Patent Publication Number: US-5839208-A

Title: Resilient sole for shoe

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a resilient sole for shoes, and more particularly to such a resilient sole which effectively absorbs shocks and buffers the impact when the foot walks. 
     The sole of a regular shoe, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a top layer 1 (under the vamp 4) adapted to be disposed in contact with the sole of the foot, a bottom layer 3 adapted to be disposed in contact with the ground, and a longitudinally and transversely ribbed intermediate layer 2 sandwiched in between the top layer 1 and the bottom layer 3. Because the intermediate layer 2 is reinforced with intersected ribs, it cannot be quickly deformed to eliminate shocks and then returned to its former shape immediately after the pressure is disappeared. In order to effectively absorb shocks when walking, air cushion and like means may be installed in the sole of a shoe. However, the installation of these shock absorbing means greatly increases the manufacturing cost of the shoe. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished to provide a resilient sole which eliminates the aforesaid problems. It is one object of the present invention to provide a resilient sole which can effectively absorb shocks and buffer the impact. It is another object of the present invention to provide a resilient sole which is inexpensive to manufacture. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the resilient sole comprises a soft top layer, a bottom layer, and a resilient intermediate layer sandwiched in between the top layer and the bottom layer, the intermediate layer having a plurality of curved strips transversely disposed in parallel and sloping upwardly forwards, the curved strips being forced to deform and to absorb vibrations when the sole is pressed against the ground by the foot. As an alternate form of the present invention, intersected ribs may be form on the intermediate layer at its rear half part. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows the structure of the intermediate layer of the sole of a conventional shoe; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention, showing the structure of the intermediate layer; 
     FIG. 3 is a side plain view of the embodiment of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 but showing the foot pressed on the sole, the curved strips of the intermediate layer deformed; 
     FIG. 5 shows an alternate form of the intermediate layer according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 6 shows another form of the present invention in which the structure of the front half and the rear half of the intermediate layer are interchanged from the form shown in FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 7 shows still another alternate form of the intermediate layer according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a resilient sole in accordance with the present invention comprises essentially a soft top layer 5 fastened to the vamp and adapted to be disposed in contact with the sole of the foot, a bottom layer 7 fastened to the top layer 5 at the bottom and adapted to be disposed in contact with the ground, and a resilient intermediate layer 6 sandwiched in between the top layer 5 and the bottom layer 7. The resilient intermediate layer 6 is comprised of a plurality of curved strips 61 transversely disposed in parallel and sloping upwardly forwards (toward the box toe of the vamp) at an angle. The density and thickness of the curved strips 61 are sufficient to support the pressure of the user. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, when the foot 9 is pressed on the resilient sole against the ground, the curved strips 61 are forced to deform and tilted forwardly downwards to absorb vibrations and to buffer the impact. When the foot 9 is lifted from the ground, the curved strips 61 are released, and forced by their resilient material property to return to their former shape (see FIG. 3). 
     FIG. 5 shows an alternate form of the present invention, in which the front half of the intermediate layer is comprised of a plurality of curved strips 61 transversely disposed in parallel and sloping upwardly forwards (toward the box toe of the vamp), and the rear half of the intermediate layer is comprised of intersected ribs 8. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. 6, the resilient intermediate layer 6 includes a plurality of curved strips 61 extending in parallel each to the other and transversely to a longitudinal axis of the sole, which are disposed within the area of a rear half thereof, and a plurality of intersecting ribs 8 are disposed within the area of a front half of the resilient intermediate layer 6. Similar to other embodiments of the present invention, the curved strips 61 are sloped upwardly toward the toe of the shoe. 
     FIG. 7 shows another alternate form of the present invention in which the intermediate layer is comprised of a plurality of curved strips 61 transversely disposed in parallel and sloping upwardly forwards (toward the box toe of the vamp), and a plurality of longitudinal ribs 62 intersecting the curved strips 61. 
     It is to be understood that the drawings are designed for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended as a definition or scope of the invention disclosed.