Multi Component Composite Plate Protection System for Footwear
A system of semi-flexible plates arranged and positioned within footwear so as to retain the flexibility associated with the footwear. The system utilizes panels comprised of hybrid carbon composite materials that have been specifically formed and cut to fit various components within the shoe. These semi-flexible panels are configured with apertures to receive placement stitching to retain the panels in a particular location within the construction of the shoe. Various layers of padding are provided to insulate the feet from the panels and from the external surfaces of the shoe. Plates and panels are uniquely positioned in the heel region and on the sides of the shoe or boot. The system provides inter-leaved rib plates extending from either side of the shoe up over the split tongue of the shoe providing flexible protection to both the sides and the top of the wearer's foot.
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This application claims the benefit under Title 35 United States Code §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application 61/427,793; filed Dec. 28, 2010; the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to footwear and the incorporation of protective plates and panels into footwear. The present invention relates more specifically to footwear, including shoes and boots that incorporate an array of discrete non-metallic plates and panels of composite materials that provide protection for the feet of the wearer from sharp or blunt pointed objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Efforts have been made in the past to provide protective components within footwear in order to prevent both sharp and blunt tip objects from penetrating the footwear to injure the feet of the wearer. In general, these past efforts have focused on providing protective plates and panels to the sole and/or toe areas of the feet as being the most common points of contact with objects that might penetrate the shoe or boot and injure the foot. In practice, however, injuries to the foot can occur through other parts of a shoe or boot not associated with the sole or toe.
The difficulty in providing protective panels or plates to other parts of a shoe generally derives from the need to retain flexibility for the ankle, arch, bridge, and tongue area of the shoe. The types of rigid panels or plates typically incorporated into the sole or into the toe (such as in steel toed boots) are generally not flexible enough to provide the wearer with the same level of comfort as provided for by most type of footwear. With the exception of footwear structured in the nature of ski boots (as an example) where rigidity is essential for overall support, most footwear requires enough flexibility to allow the wearer to bend at the ankles and flex their feet, even while enveloped within the typical shoe or boot. Fatigue and soreness will quickly result from any overly rigid footwear after a period of movement by the wearer.
Previous efforts that have been made to provide protective plates and panels within footwear to address the problems outlined above, have generally failed as a result of the addition of too much weight in the form of metal plates or the like, or reduced durability as a result of the movement of rigid plates within the otherwise flexible construction of the shoe or boot. The present invention addresses the above mentioned problems by providing an array of semi-flexible plates arranged and positioned within the footwear so as to retain the flexibility originally associated with the specific footwear, especially when the footwear is tightened around the foot of the wearer. The present invention utilizes panels comprised of carbon composite materials, such as Kevlar® or hybrid combinations thereof, that have been specifically formed and cut to fit various components within the shoe. These semi-flexible plates and panels are configured with apertures to receive placement stitching to retain the plates or panels loosely within a particular location within the construction of the shoe. Various layers of foam, gel, or other types of padding are provided to insulate the feet of the wearer from the panels and from the external surface of the shoe.
The array of panels and plates may be placed in those areas commonly associated with protective plates within footwear, namely the sole and toe region. Additional plates and panels are positioned in the heel region and on the sides of the shoe or boot. Most uniquely, the present invention provides inter-leaved rib plates extending from the base of either side of the shoe up over the tongue area of the shoe in a manner that provides flexible protection to the sides and top of the wearer's foot. The inter-leaved rib plates may be positioned in association with a lacing configuration or with adjustable rigid closure elements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides an array of semi-flexible plates arranged and positioned within footwear so as to retain the flexibility associated with the footwear. The present invention utilizes panels comprised of hybrid carbon composite materials that have been specifically formed and cut to fit various components within the shoe. These semi-flexible plates and panels are configured with apertures to receive placement stitching to retain the plates or panels within a particular location within the construction of the shoe. Various layers of padding are provided to insulate the feet of the wearer from the panels and from the external surfaces of the shoe. Plates and panels are uniquely positioned in the heel region and on the sides of the shoe or boot. The present invention provides inter-leaved rib plates extending from either side of the shoe up over the split tongue area of the shoe in a manner that provides flexible protection to both the sides and the top of the wearer's foot.
Reference is made first to
In
The protective plate components of the system of the present invention shown positioned within the construction of the shoe (the manner in which these plates are layered within the shoe is described in more detail below) are presented in dashed outline form and are shaded for clarity. The basic components associated with the toe and heel region are relatively straightforward and comprise toe plate 22 and heel plate 26. The sole plate is not visible in the view shown in
Most unique to the present design are lateral tongue plate ribs 24a and medial tongue plate ribs 24b. These protective panels or plates may comprise a plurality of parallel ribs separately positioned and sewn into the construction of the shoe, or (as shown in
In the embodiment shown in
It is further anticipated that when the shoe of the embodiment shown in
The interlaced configuration provides for full protection of the top of the foot without requiring two layers of protective plates. In other words, while it would certainly be possible to utilize solid plates across the tongue area of the shoe, such would greatly increase the weight of the shoe and the thickness of the upper of the shoe, especially across the top tongue area. The configuration of the present invention eliminates both weight and thickness within the shoe construction by utilizing interlaced rib components. Accommodations are also made in this configuration for the typical lacing eyelets that are positioned on either side of the shoe and which would be joined by the standard shoelace so as to allow the user to draw the sides of the shoe together for a tight fit.
In addition to the lateral and medial tongue plate ribs 24a and 24b, each side of the shoe incorporates an ankle plate. The lateral (outside) ankle plate is not seen in the view in
Reference is now made to
The protective plate construction in this embodiment is similar in most respects to the plate construction shown in
The bindings shown in
The attachment of the various protective panels and plates shown in both
Reference is next made to
The embodiment shown in
A further alternate embodiment would extend upper protective plate 116 lower over the ankle area of the medial side of the boot reducing the height of the lower heel plate 96 and side plate 98. A further alternate embodiment would introduce a third (counting from top to bottom) protective plate immediately over the ankle bone on the shoe (again, typically on the medial side of the foot) so as to provide specific protection for the ankle bone while still providing flexibility side to side at two points in the protective panel assembly. This “floating” panel 97 situated over the ankle bone would typically be formed and shaped into a domed configuration so as to allow for movement and comfort within the boot while still providing full protection for this commonly impacted point on the foot. Appropriate stitching or adhesive placement means would be utilized in conjunction with each of the various protective plate embodiments described above.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, using hybrid composite materials is the most effective approach as they provide a better balance of material properties. Suggested hybrid materials would preferably have an intermediate modulus carbon fiber such as T300 or AS4 with an E glass or Kevlar 49 fiber. The carbon/E glass hybrid would be the most cost effective solution. Hybrid fabric weight should be between 179 and 270 gsm and the armor components should consist of 3 to 4 ply of the material. Component thicknesses will vary dependent on location of use within the shoe.
Resin matrix systems used in the preferred embodiment will depend to some extent on the manufacturing approach. Thermoplastic systems have the advantage of being the most automation friendly but may be more expensive than thermoset systems. Automation should offset the cost difference to some extent and when considered together with the added storage and handling costs when using thermoset systems, should be the most appropriate.
In addition to providing a protective system for the top and front of the foot of the wearer, the systems and arrangements of the present invention retain the same flexibility associated with the leather or fabric construction normally associated with shoes and boots. In other words, whereas a solid set of panels that might overlap in the tongue area would provide a similar level of protection, the rigidity that would result from such solid panels would not allow the shoe construction to retain the flexibility required. The ribbed construction shown in the present invention not only allows for the elimination of multiple layers of protective panels, but also allows for improved flexibility between the ribs where only the leather or fabric construction of the shoe is positioned. In this manner a complete, or nearly complete, level of protection is provided across the top front of the shoe or boot construction, while the flexibility of the shoe or boot is fully retained.
Reference is next made to
In the example shown in
Each of the composite plate/ribs 130 & 131 incorporate vents 132 to facilitate the transfer of moisture from the foot (the interior of the shoe) outward. Such vents may preferably also be present in gel padding 134 which is configured as shown around the foot both above and below. Layered interior to gel padding 134 is reinforced padding 136, which in the preferred embodiment, provides a wicking action to direct moisture away from the foot and outward through vents 132. A similar structure is provided for with sole 124 of the shoe, wherein layered on insole base 126, are optional insole plate 140 and insole padding 138. Composite plate/ribs 130 & 131 are held in place using plate stitching 133 as described above.
Reference is next made to
In
The protective plate components of the fourth embodiment system of the present invention are shown positioned exterior to the construction of the shoe (the manner in which these plates are layered onto the exterior surface of the shoe is described in more detail below) and are presented in
In this fourth preferred embodiment, the most unique component is mid-shoe crossover plate 164. This unitary protective panel comprises a single plate configured with lateral apertures to form a plurality of parallel ribs each positioned and structured across the upper of the shoe. This unitary mid-shoe plate 164 is shown to incorporate apertures 168a and 168b to effectively imitate the rib function of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention described above. In this case, however, the plate is positioned on the exterior of the shoe once the user has secured the shoe to the foot and drawn the lacing tight. Mid-shoe plate 164 is then attached to the shoe by means of a number of snap connectors 170a-170d. The structure of these snap connectors is described in more detail below in conjunction with
Reference is next made to
In the example shown in
The present invention therefore provides an array of unique composite material plates positioned and retained within the structure of a shoe or boot so as to provide protection for the foot of the wearer while at the same time retaining the comfort and flexibility of the shoe or boot. The placement and configuration of the plates provide a means for protecting the foot while not significantly adding to the weight of the shoe or boot, or compromising its flexibility. In addition, the manner in which the plates are incorporated into the structure of the shoe allow for movement without the usual degrading friction that results from rigid or semi-rigid components rubbing against the cloth or leather material of the shoe construction. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that alternative placements, depending upon the type of the shoe, as well as alternative composite materials, may be used in the overall system. In addition, a wide variety of closure or tightening mechanisms beyond lacing and buckle-type straps are anticipated for use with the system of the present invention. The interlaced rib construction of the present invention allows for a wide variety of crossover tightening mechanisms of the shoe or boot. Other modifications to the basic configurations described as preferred embodiments in the above description are anticipated.
Claims
1. A system of plates arranged and positioned within the structure of a shoe or boot to provide protection against sharp or blunt force trauma to the foot of the wearer, the system comprising:
- a formed toe plate positioned and fixed within the layers of the shoe or boot, over and around the area within which the toe of the wearer is enclosed;
- a formed heel plate positioned and fixed within the layers of the shoe or boot, around the area within which the heel of the wearer is enclosed;
- a pair of ankle plates positioned and fixed within the layers of the shoe or boot, one on a medial side and one on a lateral side of the shoe or boot, in the area immediately forward of the heel plate;
- a medial side array of rib plates positioned and fixed within the layers of the shoe or boot, extending up from the medial side of the sole of the shoe or boot over the top tongue area of the shoe or boot; and
- a lateral side array of rib plates positioned and fixed within the layers of the shoe or boot, extending up from the lateral side of the sole of the shoe or boot over the top tongue area of the shoe or boot;
- wherein the medial side array of rib plates interlace with the lateral side array of rib plates across the top tongue area of the shoe or boot.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 28, 2011
Publication Date: Jan 24, 2013
Applicant:
Inventors: Adam Neal SMITH (Boerne, TX), Jose Herrera (San Antonio, TX), John Wayne Polly (Boerne, TX)
Application Number: 13/339,324
International Classification: A43B 23/00 (20060101);