Shoe sloe cushion

• US 6,253,466 B1
• Filed: 05/24/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: New Balance Athletic Shoe Incorporated (New Balance Athletics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: New Balance Athletic Shoe Incorporated (New Balance Athletics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harmon-Weiss, Edith Michele, Verhoorn, Derek Alan, Mauceri, David Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): PATTERSON, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US09/317,410
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 36/28, 36/29, 36/37, 36/3.B, 36/71, 36/35.R, 36/88, 36/35.B
• US Class Current: 36/28
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/181 Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/189 filled with a non-compressible fluid, e.g. gel, water
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/20 Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas inflatable linings for skiboots A43B5/0407
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/206 provided with tubes or pipes or tubular shaped cushioning members

Abstract

A shoe sole for supporting a wearer'"'"'s foot. The sole has a main sole portion and at least one cushion associated with the main sole portion. The cushion includes first and second hollow tubular portions, preferably with resilient load-bearing first and second hollow walls that have a thickness, material, and shape providing sufficient strength for supporting and cushioning the sides of a corresponding foot region of a wearer'"'"'s foot. The first wall is disposed on first side of a sole region of the sole, and the second wall is disposed on a second side of the sole region opposite from the first side. At least one of the first and second hollow walls extends along a third side of the sole region. A central portion of the cushion is disposed between and joined with the first and second tubular portions, and preferably has a thickness, material, and shape providing sufficient strength for supporting and cushioning a generally central part of the foot region between the first, second, and third sides.

Claims

1. A cushion for use in a shoe sole, the cushion comprising:

a central portion having a resilient load-bearing hollow central wall comprising a thickness, material, central portion boundary, and shape providing sufficient strength for cushioning a region of the sole; and

first and second tubular portions having resilient load-bearing first and second hollow tubular walls with a thickness, material, and shape providing sufficient strength for cushioning at least part of a boundary of the region of the sole, the first portion disposed along a first part of the central portion boundary, and the second portion being disposed along a second part of the central portion boundary opposite from the first portion, wherein the first portion has a first bend section that is bent along the central portion boundary to resist flexing across the first bend section.

2. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the second portion has a second bend section that is bent along the boundary of the central portion facing the first bend section to resist flexing across the second bend section.

3. The cushion of claim 1, further comprising a weakened section between the first bend section and the second tubular portion, the weakened section facilitating flexing of the cushion thereacross.

4. The cushion of claim 3, wherein the first bend section and the second tubular portion are spaced from each other at the weakened section.

5. The cushion of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second tubular portions includes another bend section bent around the boundary of the central portion substantially opposite from the first bend section with respect to the central portion.

6. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the tubular portions are vertically stiffer than the central portion for stabilizing a portion of a wearer'"'"'s foot towards the central portion when supported on the cushion.

7. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the tubular walls and the central wall are a single piece of unitary construction.

8. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the cushion includes a web having a smaller height than the tubular and central portions and connecting the tubular portions to the central portion.

9. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the tubular and central portions are configured and dimensioned for cushioning a region of the sole that includes at least one distal metatarsal head region.

10. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the tubular and central walls have a connection configured for substantially isolating vertical compression of one of the tubular portions from vertical compression of the other portions when the cushion is subjected to forces during a user'"'"'s stride.

11. The cushion of claim 10, further comprising a recessed portion disposed along the central portion boundary, wherein the first and second walls comprise first and second elevated sections, respectively, and the central wall comprises a central elevated section, which is substantially isolated from the first and second elevated sections by the recessed portion to substantially isolate vertical compression of the tubular walls from the central wall.

12. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the central wall comprises upper and lower wall portions defining a hollow chamber therebetween that extends substantially across the middle of the cushion.

13. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the central and first and second tubular portions are substantially arcuate.

14. The cushion of claim 1, wherein the bend section is bent along the central portion boundary generally following the shape thereof.

15. The cushion of claim 1, further comprising a shoe sole that has a sole height, wherein the cushion is operably associated with the shoe sole, and has a cushion height that is between about 60% and 95% of the sole height at the cushion.

16. A shoe sole for supporting a wearer'"'"'s foot, the sole comprising:

a main sole portion; and

at least one cushion associated with the main sole portion and including;

a central portion disposed in a region of the sole and having a resilient load-bearing hollow central wall comprising a thickness, material, central portion boundary, and shape providing sufficient strength for cushioning the region of the sole; and

first and second tubular portions having resilient load-bearing first and second hollow tubular walls with a thickness, material, and shape providing sufficient strength for cushioning at least part of the boundary of the region of the sole, the first portion being disposed along a first part of the central portion boundary, and the second portion being disposed along a second part of the central portion boundary opposite from the first portion, wherein the first portion has a first bend section that is bent along the central portion boundary to resist flexing across the bend section.

17. The sole of claim 16, wherein the sole region includes a distal metatarsal head region of the sole.

18. The sole of claim 16, wherein the main sole portion includes an increased flexibility portion and a decreased flexibility portion that is less flexible than the increased flexibility portion, the cushion being disposed in the increased flexibility portion.

19. The sole of claim 18, wherein the increased flexibility portion defines grooves extending generally widthwise increasing fore and aft flexibility of the increased flexibility portion.

20. The sole of claim 18, wherein the cushion has a weakened section between the tubular portions on the third side having greater flexibility than the tubular portions and permitting the cushion to flex along a line extending between the tubular portions, the weakened section being disposed adjacent the grooves.

21. The sole of claim 16, wherein:

the at least one cushion includes first and second cushions;

the sole region comprises first and second sole regions adjacent each other and collectively defining a larger sole region; and

the first bend sections of the cushions are disposed opposite from each other with respect to the larger sole region.

22. The sole of claim 21, wherein the first and second tubular portions of each cushion are generally aligned with the first and second tubular portion of the other cushion, respectively.

23. The sole of claim 21, wherein the larger sole region is a collective distal metatarsal head region of the sole includes all distal metatarsal head regions of the sole.

24. The sole of claim 16, wherein the cushion has a weakened section between the first bend section and second wall portion having greater flexibility than the tubular portions permitting the cushion to flex about a line extending between the tubular portions.

25. The sole of claim 16, wherein:

the main sole includes a midsole layer and an outsole; and

the cushion is disposed between the midsole layer and the outsole.

26. A cushion for use in a shoe sole, the cushion comprising:

a resilient load-bearing central portion having a central portion boundary, the central portion being resilient and load bearing for cushioning a region of the sole;

first and second tubular portions having resilient load-bearing first and second hollow tubular walls with a thickness, material, and shape providing sufficient strength for cushioning at least part of a boundary of the region of the sole, the first portion disposed along a first part of the central portion boundary, and the second portion disposed along a second part of the central portion boundary opposite from the first portion, wherein the first portion has a first bend section that is bent along the central portion boundary to resist flexing across the first bend section; and

wherein the tubular portions are vertically stiffer than the central portion for stabilizing a portion of a wearer'"'"'s foot towards the central portion when supported on the cushion.