Footwear outsole having arcuate inner-structure

• US 6,321,468 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Payless Shoesource Worldwide LLC
• Original Assignee: Payless Shoesource Incorporated (Collective Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chen, Edward, DeGrand, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kavanaugh, Ted
• Application Number:
  US09/113,780
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 361/02, 361/03, 36/25.R, 36/30.R, 36/32.R, 36/29, 36/3.B, 36/59.R, 36/59.C, 295/3, 296/0
• US Class Current: 36/102
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/141 with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion

Abstract

An outsole having a body member with an inner-structure including a plurality of arcuately shaped ribs extending substantially from the medial to lateral sides thereof. The plurality of arcuately shaped ribs are spaced forwardly, rearwardly, and generally below the metatarsophalangeal joints of a wearer'"'"'s foot inserted in footwear constructed from the outsole. The inner-structure includes a plurality of sidebars extending forwardly and rearwardly from each of the plurality of arcuately shaped ribs to promote arcuate flexure in front of, behind, and between each of the ribs. The body member includes a peripheral member spaced along the perimeter and connected to the ends of each of the plurality of arcuately shaped ribs, toe and heel support structures configured to reduce flexure in spaces defined between those structures and the peripheral member. The outsole also includes a tread member and a stabilizing member imposed between, and connected to each of, the body member and the tread member.

Claims

1. An outsole for footwear, comprising a body member having a medial side, a lateral side, a toe end, a heel end, and an inner-structure that includes an arcuately shaped transverse member comprising at least two arcuately shaped ribs extending substantially from said medial side to said lateral side, the at least two ribs being longitudinally spaced apart to define a spacing, at least one arcuately shaped rib of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs having at least one sidebar extending substantially perpendicularly from said at least one arcuately shaped rib into said spacing and terminating in a free end, wherein said arcuately shaped transverse member is configured to accommodate, and be spaced approximately below, metatarsophalangeal joints of a wearer'"'"'s foot inserted in footwear constructed with said body member.

2. An outsole as provided in claim 1, wherein each rib of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs has a substantially uniform fore-to-aft width.

3. An outsole as provided in claim 2, wherein said fore-to-aft width of said arcuately shaped rib is approximately three millimeters.

4. An outsole as provided in claim 2, wherein said at least one arcuately shaped rib of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs further includes at least two sidebars and wherein at least one of said at least two sidebars extends forwardly from said arcuately shaped rib and another of said at least two sidebars extends rearwardly from said arcuately rib.

5. An outsole as provided in claim 4, wherein said at least two sidebars extending forwardly from said arcuately shaped rib are laterally offset from respective said at least two sidebars extending rearwardly from said arcuately shaped rib.

6. An outsole as provided in claim 4, wherein said at least two sidebars extending forwardly from said arcuately shaped rib are aligned with respective said at least two sidebars extending rearwardly from said arcuately shaped rib.

7. An outsole as provided in claim 4, wherein said at least two sidebars adjacently spaced along said arcuately shaped rib are spaced apart approximately eight millimeters.

8. An outsole as provided in claim 1, wherein said at least one sidebar extends outwardly from each of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs and terminates at a position approximately one-half of the spacing between longitudinally spaced ones of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs.

9. An outsole as provided in claim 1, wherein said at least one arcuately shaped transverse member further includes at least two sidebars wherein at least one of said at least two sidebars extends rearwardly from a first one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs and another of said at least two sidebars extends rearwardly from a second one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs.

10. An outsole as provided in claim 9, wherein said at least two sidebars are laterally offset from each other.

11. An outsole as provided in claim 9, wherein a first plane, perpendicular to said body member and defined by distal ends of adjacently spaced ones of said at least two sidebars extending forwardly from one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs that substantially underlies the wearer'"'"'s metatarsophalangeal joints, intersects a second plane, also perpendicular to said body member and defined by a line through a foremost substantially symmetrical center of said toe end of said body member and through a rearmost substantially symmetrical center of said heel end of said body member, at an obtuse angle.

12. An outsole as provided in claim 11, wherein said obtuse angle is approximately one hundred degrees.

13. An outsole as provided in claim 1, wherein said at least two arcuately shaped ribs are spaced relative to said body member such that at least one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs is spaced forwardly from the metatarsophalangeal joints of the wearer and at least one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs is spaced rearwardly from the metatarsophalangeal joints of the wearer.

14. An outsole as provided in claim 1, further including a peripheral member along the perimeter of said body member.

15. An outsole as provided in claim 14, wherein said at least two arcuately shaped ribs are spaced relative to said body member such that at least one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs is spaced forwardly from the metatarsophalangeal joints of the wearer and at least one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs is spaced rearwardly from the metatarsophalangeal joints of the wearer.

16. An outsole as provided in claim 15, further including toe support structure connected to said peripheral portion and configured to reduce flexure in a space defined by a foremost one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs and said peripheral portion.

17. An outsole as provided in claim 16, wherein at least a portion of said toe support structure includes a diagonal criss-cross structure.

18. An outsole as provided in claim 15, further including heel support structure connected to said peripheral portion and configured to reduce flexure in a space defined by a rearmost one of said at least two arcuately shaped ribs and said peripheral portion.

19. An outsole as provided in claim 18, wherein at least a portion of said heel support structure includes a diagonal criss-cross structure.

20. An outsole as provided in claim 1, wherein said body member is integrally formed.

21. An outsole as provided in claim 1, further including a tread member and a stabilizing member imposed between, and connected to each of, said body member and said tread member.

22. An outsole as provided in claim 21, wherein said body member has a thickness approximately twice the thickness of said stabilizing member.

23. An outsole as provided in claim 21, wherein said tread member has a thickness approximately one and one-half times the thickness of said stabilizing member.

24. An outsole as provided in claim 21, wherein said body member, said stabilizing member, and said tread member are integrally formed.

25. An outsole for footwear, comprising:

(a) a body member having a medial side, a lateral side, a toe end, and a heel end;

said body member including;

(1) a plurality of arcuately shaped ribs having a substantially uniform fore-to-aft width and extending substantially from said medial side to said lateral side;

said plurality of arcuately shaped ribs uniformly spaced apart;

at least one of said arcuately shaped ribs spaced forwardly from, at least one of said arcuately shaped ribs spaced rearwardly from, and intermediate ones of said arcuately shaped ribs spaced generally below metatarsophalangeal joints of a wearer'"'"'s foot inserted in footwear constructed with said body member,

(2) a plurality of sidebars extending forwardly and rearwardly from each of said plurality of arcuately shaped ribs approximately one-half of the spacing between adjacently spaced ones of said plurality of arcuately shaped ribs, said plurality of sidebars extending toward each other from adjacently spaced ones of the plurality of arcuately shaped ribs being laterally offset from each other,

(3) a peripheral member spaced along the perimeter of said body member and connected to each of said plurality of arcuately shaped ribs,

(4) toe support structure connected to said peripheral portion and configured to reduce flexure in a space defined by a foremost one of said plurality of arcuately shaped ribs and said peripheral portion wherein at least a portion of said toe support structure includes a diagonal criss-cross structure, and

(5) heel support structure connected to said peripheral portion and configured to reduce flexure in a space defined by a rearmost one of said plurality of arcuately shaped ribs and said peripheral portion wherein at least a portion of said heel support structure includes a diagonal criss-cross structure;

(b) a tread member; and

(c) a stabilizing member imposed between, and connected to each of, said body member and said tread member; and

(d) wherein said body member, said stabilizing member, and said tread member are integrally formed.