Patent ID: 7950166

Claim:
An energy-return shoe system comprising: a shoe portion; an upper sole affixed to the shoe portion; a lower sole; an upper toe support plate affixed to a toe area of the upper sole; an upper heel support plate affixed to a heel area of the upper sole, the upper heel support plate pivotally connected to the upper toe support plate; a lower toe support plate affixed to a toe area of a top surface of the lower sole and interfaced to the upper toe support plate with at least one toe suspension mechanism; a lower heel support plate affixed to a heel area of the top surface of the lower sole and interfaced to the upper heel support plate by at least one heel suspension mechanism, the lower heel support plate pivotally connected to the lower toe support plate; wherein each of the at least one toe suspension mechanisms comprises: a top toe plate affixed to the upper toe support plate; a bottom toe plate affixed to the lower toe support plate; one or more toe hinges arranged to close in a same direction, each of the toe hinges consisting of a first arm connected to a second arm by a toe hinge pivot, a distal end of the first arm pivotally connected to the top toe plate, a distal end of the second arm pivotally connected to the bottom toe plate; a rigid coupling connecting the toe hinge pivots whereas the top toe plate and the bottom toe plate are held in parallel synchronization, whereas the upper heel sole area is allowed to move forward and back with respect to the lower heel sole area and a forward set of points on each of the upper heel sole area and the lower heel sole area converge and diverge to and from each other at the same rate as a rearward set of points on each of the heel sole area and the lower heel sole area; wherein each of the at least one heel suspension mechanisms comprises: a top heel plate affixed to the upper heel support plate; a bottom heel plate affixed to the lower heel support plate; a plurality of heel hinges, the heel hinges arranged to close in a same direction, a first end of each of the heel hinges hingedly connected to the top heel plate and a distal end of the heel hinges hingedly connected to the bottom heel plate; and at least one spring pushing the upper heel support plate away from the lower heel support plate.