Shoe sole structures

• US 6,763,616 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anatomic Research Inc.
• Original Assignee: Anatomic Research Inc.
• Inventors: Ellis, Frampton E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Patterson, Marie D
• Application Number:
  US09/933,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20020007571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 36/59.C, 36/59.R, 36/32.R, 36/25.R, 36/28, 36/29, 361/14, 361/16, 36/12, 361/07, 361/08, 361/02, 36/76.R, 36/30.R, 36/31
• 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
• 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 13/146 Concave end portions, e.g. with a cavity or cut-out portion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/148 Wedged end portions

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 horizontal plane of the shoe sole 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 sole construction suitable for an athletic shoe, comprising:

a sole inner surface and a sole outer surface;

a sole lateral side, a sole medial side, and a sole middle portion located between

the sole lateral side and the sole medial side;

the sole including a lateral sidemost section and a medial sidemost section, each said section being located outside of a straight vertical line extending through the sole at a respective sidemost extent of said inner surface of the shoe sole, as viewed in said shoe sole frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition;

a bottom sole;

a midsole having an inner midsole surface and an outer midsole surface;

the midsole comprising at least one convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, said convexity being determined relative to a section of the midsole directly adjacent to the convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface;

the midsole comprising at least one concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, said concavity being determined relative to an inner section of the midsole directly adjacent to the concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface;

each said concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface being located on a side of the shoe sole at a location corresponding to the location of at least one convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface so as to define a rounded portion of the midsole located between said convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface and said concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface;

the midsole extending from the sole middle portion into the sidemost section of the shoe sole side at the location of the rounded portion of the mid sole, the midsole further extending up the sole side to above a level corresponding to a lowest point of an inner surface of a nearest sidemost part of the midsole, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; and

a non-vertical internal flexibility slit located within the sole portion of said sole, said flexibility slit being located between two opposing substantially parallel sole surfaces in physical contact with one another to permit relative motion between said opposing sole surfaces, as viewed in a frontal plane-cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, to provide flexibility to said sole portion when under load.

2. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second internal flexibility slit that is substantially vertical, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

3. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 2, wherein substantially vertical portion of said internal flexibility slit is located in said rounded side portion of the midsole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

4. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-vertical internal flexibility slit extends in a direction substantially parallel to the inner midsole surface, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

5. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-vertical internal flexibility slit extends in a direction substantially parallel to the outer midsole surface, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

6. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 5, wherein said frontal plane cross-section is located in a heel area of the shoe sole.

7. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-vertical internal flexibility slitextends in a direction substantially parallel to a boundary between the midsole and the bottom sole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

8. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-vertical internal flexibility slit extends through the sole middle portion in a direction substantially parallel to the inner midsole surface, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

9. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 8, wherein the non-vertical internal flexibility slit extends from one side of the shoe sole through the sole middle portion and into the opposite side of the shoe sole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

10. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 9, wherein the non-vertical internal flexibility slit forms a boundary between the midsole and the bottom sole.

11. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second internal flexibility slit forms a boundary between the midsole and the bottom sole.

12. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a second internal flexibility slit which extends in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of a portion of said non-vertical internal flexibility slit that is located closest to said second internal flexibility slit, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

13. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second internal flexibility slit is oriented substantially parallel to a part of the outer midsole surface, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

14. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second internal flexibility slit is oriented substantially parallel to a part of the outer surface of the shoe sole side, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

15. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second internal flexibility slit is located in a midsole portion of the shoe sole.

16. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a third internal flexibility slit located in a midsole portion of the shoe sole.

17. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a fourth internal flexibility slit located in a midsole portion and wherein the fourth internal flexibility slit is substantially vertical, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

18. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 17, wherein the fourth internal flexibility into the rounded portion of the midsole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

19. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 16, wherein the third internal flexibility slit extends in a direction substantially parallel to said non-vertical internal flexibility slit, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

20. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 16, wherein said third internal flexibility slit extends in a direction substantially parallel to the inner midsole surface, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

21. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 16, wherein said third internal flexibility slit extends from a side of the midsole portion to a location closer to a centerline of the shoe sole to thereby partially encapsulate a portion of the midsole within said non-vertical, second and third internal flexibility slits, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

22. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 16, wherein said second internal flexibility slit connects to said non-vertical internal flexibility slit.

23. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 22, wherein said third internal flexibility slit connects to said second internal flexibility slit to thereby at least partially encapsulate a portion of the midsole between said non-vertical, second and third internal flexibility slits, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

24. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface extends into the sole middle portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

25. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface extends to a centerline of the shoe sole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

26. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface extends through the sole middle portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

27. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the convexly rounded portion of the inner midsole surface extends through the sole middle portion and into the opposite side of the midsole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

28. A shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of an internal surface created by the at least one internal slit is non-porous and the shoe sole further comprises at least one lubricating agent between the non-porous portion of the internal surface created by the at least one internal slit and another internal surface of the at least one internal slit.

29. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concavely rounded portion of outer midsole surface extends through the sidemost extent of a side of the midsole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

30. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface extends through a lowermost section of a side of the midsole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

31. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface extends from a lowermost section of a side of the midsole to the sidemost extent of the same side of the midsole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

32. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface extends from a lowermost section of a side of the midsole to above a lowermost point of the inner surface of the midsole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

33. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface extends into the sole middle portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

34. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concavely rounded portion of the outer midsole surface extends through the sole middle portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

35. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal flexibility slit is continuous and partially encapsulates a part of the midsole portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.

36. The shoe sole as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal flexibility slit is oriented substantially parallel to a horizontal plane cross-section.