Patent Application
20130263476
The present invention generally relates to shoes for bowling. More particularly, the present invention relates to bowling shoes with removable slide pads, each having a plurality of sections with varying coefficients of friction.
Each bowler has a unique style that they use during their approach to a bowling lane and during their ball release motion. Moreover, the bowling lanes and approaches are not uniformly conditioned. Thus, bowlers require bowling shoes that can be adjusted to accommodate their particular style and the various surface conditions that can be encountered.
Experienced bowlers often desire that each of the left and right shoes exhibit different characteristics, especially with respect to sliding friction on the smooth, wooden or synthetic floors typically present in the approach region of a bowling lane. Moreover, even for one or the other of the left or right shoe, such bowler typically desires a different sliding characteristic on the forefoot portion of the shoe sole verses the heel portion of that shoe sole. In yet a further customization, the bowler may desire that the friction characteristics of each forepart and heel be adjustable depending on, for example, the surface characteristics of the bowling center in which a particular competition is staged, the day-to-day changes in temperature and humidity in the bowling center, or increase in confidence as the bowler warms up and reaches peak performance
One of the problems associated with conventional bowling shoes having fixed shoe soles is that a bowler must purchase many pairs of bowling shoes to adjust to various bowling surface conditions, as well as each bowler's style preferance. Additionally, the ball and heel portions of the shoe often become worn out due to increased stress exerted on these portions, thus rendering the whole shoe unusable to the bowler.
To solve these problems, the bowling shoes are often provided with removable pads attached to the underside of the shoe sole to allow the bowler to adjust the friction of the shoe. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,453 to Kim, U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,324 to Tsuji, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,198 to Famolare describe bowling shoes with interchangeable foreparts and interchangeable heels on the same shoe, but not on either shoe. Other known bowling shoes include the shoes that have interchangeable inserts that may be attached to either a left or right shoe outsole. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,077 to Coles discloses a shoe with removable cleats/inserts attached to a plurality of spaced recesses in the shoe sole, which allows the user may to selectively replace individual inserts that have different coefficients of friction to achieve desired degrees of traction on the bowling surface. U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,476 to Lind, U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,360 to Lind, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,973 to Lind all relate to a pad that is interchangeable with another pad, wherein each pad is removably attached to either the left or the right shoe, and wherein each pad is different than the next pad.
However, the pads or inserts provided in the above-cited patents seem to be limited to a section of the overall bottom surface of the shoe, as opposed to covering the entire bottom surface. This limited size relative to the overall bottom surface may be important in permitting the pad to be attached to either the left or right shoe. Additionally, when the pads or inserts cover only a portion of the overall bottom surface of the shoe sole, the peripheral shoe sole material makes contact with the bowling surface, which negatively affects the movement of the bowler.
Another disadvantage of the known pads or inserts described above is that each of the pads has a single coefficient of friction over the entire bottom surface of the pad. During the bowling stride, a forepart of the shoe sole typically goes through a motion wherein different areas of the forepart make contact with the bowling lane surface at different times. Thus, it is advantageous to have a slide pad attachable to the forefoot portion of the shoe sole that has areas with different coefficient of friction to allow the bowler to precisely control the sliding action of the shoe. Further, it is preferable to have a smooth transition between the areas with different coefficients of friction to provide more precise and even control over the sliding of the bowling shoe.
A removable heel insert product, H5 Saw Tooth Heel, sold by the applicant Dexter Shoe Company, is designed to attach to a heel portion of a bowling shoe outsole to provide varying degrees of braking. The heel insert has three zones with varying coefficient of friction and two transition zones. However, the H5 Saw Tooth Heel product is not capable of being attached to the forefoot part of the bowling shoe and is not designed to providing varying sliding characteristics. Furthermore, the transition zones provided on the product do not extend laterally substantially across the entire width of the shoe sole, and thus do not provide a uniform smooth transition between the zones with different traction characteristics.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a bowling footwear kit that has removable foreparts and heel parts made out of various sliding materials to enable a bowler to improve sliding on varying bowling lane surface conditions. It would also be desirable to provide a bowling footwear kit that includes improved slide pads having areas with different coefficients of friction that are connected by transition zones to provide a smooth transition from one coefficient of friction to the other. It would further be desirable to have slide pads with the plurality of areas, wherein each area covers the entire lateral bottom surface of a slide area of the shoe sole.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a bowling footwear kit that has removable slide pads, wherein each pad has a plurality of areas with varying coefficient of friction made connected by smooth transition areas to enable a bowler to improve sliding on varying bowling lane surface conditions, wherein each area extends laterally substantially across an entire width of the slide pad.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a bowling footwear kit with improved removable slide pads that cover the entire lateral bottom surface of a slide area of the shoe sole.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide a bowling footwear kit having interchangeable slide pads that can be applied to either the left or right shoe.
These and other objectives are achieved by a bowling shoe kit, including a shoe upper, a shoe sole mounted to the shoe upper and having a slide area extending longitudinally from a toe end of the shoe sole rearwardly towards an arch portion thereof, and extending laterally substantially across an entire width of the shoe sole, at least one slide pad having a peripheral margin substantially equal to a peripheral margin of the slide area, and a fastener removably securing the at least one slide pad to the slide area, wherein the at least one slide pad substantially covers the slide area. The least one slide pad includes a first area extending from a front portion of the slide area rearwardly to a rear portion of the first area and having a first coefficient of friction, a second area extending from the rear portion of the first area rearwardly to a rear portion of the second area and having a second coefficient of friction, and a third area extending from the rear portion of the second area rearwardly toward a rear portion of the slide area and having a third coefficient of friction, wherein the first coefficient of friction is different from the third coefficient of friction, and the second coefficient of friction presents a transition from the first coefficient of friction to the third coefficient of friction.
In some embodiments, the fastener comprises hook and pile fastener system attached to the slide area of the shoe sole and the at least one slide pad.
In certain embodiments, the at least one slide pad is secured to the slide area by the fastener along a portion of the slide area. In some of these embodiments, a lateral section of the at least one slide pad is not secured to the slide area.
In some advantageous embodiments, the at least one slide pad is secured to the slide area by the fastener along the entire slide area.
In certain embodiments, the first area comprises a first material, the third area comprises a third material, and the second area comprises a saw tooth design of the first material and the third material.
In some cases, each of the first, second and third areas extend laterally substantially across an entire width of the slide pad.
In some embodiments, the bowling shoe kit further includes a plurality of heel pads, each having a different coefficient of friction, and a heel fastener for removably securing a selected heel pad to a heel portion of the shoe sole, wherein the plurality of heel pads are interchangeable to vary the coefficient of friction of the heel portion of the shoe sole. In certain of these embodiments, the heel fastener comprises hook and pile fastener system attached to said heel portion of said show sole and the selected heel pad. In certain of these embodiments, each of the plurality of heel pads includes a first heel area extending from a front portion of the heel area rearwardly to a rear portion of the first heel area and having a first heel coefficient of friction, a second heel area extending from the rear portion of the first heel area rearwardly to a rear portion of the second heel area and having a second heel coefficient of friction, and a third heel area extending from the rear portion of the second heel area rearwardly toward a rear portion of the heel area and having a third coefficient of friction, wherein the first heel coefficient of friction is different from the third heel coefficient of friction, and the second heel coefficient of friction presents a transition from the first heel coefficient of friction to the third heel coefficient of friction. In some of these embodiments, the first heel area comprises a first heel material, the third heel area comprises a third heel material, and the second heel area comprises a saw tooth design of the first heel material and the third heel material.
In certain embodiments, the slide area includes an area from one half to about three fourths of the distance between the toe end of the shoe and a heel end of the shoe. In other embodiments, the slide area includes an area from about three eighths to about five eighths of a distance between the toe end of the shoe and a heel end of the shoe.
In some embodiments, the at least one slide pad further includes a fourth area extending from the rear portion of the third area rearwardly toward a rear portion of the fourth area and having a fourth coefficient of friction, and a fifth area extending from the rear portion of the fourth area toward the rear portion of the slide area and having a fifth coefficient of friction, wherein the fifth coefficient of friction is different from the third coefficient of friction, and the fourth coefficient of friction presents a transition from the third coefficient of friction to the fifth heel coefficient of friction. In certain of these embodiments, the third area comprises a third material, the fifth area comprises a fifth material, and the fourth area comprises a saw tooth design of the third material and the fifth material.
In certain embodiments, the peripheral margin of the at least one slide pad substantially matches the peripheral margin of the slide area of both the left shoe and the right shoe, such that the slide pad may be mounted to the left shoe and to the right shoe.
A slide pad for a bowling shoe in also provided, including a first area extending from a front portion of the slide area rearwardly to a rear portion of the first area and having a first coefficient of friction, a second area extending from the rear portion of the first area rearwardly to a rear portion of the second area and having a second coefficient of friction, a third area extending from the rear portion of the second area rearwardly toward a rear portion of the slide area and having a third coefficient of friction, and a fastener for removable attachment to a sole of the bowling shoe, wherein the first coefficient of friction is different from the third coefficient of friction, and the second coefficient of friction presents a transition from the first coefficient of friction to the third coefficient of friction, and wherein, when attached to the sole, the slide pad substantially covers a slide area of the sole extending longitudinally from a toe end of the sole rearwardly towards an arch portion thereof, and extending laterally substantially across an entire width of the sole.
In some embodiments, the fastener includes a first part if a two-part fastener for attaching to a second part of the two-part fastener which is disposed on the slide area of the shoe.
In certain embodiments, the slide pad is secured to the slide area by the fastener along a portion of the slide area. In some of these embodiments, a lateral section of the slide pad is not secured to the slide area.
In some embodiments, the slide pad is secured to the slide area by the fastener along the entire slide area.
In certain advantageous embodiments, the first area comprises a first material, the third area comprises a third material, and the second area comprises a saw tooth design of the first material and the third material.
In some cases, when attached to the slide area of the shoe, the slide pad covers an area from one half to about three fourths of the distance between the toe end of the shoe and a heel end of the shoe. In other embodiments, when attached to the slide area of the shoe, the slide pad covers an area from about three eighths to about five eighths of a distance between the toe end of the shoe and a heel end of the shoe.
In certain embodiments, each of the first, second and third areas extend laterally substantially across an entire width of the slide pad.
In some advantageous embodiments, a peripheral margin of the slide pad substantially matches a peripheral margin of the slide area of both a left shoe and a right shoe, such that the slide pad may be mounted to the left shoe and to the right shoe.
In certain advantageous embodiments, the slide pad has a proximal end and a distal end, and a peripheral margin of the proximal end substantially matches the peripheral margin of the distal end, such that either the proximal end or the distal end of the slide pad is attachable to the toe end of the shoe. In some of these embodiments, one of the proximal end and the distal end of the slide pad is cut to substantially correspond to a peripheral margin of the toe end of the shoe before attaching the slide pad to the shoe sole.
The particular details and benefits of the present invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art based on the following description with reference to the appended drawings.
Referring now to the figures in which identical elements are numbered identically throughout, a description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be provided.
An exemplary embodiment of a bowling shoe kit of the present invention is illustrated in
The shoe sole 14 has a traction surface 16 that typically comes into contact with a bowling lane surface during bowling. The traction surface includes a slide area 18 extending longitudinally from a toe end of the shoe sole 14 rearwardly towards an arch area portion of the sole. The slide area 18 is designed to receive a removably attachable slide pad, which is described in more detail below. The size of the slide area 18 may vary depending on a desired level of sliding. In some advantageous embodiments, the slide area 18 extends from about one half to about three fourths of the distance between the front of the shoe and the back of each shoe. In other advantageous embodiments of the present invention, the slide area 18 extends from about three eighths to about five eighths of the distance between the toe end of the shoe and the back of the shoe.
The bowling shoe kit 10 further includes a slide pad 20 removably attachable to the slide area 18 of the shoe, as shown in
A coefficient of friction of the first area 26 is different from a coefficient of friction of the third area 28, and a coefficient of friction of the second area 25 presents a transition from the first area's coefficient of friction to the third area's coefficient of friction. In the exemplary embodiment shown in
Referring back to
When attached to the slide area 18 of the shoe sole 14, the slide pad 20 extends laterally substantially across the entire width of the shoe sole such that the slide pad substantially covers the entire toe area of the shoe. Such design is advantageous is that it prevents the peripheral shoe sole material from making contact with the bowling surface, which affects the sliding/traction characteristics of the bowling shoe. This shoe construction provides a consistent “feel” and amount of traction to the wearer, and allows the shoe to function as though the entire shoe sole was constructed from the materials that comprise the slide pad.
In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
In another advantageous embodiment illustrated in
The bowling shoe kit 10 of the present invention may further include a heel pad 60 removably securable to the shoe sole 14, as shown in
The bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of the heel pad 60 is illustrated in
The first heel coefficient of friction is preferably different from the third heel coefficient of friction, and the second heel coefficient of friction preferably presents a transition from the first heel coefficient of friction to the third heel coefficient of friction. This is achieved by using materials with different coefficients of friction for each of the heel pad areas. In one advantageous embodiment shown in
It is understood that the bowling shoe kit of the present invention may include a plurality of slide pads removably attachable to a sole of a bowling shoe. Each of the plurality of slide pads preferably has areas made with materials having varying coefficients of friction such that the traction characteristic of each slide pad is different from another slide pad in the kit. This allows a bowler to easily change the slide/traction of the bowling shoe to adjust to particular bowling lane conditions. In additional advantageous embodiments, the bowling kit includes a plurality of interchangeable heel pads, each having a different traction characteristic/coefficient of friction for providing varying degrees of braking.
When in use, the slide pad 20 and the heel pad 60 are aligned over the slide area 18 and the heel area 62 respectively and the hook material 30 of the slide pad 20 and the heel pad 60 is firmly pressed against the loop material 32 of the slide area and the heel area to secure the slide pad and heel pad in position. When a shoe with a different traction characteristic is needed, the user simply removes one slide pad or one heel pad, or both and replaces it with another slide pad or heel pad made with different slide material, thus giving the shoe a different traction characteristic.
In some advantageous embodiments, the slide pad 20 and/or the heel pad 60 may be used on either a right shoe or a left shoe to accommodate both right-handed and left-handed bowlers. In these embodiments, the peripheral margins of the slide pad 20 and the heel pad 60 substantially correspond to the peripheral margin of the slide areas and the heel areas of both the right shoe and the left shoe. This allows for the slide pad 20 to be removably attached to the slide area on the left shoe and on the right shoe. Similarly, the heel pad 60 also may be removably attached to the heel area on the left shoe and the right shoe.
The bowling footwear kit may further include a scale that rates different coefficients of friction of the slide pad areas and heel pad areas in the kit. For example, the kit may include a one to ten scale that rates the coefficients of friction from one having the highest coefficient of friction and therefore providing the least sliding action to ten having the lowest coefficient of friction and this providing the most sliding action.
Although the invention has been described with reference to several embodiments with certain constructions, structures, ingredients and formulations and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.
