Claims
- 1. An improved athletic shoe of the type having an outsole, a midsole and an upper, wherein the upper is formed with a lateral side sheet portion and a medical side sheet portion, each side sheet portion having a bottom edge and a top edge, each side sheet portion being attached along its bottom edge to the outsole, and fastening means for fastening the top edge of the lateral side sheet portion to the top edge of the medial side sheet portion, wherein the improvement comprises:
- a removable structure, having a lateral sheet spring and a medial sheet spring, each spring made of a material which is resistant to both bending and twisting out of its plane and is relatively unstretchable and incompressible in such plane, each spring having a bottom portion and a top portion, the lateral spring having an inner side facing the lateral side sheet portion, the medial spring having an inner side facing the medial side sheet portion, and having forward attachment means for fastening under tension a point on the top portion of the lateral spring to a point on the top portion of the medial spring;
- lateral attachment means having a first part and a second part, the first part associated with the inner side of the bottom portion of the lateral spring, the second part associated with the lateral side sheet portion, for removably attaching the lateral spring directly to the lateral sheet portion below the region of the ankle and above the region of the sole; and
- medial attachment means having a first part and a second part, the first part associated with the inner side of the bottom portion of the medial spring, the second part associated with the medial side sheet portion, for removably attaching the medial spring directly to the medial sheet portion below the region of the ankle and above the region of the sole;
- wherein the first part of the lateral attachment means includes a lateral retaining bar mounted on a lateral centering post, the lateral centering post being fixedly attached to the inner side of the lateral spring, and the first part of the medial attachment means includes a medial retaining bar mounted on a medial centering post, the medial centering post being fixedly attached to the inner side of the medial spring;
- wherein the second part of the lateral attachment means includes a lateral side sheet portion having a slot, such slot hereinafter referred to as a "lateral slot", sized to accept the lateral retaining bar, and the second part of the medial attachment means includes a medial side sheet portion having a slot, such slot hereinafter referred to as a "medial slot", sized to accept the medial retaining bar;
- whereby the structure, when attached to the shoe, may inhibit displacement of the ankle.
- 2. An athletic shoe according to claim 1, wherein the removable structure is configured such that it may be attached to the shoe by a method comprising:
- (a) aligning the lateral retaining bar with the lateral slot and the medial retaining bar with the medial slot;
- (b) inserting the lateral retaining bar into the lateral slot and the medial retaining bar into the medial slot;
- (c) locking the lateral bar into the lateral slot and the medial bar into the medial slot by rotating the removable structure about a line passing through the two slots.
- 3. An athletic shoe according to claim 2, wherein the lateral and medial sheet springs are of unitary construction;
- such that the removable structure further includes a band portion, made of the same material as the springs, that may pass behind the ankle.
- 4. An athletic shoe according to claim 2, wherein each spring has a Y-shape and the top portion of each spring includes a fore arm portion and rear arm portion.
- 5. An athletic shoe according to claim 4, further including cushioning means, extending upward from the region of the arms, and extending around the rear of the shoe to form a collar above the removable structure, for protecting the leg from contact with the removable structure.
- 6. An athletic shoe according to claim 4, further including rear attachment means for fastening under tension the ends of the rear arm portions.
- 7. An athletic shoe according to claim 6, wherein the rear attachment means is a strap.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 07/642,186 filed on Jan. 16, 1991, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
3004668 |
Aug 1981 |
DEX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
642186 |
Jan 1991 |
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