Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a sole for footwear, and more particularly to a slip-resistant sole which is slip-resistant on a smooth surface. 
     Description of Related Arts 
     With the economic development, more and more building structures or construction structures are constructed with floor materials which have better leveling capability. For examples, common floor materials include marbles, ceramic floor tiles and etc. Because the floor using these materials is better leveled and smooth, the coefficient of fiction is small. When people wearing regular shoes walk on the floor constructed with these materials, he or she will easily slip and fall. Accordingly, slip-resistant shoes are emerged. 
     In general, conventional anti-slip shoes include shoe soles with a plurality of groves laterally and longitudinally intercrossing with each other such that a plurality of small protrusions in the bottom end of the sole are formed. The protrusions are usually flat. Though this type of shoes can provide anti-slip function, the anti-slip ability is not good. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a slip-resistant sole which has improved slip resistance. 
     Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particular point out in the appended claims. 
     According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by a slip-resistant sole which comprises a bottom sole and a plurality of protruded units outwardly extended from the bottom sole, wherein each of the protruded unit is resilient and has a columnar structure defining a bottom end and a protruded unit cavity, wherein the protruded unit cavity is provided at the middle portion of the protruded unit in the bottom end and a side wall of the protruded unit cavity is defined, wherein the side wall of the protruded unit cavity has a curved or inclined cross-section. 
     Preferably, the protruded unit has at least one guiding groove in the bottom end and each the guiding groove is channeled to the protruded unit cavity. 
     Preferably, a junction groove is peripherally provided to the protruded unit and is positioned between a connecting junction between the protruded unit and the bottom sole. 
     Preferably, a cross-section of the protruded unit is trapezium in shape defining a long side and a short side, wherein the protruded unit is connected to the bottom sole through the short side of the protruded unit. 
     Preferably, an angle is defined between an outer side of the protruded unit and the bottom sole, wherein the angle is between 60° and 90°. 
     Preferably, the bottom end has a round-shape, a rectangular-shape or a square-shape construction. 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slip-resistant sole comprises a bottom sole and a plurality of protruded units outwardly extended from the bottom sole, wherein each of the protruded unit is resilient and has a columnar structure defining a bottom end and a protruded unit cavity, wherein the protruded unit cavity is provided at the middle portion of the protruded unit in the bottom end and a side wall of the protruded unit cavity is defined, wherein the side wall of the protruded unit cavity has a curved or inclined cross-section. Compared to conventional art, the bottom sole according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has a protruded unit with a protruded unit cavity in which a height of the protruded unit will be decreased and the protruded unit will be deformed outwardly when a force is acted onto the bottom sole such that an adsorption force is constructed through a supporting and sucking relationship between the bottom end of the bottom sole and floor surface, thereby a friction between the bottom sole and the floor surface is increased. In addition, when the slip-resistant sole is used in wet smooth floor surface with water or oil, the deformed protruded unit can cause the water or the oil to be quickly removed through the gap between two adjacently positioned protruded unit while the guiding groove in the bottom end of the protruded unit can direct the water or the oil in the protruded unit cavity to flow outside of the protruded unit, therefore further increasing the anti-slip function. 
     Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings. 
     These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a structural illustration of a slip-resistant sole according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of a protruded unit of the slip-resistant sole according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an A-A′ cross-sectional illustration of a protruded unit of the slip-resistant sole according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a structural illustration of a slip-resistant sole of a first alternative embodiment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an illustration of a protruded unit of the slip-resistant sole of the first alternative embodiment according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a B-B′ cross-sectional illustration of a protruded unit of the slip-resistant sole of the first alternative embodiment according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a structural illustration of a slip-resistant sole of a second alternative embodiment according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an illustration of a protruded unit of the slip-resistant sole of the second alternative embodiment according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a C-C′ cross-sectional illustration of a protruded unit of the slip-resistant sole of the second alternative embodiment according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     The structures, features, and advantages of the slip-resistant sole according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is further described with the accompanying drawings as follows. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3  of the drawings, the slip-resistant sole according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slip-resistant sole comprises a bottom sole  1  and a plurality of protruded units  2  outwardly extended from and spacedly positioned on the bottom sole  1 . The protruded unit  2  is resilient and has a columnar structure. The protruded unit  2  has a bottom end  23  and a protruded unit cavity  22  provided at the middle portion of the protruded unit  2  in the bottom end  23 . A side wall of the protruded unit cavity  22  has a curved or inclined cross-section. The provision of the protruded unit cavity  22  not only facilitate the protruded unit to deform flexibly and easily, but also creating an adsorption force through a supporting and sucking relationship with a floor surface, thereby enhancing the slip-resistant ability. 
     The position of the protruded unit cavity  22  with curved or inclined side wall  221  can be designed or arranged based on different needs of a user. For example, the edge of an opening of the protruded unit cavity  22  is overlapped with the edge of the bottom end  23  of the protruded unit  2 , or is at a distance from the edge of the bottom end  23  of the protruded unit  2 . 
     A cross-section of the protruded unit  2  is trapezium in shape defining a long side and a short side. The protruded unit is extended from the bottom sole through the short side of the protruded unit  2 . An angle “a” is defined between an outer side of the protruded unit  2  and the bottom sole  1 , wherein the angle is between 60° and 90°. 
     Because the cross-section of the protruded unit is trapezium in shape while the connecting portion between the protruded unit  2  and the bottom sole  1  has a surface area smaller than a surface area of the bottom end  23  of the protruded unit  2 , the protruded unit will be deformed outwardly when a force is acted onto the bottom sole and a height of the protruded unit  2  will be decreased. Accordingly, a contacting area between the floor surface and the protruded unit  2  is increased, thereby increasing a friction between the bottom sole and the floor surface. In addition, a gap is provided between each of the protruded units  2 . Accordingly, when the slip-resistant sole is used in wet smooth floor surface with water or oil, a weight of a user will cause the protruded units  2  on the bottom sole  1  to deform, thereby causing the water or the oil to be quickly removed through the gap between two adjacently positioned protruded units  2 , thereby further increasing the slip-resistant ability. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4, 5 and 6  of the drawings, another structural construction is provided based on the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. In particular, at least one guiding groove  21  is provided on the bottom end  23  of the protruded unit  21  and the guiding groove  21  is positioned uniformly on the bottom end  23 . The guiding groove  21  is channeled to the protruded unit cavity  22  through a distal end of the guiding groove  21 . 
     When the slip-resistant sole is used in wet smooth floor surface with water or oil, the guiding groove  21  can direct a small amount of water or oil to flow from the protruded unit cavity  22  to outside of the protruded unit  2 , thereby increasing a coefficient of friction between the bottom sole and the floor surface and increasing the slip-resistant ability of the slip-resistant sole of the present invention. On the other hand, the protruded unit  2  is pressed to deform, therefore creating a force at three different directions on the bottom end  23  of which the force at each direction is equal, thereby the protruded unit  2  is supported through the force at three different directions. At the same time, the protruded unit cavity  22  and the floor surface have created an absorption force through their supporting and sucking relationship, thereby a coefficient of friction between the bottom sole  1  and the floor surface is increased and the slip-resistant ability of the sole is further increased. 
     The number of the guiding groove as mentioned above can be uniformly provided on the curved surface according to the design need. For example, the number of guiding groove can be 1, 2 or more. When the number of guiding groove is two or more, the guiding grooves are spacedly provided on the bottom end  22  and a distal end of each guiding groove is channeled to the protruded unit cavity  22  respectively. 
     According to the above embodiment, a junction groove  24  is further provided and is positioned at a connecting junction  30  between the protruded unit  2  and the bottom sole  1 . The connecting junction  30  is the junction at which the protruded unit  2  and the bottom sole  1  are connected. The junction groove  24  is not only capable of increasing a height of the protruded unit  2 , but also increasing the softness of the protruded unit  2 . In addition, when the bottom sole  1  is being acted by force from different directions, the resilient protruded unit  2  can absorb a portion of the energy and therefore the slip-resistant ability of the bottom sole  1  is enhanced. 
     The protruded unit  2  can be made by resilient materials such as rubber and PU. The number of protruded unit  2  on the bottom sole  1  can also be adjusted according to the design need. When the number of protruded unit  2  is increased, the slip-resistant ability is increased. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7, 8 and 9  of the drawings, the bottom end of the protruded unit  2  can be rectangular or square shape in which four guiding groove  21  is provided in the bottom end of the protruded unit  2 . The four guiding grooves  21  divide the bottom end into four sections. When the protruded unit is pressed to deform, equal forces are created through the bottom end  23  at four opposite directions. Therefore the protruded unit  2  is supported by the force at four directions and hence the bottom sole  1  is provided with slip-resistant ability. 
     When the number of guiding groove is one, the bottom end of the protruded unit  2  is divided into two symmetrical portions. When the bottom end is pressed to deform, two equal forces are created from the bottom end  23  at two opposite directions, therefore the protruded unit  2  is supported by the force at two different directions and hence the bottom sole  1  is provided with slip-resistant ability. 
     The number of guiding groove can be 1, 2 or more. When the number of guiding groove is two or more, the guiding grooves are spacedly provided on the bottom end  23  and a distal end of each guiding groove is channeled to the protruded unit cavity  22  respectively. 
     One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting. 
     It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Technology Category: 1