Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6115941?dq=7143430
Timestamp: 2016-07-01 04:02:16
Document Index: 400177533

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n13', 'art.\n14', 'art. 17', 'art.\n19', 'art.\n20', 'art.\n21', 'art.\n22', 'art.\n23', 'art.\n25', 'art 98', 'art 98', 'arts 96']

Patent US6115941 - Shoe with naturally contoured sole - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA construction for a shoe, particularly an athletic shoe such as a running shoe, includes a sole that conforms to the natural shape of the foot, particularly the sides, and that has a constant thickness in frontal plane cross sections. The thickness of the shoe sole side contour equals and therefore...http://www.google.com/patents/US6115941?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6115941 - Shoe with naturally contoured soleAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6115941 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/479,779Publication dateSep 12, 2000Filing dateJun 7, 1995Priority dateJul 15, 1988Fee statusPaidPublication number08479779, 479779, US 6115941 A, US 6115941A, US-A-6115941, US6115941 A, US6115941AInventorsFrampton E. Ellis, IIIOriginal AssigneeAnatomic Research, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (74), Referenced by (74), Classifications (24), Legal Events (6) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetShoe with naturally contoured sole
US 6115941 AAbstract
1. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal, and forefoot portions having a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides, at least a part of the sole outer surface of the middle portion having a tread pattern:the sole lateral side and the sole medial side including a lowermost side section adjacent the middle portion, an intermediate side section above the lowermost side section, and an uppermost side section above the intermediate side section; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer: the shoe sole having at least one bulge, each at least one bulge including at least a concavely rounded portion of both the inner surface and the outer surface of the shoe sole, both as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded shoe condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe:at least a part of said at least one bulge bounded by said concavely rounded surfaces including a midsole part and an outersole part; a bulge being located at least at the lateral midtarsal part; the concavely rounded outer surface portion of the bulge extending through the lowermost side section of at least one of the sole lateral side and the sole medial side, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition; at least an uppermost portion of an outer surface of the bulge extending above a lowermost point of the sole inner surface, as viewed in a frontal plane during a shoe upright condition; and a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane; the lateral midtarsal bulge outer surface forming a portion of the sole lateral side. 2. A sole according to claim 1, wherein the concanely rounded bulge outer surface at the lateral midtarsal part also forms a portion of the sole middle portion.
3. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the shoe sole heel, midtarsal and forefoot portions having a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the shoe sole including bulges, a section of an outer surface of each bulge being concavely rounded as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe; a bulge being located at least at each of: the lateral heel part, the forward medial forefoot part, the rear medial forefoot part, the rear lateral forefoot part, and the lateral midtarsal part; the bulges forming at least a portion of one of a bottom of the sole middle portion, the sole medial side, and the sole lateral side; a first indentation between the rear lateral forefoot part bulge and the lateral midtarsal part bulge; a second indentation between the lateral heel part bulge and the lateral midtarsal part bulge; a third indentation between the forward medial forefoot part bulge and the rear medial forefoot part bulge; and a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane. 4. A sole according to claim 3, further including a bulge at the medial heel part, the concavely rounded outer surface section thereof forming a portion of the sole medial side.
5. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal and forefoot portions having a sole medial side and a sole lateral side; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal of the foot of the intended wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole including a concavely rounded first bulge at the forward medial forefoot part as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe; a second bulge at one of the rear lateral and medial forefoot parts; and a transverse indentation in the sole outer surface, between the forward medial forefoot part bulge and the the second bulge, the bulges being contoured at the sole inner surface so that the sole extends upwardly at at least one of the lateral and medial side for conforming with at least part of a side of the foot of the intended wearer; and a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness as viewed in a sagittal plane. 6. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal, and forefoot portions having a medial side, a lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the shoe sole having bulges, each bulge including a concavely rounded section of the outer sole surface, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe; a bulge being located at least at each of: the rear medial forefoot part, the rear lateral forefoot part, and the lateral midtarsal part; each bulge forming a concave portion of at least one of the sole medial side and the sole lateral side; the heel portion including a concavely rounded portion about the sole lateral side, the sole medial side, and a bottom of the sole middle portion, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to an intended wearer's foot location in the shoe; an indentation between the lateral midtarsal part and heel portion; and a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane. 7. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal, and forefoot portions having a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides, at least a part of the sole outer surface of the middle portion having a tread pattern:the sole lateral side and the sole medial side including a lowermost side section adjacent the middle portion, an intermediate side section above the lowermost side section, and an uppermost side section above the intermediate side section; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the shoe sole further having bulges, each bulge including at least a concavely rounded portion of both the inner surface and the outer surface of the shoe sole, both as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded shoe condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe;at least a part of each bulge bounded by said concavely rounded surfaces including a midsole part and an outersole part; a bulge being located at least at the medial heel part and the lateral heel part; the concavely rounded outer surface of each bulge extending through the lowermost side section of at least one of the sole lateral side and the sole medial side, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe sole upright, unloaded condition; at least an uppermost portion of a sole outer surface of each bulge extending above a lowermost point of the sole inner surface, as viewed in a frontal plane during a shoe upright condition; a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane; and an indentation located between the lateral midtarsal part and the heel part bulges. 8. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface: a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal, and forefoot portions having a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides, at least a part of the sole outer surface of the middle portion having a tread pattern;the sole lateral side and the sole medial side including a lowermost side section adjacent the middle portion, an intermediate side section above the lowermost side section, and an uppermost side section above the intermediate side section; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the shoe sole having at least one bulge, each at least one bulge including at least a concavely rounded portion of both the inner surface and the outer surface of the shoe sole, both as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded shoe condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe;at least a part of said at least one bulge bounded by said concavely rounded surfaces including a midsole part and an outersole part; said at least one bulge being located at least at one of the forward medial forefoot part and the rear medial forefoot part; the concavely rounded outer surface of each at least one bulge extending through the lowermost side section of at least one of the sole lateral side and the sole medial side, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition; at least an uppermost portion of an outer surface of each at least one bulge extending above a lowermost point of the sole inner surface, as viewed in a frontal plane during a shoe upright condition; a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane; and said at least one bulge includes at least a part with said outer surface being concavely rounded below one of the forefoot parts, as viewed in a sagittal plane, during a shoe unloaded, upright condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe. 9. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal, and forefoot portions having a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides, at least a part of the sole outer surface of the middle portion having a tread pattern:the sole lateral side and the sole medial side including a lowermost side section adjacent the middle portion, an intermediate side section above the lowermost side section, and an uppermost side section above the intermediate side section; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer: the shoe sole having at least one bulge, each at least one bulge including at least a concavely rounded portion of both the inner surface and the outer surface of the shoe sole, both as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe:at least a part of each said at least one bulge bounded by said concavely rounded surfaces including a midsole part and an outersole part; said at least one bulge being located at least at one of: the forward medial forefoot part, the rear medial forefoot part, the rear lateral forefoot part, the lateral midtarsal part, the medial heel part, and the lateral heel part; the concavely rounded outer surface of each at least one bulge extending through the lowermost side section of at least one of the sole lateral side and the sole medial side, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition; at least an uppermost portion of an outer surface of each said at least one bulge extending above a lowermost point of the sole inner surface, as viewed in a frontal plane during a shoe upright condition; a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane; and said at least one bulge including at least a part with said outer surface being concavely rounded below the forward medial forefoot part, as viewed in a sagittal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe. 10. The shoe sole according to claim 8, wherein said at least one bulge includes at least a part with said inner surface being concavely rounded below one of the forefoot parts, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe.
11. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal, and forefoot portions having a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides, at least a part of the sole outer surface of the middle portion having a tread pattern:the sole lateral side and the sole medial side including a lowermost side section adjacent the middle portion, an intermediate side section above the lowermost side section, and an uppermost side section above the intermediate side section; the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer: the shoe sole having bulges, each bulge including at least a concavely rounded portion of both the inner surface and the outer surface of the shoe sole, both as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded shoe condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe:at least a part of each bulge bounded by said concavely rounded surfaces including a midsole part and an outersole part; said bulges being located at least at the rear medial forefoot part and the rear lateral forefoot part; the concavely rounded outer surface of the bulges extending through the lowermost side section of at least one of the sole lateral side and the sole medial side, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition; at least an uppermost portion of an outer surface of the bulge extending above a lowermost point of the sole inner surface, as viewed in a frontal plane during a shoe upright condition: a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane; and at least one convexly rounded groove located between said rear forefoot parts as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright condition, the convexity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe. 12. The shoe sole according to claim 11, including a bulge located at the lateral heel part.
13. The shoe sole according to claim 11, including a bulge located at the medial heel part.
14. A sole of a shoe, comprising:a sole outer surface; a sole inner surface for supporting a foot of an intended wearer; a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the foot of the intended wearer; and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the foot of the intended wearer; the sole heel, midtarsal, and forefoot portions including a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the two sole sides, at least a part of an outer surface of the middle portion having a tread pattern; a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer and a medial midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the main longitudinal arch of the foot of the intended wearer; the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange bone, a rear medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a first metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer, and a rear lateral forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of a fifth metatarsal bone of the foot of the intended wearer; the shoe sole having at least one bulge, at least a portion of both an inner surface and an outer surface of each bulge being concavely rounded, both as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe; at least a part of said at least one bulge bounded by said concavely rounded surfaces including a midsole part and an outersole part; one said at least one bulge being located at the lateral midtarsal part; the outer surface of the lateral midtarsal part bulge including an uppermost section extending above a lowest point of said sole inner surface, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition; and a heel portion having a greater thickness than a forefoot portion, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane. 15. The shoe sole according to claim 14, wherein said lateral midtarsal part bulge extends to a bottom of the middle portion as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe upright condition.
16. The shoe sole according to claim 14, wherein said outer surface of the shoe sole includes a convexly rounded portion, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the convexity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe and;said convexly rounded portion forming an arch that is located adjacent the medial midtarsal part. 17. The shoe sole according to claim 14, wherein the lateral midtarsal bulge includes a thickness that tapers from a greatest thickness to a least thickness on each opposing extent of the bulge, as viewed in a shoe sole horizontal plane during a shoe upright condition.
18. A sole according to claim 14, including a bulge located at the forward medial forefoot part.
19. A sole according to claim 14, including a bulge located at the rear medial forefoot part.
20. A sole according to claim 14, including a bulge located at the rear lateral forefoot part.
21. A sole according to claim 14, including a bulge located at the medial heel part.
22. A sole according to claim 14, including a bulge located at the lateral heel part.
23. The shoe sole according to claim 16, wherein said inner surface of the shoe sole includes a convexly rounded portion, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane during a shoe upright, unloaded condition, the convexity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe.
24. A sole according to claim 6, including one said bulge at the forward medial forefoot part.
25. A sole according to claim 6, including an indentation between the lateral midtarsal and rear lateral forefoot part bulges.
26. A sole according to claim 25, including a further bulge at the forward medial forefoot part, the concavely rounded outer surface section thereof forming a portion of the sole medial side and the middle portion, and a further indentation between the forward medial forefoot part bulge and the rear medial forefoot part bulge.
27. A sole according to claim 3, wherein the concavely rounded bulge at the lateral heel part forms a portion of the lateral side and the middle portion of the heel portion.
28. A shoe sole according to claim 5, wherein the second bulge is located at the rear medial forefoot part, and the transverse indentation is located between the rear medial forefoot part bulge and the forward medial forefoot part bulge.
29. A sole according to claim 14, including a bulge at the rear medial forefoot part, the concavely rounded outer sole surface of the medial forefoot part bulge forming a portion of the sole medial side.
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/162,962 filed Dec. 8, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,429 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/930,469 filed Aug. 20, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,819 issued Jun. 7, 1994 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/239,667 filed Sep. 2, 1988, now abandoned and application Ser. No. 07/492,360, filed Mar. 9, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,349 issued Feb. 5, 1991 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/219,387, filed Jul. 15, 1988, now abandoned.
FIG. 2A illustrates the obstructed natural motion of the shoe heel in frontal planar cross section rotating inwardly or in FIG. 2B, outwardly with the shoe sole having a flared bottom in a conventional prior art design such as in FIG. 1; FIG. 2C illustrates the efficient motion of a narrow rectangular shoe sole design inwardly and, in FIG. 2D, outwardly;
FIG. 4A illustrates a load-bearing naturally contoured stability side component of a shoe sole; FIG. 4B illustrates the load-bearing flat component thereof; FIG. 4C illustrates the flat and contoured components together and FIG. 4D is as well as a preferred horizontal periphery of the flat load-bearing portion of the shoe sole when using the sole of the invention;
FIG. 5A is diagrammatic sketch showing the novel contoured side sole design according to the invention with one heel lift and, in FIG. 5B, with another heel lift;
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the forefoot portion taken along lines 7A of FIGS. 6 or 7D; FIG. 7B is a view taken along lines 7B of FIGS. 6 and 7D; and FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view taken along the heel along lines 7C in FIGS. 6 and 7D; and FIG. 7D is a top view of the shoe sole of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9A is the extremely stable condition for the novel shoe sole according to the invention in its neutral position; FIG. 9B is a similar view in one extreme situation; and FIG. 9C in a more extreme situation;
FIG. 10A is a composite side cross-sectional view of the naturally contoured sole side showing how the sole maintains a constant distance from the ground during rotation of the shoe edge; FIG. 10B is a similar view of the prior art sole;
FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E and 12D are a plurality of side sagittal plane cross-sectional views showing examples of conventional sole thickness variations to which the invention can be applied;
FIG. 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D are frontal plane cross-sectional views of the shoe sole according to the invention showing a theoretically ideal stability plane and truncations of the sole side contour to reduce shoe bulk;
FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13C shows the contoured sole design according to the invention when applied to various tread and cleat patterns;
in FIGS. 18A and 18B, are rear diagrammatic views of a human heel, as relating to a conventional shoe sole (FIG. 18A) and to the sole of the invention (FIG. 18B);
FIG. 19A is a sectional view taken along line 19A of FIG. 19F, showing line 26, after "arch; " add the naturally contoured sides design extended to the other natural contours underneath the loadbearing foot such as the main longitudinal arch; FIG. 19B is likewise taken along line 19B of FIG. 19F; FIG. 19C is taken along line 19C of FIG. 19F; FIG. 19D is taken along line 19D of FIG. 19F; and FIG. 19E is a sagittal section taken along line 19F; FIG. 19F is a top plan view of a sole of the invention;
FIG.20A is a sectional view taken along line 20A of FIG. 21, showing the fully contoured shoe sole design extended to the bottom of the entire non-load-bearing foot; FIG. 20B is taken on line 20B, FIG. 20C is on line 20C, FIG. 20D on line 20D, all in FIG. 21; FIGS. 20D and 20E is a sagitial section taken on line 20E of FIG. 21;
FIG. 21 shows the fully contoured shoe sole design abbreviated along the sides to only essential structural support and propulsion element or bulges;
FIG. 22A and 22B illustrates the application of the invention to provide a street shoe with a correctly contoured sole according to the invention and side edges perpendicular to the ground, as is typical of a street shoe; and FIG. 22B is a similar view of another street shoe;
FIG. 25A illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention wherein the sole structure deforms in use to follow a theoretically ideal stability plane according to the invention during deformation; FIG. 25B is a similar view of another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 28A shows a shoe sole design that allows for unobstructed natural eversion/inversion motion by providing torsional flexibility in the instep area of the shoe sole; and FIGS. 28B and 28C is a similar view of another embodiment; and
FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate in frontal plane cross section a significant element of the applicant's shoe design in its use of naturally contoured stabilizing sides 28a at the outer edge of a shoe sole 28b illustrated generally at the reference numeral 28. It is thus a main feature of the applicant's invention to eliminate the unnatural sharp bottom edge, especially of flared shoes, in favor of a naturally contoured shoe sole outside 31 as shown in FIG. 3. The side or inner edge 30a of the shoe sole stability side 28a is contoured like the natural form on the side or edge of the human foot, as is the outside or outer edge 31a of the shoe sole stability side 28a to follow a theoretically ideal stability plane. According to the invention, the thickness (s) of the shoe sole 28 is maintained exactly constant, even if the shoe sole is tilted to either side, or forward or backward. Thus, the naturally contoured stabilizing sides 28a, according to the applicant's invention, are defined as the same as the thickness 33 of the shoe sole 28 so that, in cross section, the shoe sole comprises a stable shoe sole 28 having at its outer edge naturally contoured stabilizing sides 28a with a surface 31a representing a portion of a theoretically ideal stability plane and described by naturally contoured sides equal to the thickness (s) of the sole 28. The top of the shoe sole 30b coincides with the shoe wearer's load-bearing footprint, since in the case shown the shape of the foot is assumed to be load-bearing and therefore flat along the bottom. A top edge 32 of the naturally contoured stability side 28a can be located at any point along the contoured side of the foot 29, while the inner edge 33 of the naturally contoured side 28a coincides with the perpendicular sides 34 of the load-bearing shoe sole 28b. In practice, the shoe sole 28 is preferably integrally formed from the portions 28b and 28a. Thus, the theoretically ideal stability plane includes the contours 31a merging into the lower surface 31b of the sole 28. Preferably, the peripheral extent 36 of the load-bearing portion of the sole 28b of the shoe includes all of the support structures of the foot but extends no further than the outer edge of the foot sole 37 as defined by a loadbearing footprint, as shown in FIG. 4D, which is a top view of the upper shoe sole surface 30b. FIG. 4D thus illustrates a foot outline at numeral 37 and a recommended sole outline 36 relative thereto. Thus, a horizontal plane outline of the top of the load-bearing portion of the shoe sole, therefore exclusive of contoured stability sides, should, preferably, coincide as nearly as practicable with the load-bearing portion of the foot sole with which it comes into contact. Such a horizontal outline, as best seen in FIGS. 4D and 7D, should remain uniform throughout the entire thickness of the shoe sole eliminating negative or positive sole flare so that the sides are exactly perpendicular to the horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 4B. Preferably, the density of the shoe sole material is uniform.
As shown in FIG. 5B, for a shoe that follows a more conventional horizontal plane outline, the sole can be improved significantly according to the applicant's invention by the addition of a naturally contoured side 28a which correspondingly varies with the thickness of the shoe sole and changes in the frontal plane according to the shoe heel lift. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the thickness of the naturally contoured side 28a is equal to the thickness (s+s1) of the shoe sole 28 which is thicker than the shoe sole (s) shown in FIG. 5A by an amount equivalent to the heel lift (s1) . In the generalized case, the thickness (s) of the contoured side is thus always equal to the thickness (s) of the shoe sole.
FIG. 9 is suitable for analyzing the shoe sole design according to the applicant's invention by contrasting the neutral situation shown in FIG. 9A with the extreme situations shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C. Unlike the sharp sole edge of a conventional shoe as shown in FIG. 2, the effect of the applicants invention having a naturally contoured side 28a is totally neutral allowing the shod foot to react naturally with the ground 43, in either an inversion or eversion mode. This occurs in part because of the unvarying thickness along the shoe sole edge which keeps the foot sole equidistant from the ground in a preferred case. Moreover, because the shape of the edge 31a of the shoe contoured side 28a is exactly like that of the edge of the foot, the shoe is enabled to react naturally with the ground in a manner as closely as possible simulating the foot. Thus, in the neutral position shown in FIG. 9, any point 40 on the surface of the shoe sole 30b closest to ground lies at a distance (s) from the ground surface 39. That distance (s) remains constant even for extreme situations as seen in FIGS. 9B and 9C.
FIG. 10A illustrates how the inner edge 30a of the naturally contoured sole side 28a is maintained at a constant distance (s) from the ground through various degrees of rotation of the edge 31a of the shoe sole such as is shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10B shows how a conventional shoe sole pivots around its lower edge 42, which is its center of rotation, instead of around the upper edge 40, which, as a result, is not maintained at constant distance (s) from the ground, as with the invention, but is lowered to 0.7 (s) at 45� rotation and to zero at 90� rotation.
FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of the invention which utilizes varying portions of the theoretically ideal stability plane 51 in the naturally contoured sides 28a in order to reduce the weight and bulk of the sole, while accepting a sacrifice in some stability of the shoe. Thus, FIG. 12A illustrates the preferred embodiment as described above in connection with FIG. 5 wherein the outer edge 31a of the naturally contoured sides 28a follows a theoretically ideal stability plane 51. As in FIGS. 3 and 4, the contoured surfaces 31a, and the lower surface of the sole 31b lie along the theoretically ideal stability plane 51. The theoretically ideal stability plane 51 is defined as the plane of the surface of the bottom of the shoe sole 31, wherein the shoe sole conforms to the natural shape of the foot, particularly the sides, and has a constant thickness in frontal plane cross sections. As shown in FIG. 12B, an engineering trade off results in an abbreviation within the theoretically ideal stability plane 51 by forming a naturally contoured side surface 53a approximating the natural contour of the foot (or more geometrically regular, which is less preferred) at an angle relative to the upper plane of the shoe sole 28 so that only a smaller portion of the contoured side 28a defined by the constant thickness lying along the surface 31a is coplanar with the theoretically ideal stability plane 51. FIGS. 12C and 12D show similar embodiments wherein each engineering trade-off shown results in progressively smaller portions of contoured side 28a, which lies along the theoretically ideal stability plane 51. The portion of the surface 31a merges into the upper side surface 53a of the naturally contoured side.
For the special case shown in FIG. 14, the theoretically ideal stability plane for any particular individual (or size average of individuals) is determined, first, by the given frontal plane cross section shoe sole thickness (s); second, by the natural shape of the individual's foot; and, third, by the frontal plane cross section width of the individuals load-bearing footprint 30b, which is defined as the upper surface of the shoe sole that is in physical contact with and supports the human foot sole, as-shown in FIG. 4.
The theoretically ideal stability plane for the special case is composed conceptionally of two parts. Shown in FIGS. 14 and 4 the first part is a line segment 31b of equal length and parallel to 30b at a constant distance (s) equal to shoe sole thickness. This corresponds to a conventional shoe sole directly underneath the human foot, and also corresponds to the flattened portion of the bottom of the load-bearing foot sole 28b. The second part is the naturally contoured stability side outer edge 31a located at each side of the first part, line segment 31b. Each point on the contoured side outer edge 31a is located at a distance which is exactly shoe sole thickness (s) from the closest point on the contoured side inner edge 30a.
FIG. 16 illustrates in a curve 70 the range of side to side inversion/eversion motion of the ankle center of gravity 71 from the shoe according to the invention shown in frontal plane cross section at the ankle. Thus, in a static case where the center of gravity 71 lies at approximately the mid-point of the sole, and assuming that the shoe inverts or everts from 0� to 20� to 40�, as shown in progressions 16a, 16b and 16c, the locus of points of motion for the center of gravity thus defines the curve 70 wherein the center of gravity 71 maintains a steady level motion with no vertical component through 40� of inversion or eversion. For the embodiment shown, the shoe sole stability equilibrium point is at 28� (at point 74) and in no case is there a pivoting edge to define a rotation point as in the case of FIG. 2. The inherently superior side to side stability of the design provides pronation control (or eversion), as well as lateral (or inversion) control. In marked contrast to conventional shoe sole designs, the applicant's shoe design creates virtually no abnormal torque to resist natural inversion/eversion motion or to destabilize the ankle joint.
FIG. 17 thus compares the range of motion of the center of gravity for invention, as shown in curve 75, in comparison to curve 80 for the conventional wide heel flare and a curve 82 for a narrow rectangle the width of a human heel. Since the shoe stability limit is 28� in the inverted mode, the shoe sole is stable at the 20� approximate barefoot inversion limit. That factor, and the broad base of support rather than the sharp bottom edge of the prior art, make the contour design stable even in the most extreme case as shown in FIGS. 16 and permit the inherent stability of the barefoot to dominate without interference, unlike existing designs, by providing constant, unvarying shoe sole thickness in frontal plane cross sections. The stability superiority of the contour side design is thus clear when observing how much flatter its center of gravity curve 75 is than in existing popular wide flare design 80. The curve demonstrates that the contour side design has significantly more efficient natural 7� inversion/eversion motion than the narrow rectangle design the width of a human heel, and very much more efficient than the conventional wide flare design; at the same time, the contour side design is more stable in extremis than either conventional design because of the absence of destabilizing torque.
FIGS. 19A-D illustrate, in frontal plane cross sections, the naturally contoured sides design extended to the other natural contours underneath the load-bearing foot, such as the main longitudinal arch, the metatarsal (or forefoot) arch, and the ridge between the heads of the metatarsals (forefoot) and the heads of the distal phalanges (toes). As shown, the shoe sole thickness remains constant as the contour of the shoe sole follows that of the sides and bottom of the load-bearing foot. FIG. 19E shows a sagittal plane cross section of the shoe sole conforming to the contour of the bottom of the load-bearing foot, with thickness varying according to the heel lift 38. FIG. 19F shows a horizontal plane top view of the left foot that shows the areas 85 of the shoe sole that corresponds to the flattened portions of the foot sole that are in contact with the ground when loadbearing. Contour lines 86 and 87 show approximately the relative height of the shoe sole contours above the flattened load-bearing areas 85 but within roughly the peripheral extent 36 of the load-bearing portion of sole 28b shown in FIG. 4. A horizontal plane bottom view (not shown) of FIG. 19F would be the exact reciprocal or converse of FIG. 19F (i.e., peaks and valleys contours would be exactly reversed).
FIG. 21 shows the horizontal plane top view of the left foot corresponding to the fully contoured design described in FIGS. 20A-E, but abbreviated or indented at 96a, 96b and 97a along the sides to only essential structural support and propulsion elements or convex rounded bulges as shown. Shoe sole material density can be increased in the unabbreviated essential elements to compensate for increased pressure loading there. The essential structural support elements are the convex rounded bulges at the base 95b and lateral 95c tuberosity of the calcaneus 95, the medial and lateral heads 96d and 96e of the metatarsals, and the base of the fifth metatarsal 97 in the lateral midtarsal portion of the sole. They must be supported both underneath at 95a, 96c, 97b and to the outside for stability so that the rounded bulges extend at the bottom and sides of the sole, and may be contoured upwardly at the lateral or medial sides and at the inner and outer surfaces of the sole as shown in FIGS. 20A to 20E. The essential propulsion element is the head of first distal phalange or forward medial forefoot part 98. The medial (inside) and lateral (outside) sides supporting the base of the calcaneus are shown in FIG. 21 oriented roughly along either side of the horizontal plane subtalar ankle joint axis, but can be located also more conventionally along the longitudinal axis of the shoe sole. A transverse indentation 96f is provided between the outer surface 98a of the forward medial forefoot part 98 and the outer surface 96c of the head of the metatarsal as shown in FIG. 20E. As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the rear medial and lateral forefoot parts 96b and 96e have rounded bulges at their outer surfaces at 96c and 96g.--; Line 19, after "reversed" insert--as shown at the downwardly convex rounded bulges 95a, 96c, 96g, 97b and 98a of the outer surface of the sole member. FIG. 21 shows that the naturally contoured stability sides need not be used except in the identified essential areas. Weight savings and flexibility improvements can be made by omitting the non-essential stability sides. Contour lines 85 through 89 show approximately the relative height of the shoe sole contours within roughly the peripheral extent 36 of the undeformed load-bearing portion of shoe sole 28b shown in FIG. 4. A horizontal plane bottom view (not shown) of FIG. 21 would be the exact reciprocal or converse of FIG. 21 (i.e., peaks and valleys contours would be exactly reversed).
The theoretically ideal stability can also be approximated by a plurality of line segments 110, such as tangents, chords, or other lines. as shown in FIG. 26. Both the upper surface of the shoe sole 28, which coincides with the side of the foot 30a, and the bottom surface 31a of the naturally contoured side can be approximated. While a single flat plane 110 approximation may correct many of the biomechanical problems occurring with existing designs, because it can provide a gross approximation of the both natural contour of the foot and the theoretically ideal stability plane 51, the single plane approximation is presently not preferred, since it is the least optimal. By increasing the number of flat planar surfaces formed, the curve more closely approximates the ideal exact design contours, as previously described. Single and double plane approximations are shown as line segments in the cross section illustrated in FIG. 26.
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EllisFootwear soleDE202006020999U1Sep 26, 2006Aug 11, 2011Vibram S.P.A.Fu�bekleidung mit unabh�ngig voneinander beweglichen ZehbereichenEP2517587A1Sep 26, 2006Oct 31, 2012Vibram S.p.A.Footwear having independently articulable toe portions* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification36/25.00R, 36/31, 36/114, 36/30.00R, 36/88International ClassificationA43B5/00, A43B13/14, A43B5/06Cooperative ClassificationA43B13/143, A43B13/148, A43B13/125, A43B5/00, A43B5/06, A43B13/145, A43B13/146, A43B13/141European ClassificationA43B13/12M, A43B13/14W2, A43B5/00, A43B13/14W, A43B13/14F, A43B5/06, A43B13/14W6, A43B13/14W4Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionDec 4, 2000ASAssignmentOwner name: ANATOMIC RESEARCH, INC., VIRGINIAFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ELLIS, FRAMPTON E. III;REEL/FRAME:011379/0133Effective date: 20001129Jan 1, 2002CCCertificate of correctionDec 10, 2002CCCertificate of correctionFeb 4, 2004FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Mar 10, 2008FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8Sep 22, 2011FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 12RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services