Patent Application
20190387834
The present disclosure generally relates to a shoe with one or more rotating cleats.
Generally, an athletic shoe is intended to provide an athlete with the ability to use their feet to their full potential during an athletic endeavor. The shoe may include features that enhance the wearer's natural range of motion, and they are usually designed so the shoe does not significantly interfere with the athlete's natural ability.
Golf shoes often include spikes or cleats that extend from the bottom of their respective soles. These spikes or cleats enhance the wearer's grip on soft turf surfaces. Typically, the spikes on a golf cleat are typically threadedly removable and they engage a corresponding threaded portion disposed in holes at predetermined locations on the bottom of the sole.
When a golfer prepares to hit the golf ball with significant effort, a shift in body weight occurs in the follow through (back swing). The player continues the rotation of their torso, but an anatomical binding occurs after contact is made with the ball. The rotation of the torso causes the back foot to follow the shoulders, such that weight is transferred forward to the lead leg. The binding stress on the lead ankle puts tremendous stress on the ligaments that attach the ankle to the fibula and tibia. As the binding continues with the follow through, the elasticity of the body transfers the binding to the knee where the medial collateral ligament, lateral collateral ligament, medial meniscus, and lateral meniscus are under torsion with the femur. While all of this is occurring, the torso continues to rotate until the limits of anatomical elasticity are directed to the lumbar vertebrae. This stress can cause any number of injuries and this is exacerbated by the fact that the golfer tees off 18 times in a game. Current golf shoes do not reduce the stress. As such, current golf shoes and cleats are deficient because: they do not reduce the stress of a tee-off swing; they do not allow the golfer to have a greater range of motion or a natural motion fail to securely stay in place during strong wind gusts; and they do not allow the shoe to remain firmly planted in ground without interfering with the continuing follow through by the user's body.
Thus, what is needed is an improved golf shoe that has one or more rotating sections or cleats.
To minimize the limitations in the prior art, and to minimize other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present disclosure discloses a new and useful shoe with a rotating portion or cleat.
One embodiment of the present disclosure is a golf shoe that has one or more rotatable portions on the sole. Preferably the rotatable portions are on the front (ball) and back (heel) of the sole. The midsole or arch segment may preferably have solidly fixed cleats that are integrated into the sole. This allows the toe and heel of the shoe to remain elevated in a normal standing stance. Preferably, the ball and heel portions of the sole each have one or more mounting points that allow a removable rotation portion to be attached to or otherwise engage with the mounting points. The removable rotation portion may have one or more integrated cleats or one or more removeable cleats, such that the cleats are rotatable with respect to the upper of the shoe.
In some embodiments, the removable rotation portion is permanently attached to the sole.
In some embodiments the rotation portion may act as a suspension for the cleats.
The shoe of the present disclosure may promote the continued rotation of the golfer's body by allowing the body to follow through the swing without the significant stress caused by a non-rotating shoe, which restricts the body's movement. With the shoe of the present disclosure, the user may keep their feet firmly planted in the ground while the ankle, knee, and hip continue to move as the body's weight continues its momentum after the golf ball is struck. The outcome is more of a natural swing that is less stressful to the golfer.
One embodiment may be a shoe with a rotatable cleat, comprising: a shoe; and one or more rotating cleats; wherein the shoe comprises a sole; wherein the sole comprises one or more engagement portions; wherein the one or more rotating cleats each comprise a cleat, a rotating portion, and a bearing portion; wherein the bearing portion is configured to connect with the rotating portion and the cleat, such that the cleat and the rotating portion are rotatable with respect to each other; and wherein the rotating portion is configured to connect with at least one of the one or more engagement portions, such that the cleat is rotatable with respect to the sole of the shoe. The rotating portion may have one or more suspension portions. The cleat may removeably couple to the bearing portion. The rotating portion may removeably couple to at least one of the one or more engagement portions. The sole may further comprise one or more mid sole cleats. There may be two rotating portions, a toe rotating portion and a heel rotating portion. The cleat of the toe rotating portion is a toe cleat and the cleat of the heel rotating portion is a heel cleat. The mid sole cleats may substantially prevent the toe and heel rotating portions from contacting the ground when a user is standing. The toe cleat may be configured to engage with the ground without slipping when a user lifts a heel portion of a foot in a stepping motion, which allows a user to rotate the shoe with respect to the ground and the toe cleat. The heel cleat may be configured to engage with the ground without slipping when a user lifts a toe portion of a foot, which allows a user to rotate the shoe with respect to the ground and the heel cleat. The toe and heel rotating portions may be elevated relative to a middle portion of the sole and may be substantially prevented from contacting the ground when a user is standing.
Another embodiment may be a shoe with a rotatable cleat, comprising: a shoe; and two rotating cleats, a toe rotating cleat and a heel rotating cleat; wherein the shoe comprises a sole; wherein the sole comprises one or more toe engagement portions and one or more heel engagement portions; wherein the two rotating cleats each comprise a cleat, a rotating portion, and a bearing portion, such that there are two cleats, a toe cleat and a heel cleat, two rotating portions, a toe rotating portion and a heel rotating portion, and two bearing portions, a toe bearing portion and a heel bearing portion; wherein the toe bearing portion is configured to connect with the toe rotating portion and the toe cleat, such that the toe cleat and the toe rotating portion are rotatable with respect to each other; wherein the heel bearing portion is configured to connect with the heel rotating portion and the heel cleat, such that the heel cleat and the heel rotating portion are rotatable with respect to each other; wherein the toe rotating portion is configured to connect to the one or more toe engagement portions, such that the toe cleat is rotatable with respect to the sole of the shoe; and wherein the heel rotating portion is configured to connect to the one or more heel engagement portions, such that the heel cleat is rotatable with respect to the heel of the shoe. Each of the two rotating portions may have one or more suspension portions. The toe cleat may removeably couple to the toe bearing portion. The heel cleat may removeably couple to the heel bearing portion. The toe rotating portion may removeably couple to the one or more toe engagement portions. The heel rotating portion may removeably couple to the one or more heel engagement portions. The toe and heel rotating portions may be elevated relative to a middle portion of the sole and are substantially prevented from contacting the ground when a user is standing. The sole may further comprise one or more mid sole cleats, wherein the one or more mid sole cleats may substantially prevent the toe and heel rotating portions from contacting the ground when a user is standing. The toe cleat may be configured to engage with the ground without slipping when a user lifts a heel portion of a foot in a stepping motion, which allows a user to rotate the shoe with respect to the ground and the toe cleat. The heel cleat may be configured to engage with the ground without slipping when a user lifts a toe portion of a foot, which allows a user to rotate the shoe with respect to the ground and the heel cleat.
Another embodiment may be a rotatable cleat, comprising: a cleat; a rotating portion; and a bearing portion; wherein the bearing portion is configured to connect with the rotating portion and the cleat, such that the cleat and the rotating portion are rotatable with respect to each other; and wherein the rotating portion is configured to connect with one or more engagement portions of a sole of a shoe, such that the cleat is rotatable with respect to the sole of the shoe. The rotating portion may have one or more suspension portions. The cleat may removeably couple to the bearing portion, the rotating portion may removeably couple to at least one of the one or more engagement portions; and the cleat may be configured to engage with the ground without slipping, which allows a user to rotate the shoe with respect to the ground and the cleat.
Another embodiment may be a shoe with one or more rotatable cleats, comprising: a shoe; and one or more rotating cleats; wherein the shoe comprises a sole; wherein the sole comprises a toe, a mid-sole, and a heel; wherein the toe comprises one or more toe cleat engagement portions; wherein the mid-sole comprises one or more mid-sole cleat engagement portions; wherein the heel comprises one or more heel cleat engagement portions; wherein the one or more rotating cleats each comprise a cleat, a rotating portion, and a bearing portion; wherein the bearing portion is configured to connect with the rotating portion and the cleat, such that the cleat and the rotating portion are rotatable with respect to each other; and wherein the rotating portion is configured to connect with at least one of the heel, the toe, and the mid-sole, such that the cleat is rotatable with respect to the sole of the shoe. The rotating portion may have one or more suspension portions. The cleat may removeably couple to the bearing portion. There may be two rotating cleats, a first cleat and a second cleat, such that there are two rotating portions, a first rotating portion and a second rotating portion. The first and second rotating portions may removeably connect to:
a) the one or more toe cleat engagement portions and the one or more heel cleat engagement portions; or
In another embodiment, there may be three rotating cleats, a toe cleat, a mid-sole cleat, and a heel cleat, such that there are three rotating portions, a toe rotating portion, a mid-sole rotating portion, and a heel rotating portion; and wherein the toe rotating portion removeably couples to the one or more toe cleat engagement portions, the heel rotating portion removeably couples to the one or more heel cleat engagement portions, and the mid-sole rotating portion removeably couples to the one or more mid-sole cleat engagement portions.
These, as well as other components, steps, features, objects, benefits, and advantages, will now become clear from a review of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.
The drawings are of illustrative embodiments. They do not illustrate all embodiments. Other embodiments may be used in addition or instead. Details which may be apparent or unnecessary may be omitted to save space or for more effective illustration. Some embodiments may be practiced with additional components or steps and/or without all of the components or steps which are illustrated. When the same numeral appears in different drawings, it refers to the same or like components or steps.
In the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of one or more embodiments of the invention. However, one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and/or components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of embodiments of the invention.
While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the figures, and the detailed descriptions thereof, are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Also, the reference or non-reference to a particular embodiment of the invention shall not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention.
As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.
In the following description, certain terminology is used to describe certain features of one or more embodiments. For purposes of the specification, unless otherwise specified, the term “substantially” refers to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, in one embodiment, an object that is “substantially” located within a housing would mean that the object is either completely within a housing or nearly completely within a housing. The exact allowable degree of deviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on the specific context. However, generally speaking, the nearness of completion will be so as to have the same overall result as if absolute and total completion were obtained. The use of “substantially” is also equally applicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result.
As used herein, the terms “approximately” and “about” generally refer to a deviance of within 5% of the indicated number or range of numbers. In one embodiment, the term “approximately” and “about”, may refer to a deviance of between 0.001-10% from the indicated number or range of numbers.
Although the mid sole cleats 120 are shown as one or more fixed rubber or metal cleats, the cleats 120 may be removable. Further, the mid sole may be a single raised portion that ensures that the toe and heel are at least somewhat elevated above the ground.
Although
The bearing engagement portion 604 may be configured to matingly engage with the bearing 610 at hole 605. In this manner, the inner ring 613 is statically connected to the engagement portion 604, such that when the cleat 600 rotates the inner ring 613 rotates, but the outer ring 611 does not necessary rotate. The outer ring 611 may be configured to engage with annular ring 652 in a physical, frictional, and/or permanent manner, such that the outer ring 611 and the annular ring 652 are statically connected and do not rotate with respect to one another. The annular ring 652 may have a top lip that holds, permanently, securely, and/or removeably, the bearing portion within the annular ring 652. When the rotating portion 650, bearing portion 610 and cleat 600 are all connected, the cleat 600 may freely rotate with respect to the rotating portion 650.
Base 1215, which is on a heel portion of the shoe 1200, may attach to the shoe 1200 at one to four (as shown) attachment points in a removable manner. The rotating portion 1216 is preferably positioned at the pivot point of the heel of the user's foot. In this manner, when the user completes a golf swing the shoe 1200 and the user's foot is planted on the heel with the toe elevated, the rotating portion 1216 acts as the pivot point.
Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, locations, and other specifications which are set forth in this specification, including in the claims which follow, are approximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable range which is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the above detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the detailed description is to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Also, although not explicitly recited, one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced in combination or conjunction with one another. Furthermore, the reference or non-reference to a particular embodiment of the invention shall not be interpreted to limit the scope the invention. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by this detailed description, but by the claims and the equivalents to the claims that are appended hereto.
Except as stated immediately above, nothing which has been stated or illustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedication of any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, or equivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recited in the claims.
