TOE AND SHOE PROTECTIVE GUARD AND COUPLING SYSTEM

Abstract

A protective shell for an athletic shoe and a system for coupling the protective shell to the shoe is disclosed herein. The protective shell includes a top toe area and a side toe area. The top toe area and side toe area are configured to fit over at least a portion of a top toe area and at least a portion of a side toe area of a shoe. At least one coupling feature on the side toe area is configured to facilitate coupling to the shoe or to a separate coupling device attached to the shoe.

Description

FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of shoe wear, in particular, accessories for athletic shoes.

BACKGROUND

Injuries to the feet of football athletes are common in the sport. Linemen in particular are subject to having their feet stepped on by other players. Cleat impacts on players toes can cause minor or major injuries, some requiring extended recovery time and even surgical repair.

SUMMARY

The following is a brief summary of subject matter that is described in greater detail herein. This summary is not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the claims.

A protective shell for an athletic shoe and a system for coupling the protective shell to the shoe is disclosed herein.

In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a protective guard for a shoe, including: a protective shell including a top toe area and a side toe area, the top toe area and side toe area configured to fit over at least a portion of a top toe area and at least a portion of a side toe area of a shoe; and at least one coupling feature on the side toe area configured to facilitate coupling to the shoe or to a separate coupling device attached to the shoe.

In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a protective guard system for a shoe, the system including: a protective guard including: a protective shell having a top toe area and a side toe area, the top toe area and side toe area configured to fit over at least a portion of a top toe area and at least a portion of a side toe area of a shoe, and at least one coupling feature on the side toe area. A separate coupling device is provided that is configured to attach directly to the shoe and to facilitate coupling with the at least one coupling feature on the side toe area.

In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a shoe and protective guard system. The protective guard includes a protective shell having a top toe area and a side toe area, the top toe area and side toe area configured to fit over at least a portion of a top toe area and at least a portion of a side toe area of a shoe, and at least one coupling feature on the side toe area. A separate coupling device is attached directly to the shoe and coupled to the at least one coupling feature on the side toe area.

The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/or methods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a flexed shoe.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a flat shoe.

FIG. 2 is a side-view diagram of a human foot showing the bone structure.

FIG. 3A is a top-side perspective view of an exemplary protective shell on a shoe.

FIG. 3B is a top-front perspective view of an exemplary protective shell.

FIG. 3C is a bottom view of an exemplary protective shell.

FIG. 4A is a side elevation view of an exemplary separate coupling device.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the exemplary separate coupling device.

Other unnumbered figures show additional views of the technology disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Technology pertaining to improved toe and shoe protection is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that such aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more aspects. Further, it is to be understood that functionality that is described as being carried out by certain system components may be performed by multiple components. Similarly, for instance, a component may be configured to perform functionality that is described as being carried out by multiple components.

The protective guard system disclosed herein is designed for preventing injuries, in particular those occurring due to cleat impacts on toes in American football games. Other sports players, such as rugby players, or other activities that involve risks to toe impacts may also benefit from the system disclosed herein. The system comprises a hard outer shell that fits over the top of a shoe and a set of coupling devices that attach the shoe to the protective shell, or attach to the shoe and couple to the protective shell.

FIG. 1A shows a top toe area 101 and a side toe area 103 (outlined in broken lines to designate respectives area on the athletic shoe 100) of athletic shoe 100 with the athletic shoe 100 flexed with the heel raised. Notably the top toe area 101 does not include the lace area 105, rather the top toe area 101 is the area that can remain flat on the ground when the heel is raised. The metatarsal area of the foot (See FIG. 2) is thus not under the top toe area 101 or covered by the protective shell (see FIG. 3, 310). This enables the user to flex the foot as normal without the protective shell (see FIG. 3, 310) impinging on the foot.

FIG. 1B shows a top toe area 101 and a side toe area 103 of the athletic shoe 100 of FIG. 1A with the heel not raised and the sole flat on the ground. The metatarsal area of the foot (See FIG. 2) is thus not under the top toe area 101 or covered by the protective shell. This enables the user to flex the foot as normal without the protective shell (FIG. 3, 310) impinging on the foot.

As used herein, the term “shell” means a hard outer material, configured to partially encase an underlying object (e.g., a shoe) and be approximately contoured to the shape of the underlying object. As used herein, the term “top toe area” means an approximately horizontal area on top of a shoe where toes would be positioned, e.g., within 15, 10, or 5 degrees of being horizontal (with respect to the plane of the flat ground when the shoe is set upright on the flat ground). As used herein, the term “side toe area” means an area starting from the top toe area and extending down along the side of the shoe and including an approximately vertical area, e.g. within 30, 20, or 10 degrees of being vertical (with respect to the plane of the flat ground when the shoe is set upright on the flat ground). The side tow area includes the area of the shoe or shell around the side and front of where the toes are within the shoe.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, a shoe 300 has a top toe area 301 that is partially covered by the protective shell 310. The protective shell 310 extends down to cover a shoe side toe area 303 of the shoe 300. The protective shell 310 thus comprises a top toe area 311 and a side toe area 313, the top toe area 311 and side toe area 313 being configured to fit over at least a portion of the shoe top toe area 301 and at least a portion of the shoe side toe area 303 of the shoe 300. It should be noted that the shoes on which the protective guard is placed need not have cleats themselves, although the system disclosed herein is designed to protect against cleat impacts from others.

In an embodiment, the protective shell 310 is contoured to match a left shoe and in another embodiment, the protective shell 310 is contoured to match a right shoe. In another embodiment, the protective shell 310 is generically designed for both left and right shoes. Generally, the rear edge of the top toe area 311 is contoured to avoid impinging the foot of a user when the foot is bent, e.g., when the heel is raised and the toes remain on the ground. In addition, in an embodiment, when installed, the protective shell 310 extends up to a one half inch radius 107 from a lace region 109 of the shoe 300 (See FIG. 1B). For example, the protective shell 310 may extend to 2.25 to 0.75 inch radius, or 2 to 1 inch radius 107 from the lace region 309 of the shoe 300, as judged when the shoe 300 is placed flat on a surface (not flexed).

The protective shell 310 also includes at least one coupling feature 320 (e.g., at least two, or at least three coupling features 320) on the side toe area 313 configured to facilitate coupling to the shoe 300 or to a separate coupling device 350 attached to the shoe. In this embodiment, the coupling feature 320 is a through-hole, configured for a bolt, screw, or another fastener. In other embodiments, the coupling feature 320 can be a threaded screw-hole, or a mount for a clamp or another type of mechanical fastener. In an embodiment, there are multiple coupling features 320 on the protective shell 310.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the protective shell 310 includes a side cut-out section 361 on both sides of the side toe area 313. The side cut-out section 361 is vertically running opening that allows some flexibility for the protective shell 310.

Another feature of the protective shell 310 is a raised lip 371 along the rear top edge of the protective shell 310. The raised lip 371 provides additional strength and may prevent a cleat from sliding off the top toe area 311 of the protective shell 310 onto the top toe area 301 or lace region 309 of the shoe 300.

As shown best in FIG. 3C, there are three coupling features 320, one on each side of the shoe 300 in the side toe area 313, and one in the front of the shoe 300 at the front of the side toe area 313. Having three points of attachment provides excellent stability and reduces the chances that an impact will dislodge the protective shell 310 from the shoe 300.

As best seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B which depict a separate coupling device 350 that is part of the shoe and protective guard system. The separate coupling device 350 is configured to attach directly to the shoe 300 and configured to facilitate coupling with the at least one coupling feature 320 on the side toe area 313. In this embodiment, the separate coupling device 350 includes a mount 355 for a screw 360. The mount 355 includes a hole with inclined threads for mating with threads of the screw 360.

Viewing FIG. 3A and FIG. 4A together, the screw 360 has a radius that fits tightly to the outer surface of the protective shell 310, securing it tightly to the protective shell 310. The protective shell 310 is thus sandwiched between the back surface of the screw 360 and the front surface of the mount 355 (See FIG. 4). The mount 355 extends a short distance 359 from the main body 357 of the separate coupling device 350. This distance 359 provides sufficient depth for the screw 360 to attach to the separate coupling device 350 without extending through the back of it, impinging on the shoe 300. This distance 359 also provides some separation between the protective shell 310 and the shoe 300. In an embodiment, an upper (or outer) portion of the separate coupling device 350 supports a bottom (or inside) surface of the protective shell 310 and is configured to space the protective shell 310 away from the shoe side toe area 303 by a distance 359. The distance 359 may be, for example, 0.05 to 0.3 inches, such as 0.1 to 0.27, or 0.15 to 0.22 inches.

In an embodiment, the coupling features (holes) 320 in the protective shell 310 are tightly fit to the radius of the screw 360. In another embodiment, the coupling features (holes) 320 are not tightly fit to the radius of the screw 360, and provide movement up and down by the screw in the coupling features (holes) 320.

In an embodiment, the separate coupling device 350 is 0.35 to 3 inches in width (width being the dimension running along the side of the shoe 300), such as, for example, 0.5 to 2.5 inches, or 0.75 to 2 inches. In an embodiment, the height of the separate coupling device 350 is at least as great as the width, e.g., 1 to 3.25 inches, 1.25 to 2.5 inches, or 1.5 to 2 inches, and has a contoured arc as it extends vertically. In an embodiment, the separate coupling device 350 is configured to match a shape of at least a portion of the side toe area 313 of the shoe 300. The depth of the separate coupling device 350 may be, for example, 0.2 to 0.75 inches, such as 0.25 to 0.6, or 0.35 to 0.52 inches (depth meaning, in FIG. 4, e.g., the total horizontal distance from the left end of the mount 355 to the right end 358 of the separate coupling device 350).

The separate coupling device 350 is firmly attached to the shoe 300. This may be accomplished by adhering separate coupling device 350 to an outsole region of the shoe 300, e.g., with 3M two-sided tape. In addition, or instead the separate coupling device 350 may also be adhered to the side of the shoe 300 (e.g., the shoe side toe area 303) above the outsole. Other adhesives may be used. Mechanical connectors can also be used.

In an embodiment, the protective shell 310 is made of a hard material. The material may be a thermoset or thermoplastic material. The material should be harder than fabric or leather, which is typically all the protection provided by the top toe area 301 of an shoe 300. For example, the material may have a Shore D hardness of at least 31, such as 40 to 100, or 50 to 95, or 60 to 90. ASTM D-2240 method may be used to determine Shore D hardness. In an embodiment, the protective shell 310 is made of polycarbonate. In another embodiment, the protective shell 310 is made of RPU-70, which has a shore D hardness of 80 and flexural strength of 53 to 71 MPa. In an embodiment, the protective shell 310 has some flexibility, such as having a flexural strength of 40 to 100 MPa, such as, for example, 50 to 80 MPa, or 53 to 70 MPa. In an embodiment, the protective shell 310 may have a tensile modulus of 1200 to 2500 MPa, such as, for example, 1400 to 2300 MPa, or 1700 to 2100 MPa. In an embodiment, the protective shell 310 may have an impact strength of 15 to 30 J/m, such as, for example, 18 to 25 J/m, or 21 to 23 J/m.

The coupling device 350 may be made of a material, such as thermoforming polyethylene (TPE) with a durometer hardness of, for example, 60A to 90A, such as, 65A to 85A, or 70A to 75A. The coupling device 350 may have a flexural strength of 40 to 100 MPa, such as, for example, 50 to 80 MPa, or 53 to 70 MPa. The coupling device 350 may have a tensile modulus of 1200 to 2500 MPa, such as, for example, 1400 to 2300 MPa, or 1700 to 2100 MPa. The protective shell 310 may have an impact strength of 15 to 30 J/m, such as, for example, 18 to 25 J/m, or 21 to 23 J/m.

In an embodiment, the coupling device 350 and the protective shell 310 are made of the same material. In another embodiment, the coupling device 350 may have a greater flexibility than the protective shell 310 to allow for a better fit directly to the shoe 300.

What has been described above includes examples of one or more embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable modification and alteration of the above devices or methodologies for purposes of describing the aforementioned aspects, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further modifications and permutations of various aspects are possible. Accordingly, the described aspects are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the details description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. The term “consisting essentially” as used herein means the specified materials or steps and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the material or method. If not specified above, the properties mentioned herein may be determined by applicable ASTM standards, or if an ASTM standard does not exist for the property, the most commonly used standard known by those of skill in the art may be used. The articles “a,” “an,” and “the,” should be interpreted to mean “one or more” unless the context indicates the contrary. Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B.

Claims

1. A protective guard for a shoe, comprising: a protective shell comprising a top toe area and a side toe area, the top toe area and side toe area configured to fit over at least a portion of a shoe top toe area and at least a portion of a shoe side toe area of a shoe; andat least one coupling feature on the side toe area configured to facilitate coupling to the shoe or to a separate coupling device attached to the shoe.

2. The protective guard of claim 1, wherein the at least one coupling feature comprises a screw hole with inclined threads or bolt hole.

3. The protective guard of claim 1, wherein the protective shell includes a side cut-out section on the side toe area.

4. The protective guard of claim 1, wherein the protective shell includes a side cut-out section on both sides of the side toe area.

5. The protective guard of claim 1, wherein a rear edge of the top toe area is contoured.

6. The protective guard of claim 1, wherein a rear edge of the protective shell has a lip.

7. The protective guard of claim 1, wherein the protective shell includes at least two coupling features on the side toe area.

8. The protective guard of claim 1, wherein the protective shell has a Shore D hardness of 31 to 100.

9. A protective guard system for a shoe, the system comprising: a protective guard including: a protective shell having a top toe area and a side toe area, the top toe area and side toe area configured to fit over at least a portion of a top toe area and at least a portion of a side toe area of a shoe, and at least one coupling feature on the side toe area; anda separate coupling device configured to attach directly to the shoe and configured to facilitate coupling with the at least one coupling feature on the side toe area.

10. The protective guard system of claim 9, wherein the separate coupling device is 0.3 to 3 inches in width, has a contoured arc in a vertical direction and is configured to match a shape of at least a portion of the side toe area of the shoe.

11. The protective guard system of claim 9, wherein the separate coupling device has a contoured arc in a vertical direction and is configured to match a shape of the side toe area of the shoe and at least a portion of a top toe area of the shoe.

12. The protective guard system of claim 9, wherein an upper portion of the separate coupling device supports a bottom surface of the protective shell and is configured to space the protective shell away from the side toe area of the shoe.

13. The protective guard system of claim 9, wherein the protective shell is coupled to at least two coupling features on the side toe area.

14. The protective guard system of claim 9, wherein the protective shell includes at least two coupling features on the side toe area and one at a front of the side toe area.

15. A shoe and protective guard system comprising: a shoe;a protective guard including: a protective shell having a top toe area and a side toe area, the top toe area and side toe area configured to fit over at least a portion of a top toe area and at least a portion of a side toe area of a shoe, and at least one coupling feature on the side toe area; anda separate coupling device attached directly to the shoe and coupled to the at least one coupling feature on the side toe area.

16. The shoe and protective guard system of claim 15, wherein the shoe is a cleated shoe.

17. The shoe and protective guard system of claim 15, wherein the separate coupling device is adhered to at least an outsole region of the shoe.

18. The shoe and protective guard system of claim 15, wherein the protective shell extends to a one half inch radius of a lace region of the shoe.

19. The shoe and protective guard system of claim 15, wherein the protective shell extends to a one inch radius of a lace region of the shoe.

20. The shoe and protective guard system of claim 15, wherein the protective shell is sized and shaped to allow for flexing of a shoe top toe area without the protective shell impinging on a metatarsal area of a user's foot.