Shoe sole structures with deformation sipes

• US 6,115,945 A
• Filed: 12/03/1993
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ANATOMIC RESEARCH , INC., FRAMPTO ELLS & ASS., INC
• Original Assignee: Anatomic Research Inc.
• Inventors: Ellis, Frampton E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US08/162,371
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 36/59 R, 36/59 C, 36/32 R, 36/28, 36/29, 36/114, 36/116, 36/12, 36/107, 36/108, 36/76 R, 36/102, 36/88, 36/103, 36/30 R, 36/25 R
• US Class Current: 36/102
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/04 Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/141 with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/143 provided with wedged, concave or convex end portions, e.g. for improving roll-off of the foot
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/148 Wedged end portions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/16 Pieced soles with several layers of different material A43B13/12

Abstract

A construction for a shoe, particularly an athletic shoe, which includes a sole that conforms to the natural shape of the foot shoe, including the bottom and the sides, when that foot sole deforms naturally by flattening under load while walking or running in order to provide a stable support base for the foot and ankle. Deformation sipes such as slits or channels are introduced in the shoe sole along its long axis, and other axes, to provide it with flexibility roughly equivalent to that of the foot. The result is a shoe sole that accurately parallels the frontal plane deformation of the foot sole, which creates a stable base that is wide and flat even when tilted sideways in extreme pronation or supination motion. In marked contrast, conventional shoe soles are rigid and become highly unstable when tilted sideways because they are supported only by a thin bottom edge.

Claims

1. A shoe comprising:

a shoe upper with flexible portions; and

a shoe sole having a heel portion including a bottom sole and a midsole, at least a portion of the heel bottom sole portion includes sipe means for providing flexibility of the sole, said shoe sole portion having a contoured side portion with an upper concavely rounded surface and a lower concavely rounded surface such that at least a lateral part of the upper surface of said shoe sole heel portion deforms to conform to the shape of a curved side of a wearer'"'"'s foot sole when said shoe is worn on said wearer'"'"'s unloaded foot, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section of the sole, the concavity existing with respect to the wearer'"'"'s foot location in the shoe, wherein

the sipe means originate at a ground-contacting surface of said sole and extend both in a shoe sole longitudinal direction and laterally beyond an adjacent side of the wearer'"'"'s foot heel when the shoe is worn on the wearer'"'"'s unloaded foot, and wherein the longitudinal extending sipe means extend into the contoured side portion of the sole.

2. The shoe as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shoe sole has a heel thickness greater than a forefoot thickness.

3. The shoe as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shoe sole deforms easily under body weight loads of a wearer when standing and during locomotion to conform to a shape of a body weight load-bearing wearer'"'"'s foot sole, including its sides.

4. A shoe comprising:

a shoe upper with flexible portions;

a shoe sole having a heel portion including a bottom sole and a midsole, at least a portion of the heel bottom sole portion includes sipe means for providing flexibility of the sole, said shoe sole portion having a contoured side portion with an upper concavely rounded surface and a lower concavely rounded surface such that at least a lateral part of the upper surface of said shoe sole heel portion deforms to conform to the shape of a curved side of a wearer'"'"'s foot sole when said shoe is worn on said wearer'"'"'s unloaded foot, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section of the sole, the concavity existing with respect to the wearer'"'"'s foot location in the shoe, wherein

the sipe means originate at a ground-contacting surface of said sole and extend both in a shoe sole longitudinal direction and laterally beyond an adjacent side of the wearer'"'"'s foot heel when the shoe is worn on the wearer'"'"'s unloaded foot, and wherein the longitudinal extending sipe means extend into the contoured side portion of the sole; and

the shoe sole further includes a bottom layer, the flexible portions of the shoe upper are connected to said bottom layer of said shoe sole along an outer surface of said shoe sole,

said flexible portions providing a tension force along an outside surface of said shoe during eversion and inversion motion of the wearer'"'"'s foot,

said flexible portions serving to control the eversion and inversion motion of the shoe sole, said motion paralleling that of the foot when bare, and

said flexible portions ensuring that said shoe sole conforms to the shape of the wearer'"'"'s foot sole, including at least portions of both the bottom and the sides.

5. The shoe as set forth in claim 4, wherein said contoured side portion is located at least at one of a base and a lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus of the wearer'"'"'s foot.

6. A shoe sole comprising:

a shoe sole having a heel portion including a bottom sole and a midsole, at least a portion of the heel bottom sole portion includes sipe means for providing flexibility of the sole, said shoe sole portion having a contoured side portion with an upper concavely rounded surface and a lower concavely rounded surface such that at least inner part of the upper surface of said shoe sole portion conforms to at least a proximate curved part of a sole of a wearer'"'"'s foot when said shoe is worn on said foot when unloaded, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section of the sole, the concavity existing with respect to the wearer'"'"'s foot location in the shoe, wherein

the sipe means originate at a ground contacting surface of said sole and extend both in a shoe sole longitudinal direction and laterally beyond an adjacent side of the wearer'"'"'s foot heel when the shoe is worn on the wearer'"'"'s unloaded foot, and wherein the longitudinal extending sipe means extend into the contoured side portion of the sole.

7. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 6, wherein said contoured side portion is located at least at one of a base and a lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus of the wearer'"'"'s foot.

8. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 6, wherein the shoe sole has a heel thickness greater than a forefoot thickness.

9. A shoe sole comprising:

a shoe sole having a heel portion including a bottom sole and a midsole, at least a portion of the heel bottom sole portion includes sipe means for providing flexibility of the sole, said shoe sole portion having a contoured side portion with an upper concavely rounded surface and a lower concavely rounded surface such that at least an inner part of the upper surface of said shoe sole portion conforms to at least a proximate curved part of a sole of a wearer'"'"'s foot when said shoe is worn on said foot when unloaded, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section of the sole, the concavity existing with respect to the wearer'"'"'s foot location in the shoe, wherein

the sipe means originate at a ground contacting surface of said sole and extend both in a shoe sole longitudinal direction and laterally beyond an adjacent side of the wearer'"'"'s foot heel when the shoe is worn on the wearer'"'"'s unloaded foot and wherein the longitudinal extending sipe means extend into the contoured side portion of the sole; and

the shoe sole includes a bottom layer, at least portions of a flexible shoe upper are connected to said bottom layer of said shoe sole along an outer surface of said shoe sole;

said flexible shoe upper portions providing a tension force along the outside surface of said shoe during eversion and inversion motion of the wearer'"'"'s foot;

said flexible shoe upper portions serving to control the eversion and inversion motion of the shoe sole, said motion paralleling that of the foot when bare;

and said flexible shoe upper portions ensuring that said shoe sole conforms to the natural shape of the wearer'"'"'s foot sole, including at least portions of both the bottom and the sides.