WO2003037130A1

WO2003037130A1 - Athletic shoe cleat attachment system

Info

Publication number: WO2003037130A1
Application number: PCT/US2002/034771
Authority: WO
Inventors: Leo E. Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-10-30
Filing date: 2002-10-30
Publication date: 2003-05-08
Anticipated expiration: 2004-04-30

Abstract

A shoe cleat attachment system including a cleat (10) having a cupped face (12) attached to a stud (20) having shouldered knob (30) that engages a socket (52) within a shoe sole (50).

Description

ATHLETIC SHOE CLEATATTACHMENT SYSTEM

The present invention is directed generally to an athletic shoe cleat and attachment system, and particularly to a snap-in cleat preferably for use with golf shoes.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The introduction of soft cleats in the late 1990's to replace steel cleats as traction attachments to golf shoes was generally well accepted by the golfing community. These soft cleats were mounted by means of male and female threaded fasteners to the soles of golf shoes. The purpose was to protect the putting green surface from careless foot damage and to reduce costs of maintaining the greens. The mandatory transition first took place quickly in the amateur golfing ranks, but at a slower rate with professionals.

Golf shoe manufacturers played a key role in implementing the transition from steel to plastic spikes. The shoe manufacturers had large inventories of golf shoes at retail outlets, warehouses, and on the production floor, so they simply began tossing a bag of plastic cleats into each shoebox for the golfer to replace the original steel cleats. This situation resulted in the continuation of the traditional threaded fastening system between the cleat and the shoe sole, as shown, for example, in U.S. Patent Numbers 4587748, 5027532, and 5036606.

A number of traction configurations were quickly developed for plastic cleats. However, the spike manufacturers did not depart from the threaded stud on the sole side of their designs. Some use metal threaded studs molded in plastic cleats, and others are one hundred percent plastic, including the threaded stud. Golf shoe manufacturers continued to use the design of eight to ten female threaded metal inserts molded in the sole of each shoe, with each insert supported by a steel plate to absorb the walking forces transferred to the sole of the golfer's foot. The threaded studs of the cleats were screwed into the threaded inserts within the sole.

Some shoe companies began producing golf shoes with knobby sole surfaces, which were accepted by some golfers. However, this concept has two drawbacks. First, the knobs soon wear down to the sole, and the shoes can no longer provide stability during the golfer's swing of the club, so the entire shoe must be replaced. Second, the knobs do not provide reliable traction when the grass is wet.

The screw and thread plastic cleats also have problems. One drawback of plastic cleats in general is that they must be replaced frequently as they wear down. Replacing screw-in cleats is not simple, and, therefore, the task is usually left to club pros. Another problem is that since the screw-in plastic cleats do not fit tightly against the sole of the shoe, debris and moisture frequently builds up between the cleat and the sole causing metal parts to corrode, thereby making cleat replacement even more difficult. Also, the plastic threads of the screw-in cleats can be easily stripped when rotated too far. If a plastic cleat is rotated too far or not far enough upon insertion, the cleat will fall out of the shoe, leaving the player with unstable footing.

Other alternatives to threaded screws cleats that have been developed include the inventions of U.S. Patent Numbers 5638615, 6260292, 5848482, and 5768809, which disclose a spring finger shaft assembly, a ball and spring assembly, a frictional bore and base plate assembly, and a lock-in assembly respectively. These cleat systems have yet to be accepted by golfers or golf shoe manufacturers. The present invention is an improvement over all prior cleat systems because the cleat system of the present invention provides a secure cleat attachment, does not require special tools for attaching and detaching the cleat, and existing golf shoes can be modified to accept the cleat of the present system.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention provides solutions to the above-noted problems by providing an athletic shoe cleat and attachment system that allows the easy attachment of cleats without special tools, prevents debris from becoming lodged between the cleat and the shoe sole, and prevents cleats from falling out of the sole.

The cleat of the present invention includes a face and a stud. The face has one side with a traction configuration and a second side preferably with a cupped configuration. One end of the stud is attached to the cupped side of the face while the opposite end of the stud has a shouldered knob. The cleat is engaged with a molded cavity in a shoe sole by pressing the cleat, knob side first, into the cavity. The shoe sole envelops the stud, and the circumference of the cupped side of the face tightly clings to the shoe sole thereby preventing the accumulation of debris. The shouldered knob prevents the cleat from falling out of the shoe sole. The cleat requires no tools for attachment and is easily detached, preferably by using a ball mark repair tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a side view of the cleat attachment system with a cleat inserted into a shoe sole cavity.

Figure 2 shows a top view of the traction-side face of a cleat.

Figure 3 shows a schematic view of a cleat.

Figure 4 shows a schematic view of multiple cavities in a shoe sole.

Figure 5 shows a cross section of a cavity shown in Figure 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION The present invention provides a cleat with an improved attachment system for securing the cleat to the sole of an athletic shoe. The cleat can be adapted for any athletic shoes used in field sports but, in the preferred embodiment, is used with golf shoes.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the cleat 1 includes a face 10 and a stud 20. The face 10 of cleat 1 has a first side 11 for contact with the ground and a second side 12 for contact with a shoe sole 50. The first side 11 of the face can be of any traction configuration now known or to be developed by one skilled in the art. The second side 12 of face 10 preferably has a cupped shape, thereby allowing the outer circumference of the face 10 to cling to shoe sole 50 when inserted into the sole of the shoe properly. The tight fit between face 10 and shoe sole 50 provided by the cupped configuration prevents debris from entering the cavity between sole 50 and cleat 1.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the stud 20 of the cleat has a first end 21 and second end 22. The first end 21 of stud 20 attaches to the second side 12 of face 10 of the cleat. The second end 22 of stud 20 includes a shouldered knob 30. This knob 30 of the cleat is forced into a molded cavity 51 of the shoe sole 50 where the shoulder 31 engages a socket 52. When shoulder 31 is properly positioned within socket 52, the shoe sole 50 envelops stud 20 of cleat 1. The engagement of shoulder 31 of knob 30 with the socket 52 pulls the cupped face 12 tight against the shoe sole 50 and prevents cleat 1 from falling out of the shoe sole cavity 51.

Cleat 1 preferably also has a push button 40 in the center of first side 11 of face 10, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The push button 40 provides a stiff contact point for applying force required to insert the shouldered knob 30 correctly into the socket 52. More importantly, the push button provides rigidity to the face 10 of the cleat thereby allowing the face to flex at perimeter 13 immediately adjacent to push button 40 so that the cupped side 12 of face 10 of the cleat obtains a temporarily flat configuration against the shoe sole when the cleat is being inserted. Once cleat 1 is inserted and pressure is taken off push button 40, face 10 returns to its predisposed cupped configuration, thereby providing a tight seal of face 10 to the shoe sole 50. This flexible cupped configuration of the face 10 of cleat 1 along with the shouldered knob 30 works as a spring lock to provide a secure engagement and tight seal between cleat 1 and shoe sole 50.

In order to insert the cleat, the user simply lines up knob 30 with shoe sole cavity 51 and applies pressure to push button 40 thereby pushing the cleat, knob-end first, into sole cavity 51. This can easily be done using one's thumb, finger, or other practical device. No special tool is needed to attach the cleat to the shoe sole. The cleat can also be easily removed from the shoe sole cavity 51 when replacement is needed. In order to detach the cleat from the sole 50, the user simply forces the cleat out with a lever-type instrument, preferably a ball mark repair tool, a common tool carried by golfers. The ball mark repair tool is simply used as a lever by sliding the edge of the tool under the face of the cleat and applying pressure in order to lift the cleat out of the shoe sole. While the ball mark repair tool works very efficiently for this purpose and is very convenient for a golfer, it is noted that any lever-type instrument having a sufficiently small edge can be used to remove the cleat from the shoe sole.

The cleat can be made from a wide range of materials, but preferably a somewhat flexible material. In the preferred embodiment, the cleat is formed from moldable nylon; however any equivalent can be used. The flexibility allows the cleat to be easily maneuvered into the sole cavity to provide a tight fit and also decreases the likelihood of the cleat breaking while in the sole. The material used to form the cleat should also provide optimum traction, yet not damage sensitive field surfaces and floors. The cleat is preferably molded into an integral unit comprising the face, stud, and knob.

Each shoe sole 50 is also produced of man-made materials and has a pattern of multiple cavities 51 molded into the sole to receive and retain the molded cleats 1, as shown in Figure 4. No metal inserts are required in the production of the sole. Each sole cavity 51 needs to contain a socket 52 for receiving knob 30 of the cleat. Traditional golf shoes can be manipulated to provide the needed socket 52 for receiving knob 30 of the cleat, or new soles produced specifically for receiving the cleat of the present invention can be used.

The dimensions of the preferred embodiment are as follows: face diameter: 1 inch knob diameter: 3/8 inch stud diameter: 5/16 inch stud length: 1/8 inch push button diameter: 5/16 inch However, the specific dimensions are not narrowly critical to the invention as long as the dimensions allow the stud and knob to fit snugly within the shoe cavity and the cupped face to tightly seal with the shoe sole.

It is to be realized that only preferred embodiments of this invention have been described, and that numerous substitutions, modifications, alterations, and applications are permissible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe cleat attachment system comprising: a cleat face having a first side for contact with a ground surface and a second side for contact with a shoe sole; a stud having a first end attached to said second side of said face and a second end; a knob attached to said second end of said stud; and a socket within a shoe sole; wherein a shoulder of said knob engages said socket within a shoe sole cavity.

2. The attachment system of claim 1 wherein said second side of said face is a cupped configuration toward said shoe sole.

3. The attachment system of claim 1, wherein said first side of said face provides traction with said ground surface.

4. The attachment system of claim 1 , wherein engagement of said shoulder of said knob with said socket pulls said second side of said cleat face securely against the shoe sole.

5. The attachment system of claim 1, further comprising a contact point for inserting said knob into said socket.

6. The attachment system of claim 5, wherein said contact point is a push button.

7. The attachment system of claim 6, wherein said push button is located at the center of said first side of said cleat face.

8. The attachment system of claim 7, wherein when said push button is pressed to insert said knob into said socket, said cleat face flexes at points adjacent to said push button and said cupped second side of said cleat face obtains a temporarily flat configuration against said shoe sole, and wherein when said push button is released, said second side of said cleat face returns to a cupped configuration.

9. The attachment system of claim 1 , wherein said cleat is made from a flexible material.

10. The attachment system of claim 9, wherein said flexible material is a moldable nylon.

11. The attachment system of claim 1, wherein said face, stud, and knob comprise one integral unit.

12. The attachment system of claim 1, wherein said socket in said shoe sole is comprised of man-made materials.

13. A shoe cleat for insertion into a cavity of a shoe sole comprising: a cleat face having a first side for contact with a ground surface and a second side for contact with a shoe sole; a stud having a first end attached to said second side of said face and a second end; a knob attached to said second end of said stud; and a contact point for inserting said knob into said cavity; wherein, when said contact point is pressed to insert said knob into said cavity, said cleat face flexes at points adjacent to said contact point.

14. The cleat of claim 13 wherein said second side of said face is a cupped configuration toward said shoe sole.

15. The cleat of claim 14, wherein said first side of said face provides traction with said ground surface.

16. The cleat of claim 14, wherein when said cleat face flexes at points adjacent to said contact point, said cupped second side of said cleat face obtains a temporarily flat configuration against said shoe sole, and wherein when said contact point is released, said second side of said cleat face returns to a cupped configuration.

17. The cleat of claim 16, wherein said contact point is a push button.

18. The cleat of claim 17, wherein said push button is located at the center of said first side of said cleat face.

19. The cleat of claim 13, wherein said cleat is made from a flexible material.

20. The cleat of claim 19, wherein said flexible material is a moldable nylon.

21. The cleat of claim 13, wherein said face, stud, and knob comprise one integral unit.

22. The cleat of claim 13, wherein said cleat face has a diameter of 1 inch.

23. The cleat of claim 13, wherein said knob has a diameter of 3/8 inch.

24. The cleat of claim 13, wherein said stud has a diameter of 5/16 inch.

25. The cleat of claim 13, wherein said stud has a length of 1/8 inch.

26. The cleat of claim 17, wherein said push button has a diameter of 5/16 inch.

27. A method for attaching a cleat having a cupped face and a shouldered knob to a shoe sole comprising the steps of: aligning the knob of said cleat with a shoe sole cavity; applying pressure to a push button located on a first side of said face of said cleat until a second side of said face is in complete contact with said shoe sole; releasing said pressure, thereby allowing said face to return to its cupped configuration and form a tight seal with said shoe sole.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising replacing said cleat by inserting a lever-type instrument between the cupped face and the shoe sole and forcing the cleat out of the socket.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said lever-type instrument is a ball mark repair tool.