Patent Application
20220346495
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the xeroxographic reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates to the field of footwear. More specifically, aspects of the present invention pertain to articles of athletic footwear that include reduction of shoe's sole area to provide lighter and faster turning rotational shoes.
Conventional articles of athletic footwear include two primary elements, an upper and a sole structure. The upper provides a covering for the foot that securely receives and positions the foot with respect to the sole structure. In addition, the upper may have a configuration that protects the foot and provides ventilation, thereby cooling the foot and removing perspiration. The sole structure is secured to a lower surface of the upper and generally is positioned between the foot and any contact surface. In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces and absorbing energy, the sole structure may provide traction and control potentially harmful foot motion, such as over pronation.
“Traction” is a general term that describes the ability of a shoe outsole to resist sliding motion over a surface contacted by that outsole. Traction is particularly important for footwear used in sports and other activities in which a shoe wearer wishes to move quickly and/or to rapidly change movement directions relative to a potentially slippery surface. For an athlete, secure, non-sliding contact between that athlete's footwear and a playing surface can be important for preventing injury and for improving the athlete's performance.
Soccer (also known as “football” outside of the United States), football (also known as “American football” outside of the United States) and other sports are often played on a grass-covered field, a dirt field or some other type of surface that is at least partially penetrable. It is known to include cleats or other traction- enhancing outsole extensions on footwear intended for use in such sports. During running or other actions, these extensions can penetrate the playing surface and help stabilize an athlete's foot from unwanted movement.
Unfortunately, a single cleat configuration for an athletic shoe may not be optimal over a range of conditions in which that shoe will be used. For example, playing surfaces for soccer and many other sports can have extremely variable conditions. If a playing surface is softer and/or more slippery, a larger number of cleats can be useful. When the ground is harder or less slippery, however, fewer cleats may be needed. An athlete may also need more traction during some specific movements (e.g., while running) and less traction during other actions (e.g., while standing).
Although useful to increase traction, outsole extensions can also be sources of discomfort. In particular, a protruding traction element can generate a point pressure on a shoe wearer's foot. An outsole extension that might be useful under some conditions (e.g., when running) may be a source of irritation under other conditions (e.g., when standing) Finding the correct balance between traction enhancement and comfort for cleated footwear thus remains an ongoing challenge.
There are multiple inventions that have been proposed in prior art regarding bringing an advancement and enhanced utility for athletes. Furthermore, the utilization of these systems in daily life are quite cumbersome and non-effective. Also, the features of these utility system are quite limited.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing reduced thickness of the shoe sole by at least half the shoe soles thickness and reduces all the way to the end of the shoe sole heel. By cutting the shoe sole thickness by at least half starting at the ball area of the shoe sole and continuing to the end of the shoe sole, a lighter and faster turning rotational shoe are proposed which allows the athlete to rotate faster while performing the athletic movements of the rotational spin, glide or turn. Furthermore, it provides comfort ease of use and safety to the wearer. It can be worn before the game and after the game and provides comfort, stability and safety from all other surfaces. Its multipurpose functionality can accommodate any sport such as soccer, running, rowing, football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, gym training and track and field to name a few.
None of the previous inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Hence, the inventor of the present invention proposes to resolve and surmount existent technical difficulties to eliminate the aforementioned shortcomings of prior art.
In light of the disadvantages of the prior art, the following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
The primary object of the invention is related to an advancement in offering a shoe with reduced thickness of sole to provide enhanced utility to the wearer.
It is further the objective of the invention to create a reusable, safe, durable, and easy to use shoes with lighter sole that supports faster rotation while performing the athletic movements of the rotational spin, glide or turn.
It is moreover the objective of the invention to provide stability and safety to user regardless of the of activity they are involved in.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved assembly which provides the athlete better balance and a higher concentrated area of power.
It is also the objective of invention to provide reduced shoe sole ground contact point at the toe area which allows the thrower to generate faster and more powerful rotational movements, glides and turns.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved assembly which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved athletic shoe with comparatively thinner sole.
This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.
The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
More specifically, the present invention as per its preferred embodiments is an athletic shoe with reduced thickness of sole to support the player in his/her game.
The assembly as per its preferred embodiments is an article of foot wear specifically designed for athletes participating in the shot-put, hammer and any other rotational throwing event in track and field. The Techlete 70 meter ambitions as per its preferred embodiments has the thickness of the shoe sole starting at the ball area of the shoe sole reduces by at least half the shoe soles thickness and reduces all the way to the end of the shoe sole heel. By cutting the shoe sole thickness by at least half starting at the ball area of the shoe sole and continuing to the end of the shoe sole, a lighter and faster turning rotational shoe assembly is proposed, which allows the athlete to rotate faster while performing the athletic movements of the rotational spin, glide or turn.
The assembly as per its further embodiments provides reduced shoe thickness that starts at the ball of the foot area and continues to the end of the shoe sole heel also forces the athlete to stay on the toe area and ball of the sole which gives the athlete better balance and a higher concentrated area of power.
The toe/ground contact area of the shoe sole as per its additional embodiments has been reduced significantly versus prior art. The reduced shoe sole ground contact point at the toe area allows the thrower to generate faster and more powerful rotational movements, glides and turns.
Various materials may be utilized in manufacturing the proposed assembly of footwear. The upper of an article of athletic footwear, for example, may be formed from multiple material layers that may include, for example, an exterior layer, a middle layer, and an interior layer (and these layers may fully or partially overlap). The materials forming the exterior layer (or other layers) of the upper may be selected based upon the properties of wear-resistance, abrasion resistance, durability, flexibility, stretchability, and air-permeability, for example. With regard to the exterior layer, the toe area and the heel area may be formed of leather, synthetic leather, or a rubber material to impart a relatively high degree of wear-resistance and abrasion resistance. Leather, synthetic leather, and rubber materials, however, may not exhibit the desired degree of flexibility and/or air-permeability for all areas of the upper. Accordingly, various other areas of the exterior layer of the upper may be formed from a synthetic textile. The exterior layer of the upper may be formed, therefore, from numerous material elements that each imparts different properties to specific areas of the upper.
A middle (or other) layer of the upper may be formed from a lightweight polymer foam material that improves overall comfort and protects the foot from objects that may contact the upper. Similarly, an interior layer of the upper may be formed of a moisture-wicking textile that removes perspiration from the area immediately surrounding the foot. In some articles of athletic footwear, the various layers may be joined with an adhesive, and stitching may be utilized to join elements within a single layer or to reinforce specific areas of the upper.
The sole structure generally incorporates multiple layers that are conventionally referred to as an insole, a midsole, and an outsole. The insole (which also may constitute a sock liner) is a thin member located within the upper and adjacent the plantar (lower) surface of the foot to enhance footwear comfort, e.g., to wick away moisture and provide a soft, comfortable feel. The midsole, which is traditionally attached to the upper along the entire length of the upper, forms the middle layer of the sole structure and serves a variety of purposes that include controlling foot motions and attenuating impact forces. The outsole forms the ground-contacting element of footwear and is usually fashioned from a durable, wear-resistant material that includes texturing or other features to improve traction.
The primary element of a conventional midsole is a resilient, polymer foam material, such as polyurethane or ethylvinylacetate (“EVA”), that extends throughout the length of the footwear. The properties of the polymer foam material in the midsole are primarily dependent upon factors that include the dimensional configuration of the midsole and the specific characteristics of the material selected for the polymer foam, including the density of the polymer foam material. By varying these factors throughout the midsole, the relative stiffness, degree of ground reaction force attenuation, and energy absorption properties may be altered to meet the specific demands of the activity for which the footwear is intended to be used.
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While a specific embodiment has been shown and described, many variations are possible. With time, additional features may be employed. The particular shape or configuration of the platform or the interior configuration may be changed to suit the system or equipment with which it is used.
Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
