Patent Application
20190281929
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The disclosure and prior art relates to shoe devices and more particularly pertains to a new shoe device for inhibiting knee and ankle injuries during athletic activities.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a shoe that may be worn during athletic activities. A front cleat unit and a back cleat unit are each positioned on the sole for engaging ground during the athletic activities to enhance traction. Each of the front and back cleat units are rotatably coupled to the sole and the shoe is rotatable about a vertical axis extending through the sole and each of the front and back cleat units. Thus, the front cleat unit and back cleat units inhibit knee and ankle injuries during the athletic activities resulting from a stationary foot and a twisting leg.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The top bounding surface 22 has a first channel 24 extending upwardly therein and the first channel 24 is continuous such that the first channel 24 forms a closed ring. The first channel 24 has a bounding surface 26 and the bounding surface 26 of the first channel 24 is concavely arcuate with respect to the bottom surface 16 of the sole 14. Additionally, the top bounding surface 22 has a pair of first slots 28 extending upwardly. The first slots 28 intersect each other such that the first slots 28 forms a plus shape and the first channel 24 surrounds each of the first slots 28.
The bottom surface 16 has a second well 30 extending upwardly therein and the second well 30 is positioned on a heel portion 31 of the sole 14. The second well 30 has an upper bounding surface 32 and the upper bounding surface 32 has a second channel 34 extending upwardly therein. The second channel 34 is continuous such that the second channel 34 forms a closed ring and the second channel 34 has a bounding surface 36. The bounding surface 36 of the second channel 34 is concavely arcuate with respect to the bottom surface 16 of the sole 14. The upper bounding surface 32 has a pair of second slots 38 extending upwardly therein. The second slots 38 intersect each other such that the second slots 38 forms a plus shape and the second channel 34 surrounds each of the second slots 38.
A front cleat unit 40 is positioned on the sole 14 and the front cleat unit 40 engages ground during the athletic activities to enhance traction. The front cleat unit 40 is rotatably coupled to the sole 14 and the shoe 12 is rotatable about a vertical axis extending through the sole 14, and the front cleat unit 40, when the front cleat unit 40 engages the ground. A back cleat unit 42 is positioned on the sole 14 and the back cleat unit 42 engages ground during the athletic activities to enhance traction. The back cleat unit 42 is rotatably coupled to the sole 14 and the shoe 12 is rotatable about a vertical axis extending through the sole 14 and the back cleat unit 42 when the back cleat unit 42 engages the ground. Thus, each of the front cleat unit 40 and the back cleat unit 42 inhibit knee and ankle injuries during the athletic activities by allowing the shoe 12 to rotate in conjunction with a user's leg even though the front cleat unit 40 or the back cleat unit 42 are firmly engaging the ground.
Each of the front cleat unit 40 and the back cleat unit 42 comprises a retainer 44 that includes a pair of intersecting members 46 and a screw 48 that is coupled to and extends upwardly from the intersecting members 46. Each of the intersecting members 46 corresponding to the front cleat unit 40 are positioned in an associated one of the first slots 28 such that the retainer 44 corresponding to the front cleat unit 40 is inhibited from rotating. Additionally, each of the intersecting members 46 corresponding to the back cleat unit 42 is positioned in an associated one of the second slots 38 such that the retainer 44 corresponding to the back cleat unit 42 is inhibited from rotating. The screw 48 has an un-threaded portion 50 extending upwardly from the intersecting members 46 and a threaded portion 52 extending upwardly from the un-threaded portion 50.
Each of the front cleat unit 40 and the back cleat unit 42 includes a disk 54 that has a first surface 56 and a second surface 58. The first surface 56 has a ridge 60 thereon and the ridge 60 is continuous such that the ridge 60 forms a closed loop. The ridge 60 on the disk 54 corresponding to the front cleat unit 40 is positioned in the first channel 24 and the ridge 60 on the disk 54 corresponding to the back cleat unit 42 is positioned in the second channel 34. Moreover, the ridge 60 has an outer surface 62 and the outer surface 62 is concavely arcuate such that the ridge 60 is rounded. Thus, the ridge 60 on the disk 54 corresponding to the front cleat unit 40 is inhibited from being removed from the first channel 24 and the ridge 60 on the disk 54 corresponding to the back cleat unit 42 is inhibited from being removed from the second channel 34.
The disk 54 has an aperture 64 extending through the first surface 56 and the second surface 58 and the aperture 64 is centrally located on the disk 54. The screw 48 on the retainer 44 extends through the aperture 64 having the disk 54 being aligned with the un-threaded portion 50 of the screw 48. A bearing 66 is positioned in the aperture 64 in the disk 54 and the bearing 66 engages the un-threaded portion 50 of the screw 48 such that the disk 54 is rotatable about the screw 48. The bearing 66 may be a ring bearing or the like and the bearing 66 may be a friction reducing ball bearing or the like.
Each of the front cleat unit 40 and the back cleat unit 42 includes a plurality of cleats 68. Each of the cleats 68 is coupled to the second surface 58 of the disk 54 and each of the cleats 68 engages the ground to enhance traction of the shoe 12. The cleats 68 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed around the disk 54. Each of the cleats 68 has a distal end 70 with respect to the disk 54 and each of the cleats 68 may taper inwardly between the disk 54 and the distal end 70.
Each of the front cleat unit 40 and the back cleat unit 42 include a fastener 72 that has a primary end 74, a secondary end 76 and an outside surface 78 extending therebetween. The primary end 74 has a well 80 extending toward the secondary end 76. The well 80 in the fastener 72 has a bounding surface 82 that is threaded to threadably engage the threaded portion 52 of the screw 48. In this way the fastener 72 releasably retains the disk 54 on the retainer 44. Additionally, the outside surface 78 may taper inwardly between the primary end 74 and the secondary end 76 such that the fastener 72 has a truncated conical shape that is similar to the shape of the cleats 68. A pair of the shoes 12 may be provided and each of the pair of shoes 12 includes all of the aforementioned elements of the front cleat unit 40 and the back cleat unit 42.
In use, the shoes 12 are worn while participating in the athletic activity, such as American football, soccer, baseball and any other sport that generally involves cleats 68. The cleats 68 on each of the front cleat unit 40 and the back cleat unit 42 engage the ground to enhance traction during the athletic activity. The front cleat unit 40 rotates on the sole 14 of the shoe 12 when the user sharply turns direction during running when the user is on the ball of the user's foot. Thus, the shoe 12 is enabled to rotate on the ground when the user's leg twists thereby inhibiting an ankle injury or a knee injury. Alternatively, the rear cleat unit rotates on the sole 14 of the shoe 12 when the user in on the heel of the user's foot. The shoe 12 can rotate when the user is tackled during the game of American football thereby reducing the likelihood of injuries that can result from having a stationary foot and a twisting leg.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
