Golf shoe sole structures for relieving spike-produced pressure points

• US 4,561,197 A
• Filed: 05/03/1985
• Issued: 12/31/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tretorn Aktiebolag (Authentic Brands Group, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
• Inventors: Misevich, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaudon, Henry S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Graveline, T.
• Application Number:
  US06/730,040
• Time in Patent Office: 242 Days
• Field of Search: 36/114, 36/126, 36/127, 36/128, 36/129, 36/134, 36/28, 36/31, 36/67 A, 36/7.6, 36/7.7, 36/95, 36/88, 36/96
• US Class Current: 36/127
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/001 Golf shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/161 characterised by the attachment to the sole

Abstract

A golf shoe or other spiked shoe having spike receptacles embedded in the shoe'"'"'s outsole and an intermediate sole overlying the outsole and configured to relieve the spike-produced pressure points or zones which result from walking or standing on a hard surface.

Claims

1. A golf shoe comprising a deformable flexible outsole having a ground engaging lower surface and an upper surface, an intermediate compressible sole structure overlying and attached to said upper surface of said outsole, spaced apart capsule portions formed in said outsole and projecting upwardly from said upper surface of said outsole, a set of spaced apart spike receptacles embedded in said outsole and encapsulated in said capsule portions, and ground engaging spikes fastened in said receptacles, said sole structure having a plurality of voids lying vertically above said capsule portions of said outsole, said capsule portions projecting upwardly into said voids from said upper surface of said outsole and moving at least partially into said voids from a normal position when the spikes encounter a hard surface to relieve the pressure points which are exerted on the wearer'"'"'s foot and thereafter resuming said normal position.

2. The golf shoe defined in claim 1 wherein said capsule portions terminate in upwardly facing end faces, and wherein said voids are at least as large as and receive said end faces.

3. The golf shoe defined in claim 2 wherein said voids axially align with said capsule portions and said receptacles.

4. The golf shoe defined in claim 3 wherein said sole structure comprises at least one layer formed from a compressible foamed polymeric material, wherein said voids are formed in said layer, wherein each of said capsule portions is formed with a sloped side wall, and wherein the bottom edges of said voids are defined by said compressible layer and are precompressed against the sloped side walls of said capsule portions, and wherein the heights of said voids are sufficiently greater than the heights of said capsule portions that said end faces remain out of engagement with said layer upon compression of the layer under the wearer'"'"'s load.

5. The golf shoe defined in claim 4 wherein each of said voids has a diameter greater than said end faces, but smaller than the base diameter of said capsule portions at the upper surface of said base portion.

6. The golf shoe defined in claim 4 including an insole board overlying said sole structure.

7. The golf shoe defined in claim 2 wherein said sole structure comprises upper and lower separately formed layers, each of said layers being formed from a compressible foamed polymeric material, said voids being formed in said lower layer.

8. The golf shoe defined in claim 7 wherein each capsule portion is tapered and is formed with a sloped side wall lying in a conical envelope, wherein the bottom edges of said void at the bottom of said lower layer are precompressed against the sloped side walls of said capsule portions, and wherein the heights of said voids are sufficiently greater than the heights of said capsule portions that said end faces remain out of engagement with said layers upon compression of said layers under the wearer'"'"'s load.

9. The golf shoe defined in claim 8 wherein said lower layer is stiffer than said upper layer.

10. The golf shoe defined in claim 9 wherein the sum of the stiffnesses of said upper and lower layers is at least approximately equal to the sum of the stiffnesses of one of said capsule portions and said upper layer.

11. The golf shoe defined in claim 9 wherein said voids are formed through said lower layer, and wherein said upper layer closes the upper ends of said voids.

12. The golf shoe defined in claim 1 wherein said sole structure is formed as one piece from a compressible foamed polymeric material.

13. The golf shoe defined in claim 12 wherein each of said capsule portions is tapered and formed with a sloped side wall lying in a conical envelope, wherein the bottom edges of said voids are precompressed against the sloped side walls of said capsule portions, and wherein the heights of said voids are sufficiently greater than the heights of said capsule portions that said end faces remain out of engagement with said sole structure upon compression of the sole strucure under the wearer'"'"'s load.

14. The golf shoe defined in claim 13 wherein said voids are formed only partially through said sole structure.

15. The golf shoe defined in claim 13 wherein said voids are formed completely through said sole structure to open at the top and bottom surfaces thereof, and wherein plugs are received in the upper ends of said voids to close the upper ends of the voids.

16. The golf shoe defined in claim 15 wherein said plugs are formed from a compressible closed cell polymeric material which is softer than said sole structure.