Patent Application
20090013561
The present invention is directed to a golf shoe. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a golf shoe utilizing stability pods to enable greater flexibility, balance, and traction for the golfer.
Historically, people first wore shoes to protect their feet. Over the centuries, footwear evolved into many different types that were specific to particular activities. Thus, the protection offered by a cold-weather work boot is highly different from that offered by a running shoe. In addition to protecting the feet, athletic footwear has further developed to offer specific functions dependent on the particular sport. Soccer shoes, for instance, have spikes for traction, whereas cycling shoes have very stiff soles with mounting plates for cleats to engage the pedal. In this manner, golf shoes have evolved to provide the wearer with good traction on grass, comfort while walking, and a stable platform for hitting the ball. Typical golf shoes have had a relatively stiff sole with metal spikes or plastic cleats.
A stiff sole, while providing a stable platform, can nonetheless cause discomfort because there is a balance between how the foot should be allowed to move versus how it should be supported. An example of this is the fact that during walking and at the start and finish of the golf swing, the foot bends at the metatarsal joints (the ball). Aside from the physical effort needed to flex a very stiff sole (which would tend to cause a ‘clunky’ gait as when wearing clogs), sole stiffness tends to cause the heel of the foot to slide up and down in the heel cup, potentially causing blisters. Thus, golf shoes have evolved to have soles that flex across the ball area to allow this movement without compromising the lateral stability of a good hitting platform.
However, relatively recent studies in biomechanics have sought to better quantify how the 26 bones of the foot move relative to each other during human movements. One particular motion that has been identified is a torsional movement about the long axis of the foot. In effect, the forefoot and rear foot twist relative to each other. It is thought that this movement smoothes the contact between foot and ground, decreasing impacts with the ground as well as providing better ground contact. This observation has led to the development of a golf shoe sole to allow this natural movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,597 discloses a device that facilitates the natural rolling action of the foot during movement by providing a flat construction with front and rear main lifting sections rigidly connected to a resilient intermediate section that is twisted into the form of a flat torsion spring. The device applies a yieldable torsion action during use that is applied to the foot by the lifting sections, whereby the heel of the foot is urged upwardly at the inner side and the forefoot is raised upwardly at the outer side, producing a torsion action similar to the natural torsion action of the foot.
Another construction intended to provide greater support to the wearer of the shoe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,974 to Friton. The Friton shoe has a sole that is not designed for golf, but for hiking. It discloses the use of pods and lugs for traction elements that in combination provide greater traction or irregular ground conditions. However, the teachings of this patent are atypical of what is required for a golf shoe. Patent '974 discloses a plurality of pods that are relatively soft, such that they may fan out and serve as compression cushions therein increasing the area of ground contact to improve traction, much the way the hoofs of a mountain goat react. The present invention utilizes relatively hard pods for an entirely different type of terrain.
There remains a need for an improved outsole for a golf shoe that enables an individual movement of the foot, particularly, the rotation between the rear foot and the forefoot, flexing across the foot of the wearer, and also the ability of the shoe to provide flexibility not just across but longitudinally along the metatarsal area of the foot.
The present invention is further directed towards a golf shoe comprised of an upper and an outsole, with a mid-sole connecting the upper to the outsole. The outsole has a generally soft, and flexible forward and rear base sections, each section having openings of a predetermined size and shape wherein a corresponding like number of stability pods, along with an arch support shank, are molded to the sections to create an outsole. Each stability pod has means for releasably connecting a non-metal cleat for enhanced gripping of turf. The attaching means comprising of a socket containing a cleat receptacle that requires only a 45° clockwise turn to install and a 45° conterclockwise turn to release.
The golf shoe of the present invention uses stability pods made from hard polyurethane having a minimum Shore A hardness of 95. The pods extend at least 6.3 mm from a bottom surface of the outsole. A multitude of relatively hard projections extend outwardly form the bottom surface of the outsole for increased traction.
The forward and rear base sections are made from relatively thin, flexible thermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore A hardness between 75 and 85.
An embodiment of the present invention provides for the forward and rear base sections to be separate pieces and molded together with the arch support shank, wherein the shoe may flex longitudinally as well as across the metatarsal area, thereby providing the golfer with improved flexibility, traction with the turf, and balance, especially when the golfer executes a golf shot.
To facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, the following drawings have been provided wherein
As shown in
An embodiment of the invention has an improved outsole 14 which is constructed and shown on
Each stability pod 24a-g has a socket 32 housing a cleat receptacle for releasably connecting a turf gripping cleat 40 therein. The cleat receptacle only requires a 45° clockwise twist turn to attach, and a 45° reverse turn to release. Turf gripping cleats 40 provide increased traction and balance for the golfer especially when the golfer executes a golf shot. The number of pods and cleats are a function of the shoe style but preferably the number of pods on each shoe is between seven and nine, preferably seven as shown in the drawings herein, with five on the forward base section 18 and two on the rear base section 20. Cleats 40 are preferably non-metallic as most golf courses now make that a requirement for course play.
In a preferred embodiment, the forward and rear base sections 18 and 20 may be formed of flexible plastic material such as thermoplastic polyurethane as manufactured by URE-TECH CO, LTD located in Taiwan under the name Utechilan UTY-75A-85A with a durometer of about 75 to 85 Shore A hardness. The stability pods 24a-g are also of a polyurethane material manufactured by Ure-Tech and have a hardness of at least 95 A. The arch support shank 26 is made of a hard plastic having a hardness of at least 95 A.
The stability pods 24a-g are made of a relatively hard, wear resistant material of at least 95 Shore A hardness. The outer perimeter of the pods extend a minimum distance x of about 6.3 mm from the bottom surface 28 of the forward and rear base sections 18 and 20. The pods 24a-g, as best shown on
While it is apparent that the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that modifications and embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the outsole 14 and other features thereof discussed above may be used with other types of shoes, not just golf shoes. The appended claims cover all such modifications and embodiments as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
