Slippery sliders skipping shoe

Abstract

The present invention is an athletic shoe sole which facilitates sliding the foot along the surface of the ground. The shoe is designed for skipping on wood, metal, marble, or concrete, which represent materials commonly used in the construction of floors found in gymnasiums and athletic facilities. The improved sole contains a permanently attached insert covering the area distally from the arch of the foot to the toes lying generally beneath the ball of the foot. The low traction insert is of UHMW or alternatively of a thermoplastic nylon construction which enables the wearer to slide the feet along the floor in a fluid forward motion when skipping. The insert is permanently affixed to the sole of the shoe within a pocket formed in the out-sole of the shoe. Application of an aerosol silicone lubricant and release agent on the insert portion of the out-sole before use further decreases the friction between the out-sole and the ground surface, thereby enhancing the sliding capabilities of the shoe.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to an athletic shoe sole, and more specifically to a shoe sole construction wherein a material with a low coefficient of friction is built into the sole at the ball of the foot to facilitate the sliding action of the foot when skipping.

[0003] 2. Description of the Background

[0004] Skipping is an activity which combines a stepping and a hopping motion to achieve forward locomotion. A person begins the skipping step by standing upright with your arms at your sides for balance. A forward step is taken with one foot, while the other foot pushes-off. The foot used to push-off rises off the ground and forces the body in an upward and forward direction, thereby producing the hopping motion. The forward foot, which initiated the stepping motion, is caused to slide along the ground in a forward direction. The foot used to push-off transitions to the forward stepping foot, returning to the ground in front of the body. The sliding foot transitions to the pushing-off foot, and the entire motion is repeated to continue in a forward direction.

[0005] An essential component of skipping is the ability of the foot in contact with the ground to slide along the surface of the ground as a reaction to the pushing-off action of the opposite foot. The sliding motion occurs at the ball of the foot posterior to the toes and anterior to the heel and arch of the foot. To facilitate this sliding motion, it would be greatly advantageous while skipping to wear a shoe with an out-sole at the ball of the foot comprised of a material having a low coefficient of friction.

[0006] Modification of the out-sole of athletic footwear is well known within the background art as a method of improving performance. Wearer comfort, cushioning, support, torsion control, traction, and flexibility, have each been addressed by modification of the out-sole of the shoe.

[0007] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,948 to Ellis shows an athletic shoe sole comprising a lateral stability sipe whereby improved lateral support is provided to the foot.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,615 to Day teaches an athletic shoe sole having a slidably engaged platform defining a plurality of ports for receiving a corresponding plurality of cleats, thereby improving traction and performance of the shoe.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,762 to Walters discloses an athletic shoe sole wherein a composite sole is provided with air cylinders which provide greater cushioning during the weighting of the foot by a wearer's walking or running.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,649 to Saurwein shows an athletic shoe assembly with heel and toe section flange shaped turf-gripping members for increased traction on artificial turf.

[0011] Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,597 to Thomasson teaches an athletic shoe sole with a twist-flex portion below the ball of the user's foot to facilitate torsion of the shoes in specific areas of the sole and stiffening in other areas.

[0012] However, although a plethora of athletic shoe sole designs exist, none of the above prior art references, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Absent from the background art is a design which incorporates an insert with a low coefficient of friction at the ball of the foot to promote the sliding of the feet over wood, metal, marble, or concrete surfaces. On the contrary, most sole constructions which make-up the background art are designed for exactly the opposite function, namely: improved traction and slip resistance. All cleated and spiked soles within the background art, for example, fall within this group.

[0013] The prior art does, however, reveal one activity which calls for a shoe designed to facilitate a sliding motion: bowling. Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,198 to Famolare describes a bowling shoe with a replaceable tread insert for varying the friction of the shoe sole on the bowling surface. Famolare '198, however, is distinguished from the present invention in that the slide pad in the bowling shoe is not an integral part of the out-sole. Rather, a primary objective of the sole design in Famolare '198 is to allow the slide pad to be attached or removed from the sole depending on the degree of friction sought by the wearer. Consequently, the invention claims a method for attachment and removal of the sliding pad to the outer sole of the bowling shoe.

[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,664 to Taylor likewise shows a bowling shoe designed to allow the foot to slide along the surface of the floor. Taylor '664 differs markedly form the present invention, however, as the novelty of the Taylor '664 sole is found in the heel design rather than the design at the ball of the foot. Taylor '664 presents a heel design wherein the heel of the sliding foot differs from the heel on the non-sliding foot. The former heel is comprised of inside and outside sections with different coefficients of friction. In addition, Taylor '664 teaches a sole with a lower co-efficient of friction on the sliding foot compared to the sole on the non-sliding foot, but Taylor uses a different material to reduce friction, namely leather, and shows a different manner of attaching the material to the shoe.

[0015] Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide an athletic shoe sole including an insert having an outwardly disposed surface with a low coefficient of friction.

[0016] It is another object to provide an athletic shoe sole including an insert having an outwardly disposed surface with a low coefficient of friction at the ball of the foot.

[0017] It is yet another object to permanently attach said insert with the low coefficient of friction as an integral part of the out-sole of the athletic shoe.

[0018] It is still another object of the invention to facilitate the forward sliding motion of the foot relative to the ground when skipping.

[0019] A further object is to maintain the slipperiness of the sole through application of an aerosol silicone lubricant and release agent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and certain modifications thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0021] FIG. 1 is a bottom plan perspective view of the out-sole of the skipping shoe according to the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the out-sole according to the present invention showing a condition wherein the low friction insert is separated from the remainder of the out-sole for purposes of illustration.

[0023] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the perimeter construction of the low friction insert as shown in FIG. 2.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of successive placement of the feet when skipping wherein the foot in contact with the ground is shown to slide along the surface as the body moves forward.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Referring now by reference numerals and first to FIG. 1 it will be understood that the athletic shoe 1 shown in the drawings is a skipping shoe having a sole and an upper. The following description is applicable to either the left or the right shoe sole, and the invention contemplates the incorporation of the sole into both the left and right shoe of the pair. The upper 10 may be of a high top or low top conventional design. The sole consists of an out-sole 12 and an insole (obscured in FIG. 1). The out-sole, in contact with the ground when the shoe is worn, is of a basic rubber compound molded to form a continuous element which serves as the bottom of the shoe from the heel forward to the toe. In the area distally from the heel to the toes lying generally beneath the ball of the foot, the out-sole comprises an insert 14 of a material having a low coefficient of friction. The insert comprises a thermoplastic material having superior abrasion resistance, tensile strength, energy absorption, and resistance to cracking. A thermoplastic of Ultra High Molecular Weight material, UHMW, represents the ideal insert material. UHMW exhibits excellent anti-adhesion properties as well as anti-abrasion properties. The material is water repellant, impact resistant, and durable. The insert is permanently attached to the out-sole.

[0026] Trim pieces 16a, 16b, 17a, and 17b strengthen the composite out-sole and render it watertight. The trim pieces 16a and 16b are integral parts of the molded rubber out-sole 12, which fold over and cover the periphery of the UHMW insert 14 along its lateral margins. Rubber cement bonds the trim to the UHMW insert 14 (the peripheral construction of which is described below). Trim pieces 17a and 17b are molded independently of the out-sole 12, and are affixed to the proximal and distal margins of the UHMW insert 14.

[0027] The toe of the out-sole, in the area between the forward edge of the shoe and the forward border of the insert, comprises a brake pad 18. The brake pad 18 is formed by thickening the molded rubber of the continuous out-sole 12 in a crescent shape having a depth of approximately ¼ inch. Under normal sliding conditions, the toe is slightly elevated and the brake pad 18 will thereby not make contact with the surface of the ground. If the wearer wishes to stop the sliding motion, the toe may be lowered causing the brake pad 18 to contact the ground, the friction generated thereby causing the wearer to come to rest.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the composite out-sole wherein the low coefficient of friction insert 14 has been detached for purposes of illustration. The continuous out-sole 12 is molded to form a pocket 20 in the area corresponding generally to the ball of the foot. The pocket 20 is bound on four sides by a wall 22. The wall 22 begins at the outer surface of the out-sole 12 and continues inwardly along the inside margin of the pocket 20. The wall 22 makes a perpendicular juncture at a surface 23 which forms the top margin of the pocket 20. Integral trim pieces 16a and 16b are shown in FIG. 2 unfolded along the lateral margins of the pocket. It is to be understood that the out-sole 12, the pocket 20, the wall 22, the trim pieces 16a, 16b, and the top surface 23 are a single continuous unit of molded rubber. FIG. 2 further shows, the individual trim pieces 17a and 17b detached from the out-sole 12 for purposes of illustration.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the peripheral construction of the insert 14 comprised of thermoplastic nylon sheets cut to the shape of the region of the out-sole from the arch of the foot forward to the proximal end of the toes and laterally from the right edge of the shoe to the left edge. Acrylic cement will not bond to the insert material 36. To compensate for this characteristic of the material and still enable attachment of the insert 36 to the continuous out-sole 12 as shown in FIG. 1, it is necessary to build-up the periphery of the insert as follows: A strip of supple leather 30 equal in length to the circumference of the UHMW insert 36, but greater in width than the side margins of the insert 36 is mechanically attached to the UHMW insert 36 with machine screws and bolts. The lateral margin 34 and inner surface 38 of the UHMW insert 36 are thereby entirely covered in supple leather. The leather extends over the border 35 of the outwardly facing surface 39 of the UHMW insert 36 approximately ¼″, or to the extent necessary to provide a mounting surface for attachment of trim pieces 16a, 16b, 17a, and 17b. The leather 30 provides a subsurface to which a molding 32 may be attached along the lateral margin 34 of the UHMW insert 36 using rubber cement. The molding 32 may be cast from molding rubber of room temperature volcanization material, RTV, or comparable molding rubber which provides a superior light-weight flexible molding material. The fully assembled insert 14 as shown in FIG. 3 may thereby be permanently attached to the pocket 20 of the out-sole 12 as shown in FIG. 2 to form the composite sole 1 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0030] The athletic shoe sole construction taught herein is applicable to both the right and left soles. It is to be understood that the construction of the pocket 20 and insert 14 for the right foot will correspond to the shape of the right foot, and the pocket 20 and insert 14 for the left foot will correspond to the shape of the left foot. An insole of press-board, foam material or the like may placed inside the shoe above and against the out-sole to provide cushioning to the ball of the wearer's foot where the greatest pressure is focused during the act of sliding. The insole may further comprise reinforcement at the arch of the foot to increase ankle support by preventing pronation of the ankle as the foot strikes and sides along the ground.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the placement of the feet when skipping. An aerosol silicone lubricant and release agent my be applied to the exterior surface of the insert to maintain the slipperiness during use. The feet are placed alongside each other in the starting position 50. A forward step is taken (the left foot initiating the step in FIG. 4) followed by a pushing-off and forward placement of the lagging foot (shaded feet represent the motion of pushing off). The forward and upward force exerted by the lagging foot causes the forward foot to lift slightly and slide along 52 the ground thereby moving the body forward. The forward foot remains in contact with the ground throughout the motion, but does not bear the full force of the person's weight as it slides, the force of the person's downwardly acting weight being directed upwardly by the pushing-off action of the lagging foot. The sliding foot 52, shown as the left foot in FIG. 5, comes momentarily to rest as the lagging foot transitions to the forward foot. The left foot 56, now the lagging foot, repeats the pushing-off action causing the now forward right foot to lift slightly and slide forward 54. This alternating sequence of steps is repeated thereby propelling the body in a forward direction.

[0032] Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An athletic shoe sole construction comprising:

(a) an outsole of molded rubber comprising an integral pocket,

(b) an insert having a low coefficient of friction, and having the shape of the left foot or right foot,

whereby said insert is permanently placed within said pocket to facilitate the sliding of the foot along the ground when skipping.

2. An athletic shoe sole as defined in claim 1, wherein said insert is comprised of UHMW, or alternatively of a thermoplastic nylon construction, said insert being cut to the shape of a pocket within said out-sole.

3. An athletic shoe sole as defined in claim 1, wherein said insert is wrapped in supple leather, said leather entirely covering one face and the lateral margin of said insert, and partially covering the opposite face of said insert.

4. The insert of claim 2, further comprising a molding of RTV molding rubber, said molding being attached circumferentially to the lateral margins of said leather wrapped insert.

5. An athletic shoe sole as defined in claim 1, wherein said out-sole further comprises integral trim pieces which laterally border the periphery of said pocket and which fold over and cover the seam at the juncture of said out-sole and said insert, whereby the composite sole is strengthened and made watertight.

6. An athletic shoe sole as defined in claim 1, wherein said insert is covered by individual pieces of molding rubber attached at the proximal and distal margins of said insert, whereby the composite sole is strengthened and made watertight.

7. The athletic shoe sole of claim 1, wherein said out-sole is a single continuous unit of molded rubber comprising an out-sole, lateral trim pieces, and a pocket, said pocket further comprising an internal wall having four sides and terminating in a flat top surface.

8. The athletic shoe sole of claim 1, wherein said out-sole is comprised of a continuous construction from the heel forward to the toes and is of a basic rubber compound formed from a molded rubber compound, the forward portion comprising a brake pad formed by increasing the depth of the rubber beyond the surface of the balance of the sole.