cleat 11. The dimensions of tapered hole 29 are carefully selected to optimize cleat engaging tool head 19 slide down on tapered spikes l2 and 12' and other commonly known commercial spiked cleat designs sufficiently to insure full insertion engagement of the wrench projections 23 in wrench torque openings 22. This is with knobbed ends 24 locking to the underside of cleat disc 20 at the bottom edges of wrench torque openings 20. The taper of tapered hole 29 preferrably achieves a relatively close fit between upper and lower diameters of the hole 29 and the cleat spike 12 or spike 12. This close pivot fit on

spikes

12 or 12 guide steadies the entire wrench 18 and aids in the efficient transmission of torque manually applied through the shank body 17.

Further, with a thumb exerting downward pressure on the cleat wrench 18 just to the rear of the cleat engaging tool end 19, both cleat installation and removal are quickly, easily, and safely accomplished with a stable wrench torque action.

It is of interest to note that the opposite end 33 of the cleat wrench 18 is formed as a V-shaped cleat mud cleaner 34 and that one or both projections 35 of the V-shape may work hardened formed to function as screwdriver tips in an integrated multipurpose metal tool.

Whereas this invention is herein illustrated and described with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, it should be realized that various changes may be made without departing from the essential contributions to the art made by the teachings hereof.

I claim:

1. A wrench tool for installing and removing spiked shoe cleats threaded into the bottom of shoes, including: a wrench tool planar head end having a conical section opening conformably accepting the conically shaped spike of a shoe cleat to be wrench torqued into or out of the bottom of a shoe; a wrench tool shank body angularly extended at an acute angle through most of the length of the shank body, from said wrench tool planar head end for grasping and wrench torquing spiked shoe cleats, said wrench tool planar head end being generally normal to the axis of a shoe cleat with which said tool is operably engaged; knob-ended wrench projection means integrally formed with said tool head end projecting transverse of said tool head through opening means of a spiked shoe cleat and having knob end sloped cam surfaces catching under edges of said opening means when the wrench tool is used for wrench torquing a shoe cleat; wherein said knob-ended wrench projection means includes two wrench projections as said wrench projection means with each formed with an enlarged knob-end of generally oval shape in plan view transverse to the longitudinal axis of said projections; and, said projections each having a shank portion of similar oval shape in transverse crosssection through the projections and smaller in transverse cross-section than the knob ends.

2. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 1, wherein said two projections are placed to opposite sides of said wrench tool head end opening.

3. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 2, wherein said wrench tool head end opening is laterally centered in a center forwardly extended projection of said tool head end; and said two projections are in lateral alignment with said head end opening.

4. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 3, wherein said two projections are bent down projections substantially equally spaced to opposite sides from said head end opening; and turned over cutouts providing stress relief between said two projections and said center forwardly extended projection.

5. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 1, wherein said head end opening is through a forwardly extended projection of said head end.

6. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 5, wherein said head end opening is a conically tapered hole, laterally centered between two downwardly formed wrench projections and tapered to fit taper of shoe cleat spikes.

7. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 6, tool stamp formed of substantially uniform gage metal strip stock; and with said conically tapered hole larger in the downward direction.

8. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 7, wherein said forwardly extended projection of said head end includes a forwardly extended semicircular thin walled

Claims

1. A wrench tool for installing and removing spiked shoe cleats threaded into the bottom of shoes, including: a wrench tool planar head end having a conical section opening conformably accepting the conically shaped spike of a shoe cleat to be wrench torqued into or out of the bottom of a shoe; a wrench tool shank body angularly extended at an acute angle through most of the length of the shank body, from said wrench tool planar head end for grasping and wrench torquing spiked shoe cleats, said wrench tool planar head end being generally normal to the axis of a shoe cleat with which said tool is operably engaged; knob-ended wrench projection means integrally formed with said tool head end projecting transverse of said tool head through opening means of a spiked shoe cleat and having knob end sloped cam surfaces catching under edges of said opening means when the wrench tool is used for wrench torquing a shoe cleat; wherein said knob-ended wrench projection means includes two wrench projections as said wrench projection means with each formed with an enlarged knobend of generally oval shape in plan view transverse to the longitudinal axis of said projections; and, said projections each having a shank portion of similar oval shape in transverse crosssection through the projections and smaller in transverse crosssection than the knob ends.

8. The shoe cleat wrench tool of claim 7, wherein said forwardly extended projection of said head end includes a forwardly extended semicircular thin walled portion.