Shoe or athletic shoe

• US 20040154190A1
• Filed: 09/02/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkl Tennis GmbH
• Original Assignee: Volkl Tennis GmbH
• Inventors: Munster, Udo
• Granted Patent: US 7,007,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/28
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0054 provided with magnets, magnetic parts or magnetic substances
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/12 Soles with several layers of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/186 Differential cushioning region, e.g. cushioning located under the ball of the foot resilient heel not included in the sole A43B21/26; resilient supports for the heel of the foot A43B21/32
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/189 filled with a non-compressible fluid, e.g. gel, water
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/06 Running shoes; Track shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/144 situated under the heel, i.e. the calcaneus bone
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/1445 situated under the midfoot, i.e. the second, third or fourth metatarsal
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/145 situated under the toes, i.e. the phalanges
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/148 Recesses or holes filled with supports or pads

Abstract

The invention relates to a new design for a shoe, especially an athletic shoe, with a sole that cushions mechanical stress while running, with an area with a cushioning effect and at least one further area with an effective transfer of force.

Claims

1. (Currently Amended) Shoe, especially athletic shoe, A shoe, with a sole that cushions mechanical stress while running, and that consists of comprising one area with a cushioning effect and at least one further area with an effective transfer of force, characterized in that wherein the sole is made up of three areas, whereby the first[[,]] outer area provides the basic damping and cushioning of the shoe as a conventional area, the second[[,]] middle area is a sensor area, in which the force is transferred as directly as possible to sensors distributed over the sole, and the third[[,]] inner area has active cushioning devices, which transfer the voltage produced in the second area to the cushioning devices.

2. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that wherein the sensors for this purpose are electric sensors.

3. (Currently Amended) Shoe as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that wherein the sensors are made from piezo ceramics[[,]] or piezo-electric PVDF (polyvinylfluoride) materials or similar materials can be used as piezo-electric materials.

4. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in claim 1-3, characterized in that wherein the active cushioning devices are inserts with electro-rheological fluids, which alter the cushioning behavior of the third area.

5. (Currently Amended) Shoe as claimed in one of the claims 1-4, characterized in that claim 1, wherein in the second areas the sensors are distributed in local sections within this area.

6. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that wherein the sensors are located at locations of the second area, which come into contact with the ground as early as possible when the shoe touches the ground.

7. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in one of the claims 1-6, characterized in that claim 1, wherein in the third areas the inserts are placed at locations in which the maximum pressure load values and/or the maximum stress integral occur during a step of the foot.

8. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in claim 1 or 3, characterized in that 4, wherein the base material of the electro-rheological fluids is oil with finely dispersed particles that determines the base viscosity.

9. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in one of the claims 1-8, characterized in that claim 3, wherein by applying an electric field to the a piezo-electric base material the a viscosity of the base material can be altered, which causes the a piezo-electric device to function as a the sensor, which creates electric voltage based on the pressure on the shoe sole.

10. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that wherein the voltage is processed by electronic control circuitry or is sent directly to the electro-rheological fluid.

11. (Currently Amended) Shoe The shoe as claimed in one of the claims 1-10, characterized in that claim 1, further comprising an acceleration meter is located in the shoe that measures the a speed of the a runner and sends this value to the an electronic control circuitry as an additional information signal.