WO1991016830A1

WO1991016830A1 - A shoe and a sole therefor

Info

Publication number: WO1991016830A1
Application number: PCT/GB1991/000741
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert John Seymour
Original assignee: Robert John Seymour
Priority date: 1990-05-09
Filing date: 1991-05-09
Publication date: 1991-11-14
Also published as: GB9010338D0; AU7891191A

Abstract

The invention provides a shoe having an outer sole (16) moulded in rubber that undercuts the arch of the foot on the ground and extends upwards above the midsole level following the contour of the foot in a crescent shape. The undercut section is reinforced with ribs or webs (19) moulded into the arch area bridging the arch in a longitudinal plane. This provides support to the arch when stationary and in moderate usage yet allows progressive flexing to accommodate collapse of the arch during running or walking by partial stretching of the ribs or webs which then resume their original shape when pressure is released.

Description

A SHOE AND A SOLE THEREFOR

This invention relates to soles for shoes, particularly but not exclusively sports and athletic shoes.

5. When the foot impacts the ground during running and walking, the natural function of the arch of the foot is partially to collapse in order to provide a cushioning effect dissipating the shock of the body's weight on impact with the ground. Hitherto, sports shoes have relied upon providing additional support to the arch by building up that area with contoured inserts. These inserts have a degree of compressability but restrict the natural movement of the arch on impact and thus do not allow the arch to collapse progressively. In addition, these inserts are normally further supported in the mid-sole medium further restricting the natural arch movement which in turn creates unnecessary pressure points and does not encourage the foot to follow its natural pressure path of heel impact, roll and push-off during each stride.

It is an object of the invention to alleviate these abovementioned disadvantages of the prior art. According to the invention there is provided a shoe or a sole therefor having an arch support resiliently stretchable to allow partial collapse of the arch of a foot during movement.

Preferred features of the invention are provided in Claims 2 - 9.

The described embodiment of the present invention provides a shoe having an outer sole moulded in rubber that undercuts the arch of the foot on the ground and extends upwards above the midsole level following the contour of the foot in a crescent shape. The undercut section is reinforced with ribs or webs moulded into the arch area bridging the arch in a longitudinal plane. This will provide the support to the arch when stationary and in moderate usage yet will allow progressive flexing to accommodate collapse of the arch during running or walking by partial stretching of the ribs or webs and then resuming its original shape when pressure is released.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure I. shows the imprint of a normal foot in contact with the ground under static pressure. Figure II. shows a cross-section view through Line III - III shown in Figure I.

Figure III. shows a plan view of the pressure path created by the foot during the impact, roll and push- off cycle.

Figure IV. shows a shoe sole from underside embodying the invention.

Figure V. shows a cross-section through line V - V in Figure IV.

Figure VI. shows a side elevation of the sport shoe of figures IV and V.

Figure I shows a typical footprint of a normal foot on the ground, and indicates a large area 10 of the foot which is not supported nor in contact with the ground as can also be seen in Figure II, which is a cross-section through Line II - II in Figure I. The contact area is typically in the region of 50% of the foot width when viewed from above. Figure III shoes a plan view of the inside midsole of a shoe 12 and indicates the normal path of pressure during walking or running from impact of the heel 13 along the outstep of the foot 14 then across the foot to the base of the big toe 15 at which point push-off occurs.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure IV which shows an underside view of a running shoe sole 16, having a cut-away arch area 17. The dotted line 18 indicates the extent of a typical shoe sole not embodying the invention.

Reinforcing webs or fins 19 formed as an integral part of the shoe sole moulding and extend vertically downwards from the arch support 20 which in turn extends upwards on the instep side of the shoe.

Figure V shows a cross-section view of the line V - V in Figure IV. The moulded sole 16 extends upwards to follow the natural curve of the arch 10. The reinforcing ribs 19 are shown extending vertically downwards from the moulding to give a springing/rebound effect as the arch 10 collapses on impact to absorb the shock and body weight. A plastic foam mid-sole 21 is bonded to the outsole 16. The complete upper shoe assembly sole 22 is then bonded and/or stitched to the mid-sole. An inner lining of foam and fabric 23 is inserted into the shoe and extends upwards in the foot arch area to add comfort. Figure VI is a further view of a typical sports shoe in elevation embodying the invention and shows the cut-away arch area 26 along with the crescent shaped vertically descending fins 19 which allow the progressive ..collapse of the arch and cushioning by stretching. The fins 19 and arch support 20 are preferably formed from an elastomeric rubber compound.

The illustrated shoe provides a progressive collapsible arch area allowing the foot to carry out 5_. its natural function of shock absorbency in a pre¬ determined manner by temporary removal of the supported arch.

Numerous further variations and modifications to the illustrated construction will readily occur to the reader who is skilled in the art without putting the construction outside the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shoe sole having an arch support resiliently stretchable to allow partial collapse of the arch of a foot during movement.

f) 2. A sole as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the support comprises an arcuate layer formed from flexible material.

3. A sole as claimed in Claim 2 further comprising reinforcement means connected to the layer.

0 4. A sole as claimed in Claim 3 wherein said reinforcement means comprises at least one externally projecting rib.

5. A sole as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the or each rib bridges the arch support.

5 6. A sole as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the or each rib bridges the arch support in a heel to toe direction

7. A shoe sole as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 6 wherein the or each rib and the layer are 0 moulded as one piece.

8. A sole as claimed in any one of Claims 2 - 7 wherein the layer is formed from elastomeric material.

9. A shoe having a sole as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

10. A shoe having an arch support resiliently stretchable to allow partial collapse of the arch of a foot during movement.