Shoe Cleat for Non-Cleated Shoes

Abstract

A shoe cleat for installation on a non-cleated shoe provides a disk shaped base having opposing surfaces with a ground surface engaging protuberance on one base surface, and a threaded sole engaging screw on the opposing base surface. A cleat wrench releasably engages with outer peripheral configuration of the surface engage protuberance and allows the cleat to be threadably engaged in a shoe sole by a user.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or in any foreign country.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to shoe traction cleats, and more particularly to shoe traction cleats that are user mounted on the bottom of footwear, not manufactured with cleat mounting hardware thereon.

2. Background and Description of Prior Art

Many types of the footwear, and particularly athletic footwear, are fitted with spikes, cleats or studs in order that the wearer may maintain footing during athletic activities and when the ground is wet, slippery, uneven, and during rapid movement such as running, stopping and turning. This type of footwear is commonly used by athletes, and participants in a variety of sporting activities including, but not limited to soccer players, golfers, sprinter's and football players.

The spikes, cleats and studs on the sole portions of such footwear are typically configured to engage with a supporting ground surface and penetrate or interweave with that surface. Examples of such ground surfaces may include, but are not limited to, natural turf, synthetic turf, dirt, as well as other surfaces.

Traditionally, the spikes, cleats or studs (hereinafter referred to collectively as “cleats”) have been of a type that comprise a threaded stud for releasably attaching the cleats into a threaded orifice defined in a sole portion of an athletic shoe. The threaded orifice typically contains a metal “blind nut” that is positionally maintained by the natural forming of the shoe sole. In order to accommodate the blind nut and the threaded stud of the cleat, the sole of the shoe must be quite thick. Unfortunately, a thick sole makes a shoe heavy, less flexible and therefore less comfortable for the wearer. In addition, such athletic shoes are commonly only used during the athletic activity and therefore are difficult to “break in” and make comfortable for user.

An advantage of such known threaded cleats is that the cleat may be replaced when worn or broken, or when the shoe is to be used on a different type of ground surface (e.g. natural turf vs. artificial turf) if conditions change (e.g. dry turf vs. wet turf).

Typically, athletic shoes that carry such cleats are manufactured specifically for such purpose, and the sole portions of said shoes define a plurality of spacedly arrayed threaded orifices into which threaded portions of the cleats releasably engage. The placement/location of the spacedly arrayed threaded orifices is predetermined during the manufacturing process of the shoe and therefore a user's only choice is to use/install different types of cleats or to use/install only some cleats while leaving other threaded orifices empty.

Footwear that is designed for particular athletic activities is generally expensive and specialized and cannot be easily worn. In addition, user may find it is difficult to “break-in” such footwear to make it comfortable so that it does not cause “rub spots” and so that the shoe “stretches” and otherwise “molds” to the particularities of the user's foot to become comfortable.

My invention aims to resolve these and other disadvantages inherent in known athletic shoes having cleats by providing a shoe cleat that is user installable on a sole portion of an athletic shoe that does not carry manufacturer installed threaded orifices for engagement with known threaded cleats. My invention is a shoe cleat having a disk shaped base with opposing surfaces, carrying a sole engaging threaded screw on one surface of the base, and a ground engaging protrusion on the opposing surface of the base. A portion of the ground engaging protrusion releasably engages in a socket defined in a cleat wrench which allows the cleats to be rotatably installed by a user on a sole of nearly any shoe, in any configuration desired by the user. The cleat base is concave, defining an interior depression on the side portion adjacent the sole engaging screw, and a circumferentially extending a lip extending about the cleat base frictionally engages with the shoe sole to prevent rotation and inadvertent “loosening” of the cleat once installed.

My invention allows traction cleats to be installed on nearly any type of shoe, including shoes that are “broken in” and comfortable for a user. A variety of cleat configurations, which include, but are not limited to single spikes, plural spikes, stars, and ridges, and combinations thereof are carried on the base portion opposite to the sole engaging screw and provide frictional engagement with the ground surface so that a user main engage in athletic activities on a variety of types of ground surface including natural turf, artificial turf, dirt and so on during athletic activities without slipping and sliding.

My invention does not reside in any of the foregoing features individually but rather in the synergistic combination of all of its structures, which necessarily give rise to the functions flowing therefrom as herein specified and claimed.

SUMMARY

A shoe cleat for installation on a non-cleated shoe provides a disk shaped base having opposing surfaces with a ground surface engaging protuberance on one base surface, and a threaded sole engaging screw on the opposing base surface. A cleat wrench releasably engages with outer peripheral configuration of the surface engage protuberance and allows the cleat to be threadably engaged in a shoe sole by a user.

In providing such an apparatus it is:

a principal object to provide a shoe cleat traction that may be user installed on a shoe not having shoe cleat receptacles.

a further object to provide such a shoe cleat traction that may be installed on a shoe by a user.

a further object to provide such a shoe cleat traction that allows a running shoe to be converted into a cleated shoe.

a further object to provide a tool that allows traction cleats to be installed on non-cleated shoes.

a further object to provide a method of installing traction cleats on shoes not having shoe cleats orifices defined in the sale portion of the shoe.

a still further object to provide such apparatus that is of new and novel design, of a rugged and durable nature, of simple and economic manufacture and use and one that is otherwise well suited to the uses and purposes for which it is intended.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following specification and accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. In carrying out the objects of my invention it is to be understood that its features are susceptible to change in design and structural arrangement with only one preferred and practical embodiment of the best known mode being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specified, as is required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein like numbers and references refer to similar parts throughout:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a shoe sole, shown in dashed outline, having plural shoe traction cleats installed thereon.

FIG. 2 is an isometric bottom and side view of one embodiment of my shoe traction cleat showing a single ground engaging protuberance.

FIG. 3 is an isometric top and side view of the shoe traction cleat of FIG. 2, showing the sole engaging threaded screw.

FIG. 4 is an orthographic bottom view of the shoe traction cleat FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an orthographic screw side view of the shoe traction cleat of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an orthographic side view of the shoe traction cleat of the FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a cleat wrench positioned spacedly above shoe traction cleat engaged in a sole portion of a shoe.

FIG. 8 is an orthographic cross section view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7 showing the shoe traction cleat of FIG. 7 installed in a sole portion of a shoe.

FIG. 9 is an isometric side and the bottom view of a second embodiment of a shoe traction cleat, showing the ground engaging protuberance.

FIG. 10 is an isometric side and bottom view of a shoe traction cleat, showing a third embodiment of the ground engaging protuberance having a central hexagonal protuberance for engagement with the cleat wrench, socket and plural spacedly arrayed conical protrusions.

FIG. 11 is an isometric side and bottom view of a shoe traction cleat, showing forth embodiment of the ground engaging protuberance having a central hexagonal protuberance for engagement with the cleat wrench, socket and plural spacedly arrayed radially extending protrusions.

FIG. 12 is an isometric side and sole engaging side view of the shoe traction cleat of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an isometric side and bottom view of a shoe traction cleat, showing fifth embodiment of the ground engaging protuberance having a central hexagonal protuberance for engagement with the cleat wrench, socket and plural spacedly arrayed radially extending protrusions.

FIG. 14 is an isometric side and sole engaging side view of the shoe traction cleat of FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As used herein, the term “bottom”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to that portion of the apparatus vertically proximate to a sole portion of a shoe. The term “top”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refer to that portion of the apparatus vertically distal from the sole portion of the shoe.

Referring to the Figures and more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, my shoe cleat 19 generally provides a disk shaped base 30, a screw 20 for releasable engagement with a shoe sole 61, and a ground engaging protuberance 40.

The base 30 is generally disk shaped and has a sole side surface 31, an opposing ground side surface 32 and a circumferential edge 33 extending thereabout. A sole engaging lip 35 extends about the circumferential edge 33 and extends toward the sole side surface 31 causing the sole side surface 31 to be somewhat concave in configuration. A Sole engaging protuberance 36 extends upwardly from the sole side surface 31 to provide additional frictional engagement with the shoe sole 61 when the cleat 19 is engaged therewith to prevent unintentional loosening of the cleat 19 which might allow the cleat 19 to disengage from the shoe sole 61. Diameter 37 and radius 38 of the base 30 are of a size to permit plural cleats 19 to be installed on a shoe sole 61 in a user defined configuration. Further, the diameter 37 is of size that provides sufficient frictional engagement between the sole engaging lip 35 and the shoe sole 61 to prevent unintentional rotation of the shoe cleat 19 which might be caused by use of the shoe in athletic activities which might include twisting, turning and the like.

The screw 20 is carried on the sole side surface 31 of the base 30 and extends generally axially therefrom. The screw 20 has a tip end portion 22 distal from the base 30, and a base end portion 23 adjacent the sole side surface 31. In the preferred embodiment, the screw 20 is somewhat conical in configuration and defines laterally extending threads 21 that extend from the tip end portion 22 to the base end portion 23. Notches 25 are spacedly arrayed about the threads 21 to enhance frictional engagement between the threads 21 and the shoe sole 61 when the screw 20 is threaded therein. The additional frictional engagement provided by the notches 25 further prevents the cleats 19 from inadvertently or unintentionally rotating relative to the shoe sole 61 which might allow the cleat 19 to disengage, or become loose. The screw 20 preferably tapers 24 from the base end portion 23 toward the tip end portion 22 which is sufficiently pointed to penetrate into the shoe sole 61 to allow the threads 21 to engage with and be “drawn” into the shoe sole 61 as the cleat 19 is rotated.

The ground engaging protuberance 40 is carried on the ground side surface 32 of the base 30 and extends generally axially therefrom the ground engaging protrusion 40 may have a variety of configurations that may depend upon the activities for which the cleat 19 is used, as well as the type of ground surface. As shown in FIG. 2 in a first preferred embodiment the ground engaging protuberance 40 has a tip end portion 41 distal from the base 30, and a base end portion 42 adjacent to the ground side surface 32. The tip end portion 41 is preferably pointed to enhance penetration, and engagement, with a ground surface such as, but not limited to natural turf or artificial turf. The base end portion 42 preferably has a hexagonal peripheral configuration for engagement with a socket (not shown) defined in a cleat wrench 50 (FIG. 7). In the preferred embodiment, the ground engaging protuberance 40 tapers from a part spacedly above the hexagonal cleat wrench 70 portion to the tip portion 41. Although the protuberance 40 is shown as hexagonal in FIG. 2, it is anticipated the protuberance 40 may also have other shapes including but not limited to conical, cylindrical, hexagonal, triangular and any other configuration that provides stable engagement with a ground surface.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 13 it is further anticipated that the ground engaging protuberance 40 may have other configurations that are more suitable or appropriate for specialized athletic activities, such as soccer, golf, football, baseball and the like. As shown in FIG. 10, plural conically shaped ground engaging protuberances 40A are spacedly arrayed about the hexagonal ground penetrating protuberance 40 on the ground side surface 32. The hexagonal protuberance 40 provides for releasable engagement with the socket (not shown) of the cleat wrench 50 for installation and removal of the cleat 19. FIGS. 11 and 13 show additional variations of configurations of the ground engaging protrusions 40b, 40c which are more suitable for shoes that may occasionally be worn indoors such as golf shoes, so that the ground engaging protrusions 40a, 40b do not damage interior floors while still providing adequate gripping and penetration of a turf surface.

The cleat wrench 50 (FIG. 7) may be a “T” shaped structure having a handle 51 and extension 53 extending perpendicularly from the handle 51 at a generally medial position thereon. A cleat socket 52 is carried by the extension 53 opposite the handle 51. The cleat socket 52 defines a cavity (not shown) having a interior configuration that allows the socket 52 to releasably engage with the ground engaging protrusion 40 sufficiently securely to permit the cleat wrench 50 to be used to force the tip end portion 22 of the screw 20 to penetrate into the shoe sole 61, and also to permit a user using the cleat wrench 50 to rotate the cleat 19 sufficiently to cause the threads 21 on the screw 20 to penetrate into and engage with the shoe sole 61 effectively securing the cleat 19 to the shoe sole 61. Likewise, the protrusion 40 will also allow the cleat wrench 50 to be used to remove the cleats 19 from the shoe sole 61 if desired by the user.

Having described the structure of my shoe cleat for non-cleated shoes, its operation may be understood.

A shoe 60 that is desired to have cleats 19 installed thereon is positioned on a hard, stable surface, such as a tabletop, with the sole portion 61 facing upwardly. It is imperative that the sole portion have a thickness greater than the height of the screw 20 so that the tip end portion 22 of the screw 20 does not penetrate through the shoe sole 61 such that it may cause injury to the user. The user determines the desired configuration of the cleats 19 and marks those locations on the shoe sole 61 with a marking instrument, such as a pen or pencil. It is imperative that the markings be placed a sufficient distance away from one another so that the base portions 30 do not overlap one another. This distance may be calculated by measuring the diameter 37 of a base 30, and using that diameter measurement between each and every location. The measurement of the radius 38 of the base 30 should be maintained between any edge portion (not shown) of the shoe sole 61 so that circumferential edge 33 of the base 30 does not extend outwardly of the shoe sole 61.

Once the user determines the locations for the cleats 19, the user should grasp of the cleat wrench 50 by the handle 51 with one hand and with the user's other hand, the user should place a shoe cleat 19 at location previously marked on the shoe sole 61, with the tip end portion 22 of the screw 20 directly upon the previously made location mark. The cleat socket 52 of the cleat wrench 50 should be engaged with the ground penetrating protrusion 40 so that the ground engaging protrusion 40 is fully engaged within the cleat socket 52. The user should then exert simultaneous downward and clockwise twisting pressure on the handle 51 of the cleat wrench 50 which responsively causes the tip end portion 22 of the screw 20 to penetrate into the shoe sole 61. Rotation of the cleat 19 causes the threads 21 to engage with the shoe sole 61 and continued rotation of the cleat 19 using the handle 50 causes the cleat 19 to be “drawn” into the shoe sole 61. The user should continue rotating the cleat wrench handle 51 and the cleat 19 until the sole side surface 31 of the base 30 is in direct frictional contact with the shoe sole 61 and the sole engaging lip 35 and sole engaging protuberances 36 are in direct frictional contact with the shoe sole 61. These events will likely occur at approximately the same time the user has difficulty continuing to rotate the cleat 19 clockwise.

The remaining cleats 19 are installed on the shoe sole 61 in a similar manner.

Removal of the shoe cleats 19 is accomplished by generally reversing the above described installation steps.

The foregoing description of my invention is necessarily of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of its best mode may be set forth as is required, but it is to be understood that various modifications of details, and rearrangement, substitution and multiplication of parts may be resorted to without departing from its spirit, essence or scope.

Having thusly described my invention, I pray issuance of Utility Letters Patent.

Claims

1. A traction cleat for releasable attachment to a shoe sole comprising in combination:

a base having a first side surface, an opposing second side surface and a circumferential edge extending thereabout, the circumferential edge having a sole engaging lip extending toward the first side surface;

a threaded sole engaging screw extending axially from the first side surface, the screw having a pointed tip opposite the first side surface for penetrating into the shoe sole so that the threads draw the cleat into the shoe sole as the cleat is rotated;

a ground engaging protrusion extending axially from the opposing second side surface, the ground engaging protrusion having a peripheral configuration for secure releasable engagement with a cleat wrench to rotate the cleat relative to the shoe sole to cause the cleat to penetrate into and threadably engage with the shoe sole.

2. The traction cleat of claim 1 wherein:

the cleat is installed on a shoe having a sole that is not manufactured for cleats.

3. The traction cleat of claim 1 wherein:

the threaded sole engaging screw is a self tapping screw.

4. The traction cleat of claim 1 further comprising:

plural ground engaging protrusions on the opposing second side surface of the base.

5. The traction cleat of claim 1 wherein:

the ground engaging protrusion has a hexagonal peripheral configuration adjacent the second side surface; and

the cleat wrench has a socket defining a hexagonal cavity that securely releasably interconnects with the hexagonal peripheral configuration of the ground engaging protrusion.

6. The traction cleat of claim 1 wherein:

the cleat wrench is a “T” wrench.

7. The traction cleat of claim 1 wherein:

the cleat wrench is a socket wrench carrying a socket.

8. A method of installing traction cleats on a shoe sole not manufactured for carrying shoe cleats comprising the steps of:

orienting a shoe having a sole portion so that the sole portion is upwardly facing;

marking locations for installation of traction cleats on the shoe sole with a marking instrument, the locations spaced apart from one another a distance of at least a diameter of a base portion of a traction cleat;

engaging a ground engaging protrusion of a traction cleat with a cleat wrench so that the traction cleat may be rotated relative to the shoe sole with the cleat wrench;

placing a pointed tip portion of a sole engaging screw carried by the cleat on a side portion opposite the ground engaging protrusion on the previously marked location on the shoe sole;

simultaneously exerting pressure on the cleat wrench to force the pointed tip portion of the sole engaging screw into the sole of the shoe and exerting rotational force on the cleat wrench causing the sole engaging screw to penetrate and thread into the shoe sole.