Variable surface sole for bowling and other shoes
For virtually any kind of shoe, regions at the front and/or back of the heel and/or forsesole can be raised or lowered relative to the remainder of that bottom surface. In this manner, one or both of a friction or pronation adjustment can be made at the front, back, or lateral side of the foresole or heel. An adjustment device is operatively associated with one region in one of a first (foresole) or second (heel) weight bearing bottom surface, for raising and lowering the region relative to the bottom surface surrounding the region, thereby adjusting the overall texture of the weight bearing bottom surface.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), of U.S. Provisional App. No. 60/735,796 filed Nov. 11, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention pertains to performance footwear, especially walking and athletic shoes, and most particularly, bowling shoes.
As has been recognized for a number of years, and as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,907,682, experienced bowlers often desire that each of the left and right shoes exhibit different characteristics, especially with respect to sliding friction on the smooth, wooden or synthetic floors typically present in the approach region of a bowling lane. Moreover, even for one or the other of the left or right shoe, such bowler typically desires a different sliding characteristic on the foresole portion verses the heel portion of that shoe sole. In yet a further customization, the bowler may desire that the friction characteristics of each foresole and heel be adjustable depending on, for example, the surface characteristics of the bowling center in which a particular competition is staged, the day-to-day changes in temperature and humidity in the bowling center, or increase in confidence as the bowler warms up and reaches peak performance during the course of a match.
One technique for permitting a bowler to adjust the friction characteristics of one or both shoes, even during competition, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,198. The concept described therein provides for replaceable foresole and heel surface elements of different configurations and performance characteristics. Although this technique has enjoyed some commercial success, it has the disadvantages of requiring a bowler to carry a kit of varying replacement pads and, even with such a variety of pads, each adjustment increment is a step change, without continuous adjustability. A related technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,662,475 and 6,662,476.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to an aspect of the present invention, the effective friction of the shoe is adjusted by changing the position, especially raising or lowering, a region of the bottom surface of the heel and/or foresole.
For virtually any kind of shoe, regions at the front and/or back of the heel and/or forsesole can be raised or lowered relative to the remainder of that bottom surface. In this manner, one or both of a friction or pronation adjustment can be made at the front, back, or lateral side of the foresole or heel.
An adjustment device is operatively associated with one region in one of a first (foresole) or second (heel) weight bearing bottom surface, for raising and lowering the region relative to the bottom surface surrounding the region, thereby adjusting the overall texture of the weight bearing bottom surface.
In general, the shoe comprises an upper supported by a sole extending generally along a longitudinal centerline. The sole has an optionally recessed arch, a foresole defining a first, weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally forward of the arch, and a heel defining a second weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally behind the arch. Each of the first and second weight bearing surfaces are formed by contiguous regions, such as central, front, and lateral regions, which together establish overall floor or ground contact characteristics for each of the first and second weight bearing surfaces. By adjusting surface irregularities in at least one region of the heel or foresole, the overall ground contact characteristics are likewise adjusted. For convenience, the term “texture” will be used to refer to the pattern of irregularities in the floor or ground contact surface of the heel or foresole.
Viewed from a different perspective, the first and/or second weight bearing surface has an overall nominal or reference texture, and at least one, optionally distinct, region is adjustable to a plurality of fixed positions or orientations relative to the surrounding surface, thereby altering the overall texture of the bottom surface. For example, some adjustable regions can be made from a different material than the surrounding surface of the heel or foresole, and the degree of adjustment of the region determines the relative contribution of the various heel or foresole surfaces to the overall sliding or friction performance of, e.g., a bowling shoe.
Lateral adjustment can alter the effective friction characteristics of the shoe and the time dependent friction force resulting from a bowler's unique weight transfer in the foot bed during the course of completing the delivery of the bowling ball. Such adjustment can affect the area of the foresole or heel that first contacts the floor, the total area of the foresole or heel in contact with the floor during a stroke, and the weight distribution over the heel or foresole.
The ability to adjust the heel or foresole, front-to-back and side-to-side can also provide benefits in other performance characteristics that do not depend significantly on the user's sensitivity to sliding friction, but do depend on comfort or safety. In this respect, the present invention can provide pronation adjustment at the exterior of the sole, whether or not sliding and/or braking are important performance considerations.
Another advantage achievable with the present invention, is the ability to effectuate a reverse inclination on either the heel or foresole. Bowling, athletic, and other performance shoes, as well as street shoes, are universally manufactured with the main weight bearing, ground contacting surfaces of the heel in substantially the same plane as the main weight bearing, ground contacting surfaces of the foresole. In other words, the foresole and heel lie flat on a flat surface. As an example with an adjustable heel according to the invention, the neutral adjustment position can correspond to the conventional coplanar relationship between the heel and the foresole, but with adjustment options the back region of the heel weight bearing surface can be effectively raised or lowered. This added capability can be attractive to some bowlers who have unusual approaches, foot shapes, or braking tendencies.
The adjustment device can have a drive member at least partially embedded in the heel or foresole and operatively associated with at least one of the regions of the heel or foresole. An actuator is connected to the drive member for raising or lowering at least a portion of the region relative to the bottom surface surrounding the raised or lowered surface of the region, thereby adjusting the overall texture of the bottom surface. The adjustable portion of a region can be a distinct pad and the adjustment device selectively raises or lowers the pad. The pad can have one or more cleats.
The adjustment device is preferably accessible as the sole faces the user's hand or a tool in the user's hand. Alternatively, the adjustment device can be accessed at an upstanding lateral surface of the heel, such as at the back rim. Actuation of the device can be by any means under the control of the end-user of the shoe. An adjustable plug, jack, lever or the like can be pushed or extended through the footbed or mid sole, to extend a pad in the heel or foresole. An air injection pump or other diaphragm or bladder-type member can likewise be used for this purpose.
The adjustment device can take a variety of forms. In one embodiment, one disc is embedded in a base portion of the sole, such as in the midsole, and another disc is embedded in a movable pad of the sole, with a threaded bore for receiving a worm screw or the like that has its drive end accessible at the exterior of the sole. With a screw driving device such as an Allen wrench or the like, the user can readily displace the disc in the movable pad relative to the stationary disc in the base of the sole, thereby raising or lowering the pad. This can be implemented for continuous adjustment, or be ratcheted for repeatable stepwise adjustment.
In another form, the adjustment device could be a disc interposed between the base portion of the sole and the movable pad in the sole, mounted for rotation with an arc of the disc accessible externally for rotation by the user. The disc has a variable thickness that cams the pad up or down.
It should thus be appreciated that an important aspect of the invention is that the exposed surface of the sole, i.e., one or both of the heel or foresole, is adjusted, not the footbed or other shoe component that conforms to the wearer's foot. The purpose of the adjustment is to increase or decrease the surface area of the sole, or the particular regions of the sole, that contact the ground or floor. The footbed remains in the same relation to the shoe centerline, but the exposed surface of the adjusted sole portion changes. This adjustment can affect the timing of when certain portions of the sole contact the ground, which of multiple materials contact the ground and in what sequence, and how the weight of the wearer is distributed on various portions of the foresole and heel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Adjustable pads 102, 104 can be provided in the foresole and/or the heel, and made of the same or different material than the main bottom surface, for adjusting one or both of the friction and weight distribution aspects of the shoe.
The adjustment device 106 shown in
Without intending to be limited,
Preferably, the surface characteristics of the pads 102, 104 are different from the characteristics of the surrounding bottom surface 122, 126. If made of the same basic material, the pad and surrounding surface can have different texture. Generally, however, the pad would be made of a different material, e.g., one would be a synthetic or rubber material, whereas the other would be leather. Under most circumstances, the surface area of the pad or pads occupies about 35 to 65 percent of the total bottom surface of the foresole (or heel), with about 50 percent preferred.
In the embodiment 400 of
Alternatively, as shown schematically in
The
It should be appreciated that the foregoing embodiments can be implemented with only one adjustment device per pad, but for larger pads two devices enhance stability and offer greater precision. Two or more pads can be used in combination, at different projection heights from the surrounding surfaces, for even more flexibility in fore/aft and lateral adjustment. The invention can be used in other types of performance shoes, including but not limited to shoes used in court games, such as basketball or tennis, field games, and walking shoes, driving shoes, hiking shoes etc.
Claims
1. A shoe having an adjustable weight bearing bottom surface, comprising:
- an upper supported by a sole extending generally along a longitudinal centerline, said sole having an arch, a foresole defining a first, weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally forward of the arch, and a heel defining a second weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally behind the arch, each of said first and second weight bearing bottom surfaces formed by contiguous regions which collectively establish an overall texture, respectively, for each of said first and second weight bearing bottom surfaces; and
- an adjustment device operatively associated with one of said regions in one of said first or second weight bearing bottom surfaces, for raising and lowering said one region relative to the bottom surface surrounding said one region, thereby adjusting the overall texture of said one weight bearing bottom surface.
2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said adjustment device has a drive member at least partially embedded in the sole and operatively associated with said one region, and an actuator connected to the drive member and accessible when the shoe is held in one hand, such that manual adjustment of said actuator raises or lowers said one region relative to the bottom surface surrounding said one region, thereby adjusting the overall texture of said one bottom weight bearing surface.
3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said one region is a distinct pad and the adjustment device selectively raises or lowers the pad.
4. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the pad comprises at least one cleat.
5. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the shoe is a bowling shoe and the pad is in the heel.
6. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the shoe is a bowling shoe and the pad is in the foresole.
7. The shoe of claim 3, wherein at least one pad is in each of the heel and the foresole.
8. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the adjustment device selectively raises or lowers the entire pad the same distance.
9. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the pad is substantially centered on the centerline and comprises a plurality of cleats at least some of which are situated laterally of the centerline.
10. The shoe of claim 3, wherein a drive member is embedded in the foresole on each lateral side of the centerline such that respective pads can each be adjusted individually.
11. The shoe of claim 2, wherein
- said sole includes an exterior outsole having said bottom weight bearing surfaces and a midsole between the upper and the outsole;
- said drive member spans said mid sole and outsole; and
- said actuator selectively expands or contracts said drive member to push or pull said one region away from or toward the midsole.
12. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said one region comprises ripples having a nominal amplitude, and said adjustment varies the amplitude.
13. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said one region is a distinct pad having ripples of nominal amplitude, and said adjustment varies the amplitude.
14. The shoe of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said adjustment devices with respective regions distributed as distinct pads that can be raised or lowered, on the foresole.
15. The shoe of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said adjustment devices with respective regions distributed as distinct pads that can be raised or lowered, on the heel.
16. The shoe of claim 14, wherein at least one pad is situated on each side of the centerline.
17. The shoe of claim 15, wherein at least one pad is situated on each side of the centerline.
18. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said one region has an exposed surface of one type of material and the bottom surface surrounding the adjustable region is a different material.
19. The shoe of claim 18, wherein one material is leather and the other material is synthetic.
20. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is a bowling shoe.
21. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is a driving shoe.
22. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is a court shoe.
23. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is a hiking shoe.
24. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is a field game shoe.
25. A shoe having a sole extending generally along a longitudinal centerline, said sole having an arch, a foresole defining a first, weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally forward of the arch, and a heel defining a second weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally behind the arch, said first weight bearing surface having an overall nominal texture, wherein the improvement comprises:
- said first weight bearing surface having at least one distinct region that is adjustable to a plurality of fixed positions relative to the first bottom surface surrounding said one region, thereby altering the overall nominal texture of said first bottom surface.
26. The shoe of claim 25, comprising:
- an adjustment device having a drive member at least partially embedded in the foresole and operatively associated with said one region, and
- an actuator connected to the drive member and accessible when the shoe is held in one hand, such that manual adjustment of said actuator raises or lowers said one region to one of said fixed positions relative to the first bottom surface surrounding said one region, thereby altering the overall nominal texture of said first bottom surface.
27. The shoe of claim 26, wherein the manual adjustment raises or lowers said one region the same distance.
28. The shoe of claim 26, wherein the manual adjustment raises or lowers said one region with a bowed profile.
29. A shoe having a sole extending generally along a longitudinal centerline, said sole having an arch, a foresole defining a first, weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally forward of the arch, and a heel defining a second weight bearing bottom surface longitudinally behind the arch, said second weight bearing surface having an overall nominal texture, wherein the improvement comprises:
- said second weight bearing surface having at least one distinct region that is adjustable to a plurality of fixed positions into and out of the second bottom surface surrounding said one region, thereby altering the overall nominal texture of said second bottom surface.
30. The shoe of claim 29, comprising:
- an adjustment device having a drive member at least partially embedded in the heel and operatively associated with said one region, and
- an actuator connected to the drive member and accessible when the shoe is held in one hand, such that manual adjustment of said actuator raises or lowers said one region to one of said fixed positions relative to the second bottom surface surrounding said one region, thereby altering the overall nominal texture of said second bottom surface.
31. The shoe of claim 30, wherein the manual adjustment raises or lowers said one region the same distance.
32. The shoe of claim 30, wherein the manual adjustment raises or lowers said one region with a bowed profile.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 2, 2006
Publication Date: May 17, 2007
Inventors: Thomas Seeman (Weston, MA), Stephen Pasternak (Englewood, FL)
Application Number: 11/446,432
International Classification: A43B 21/24 (20060101); A43C 15/00 (20060101); A43B 5/00 (20060101);