Padded shoe

• US 8,156,665 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ringstar, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ringstar, Inc.
• Inventors: Shepherd, Steven H., McCabe, Timothy P., McCabe, Donna Zogby
• Primary Examiner(s): PATTERSON, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US12/195,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 36/54, 36/99, 36/71, 36/72.R, 361/14, 361/33, 36/93, 36/55, 36/501, 36/89
• US Class Current: 36/54
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0081 made at least partially of hook-and-loop type material hook and loop-type straps for fastening purpose A43C11/1493
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/028 Resilient uppers, e.g. shock absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/26 Tongues for shoes

Abstract

A padded shoe for use in mixed martial arts and similar activities. The padded shoe may have a flexible, resilient sole; a shoe upper adjoined to the sole, wherein at least a portion of the shoe upper has padding disposed therein; an inner padded tongue attached to the shoe upper; an outer padded tongue attached to the shoe upper; and an engagement structure for securing the outer padded tongue to the shoe upper, the engagement structure being located substantially under the outer padded tongue such that the outer padded tongue substantially covers the engagement structure. The wearer can strike a target with the shoe, and the target and the wearer are protected from injury caused by direct impact with at least one of the engagement structure and the wearers instep. A bladder containing air or a gel-like material can be included in at least one of the inner and outer padded tongues.

Claims

1. A padded shoe, comprising:

a flexible, resilient sole;

a shoe upper adjoined to the sole, wherein at least a portion of the shoe upper has padding disposed therein;

an inner padded tongue attached to the shoe upper;

an outer padded tongue attached to the shoe upper; and

an engagement structure for securing the outer padded tongue to the shoe upper, the engagement structure being located substantially under the outer padded tongue such that the outer protective flap substantially covers the engagement structure,

wherein the wearer can strike a target with the shoe, and the target and the wearer are protected from injury caused by direct impact with at least one of the engagement structure and the wearer'"'"'s instep, and

wherein at least one of the inner padded tongue and the outer padded tongue include a bladder containing air or a gel-like material.

2. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the sole is formed from a material having a shore durometer reading between about 40 and about 50.

3. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the sole comprises a split sole, wherein the split sole comprises a separate forefoot sole portion under the front portion of the shoe upper and a separate rearfoot sole portion under the heel portion of the shoe upper.

4. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the outer padded tongue is attached to the shoe upper at one side of a vamp throat defined in the shoe upper and extends across the vamp throat.

5. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the outer padded tongue is attached to the shoe upper at an end of a vamp throat defined in the shoe upper and extends longitudinally over the vamp throat.

6. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the inner padded tongue has closed-cell foam padding disposed therein.

7. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the outer padded tongue has closed-cell foam padding disposed therein.

8. The padded shoe of claim 1, further comprising retaining structure extending across a vamp throat defined in the shoe upper to retain the shoe on the foot of the wearer, wherein the retaining structure comprises laces, a hook and loop fastener or an elastic material.

9. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the padding in the shoe upper is closed-cell foam having a durometer of approximately 0.253.

10. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the padding in the shoe upper is closed cell foam having a density of between approximately 1.5 pcf and approximately 4.5 pcf.

11. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the padding in the shoe upper is closed-cell foam having a compression strength of between approximately 3 psi and approximately 23 psi at approximately 25% deflection and a compression strength of between approximately 9 psi and approximately 42 psi at approximately 50% deflection.

12. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the padding in the shoe upper has a thickness between approximately 0.125 inch and approximately 1 inch.

13. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the sole has a surface pattern having a plurality of grooves disposed on a lower surface of the sole, whereby the plurality of grooves operate to increase flexibility of the sole and are arranged to allow a flexing of the sole to generally match a natural flexing of a wearer'"'"'s foot.

14. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the perimeter of the sole is chamfered.

15. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the sole is formed at least partially from EVA.

16. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the engagement structure comprises hook and loop fastener material.

17. The padded shoe of claim 1, further comprising an ankle padding structure extending from the shoe upper, the ankle padding structure being adapted such that the ankle padding structure at least partially covers the medial malleolus of a wearer and does not cover the lateral malleolus.

18. The padded shoe of claim 1, wherein the inner padded tongue has a greater thickness of padding material than the padding material disposed in the outer padded tongue.