Patent ID: 7900377

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 heal 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, each of the toe hinges consisting of at least two toe arms, a first end of each of the at least two toe arms pivotally connected to the top toe plate, a distal end of each of the at least two toe arms pivotally connected to a slider, the slider held to the bottom toe plate by a track allowing the slider to move longitudinally with respect to the bottom toe plate; 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, at least two of the heel hinges arranged to close in a first direction and at least one of the heel hinges arranged to close in an opposite direction, each of the heel hinges consisting of a first heel arm connected to a second heel arm by a heel pivot, a distal end of the first heel arm pivotally connected at to the top heel plate and a distal end of the second heel arm pivotally connected to the bottom heel plate; a first rigid coupling connecting the heel pivots of the at least two heel hinges arranged to close in the first direction; a second rigid coupling slidably interfaced with the first rigid coupling and the second rigid coupling connecting the heel pivots of the at least one heel hinge arranged to close in the opposite direction such that the heel pivots of the at least two heel hinges arranged to close in the first direction and the heel pivots of the at least one heel hinge arranged to close in the opposite direction are held in alignment and equidistant from the top heel plate and the top heel plate is held in horizontal synchronization with the bottom heel plate; and at least one spring pushing the upper heel support plate away from the lower heel support plate.