CN1016227B - Shoes with midsoles having compressible bridges and bendable stops - Google Patents

Abstract

A shoe includes a plurality of pairs of ribs between a midsole and an outsole. All ribs have at least one arcuate or bowed surface formed along the length of the rib. At least one compressible bridge is positioned in the space between adjacent pairs of ribs to prevent one of the pair of ribs from contacting the other of the pair of ribs.

Description

In recent years, we have found that the number of people who take running and jogging as a recreational activity has increased significantly. However, with this increasing trend, a large number of injuries and accidents have occurred due to the use of sports shoes that do not cushion the user's feet well with proper cushioning.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the good shock absorption and flexibility of the described athletic and non-athletic shoes are two very important features, as are the large numbers of those millions of recreational runners. important feature. Both shoes should have flex that allows a lot of flex in the natural bend of the foot, yet be flexible enough to withstand shock, yet soft enough to provide the user with adequate cushioning and comfort. An important feature that is equally useful in non-athletic shoes as it is in athletic shoes. In addition, the sole also controls the forward or backward tilt of the foot and provides positioning resistance to prevent unexpected impact forces, especially in the heel area.

Most shoe sole structures suitable for commercial production today are three-layer construction, including an outsole, a midsole and an insole. Because the outsole is the part of the shoe that comes into contact with the ground, the outsole is made of a strong, abrasion-resistant material. The midsole is the part between the outsole and the insole of the shoe. Its function is to raise the heel and cushion the entire shoe. The insole is generally used to connect the midsole with the shoe structure itself.

Most commercially available midsoles in use today are made of a single layer of compressible rubber or similar material. The force required to initially compress such a material is small, but But when a force is applied to the material, a large force must be applied to further compress the material.

Prior art shoes show the use of midsoles or outsoles with ribs or ridges, at least some of which are inclined to the normal surface of the shoe. These specially designed soles initially deform when force is applied to the sole. As opposed to compressive forces, the force acting on a rib or ridge to initially bend it is considerable, but as this force is increased, the average force for additional bending of the rib or ridge decreases.

Although the ribs of some prior art shoe soles make initial contact with adjacent ribs on the outsole line, these ribs do not initially bend, and when additional force is subsequently applied, the contact of adjacent ribs will produce a force that must be removed by the wearer. The compressive force that the individual overcomes.

While it has been determined that applying a midsole made of a material that bends when forces are applied will provide a better cushioning surface than applying a midsole made of only a single piece of material, it should also be determined that greater Cushioned shoes.

Broadly speaking, the present invention is the development of a combination of the prior art monolithic midsoles and the prior art midsoles comprising a plurality of ribs capable of flexing.

To achieve its object, the present invention provides a midsole having a plurality of pairs of ribs, each pair of ribs comprising opposing arcuate, arcuate or convexly rounded members, the ribs of adjacent pairs of these pairs being spaced apart so that when each individual When the ribs are bent, corresponding ribs in adjacent pairs of ribs abut and contact each other. In this way, each rib of the midsole will initially deform and ripple to adjacent ribs in abutment contact between ribs, so that these ribs compress. The ribs arranged in rows are either perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shoe, or at different angles to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. The design of this particular type of midsole is based on US Patent Nos. 4,536,974 and 4,611,412.

In addition, the present invention provides plugs between the ribs in one or more pairs of ribs. or by providing a plug between adjacent pairs of ribs to control the forward or backward tilt of the foot and provide positioning resistance to prevent unexpected impact forces.

Furthermore, when the plugs are inserted between adjacent pairs of ribs, they substantially completely fill the entire space between the adjacent pairs of ribs to prevent bending of the middle bottom ribs. This embodiment implements a method for selectively providing midsoles with different resistances for individual users or specific sports. This particular design is based on US Patent S.N. 054808, filed May 27, 1987.

Although described in U.S. Patent No. 4,536,974 and No. 4,611,412 have achieved great success by providing a comfortable and energy-absorbing midsole, it is believed that a Another kind of middle bottom. Although this new midsole is lighter and less expensive to produce than the midsole described above, at the same time the frequent contact and subsequent separation of adjacent rib pairs generates a large amount of undesirable noise.

The present invention limits this unpleasant noise by providing compressible bridges between the most important pairs of ribs in the midsole, if not all pairs of ribs. Each compressible bridge is disposed intermediate a rib of the first pair of ribs and an adjacent rib of the adjacent pair of ribs, the adjacent rib of the adjacent pair of ribs being compressed when a force is applied to the sole to compress the midsole will not touch each other.

Additionally, since the ribs are tightly locked together by their midpoints, the compressible bridges will resist tilting movement of the ribs, thus ensuring foot stability. Furthermore, because the compression of the bridges occurs at the very beginning of a phase, the best combination of bending and compression forces continues throughout the entire travel distance.

Other objects and many improvements and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

What Figures 1, 3, 5 and 8 represent are each of the present invention in unbent and uncompressed states. kind of embodiment.

Figures 2, 4, 6 and 9 show various embodiments of the invention in flexure and compression.

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view showing a rib of the shoe.

Fig. 10 is a cutaway side sectional view of the shoe sole.

Fig. 11 is a side sectional view of a sole rib.

Fig. 12 is a partial sectional view showing the transverse rib and the plug of the shoe.

Figure 13 shows a shoe with longitudinal ribs and its plug in a relaxed state.

Figure 14 shows a shoe with longitudinal ribs and its plug in compression.

Fig. 15 is a partial sectional view of the longitudinal rib of the shoe shown in Fig. 13 and its plug.

Figure 16 shows a shoe having longitudinal ribs with bend preventing plugs located between adjacent pairs of ribs.

Figure 17 shows a shoe having longitudinal ribs which are compressible to prevent the bridge from being located between adjacent pairs of ribs.

As shown in FIG. 1 , shoe 10 has an insole 12 comprised of a sheet of rubber or leather material, a midsole 14 comprising a plurality of pairs of ribs 18 , and an outsole 16 . These ribs are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe and are distributed substantially over the entire length of the shoe. Furthermore, in one embodiment each pair of ribs extends substantially across the width of the shoe, or in a second embodiment described hereinbefore, the ribs do not extend across the entire width of the shoe. Although this is not critical to the invention, each pair of ribs is made of rubber or similar material, as shown in FIG. arc. Outsole 16 is constructed of a variety of commonly used athletic and non-athletic shoe materials. Additionally, the insole 12, midsole 14 and outsole 16 are preferably integrally compression molded.

When a lone walker, runner or jogger applies an action vertically to the sole When a force is applied, as shown in Figure 2, each of the ribs initially bends. As mentioned above, a relatively large force is required to initially bend the rib, but when the bending of the rib continues to increase, a relatively small force can be applied to further bend the rib. Each pair of ribs is spaced from its adjacent pair so that after a predetermined force is applied, one rib of a pair of ribs 18 abuts at 24 an adjacent rib of a second pair of ribs 20 , while the second rib of the pair of ribs 18 abuts at 26 the adjacent rib 22 of the third pair of ribs. From this point on, additional forces acting on the sole will compress the ribs. Because it takes only a small amount of force to initially compress the ribs, a larger force is required to continue compressing the ribs. The special form of construction of the midsole of the present invention provides the sole with a substantially constant force that flexes and compresses the sole when a person runs, walks or jogs.

The need to bend the ribs with greater force and then less force combined with the need to compress the ribs with less force and then greater force results in a light, cheap and gaitable Soft and even sole.

Figures 3 and 5 show different embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a shoe sole in which each pair of ribs 28 includes a positive S-shaped rib facing forward and an inverted S-shaped rib facing rearward. As with the sole described in Figures 1 and 2, each pair of ribs initially flexes until it contacts adjacent ribs 30 and 32 at 34 and 36, so that as shown in Figure 4, the additional force acting at each point on the sole will compress the ribs 28 of the midsole 14,

Similarly, Figure 5 shows a shoe 10 having a plurality of pairs of ribs 38, each pair forming a diamond shape. Furthermore, as with the shoe shown in FIGS. 1-4 , the diamond initially bends when a force is applied to the sole until adjacent ribs 40 and 42 at 26 and 24 abut against rib 38 respectively, as shown in FIG. 6 . As shown, the ribs 38 of the midsole 14 will be compressed at this time.

Each outsole 16 has one or more transverse grooves 17 for reducing weight when running or walking. The force that flexes the sole when the heel is raised.

Although the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7 illustrates a sole having a plurality of ribs perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sole and extending across the entire width of the sole. It should be noted, however, that the ribs need not all be arranged in this way. 8 and 9 show an embodiment in which a plurality of ribs 50, 52 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sole and over the entire length of the sole. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the insole 12 , the midsole 14 and the outsole 16 extend slightly beyond the shoe body 54 . The purpose of this extension is to provide greater support and restrain the individual user from tipping over.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of midsole 14 showing midsole 14 having ribs 60, 62 of the type shown in FIGS. A thin elastic bridge 64 is connected between ribs 60, 62 of a single pair of arcuate ribs. All these pairs of ribs contain similar bridges. The bridges are thinner than the individual ribs, and the resiliency of the bridges allows the bridges to extend when the ribs 60, 62 initially bend and then compress to provide additional shock absorption to the bending of the ribs. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, the bridges 64 are only used to connect the bending forces of the ribs 66, 68, 70 and 72 if the spacing of the ribs is greater than that shown in FIG. In this case, rib 66 will not contact rib 70 and similarly rib 68 will not contact rib 72 regardless of the forces acting on the sole.

While the exact dimensions of the ribs and sole are not conclusive, these dimensions can be determined except for the last four ribs on the right side of the sole shown in Figure 10, all ribs shown in Figures 1 through 10 are approximately 1/8 the thickness inch, the thickness of the last few ribs is 3/10 inch. In addition, the spacing between ribs 60 and 62 having a thickness of 1/8 inch is 1/4 inch in the relaxed state, and the spacing between ribs having a thickness of 3/16 inch is slightly less than 1/4 inch. The purpose of the slightly less thickness of the ribs is to prevent tipping and to support the human foot most fully. Additionally, the thickness of the insole 12 is 3/32 inch and the outsole 16 The thickness is 1/8 inch.

Shoes constructed in accordance with the present invention can provide varying degrees of shock absorption to compensate for the different impact loads that occur when different parts of the shoe come into contact with the ground when motion or other forces are applied. In addition, the spacing between each pair of ribs and the thickness and length of the ribs can be increased or decreased according to the weight of each individual or the specific function of the shoe design. The interaction of each pair of ribs with its neighbor produces a particularly damped connection without any hydraulic or pneumatic pressure.

Figures 12 to 15 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention, in which a solid elastic plug is inserted to control the forward and backward tilt of the foot, and to resist unexpected impacts, especially the heel Partial impact provides positioning resistance.

As shown in FIG. 12, the plug tube 80 is located in the middle of the ribs 18 extending along the transverse width of the mid-level bottom. The plug tube 80 can extend across the entire width of the shoe, or it can be located only a portion of the width between the first and second ribs of the pair of ribs 18 as shown in FIG. 12 . Furthermore, as shown, a plug tube 80 need not exist between every pair or every rib, but the placement and length of each plug tube will be determined in advance according to the type of activity desired and the physical characteristics of the user.

Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a resilient plug tube 82 may be plugged within the longitudinally extending ribs 50,52. Similar to the embodiment shown in the associated Figure 12, there is no need for plug tubes 82 to be provided between each pair or each rib, nor are these plug tubes required to extend the entire length of the shoe.

Figures 13 and 14 show the shoe and sole including the plug tube 82, Figure 13 illustrating the shoe in a relaxed state and Figure 14 showing the shoe in a compressed state to illustrate the flexibility of the plug tube 82.

As previously stated, the length of the stopper tube is not critical, although determining a stopper tube length of 1 inch provides satisfactory results. In addition, the wall thickness of the plug tube can be varied to accommodate any individual's various athletic activities, weight distribution, and compressive load per square inch.

Furthermore, the solid elastic plug can be replaced by a plug tube and made of foam rubber or similar material, with the plug tube having an inner hole to allow free passage of air therethrough.

The elastic plug or plug tube can be inserted between the ribs of the mid-sole during manufacture and the elastic plug or plug tube can be fixedly connected to the rib with glue, adhesive or similar material. On the other hand, the elastic plug or plug tube can also be manually inserted into the middle of the rib by the user. The plug tube or elastic plug is bonded to the ribs and the insole or outsole, or either, will remain in place due to friction. Thus, depending on the desired activity, the number, length arrangement and physical configuration of the resilient plugs or plug tubes can be varied accordingly.

Referring again to FIG. 16, another embodiment of the present invention is described. This embodiment utilizes a bend-preventing plug 94 interposed between two adjacent ribs. The stopper is inserted between one rib 90 of the pair of ribs of the mid-level bottom and one rib 92 of the adjacent pair of ribs. Stop plug 94 is constructed of a foam compressible material similar to a resilient plug and suitably fills the space between ribs 90 and 92 . Initially, when a force is applied to the midsole, the ribs 90 and 92 will begin to bend until they touch each other, after which the ribs will begin to be compressed. However, when the stopper 94 is inserted between the ribs of adjacent rib pairs, the bending of the ribs is prevented and a different resistance is produced. Due to the use of stoppers of various lengths, arrangements and materials, their resistance can be used to tailor the midsole to individual specific requirements and specific activities. Although this embodiment is described in connection with midsoles having longitudinally elongated ribs, this embodiment is equally applicable to midsoles having transversely extending ribs. In addition, the bend stopper 94 can be used with ribs of various shapes so long as one rib of each pair of ribs is at an angle to the second rib of the pair. Additionally, although the embodiment shown in Figure 16 with solid elastomeric plugs 94 works particularly well, it is conceivable that plug tubes could be used in place of these solid elastomeric plugs.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in conjunction with Figure 17, which illustrates a shoe with A midsole includes a plurality of pairs of ribs, each pair including a first rib 90 and a second rib 92 . As noted above, if weight is applied to the midsole, all ribs will initially deform until the first rib of a pair of ribs comes into contact with the second rib of an adjacent pair of ribs. At this point, all ribs will start to be compressed if additional force is applied to the midsole. Although a satisfactory illustration of midsole construction is provided in this example, it can be found that when the midsole size is reduced to 3/10" to 4/10" of the overall thickness, the rib thickness scales with the If reduced, unwanted noise will be produced by the impeded contact between adjacent pairs of ribs and the subsequent loosening of these adjacent pairs of ribs from one another.

This problem can be solved by connecting a bridge 98 between a rib 90 of a pair of ribs and a rib 92 of an adjacent pair of ribs. This bridging member 98 may be connected between all or most of the ribs 90 and 92 and is preferably made of an extensible and deformable energy-absorbing rubber-like material. This bridge 98 will prevent compression from causing ribs 90 and 92 to contact each other and improve the shock absorbing effect of the present invention when a vertical force is applied to the midsole and the ribs are not in contact. In this way, the bending force of each rib is quickly attenuated by the compression of the bridges 98 . In addition, bridge 98 resists lateral movement of ribs 90 and 92 by interlocking horizontally at the centers of these ribs, thereby maximizing forward and rearward tilt. Furthermore, although this embodiment has been described in connection with a midsole with longitudinal ribs, it can equally be used with a midsole with transverse ribs. Additionally, the bridge 98 may be used with any of the rib shapes shown or any rib shape so long as one rib of each pair is at an angle to the second rib of the pair. Furthermore, the bridge 90 does not completely fill the space between the ribs 90 and 92, usually connecting to each other at the midpoints of these ribs.

In addition, it should be noted that midsoles of various other shapes can be used as long as the initial deformation of the midsole occurs until each rib comes into contact with its adjacent ribs, at which point If more force is applied, the ribs in the midsole will begin to compress. For example, the mutual spacing of the ribs 18 or the length of the ribs 18 may be varied for maximum shock absorption, or their thickness may be varied to accommodate particular gravity loads. In addition, the spacing and length of the ribs can be varied according to the characteristics of the sport or activity for which the shoe is being used. As shown in Figure 7, the spacing 19 between two ribs is smaller than the spacing 21 between two additional ribs. Furthermore, the length of each rib varies with the length of the other rib. Additionally, although all of the drawings illustrate soles with pairs of ribs either parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sole, the ribs may be at various angles to the longitudinal axis of the sole. Furthermore, the plug tubes or elastic plugs described above can be plugged firmly during the manufacture of the sole or finally plugged directly by the user into the midsole.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to the drawings shown, it is to be understood that these are not to be taken as limitations of the invention.

Claims (10)

1, a kind of sole member that is used for footwear comprises, an interior end that is located immediately at the bottom of footwear, one be located immediately at described under at the bottom of the middle level of face and an outer bottom that is located immediately at face under the described middle level, have many at the bottom of the described middle level to parallel ribs, every pair of rib is adjacent right rib space and arranges, described every pair of rib has first rib and second rib, described each first rib is to its second adjacent rib bending, it is characterized in that providing between first and second ribs of at least one pair of described rib a compressible component, described each second rib bends towards its corresponding first rib.

2, sole member according to claim 1 is characterized in that described compressible member is a compressible bridgeware.

3, sole member according to claim 2 is characterized in that described compressible bridgeware is between described every pair of adjacent parallel ribs.

4, sole member according to claim 2 is characterized in that described compressible bridgeware is positioned at the mid point of described every pair of first and second parallel ribs.

5, sole member according to claim 1 is characterized in that described compressible component firmly is filled in the space between a pair of described rib.

6, sole member according to claim 5, it is many to the space between the described rib to it is characterized in that each compressible component firmly is filled in.

7, sole member according to claim 5 is characterized in that the longitudinal axis extension along described footwear of described each rib and described each compressible component.

8, sole member according to claim 6 is characterized in that the longitudinal axis extension along described footwear of described each rib and described each compressible member.

9, sole member according to claim 7 is characterized in that the transversal line extension along described footwear of described each rib and described each compressible component.

10, sole member according to claim 8 is characterized in that the transversal line extension along described footwear of described each rib and described each compressible component

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