Abstract:
An adhesively attached shoe sole product with forward directed grooves to prevent a loss of traction when the foot is moving in a forward direction, the product conforming to the toe and outer perimeter of the shoe sole and being attached by a permanent or temporary adhesive to the existing shoe sole.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    An adhesively attached shoe sole product with forward directed grooves to prevent a loss of traction when the foot is moving in a forward direction, the product conforming to the toe and outer perimeter of the shoe sole and being attached by a permanent or temporary adhesive to the existing shoe sole. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Prior Art 
         [0005]    A preliminary review of prior art patents was conducted by the applicant which reveal prior art patents in a similar field or having similar use. However, the prior art inventions do not disclose the same or similar elements as the present shoe sole attachment, nor do they present the material components in a manner contemplated or anticipated in the prior art. 
         [0006]    In U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,973 to Lind and U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,131 to Yamashita, shoe sole with incorporated tread patterns are disclosed which cause the sole to have friction enhancement features. They are part of the original shoe sole, unlike the present attachment which is attached to any shoe sole by an adhesive. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,687 to Rohde, U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,125 to Gromes and U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,510 to Williams, a detachable apparatus is secured to a shoe or slipper by a top strap (Rohde), a heel strap (Gromes) or a slip cover for s slipper (Williams). A simple friction tape having a plurality of flexible traction strips attached to the sole of a shoe by an adhesive, with the adhesive surface directed towards the shoe sole and an outer surface which is disclosed as having a “roughened surface”. It does not disclose a plurality of traction extensions which include a forwardly directed grooves. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Many shoe soles have friction enhancing features, either incorporated into the sole of the shoe at the time the shoe is made, or include slip resisting features including cleats, tread patterns, spikes, or other extensions intended to provide additional traction for a particular purpose. However, a problem still exists for those who experience a loss of traction when the wearer&#39;s foot is in a forward motion, causing the foot to slip forward with a resultant backward fall on their back or tail bone area. This occurs on ice, snow or even slick floor surfaces. The friction enhancing features on the prior art shoes and soles focuses primarily on providing shoes with an ability to grip a surface for the rear action of a step to prevent falls, where the shoe loses traction and the foot slips backwards. 
         [0008]    The primary objective of the present shoe attachment is to prevent the slippage of a shoe forward by the presentation of a shoe attachment conforming to the front tie portion of a shoe sole to include the toe area and the side of the foot beyond the break point of the shoe, or where the shoe bends between the toe and the heel of the shoe. The toe section and the lateral sections of the attachment provide concentric grooves which provide a forward thrust which provide additional traction to prevent or reduce the possibility of loss of traction as the shoe moves forward, causing a fall backwards, as illustrated in the drawings and in the following specification. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The following drawings are submitted with this utility patent application. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a bottom view of a right foot shoe with the shoe traction attachment applied to the sole of the shoe at the front of the sole showing the plurality of forward thrust extensions. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an upper perspective view of the shoe traction attachment showing the upper adhesive surface. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side perspective view of the shoe traction attachment indicating the plurality of forward thrust extensions on the lower tread surface. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the shoe traction attachment on applied to the sole of a shoe during its intended application and use. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0014]    A shoe traction attachment  10  applied to the lower sole  105  of a shoe  100  at a front toe portion  110  of the sole  105  to enhance traction the shoe  100  as the wearer moves his foot forward on ice or slick floor surfaces, shown in  FIGS. 1-4  of the drawings, the attachment  10  comprising a flat arch shaped curvilinear wafer  20  defining an upper surface  22  and a lower surface  24 . The upper surface  22  is flat and provides an adhesive material  30  to attach the upper surface  22  to the sole  105  of the shoe  100 . The adhesive material  30  may be permanent or temporary. The lower surface  24  further defines a plurality of concentric forward thrust extensions  40 , shown by example in  FIG. 1 . A perimeter shape of the flat arch shaped curvilinear wafer  20  conforms to the shape of the sole  105  at the front toe portion  110  of the sole  105  and is suited for a right shoe contour or a left shoe contour. Each of the forward thrust extensions  40 , in a preferred embodiment, extend from one side of the wafer to the other, also shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
         [0015]    The prior art patents which provide a traction enhancement means generally apply either a course surface or grooves intended to prevent slippage during steps taken by the wearer in a rear direction, or at the time the foot is planted, to prevent the wearer from losing traction in a rear direction, or to increase traction on a slick surface so that loss of footing in a rear direction is avoided. Distinguishable from the prior art is the forward thrust of each forward thrust extension  40  with each extension  40  having an axial line  42  of projection in a forward direction, as indicated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , to avert slippage in a forward direction and to prevent the applied shoe  100  from losing traction in a forward direction as the toe portion  110  of the shoe  100  is being planted, preventing the foot from slipping forward, causing a loss of balance to the rear. 
         [0016]    Injuries commonly occur during falls where the foot slips out from under the wearer with the foot slipping forward. This is the most common mechanism of hip and wrist fractures since the person falling reaches behind to catch themselves. The prior art focuses on the prevention of the foot slipping out from under the user during walking movements, with the result causing the wearer to fall forward. In the present attachment  10 , as the toe portion  110  of the sole  105  comes in contact with a walking surface during ordinary gate, the plurality of forward thrust extensions  40  come into contact first and provide an enhanced contact friction with the walking surface. This attachment  10  may be used in conjunction with other traction enhancement means provided on the sole of the shoe in the original design and manufacture. 
         [0017]    Most preferably, in a right or left foot dress shoe as shown in  FIG. 4 , the sole  105  to which the applied attachment is secured is a flat and non-textured sole  105 . The drawings shown are merely examples of a shoe  100  to which the attachment  10  is applied to demonstrate use of the attachment, but not intended to limit the application potential of the attachment. For those wearers who work in an environment with potentially slick flooring, such as tile, ceramic, painted or stained concrete, or upon surfaces that may be covered in ice, rain or moisture, the attachment  10  would be provided for full time use. A primary benefit of the current shoe traction attachment  10  is that it may be secured temporarily with a temporary adhesive material  30 , after which it may be removed, or as a permanent attachment where a permanent adhesive material  30  is used to “glue” the attachment to the sole  105  for permanent placement. It is also useful that the attachment, being of simple design and application, is subject to replacement when worn out by the removal of the previous attachment and replacement with another. 
         [0018]    It is also contemplated within the scope of this forward thrust extension  40  that the configuration of the forward thrust extensions  40  be in a pattern other than concentric, as long as they are provided with a plurality of forward thrust extensions  40  in some meaningful pattern which may be duplicated for manufacturing purposes. Most preferable, each forward thrust extension  40  is independently flexible and deformable, returning to a static position upon release of pressure upon each said forward thrust extension  40 . It is also contemplated that each forward thrust extension  40  within the plurality may be uniform or of a different length, depending upon the contour of the sole to which it is applied. By example, on a shoe sole  105  that has a side curvature with varied contact moments of the sole  105  during the step process, the most forward of the plurality of forward thrust extensions  40  may have a longer axial projection  42  length than the forward thrust extension  40  behind it and the remainder of the forward thrust extensions  40  may be gradually longer or shorter and of different axial projection  42  lengths than another, as so forth. To those skilled in the art of feet and shoes, The attachment  10  should span the shoe sole  105  in an arch, shown in  FIG. 1 , from below the sesamoid bone, or the inner ball of the foot, to below the fifth metatarsal, or the outer ball of the foot. 
         [0019]    While the forward thrust attachment  10  has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.