Patent Description:
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function. Additionally, fashion has often dictated many design elements, such as whether shoes have very high heels or wide flat ones. Contemporary footwear varies widely in style, complexity and cost. Basic sandals may consist of only a thin sole and simple strap. High fashion shoes may be made of very expensive materials in complex construction and sell for thousands of dollars a pair. Other shoes are for very specific purposes, such as boots or shoes specially designed for workers or heavy outdoor use.

A boot is a special type of footwear which covers the foot and the ankle and can extend partially up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece. They are typically made of leather or rubber like material, although they may be made from a variety of different materials. Boots are worn for their functionality for protecting the feet and legs from water, snow, mud or hazards, providing additional ankle support for strenuous activities or providing traction to a particular type of surface, as well as for reasons of style and fashion. Boots are designed to withstand heavy wear to protect the wearer. They are generally made from sturdy leather uppers and non-leather outsoles. They may be used for uniforms of the police or military, as well as for protection in industrial settings such as mining and construction. Protective features may include steel-tipped toes, soles or ankle guards, and nonslip outsoles for interaction with slick surfaces.

Traction or grip to a ground or floor surface is beneficial for a work shoe or boot to provide for worker safety. Workers often perform their duties on a greasy, wet or damp surface. For example, many industries or companies utilize floors which are covered by materials which resist the penetration of fluids or other substances. These flooring materials are utilized so that any substance inadvertently spilled on the floor can be quickly and completely removed from the floor. One of the drawbacks to these types of floorings is that, whenever water or other liquids or semi liquids are spilled on these floors, they become very slippery. Examples of this are the floorings utilized in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other institutions. Thus, what is needed is a footwear outsole that can be utilized with a wide variety of footwear types which will provide protection from slips and falls whenever wet, or grease covered floors are encountered.

Traction on a floor is influenced by many factors and may or may not follow rules; see for example, Measuring the Influences of Footwear Shape and Area on the Coefficient of Friction by English XL in Advances in Physical Ergonomics and Human Factors, <NUM>, by Ching-Chung Chen et al. The viscosity of the coating on the floor, flooring roughness and the squeeze film factor are important factors affecting friction. However, such factors are out of the control of a shoe manufacturer.

Many different shoe soles have been proposed to prevent an individual from slipping. In <CIT>, the sole of a boot or overshoe is made from rubber and includes fins and grooves. The fins cooperate with the grooves to trap air within the grooves. The air facilitates the self cleaning feature of the boots which removes mud and other substances from the soles of the boots.

<CIT> discloses a tread for a sport shoe which includes a sole having projections extending outwardly from a tread surface. The tread includes a one-piece, thin walled, metal part with at least two separate, dimensionally reinforced surface sections bearing the integrally molded projections. The reinforced surface includes a plurality of embossed, smooth-surfaced and beveled projections. The metal part is fixedly secured to an inner surface of the shoe sole by either a thin wire grid embedded in the synthetic resin sole or uniformly distributed perforations.

<CIT> discloses a shoe sole made of flexible rubber material with a non-slip profile. The sole includes a plurality of variously sized projections or layered elements. The elements include surfaces which are made from materials that are slip resistant. In addition to being slip resistant, the structure and spacing of the projections prevents the accumulation of mud and other debris on the soles of the shoes.

<CIT> discloses a sport shoe sole that possesses a high coefficient of friction along certain portions of the outsole, while other portions of the outsole are formed of a compressible and resilient material that is harder than the material of the rest of the outsole.

<CIT> discloses a shoe sole which is designed to be used on a sand surface. The outsole is made from a compressed material having an upper surface and a lower surface. A peripheral lip projects downwardly from the lower surface of the outsole. A plurality of fins also project downwardly from the lower surface. This type of construction enables efficient propulsion in sandy environments.

<CIT> discloses a slip resistant shoe outsole which includes a plurality of ground contacting projections. The ground contacting projections are V-shaped and are spaced from one another by a predetermined distance in a longitudinal direction of the outsole of the shoe. The V-shaped projections also include reinforcements at their base. The projections are made from an elastomeric polymer with a specific JIS-A hardness. This material increases the shoe's ability to resist slipping, and the shape of the projections increases their resistance to avoid bending and deformation.

<CIT> discloses an outsole assembly for a shoe which includes a flexible base having an underside surface which includes a forward region, a rearward region, and an intermediate region therebetween. The outsole includes a plurality of individual outsole elements on the underside thereof. Each element includes a body portion and a connecting section which is operatively secured to the underside surface of the flexible base. The outsole elements are arranged on the underside surface of the flexible base such that adjacent outsole elements have overlapping sections.

<CIT>, to the present Assignee, discloses a slip resistant outsole that includes chevron shaped treads for channeling water and grease away from the ground engaging treads.

<CIT>, and assigned to the current Assignee, discloses a slip resistant outsole that utilizes a squeegee effect and flow channels to improve traction on wet flooring.

<CIT> discloses a tread system for shoes, and more specifically a tread combination that is particularly suited to work environments where the workers are required to use a walking gait upon slick floor surfaces, some of which may be partially covered with liquids. The system includes an outsole having a heel strike tread having a pointed leading edge with sipes for squeegeeing and channeling liquid away from the center portion of the tread to prevent forward slippage. The mid and forefoot portions of the outsole are provided with cross siped treads which reduce or prevent sideways slippage of the forefoot.

However, none of the prior art teach or suggest a shoe outsole that is suitable for use on a wide variety of footwear to work on wet or grease covered surfaces utilizing lugs with sipes.

The present invention provides an a slip resistant footwear having an outsole according to claim <NUM>. The ground engaging surface of the outsole includes at least one tread member thereon. The tread member includes a plurality of lugs separated by grooves. The lugs have a pedestal with a plurality of protuberances separated by sipes in flow communication with at least the immediately adjacent grooves. The protuberances and lugs are arranged in generally rectangular arrays. The material from which the protuberances are formed increases the outsole's ability to resist slipping on floor surfaces when covered with oil, water, soap, etc. The shape and pattern of the protuberances enable them to control flexing and engagement to the floor surface. This increases the outsole's ability to resist slipping. The sipes and grooves are configured for flow communications to allow liquids to move outwardly of the protuberances and the tread members.

Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the instant invention to provide footwear with a high traction outsole.

It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide such an outsole with a unique tread design having a plurality of lugs that are separated by grooves.

The lugs are arranged in rows and columns in a generally rectangular array.

It is a still further objective of the invention wherein the grooves form flow paths from interior portions of the outsole to the exterior of the outsole.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. SI/metric units: <NUM> inch = <NUM>.

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred, albeit not limiting, embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

Referring to <FIG>, an article of footwear <NUM> having an outsole <NUM> for various work environments is illustrated. The footwear includes an upper <NUM> for securing the footwear to the user's foot and providing comfort to the user. The upper <NUM> may be of any design suitable for use by a person. In a particularly desired embodiment, the upper <NUM> is constructed in the form of a work type shoe or boot as illustrated. A shoe is differentiated from a boot by its height. A common definition of the shoe is an article of footwear that does not cover the ankle, while a boot extends above the user's ankle. Footwear, as used herein, includes shoes, boots, sandals and other forms of foot protection and comfort devices. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper <NUM> extends over the user's ankle to provide support and protection. In addition, the upper <NUM> may include insulation (not shown) and protective toe portions (not shown), like a so called "steel toe", to provide additional protection to the user. The outsole <NUM> is the portion of the footwear that has at least one tread portion <NUM> that contacts the floor surface (although not all the outsole <NUM> needs to contact the floor surface), and therefore provides traction to the user to reduce the risk of slips and falls. The tread portions <NUM> can be made by a suitable molding process. As used herein, the term "floor" means the lower surface of a room or structure on which one walks, and shall include ground and man-made outdoor surfaces on which one walks. Traction is provided by the outsole in two distinct manners. The first utilizes elements of the tread portions <NUM> to contact the floor working surface so that traction is provided by the surfaces of the tread portions <NUM>. The second method of providing traction to an article of footwear is to utilize a polymeric compound that allows the outer surface of the outsole to conform, at least partially, to small floor surface imperfections which cause the polymeric compound of the outsole to create high friction with the surface, i.e., "stick" to the surface, particularly when a liquid or semi liquid, such as water, grease or oil is present. The outsole <NUM> is constructed from a slip resistant polymeric material having a durometer reading which allows it to conform to surface imperfections for engagement with the floor surface, i.e., traction. In a preferred embodiment, the present tread portions <NUM> are made from a slip resistant polymeric material with a unique tread design. The polymeric material has a hardness of about <NUM> Shore, based on tests performed on a Durometer Hardness Tester. The material also has a slip resistance rating of <NUM> - <NUM> when tested on a Brungraber Mark <NUM> Articulated Strut Slip Testing Device. A slip resistant surface is defined as a surface having a rating of <NUM> or higher when tested on the Brungraber Mark <NUM> Articulated Strut Slip Testing Device. The polymeric material can be of a thermoset or thermoplastic type, and can include natural or manmade elastomer (often called rubber) or plastic and blends of materials. Fillers, like carbon black, can be included in the polymeric material.

The outsole <NUM> includes a forefoot portion <NUM>, a midfoot portion <NUM> and a heel portion <NUM>. In a preferred embodiment, the forefoot and heel portions, <NUM>, <NUM> respectively, include unique tread portions <NUM>, while the midfoot portion <NUM> of the outsole <NUM> can include a tread portion <NUM> or have no tread portion. Typically, the midfoot portion <NUM> is configured to not contact the underlying surface during normal use. The tread portions <NUM> have a plurality of lugs <NUM> that are arranged in a predetermined pattern on a base <NUM> to provide traction to a user across a variety of surfaces, and are particularly suited for traction on wet or greasy (oily) surfaces. This provides a unique combination for workers such as those in the restaurant industry who may be required to work in the kitchen area. The tread portions <NUM> may be formed integrally with the outsole <NUM> or made separately and bonded to the selected portions of the outsole12. The tread portions <NUM> include lugs <NUM> which are arranged in rows <NUM> and columns <NUM> and are separated by grooves <NUM> on the base <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the tread portions <NUM> have a similar tread pattern of lugs <NUM>. A tread portion <NUM> has a plurality of lugs <NUM> arranged in rows <NUM> and columns <NUM>. The rows <NUM> and columns <NUM> of lugs <NUM> are separated by grooves <NUM>. The grooves <NUM> form flow paths or channels and/or liquid collection zones from the interior <NUM> of a tread portion <NUM> to its exterior <NUM>. The rows <NUM> and columns <NUM> preferably form a rectangular array of lugs <NUM>. The rows <NUM> and columns <NUM> can be arranged in any suitable orientation to the outsole <NUM> and, as shown in <FIG>, the rows <NUM> and columns <NUM> are arranged on a bias of about <NUM>° from the longitudinal axis of the outsole (heel to toe). The rows <NUM> and columns <NUM> can be arranged where the rows <NUM> are generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the columns <NUM> are generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the outsole <NUM>.

In an embodiment not in accordance with the claimed invention, the lugs <NUM> are generally rectangular in plan view (lateral cross section LCS as seen in <FIG>) and generally rectangular in transverse cross section, TCS, (vertical as the shoe would be normally positioned as seen in <FIG>). A lug <NUM> includes a pedestal <NUM> at its proximal end extending from and preferably integral with a tread portion <NUM> base <NUM>. There is a plurality of protuberances <NUM> projecting outwardly from the pedestal, forming a distal end of the lug <NUM>. The protuberances <NUM> are preferably integral with the respective pedestal <NUM>, and have an outer surface configured to engage a floor when the footwear <NUM> is in normal use. The protuberances <NUM> are separated from one another on a respective pedestal by sipes <NUM>, and can move to a limited degree relative to one another under typical use conditions. The sipes <NUM> form flow paths from an interior area <NUM> of a lug <NUM> to its exterior <NUM> and communicate for flow with the grooves <NUM>. A lug <NUM>, and hence pedestal <NUM>, has a width W1 in the range of between amount <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches and a length L1 in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches. The combined heights H1 of a pedestal <NUM> and protuberance <NUM>, the lug <NUM>, is in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches. The width W2 of a groove <NUM> is in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches. The width W3 of a sipe <NUM> is in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches, and its depth D3 is in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches. The sipes <NUM> serve two functions, providing a flow path to the grooves <NUM>, and reducing the force needed to laterally displace the outer end portion of the protuberance <NUM>. While not being bound by the following theory, it is believed that the sipes <NUM> reduce the effect of the squeeze film factor by separating the fluid film into small segments, allowing the protuberances to more easily penetrate the film and engage the floor or ground, thereby improving traction. The sipes <NUM> and grooves <NUM> provide flow paths for the film forming fluid to move into and away from the protuberances <NUM>. In addition, the lateral size and height of the protuberances allows them to flex laterally, forward and backward, and side to side to cushion starting and stopping motion by a shoe user to also improve traction and allow them to move independently of one another. The vertical size of a protuberance <NUM> reduces columnar flexing, providing for a firm feeling during walking.

<FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate an embodiment of a protuberance <NUM> pattern not in accordance with the claimed invention. In the illustrated pattern, the protuberances <NUM> are of substantially equal sizes and similar shapes. The protuberances <NUM> are arranged in a rectangular array of rows <NUM> and columns <NUM> with at least three protuberances in each row and three protuberances in each column. The protuberances <NUM> all have generally rectangular transverse cross-sectional shapes parallel to the plane of the exposed end of a lug <NUM>. It is to be noted that some of the lugs <NUM> may not be complete at the edges of a tread portion <NUM>, as can be seen in <FIG>. It is also to be noted that the corner protuberances <NUM> can have their outer corners <NUM> rounded or shaped rather than square. They are still, though, generally rectangular as described. In this embodiment, a protuberance <NUM> has a width W4 in the range of about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches, and a length L4 in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches.

<FIG> illustrates an a embodiment of a protuberance <NUM> pattern for a lug <NUM>. A not in accordance with the claimed invention. In this embodiment, the protuberances 46A are arranged in a generally rectangular array of rows 31A and columns 32A. In this case, the rows 31A and columns 32A are in <NUM> by <NUM> array. The dimensions for the sipes <NUM> and the pedestal <NUM> are as described above. In this embodiment, a protuberance 46A has width W5 (the short dimension) in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches and length L5 (the long dimension) in a range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches. As shown, the outside corners on the protuberances can be rounded if desired, but the protuberances 46A are still generally rectangular in transverse cross-section.

<FIG> illustrates a third embodiment of protuberance <NUM> pattern in accordance with the claimed invention. In this embodiment, the protuberances 46B are arranged in a generally rectangular array of rows 31B and columns 32B. In this case, the rows 31B and columns 32B are in a <NUM> by <NUM> array. However, the two protuberances 46B at each corner are separated by a diagonal sipe <NUM>, connecting interior sipes <NUM> to the grooves <NUM>. Also, two corner protuberances 46B replace three corner protuberances <NUM> as seen in <FIG>. In this embodiment, the interior protuberances 46B have a length L6 in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches, and a width W6 in the range of between about <NUM> inches and about <NUM> inches. The corner positioned protuberances 46B on the outside of the lug 23B are similarly dimensioned. As shown, outside corners on the protuberances 46B can have rounded exterior corners if desired, but the protuberances 46B are still generally rectangular in transverse cross-section.

In the illustrated embodiments, the above described lugs <NUM>, 23A, 23B and protuberances <NUM>, 46A, 46B are principally located to form the tread portions <NUM> at the forefoot portion <NUM> and the heel portion <NUM>.

Among the three embodiments of lugs described above, the protuberances <NUM> have width in the range of between about <NUM> inch and about <NUM> inch, and length in the range of between about <NUM> inch and about <NUM> inch.

All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of the invention are illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.

Claim 1:
A slip resistant footwear having an outsole, said footwear comprising:
an upper secured to an outsole; and
the outsole (<NUM>) including a forefoot portion (<NUM>), a midfoot portion (<NUM>) and a heel portion (<NUM>), at least one of said portions (<NUM>), (<NUM>), (<NUM>) including a tread portion (<NUM>) constructed from a polymeric material, said tread portion being positioned on the forefoot portion and being particularly suited for channeling liquid from a floor surface, said tread portion (<NUM>) including a plurality of lugs (<NUM>), each lug (<NUM>) comprising a pedestal (<NUM>) at a proximal end thereof and a plurality of protuberances (<NUM>) at a distal end thereof, said pedestals (<NUM>) being arranged in a generally rectangular array and being separated by grooves (<NUM>) between adjacent lugs (<NUM>), said protuberances (<NUM>) on a said lug (<NUM>) being arranged in a generally rectangular array and adjacent said protuberances (<NUM>) being separated by sipes (<NUM>) between adjacent said protuberances (<NUM>) on a respective said lug (<NUM>), said sipes (<NUM>) dividing said lug (<NUM>) into a <NUM> by <NUM> array, where two corner protuberances (46b) replace three corner protuberances (<NUM>), said sipes ( <NUM>) being in flow communication with adjacent grooves (<NUM>), said grooves (<NUM>) being deeper than said sipes (<NUM>), wherein two of said protuberances (46B) at each corner of the array are separated by a diagonal sipe (<NUM>) connecting interior sipes to the grooves (<NUM>).