This application is entitled to the benefit of and incorporates by reference essential subject matter disclosed in European Design registration Nos. 001695073-001 filed Apr. 14, 2010 and 001696550-0026 filed Apr. 16, 2010. This application also incorporates by reference essential subject matter disclosed in a U.S. design application Ser. No. 29/370,153 filed Jun. 11, 2010.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf shoes and, more particularly, to a sole therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A golfer needs a strong grip or traction between a golf shoe and the green. The traction is particularly important during a golf swing. Existing golf shoes generally include protrusions on an outer sole to achieve the grip. The protrusions are typically called studs, spikes or cleats. In the following the word cleat will be used. Some golf shoes have soles with a receptacle into which the cleat is screwed. The cleat is thus removable and replaceable. Other golf shoes have the cleats integrally molded with the sole. An example of an athletic shoe with integrally molded cleats is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,503.
A major problem with golf shoes with cleats is that the cleats can leave cleat marks (or holes) on a grass surface of a golf course, particularly on a putting green, therefore, damaging the green. A careless golfer who shuffles or twists his feet while walking across the putting green can damage the grass surface. Even a careful golfer can leave cleat marks on the putting green, particularly when the putting green is wet. Some golf clubs even ban golf shoes with steel cleats from the golf course because this type of cleats has long nails that damage the green. In order to avoid such damage but still have a firm grip, a special type of “soft cleats” or “soft spikes” has been developed during recent years. These cleats comprise between four and six resilient arms extending from a base; the arms resiliently dig into the green and create at the same time sufficient grip. A drawback is, however, that once the golf player leaves the course, the arms, which are typically made from plastic, are immediately exposed to wear and tear from e.g. the asphalt of the street. Use outside the golf course rapidly wears down the plastic arms, and the cleat has to be replaced with a new one.
Another problem with golf shoes with cleats is that the shoes tend to accumulate dirt and debris, especially during wet conditions. The accumulation of such dirt and debris requires frequent and tedious cleaning to provide the desired grip during the golf swing.
One object of the invention is to create a sole for use in a golf shoe which ensures a satisfactory grip without damaging the golf course. A further objective is to make a golf sole which is versatile and comfortable and can be used both inside and outside the golf course.
According to the present invention, a golf shoe includes an outer sole having a plurality of cleats distributed along a forefoot and a heel area. The cleats are disposed on and extend away from an outer surface of the outer sole. The cleats are essentially cross-shaped with a central circle to minimize sharp internal corners.
The forefoot of the outer sole has more cleats per area unit (e.g. per square inch) than the heel area of the outer sole. The forefoot includes a ball area and a toe area. The ball area and the heel area have cleats with greater heights and widths than other areas of the sole. The cleats along the ball area and the heel area are substantially equal in height. The cleats are arranged in transverse rows along a longitudinal length of the outer sole.
Referring to
The outer sole 24 is the bottom portion of the sole 14 that is located below the mid-sole 22 and comes into contact with the ground. The outer sole 24 may have a thickness of between about 0.098 inch (2.5 mm) and about 0.118 inch (3 mm). The outer sole 24 has an outer surface 26 that extends across the bottom of the outer sole 24.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Each cross arm 52, 54 defines a cross arm length ‘c’ measured from one end of one of the arms to the other end of the corresponding arm. The cross arm lengths ‘c’ of each cross arm 52, 54 are substantially equal. The different sets of cleats 44, 46 have different cross arm lengths ‘c’, as for example 0.276 inch (7 mm) and 0.374 inch (9.5 mm). The different sets of cleats 44, 46 are substantially equally scaled by proportionally enlarging a diameter ‘d’ of the circle 50 and extending the length of the arms. A ratio of the cross arm length ‘c’ to the diameter ‘d’ of the circle 50 for each set of cleats 44, 46 is about 1.6.
The arc segments 53 and the cross arms 52, 54 together define the bottom surface 56, which is substantially flat, wherein the arc segments and the arms are substantially flush with one another, i.e. there are no protrusions from the bottom surface, such that when the golf shoe is worn outside the golf course, the abrasive wear that would have resulted from such protrusions is minimized.
Referring back to
Along the longitudinal length l, each of the cleats 44, 46 is shifted in relation to the preceding and following cleats 44, 46. As a result, each cleat 44, 46 is perpendicularly offset from an adjacent cleat 44, 46 along the longitudinal length ‘l’.
Referring back to
Referring back to
The mid-sole 22 can be fabricated from polyurethane or any other suitable material. In a preferred embodiment, the outer sole 24 is molded from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). It is also contemplated that the outer sole 24 may be fabricated from rubber or polyurethane (PU) or any other suitable material.
In operation, the outer sole 24 has a relatively high number of cleats 44, 46 with relatively low heights ‘h’. The relatively high number of cleats 44, 46 aids in evenly distributing any reaction forces across the outer sole 24 of the golf shoe 10. The relatively low heights ‘h’ of the cleats 44, 46 aid in distributing the weight of the golfer among the cleats 44, 46 and the outer surface 26 to prevent the cleats 44, 46 from excessively digging into a putting green. As the larger cleats 44 disposed in two critical areas of the shoe 10, the forefoot 28 and heel area 36, have the same height, there are no “prepressing” zones on the sole. An evenly distributed load across the golf shoe 10 allows the cleats 44, 46 to provide sufficient grip without causing an excessive amount of damage to the putting green.
One advantage of the present invention is that the plurality of cross-shaped cleats 44, 46 allows the golf shoe 10 to achieve a firm grip on a putting green. The cross-shaped cleats 44, 46 counteract a twisting torque exerted on the sole 14 during a golf swing. A large number of cross-shaped cleats 44, 46 with a relatively small height ‘h’ gives the golf shoe 10 an improved grip.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the outer sole 24 has no sharp internal corners or edges. The circle 50 connects the cross arms 52, 54 of the cross 48 to aid in sparing the putting green from damage by eliminating sharp internal corners or edges. The elimination of sharp internal corners also minimizes collecting mud and grass on the shoe 10 during use.
A further advantage is that the golf shoe 10 can be used as a casual shoe. The shape, size, and location of the cleats 44, 46 eliminate the need for changing into other shoes before or after a round of golf. The cleats 44, 46 act together to distribute the load evenly across the outer sole 24 and into the foot to make walking on normal streets and other surfaces possible. The golf shoe 10 can be comfortably used outside the green, as for example while driving a car.
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, and additions may be made thereto, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although specific dimensions have been disclosed, the cross arm length ‘c’ and the height ‘h’ may be greater or less than the specific dimensions disclosed. Further, each of the larger and smaller sets of cleats 44, 46 may include more or less than the number disclosed above in each of the forefoot and heal area and in varying configurations.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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001695073 | Apr 2010 | EP | regional |
001696550 | Apr 2010 | EP | regional |
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Entry |
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Website for http://www.softspikes.com/ dated Sep. 1, 2010; 2 pgs. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20110252669 A1 | Oct 2011 | US |