Patent Grant
12245662
The sport of golf involves a variety of actions that a golfer may perform, such as a golf swing, walking a golf course, and other golfing actions. Having proper equipment when playing the sport of golf may be a factor in how well the golfer may be able to perform these actions. Golf shoes are one example piece of equipment that can affect a golfer's performance. For example, when a golfer swings a club and transfers their weight on their feet, there are high forces placed on the foot, and the shoe needs to accommodate and respond to those forces.
It is with respect to these and other general considerations that the aspects disclosed herein have been made. Also, although relatively specific problems may be discussed, it should be understood that the examples should not be limited to solving the specific problems identified in the background or elsewhere in this disclosure.
Examples of the present disclosure describe a golf shoe including a regionally time-dependent midsole operative to provide a neutral support angle when a relatively brief compression load is placed on the midsole (e.g., when a wearer is taking a step while walking) and to further provide an everted support angle when the compression load is placed on the midsole for a longer period of time (e.g., when the wearer is swinging a golf club).
In one example, a golf shoe is provided including an upper; and a sole assembly connected to the upper, the sole assembly including: an outsole; and a midsole including: a lateral region constructed of a first material; and a medial region constructed of a second material, wherein: the first material compresses to a maximum compression of the first material within a first time period; and the second material compresses to the maximum compression of the first material within the first time period and compresses to a maximum compression of the second material within a second time period.
In another example, a regionally time-dependent midsole for a golf shoe is provided, the midsole including a lateral region constructed of a first material; and a medial region constructed of a second material, wherein when the midsole is under a load: the lateral region compresses to a maximum compression of the first material and the medial region compresses to the same maximum compression of the first material within a first time period; and the medial region compresses to a maximum compression of the second material within a second time period.
In another example, a method for making a golf shoe including a regionally time-dependent midsole for a golf shoe is provided, the method including constructing an upper; constructing an outsole; constructing a lateral region of a midsole using a first material; constructing a medial region of the midsole using a second material, wherein: the first material compresses to a maximum compression of the first material within a first time period; and the second material compresses to the maximum compression of the first material within the first time period and compresses to a maximum compression of the second material, higher than the maximum compression of the first material, within a second time period; attaching the lateral region to the medial region of the midsole; generating a sole assembly by attaching the midsole to the outsole; and attaching the upper to the sole assembly.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additional aspects, features, and/or advantages of examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples are described with reference to the following figures.
As briefly discussed above, golf footwear suspension may have at least two different functional requirements, which may include: (1) providing hours of standing comfort and miles of walking comfort and support; and (2) repeatedly supporting both feet of a golfer throughout various aspects of a golf swing. The functional requirement of walking may entail providing a neutral-angled support platform, which may support a natural degree of foot pronation that may align the golfer's ankles, lower legs, knees, and upper legs. In contrast, the functional requirement of swinging a golf club may benefit from a geometrically angled support platform that provides an everted support platform for the golfer's foot. As can be appreciated, a fixed eversion support angle may force an unnatural degree of foot pronation during walking, which, can lead to potentially deleterious knee and ankle movements that may be chronically repeated with each stop on a golf course. Similarly, a fixed neutral angle fails to provide the benefits of the everted support platform during a golf swing.
To help alleviate the above problems, among other things, the examples of the present disclosure describe a golf shoe including a regionally time-dependent midsole including a lateral region constructed of a first material and a medial region constructed of a second material. The lateral region and the medial region provide a neutral support platform when a wearer is walking, and further provides an everted supported platform when the wearer is taking a stance, such as when swinging a golf club. Examples are described below with reference to
In general, the anatomy of the foot (generally depicted in
As shown in
The upper 104 may have a traditional shape and may be made from a combination of standard upper materials such as, for example, natural leather, synthetic leather, knits, non-woven materials, natural fabrics, and synthetic fabrics. For example, breathable mesh and synthetic textile fabrics made from nylons, polyesters, polyolefins, polyurethanes, rubbers, foams, and combinations thereof can be used. The material used to construct the upper 104 may be selected based on desired properties such as breathability, durability, flexibility, comfort, and water resistance. The upper material is stitched or bonded together to form an upper structure using traditional or non-traditional manufacturing methods.
The upper 104 may include a vamp 108, for covering the forepart of the foot, and a heel area 102 for covering and/or supporting the rear portions of a wearer's foot (e.g., the area surrounding and below the Achilles tendon, the posterior of the heel, and the talus and calcaneus bones). In some examples, the vamp 108 may cover at least a portion of a tongue member 110. In other examples, and as shown in
The upper 104 may include an opening 114 for inserting a wearer's foot. In some examples, the upper 104 may further include a soft, molded foam heel collar 118 (
It should be understood that the above-described upper 104 shown in
As stated above, the sole assembly 106 may comprise a midsole 111 and an outsole 116. The midsole 111 may be relatively lightweight and provides cushioning to the shoe 100. According to examples of the present disclosure, the midsole 111 is a regionally time-dependent midsole 111 operative to provide a neutral support angle (an) when a relatively brief compression load is placed on the midsole (e.g., when a wearer is taking a step while walking) and to further provide an everted support angle when the compression load is placed on the midsole for a longer period of time (e.g., when the wearer is swinging a golf club). For example, and as will be described in further detail below, the midsole 111 may be constructed using two different foamed materials. The regionally time-dependent midsole 111 may include a first region located on the lateral side of the midsole 111 (shown in
The first foamed material, for example, may be a firm, relatively to highly elastic foam, such as a firm foamed ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) composition, that may operate to reach maximum compression very quickly (e.g., nearly instantaneously, less than 1 second(s)) when under load. The second foamed material, for example, may be a highly viscous foam, similar to some types of memory foam, which may operate to reach maximum compression at a slower rate than the first foamed material. The disparate compression properties of the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 may provide a midsole 111 that strategically provides neutral alignment during walking and further everts the wearer's feet at ball address to also provide neutral alignment when swinging a golf club. Accordingly, the shoe 100 may be optimized for providing hours of standing comfort and miles of walking comfort and support, while also supporting the wearer's feet throughout a golf swing.
In some examples, the midsole 111 may be joined to the top surface (not shown) of the outsole 116 by stitching, adhesives, or other suitable fastening means using standard or non-standard techniques known in the art. The outsole 116 may be designed to provide support and traction for the shoe. In some examples, a bottom surface of the outsole 116 may include a plurality of traction members (e.g., spikes, soft spikes, or other removable or permanent features) to help provide traction between the shoe 100 and the different surfaces of a golf course or other ground surfaces (G). The traction members can be made of any suitable material such as rubbers, plastics, and combinations thereof. Thermoplastics such as nylons, polyesters, polyolefins, and polyurethanes can be used. Various structures and geometries of traction members and outsoles 116 may be included and are within the scope of the present disclosure.
With reference now to
According to an aspect and as will be described in further detail below, the shoe 100 may be configured to align the wearer's foot, ankle, and knee joint complex throughout a walking gait cycle and while swinging a golf club. With such a minimal vertical angle between the plane (p) of the lower leg, knee joint, and upper leg of the wearer's support leg and the wearer's body center (centerline (CL)) throughout the walking gait cycle, the shoe 100 may be ideally configured to function with little or no geometrical or mechanical differences between the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 of the midsole 111 throughout the walking gait cycle to maintain a neutral angle of alignment (an) of the plane (p) of the person's support leg relative to the vertical centerline of the person's foot (f) flat on the ground surface (G). For example, a neutral angle of alignment (an) may reduce unwanted kinematics while walking, such as excessive initial pronation velocity and maximum pronation ankle.
Aligning the wearer's foot, ankle, and knee joint complex while swinging a golf club has different requirements than alignment while walking. For example, and with reference now to
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a neutral angle of alignment (an) of the person's foot (f) with respect to the plane (p) of the lower leg, knee joint, and upper leg during a swing stance (e.g., when the person is in a wider-legged stance) may be desirable to provide support for maximizing swinging control and power. In examples, and as depicted in
The lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 of the midsole 111 may be joined along a knit line 302. As depicted in
The cross-sectional views 304, 306, 308, 310 of the midsole 111 shown in
According to an aspect, during walking, the medial region 133 may operate to compress similarly to the lateral region 122 of the regionally time-dependent midsole 111, and during swinging a golf club (e.g., while the golfer is in place taking a stance), the medial region 133 may operate to further compress based on anelastic creep properties of the second foam material. With reference now to
As mentioned above, during walking, the foot cycles between an unloaded period 412 (e.g., flight phase or foot off the ground surface (G)) and a loaded period 410 (e.g., support phase or foot in contact with the ground surface (G)) with every other step. For example, the walking cycle may include various stages that each foot may undergo. A first stage of the walking cycle and of the loaded period 410, which may be referred to as a heel strike phase, may begin when the heel first touches the ground surface (G), and may last until the whole foot is on the ground surface (G). For example, the golfer may slightly dorsiflex the foot, and the heel may strike the ground surface (G) first as the golfer starts their walking gait.
A second stage of the walking cycle, which may be referred to as a foot flex stage, may begin when the golfer's whole foot is on the ground as the golfer transfers their weight from the heel to the toes. For example, the golfer's arch may be flattened and the foot may serve as a shock absorber, helping to cushion the force of the golfer's body weight as the foot presses downwardly. The end of the foot flex stage may occur when the golfer's center of gravity passes over top of the foot.
A third stage of the walking cycle, which may be referred to as a midstance stage, may begin when the golfer's center of mass is directly above the ankle joint center and the hip joint center is above the ankle joint.
A fourth stage of the walking cycle, which may be referred to as a heel-off stage, may begin when the golfer's center of gravity has passed the neutral position. The end of the heel-off stage may occur when the golfer's heel begins to leave the ground surface (G). For example, the golfer's foot may plantarflex, and the golfer's foot may function as a rigid lever to move the body forward.
A fifth and last stage of the stance phase may be referred to as a toe-off stage. The toe-off stage may begin as the golfer's toes leave the ground. For example, the foot may continue to plantarflex and push off the ground until the golfer's foot is in the air. The toe-off stage may be the last event of contact during the loaded period 410 of the walking gait cycle.
As shown in
Example anelastic creep properties of the viscoelastic medial region 133 of the regionally time-dependent midsole 111 for a compression duration representative of the golfer's golf swing are further depicted in
With reference now to
According to an example, the compression profile 504 of the medial region 133 may be the same or similar to the example first compression profile 404 depicted in
Additionally, the compression profile 506 of the lateral region 122 during the loaded period 510 (e.g., 0.3 s) of the walking gait depicts the first foam material of the midsole 111 having elastic properties. For example, the elastic properties of the first foam material may cause the lateral region 122 to reach a maximum compression (cmax-L) 514 at the end of the loaded period 510 of the walking gait (e.g., 0.3 s) that is the same or approximately similar to the maximum compression (cmax-M) 516 of the medial region 133 (e.g., 20% compression of the unloaded thickness (tUM) of the midsole 111 at approximately 0.3 s). Accordingly, during the loaded period 510 of a walking gait cycle, the midsole 111 may be relatively firm or stiff (e.g., 15%-30% compression of its unstressed (unloaded) thickness (tUM)), and may provide a neutral support angle (an) when loaded with a first load for the first loaded duration.
As the walking gait continues, the golfer's heel may begin to lift and unload. Based on example time patterns, during an unloaded period 512, the golfer's foot may leave the ground surface (G), and thus, the midsole 111 may be compressively unloaded between approximately 0.3 s-0.6 s, as depicted in the load profile 502 in
With reference now to
According to an example, the compression profile 606 of the lateral region 122 during the loaded period 610 (e.g., 4.0 s) of the golf swing cycle depicts the first foam material of the lateral region 122 of the midsole 111 having elastic properties. For example, the elastic properties of the first foam material may cause the lateral region 122 to reach its maximum compression (cmax-L) 614 quickly. In an example implementation and as depicted in
Additionally, the compression profile 604 of the medial region 133 may be the same or similar to the example second compression profile 408 depicted in
As the golf swing cycle continues, the golfer's heel may begin to lift and unload. Based on example time patterns, during an unloaded period 612 of the golf swing, the golfer's foot may leave the ground surface (G), and thus, the midsole 111 may be compressively unloaded between approximately 4.0 s-8.0 s, as depicted in the load profile 602 in
With reference now to
As shown in
After T=0.3 s (A), the medial region 133 may continue compressing. For example, at approximately T=4.0 s (B), which may be related to golfer's stance of a golf swing, the first material of the lateral region 122 may compress 20% of its unloaded thickness (tUL) and the second material of the medial region 133 may compress 60% of its unloaded thickness (tUM). Thus, at roughly cutting plane A-A of the midsole 111, the second loaded thickness (tLLA) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 19 mm and the second loaded thickness (tLMA) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 9.5 mm; at roughly cutting plane B-B, the second loaded thickness (tLLB)) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 16 mm and the second loaded thickness (tLMB) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 8 mm; at roughly cutting plane C-C, the second loaded thickness (tLLC) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 9.5 mm and the second loaded thickness (tLMC) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 5 mm; and at roughly cutting plane D-D, the second loaded thickness (tLLD) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 6.5 mm and the second loaded thickness (tLMD) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 3 mm. In an example, at approximately T=4.0 s, the medial region 133 and the lateral region 122 may be fully compressed, where the second material of the medial region 122 may operate to compress further than the first material of the lateral region 133 and provide an eversion angle (ae) with respect to the ground surface (G). In an example, the eversion angle (ae) may be approximately 3-30 degrees, 4-15 degrees, 4-10 degrees, or 4-6 degrees.
After approximately T=4.0 s (B), the golfer may begin to unload the foot, and accordingly, the midsole 111 may begin decompressing. For example, the elastic properties of the lateral region 122 may cause the lateral region 122 to decompress to approximately its initial unloaded thickness (tUL) by T=4.3 s (C), while the anelastic properties of the medial region 133 may cause the medial region 133 to decompress to approximately 60% of its unloaded thickness (tUM). Thus, at approximately T=4.3 s and at roughly cutting plane A-A of the midsole 111, the unloaded thickness (tULA) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 24 mm and the unloaded thickness (tUMA) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 14.5 mm; at roughly cutting plane B-B, the unloaded thickness (tULB) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 20 mm and the unloaded thickness (tUMB) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 12 mm; at roughly cutting plane C-C, the unloaded thickness (tULC) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 12 mm and the unloaded thickness (tUMC) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 7 mm; and at roughly cutting plane D-D, the unloaded thickness (tULD) of the lateral region 122 may be approximately 8 mm and the unloaded thickness (tUMD) of the medial region 133 may be approximately 5 mm. In an example, at approximately T=4.3 s, the lateral region 133 may be fully decompressed, where the second material of the medial region 122 may operate to continue to decompress and the eversion angle (ae) may continue to be provided. The eversion angle (ae) may be less at approximately T=4.35 than at T=4.0 s.
At approximately T=8.0 s (B), the golfer may end the unloaded period of the golf swing, and the midsole 111 may be fully decompressed, which may provide a neutral support angle (an) for the golfer's next step in a walking cycle.
With reference now to
At operation 802, an upper 104 may be constructed. For example, the various parts of the upper 104 may be stitched, glued, or otherwise attached together.
At operation 804, an outsole 116 may be constructed. In an example, a TPU mold may be used to form the outsole 116.
At operation 806, the lateral region 122 of the midsole 111 may be constructed. In an example, a first foamed material, which may be a standard firm, relatively to highly elastic foam, such as a firm foamed ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) composition, may be placed inside a first mold (e.g., EVA mold) and molded into the lateral region 122. According to an example, the first material may operate to reach maximum compression very quickly (e.g., nearly instantaneously, less than 1 s) when under load.
At operation 808, the medial region 133 of the midsole 111 may be constructed. In an example, a second foamed material, which may be a highly viscous foam, may be placed inside a second mold, such as a memory foam mold and molded into the medial region 133. According to an example, the second material may operate to reach maximum compression at a slower rate than the first foamed material.
At operation 810, the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 of the midsole 111 may be attached. For example, the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 may be joined along the knit line 302, which may be vertically blended to the inferior surface (e.g., top surface of the outsole 116) to provide a smooth transition between the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133. According to an example, the lateral region 122 may have a mediolaterally angled joining surface that may be formed to receive an opposing mediolaterally angled joining surface of the medial region 133. In an example, the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 may be joined by adhesives or other suitable fastening means using standard or non-standard techniques known in the art.
At operation 812, the regionally time-dependent midsole 111 may be attached to the outsole 116. In an example, the midsole 111 may be bonded to the top surface of the outsole 116 using adhesives or other attachment techniques.
At OPERATION 814, the upper 104 constructed at OPERATION 802 may be lasted and attached (e.g., bonded) to the top surface of the midsole 111. In some examples, an insole 126 may be inserted into the shoe 100. In some examples, additional steps may be performed at one or more of the above operations to waterproof the shoe 100, inspect the shoe 100, and/or perform other shoe assembly tasks. According to an aspect, the disparate compression properties of the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 of the midsole 111 may strategically provide neutral alignment during walking and may evert the wearer's feet at ball address to additionally provide neutral alignment when swinging a golf club. Accordingly, the shoe 100 may be optimized for providing hours of standing comfort and miles of walking comfort and support, while also supporting the golfer's feet throughout a golf swing.
In some examples, the midsole 111 is constructed asymmetrically between a left and a right shoe 100 (e.g., for a righthanded golfer versus a lefthanded golfer). In one example, a pair of shoes 100 is customized for a righthanded golfer, where the right shoe of the pair may include a regionally time-dependent midsole 111 as described herein, and the lateral region 122 and the medial region 133 of the midsole 111 of the left shoe of the pair have the same or similar compression properties. Likewise, a pair of shoes 100 customized for a lefthanded golfer may include a regionally time-dependent midsole 111 in the left shoe of the pair, and the right shoe of the pair may include a midsole 111 with the lateral region 122 and medial region 133 having the same or similar compression properties.
In another example, the midsole 111 may be constructed as an insert for the shoe 100. For instance, the midsole 111 may be inserted and removed from the shoe 100 to allow the golfer to customize whether the left shoe and/or the right shoe of a pair of shoes 100 includes a regionally time-dependent midsole 111 as described herein. In an example, the selection to include the regionally time-dependent midsole 111 in one or both the right and left shoe 100 is based on whether the golfer is a righthanded or lefthanded golfer.
This technology should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the technology to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Thicknesses and dimensions of some components may be exaggerated for clarity. The views shown in the Figures are of a right shoe and it is understood the components for a left shoe will be mirror images of the right shoe. It also should be understood that the shoe may be made in various sizes and thus the size of the components of the shoe may be adjusted depending upon the shoe size.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the technology. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “attached,” “coupled” or “connected” to another element, it can be directly attached, coupled or connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly attached,” directly coupled” or “directly connected” to another element, there are no intervening elements present.
It is noted that any one or more aspects or features described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated in a different embodiment although not specifically described relative thereto. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination. Applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to be able to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. These and other objects and/or aspects of the present technology are explained in detail in the specification set forth below.
When numerical lower limits and numerical upper limits are set forth herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values may be used. Other than in the operating examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for amounts of materials and others in the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present technology.
It also should be understood the terms, “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, “fifth”, “sixth”, “seventh”, “eight”, “ninth”, “tenth”, “eleventh”, “twelfth”, “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, “lower”, “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “right’, “left”, “center”, “middle”, “proximal”, “distal”, “anterior”, “posterior”, “forefoot”, “mid-foot”, and “rear-foot”, and the like are arbitrary terms used to refer to one position of an element based on one perspective and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the technology.
All patents, publications, test procedures, and other references cited herein, including priority documents, are fully incorporated by reference to the extent such disclosure is not inconsistent with this technology and for all jurisdictions in which such incorporation is permitted. It is understood that the shoe materials, designs, constructions, and structures; shoe components; and shoe assemblies and sub-assemblies described and illustrated herein represent only some embodiments of the technology. It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and additions can be made to such products and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. It is intended that all such embodiments be covered by the appended claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4642911 | Talarico, II | Feb 1987 | A |
| 7191552 | Husom | Mar 2007 | B1 |
| 7712231 | Umezawa | May 2010 | B2 |
| 20070033834 | Cheskin | Feb 2007 | A1 |
| 20120317841 | Taylor | Dec 2012 | A1 |
| 20160219970 | Jacob | Aug 2016 | A1 |
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| 20170224048 | Nagano | Aug 2017 | A1 |
| 20210085020 | Grever | Mar 2021 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
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| 2431334 | Apr 2007 | GB |
| WO-2020013640 | Jan 2020 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| English Translation of WO2020/013640 (Year: 2020). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230389646 A1 | Dec 2023 | US |
