Athletic shoe sole design and construction

• US 5,224,279 A
• Filed: 06/17/1991
• Issued: 07/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Agnew
• Original Assignee: James Agnew
• Inventors: Agnew, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Meyers, Steven N.
• Application Number:
  US07/716,844
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 36/32 R, 36/25 R, 36/114, 36/30 R, 36/59 R, 36/59 A, 36/59 C, 36/31, D 2/320
• US Class Current: 36/30.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/12 Soles with several layers of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles

Abstract

An athletic shoe sole comprising a midsole and an outsole. The midsole has a longitudinally concave shaped ball portion which is thinnest along a transverse metatarsal line, such that a longitudinal concavity is formed facing downwardly and crossing the entire width of the ball portion of the midsole. The outsole has a longitudinally convex shaped ball portion which is thickest along the transverse metatarsal line, such that a longitudinal convexity is formed facing upwardly and crossing the entire width of the ball portion of the outsole. The longitudinally convex shaped ball portion of the outsole has numerous conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a plurality of transverse rows, and two longitudinally elongated edgewise non-hollow tread members each having a plurality of transverse grooves.

Claims

1. An athletic shoe sole comprising:

a. a midsole having a longitudinally concave shaped forefoot portion which is thinnest along a transverse line, such that a longitudinal concavity is formed facing downwardly and crossing the entire width of the forefoot portion of the midsole;

b. an outsole having a longitudinally convex shaped forefoot portion which has two longitudinally elongated edgewise non-hollow tread members and is thickest along the transverse line, such that a longitudinal convexity is formed facing upwardly and crossing the entire width between said two edgewise tread members of the forefoot portion of the outsole; and

c. said longitudinally convex shaped forefoot portion of said outsole having a multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a plurality of transverse rows, wherein the vertical dimensions of the multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members are different, such that said outsole has a generally flat bottom surface.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said forefoot portions of said midsole and said outsole are aligned with the ball portion of a wearer'"'"'s foot.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said transverse line is aligned with the metatarsal line of a wearer'"'"'s foot.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the vertical dimensions of the respective ones of said multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a respective one of said plurality of transverse rows are the same.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the respective ones of said multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a respective one of said plurality of transverse rows are offset with the other respective ones of said multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in an adjacent one of said plurality of transverse rows.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said two longitudinally elongated edgewise non-hollow tread members each has a plurality of transverse grooves.

7. An athletic shoe sole comprising:

a. a midsole having a longitudinally concave shaped forefoot portion which is thinnest along a transverse line, such that a longitudinal concavity is formed facing downwardly and crossing the entire width of the forefoot portion of the midsole;

b. an outsole having a longitudinally convex shaped forefoot portion which has two longitudinally elongated edgewise tread members and is thickest along the transverse line, such that a longitudinal convexity is formed facing upwardly and crossing the entire width between said two edgewise tread members of the forefoot portion of the outsole;

c. said longitudinally convex shaped forefoot portion of said outsole having a multiplicity of conical shaped tread members aligned in a plurality of transverse rows, wherein the vertical dimensions of the multiplicity of conical shaped tread members are different, such that said outsole has a generally flat bottom surface; and

d. each of said multiplicity of conical shaped tread members having a recess which is filled by a soft resilient material.

8. A basketball shoe sole comprising:

a. a midsole having a longitudinally concave shaped ball portion which is thinnest along a transverse metatarsal line, such that a longitudinal concavity is formed facing downwardly and crossing the entire width of the ball portion of the midsole;

b. an outsole having a longitudinally convex shaped ball portion which has two longitudinally elongated edgewise non-hollow tread members each having a plurality of transverse grooves and is thickest along the transverse metatarsal line, such that a longitudinal convexity is formed facing upwardly and crossing the entire width between the two edgewise tread members of the ball portion of the outsole; and

c. said longitudinally convex shaped ball portion of said outsole having a multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a plurality of transverse rows, wherein the vertical dimensions of the multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members are different, such that said outsole has a generally flat bottom surface.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein the vertical dimensions of the respective ones of said multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a respective one of said plurality of transverse rows are the same.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein the respective ones of said multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a respective one of said plurality of transverse rows are offset with the other respective ones of said multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in an adjacent one of said plurality of transverse rows.

11. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein the respective ones of said plurality of transverse grooves of one of said two longitudinally elongated edgewise non-hollow tread members are aligned with the other respective ones of said plurality of transverse grooves of the other one of said two longitudinally elongated edgewise non-hollow tread members.

12. A basketball shoe sole comprising:

a. a midsole having a longitudinally concave shaped ball portion which is thinnest along a transverse metatarsal line, such that a longitudinal concavity is formed facing downwardly and crossing the entire width of the ball portion of the midsole;

b. an outsole having a longitudinally convex shaped ball portion which has two longitudinally elongated edgewise tread members each having a plurality of transverse grooves and is thickest along the transverse metatarsal line, such that a longitudinal convexity is formed facing upwardly and crossing the entire width between the two edgewise tread members of the ball portion of the outsole;

c. said longitudinally convex shaped ball portion of said outsole having a multiplicity of conical shaped tread members aligned in a plurality of transverse rows, wherein the vertical dimensions of the multiplicity of conical shaped tread members are different, such that said outsole has a generally flat bottom surface; and

d. each of said multiplicity of conical shaped tread members having a recess which is filled with silicone resin.

13. A shoe sole comprising:

a. a midsole having a concave shaped forefoot portion, such that a concavity is formed facing downwardly and crossing the entire width of the forefoot portion of the midsole;

b. an outsole having a convex shaped forefoot portion with two opposite narrow side portions, such that a convexity is formed facing upwardly and crossing the entire width between the two side portions of the forefoot portion of the outsole; and

c. said convex shaped forefoot portion of said outsole having a multiplicity of hollow tread members, wherein the vertical dimensions of the multiplicity of hollow tread members are different, such that said outsole has a generally flat bottom surface.

14. The invention as defined in claim 13 wherein said concave shaped forefoot portion of said midsole is thinnest along a generally transverse line, and said convex shaped forefoot portion of said outsole is thickest along the generally transverse line.

15. The invention as defined in claim 13 wherein said multiplicity of hollow tread members are conical shaped.

16. A basketball shoe outsole comprising an upward facing convex shaped forefoot portion which has a multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members aligned in a plurality of transverse rows, and two longitudinally elongated edgewise non-hollow tread members each having a plurality of transverse grooves, wherein the vertical dimensions of the multiplicity of conical shaped hollow tread members are different, such that the outsole has a generally flat bottom surface.

17. A basketball shoe outsole comprising an upward facing convex shaped forefoot portion which has a multiplicity of conical shaped tread members aligned in a plurality of transverse rows, and two longitudinally elongated edgewise tread members each having a plurality of transverse grooves, wherein the vertical dimensions of the multiplicity of conical shaped tread members are different, such that the outsole has a generally flat bottom surface, and each of said multiplicity of conical shaped tread members has a recess which is filled with silicone resin.

18. An athletic shoe outsole comprising at its heel portion:

a. a multiplicity of centrally located conical shaped tread members having deep recesses and aligned in a plurality of transverse rows;

b. a multiplicity of edgewise located tread members having shallow recesses and positioned along a "U"-shaped curve; and

c. said deep recesses of said multiplicity of centrally located conical shaped tread members being filled with softer material, and said shallow recesses of said multiplicity of edgewise located tread members being filled with harder material.

19. The invention as defined in claim 18 wherein said multiplicity of centrally located conical shaped tread members are made of softer material, and said multiplicity of edgewise located tread members are made of harder material.