Shoe sole with a concavely rounded sole portion

• US 6,629,376 B1
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Anatomic Research Inc.
• Original Assignee: Anatomic Research Inc.
• Inventors: Ellis, Frampton E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): PATTERSON, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US08/477,640
• Time in Patent Office: 3,044 Days
• Field of Search: 36/25.R, 36/30.R, 36/28, 36/31, 36/32.R, 36/88, 36/91, 361/14, 361/27, 361/29, 36/69
• US Class Current: 36/25.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/125 characterised by the midsole or middle layer
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/14 characterised by the constructive form
• 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 13/145 Convex portions, e.g. with a bump or projection, e.g. 'Masai' type shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/146 Concave end portions, e.g. with a cavity or cut-out portion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/148 Wedged end portions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/06 Running shoes; Track shoes

Abstract

A construction for a shoe, particularly an athletic shoe such as a running shoe, includes a sole that conforms to the natural shape of the foot, particularly the sides, and that has a constant thickness in frontal plane cross sections. The thickness of the shoe sole side contour equals and therefore varies exactly as the thickness of the load-bearing sole portion varies due to heel lift, for example. Thus, the outer contour of the edge portion of the sole has at least a portion which lies along a theoretically ideal stability plane for providing natural stability and efficient motion of the shoe and foot particularly in an inverted and everted mode.

Claims

1. A shoe sole for providing the wearer with a stable interaction with the ground, like the interaction resulting from the curved bottom surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot sole on the ground, including:

a shoe sole underneath portion located beneath an intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole location in the shoe sole, including at least one concavely rounded portion,

the concavely rounded portion having an inner concavely rounded surface near the intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole location, as viewed in a frontal plane, when the shoe sole is upright and not under a bodyweight load, and the concavity being determined with respect to the intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole location;

the concavely rounded portion also having an outer concavely rounded surface, extending through a lowermost portion of the shoe sole as viewed in a frontal plane, when the shoe sole is upright and not under a bodyweight load, and the concavity being determined with respect to the intended wearer'"'"'s foot location,

the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole being oriented around at least one of the following parts of said wearer'"'"'s foot;

a head of a first distal phalange, a head of a first metatarsal, a head of a fifth metatarsal, a base of a fifth metatarsal, a lateral tuberosity of a calcaneus, a base of a calcaneus, and a main longitudinal arch; and

a shoe sole thickness that is greater in a heel area than a forefoot area.

2. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one inner and outer concavely rounded surfaces are also concavely rounded when viewed in a horizontal plane.

3. A shoe sole according to claim 1, further including a second concavely rounded portion orientated underneath another of the parts of the wearer'"'"'s foot and viewed in the same frontal plane as the first concavely rounded portion.

4. A shoe sole according to claim 1, wherein the first and second concavely rounded portions are oriented underneath the heads of the fifth and first metatarsals, between which is located a convexly rounded portion, as viewed in a frontal plane.

5. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole is oriented around at least two of said parts of the intended wearer'"'"'s foot.

6. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole is oriented around at least three of said parts of the intended wearer'"'"'s foot.

7. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole is oriented around at least four of said parts of the intended wearer'"'"'s foot.

8. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole is oriented around at least five of said parts of the intended wearer'"'"'s foot.

9. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole is oriented around at least six of said parts of the intended wearer'"'"'s foot.

10. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole is oriented around at least seven of said parts of the intended wearer'"'"'s foot.

11. A shoe sole for providing the wearer with a stable interaction with the ground, like the interaction resulting from the curved bottom surface of the wearer'"'"'s foot sole on the ground, including:

a shoe sole underneath portion located beneath an intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole location in the shoe sole, including at least one concavely rounded portion,

the concavely rounded portion having an inner concavely rounded surface near the intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole location, as viewed in a frontal plane, when the shoe sole is upright and not under a bodyweight load, and the concavity being determined with respect to the intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole location;

the concavely rounded portion also having an outer concavely rounded surface, extending through a lowermost portion of the shoe sole as viewed in a frontal plane, when the shoe sole is upright and not under a bodyweight load, and the concavity being determined with respect to the intended wearer'"'"'s foot location,

the at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole being oriented around at least one of the following parts of said wearer'"'"'s foot;

a head of a first distal phalange, a head of a first metatarsal, a head of a fifth metatarsal, a base of a fifth metatarsal, a lateral tuberosity of a calcaneus, a base of a calcaneus, and a main longitudinal arch; and

a shoe sole thickness that is greater in a heel area than a forefoot area,

wherein the at least one concavely rounded portion substantially encompasses a bottom of the intended wearers foot sole underneath and orientated around the at least one part of the intended wearer'"'"'s foot, as viewed in the frontal plane.

12. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 11, wherein said at least one inner and outer concavely rounded surfaces are also concavely rounded when viewed in a sagittal plane, the concavity being determined from the intended wearer'"'"'s foot location.

13. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 12, wherein said outer concavely rounded surface extends through a lowermost heel area, when viewed in the sagittal plane.

14. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 12, wherein there is a substantially uniform shoe sole thickness extending from a lowermost heel area through a rearmost heel extent, when viewed in the sagittal plane;

said shoe sole thickness being defined as the shortest distance between any point on said inner concavely rounded surface and said outer concavely rounded surface, when viewed in the sagittal plane.

15. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 11, wherein said at least one inner and outer concavely rounded surfaces are located at the main longitudinal arch of the wearer'"'"'s foot and are concavely rounded when viewed in a sagittal plane and in a horizontal plane.

16. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 11, wherein at least one concavely rounded side portion is defined by an inner surface and an outer surface, both surfaces concavely rounded as viewed in the frontal plane, the concavity being determined with respect to the intended wearer'"'"'s foot sole location;

and

the at least one concavely rounded side portion adjoins the at least one concavely rounded portion.

17. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 16, wherein said at least one inner and outer concavely rounded surfaces are located at least at a main longitudinal arch and are concavely rounded when viewed in a sagittal plane.

18. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 16, including at least a second concavely rounded side portion, which adjoins the first concavely rounded side portion on the same sole side, with a thickness that is less than that of the first concavely rounded side portion, as measured in another frontal plane cross section, in order to save weight and increase flexibility within the shoe sole.

19. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 11, wherein the shoe sole has a substantially uniform thickness, as measured in a frontal plane cross section, between at least a part of the at least one concavely rounded inner surface and the at least one concavely rounded outer surface;

and

said shoe sole thickness being defined as the shortest distance between any point on an inner surface of said shoe sole and an outer surface of said shoe sole, when measured in a frontal plane cross section, said inner and outer surfaces therefore being substantially parallel.

20. The shoe sole as set forth in claim 19, wherein the thickness of said at least one concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole, which is substantially uniform when measured in a frontal plan cross section, is different from the thickness of at least a second concavely rounded portion of the shoe sole, when measured in a separate frontal plane cross section.