Patent Application
20100287789
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to shoes and more particularly to a cushioning mechanism mounted in, particularly the region of heel of the midsole of a shoe.
2. Description of Related Art
Shoes with cushioning elements are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,329 discloses a cushioning mechanism for shoe midsole In order to provide improved cushioning and impact absorption. Shoes, especially athletic shoes, have been provided with air cushions disposed within the sole.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,311 discloses a shoe in which a cushioning wedge is disposed within a receptacle of an outsole.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,863 discloses a shoe in which cushioning elements are disposed in side-by-side relation. In addition, a window extends through one side of the sole of the shoe so that the cushioning elements can be observed from the exterior of the shoe.
However, cushioning effect of the above patents is not optimal. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.
It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a cushioning mechanism mounted in the midsole of a shoe.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
A U-shaped pivot member 1 is affixed to the insole of the shoe. A base 2 is affixed to the outsole of the shoe. The front ends of the pivot member 1 and the base 2 are secured together by a pivot pin 8. A cushioning member 5 is provided in a front cavity 9 of the base 2. A transverse sliding member 4 is provided on the rear end of the cushioning member 5. An inclined suspension plate 3 has one end urged against the concave portion of a transverse arcuate projecting member 31 formed on a bottom of the pivot member 1 and retained thereat. The other end of the suspension plate 3 is urged against a concave portion of the sliding member 4 and retained thereat.
A stop member 21 is provided on either side ridge 22 on a top of the base 2 and is proximate the rear end of the sliding member 4. The distance between the two stop members 21 is less than the width of the sliding member 4 so as to prevent the sliding member 4 from disengaging from the cushioning member 5. That is, the sliding member 4 is confined to move back and forth from the stop members 21 to a predetermined position inside the front cavity 9 of the base 2 when the cushioning member 5 is fully compressed.
Preferably, the cushioning member 5 is a helical or compression spring or a resilient member which is made of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, PU (polyurethane), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), or EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate).
The pivot member 1 may pivot about the base 2 at its front end when the weight of the foot puts the pressure down in walking. That is, the vertical distance between the pivot member 1 and the base 2 is decreased to a minimum. At the same time, the downward force is transmitted from the pivot member 1 to the sliding member 4 via the suspension plate 3. And in turn, the sliding member 4 pushes the cushioning member 5 forward (i.e., the cushioning member 5 being compressed). To the contrary, a shoe wearer lifts his or her shoe may return the cushioning mechanism to the position, for example, as shown in
Referring to
A U-shaped pivot member 1 is affixed to the insole of the shoe. A base 2 is affixed to the outsole of the shoe. The front ends of both the pivot member 1 and the base 2 are secured together by a pivot pin 8. A cushioning member 5 is provided in a front cavity 9 of the base 2. A rigid member (e.g., steel plate) 6 is provided in the front end of the cushioning member 5 in the front cavity 9 of the base 2 and is engaged therewith. Further, an adjustment screw (e.g., thumb screw) 7 is driven through a front hole (not numbered) of the front cavity 9 of the base 2 to urge against the rigid member 6. The head of the adjustment screw 7 is disposed externally of the front cavity 9 of the base 2. A transverse sliding member 4 is provided on the rear end of the cushioning member 5. An inclined suspension plate 3 has one end urged against the concave portion of a transverse arcuate projecting member 31 formed on a bottom of the pivot member 1 and retained thereat. The other end of the suspension plate 3 is urged against the concave portion of the sliding member 4 and retained thereat.
A stop member 21 is provided on either ridge 22 on a top of the base 2 and is proximate the rear end of the sliding member 4. The distance between the two stop members 21 is less than the width of the sliding member 4 so as to prevent the sliding member 4 from disengaging from the cushioning member 5. That is, the sliding member 4 is confined to move back and forth from the stop members 21 to a predetermined position inside the front cavity 9 of the base 2 when the cushioning member 5 is fully compressed.
Preferably, the cushioning member 5 is a helical or compression spring or a resilient member which is made of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, PU (polyurethane), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), or EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate).
The pivot member 1 may pivot about the base 2 at its front end when the weight of the foot puts the pressure down in walking. That is, the vertical distance between the pivot member 1 and the base 2 is decreased to a minimum. At the same time, the downward force is transmitted from the pivot member 1 to the sliding member 4 via the suspension plate 3. And in turn, the sliding member 4 pushes the cushioning member 5 forward (i.e., the cushioning member 5 being compressed). To the contrary, a shoe wearer lifts his or her shoe may return the cushioning mechanism to the position, for example, as shown in
It is noted that a person may adjust the elasticity of the cushioning member 5 by clockwise or counterclockwise rotating the adjustment screw 7 by the hand via the rigid member 6 therebetween. For example, a person may either increase the elasticity of the cushioning member 5 (i.e., compressing the cushioning member 5) by clockwise rotating the adjustment screw 7 by the hand via the rigid member 6 therebetween or decrease the elasticity of the cushioning member 5 (i.e., expanding the cushioning member 5) by counterclockwise rotating the adjustment screw 7 by the hand via the rigid member 6 therebetween.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
