Patent Publication Number: US-7587841-B2

Title: Shoe and ankle support with artificial spider web silk

Description:
REFERENCES CITED 
   
     
       
         
             
           
             
                 
             
             
               U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 
             
             
                 
             
           
          
             
                 
             
          
         
         
             
             
             
          
             
               5,152,082 
               October 1992 
               Culpepper 
             
             
               6,170,175 
               January 2001 
               Funk 
             
             
               6,539,647 
               April 2003 
               Diaz 
             
             
               6,715,218 
               April 2004 
               Johnson 
             
             
               6,718,656 
               April 2004 
               Houser et al. 
             
             
                 
             
          
         
       
     
   
   CROSS REFERENCES 
   The present application is filed with reference to a patent issued to inventor, Thomas C. Culpepper, on Oct. 6, 1992 and titled “Shoe and Ankle Support Therefor”. Thomas C. Culpepper is the sole inventor of the 1992 patent and this invention. This invention is an improvement of his 1992 patent. This invention incorporates the bendable frame structure of the first patent and adds to the frame structure an artificial spider web silk. The artificial spider web silk adds additional strength to the frame structure and does not reduce the flexibility of the frame structure. 
   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The invention generally relates to ankle support in a sports shoe for protecting against the risk of inversion or hyperextension, and the resulting injury, which can be reduced by restricting the sideways motion of the ankle joint. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to shoes, and particularly to shoes and ankle supports which are constructed to reduce the risk of ankle injuries. The invention is applicable primarily to athletic shoes, since many athletic activities raise a significant risk of ankle injury. This invention is applicable primarily to athletic shoes but can be used in all footwear where ankle support is required. In the past, there have been numerous proposals for supplemental ankle supports for shoes, but the present inventor considers such proposals to be less effective than the shoe and ankle support member of the present invention. 
   The risk of inversion, eversion, or hyperextension, and the resulting injury, can be reduced by restricting the motion of the joint. Known methods for attempting to reduce the aforementioned risk include taping the joint or positioning a support device about the ankle. Taping the ankle of an athlete is a time-consuming and relatively expensive procedure, which generally can not be performed by the athlete. Taping typically needs to be done by an athletic trainer or other person with specialized knowledge to properly and effectively tape the joint. 
   This invention uses a relatively new product, artificial spider web silk, for added strength and flexibility. While humans have relied on silk for more than 2,000 years, scientists have never been able to unravel the mystery of how spiders and silkworms produced their incredibly strong fibers—until now. Researchers discovered the mechanism for production of strong silk, providing critical new information about nature&#39;s strongest fiber. Spider silk is among the toughest materials known, but it is not entirely unique. It is merely one of the most dramatic examples of a sizable family of biopolymers that can teach us much about how to improve upon man-made products. In many cases the biopolymers possess a combination of properties that synthetic materials cannot yet approach. Basically, the idea is to copy, the extent possible, the way that mature manufacturers products. It&#39;s called biosynthesis. The original invention needed a strong, light weigh and flexible material to hold the strips together. Artificial spider web silk is the perfect material. The materials existing at the time of the first invention was Kevlar and nylon. The Kevlar is strong but not very flexible and the nylon is flexible but not very strong. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one respect, the invention involves a shoe provided with an ankle support member. The periphery of the shoe&#39;s upper is attached to the sole so that the upper and sole enclose the wearer&#39;s foot. The ankle support member is formed of a stiff resilient bendable material, and it has a base portion which is U-shaped in horizontal cross section so as to extend laterally of, behind, and medially of a heel of the wearer&#39;s foot. The ankle support member is provided with a plurality of lateral strips and a plurality of medial strips which have their lower ends attached to the base portion and are inclined upwardly and rearwardly. At least one of the lateral strips and at least one of the medial strips are connected together in a rear part of the shoe to form an inverted loop behind the wearer&#39;s heel; and, at least two of the strips are top strips which are located medially and laterally of the wearer&#39;s ankle where they extend higher than the heel strips. The heel and top strips have a stiffness which deters lateral movement of the ankle to reduce a risk of ankle injury. 
   The ankle support member is covered with artificial spider web silk for strength and flexibility. The artificial spider web silk is bonded to the stripes of the ankle support member. This prevents the strips from pulling apart and losing there structural integrity thereby retaining their support strength. 
   Preferably, the ankle support member is located between inner and outer layers of the shoe upper, the base portion of the ankle support member extends into and is bonded to the sole, and the base portion and strips are integrally formed of a single piece of sheet material. Some strips, denoted “top strips,” extend higher than the heel strips. The top strips on the medial side of a wearer&#39;s foot have upper portions which are curved in a lateral direction; and the top strips on the lateral side of the wearer&#39;s foot have upper portions which are curved in a medial direction. 
   In another respect, the invention involves an ankle support member per se, formed of a body of stiff resilient bendable material including a base portion which is U-shaped in horizontal cross section so as to extend laterally of, behind, and medially of a heel of the wearer&#39;s foot. The ankle support member has a plurality of lateral strips and a plurality of medial strips. At least two of the strips are heel strips which are located medially and laterally of a wearer&#39;s heel, and at least two of the strips are top strips which are located medially and laterally of the wearer&#39;s ankle. The top strips extend vertically higher than the heel strips. The heel and top strips have a stiffness which deters lateral movement of the ankle to reduce a risk of ankle injury. The ankle support member is covered with artificial spider web silk for strength and flexibility. The artificial spider web silk is bonded to the stripes of the ankle support member. This prevents the strips from pulling apart and losing there structural integrity thereby retaining their support strength. 
   Preferably, the base portion and strips are integrally formed of a single piece of sheet material, the base portion is bonded to a shoe sole, and the strips are parallel to each other in transverse projection. The strips are bound together with artificial spider web silk. The top strips located medially of the wearer&#39;s foot have upper portions which are curved in a lateral direction, and the top strips which are located laterally of the wearer&#39;s foot have upper portions which are curved in a medial direction. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a shoe constructed according to the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the shoe of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an ankle support member according to the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the ankle support member affixed to a shoe sole. 
       FIG. 5  is a rear view of the ankle support member and shoe sole of  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIGS. 1 and 2  shows a conventional athletic shoe  2  which has been modified to incorporate therein the ankle support member  4  according to the invention. As is customary in such footwear, the shoe has a molded elastomeric sole  6 , and an upper  8  which has its periphery attached to the sole so that the foot is enclosed by the upper and sole. The upper is formed in a conventional manner and it includes a vamp section  10 , a heel portion  12 , and a toe portion  14 . In the regions which lie laterally of, behind, and medially of the wearer&#39;s heel, the upper  8  has inner and outer layers. The shoe has a tongue  16  and laces  18 . The ankle support member or frame  4  bound together artificial spider web silk  32 . 
   The present invention involves the utilization of a novel ankle support member  4  in a shoe to provide extra strength and support to reduce the risk of ankle injuries. The ankle support member  4  is bound together by artificial spider web silk  32  for additional strength and flexibility. The ankle support member or frame  4  is located between the inner and outer layers of the upper  8 . It starts at the arch or medial side of the foot and shoe, and it extends around the heel to the opposite or lateral side of the foot and shoe. 
   The construction of the ankle support member  4  is more conveniently seen by referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5 . It is a one-piece construction, preferably formed of a single piece of sheet material which is stiff, resilient, and bendable. Suitable materials are conventional hard rubber or the recently publicized electron-cured rubber developed by Silverman. The ankle support member  4  is bound together with artificial spider web silk  32  for additional strength and flexibility. 
   In the lower regions of the ankle support member, there is a base portion  20  which is U-shaped in horizontal cross section so it extends laterally of, behind, and medially of the wearer&#39;s heel. A plurality of finger-like strips  22 - 31  are integral with the base portion and they extend upwardly from the base portion at uniform angles. As shown in  FIG. 4 , they are inclined upwardly and rearwardly, and they are parallel in transverse projection. The preferred angle of inclination is about from 50.degree. to 70.degree. from a horizontal plane. The lateral strips are identified by the reference numerals  23 ,  25 ,  27 ,  29 , and  31 , and the medial strips are identified by the reference numerals  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 , and  30 . The lateral and medial strips are bound together with artificial spider web silk  32  for additional strength and flexibility. 
   As can be seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the lowermost portion of the base  20  of the ankle support member extends into and is bonded to the sole  6 . This bonding can be performed when the sole is molded or during a subsequent operation in order to provide a strong anchoring hold. 
   Lateral strips  29  and  31  and medial strips  28  and  30  are referred to as heel strips because they are connected together in a rear part of the shoe to form inverted heel loops which lie behind and wrap around the wearer&#39;s heel. The top strips  22 - 27 , however, have free upper ends. They extend vertically higher than the heel strips  28 - 31 , and they have a stiffness that deters lateral movement of the ankle to reduce the risk of ankle injury. As can be seen best in  FIG. 5 , the medial top strips  22 ,  24 , and  26  have their upper portions curved inwardly in a lateral direction, and the lateral top strips  23 ,  25 , and  27  have their upper portions curved inwardly in a medial direction. The physical properties of the top strips are such that they give a comfortable leeway, providing the wearer with a reasonable degree of flexing and forward and backward motion of the foot and ankle. 
   Although only one embodiment of the invention has been shown, persons familiar with the art will realize that it may take many other forms. Accordingly, it is emphasized that the invention is not limited only to the disclosed embodiment, but is embracing of other configurations which fall within the spirit of the following claims.