Adjustable footwear sole construction
First Claim
1. A sole for footwear comprising:
- a sole component including at least one receptacle; and
an adjustable cushion insert fitted within said receptacle, said cushion insert capable of being rotated about an axis extending substantially perpendicular to a general extent of a bottom surface of said sole between at least two different orientations that provide the sole with different characteristics, whereby adjustment of said characteristics of the sole may be achieved by selectively fitting said cushion insert into said receptacle in a desired one of said orientations;
wherein said receptacle includes an interface surface and said cushion insert includes an interface surface interfacing with said receptacle interface surface, wherein a general extent of said receptacle interface surface and a general extent of said cushion insert interface surface are substantially parallel to the general extent of the bottom surface of said sole, wherein at least one of said receptacle interface surface and said cushion insert interface surface has projections extending therefrom for engaging the other of said receptacle interface surface and said cushion insert interface surface, wherein variations in said projections provide the sole with the different characteristics.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A sole construction having a cushion insert that is installable in the sole at different orientations to vary the support/cushioning characteristics of the sole. The sole construction may include a midsole defining a receptacle configured to receive the cushion insert in a plurality of different orientations. The cushion insert and the receptacle may include a plurality of lobes that are interfitted when the cushion insert is installed in the receptacle. The size, shape and configuration of the lobes may be varied between different regions of the cushion insert so that different regions of the cushion insert provide different support/cushioning characteristics. The cushion insert and the receptacle may be generally disc-shaped so that the sole is adjusted simply by rotating the cushion insert with respect to the receptacle. The lobes may be configured so that rotation of the cushion insert adjusts the sole between supination, pronation, soft and firm settings.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A sole for footwear comprising:
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a sole component including at least one receptacle; and an adjustable cushion insert fitted within said receptacle, said cushion insert capable of being rotated about an axis extending substantially perpendicular to a general extent of a bottom surface of said sole between at least two different orientations that provide the sole with different characteristics, whereby adjustment of said characteristics of the sole may be achieved by selectively fitting said cushion insert into said receptacle in a desired one of said orientations; wherein said receptacle includes an interface surface and said cushion insert includes an interface surface interfacing with said receptacle interface surface, wherein a general extent of said receptacle interface surface and a general extent of said cushion insert interface surface are substantially parallel to the general extent of the bottom surface of said sole, wherein at least one of said receptacle interface surface and said cushion insert interface surface has projections extending therefrom for engaging the other of said receptacle interface surface and said cushion insert interface surface, wherein variations in said projections provide the sole with the different characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A shoe comprising:
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an upper; a sole secured to said upper, said sole including a sole component and a cushion insert interfitted with said sole component, said cushion insert having a substantially vertical axis and being adjustable with respect to said sole component between at least first and second orientations, said cushion insert providing said sole with first characteristics when in said first orientation, said insert providing said sole with second characteristics different from said first characteristics when in said second orientation, whereby said sole is readily adjustable between said first characteristics and said second characteristics by rotation of said insert in a generally horizontal plane about said cushion insert axis with respect to said sole component; wherein said sole component includes a receptacle for engagement with said cushion insert, said receptacle including an interface surface with a plurality of projections, said cushion insert including an interface surface with a plurality of projections matingly engaged with said plurality of projections in said receptacle interface surface; wherein a general extent of said cushion insert interface surface and a general extent of said receptacle interface surface are substantially horizontal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A sole assembly comprising:
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a midsole defining a cavity, said cavity having an interface surface with a cavity axis and a plurality of waves undulating through regular angular sections about said cavity axis; a cushion insert fitted into said cavity, said cushion insert being generally disc-shaped and having a cushion insert axis, said cushion insert having an interface surface engaging said interface surface of said cavity, said interface surface of said cushion insert having a plurality of waves undulating about said cushion insert axis through regular angular sections, said cushion insert waves mating with said cavity waves, said cushion insert being rotatable about said cavity axis and said cushion insert axis to selectively vary which of said cavity waves and said cushion insert waves mate with each other, at least one of said cavity waves and said cushion insert waves varying from at least one other of said cavity waves and said cushion insert waves, whereby rotation of said cushion insert within said cavity results in variation in a characteristic of the sole assembly; wherein the cushion insert interface surface waves undulate in a direction substantially parallel to said cushion insert axis and the cavity interface surface waves undulate in a direction substantially parallel to said cavity axis.
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Specification