Slip-resistant sole

• US 4,777,738 A
• Filed: 08/12/1986
• Issued: 10/18/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Stride Rite Corporation (Wolverine World Wide Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Stride Rite Corporation (Wolverine World Wide Inc.)
• Inventors: Giese, Erik O., Brown, Roger J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meyers, Steven N.
• Application Number:
  US06/894,751
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 36/32 R, 36/59 C, 36/114, 36/30 A, 36/31, 36/116, 36/113, 36/25 R, D 2/308, D 2/309, D 2/310, D 2/274, D 2/320
• US Class Current: 36/32.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/08 Bathing shoes ; Aquatic sports shoes

Abstract

A slip-resistant shoe sole comprising an outsole layer having a bottom surface defining a region of contact between the sole and the ground, the outsole layer bearing a plurality of channels opening onto the bottom surface to define a pattern of elongated gaps across the contact region, the ratio of the area of the gaps to the surface area of the contact region and the configuration of the gaps being arranged to effectively cause liquid between the contact region and the ground to be conducted away while enhancing the slip resistance produced by the contact region engaging the ground.

Claims

1. A slip-resistant shoe sole comprising an outsole layer bearing a series of transverse grooves,

at least some of said transverse grooves being joined by interconnection grooves,

said transverse grooves and said interconnection grooves forming the perimeters of a plurality of friction elements,

each adjacent pair of said transverse grooves along the length of said sole defining a transverse region said sole containing a plurality of transverse regions,

said friction elements of alternate said transverse regions comprising relatively longer friction bars, and

said friction elements of intervening said transverse regions comprising relatively shorter friction pads.

2. The shoe sole of claim 1 further comprising shock inserts in the ball and heel areas.

15. The shoe sole of claim 1 or 3 further comprising siping slits.

16. The shoe sole of claim 15 wherein each said transverse groove has an undulating contour, and each said siping slit comprises a wavy slit whose undulations are the same as the undulations of an adjacent transverse groove.

17. The shoe sole of claim 15 wherein said siping slits appear only in the toe area, other areas being unsiped.

18. The shoe sole of claim 1 or 3 wherein each said transverse groove has a wiping edge where walls of said groove meet the ground, said wiping edge being contoured to include segments at various angles to a longitudinal axis of said sole.

19. The shoe sole of claim 1 or 3 wherein each said transverse groove has a continuously curving wavy contour.

21. The shoe sole of claim 1, or 3 wherein each said groove has a wiping edge where its walls meet the ground and the angle between said walls and said ground is greater than 105°

.

23. The shoe sole of claim 1 or 10 wherein said interconnection grooves are straight.

3. A slip-resistant shoe sole comprising an outsole layer having a peripheral edge and bearing a peripheral groove extending along, and in the vicinity of, the peripheral edge of said outsole layer, said outsole layer also bearing a plurality of transverse grooves extending between said peripheral groove some of said transverse grooves crossing and extending beyond said peripheral groove, some of said transverse grooves terminating at said peripheral groove.

4. The shoe sole of claim 3 wherein said transverse grooves which extend beyond said peripheral groove extend all the way to said peripheral edge.

5. The shoe sole of claim 3 wherein said peripheral groove comprises a Littleway groove.

6. The shoe sole of claim 3 wherein every other said transverse groove extends beyond said peripheral groove and each intervening said transverse groove terminates at said peripheral groove.

7. The shoe sole of claim 3 further comprising a set of concentric grooves centered on a point in the ball area.

8. The shoe sole of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of concentric grooves centered on a point in the ball area.

9. The shoe sole of claim 8 wherein some of said concentric grooves cross and extend beyond said peripheral groove and some of said concentric grooves terminate at said peripheral groove.

10. The shoe sole of claim 3 wherein at least some said transversse grooves are joined by interconnection grooves, said transverse grooves and said interconnection grooves forming the perimeter of a plurality of friction elements, and wherein each adjacent pair of said transverse grooves along the length of said sole defines a transverse region, said sole containing a plurality of transverse regions,

said friction elements of some said transverse regions comprising relatively longer friction bars, and said friction elements of other said transverse regions comprising relatively shorter friction pads.

11. The shoe sole of claim 10 wherein said transverse grooves define a series of transverse regions along the length of said sole,

said friction elements of alternate said transverse regions comprising relatively longer friction bars, and

said friction elements of intervening said transverse regions comprising relatively shorter friction pads.

12. The shoe sole of claim 11 or 10 wherein said friction bars extend substantially all the way across said sole.

13. The shoe sole of claim 11 or 10 wherein said friction pads lie between successive said interconnection grooves.

14. The shoe sole of claim 11 or 10 wherein said regions comprising said friction pads alternate along the length of said sole with said regions comprising said friction bars.

20. The shoe sole of claim 14 wherein said regions comprising friction pads have a greater longitudinal extent than said regions comprising friction bars.

22. The shoe sole of claim 11 or 10 wherein each said bar is at least 0.375" and not more than 0.60" in the longitudinal direction and bears at least two siping slits.

24. A slip-resistant shoe sole comprising

an outsole layer having a bottom surface defining a region of contact between the sole and the ground.

said outsole layer bearing a series of transverse channels opening onto the bottom surface to define a pattern of elongated gaps that interrupt the contact region, adjacent transverse channels being joined by interconnection channels, said transverse channels being paired such that the number of interconnection channels joining the two transverse channels of a given pair is greater than the number of interconnection channels joining one transverse channel belonging to the given pair and an adjacent transverse channel belonging to an adjacent pair, one said transverse channel in each said pair extending to the peripheral edge of said outsole layer, the distance between said transverse channels of a said given pair being greater than the width of each said gap, and

wherein portions of the contact region between some adjacent pairs of elongated gaps comprise friction pads, and

wherein portions of the contact region between other adjacent pairs of elongated gaps comprise friction bars which extend transversely across the sole, the friction bars bear siping slits to improve slip resistance, and the siping comprises a plurality of parallel wavy cuts only on each friction bar.

25. The shoe sole of claim 24 wherein there are three said wavy cuts per friction bar.

26. The shoe sole of claim 25 wherein said siping comprises a plurality of parallel wavy cuts only on each friction bar.

27. The sole of claim 24 or 26 wherein each friction bar is wavy and the undulations of each wavy cut are the same as the undulations of the friction bar.

28. A slip-resistant shoe sole comprising

an outsole layer having a bottom surface defining a region of contact between the sole and the ground,

said outsole layer bearing a series of transverse channels opening onto the bottom surface to define a pattern of elongated gaps that interrupt the contact region, adjacent transverse channels being joined by interconnection channels, said transverse channels being paired such that the number of interconnection channels joining the two transverse channels of a given pair is greater than the number of interconnection channels joining one transverse channel belonging to the given pair and an adjacent transverse channel belonging to an adjacent pair, one said transverse channel in each said pair extending to the peripheral edge of said outsole layer, the distance between said channels of a said given pair being greater than the width of each said gap, and

wherein portions of the contact regions between some adjacent pairs of elongated gaps comprise friction pads, at least some of the friction pads being no shorter than 3/16" (preferably 1/4") in their shortest dimension, and

wherein portions of the contact regions between other adjacent pairs of elongated gaps comprise friction bars which extend transversely across the sole, and the friction bars bear siping slits to improve slip resistance.

29. A slip-resistant shoe sole comprising an outsole bearing a series of transverse grooves defining a succession of transverse regions along the length of said sole each adjacent pair of said transverse grooves along the length of said sole defining a transverse region, said sole containing a plurality of transverse regions, such that every other transverse region bears at least one friction bar and the intervening transverse regions each bear a plurality of relatively smaller friction pads, said friction bars in the toe regions bearing siping slits said friction bars in other regions bearing no slits.