Athletic shoe with stabilized discrete resilient elements in heel

• US 20020189134A1
• Filed: 06/18/2001
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roy Dixon
• Original Assignee: Roy Dixon
• Inventors: Dixon, Roy
• Granted Patent: US 6,546,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/27
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/182 Helicoidal springs
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 21/30 Heels with metal springs
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00

Abstract

An athletic shoe includes substantially horizontal chamber substantially within a heel portion of a midsole, the chamber having atmospheric communication at its lateral sides. The chamber includes an upper substantially rigid horizontal plate having at least four apertures therein and a lower substantially rigid horizontal support plate having a corresponding plurality of at least four apertures. Flexible resilient unitary sleeves integrally join respective vertical pairs of the apertures of the upper and lower plates respectively. Disposed within each of said resilient sleeves are resilient means each having spring constant and spring rate greater than that of said sleeves.

Claims

1. An athletic shoe having a substantially horizontal chamber substantially within a heel portion of a midsole thereof, said chamber having atmospheric communication at lateral sides thereof, the chamber comprising:

(a) an upper substantially rigid horizontal support plate having a plurality of transverse downwardly directed resilient cavities therein, each of said cavities defined by an upper resilient sleeve;

(b) a lower substantially rigid horizontal support plate having a corresponding plurality of upwardly directed resilient cavities therein, each of said cavities defined by a lower resilient sleeve; and

(c) resilient means disposed within an aggregate length of each pair of said upper and lower cavities, said resilient means each having a greater spring constant and spring rate than walls of said cavities.

2. The improvement as recited in claim 1 in which each set of said upper and cavities comprises, in combination, an integral single cavity.

3. The improvement as recited in claim 1 in which each of said vertical cavities are defined by a single circumferential resilient sleeve comprising an integration of said upper and lower sleeves.

4. The improvement as recited in claim 1, in which said spring means comprises a metallic spiral spring.

5. The improvement as recited in claim 3, in which said spring means comprises a metallic spiral spring.

6. The improvement as recited in claim 1, in which said spring means comprises a cylindrical body of a solid resilient material.

7. The improvement as recited in claim 3, in which said spring means comprises a cylindrical body of a solid resilient material.

8. The improvement as recited as in claim 7, in which said cylindrical body of resilient material extends downwardly through said lower plate to a bottommost surface of said lower sole of said shoe.

9. The improvement as recited in claim 8, in which said resilient means comprises a solid cylindrical body disposed within a metallic spiral spring.

10. The improvement as recited in claim 3, in which said resilient means comprises a solid cylindrical body disposed within a metallic spiral spring.

11. The improvement as recited in claim 6, in which said cylindrical body comprises a hollow annular cross-section.

13. The improvement as recited in claim 12, in which said resistant means comprise a metallic spiral spring.

14. The improvement as recited in claim 12, in which said resilient means comprise a cylindrical body of a resilient material.

15. The improvement as recited in claim 12, in which said cylindrical body of resilient material extends downwardly through said lower plate to a bottommost surface of said lower sole of said shoe.

16. The improvement as recited as in claim 14, in which said cylindrical body of resilient material comprises a hollow annular cross-section.

17. The improvement as recited in claim 12, in which said resilient means comprises a solid cylindrical body disposed within a metallic spiral spring.

18. The improvement as recited in claim 16, further comprises a metallic spring disposed outwardly of said cylindrical body but within said unitary sleeve.

19. The improvement as recited in claim 16, in which said cylindrical body of resilient material extends downwardly through said lower plate to a bottommost surface of said lower sole of said shoe.

12. An athletic shoe having a substantially horizontal chamber substantially within a heel portion of a midsole thereof, said chamber having atmospheric communication at lateral sides thereof, the chamber comprising:

(a) an upper substantially rigid horizontal segment plate having at least four apertures therein;

(b) a lower substantially rigid horizontal support plate having a corresponding plurality of at least four apertures therein;

(c) flexible resilient unitary sleeves integrally joining respective vertical pairs of said apertures of said upper and lower plates respectively; and

(d) resilient means disposed within each of said sleeves, said resilient means each having a greater spring constant and spring rate greater than that of said sleeves.