Patent Publication Number: US-2004040181-A1

Title: Golf shoe

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to a golf shoe, and more particularly to a pair of golf shoes, each provided with an outsole having a lower surface inclined from its outer edge to its inner edge so that the outer edge has a thickness larger than that of the inner edge.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0004] The game of golf is a sport for hitting a golf ball on a golf course with a club so as to insert the golf ball into a given hole. Golfers contend for superiority by means of the number of pars, i.e., the number of times the ball is hit, until the golf ball is inserted into the given hole.  
       [0005] The golf course is standardized so that it includes a variety of terrains with a vast area of 660,000˜1,000,000 ĥ, such as fields, hills, forests, etc. Specifically, the terrains include teeing grounds in which golfers start the hitting of the ball, fairways, roughs, bunkers, water hazards, greens, holes, etc. The golfers walk on a lawn for most of the time during the game.  
       [0006] In order to obtain a good result in a golf game, various techniques are required. A swing motion, in which a golfer hits a golf ball on the ground with a dub moving along a circular arc with a constant path in the direction along the distance and orientation desired, is very important to the overall performance of the golfer. That is, the golf swing motion is the circular movement performed by a golfer&#39;s arm with the club. During the golf swing motion, the golf ball arranged on the path of the circular arc is hit by the golfer using a clubhead.  
       [0007] The path of the circular arc of the swing motion is parallel with a hitting line of the golf ball. Here, the golfer poses his/her stance on the ground by setting footholds. A performance, in which the golfer poses his/her stance on the ground and places the club on the ground, is referred to as an address motion.  
       [0008] The swing motion is a consistent movement for hitting the golf ball with the club in a straight line to a distance using the centrifugal force. In order to maximize the centrifugal force, it is required that the golfer efficiently twists and untwists his/her waist. Here, the proper timing and stable stance are important in the swing motion.  
       [0009] Golfers require golf shoes to perform the game of golf on the green. Golf shoes are typically characterized by a number of spikes extending from the lower surfaces of soles of the shoes, so that the golfer in the golf shoes is prevented from sliding during the rounding (mainly, at the teeing ground and fairway). Conventionally, the spikes extending from the lower surfaces of soles of the golf shoes have the same height.  
       [0010] In a preparatory position of the golfer at the teeing ground, i.e., during the address motion, the weight of the golfer is concentrated on the center of the inner edges of the soles of the feet. Such a position prevents the lower part of the golfer&#39;s body, i.e., golfer&#39;s legs from collapsing, thereby allowing the golfer to maintain the balance of the body in the backswing or downswing phase, so that the golfer hits the golf ball with an excellent quality by maintaining his/her proper swing balance. In case that the golfer wears the conventional golf shoes during the rounding, the soles of the feet are pushed toward the outer edges of the golf shoes, thereby agitating the legs of the golfer. Then, the path of the circular arc of the swing motion collapses, and the swing position of the golfer is scattered. Particularly, in case that the golfer physically positions their knees with a large space therebetween, this problem becomes severer.  
       [0011] Accordingly, there are required a pair of golf shoes for stably mounting golfer&#39;s feet on the ground so that a golfer can take a stable stance position.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a pair of golf shoes, which assist a golfer in concentrating his/her proper weight balance on the inner edges of soles of feet during the address and swing motions, thus allowing the golfer to perform the swing motion while maintaining his/her stable position.  
       [0013] It is another object of the present invention to provide a pair of golf shoes, which allow a golfer to stably maintain the lower part of his/her body on the surface of a green during the address and swing motions, thus assisting the golfer in swinging a club along a correct path and to correctly impact a golf ball by means of the swing of the club.  
       [0014] In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a pair of golf shoes, each comprising an outsole provided with a plurality of spikes protruded from a lower surface of the outsole, wherein: bottoms of the spikes (an upper surface of the outsole) are substantially parallel with the ground; the lower surface of the outsole is inclined so that the thickness of the lower surface of the outsole is decreased from its outer edge to its inner edge; and spikes at the inner edge of the outsole have a height larger than that of the spikes at the outer edge of the outsole.  
       [0015] That is, the lower surface of the outsole is inclined so that the thickness of the lower surface of the outsole is decreased from the outer edge to the inner edge, the spikes protruded from the lower surface of the outsole have different heights at outer and inner edges of the outsole (the height of spikes at the inner edge is larger than the height of the spikes at the outer edge), and the bottoms of the spikes are substantially parallel with the ground, thereby allowing a golfer in the golf shoes to concentrating his/her weight during the address and swing phases on the inner edges of soles of feet and assisting the golfer in performing a stable swing motion.  
       [0016] Preferably, the lower surface of the outsole may be stepped upward from the outer edge to the inner edge. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0017] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
     [0018]FIG. 1 is a side view of a golf shoe in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an outsole of the golf shoe, illustrating a cross section taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1;  
     [0020]FIG. 3 a  is an exploded perspective view of an outsole of a golf shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0021]FIG. 3 b  is a cross-sectional view of the outsole of the golf shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0022]FIGS. 4 a  to  4   c  are cross-sectional views of outsoles of golf shoes in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, respectively;  
     [0023]FIG. 5 a  is a schematic view illustrating feet of a golfer in a pair of the golf shoes of the present invention standing on a hard ground; and  
     [0024]FIG. 5 b  is a schematic view illustrating feet of a golfer in a pair of the golf shoes of the present invention standing on a green. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0025] Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings.  
     [0026]FIG. 1 is a side view of a golf shoe in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an outsole of the golf shoe, illustrating a cross section taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 a  is an exploded perspective view of an outsole of a golf shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 b  is a cross-sectional view of the outsole of the golf shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4 a  to  4   c  are cross-sectional views of outsoles of golf shoes in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, respectively. FIG. 5 a  is a schematic view illustrating feet of a golfer in a pair of the golf shoes of the present invention standing on a hard ground, and FIG. 5 b  is a schematic view illustrating feet of a golfer in a pair of the golf shoes of the present invention standing on a green.  
     [0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the golf shoe  100  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention comprises an upper leather portion  20  and an outsole  10 . The outsole  10  includes a lower surface  12  inclined from its outer edge  60  to its inner edge  30  so that the outer edge  60  has a thickness larger than that of the inner edge  30 . Except for the outsole  10  including the inclined lower surface  12 , the golf shoe  100  of the present invention is substantially the same as conventional golf shoes.  
     [0028] That is, the golf shoe  100  of the present invention comprises the upper leather portion  20  for accommodating a golfer&#39;s foot, and the outsole  10  attached to the lower surface of the upper leather portion  20  and adapted to contact the ground. Further, the golf shoe  100  further comprises an insole (not shown) arranged on the bottom of the inside of the upper leather portion  20 .  
     [0029] Generally, the outsole  10  includes an intermediate sole and an outer sole. Here, the outsole  10  denotes the intermediate sole and the outer sole.  
     [0030] A plurality of spikes  11  are protruded from the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  so that the golf shoe  100  is firmly gripped on the ground. The spikes  11  are integrally formed with the outsole  10 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of cleat-shaped spikes  50  are also protruded from the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10 . The cleat-shaped spikes  50  may be integrally formed with the outsole  10 , or detachably attached to the outsole  10  using bolts, etc.  
     [0031] Hereinafter, the term “spikes” disclosed in the description and the accompanying claims include the spikes  11  integrally formed with the outsole  10 , and the cleat-shaped spikes  50  integrally formed with the outsole  10  or detachably attached to the outsole  10 .  
     [0032] Here, the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  is inclined from the outer edge  60  to the inner edge  30 . That is, the outsole  10  at the outer edge  60  has a thickness larger than that of the outsole  10  at the inner edge  30 .  
     [0033] However, the variation in the height of the spikes  11  and  50  protruded from the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  is inversely proportional to the variation in the thickness of the outsole  10 . That is, the height of the spikes  11  and  50  at the outer edge  60  of the outsole  10  with the larger thickness is smaller than the height of the spikes  11  and  50  at the inner edge  30  of the outsole  10  with the smaller thickness. Accordingly, when the golf shoe  100  contacts a ground (E in FIG. 3 b  and FIGS. 4 a  to  4   c ), the bottoms of the spikes  11  an  50  are substantially parallel with the ground E.  
     [0034] Such a configuration of the spikes  11  and  50  protruding from the outsole  10  assists a golfer in maintaining his/her stable stance on the green.  
     [0035] During the address position, the balance of weight of the golfer&#39;s body is concentrated on the inner edges of the soles of feet. The golf shoe  100  of the present invention with the above configuration of the spikes  11  and  50  on the outsole  10  assists the golfer in concentrating his/her weight balance on the inner edges of the soles of the feet during the address position, thus preventing the scattering of the lower portion of the golfer&#39;s body and maintaining his/her weight balance in backswing or downswing motion. Accordingly, it is possible to allow the golfer to maintain his/her stable swing balance, and to hit a golf ball in the direction along the distance and orientation desired.  
     [0036]FIG. 5 b  is a schematic view illustrating feet of a golfer in a pair of the golf shoes  100  of the present invention standing on the ground E of a green. When the golfer in a pair of the golf shoes  100  of the present invention stands on the ground E of the green, since the height of the spikes  11  at the inner edge  30  of the outsole  10  is larger than that of the spikes  11  at the outer edge  60  of the outsole  10 , the spikes  11  at the inner edge  30  penetrate the ground E of the green more deeply than the spikes  11  at the outer edge  60 , and has a holding power stronger than the holding power of the spikes  11  at the outer edge  60 . Thereby, both legs of the golfer in the stance position are close to each other toward the inner edges of the soles of the feet, thus allowing the weight balance of the golfer&#39;s body to be concentrated on the inner edges of the soles of the feet.  
     [0037] Accordingly, the golfer can maintain his/her stable position during and after the swing motion. That is, it is possible to minimize the scattering of the position.  
     [0038]FIG. 5 a  is a schematic view illustrating feet of a golfer in a pair of the golf shoes  100  of the present invention standing on a hard ground. With reference to FIG. 5 a , when the golfer in a pair of the golf shoes  100  of the present invention walks on the hard ground such as a paved road, since the bottoms of the spikes  11  are substantially parallel with the ground E, the golfer in the golf shoes  100  of the present invention can stably walk on the hard ground in the same manner as the application of conventional golf shoes.  
     [0039] In FIGS. 5 a  and  5   b , the reference numeral  90  denotes a line representing the level of the golfer&#39;s feet being parallel with the ground E, and the reference numeral  75  denotes a line being parallel with a line (S) representing the level of the bottoms of the spikes  11 .  
     [0040] The above-described outsole  10  of the golf shoe  100  is made of synthetic rubber, or synthetic resin such as ABS (Acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene), polycarbonate, etc.  
     [0041]FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b  illustrate an outsole of a golf shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the height of the spikes  11  at the inner edge  30  of the outsole  10  is larger than that of the spikes  11  at the outer edge  60  of the outsole  10 . However, the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  is not gradually inclined from the outer edge  60  to the inner edge  30 , but includes a horizontal plane  80  extended from the outer edge  60 , and an inclined plane  40  extended from the end of the horizontal plane  80 .  
     [0042]FIGS. 4 a  to  4   c  illustrate outsoles of golf shoes in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, respectively. With reference to FIGS. 4 a  to  4   c , the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  is formed in a stepwise shape. More specifically, in FIG. 4 a , the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  includes horizontal planes, thereby having the stepwise shape. In FIG. 4 b , the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  includes inclined planes, thereby having the stepwise shape. In FIG. 4 c , the lower surface  12  of the outsole  10  includes a horizontal plane and an inclined plane, thereby having the stepwise shape. The above three embodiments are identical, in that the height of the spikes  11  at the inner edge  30  of the outsole  10  is substantially larger than the height of the spikes  11  at the outer edge  60  of the outsole  10 , and the line  90  representing the level of the golfer&#39;s foot and the bottoms of the spikes  11  are substantially parallel with the ground E.  
     [0043] As apparent from the above description, a pair of golf shoes in accordance with the present invention allows golfer&#39;s legs to be dose to each other during a stance position, thereby concentrating the weight balance of the golfer on the inner edges of soles of his/her feet. Accordingly, the golfer in the golf shoes maintains his/her stable position during and after the swing motion so that the scattering of the position is minimized.  
     [0044] Further, a pair of the golf shoes allows the golfer to correctly hit (impact) a golf ball and to strengthen his/her force imposed on the swing motion, and prevents the soles of the golfer&#39;s feet from being pushed toward the outer edges of the outsoles of the golf shoes.  
     [0045] Moreover, in case that the golfer in the golf shoes of the present invention walks on a hard ground such as a paved road, the bottoms of spikes protruding from the outsoles of the golf shoes are parallel with the ground. Accordingly, the golfer can walk effectively in the same manner as the use of the conventional golf shoes.  
     [0046] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. For example, the inclined plane may be formed only at the front portion of the outsole, or only at parts of the front and/or rear portions of the outsole.