Abstract:
A shoe that simulates barefoot running having an outer sole having a forefoot portion, a heel portion, and a flexible bridge portion, wherein the flexible bridge portion is curved inwards to be narrower than a foot on both the lateral and medial sides, wherein the flexible bridge conforms to the foot&#39;s arch and is lifted off the ground when the shoe is tied onto the foot; a wrap overlay associated with the flexible bridge and having at least a first strap and at least a second strap, which are tied atop a metatarsal area of the foot, such that to suspend the flexible bridge therefrom and provide a 360 degrees wrap of the foot in the arch section of the foot, resulting in both, arch support and the shoe&#39;s anchoring to the foot; and, a roomy toe box providing toe splay and facilitating forefoot-striking

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The invention relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to athletic footwear for running 
         [0006]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0007]    Barefoot running, or natural running, is favored by many runners and joggers, who find that it is conducive to the proper, most injury-free way to run: to land on the forefoot. Wearing traditional running shoes often causes the runner to land on their heels, which impacts the skeletal system and can lead to joint injuries. In contrast, a forefoot-striking gait engages the muscular system to shock absorb the runner&#39;s landings, reducing the risk of injury. Another benefit of barefoot running is having a free feel and “toe splay.” However, the foot protection and arch support that a shoe provides are still desired. Arch support aids the runner and is comfortable for the foot, but arch support of traditional running shoes is normally in set dimensions and humans have a variety of needs with regards to those dimensions. 
         [0008]    Therefore, there is a need for an adjustable arch support and a lacing system that allows for the variable dimensional needs of the consumer and allows for an unencumbered toe box which facilitates free feel, “toe splay” and forefoot-striking running resembling barefoot running 
         [0009]    The problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued, but they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0011]    In one exemplary embodiment, a moveable shoe wrap overlay wrapping around the arches of the foot is provided. A shoe “bridge,” part of the sole, is supported from above by the overlay, and is be flexible to conform to the foot. The bridge is narrower than the foot, exposing the foot on both sides, such that the wrap overlay can provide a “full wrap effect” and 360 degrees of support around the foot. Laces are used with the overlay and are excluded from places other than the arches of the foot on the shoe. The toes are unwrapped, creating a roomy toe box and allowing for toe splay, an important component of barefoot running Thus, an advantage is that there are several simultaneous benefits during running: toe splay, free feel and forefoot-striking, which mimic barefoot running, and arch support. 
         [0012]    In another exemplary embodiment, the laces are used to thread into a collar anchor of the shoe upper, which wraps around the ankle, and a loop anchor at the top of the toe box, near the arches of the foot. An advantage is that the anchoring points may help to securely anchor the shoe to the foot. 
         [0013]    In another exemplary embodiment, the lateral forefoot side of the shoe may have a rounded edge. Thus, an advantage is more support for runners who land on the lateral edges of their feet. It should be understood that the medial side or heels may also similarly be rounded. 
         [0014]    In another exemplary embodiment, the overlay is associated with the outer sole and wraps around the foot from inside of the outer sole. 
         [0015]    The above embodiments and advantages, as well as other embodiments and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuing description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates the side view of a suspension bridge, as in the prior art. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2 a    illustrates a side view of an overlay and an outer sole of a suspension bridging shoe, according to an embodiment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2 b    illustrates a side view of an overlay and an outer sole of a suspension bridging shoe according to an embodiment and a suspension bridge, as shown  FIG. 1 , superimposed over the shoe depicting the analogous regions between the two. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2 c    illustrates a top view of the anchoring system of a suspension bridging shoe, according to an embodiment. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom view of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2 a   , according to an embodiment. 
           [0022]      FIGS. 4 a - b    illustrate a lateral side view and a medial side view, respectively, of how the laces may connect to the overlay of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2 a    worn on a foot  406 .  FIG. 4 c    illustrates a front-perspective view of how the laces may connect to the overlay of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2 a    worn on a foot. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  illustrates a front-perspective view of a suspension bridging shoe, with a detailed enlargement of an overlay and an overlay sleeve, according to an embodiment. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6 a    illustrates an exploded front-perspective view of an overlay and an outer sole of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2   a.    
           [0025]      FIG. 6 b    illustrates an exploded side view of a suspension bridging shoe. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 7 a - b    illustrate a side perspective view and front perspective view, respectively, of a suspension bridging shoe having a rounded lateral edge of the sole, according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    What follows is a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The specific preferred embodiments of the invention, which will be described herein, are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. 
         [0028]    For the following description, it can be assumed that most correspondingly labeled elements across the figures (e.g.,  207  and  307 , etc.) possess the same characteristics and are subject to the same structure and function. If there is a difference between correspondingly labeled elements that is not pointed out, and this difference results in a non-corresponding structure or function of an element for a particular embodiment, then the conflicting description given for that particular embodiment shall govern. 
         [0029]      FIG. 1  illustrates the side view of a suspension bridge  100 , as in the prior art. Suspension bridges are typically supported by towers  101 , two abutments  102 , main cables  103 - a  and suspender cables  103 - b  from above, which may span the length of the bridge  100  and run vertically between the two abutments  102 . The force from traffic on the bridge deck  100 - a  travels up the suspender cables  103 - b  to the main cables  103 - a  and is transferred to the towers  101 , which support most of the weight of the bridge deck  100 - a . The suspender cables  103 - b  are under tension, and the tensile force  104 - a  passes to the towers  101 . As the forces on the bridge deck  100 - a  are transferred to the towers  101 , the towers  101  are put in compression and support is provided to the deck  100 - a.    
         [0030]      FIG. 2 a    illustrates a side view of an overlay  205  and an outer sole  207  of a suspension bridging shoe, according to an embodiment. A shoe upper is not shown for clarity. Similarly to the suspension bridge  100  as shown in  FIG. 1 , the portion of the sole  207  between the forefoot  207 - a  and the heel  207 - c , may be a flexible bridge  207 - b  of the outer sole  207  (hereinafter, “outer sole,” “sole,” or “outsole”). The flexible bridge  207 - b  may act similarly as the suspension bridge  100  bridge deck  100 - a , and may be supported by an independent overlay  205  (hereinafter, “overlay,” or “upper saddle” or “wrap overlay”). The flexible bridge  207 - b  may be lifted up off the ground along the longitudinal arches of the foot  206  from above by the overlays  205 , which may have straps  205 - b.    
         [0031]      FIG. 2 b    illustrates a side view of an overlay  205  and an outer sole  207  of a suspension bridging shoe according to an embodiment and a suspension bridge  100 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , superimposed over the shoe depicting the analogous regions between the two. The straps  205 - b  of the shoe overlay  205  may act similarly as the suspender cables  103 - b  of the suspension bridge  100 , while the laces of the shoe (as shown by  212  in  FIG. 2 c   ) may act similarly as the main cables  103 - a  of the suspension bridge  100 . The flexible bridge  207 - b  of the shoe may act similarly as the bridge deck  100 - a  of the suspension bridge  100 . The forefoot portion  207 - a  and the heel portion  207 - c  of the outer sole  207  may each have a point of contact with the ground,  207 - aa  and  207 - cc , respectively, which act similarly as the foundations of the bridge&#39;s towers  101 , supporting the foot  206  by taking the force from the flexible bridge  207 - b  resulting from the runner&#39;s weight and forces required to lift the foot arch off the ground  220 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 2 c    illustrates a top view of the anchoring system of a suspension bridging shoe, according to an embodiment. Again, the laces  212  may act similarly as the main cables  103 - a  of the suspension bridge  100 . The laces  212  may be anchored at the loop anchor  214  and at two pairs of eyelets  213 - a  in the collar anchor  206 . The loop anchor  214  and the eyelets  213 - a  may form anchor points that may secure the shoe to the foot  206 , which may be similar to the way the main cables  103 - a  are anchored to the two towers  101  of a suspension bridge  100 . Additional anchoring to the foot may be provided by the grip of the overlay  205  around the foot  206 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom view of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2 , according to an embodiment. As an example, the overlay  305  may be attached to the outer sole  307  at the sides of the flexible bridge  307 - b . The flexible bridge  307 - b  may lift off the ground to conform to the foot  306 . In a preferred embodiment, the flexible bridge  307 - b  may be curved inwards, as shown, to be narrower than the foot  306  on both the lateral  306 - b  and medial  306 - a  sides, allowing the foot  306  to be exposed on both sides. The exposed lateral  306 - b  and medial  306 - a  sides of the foot may allow for a full 360 degrees of a “full wrap effect” arch support by the overlay  305 , which may apply pressure all around both the medial and lateral arches of the foot  306 . The overlay  305  may be secured with, for example, laces, threading through gillie loops  305 - a . The forefoot region  307 - a  may include a roomy toe box which may help to mimic barefoot running 
         [0034]      FIGS. 4 a - b    illustrate a lateral side view and a medial side view, respectively, of how the laces  412  may connect to the movable overlay  405  of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2 a    worn on a foot  406 .  FIG. 4 c    illustrates a front-perspective view of how the laces  412  may connect to the movable overlay  405  of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2 a    worn on a foot. The ends of the overlay straps  405 - b  may have gillie loops  405 - a , through which laces  412  can be threaded. The laces  412  may serve a similar function as the main cables  103 - a  of the suspension bridge  100 . The laces  412  may be tied on top of the foot  406  to secure and pull in the overlay  405  resulting in both arch support and the shoe&#39;s anchoring system, which allows for a roomy toe box to facilitate forefoot-striking running 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  illustrates a front-perspective view of a suspension bridging shoe  511 , with a detailed enlargement  509 - b  of an overlay  505  and an overlay sleeve  510 - a  as shown in  509 - a , according to an embodiment. The shoe upper  510  may include sleeves  510 - a  through which the overlay  505  may thread, such that the upper  510 , overlay  505 , and sole  507  are held together. The overlay  505  and sole  507  may be attached by any means known in the art, such as by stitching or gluing together. The detailed enlargement  509 - b  illustrates the strap of the overlay  505 - b  inserted into the sleeve  510 - a  of the shoe upper  510 . The strap  505 - b  may move through the sleeve  510 - a  as illustrated by  518 , such that a snug fit may be achieved for the wearer. The shoe  511  may use laces  512  to secure the overlay  505 , which may thread through a loop anchor  514  attached to the shoe upper  510 . The loop anchor  514  may be independent of the overlay  505 , so as to hold the laces  512  in place and to avoid the laces  512  traveling upwards on top of the foot. The laces  512  may thread through gillie loops  505 - a  of the overlay, and may be tied to secure the shoe to the foot. The laces  512  may be tied after threading through the gillie loops  505 - a , or after threading through the gillie loops  505 - a  and also through an eyelet or pair of eyelets  513 - a  of a collar anchor  513 . An advantage is that, when the laces  512  travel through both eyelets of the collar anchor  513 , tension may be put along the direction of the collar  513  to help securely anchor the shoe  511 . The shoe upper  510  may include the collar anchor  513  which may wrap around the wearer&#39;s ankle and may be attached completely or partially to the shoe upper  510  by any means known in the art. In another embodiment, the collar anchor  513  may be independent of the shoe upper  510 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 6 a    illustrates an exploded front-perspective view of an overlay  605  and an outer sole  607  of the suspension bridging shoe of  FIG. 2 , which may be combined or attached  612  into one piece by any means known in the art, such as by stitching or gluing together. For example, the overlay  605  may extend from the lateral edges of the outer sole  607 . In a preferred embodiment, the overlay  605  may be associated with the outer sole  607  and wrapped around the foot from inside of the outer sole  607 . In another exemplary embodiment, the outer sole  607  may be held against the foot by the overlay  605  wrapping around the foot from outside of the outer sole  607 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 6 b    illustrates an exploded side view of a suspension bridging shoe comprising a shoe upper  610  and a sole  607 , and the shoe  611  fully assembled and laced. The shoe upper  610  may be inserted into the overlay  605 , which may be attached  612  to the sole  607 , and shoe is secured to the foot by the lacing system  512 . The overlay  605 , loop anchor  614 , and collar anchor  613  may be combined into one piece by any means known in the art. The shoe  611  may have a high toe spring  619 , such that the toes are lifted off of the ground  620 , in order to facilitate barefoot running. 
         [0038]      FIGS. 7 a - b    illustrate a side perspective view and front perspective view, respectively, of a suspension bridging shoe  711  having a rounded lateral edge  719  of the sole  707 , according to an embodiment. The rounded edge  719  may allow for improved support for a forefoot-striking runner who lands with the lateral edge  719 - a  of their foot on the ground  720 , as shown in  FIG. 7 b   . It should be understood that a rounded edge may also be incorporated into the medial edge  719 - b , heel, or any other area of the shoe for improved comfort or support. 
         [0039]    It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. Additional definitions are set forth throughout the detailed description. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like. 
         [0040]    As used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A “set” of items may include one or more of such items. Whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. These terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used in this application, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items. 
         [0041]    Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing a characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, term, and so forth used in the present specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” As used herein, the term “about” means that the characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term so qualified encompasses a range of plus or minus ten percent above and below the value of the stated characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, or term. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary. 
         [0042]    Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus and procedures disclosed or claimed. Although many of the examples involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in other embodiments. 
         [0043]    The foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents. 
         [0044]    Further, in describing representative embodiments of the present invention, the specification may have presented the method and/or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention . 
         [0045]    Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for the purpose of disclosing the preferred embodiments, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate embodiments and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the specific embodiments illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover alternate embodiments and/or equivalent variations of the specific embodiments illustrated and/or described herein. Hence, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification and the claims are embodiment(s) of the invention.