WO2012112176A1

WO2012112176A1 - Shoe

Info

Publication number: WO2012112176A1
Application number: PCT/US2011/033042
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kurt Stockbridge; David Raysse; Kevin Chen
Original assignee: Skechers U.S.A., Inc. Ii
Priority date: 2011-02-16
Filing date: 2011-04-19
Publication date: 2012-08-23
Also published as: US20120204449A1

Abstract

A shoe having an upper and a curved sole member, the sole member may be comprised of one unitary piece or a separate midsole and a separate outsole. The curvature results from the sole member tilting along a center of mass axis that extends through a point in the vicinity of the lateral side of the heel region of the sole member to a point in the vicinity of the medial side of forefoot region of the sole member. The center of mass axis runs diagonally along the entire length of the shoe. Due to the curvature, the sole member has a non-uniform thickness. The curvature of the sole member allows the user's foot to be guided in a more natural motion providing more movement efficiency and comfort.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

SHOE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001 ] The present invention relates to athletic shoes, in particular, a shoe that promotes the natural motion of the user's foot, thus providing movement efficiency and comfort for the user. This motion is achieved by a uniquely curved sole member.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0002] Shoes are designed for many purposes— from protection on the job, to performance during athletic activity, to everyday use. Shoes have also been used to promote physical health and activity. Increasingly, shoes have been designed to allow the user to walk more naturally. Prior art shoes attempt to achieve such motion by having rocker bottoms, specialized midsoles, etc.

[0003] However, none of these prior art shoes are designed to account for the actual location on a person's heel that initially bears the load incurred when a person's heel first begins to make contact with the ground at die beginning of a step. That initial load bearing location is not at the rearmost point of a person's heel. Instead, that initial load bearing location is typically located in the vicinity of the rearmost center of the person's heel at a location on the rear edge of the heel on the same side as the little toe, i.e., the lateral side. Similarly, none of the prior art shoes are designed to account for the actual location in a person's toe area that bears the load incurred when a person's foot begins to leave the ground at the end of a step. That end-of-step, or final, load bearing location is not at the frontmost point of a person's foot. Instead, that final load bearing location is typically located

I in the vicinity of the frontmost center of the person's big toe at a location on the front edge of the big toe on the side of the big toe closest to the other big toe, i.e., the medial side. The soles and midsoles of the prior art shoes, however, are not designed to account for these actual load bearing locations or the transfer of the load between them. Instead, prior art shoes are designed as though the load borne by a shoe throughout each step begins at the rearmost point of the shoe and ends at the frontmost point of the shoe. Thus, in a typical prior art shoe, the bottom of the sole forms a series of straight, horizontal lines, each one of which extends between (a) any given point on the medial side of the sole bottom and (b) the corresponding opposite point on the lateral side of the sole bottom. All points of each such straight, horizontal line are meant to simultaneously touch the ground as the shoe rolls along from heel to toe.

[0004] Prior art shoes may be likened to a car tire. The tire's contact patch is along a horizontal axis and as the tire rotates, the contact patch remains the same along the horizontal axis. Feet are not like tires and the motion of a human walking or running is not like a car rolling.

[0005] Prior art shoes assume that the center of mass axis forms a straight line between the rearmost point of the shoe and the frontmost point of the shoe. As used herein, the term "center of mass axis" refers to a line on the sole bottom that coincides with the centerpoint of the load applied by the user to the sole bottom as the shoe makes rolling contact with the ground throughout each step. During normal walking or running, however, the centerpoint of the load applied by the user to the sole bottom, i.e., the center of mass axis, does not follow a line that begins at the rearmost point of the sole and extends to the frontmost point of the sole. Instead, the center of mass axis is usually a diagonal line that begins at a lateral portion of the heel region and ends in the medial region of the forefoot area. As a result, a shoe with an entirely new geometry is needed to accommodate the actual center of mass axis.

[0006] Prior art running shoes have attempted to simulate a more anatomically correct geometry by having a heel "varus" which is a heel cleft in the rear of the shoe. The heel cleft produces a slight upwards curvature in the lateral region of the heel. That allows the foot to strike the ground in a more natural motion. However, due to the shape of the entire midsole in prior art shoes, the heel cleft cannot effectively enable natural motion due to the entire shoe being flat. As a result, the shoe still moves in a straight line through a straight axis from the heel to the toe of the shoe as described above. A heel cleft is simply not sufficient and a whole new sole member with new geometry is required.

[0007] Prior art shoes have only accounted for the rotation of the foot along or parallel to a straight line from the rearmost point of the sole to the frontmost point of the sole. Prior art shoes have not accounted for the natural movement of the foot from the lateral portion of the heel region during heel-strike to the medial region of the forefoot area during toe-off.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a way of assisting with and moving along with the natural motion/rotation of the user's foot, thus providing comfort and movement efficiency for the user. This motion is achieved by a unique sole member.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention provides a shoe that assists with and moves naturally in tandem with the motion of the foot. It achieves this by tilting the sole member gradually throughout the sole member in order to create a uniquely curved, "twisted" sole member. The sole member may be comprised of one unitary piece or a combined separate midsole and separate outsole.

[0010] The curvature results from the sole member following and tilting around an axis that follows the foot's true center of mass, referred to as the center of mass axis, which extends through a point in the vicinity of the lateral side of the heel region of the sole member to a point in the vicinity of the medial side of forefoot region of the sole member. The center of mass axis extends diagonally along the entire length of the shoe, rather than straight from the rearmost point of the shoe (centered directly between the medial and lateral sides of the shoe) to the frontmost point of the shoe (also centered directly between the medial and lateral sides of the shoe). Moving along the center of mass axis from the rear of the sole to the front of the sole, the tilt shifts from the lateral side to the medial side to form the curvature. The curvature is pronounced in the forefoot region, so that it appears to be curved upwardly towards the medial side of the shoe, the sole member progressively tilts until the heel region is curved upwardly towards the lateral side of the shoe. Due to the curvatures, the sole member has a non-uniform thickness. The areas in which there is an upward curvature are thinner relative to the areas in which there is no upward curvature. The unique curvature and resulting non-uniform thickness of the sole member allows the user's foot to be guided in a more natural motion that follows the center of mass axis, thus providing more movement efficiency and comfort.

[0011 ] The shoe comprises an upper, and sole member, each having a medial side and a lateral side. The medial side is the side closest to the user's opposite leg (and the same side as the user's big toe) and the lateral side is the side that is opposite of the medial side, away from the user's other leg (and the same side as the user's small toe). The outsole may also be integrated into or be part of the midsole. In the preferred embodiment, the outsoie is integrated with the midsole in order to create one unitary piece. In an alternative embodiment, a separate midsole and separate outsoie may be used. An integrated, unitary midsole and outsoie or the combination of a separate midsole and a separate outsoie is therefore described with reference to the surface that contacts the ground as the sole member. The upper, midsole and outsoie each has a frontmost point and a rearmost point substantially opposite the frontmost point. As the terms imply, each frontmost point is closer to the user's toes than each rearmost point and

correspondingly each rearmost point is closer to the user's heel than each frontmost point.

[0012] The shoe has a front tip that is located at the farthest forward point of the shoe when moving from the heel region to the forefoot region. The shoe has a rear tip that is located at the farthest rearward point of the shoe when moving from the forefoot region to the heel region. In a preferred embodiment, the front tip coincides with the frontmost point of the upper, the frontmost point of the midsole, or the frontmost point of the outsoie while the rear tip coincides with the rearmost point of the upper, the rearmost point of the midsole, or the rearmost point of the outsoie. In a preferred embodiment, the frontmost point of the upper, the frontmost point of the midsole, and the frontmost point of the outsoie are all located relatively close to one another while the rearmost point of the upper, the rearmost point of the midsole, and the rearmost point of the outsoie are all located relatively close to one another.

[0013] The upper and sole member each has a forefoot region. The forefoot region includes the region that extends substantially from the medial side to the lateral side at a location that begins in the vicinity of the front tip of the shoe and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the rear tip of the shoe.

[0014] The upper and sole member each has a heel region. The heel region includes the region that extends substantially from the medial side to the lateral side at a location that begins in the vicinity of the rear tip of the shoe and extends from there to a location that is approximately one third of the distance toward the front tip of the shoe.

[0015] The upper and sole member each has a middle region. The middle region includes the region that extends substantially from the medial side to the lateral side at a location that extends approximately between the forefoot region and the heel region.

[0016] The present invention naturally guides the motion of the foot by tilting the bottom surface of the sole member gradually from the medial side of the forefoot region to the lateral side of the heel region so that it forms a curvature that is "twisted" along an axis that runs through a point in the vicinity of the lateral side of the heel region of the sole member to a point in the vicinity of the medial side of the forefoot region. The "twist" and resulting curvature affects the amount of material in the sole member. As a result, it affects where the pressure and weight of the user is placed relative to the ground. Thus, it conforms to and guides the body's center of mass during motion.

[0017] The amount of curvature affects the thickness of the sole member. For any given sole member material, the thinner the sole member, the quicker the user's foot reaches full load bearing capacity and stops sinking toward the ground during each step. Furthermore, having less thickness results in the foot impacting lower to the ground relative to the thicker region. The construction of the sole member allows the invention to guide the user's foot and control the user's speed and motion. For any given sole member material, reduced thickness allows the user's foot to more quickly complete its compression of the reduced thickness region during each step compared to the thicker region which, due to its increased thickness, takes longer for the user's foot to compress.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the sole member is curved. It is unlike the curvature that is found in prior art and conventional shoes that impacts evenly along a horizontal axis parallel to plane of the ground from the heel region to the forefoot region. The curvature of the sole member has a center line that extends through an axis that runs diagonally through a point in the vicinity of the lateral side of the heel region of the sole member to a point in the vicinity of the medial side of the forefoot region.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the curvature of the sole member results in a shift of the location and orientation of the bottom curve apex from the location and orientation where the bottom curve apex appears in prior art shoes. As used herein, the term "bottom curve apex" applies to the lowest point on the bottom surface of any sole member on an unloaded shoe when the shoe is in its normal, upright position without any load with the bottom surface facing the ground. The bottom curve apex is formed by the intersection of two lines. The first line runs from the front of the shoe to the rear of the shoe and intersects the second line that runs from the lateral side to the medial side of the shoe.

Generally, these two lines are perpendicular. In a typical prior art shoe that has such a continuously curved bottom surface, the line first line coincides with the frontmost tip to the rearmost point of the shoe, generally in the center of the shoe. Thus, in prior art shoes, the second line that runs from the lateral side to the medial side is typically at the center. However, due to the fact that in the present invention the curvature of the bottom surface follows the center of mass axis, the first line of intersection is rotated (in comparison to the first line of a typical prior art shoe) to follow the center of mass axis and thus also shifts the second perpendicular line that runs from the lateral side to the medial side, thus also shifting the location of the bottom curve apex.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the sole member curves upwardly from the middle region to the medial portion to the forefoot region.

[0021 ] In a preferred embodiment, the sole member curves upwardly from the middle region to the lateral portion of the heel region.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, due to the location of the apex on the center of mass axis, more material is placed towards the rear of the middle region on the medial side towards the start of the heel region. Thus, the additional material in the rear of the middle region towards the heel region creates a medial post to slow the rate of pronation and provide additional support.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the sole member may have a plurality of vertical incisions that go through a substantial portion of the sole member. The incisions allow greater flexure of the shoe and easier flexure of the shoe. The added flexure due to the incisions allows the shoe to more readily conform to the natural movement of the user's foot along the center of mass axis.

[0024] During walking or running while wearing a preferred embodiment of the instant invention, when the user's heel touches the ground during footstrike, at the beginning of each step, the lateral side of the curved heel region of the sole member strikes the ground, due to the curvature of the sole member and thickness. The body weight is shifted along the center of mass axis towards the posterior position in the middle region. The weight is shifted towards the medial side of the forefoot region along the center of mass axis during the completion of the step. Thus, natural motion is achieved by shifting the body weight along the center of mass axis.

[0025] As mentioned above, the natural motion is achieved by the rotation of the foot along or parallel to a center of mass axis that extends through a point in the vicinity of the lateral side of the heel region of the sole member to a point in the vicinity of the medial side of the forefoot region by tilting the sole member to follow that center of mass axis, thus forming a unique curvature. This, in turn, imparts various fitness benefits to the user such as increased movement efficiency and increased comfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] By way of example only, selected embodiments and aspects of the present invention are described below. Each such description refers to a particular figure ("FIG.") which shows the described matter. All such figures are shown in drawings that accompany this specification are for the shoe to be worn on the right foot. Each such figure includes one or more reference numbers that identify one or more part(s) or element(s) of the invention.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the sole member of the right shoe.

[0028] FIG. 1 A is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of a prior art conventional rocker bottom right shoe midsole.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a medial side elevation view of an embodiment of the sole member of the shoe.

[0030] FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a lateral side elevation view of an embodiment of the sole member of the shoe.

[0032] FIG. 3 A is a rear elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the sole member of the right shoe.

[0034] FIG. 5A is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5 A - 5A. [0035] FIG. 5B is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5B - 5B.

[0036] FIG. 5C is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5C - 5C.

[0037] FIG. 5D is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5D - 5D.

[0038] FIG. 5E is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5E - 5E.

[0039] FIG. 5F is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5F - 5F.

[0040] FIG. 5G is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5G - 5G.

[0041 ] FIG. 5H is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5H - 5H.

[0042] FIG. 51 is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 51 - 51.

[0043] FIG. 5J is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5J - 5J.

[0044] FIG. 5K is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5 - 5K.

[0045] FIG. 5L is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5L - 5L.

[0046] FIG. 5M is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5M - 5M. i t [0047] FIG. 5N is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5N - 5N.

[0048] FIG. 5O is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5O - 5O.

[0049] FIG. 5P is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5P - 5P.

[0050] FIG. 5Q is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5Q - 5Q.

[00 1 ] FIG. 5R is a front elevation view in cross section of the embodiment of the sole member shown in FIG. 4 along line 5R - 5R.

[0052] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view in cross section of the sole member of the present embodiment.

[0053] FIG. 7 is a side elevation view in cross section of the sole member of the present embodiment in a position of being flexed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0054] The invention will now be described with reference to the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the sole member 110 of a right shoe. The preferred embodiment of the shoe is comprised of an upper (not shown), a midsole and an outsole. In this preferred embodiment, the midsole and outsole are integrated and form a unitary piece, thus it is referred to as a sole member 110. A sole member may also alternatively be comprised of a combined separate outsole and separate midsole.

[0055] The sole member 110 has a front tip 100 that is located at the farthest forward point of the shoe when moving from the heel region 106 to the forefoot region 102. The shoe has a rear tip 108 that is located at the farthest rearward point of the shoe when moving from the forefoot region 102 to the heel region 106. In the preferred embodiment, the front tip 100 coincides with the frontmost point of the sole member 1 10 while the rear tip 108 coincides with the rearmost point of the sole member 110.

[0056] The area within the brackets in the vicinity of the front tip 100 is referred to as the forefoot region 102. The area within the brackets in the vicinity of the rear tip 108 is referred to as the heel region 106. The area between the forefoot region 102 and heel region 106 within the brackets is referred to as the middle region 104. The sole member 1 10 extends and curves along a line 1 16 which is referred to as the center of mass axis 116.

[0057] The sole member 1 10 has a medial side 112 which is the side closest to the user's opposite leg and a lateral side 1 14 which is away from the user's other leg. [0058] In the preferred embodiment, center of mass axis 116 represents the axis that extends from the lateral side 114 of heel region 106 to the medial side 1 12 of forefoot region 102 in which the sole member 1 10 is curved. Center of mass axis 116 may vary in angle relative to a typical traditional longitudinal shoe axis 122. The angle 124 may be between about 1 and about 27 degrees.

[0059] The sole member 110 has a bottom curve apex 126 that is shifted in location due to the center of mass axis 116. The line D - D connotes a line that intersects and is perpendicular to the center of mass axis 116 and creates the bottom curve apex 126. The bottom curve apex 126 is the lowest point of the sole member 110 and therefore the thickest point on the sole member 1 10 as well.

[0060] FIG. 1 A is a bottom plan view of a prior art conventional rocker bottom midsole 200 having a typical traditional longitudinal axis 122. As seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 1 A, the preferred embodiment of the invention has a center of mass axis 116 having an angle 124 with respect to the typical traditional longitudinal axis 122. The angle 124 may be between about 1 to about 27 degrees. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 1 A, the point of intersection of center of mass axis 116 and the periphery of the shoe in the heel region 106 is slightly toward the lateral side 1 14 of the sole member 110 with respect to the point of intersection of the typical traditional longitudinal axis 122 and the periphery of the sole member 110 in the heel region 106. Correspondingly, the point of intersection of center of mass axis 116 and the periphery of the shoe in the forefoot region 102 is slightly toward the medial side 112 of the sole member 1 10 with respect to the point of intersection of the typical traditional longitudinal axis 122 and the periphery of the sole member 110 in the forefoot region 102.

[0061] FIG. 1A also shows the traditional apex 202 in conventional rocker bottom shoes that is created by line E - E intersecting the typical traditional longitudinal axis 122 which creates the traditional apex 202 shown in FIG. 1 A. The traditional apex 202 is the lowest point of the prior art conventional rocker bottom midsole 200 and therefore is the thickest point as well.

[0062] FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the medial side 1 12 of the sole member 1 10. FIG. 2 shows the curvature of the sole member 1 10 in that it is convex towards the ground from the rear tip 108 to the front tip 100. Furthermore, it shows the forefoot region 102 of the sole member 110 curving upwardly towards the medial side 1 12 due to the center of mass axis 1 16.

[0063] FIG. 2A is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the sole member 1 10 shown in FIG. 2 towards the front tip 100. The figure shows the curvature of the sole member 110 curving upwardly towards the medial side 1 12 due to the center of mass axis 1 16.

[0064] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the lateral side 1 14 of the sole member 110. FIG. 3 shows the curvature of the sole member 110 in that it is convex towards the ground from the rear tip 108 to the front tip 100. Furthermore, it shows the heel region 106 of the sole member 110 curving upwardly and therefore having less material towards the lateral side 1 14 due to the center of mass axis 1 16.

[0065] FIG. 3A is a rear elevation view of an embodiment of the sole member 1 10 shown in FIG. 3 towards the rear lip 108. Furthermore, it shows the sole member 110 curving upwardly towards the lateral side 1 14 due to the center of mass axis 1 16.

[0066] FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the sole member 110 of the shoe. It has lines 5 A - 5 A, 5B - 5B, 5C - 5C, 5D - 5D, 5E - 5E, 5F - 5F, 5G - 5G, 5H - 5H, 51 - 51, 5 J - 5J_> 5 - 5 , 5L - 5L, 5M - 5M, 5N - 5N, 50 - 50, 5P - 5P, 5Q - 5Q, 5R - 5R that intersect the shoe from the lateral side 114 to medial side 112. These lines show different elevation cross sections in figures 5A-5R. The cross sections show how the sole member 110 tilts and its progression as one views the sole member 1 10 from the front tip 100 to the rear tip 108 with respect to the shoe's normal position with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120. The tilts and progression form the curvature and "twist" in the plane of the sole member 1 10.

[0067] FIG. 5 A is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5 A - 5 A, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 1 12.

[0068] FIG. 5B is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5B - 5B, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 10 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 1 14 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 1 12, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5 A. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 114 from the medial side 1 12.

[0069] FIG. 5C is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5C - 5C, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 10 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 112, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5B. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 1 14 from the medial side 1 12. [0070 j FIG. 5D is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5D - 5D, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 112 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 1 12, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5C. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 114 from the medial side 112.

[0071] FIG. 5E is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5E - 5E, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 10 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 1 14 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 1 12, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5D. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 1 14 from the medial side 1 12.

[0072] FIG. 5F is an elevation cross section of the sole member 1 10 at line 5F - 5F, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 1 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 112, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5E. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 1 14 from the medial side 112.

[0073] FIG. 5G is an elevation cross section of the soie member 110 at line 5G - 5G, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 10 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 1 14 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 1 12, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5F. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 114 from the medial side 1 12.

[0074] FIG. 5H is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5H - 5H, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the medial side 1 12, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5G. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 1 14 from the medial side 1 12.

[0075] FIG. 51 is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 51 - 51, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 1 14 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 110 tilted slightly towards the medial side 112, but slightly less tilted than FIG. 5H. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving towards the lateral side 114 from the medial side 1 12 and beginning to taper off and be leveled with no tilt.

[0076] FIG. 5 J is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5 J - 5 J, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 112 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 1 14 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 in which there is no tilt, but rather the medial side 1 12 is even with the lateral side 1 14.

[0077] FIG. 5K is an elevation cross section of the sole member 1 10 at line 5K - 5K, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 112 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 1 14 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 110 beginning to tilt slightly towards the lateral side 114.

[0078 ] FIG. 5L is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5L - 5L, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the lateral side 114, but slightly more tilted than FIG. 5 . It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving from the medial side 112 to the lateral side 1 14.

[0079] FIG. 5M is an elevation cross section of the sole member 1 10 at line 5M - 5M, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 10 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 110 tilted slightly towards the lateral side 1 14, but slightly more tilted than FIG. 5L. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving from the medial side 1 12 to the lateral side 1 14.

[0080] FIG. 5N is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5N - 5N, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 10 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the lateral side 114, but slightly more tilted than FIG. 5M. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving from the medial side 112 to the lateral side 1 14.

[0081 ] FIG. 50 is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 50 - 50, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 110 tilted slightly towards the lateral side 1 14, but slightly more tilted than FIG. 5N. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving from the medial side 112 to the lateral side 1 14.

[0082] FIG. 5P is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5P - 5P, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 1 10 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 110 tilted slightly towards the lateral side 114, but slightly more tilted than FIG. 5O. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving from the medial side 112 to the lateral side 114.

[0083] FIG. 5Q is an elevation cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5Q - 5Q, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 1 12 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 114 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 110 tilted slightly towards the lateral side 1 14, but slightly more tilted than FIG. 5P. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving from the medial side 1 12 to the lateral side 1 14.

[0084] FIG. 5R is a cross section of the sole member 110 at line 5R - 5R, when viewed from the front tip 100 with the sole member 110 facing the ground 120, so that the medial side 112 is shown on the right side of the figure and the lateral side 1 14 is on the left side of the figure. It shows the sole member 1 10 tilted slightly towards the lateral side 1 14, but slightly more tilted than FIG. 5Q. It shows the gradual progression of the tilt, moving from the medial side 1 12 to the lateral side 114. [0085] The sole member 1 10 is typically made from polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, rubber, thermal plastic rubber or thermoplastic polyurethane.

[0086] Due to the unique "twisted" shape and curvature in the plane of the sole member created by the shifting of the plane of the sole member 110, the foot rotates in a natural motion along the sole member 110 along or parallel to the center of mass axis 116. Furthermore, the tilting of the sole member 110, creates lateral curvatures along the sole member 110. The lateral curvatures along the different portions of the sole member 110 also correlate to greater or less thickness in certain areas of the sole member 110. When the lateral curvature is upward away from the ground towards the lateral side 1 14 of the sole member 1 10, the lateral side 1 14 of the sole member 1 10 is thinner than the opposite medial side 1 12, as seen in the rear elevation view of an embodiment of the sole member 110 shown in FIG. 3 A. When the curvature is upward away from the ground towards the medial side 1 12 of the sole member 110, the medial side 1 12 of the sole member 1 10 is correspondingly thinner than the opposite lateral side 1 14, as seen in the front elevation view of an embodiment of the sole member 110 shown in FIG. 2A. The relative thickness and thinness of the sole member 1 10 influences how the foot strikes the ground 120 and how the user's motion is transferred. In areas in which the sole member 1 10 is thinner, the user's foot sinks further to the ground during movement in that region. This is due to the reduced thickness to resist the movement of the user's foot in the area in which the sole member 110 is relatively thinner. This allows the user's foot to pronate at a higher rate.

Conversely, in areas in which the sole member 110 is thicker, the relative thickness causes a slowing effect on that area and the user's foot must overcome a greater thickness in order resist the movement. [0087] In normal use of the shoe, each forward step taken by the user begins when the heel region 106 of the sole member 110 begins to make contact with the ground 120. Due to the shape of the curvature and how the sole member 1 10 curves upwards towards the lateral side 114 of the heel region 106, the foot strikes the ground 120 on the lateral side 1 14 of the heel region 106. During the step, the user's foot rotates along or parallel to the center of mass axis 116 and the weight is transferred to the middle region 104, where the relatively flat, thick surface allows the user's weight and footstrike to maintain the same direction along or parallel to the center of mass axis 116. The relatively flat thick surface created by the bottom curve apex 126 acts as a medial post which slows down the rate of pronation and allows the user's foot to be guided and rotate along or parallel to the center of mass axis 116. Due to the upward curvature of the sole member 110 in the forefoot region 102 towards the medial side of the sole member 1 10, the user's weight and footstrike then moves along to the medial side 112 of the forefoot region 102 where the user then toes off of the ground 120.

[0088] Due to the footstrike that is induced by this the unique "twisted" shape and curvature of the plane of the sole member 1 10 and therefore the change in thickness, the foot rotates in a natural motion along or parallel to the center of mass axis 1 16 along the sole member 1 10 and thus provides optimum motion and support, enabling more efficient movement and comfort to the user.

[0089] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view in cross section of an alternative embodiment of the sole member 110, showing incisions 118 along the sole member 110. The incisions 118 allow the sole member 110 to flex and conform to the user's foot and natural motion. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the sole member 110 contains these incisions 118. [0090] FIG. 7 is a side elevation view in cross section of an alternative embodiment of the sole member 110 showing flexing throughout the sole member 110. As shown, the incisions 1 18 along the sole member 1 10 allow the sole member 1 10 to flex and conform to the user's foot and natural motion.

[0091 ] While the foregoing detailed description sets forth selected embodiments of a shoe in accordance with the present invention, the above description is illustrative only and not limiting of the disclosed invention. The claims that follow herein collectively cover the foregoing embodiments. The following claims further encompass additional embodiments that are within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A shoe having an upper and a sole member, wherein said sole member comprises:

a front tip, a rear tip, a forefoot region, a middle region, a heel region, a lateral side and medial side, wherein said sole member has a curvature that extends along a center of mass axis from a point at the lateral side of the heel region to a point at the medial side of the forefoot region.

2. The shoe of claim 1 wherein said center of mass axis intersects a

longitudinal axis extending from the front tip to the heel region at an angle between about 1 and about 27 degrees.

3. The shoe of claim I wherein the forefoot region of said sole member has a curvature extending from said middle region to the medial side of the forefoot region along said center of mass axis.

4. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the heel region of said sole member has a curvature extending from said middle region to the lateral side of the heel region along said center of mass axis.

5. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the sole member is substantially one unitary piece.

6. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the sole member is comprised of a separate midsole and a separate outsole.

7. The shoe of claim 1 wherein the sole member has a plurality of incisions that create a plurality of individual portions of the sole member.

8. A shoe having an upper and a sole member, wherein said sole member comprises:

a front tip. a rear tip, a forefoot region, a middle region, a heel region, a lateral side and medial side, wherein said sole member has a curvature along a center of mass axis from a point at the lateral side of the heel region to a point at the medial side of the forefoot region, wherein said center of mass axis intersects a longitudinal axis extending from the front tip to the heel region at an angle of between about 1 and about 27 degrees, wherein said sole member has a varying thickness due to said curvature.

9. The shoe of claim 8 wherein the forefoot region of said sole member has a curvature extending from said middle region to the medial side of the forefoot region along said center of mass axis.

10. The shoe of claim 8 wherein the heel region of said sole member has a curvature extending from said middle region to the lateral side of the heel region along said center of mass axis.

1 1. The shoe of claim 8 wherein the sole member is substantially one unitary piece.

12. The shoe of claim 8 wherein the sole member is comprised of a separate midsole and a separate outsole.

13. The shoe of claim 8 wherein the sole member has a plurality of incisions.

14. A shoe having an upper and a sole member, wherein said sole member comprises:

a front tip, a rear tip, forefoot region, a middle region, a heel region, a lateral side and medial side, wherein said sole member has a curvature that runs along a center of mass axis from a point at the lateral side of the heel region to a point at the medial side of the forefoot region, wherein said sole member has a plurality of incisions.

15. The shoe of claim 14 wherein said center of mass axis intersects a longitudinal axis extending from the front tip to the heel region at an angle of between about 1 and about 27 degrees in a substantially horizontal plane with respect to the ground.

16. The shoe of claim 14 wherein the forefoot region of said sole member has a curvature extending from said middle region to the medial side of the forefoot region along said center of mass axis.

17. The shoe of claim 14 wherein the heel region of said sole member has a curvature extending from said middle region to the lateral side of the heel region along said center of mass axis.

18. The shoe of claim 14 wherein the sole member is substantially one unitary piece.

19. The shoe of claim 14 wherein the sole member is comprised of a separate midsole and a separate outsole.