Abstract:
An athletic shoe including a moveably attached cleat is intended to displace relative to the sole on the shoe in certain situations. This allows the cleat to more easily disengage the turf than a convention fixed cleat. The moveably attached cleat allows the shoe to disengage from the turf when the wearer is subjected to side impact forces, thus reducing the likelihood of traumatic knee injuries for the wearer. However, when the wearer is running forward, there is a reaction force on the cleat from the turf, acting in the forward direction which does not cause the cleat to displace to the retracted position and it can remain in the extended position.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/052,056, filed on Sep. 18, 2014; the disclosure of which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to the field of athletic gear. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an improved shoe device including safety features. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to cleats on a shoe configured to move between an extended or fixed position and a collapsed position to prevent knee injuries when the wearer is subjected to side impact forces. 
         [0003]    2. Background Information 
         [0004]    Dynamic mechanical systems often include two or more elongated members pivotably connected to each other by a pivot joint. The pivot joint allows the two elongated members to operatively move in a pivoting manner relative to each other. More complex dynamic systems may include three elongated members connected end-to-end by a first pivot joint and a second pivot joint. The two pivot joints permit relative movement of the three elongated members relative to one another. 
         [0005]    With continued reference to a three member dynamic system connected by two pivot joints, it is well understood that if one of the pivot joints becomes non-pivotable, or fixed, then the amount of pressure imparted to the remaining pivot joint increases. 
         [0006]    One example of a dynamic system that includes three members connected by two pivoting joints is the lower extremity anatomy of the human body. More particularly, the foot is a first member connected to the lower leg at the pivotable ankle joint. The lower leg is connected to the upper leg at the pivotable knee joint. 
         [0007]    In sports, players often believe that they need to secure their ankle joint with stiff athletic tape for increased stability on the playing field. In American Football, this is a technique known as “spatting.” When a player spats their ankle, they tightly wrap athletic tape over their pair of athletic footwear locking the ankle joint in a substantially non-movable position. 
         [0008]    Recently, many sports have been making great strides to improve playing conditions that improve the safety of the game to reduce the number of serious injuries suffered by its players. One such organization making great strides in this area is the National Football League (“NFL”) with its headquarters at  345  Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA. Another exemplary organization making great strides to reduce injuries for football players is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) with its headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    Issues continue to exist with conventionally known athletic shoes having cleats affixed thereto, even though cleats have been part of sports shoes for decades. Usually in the shape of truncated cones, cleats are fixed, raised areas of the shoe sole that engage in turf and increase traction for the wearer. 
         [0010]    One disadvantage of conventional cleat design is that in some cases when the wearer gets hit by another player, the cleats of the wearer&#39;s shoe are locked in the turf, immobilizing the foot, and the stress of the impact is transferred to another joint in the mechanical link, such as the knee. In some cases knee injuries can be attributed to this phenomenon. 
         [0011]    One of the inventors, Dr. Sheldon F. Wernow of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., USA, has identified that knee injuries in professional football (as well as other sports such as soccer or lacrosse or baseball) may be reduced by adding another pivot point to the mechanical linkage of an athlete&#39;s body. Additionally, professional sports organizations, such as the NFL or NCAA, should require a new type of cleat design to be worn in their league in order to reduce their liability to former players if they know that knee injuries are more likely to occur with a conventional (non-moveable) cleat is worn by a player. The present disclosure addresses these and other issues. 
         [0012]    In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide an athletic shoe including a cleat design that is intended to disengage or release itself from the turf in certain situations and remain attached to the turf in other situations. A cleat design is envisioned that is not fixed, but can move in certain conditions to allow it to disengage from the turf. A distinction is made regarding the direction of the applied forces on the cleat. For example, when the wearer is running forward, there is a reaction force on the cleat from the turf, acting in the forward direction. 
         [0013]    In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide an improved athletic shoe comprising a cleat extending downwardly from a downwardly facing sole, wherein the cleat is displaceable between an extended position and a collapsed position, and wherein the cleat is moved to the collapsed position after subjection to a side impact force generally along a transverse axis yet remains in the extended position when subjected to a force along a longitudinal axis. 
         [0014]    In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide an athletic shoe comprising: a sole having spaced front and rear ends defining a longitudinal axis therebetween and spaced left and right sides defining a transverse axis therebetween; a cleat moveable relative to the sole, wherein the cleat is displaceable between a first position extending beyond the sole and a second position generally flush with the sole. This embodiment may be, in combination with an ankle locking member configured to lock an ankle of an athlete when the shoe is worn, wherein the combination is adapted to reduce knee injuries of athlete when the athlete is subjected to force above the ankle and below the knee. Additionally, this embodiment may further comprise a bottom end on the cleat; and an arcuate path of travel for the bottom end of the cleat as the cleat moves from the first position to the second position. This embodiment may include a bottom end on the cleat; and a linear path of travel for the bottom end of the cleat as the cleat moves from the first position to the second position. This embodiment may include a coefficient of friction associated with the shoe relative to a ground surface with the cleat in the first position greater than the coefficient of friction with the cleat in the second position. Further, this embodiment may include wherein the cleat pivots about the longitudinal axis to move along a transverse plane, or wherein the cleat pivots about the transverse axis to move along a longitudinal plane. The cleat may move from the first position to the second position after subjection to an impact force. 
         [0015]    Additionally in this embodiment, the cleat may include a top end spaced apart from a bottom end defining a vertical axis therebetween, the top end adjacent the sole and the bottom end exterior the sole in the first position and the bottom end adjacent the sole in the second position. the cleat may define a vertically aligned bore and a bias member adjacent the bore; wherein the bias member is a compression coil spring in the bore. This embodiment may include a set screw tensioning the spring to an optimized compression force. And, may further comprise a ball lock containing the bias member adjacent one end of the bore. 
         [0016]    In this embodiment, the athletic shoe may include a cleat housing set within the sole; wherein the cleat housing is fixed relative to the sole allowing the cleat to move therein. Additionally, an upwardly tapered sidewall on the cleat housing extending from an aperture edge upwardly to a connection point. 
         [0017]    In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method comprising the steps of: donning an athletic shoe having a cleat moveable between an extended first position and a collapsed second position generally flush with a sole of the shoe; moving in a first direction in a walking or running motion; subjecting the shoe to an external force; effecting the movement of the cleat from the first position to the second position if the external force exceeds a set threshold level. The threshold level may be determined by the step of: setting a bias member to an optimized level to allow the cleat to move from the first position to the second position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    A sample embodiment of the present disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various example methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale. 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view depicting a shoe having a plurality of moveably attached cleats extending generally downward from the sole; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view taken along view line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  depicting the layout arrangement of the plurality of moveably attached cleats; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of one of the moveable cleats in a housing; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3A  is an enlarged bottom view of one of the cleats taken along line  3 A- 3 A in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3B  is an enlarged cross section of one of the cleats taken along line  3 B- 3 B in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view of one of the moveable cleats similar to  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 4A  is an enlarged cross section of one of the cleats taken along line  4 A- 4 A in  FIG. 4 ; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 4B  is an enlarged cross section of one of the cleats taken along line  4 B- 4 B in  FIG. 4 ; 
       
    
    
       [0027]    Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    As depicted in throughout the Figures, an embodiment of an improved athletic shoe is generally indicated at  40 . Athletic shoe  40  includes a shoe sole  42 , a downwardly facing ground engaging bottom surface  44 , and a ball cleat member  46 . Shoe  40  includes a left side  70  (when viewed from above) spaced opposite a right side  72  (when viewed from above) defining a transverse axis therebetween and a forward end  74  spaced opposite a rear end  76  defining a longitudinal axis therebetween. 
         [0029]    As depicted in  FIG. 2 , a plurality of cleat members  46  are depicted arranged in a configuration along bottom surface  44  of sole  42 . Cleat members  46  have a generally oval profile aligned with the transverse axis extending between left side  70  and right side  72 , the purpose of which will be disclosed in greater detail below. 
         [0030]    As depicted in  FIG. 3 , each one of the plurality of cleat members  46  may be retained in a housing  66  including a first surface defining an upwardly tapered oval aperture  69 . Housing  66  includes a first member  78  adjoining a second member  80  aligned together with corresponding bores  82 A and  82 B configured to receive a mounting member such as a screw therethrough. First member  78  is embedded within sole  42  of shoe  40 . Second member  80  may lie flush with bottom surface  44  or may alternatively lie just above bottom surface  44  such that bottom surface  44  visually covers member  80  when viewed from the bottom. 
         [0031]    As depicted in  FIG. 3A , housing  66  may have a generally circular profile and include symmetrically outwardly extending legs  84 . Legs  84  offer stability for housing  66  carrying cleat member  46  when installed on shoe  40 . 
         [0032]    As depicted in  FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B , housing  66  defines a cavity  90 . More particularly, cavity  90  is defined by an upwardly tapered sidewall  92  extending from the oval edge defining oval aperture  69  upwardly toward a connection point  94 . A portion of the sidewall continues upwardly from connection point  94  up towards an apex  96  having a slope that is parabolic in transverse cross section and steeper than that of sidewall  92 . A seat area  58  is generally defined between point  94  and apex  96  within cavity  90  and will be described in greater detail below. Turning back to sidewall  92 , it is generally planar in transverse cross section. 
         [0033]    As depicted in  FIG. 4B , seat portion  58  of cavity  90  in longitudinal cross section has a radius of curvature  98  complimentary to that of ball lock  56 , the purpose of which will be described in greater detail below. 
         [0034]    Cleat member  46  includes a generally spherical member  48  including a frustoconical bottom end  50 . Sphere member  48  defines a generally cylindrical chamber  52  retaining a compression spring  54  therein. A ball lock  56  rests against the top of the spring  54  near the top of the cylindrical chamber  52  nestingly received in the seat  58 . A set screw  60  may be operatively coupled to the bottom end of compression spring  54  through frustoconical bottom end  50  to set a desired compressive force to spring  54 . 
         [0035]    In operation, as shown in  FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B , when shoe  40  is subjected to a side impact force (Arrow F), ball lock  56  compresses spring  54  downwardly such that ball  56  is forcibly removed from seat  58 . Ball  56  moves downwardly in the direction of arrow  53  into chamber  52 . Cleat  46  rotates, here depicted as a counter-clockwise direction in a path defined by arrow  55 , allowing cleat  46  to disengage the ground surface. Shoe  40  provides an injury reducing shoe that can purposely give way when subjected to certain impact forces. Cleat  46  will not break away when subjected to normal forward forces such as when an athlete wearing shoe  40  is running forward, but in the event they are impacted from the side, cleat rotates to purposely disengage the ground surface. 
         [0036]    In accordance with the present disclosure, improved athletic shoe  40  provides a moveable or displaceable cleat  46  that is designed to decrease its profile height when subjected to left or right side impact forces thus improving the ability for the cleat to disengage the ground surface. Generally, the cleat does not reduce its profile height by urging forces via spring  54  when subjected to normal forward forces such as when the player is running straight. However, it is possible to design the cleat to move in this manner. When cleat member  16  is in the collapsed position, cleat disengages ground surface easier than a conventional fixed cleat, allowing shoe  40  to purposefully slip away from the ground. This allows an athlete wearing shoe  40  to be less likely to suffer a knee injury when hit from the side, amongst other things, because the shoe  40  is more likely to disengage the ground surface than a conventional shoe with a fixed cleat or even a removably fixed cleat as is common in a conventional athletic shoe. 
         [0037]    In accordance with an aspect of one embodiment of the present disclosure, improved shoe  40  having cleat  46  with ball lock  56  allows for a cleat integrally formed with insole  42  of shoe  40  to rotate about an axis such that cleat  46  breaks away and is displaceable when subjected to certain left to right side impact forces but remains fixed when subjected to forward forces such as when the athlete is running forward. The advantage of this is that an athlete wearing this improved device  40 , it is believed, would be less likely to suffer knee injuries normally occurring when a shoe is affixed to a turf surface via a cleat. 
         [0038]    Additionally, shoe  40  is based on a rocking design, operatively coupled to the pre-loaded spring. The main body of the cleat is spherical, and rides in a spherical recess formed into the sole of the shoe. Normal side forces are insufficient to compress the spring and the cleat remains fixed. When loading becomes excessive, such as a side impact from another player, the side force (Arrow F) on the cleat tends to rotate the cleat by compressing the spring, causing the cleat to retract. 
         [0039]    A further aspect of the spherical seat  58  is that it can have different heights for the ball to overcome before motion occurs. The side that requires more deflection of the ball before motion occurs will require higher force on the cleat to cause retraction. For example, the force from the left to cause retraction can be different from the force from the right to cause retraction. 
         [0040]    Additionally, athletic shoe designs may be based on telescoping design with a pre-loaded spring. The spring has sufficient pre-load such that no motion occurs under normal loading in the forward direction. With normal loading the cleat performs much like a conventional, fixed cleat. When loading becomes excessive, such as a side impact from another player, the force on the spring exceeds the pre-load, and the spring deflects, causing the cleat to retract. The angle on the cleat determines how much of the side load is transferred into an axial load to compress the spring. Note that the angle on the cleat can be varied, potentially on different sides of the same cleat, for different performance in an inside-hit or outside-hit scenario. 
         [0041]    The intent is that the alternative telescoping cleat will retract, or displace upwardly at the moment of impact, and the displacement, although limited, will allow it to disengage from the turf. Another feature of this alternative embodiment is adjustability. A preload on a spring can be adjusted by rotating the cleat. An indication of rotation can be provided by an arrow on the outside of the cleat. Other adjustment mechanisms will be clear to those skilled in the art. 
         [0042]    While the aforementioned embodiments are described with reference to a side impact force for moveably urging the cleat, it should be understood that the present disclosure equally applies to a forward force or a front side force as well as a rear side force that could just as likely result in knee injuries. To combat the front side force, the springs may be set at a desired pressure in PSI that allows the wearer to run forward and remain in place, yet if they are hit from the front, the cleats will retract or roll as described in the two embodiments. 
         [0043]    Shoe  40  is configured to be used in combination with an ankle locking member configured to lock an ankle of an athlete when the shoe is worn. The particular ankle locking member is athletic tape wrapped in a spat or spatting technique which is commonly known in the art. Other exemplary ankle locking members are ankle braces that semi-lock the ankle. The combination of shoe  40  and ankle spatting or ankle brace is adapted to reduce knee injuries of athlete when the athlete is subjected to force above the ankle and below the knee. 
         [0044]    In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. 
         [0045]    Moreover, the description and illustration of the example embodiment of the present disclosure are an example and the present disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.