Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO1991019429A1/en
Timestamp: 2018-05-24 04:31:17
Document Index: 433168367

Matched Legal Cases: ['application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07']

WO1991019429A1 - Shoe sole structures - Google Patents
WO1991019429A1
WO1991019429A1 PCT/US1991/004138 US9104138W WO1991019429A1 WO 1991019429 A1 WO1991019429 A1 WO 1991019429A1 US 9104138 W US9104138 W US 9104138W WO 1991019429 A1 WO1991019429 A1 WO 1991019429A1
PCT/US1991/004138
A construction for a shoe, particularly an athletic shoe, which includes a sole that conforms to the natural shape of the foot shoe, including the bottom and the sides, when that foot sole deforms naturally by flattening under load while walking or running in order to provide a stable support base for the foot and ankle. Deformation sipes (152) such as slits or channels are introduced in horizontal plane of the shoe sole to provide it with flexibility roughly equivalent to that of the foot. The result is a shoe sole that accurately parallels the frontal plane deformation of the foot sole, which creates a stable base that is wide and flat even when tilted sideways in extreme pronation or supination motion. In marked contrast, conventional shoe soles (22) are rigid and become highly unstable when tilted sideways because they are supported only by a thin bottom edge.
The applicant has introduced into the art the use of sipes to provide natural deformation paralleling the human foot in pending U.S. application No. 07/424,509, filed October 20, 1989, and No. 07/478,579, filed February 8, 1990. It is the object of this invention to elaborate upon those earlier applications to apply their general principles to other shoe sole structures, including those introduced in other earlier applications.
By way of introduction, the prior two applications elaborated almost exclusively on the use of sipes such as slits or channels that are preferably about perpendicular to the horizontal plane and about parallel to the sagittal plane, which coincides roughly with the long axis of the shoe; in addition, the sipes originated generally from the bottom of the shoe sole. This application will elaborate on use of sipes that instead originate generally from either or both sides of the shoe sole and are preferably about perpendicular to the sagittal plane and about parallel to the horizontal plane; that approach was introduced in the '509 application. Thus, this application will focus on sipes originating generally from either or both sides of the shoe sole, rather than from the bottom or top (or both) of the shoe sole. In addition to the prior pending applications indicated above, the applicant has introduced into the art the concept of a theoretically ideal stability plane as a structural basis for shoe sole designs. That concept as implemented into shoes such as street shoes and athletic shoes is presented in pending U.S. applications Nos.
07/219,387, filed on July 15, 1988; 07/239,667, filed on September 2, 1988; 07/400,714, filed on August 30, 1989; 07/416,478, filed on October 3, 1989; 07/463,302, filed on January 10, 1990; and 07/469,313, filed on January 24, 1990, as well as in PCT Application No. PCT/US89/03076 filed on July 14, 1989. The purpose of the theoretically ideal stability plane as described in these applications was primarily to provide a neutral design that allows for natural foot and ankle biomechanics as close as possible to that between the foot and the ground, and to avoid the serious interference with natural foot and ankle biomechanics inherent in existing shoes.
It is an overall objective of this application to show additional forms and variations of the general deformation sipes invention disclosed in the '509 and '579 applications, particularly showing its incorporation into the other inventions disclosed in the applicant's other applications. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a detailed description of the invention which follows taken with the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 2 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, the human foot when tilted 20 degrees outward, at the normal limit of ankle inversion. Fig. 3 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel portion, the applicant's prior invention in pending U.S. application No. 07/424,509, filed October 20, 1989, of a conventional shoe sole with sipes in the form of deformation slits aligned in the vertical plane along the long axis of the shoe sole.
Fig. 6A is a frontal plane cross section at the heel of a conventional shoe with a sole that utilizes both horizontal and sagittarl plane slits; Fig. 6B and Fig. 6C show other conventional shoe soles with other variations of horizontal plane deformation slits originating from the sides of the shoe sole.
Fig. 7 is a frontal plane cross section at the heel of a conventional shoe of the right foot utilizing horizontal plane deformation slits and tilted outward about 20 degrees to the normal limit of ankle motion. Fig. 8 is a frontal plane cross section at the heel of a conventional shoe with horizontal plane sipes in the form of slits that have been enlarged to channels, which contain an elastic supportive material. Figs. 9A-C show a series of conventional shoe sole cross sections in the frontal plane at the heel utilizing both sagittal plane and horizontal plane sipes, and in which some or all of the sipes do not originate from any outer shoe sole surface, but rather are entirely internal; Fig. 9D shows a similar approach applied to the applicant's fully contoured design.
Fig. 12 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, the use of a high density (d') midsole material on the naturally contoured sides and a low density (d) midsole material everywhere else to reduce side width.
Fig. 1 shows a conventional athletic shoe in cross section at the heel, with a conventional shoe sole 22 having essentially flat upper and lower surfaces and having both a strong heel counter 141 and an additional reinforcement in the form of motion control device 142. Fig. 1 specifically illustrates when that shoe is tilted outward laterally in 20 degrees of inversion motion at the normal natural limit of such motion in the barefoot. Fig. 1 demonstrates that the conventional shoe sole 22. functions as an essentially rigid structure in the frontal plane, maintaining its essentially flat, rectangular shape when tilted and supported only by its outside, lower corner edge 23, about which it moves in rotation on the ground 43 when tilted. Both heel counter 141 and motion control device 142 significantly enhance and increase the rigidity of the shoe sole 22 when tilted. All three structures serve to restrict and resist deformation of the shoe sole 22 under normal loads, including standing, walking and running. Indeed, the structural rigidity of most conventional street shoe materials alone, especially in the critical heel area, is usually enough to effectively prevent deformation.
Fig. 2 shows that in the critical heel area the barefoot maintains almost as great a flattened area of contact with the ground when tilted at its 20 degree maximum as when upright, as seen later in Fig 3. In complete contrast. Fig. 1 indicate clearly that the conventional shoe sole changes in an instant from an area of contact with the ground 43 substantially greater than tL ..t of the barefoot, as much as 100 percent more when measuring in roughly the frontal plane, to a very narrow edge only in contact with the ground, an area of contact many times less than the barefoot. The unavoidable consequence of that difference is that the conventional shoe sole is inherently unstable and interrupts natural foot and ankle motion, creating a high and unnatural level of injuries, traumatic ankle sprains in particular and a multitude of chronic overuse injuries. This critical stability difference between a barefoot and a conventional shoe has been dramatically demonstrated in the applicant's new and original ankle sprain simulation test described in detail in the applicant's earlier U. S. patent application 07/400,714, filed on August 30, 1989 and was referred to also in both of his earlier applications previously noted here.
Fig. 3 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, the applicant's prior invention of pending U.S. application No. 07/424,509, filed October 20, 1989, the most clearcut benefit of which is to provide inherent stability similar to the barefoot in the ankle sprain simulation test mentioned above.
A key element in the applicant's invention is the absence of either a conventional rigid heel counter or conventional rigid motion control devices, both of which significantly reduce flexibility in the frontal plane, as noted earlier in Fig. 1, in direct proportion to their relative size and rigidity. If not too extensive, the applicant's prior sipe invention still provide definite improvement. Finally, it is another advantage of the invention to provide flexibility to a shoe sole even when the material of which it is composed is relatively firm to provide good support; without the invention, both firmness and flexibility would continue to be mutually exclusive and could not coexist in the same shoe sole.
Fig. 4 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, the applicant's prior invention of pending U.S. application No. 07/424,509, filed October 20, 1989, showing the clearcut advantage of using the deformation slits 151 introduced in Fig 3. With the substitution of flexibility for rigidity in the frontal plane, the shoe sole can duplicate virtually identically the natural deformation of the human foot, even when tilted to the limit of its normal range, as shown before in Fig. 2. The natural deformation capability of the shoe sole provided by the applicant's prior invention shown in Fig. 4 is in complete contrast to the conventional rigid shoe sole shown in Fig. 1, which cannot deform naturally and has virtually no flexibility in the frontal plane. It should be noted that because the deformation sipes shoe sole invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, as well as other structures shown in the '509 application and in this application, allows the deformation of a modified conventional shoe sole to parallel closely the natural deformation of the barefoot, it maintains the natural stability and natural, uninterrupted motion of the barefoot throughout its normal range of sideways pronation and supination motion.
Finally, note that there is an inherent engineering trade-off between the flexibility of the shoe sole material or materials and the depth of deformation sipes, as well as their shape and number; the more rigid the sole material, the more extensive must be the deformation sipes to provide natural deformation. Fig. 5 shows, in a portion of a frontal plane cross section at the heel. Fig. 9B of the applicant's prior invention of pending U.S. application No. 07/424,509, filed October 20, 1989, showing the new deformation slit invention applied to the applicant's naturally contoured side invention, pending in U.S. application No. 07/239,667. The applicant's deformation slit design is applied to the sole portion 28b in Fig. 4B, 4C, and 4D of the earlier application, to which are added a portion of a naturally contoured side 28a, the outer surface of which lies along a theoretically ideal stability plane 51.
Fig. 5 also illustrates the use of deformation slits 152 aligned, roughly speaking, in the horizontal plane, though these planes are bent up, paralleling the sides of the foot and~paralleling the theoretically ideal stability plane 51. The purpose of the deformation slits 152 is to facilitate the flattening of the naturally contoured side portion 28b, so that it can more easily follow the natural deformation of the wearer's foot in natural pronation and supination, no matter how extreme. The deformation slits 152, as shown in Fig. 5 would, in effect, coincide with the lamination boundaries of an evenly spaced, three layer shoe sole, even though that point is only conceptual and they would preferably be of injection molding shoe sole construction in order to hold the contour better. The function of deformation slits 152 is to allow the layers to slide horizontally relative to each other, to ease deformation, rather than to open up an angular gap as deformation slits or channels 151 do functionally. Consequently, deformation slits 152 would not be glued together, just as deformation slits 152 are not, though, in contrast, deformation slits 152 could be glued loosely together with a very elastic, flexible glue that allows sufficient relative sliding motion, whereas it is not anticipated, though possible, that a glue or other deforming material of satisfactory consistency could be used to join deformation slits 151.
The deformation slits 152 approach can be used by themselves or in conjunction with the shoe sole construction and natural deformation outlined in Fig. 9 of pending U.S. application No. 07/400,714; they can also be used in conjunction with shoe sole structures in pending U.S. application No. 07/416,478, filed on October 3, 1989. The number of deformation slits 152 can vary like deformation slits 151~ϊrom one to any practical number and their depth can vary throughout the contoured side portion 28b. It is also possible, though not shown, for the deformation slits 152 to originate from an inner gap between shoe sole sections 28a and 28b, and end somewhat before the outside edge 53a of the contoured side 28b.
The advantage of horizontal plane deformation slits 152, compared to sagittal plane deformation slits 151, is that the normal weight-bearing load of the wearer acts to force together the sections separated by the horizontal slits so th~at those sections are stabilized by the natural compression, as if they were glued together into a single unit, so that the entire structure of the shoe sole reacts under compression much like one without deformation slits in terms of providing a roughly equivalent amount of cushioning and protection. In other words, under compression those localized sections become relatively rigidly supporting while flattened out directly under the flattened load-bearing portion of the foot sole, even though the deformation slits 152 allow flexibility like that of the foot sole, so that the shoe sole does not act as a single lever as discussed in Fig 1. In contrast, deformation sipes 151 are parallel to the force of the load-bearing weight of the wearer and therefore the shoe sole sections between those sipes 151 are not forced together directly by that weight and stabilized inherently, like slits 152. Compensation for this problem in the form of firmer shoe sole material than are used conventionally may provide equivalently rigid support, particularly at the sides of the shoe sole, or deformation slits 152 may be preferable at the sides.
Fig. 6C shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, a similar conventional shoe sole structure horizontal plane deformation sipes 152 extending all the way from one side of the shoe sole to the other side, either coinciding with lamination layers — heel wedge 38, midsole 127, and bottom sole 128 — in older methods of athletic shoe sole construction or molded in during the more modern injection molding process. The point of the Fig. 6C design is that, if the laminated layers which are conventionally glued together in a rigidly fixed position can instead undergo sliding motion relative to each other, then they become flexible enough to conform to the ever changing shape of the foot sole in motion while at the same time continuing to provide about the same degree of necessary direct structural support.
Such separated lamination layers would be held together only at the outside edge by a layer of elastic material or fabric 180 bonded to the lamination layers 38, 127 and 128, as shown on the left side of Fig 6C. The elasticity of the edge layer 180 should be sufficient to avoid inhibiting significantly the sliding motion between the lamination layers. The elastic edge layer 180 can also be used with horizontal deformation slits 152 that do not extend completely across the shoe sole, like those of Figs. 6A and 6B, and would be useful in keeping the outer edge together, keeping it from flapping down and catching on objects, thus avoiding tripping. The elastic layer 180 can be connected directly to the shoe upper, preferably overlapping it.
Fig. 7 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, a conventional shoe with horizontal plane deformation slits 152 with the wearer's right foot inverted 20 degrees to the outside at about its normal limit of motion. Fig. 7 shows how the use of horizontal plane deformation slits 152 allows the natural motion of the foot to occur without obstruction. The attachments of the shoe upper are shown conventionally, but it should be noted that such attachments are a major cause of the accordion-like effect of the inside edge of the shoe sole. If the attachments on both sides were move inward closer to the center of the shoe sole, then the slit areas would not be pulled up, leaving the shoe sole with horizontal plane deformation slits laying roughly flat on the ground with a convention, un-accordion-like appearance. Fig. 8 shows, again in frontal plane cross section at the heel, a conventional shoe sole structure with deformation slits 152 enlarged to horizontal plane channels, broadening the definition to horizontal- plane deformation sipes 152, like the very broad definition given to sagittal plane deformations sipes 151 in both earlier applications, Nos. '509 and '579. In contrast to sagittal plane deformation sipes 151, however, the voids created by horizontal plane deformation sipes 152 must be filled by a material that is sufficiently elastic to allow the shoe sole to deform naturally like the foot while at the same time providing structural support.
It should be emphasized that the broadest possible geometric definition is intended for deformation sipes in the horizontal plane, as has already been established for deformation sipes in the sagittal plane. There can be the same very wide variations with regard to deformation sipe depth, frequency, shape of channels or other structures (regular or otherwise) , orientation within a plane or obliqueness to it, consistency of pattern or randomness, relative or absolute size, and symmetry or lack thereof. The Fig. 8 design applies also to the applicant's earlier naturally contoured sides and fully contoured inventions, including those with greater or lesser side thickness; although not shown, the Fig. 8 design, as well as those in Figs. 6 and 7, could use a shoe sole density variation like that in the applicant's pending U.S. application No. 07/416,478, filed on October 3, 1989, as shown in Fig. 7 of the No. '579 application.
Figs. 9A-C show a series of conventional shoe sole cross sections in the frontal plane at the heel utilizing both sagittal plane and horizontal plane sipes, and in which some or all of the sipes do not originate from any outer shoe sole surface, but rather are entirely internal. Relative motion between internal surfaces is thereby made possible to facilitate the natural deformation of the shoe sole. The intent of the general invention shown in Fig. 9 is to create a similar but simplified and more conventional version of the some of the basic principles used in the unconventional and highly anthropomorphic invention shown in Figs. 9 and 10 of the prior application No. '302, so that the resulting functioning is similar. Fig. 9A shows a group of three lamination layers, but unlike Fig. 6C the central layer 188 is not glued to the other surfaces in contact with it; those surfaces are internal deformation slits in the sagittal plane 181 and in the horizontal plane 182, which encapsulate the central layer 188, either completely or partially. The relative motion between lamination layers at the deformation slits 181 and 182 can be enhanced with lubricating agents, either wet like silicone or dry like teflon, of any degree of viscosity; shoe sole materials can be closed cell if necessary to contain the lubricating agent or a non-porous surface coating or layer can be applied. The deformation slits can be enlarged to channels or any other practical geometric shape as sipes defined in the broadest possible terms.
In Fig. 9A, the outside structure of the sagittal plane deformation sipes 181 is the shoe upper 21, which is typically flexible and relatively elastic fabric or leather. In the absence of any connective outer material like the shoe upper shown in Fig. 9A or the elastic edge material 180 of Fig. 6C, just the outer edges of the horizontal plane deformation sipes 182 can be glued together. Fig. 9B shows another conventional shoe sole in frontal plane cross section at the heel with a combination similar to Fig. 9A of both horizontal and sagittal plane deformation sipes that encapsulate a central section 188. Like Fig. 9A, the Fig. 9B structure allows the relative motion of the central section 188 with its encapsulating outer midsole section 184, which encompasses its sides as well as the top surface, and bottom sole 128, both of which are attached at their common boundaries 183.
This Fig. 9B approach is analogous to that in Fig. 9 of the prior application No. '302, which is the applicant's fully contoured shoe sole invention with an encapsulated midsole chamber of a pressure-transmitting medium like silicone; in this conventional shoe sole case, however, the pressure-transmitting medium is a more conventional section σf typical shoe cushioning material like PV or EVA, which also provides cushioning.
That structure was applied to shoe sole structure in Fig. 10 of prior application No. '302; the upper section 187 would be analogous to the integrated mass of fatty pads, which are U shaped and attached to the calcaneus or heel bone; similarly, the shape of the deformation sipes is U shaped in Fig. 9C and the upper section 187 is attached to the heel by the shoe upper, so it should function in a similar fashion to the aggregate action of the fatty pads. The major benefit of the Fig. 9C invention is that the approach is so much simpler and therefore easier and faster to implement than the highly complicated anthropomorphic design shown Fig. 10 of '302. An additional note on Fig. 9C: the midsole sides 185 are like the side portion of the encapsulating midsole 184 in Fig. 9B.
Fig. 9D shows in a frontal plane cross section at the heel a similar approach applied to the applicant's fully contoured design. Fig. 9D is like Fig. 9A of prior application No. '302, with the exception of the encapsulating chamber and a different variation of the attachment of the shoe upper to the bottom sole. The left side of Fig. 9D shows a variation of the encapsulation of a central section 188 shown in Fig. 9B, but the encapsulation is only partial, with a center upper section of the central section 188 either attached or continuous with the upper midsole equivalent of 184 in Fig. 9B. ~
Figs. 10 and 11 show frontal plane cross sectional views of a shoe sole according to the applicant's prior inventions based on the theoretically ideal stability plane, taken at about the ankle joint to show the heel section of the shoe. In the figures, a foot 27 is positioned in a naturally contoured shoe having an upper 21 and a sole 28. The shoe sole normally contacts the ground 43 at about the lower central heel portion thereof. The concept of the theoretically ideal stability plane, as developed in the prior applications as noted, defines the plane 51 in terms of a locus of points determined by the thickness (s) of the sole. The reference numerals are like those used in the prior pending applications of the applicant mentioned above and which are incorporated by reference for the sake of completeness of disclosure, if necessary.
Fig. 10 shows, in a rear cross sectional view, the application of the prior invention showing the inner surface of the shoe sole conforming to the natural contour of the foot and the thickness of the shoe sole remaining constant in the frontal plane, so that the outer surface coincides with the theoretically ideal stability plane. Fig. 11 shows a fully contoured shoe sole design of the applicant's prior invention that follows the natural contour of all of the foot, the bottom as well as the sides, while retaining a constant shoe sole thickness in the frontal plane.
For the special case shown in Fig. 10, 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 indivi¬ dual's foot; and, third, by the frontal plane cross section width of the individual's 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.
The theoretically ideal stability plane for the special case is composed conceptually of two parts. Shown in Fig. 10, the first part is a line segment 31b of equal length and parallel to line 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.
It can be stated unequivocally that any shoe sole contour, even of similar contour, that exceeds the theoretically ideal stability plane will restrict natural foot motion, while any less than that plane will degrade natural stability, in direct proportion to the amount of the deviation. The theoretical ideal was taken to be that which is closest to natural. Central midsole section 188 and upper section 187 in Fig. 9 must fulfill a cushioning function which frequently calls for relatively soft midsole material. Unlike the shoe sole structure shown in Fig. 9 of prior application No. '302, the shoe sole thickness effectively decreases in the Fig.-9 invention shown in this application when the soft central section is deformed under weight-bearing pressure to a greater extent than the relatively firmer sides.
In order to control this effect, it is necessary to measure it. What is required is a methodology of measuring a portion of a static shoe sole at rest, that will indicate the resultant thickness under deformation. A simple approach is to take the actual least distance thickness at any point and multiply it times a factor for deformation or "give", which is typically measured in durometers (on Shore A scale) , to get a resulting thickness under a standard deformation load. Assuming a linear relationship (which can be adjusted empirically in practice) , this method would mean that a shoe sole midsection of 1 inch thickness and a fairly soft 30 durometer would be roughly functionally equivalent under equivalent load-bearing deformation to a shoe midsole section of 1/2 inch and a relatively hard 60 durometer; they would both equal a factor of 30 inch-durometers. The exact methodology can be changed or improved empirically, but the basic point is that static shoe sole thickness needs to have a dynamic equivalent under equivalent loads, depending on the density of the shoe sole material.
Fig. 12 shows, in frontal plane cross section at the heel, the use of a high density (d') midsole material on the naturally contoured sides and a low density (d) midsole material everywhere else to reduce side width. To illustrate the principle, it was assumed in Fig. 12 that density (d') is twice that of density (d) , so the effect is somewhat exaggerated to make clear, but the basic point is that shoe sole width can be reduced significantly by using the Theoretically Ideal Stability Plane with a definition of thickness that compensates for dynamic force loads. In the Fig. 12 example, about one fourth of an inch in width on each side is saved under the revised definition, for a total width reduction of one half inch, while rough functional equivalency should be maintained, as if the frontal plane thickness and density were each unchanging; again, the effect is exaggerated here to illustrate the point. Also, the line 51' parallels the Theoretically Ideal Stability Plane 51 at half the distance from the outer surface of the foot 29. Thus, for purposes of illustration, the difference between densities (d) and (d') is exaggerated. As shown in Fig. 12, the boundary between sections of different density is indicated by the line 45. Note that the design in Fig. 12 uses low density midsole material, which is effective for cushioning, throughout that portion of the shoe sole that would be directly load-bearing from roughly 10 degrees of inversion to roughly 10 degrees, the normal range of maximum motion during running; the higher density midsole material is tapered in from roughly 10 degrees to 30 degrees on both sides, at which ranges cushioning is less critical than providing stabilizing support. Note also that the bottom sole is not shown in Fig. 12, for purposes of simplification of the'illustration, but it must obviously also be included in the measurement of shoe sole thickness and density; particularly with the bottom sole, consideration must also be given to the structure, specifically the tread pattern, which can have a large impact on density in particular areas
The foregoing shoe designs meet the objectives, of this invention as stated above. However, it will clearly be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description has been made in terms of the preferred embodiments and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is to be defined by the appended claims.
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS; l. A shoe construction for a shoe, such as an athletic shoe, comprising: an conventional upper shoe and a conventional shoe sole; said shoe sole composed of material of normal shoe sole firmness; said shoe sole having sipes such as slits or channels originating from the side surface of said sole; said sipes being of sufficient shape, size, depth, orientation and number to provide said shoe sole with flexibility sufficiently similar to that of the sole of the wearer's foot, so that at least the thickest major portion of said shoe sole, either the heel or forefoot or both, if equal, can easily parallel substantially the natural flattening deformation of the sole of the wearer's foot during the normal pronation and supination motion occurring when the wearer is standing, walking, jogging, or running.
2. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim l, wherein said shoe sole has a heel thickness greater than the forefoot thickness.
3. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim l, wherein said shoe sole deforms easily to conform to the theoretically ideal stability plane.
5. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sipes about parallel the horizontal plane.
6. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein the empty spaces created in said shoe sole by said deformation sipes in the form of channels or any other practical geometric shapes are partially or completely filled with a flexible connecting material.
7. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein deformation sipes that parallel the horizontal plane are used in conjunction with deformation sipes that parallel the sagittal plane and originate from the bottom surface of the shoe sole.
8. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein a midsole section is encapsulated by a combination of roughly horizontal plane and sagittal plane deformation sipes located internally in the shoe sole.
9. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein a midsole section is defined by a combination of roughly horizontal plane and sagittal plane deformation sipes forming a U shape.
10. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein a layer of flexible elastic material or fabric is attached to the shoe sole sides.
11. The shoe sole construction for a shoe, such as a street or athletic shoe, comprising: a sole having a substantially flat sole portion including a foot support surface, a naturally contoured side portion merging with at least a medial or lateral heel portion of said sole portion and conforming substantially to the shape of the associated sides of the human foot sole, and a substantially uniform frontal plane thickness; said thickness being defined as about the shortest distance between any point on an upper, foot-contacting surface of said shoe sole and a lower, ground-contacting surface; said thickness varying in about the sagittal plane and being greater in the heel portion than in the forefoot; said thickness of the naturally contoured side portion about equaling and therefore varying substantially directly with the thickness of the sole portion in about the frontal plane; said shoe sole composed of material of normal shoe sole firmness; said shoe sole having sipes such as slits or channels originating from the side surface of said sole; said sipes being of sufficient shape, size, depth, orientation and number to provide said shoe sole with flexibility sufficiently similar to that of the sole of the wearer's foot, so that at least the heel portion of said shoe sole can easily parallel substantially the natural flattening deformation of the sole of the wearer's foot during the normal pronation and supination motion occurring when the wearer is standing, walking, jogging, or running.
12 The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 11, wherein said shoe sole deforms to a plane somewhat greater or somewhat less than the theoretically ideal stability plane.
13. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 11, wherein said sipes about parallel the horizontal plane.
14. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 11, wherein the empty spaces created in said shoe sole by said deformation sipes in the form of channels or any other practical geometric shape is partially or completely filled with a flexible connecting material.
15. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 11, wherein deformation sipes that parallel the horizontal plane are used in conjunction with deformation sipes that parallel the sagittal plane and originate from the bottom surface of the shoe sole.
16. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 11, wherein a midsole section is encapsulated by a combination of roughly horizontal plane and sagittal plane deformation sipes located internally in the shoe sole.
17. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 11, wherein a midsole section is defined by a combination of roughly horizontal plane and sagittal plane deformation sipes forming a U shape.
18. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 13, wherein a layer of flexible elastic material or fabric is attached to the shoe sole sides.
19. A shoe sole construction for a shoe, such as a street or athletic shoe, comprising: a shoe sole with at least a medial or lateral portion that conforms substantially to the natural shape of the wearer's foot sole, including portions of its sides, and that has a substantially constant multiplication product of thickness in about frontal plane cross sections times density; said thickness being defined as about the shortest distance between any point on an upper foot-contacting surface of said shoe sole and a lower ground-contacting surface; said shoe sole composed of material of normal shoe sole firmness; said shoe sole having sipes such as slits or channels originating from the side surface of said sole; said sipes being of sufficient shape, size, depth. orientation and number to provide said shoe sole with flexibility sufficiently similar to that of the sole of the wearer's foot, so that at least the thickest major portion of said shoe sole, either the heel or forefoot or both, if equal, can easily parallel substantially the natural flattening deformation of the sole of the wearer's foot during the normal pronation and supination motion occurring when the wearer is standing, walking, jogging, or running.
20. The shoe sole construction as set forth in claim 19, wherein relatively higher density midsole material is used together with proportionately less thickness in the contoured sides of said shoe sole to reduce overall shoe sole width while maintaining functional equivalency in stability.
PCT/US1991/004138 1990-06-18 1991-06-18 Shoe sole structures WO1991019429A1 (en)
US53987090 true 1990-06-18 1990-06-18
US539,870 1990-06-18
WO1991019429A1 true true WO1991019429A1 (en) 1991-12-26
ID=24153009
PCT/US1991/004138 WO1991019429A1 (en) 1990-06-18 1991-06-18 Shoe sole structures
US (2) US6295744B1 (en)
WO (1) WO1991019429A1 (en)
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US6295744B1 (en) 2001-10-02 grant
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US6810606B1 (en) 2004-11-02 Shoe sole structures incorporating a contoured side
1994-02-18 NENP Non-entry into the national phase in: