Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Descriptior
.~thletic Shoe ~or ~ield Sports
rechnical Field
The invention relates to an athletic shoe of the type
5 fo~ use in field sports, such as football, soccer, and the
like. rrhe athletic shoe inclu~es an upper which supports an
improved countcr, and a sole which has a cap~`~llity of flex-
ing within the region generally of the ~etata~sal head bon_
group in the forefoot.
~ack~round Art
Athletic shoes accordins to recent design and construc-
tion development generally have tended toward fabrications
from soft, pliable, light-weight materials to ~ermit the
5 conduct of exercise without unnecessarily adding to the
stress of the ~ercise as undoubtedly would be the case ir
'reavier, more rigid shoes were worn. r;~hile there have been
i~provements in the dcsign and construc.ion of athletic
snoes it has not been unco~mon that mary use~s have developed
20 -njury which oftentimes may be traced directly to foot pro-
lems, arising ~rom possible shortcomings in the basic design
~sd construction of the athletic shoes tnat a~e worn. In
~articular, ~any o~ the athletic shoes do not provide the
necessary support of the foot or support at the joints to
25 compen~ate for the forces developed durins the athletic
2C~ ivity. Thus, the industry has looked toward improving the
athletic shoes for whatever may be the a'hletic activity
including running, jogging, and the like, which activity may
be carried out on any surface including road, track and field.
During the cycle o~ foot movement during running, j~gging
and the like typically recognized as including heel strike,
'~11 strike, pronation, release and supina~ion, it is nece sary
to provide support and stabilization security in the rear foot
1~ the neutral plane. r:ecent aesigns and corstructions O r
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athletic shoes have addressed the question of a need for
support and stabilization security for the foot, and
one solution of the problem may be appreciated from a read-
ing of United States Letters Patent ~o. 4,2~8,92~ to Norton
5 et al.
While the use of a control device described by Norton
et al has resulted in a successful solution of the problem
of support and stabilization within the rear foot, th~
design and construction of athletic shoes, such as the shoe
10 of.Norton et al, have not satisfactorily addressed other
problems that may arise because of a lack of capability of
proper flex alona the off-center alinment of the metatar~al
head bone group in the forefoot, as well as flex in that
region of the athletic shoe with substantially less resis-
tance to flex than is normally encountered in prior art shoeconstructions.
The athletic shoe of the invention which is particularly
suited for use with field sports not only functions to con-
~rol pronation by red~1cing the potential of over-pronation,
~o and thereby eliminate or at least reduce incidents of running
related injury, it also functions to eliminate or at least
reduce the potential for stretching of a key ligament in the
bottom of the foot as may result from improper or inadequate
flex capability of the sole of the athletic shoe.
Summary Of The Invention
The invention is dixected to an athletic shoe of the
type used for ~ield sports-and to a sole which is attached
to a lasted upper. The sole includes a flex bar which is
anatom~ically designed to follow the off-center alignment of
the metatarsal head bone ~roup in the forefoot. The flex bar
is pre~erably virtually centered between the groups of
cleats in the forward and ball areas of the foot, and the
flex bar is formed so that it is somewhat less in thickness
than the overall elevation of the sole.
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~ urther the lasted upper includes a counter which
provides unique support and rigidity in the lower cuboid
area of the shoe. In a preferred embodiment the counter may
he a double density counter having a base layer of a thick-
5 ness a?proximately twice that of a surface layer, with thelayers being laminated toge~her along an area of overlap of
the layers.
~rief DescriPtion Of The Drawing
~ Figure l is a side elevation of the athletic shoe of
the invention;
~ igure 2 is a bottom view of the construction of the
sole of the athletic shoe;
Figure 3 is a plan view of the sole o~ the athletic
shoe;
~igure ~ is a view in section as seen along the line 4-4
in Fi~. l;
Figure 5 is an exploded view of the layers of the counter
of the athletic shoe; and
Figure 6 is a partial sectional vie~ of a portion cf the
sole in a normal disposition and a disposition of flexure.
~est Mode for Carrying Out The Invention
The athletic shoe lO (hereafter "shoe") as may be seen
in Fig. l is of the tvpe having a particula~ adaptation to
field sports such as soccer. The shoe includes a lasted
upper 12 formed of leather or it may be formed of a synthetic
fabric material such as nylon. The upper may also be formed
of other fabrics which are conventionally used in the con-
struction of shoes of the type described herein.
The upper generally masr be considered as pro~riding~afoot receiving opening and a lacing system 14 for securing
tl1e up~er around the arch of the foot of the wearer.
tongue 16 carried bv the upper is disposed between the foot
and the lace; and a backtab 18 extends up~ardly from the heel
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senerally within the region of the Achilles tendon.
~ sole 20, according to the general discussion, above,
completes the shoe. The sole may be seen perhaps to best
advantage in Fia. 2, and preferably will be formed of a
5 material having properties including durability and flexi-
bility among possible others to render it useful in combina-
tion with the upper in a construction of shoe and for pur-
poses discussed herein. In a preferred embodiment, the sole
may be formed of nylon 12 material.
The sole 20 is of one-piece const-uction including
a base portion 22 and an outer portion having a section 24
within the region of the forefoot at the ball of the foot
and extending below the arch to the heel of the foot. A
further section 26 is located within the forward section of
15 the foot. The sections of the outer portion are spaced
; longitudinally of the shoe and each section provides at
least one area extending generally across the shoe between
the medial and late~al sides. Particularly, the forward
section provides an area 25a, and tne section extending below
20 the arch and heel provides areas 24a, 24b. These areas each
serve as a mounting surface for a pai- of cleats 2S located
within the region of the medial and lateral sides of the shoe.
The cleats may be attached to the sole 20 in any conventional
manner, and both the sole and upper ~av be attached in any
conventional manner as well. For example, a plurality of
rivets 2~ may serve as the instrumentality for attachment
o the sole and upper.
The forward extreme of area 24a of section 24 is cut
away at 2ac thereby to define a bar 30 The purpose of the
bar is to allow the shoe to flex more evenly than would
otherwise be expected. The flex bar is substantially center-
ed between the ~roupings of cleats 23 ~ithin the sections
24 and 26. Tne flex bar, further, is disposed in an off-
center alignment thereby to follow the heads of the metatarsal
bones in the front of the ankle and arch of the foot.
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The sole 20 may be of substantiall~r any thickness, and
the base port7on 22 may comprise the major portion of the
overall thic~.ness. For example, the base portion may com-
p~ise about two-thirds of the overall thickness. Tne flex
bar, likewise, may comprise about two-thirds of the overall
thickness. ~ithout any intent to limit the invention, but
rather to set out ~hat may be considered a preferred embodi-
ment, the sole may have an overall thickness of about 4mm
ancl the base portion may be about 2.5~ in thickness.
~urther, the flex bar will be about 23mm in length (or width
across the shoe as heretofore set out).
It is the function of the flex bar to permit flexing of
the shoe under circumstances of less resistance to flexure,
and it is considered that the flex ~ar will enhance function
5 of the shoe from an initial break-in standpoint to a perfor-
mance and feel-of-the-surface stand-point. Further still,
the flex bar and the ability of an even flex of the shoe
under circumstances of less resistance ~ill impart a capa-
bility of reduction of stretchin~ of ligaments in the bottom
20 Of the foot, a condition that is com~only referred to as
plantar facitis.
Reference may be had to Fig. 6 which represents an
enlarged, partial view of the sole 20, and the manner of
flexu~e of both the ~ase portion 22 and t~e section 2G of
25 the outer por~ion about flex bar 30.
A counter 32 extends upwardly from the sole 20 within
the resion of the heel of shoe 10. The counter extends
around the heel from the re~ions of the ankles on the medial
and lateral sides of the foot and comprises two layers of a
30 plastic material which provides support and rigidity in
the lower cuboid area of the snoe. The counter, thus, has a
particular Eunction of reducin~ the potential of over-
pronation or supination, and it reduces the potential for
the destruction of the athletic shoe.
Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the counter 32 includes a
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base laver 34 and a surface layer 36. These layers,as
illustrated in Fig. ~, are secured together along a marginal
area O r each layer with the surface layer to the outside.
The layers of tne counter may be secured together by lamina-
ting the layers ~ithin the marainal area.
In a preLerred embodiment both the hase layer and
the surface layer may he a reinforced polvethvlene material,
such as surlyn. And, without any intention to limit the
invention, but rather to set out a description of a counter
10 tha~ has been used successfully, the base layer may have a
thickness of 0.040 inches and the surface layer may have
a ~hicXness of 0.020 inches.
The counter may be supported around an insole of the
athletic shoe, or else the base layer mav be formed to pro-
vide an inturned bottom surface (not shown) su~ported, for
example, betweer the sole 20 and an insole or other heel
suppor' surface.
An outer surface coverinc lamina 38, ~0 may be provided
over the base and surface layers 34, 3G of counter 32. The
20 lamina may be a plastic sheet material, suede, and so forth,
and may be of contrasting color to represent the counter
construction in a seneralized fashion.
It is the function of the counter 32 to eliminate or
virtually eliminate the destruction of the rear foot of the
25 shoe and/or over-prona~ion or supination. A r~nning action
ray be characterized as including the following events,
namely heel strike, ball stri~e, pronation, release and
supina~ion. As used herein, the term "pronation" defines
a foot roll to the medial or inside of the foot, and
30 "supination" may be considered the rotation of a joint (hip,
knee, an};le and so forth) backward and away from the midline
of the body. The counter situated as described provides a
mechanical control in stabilization within the foot of the
wearer is secured substantially in a r.eutral plane, that is,
35 the natural position of the foot while in a normal gait
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cycle thereby to reduce the amount of roll of the foot.
Reduction in the amount of roll of the foot results in
reduction in shoe destruction and/or the potential at least
'or rear foct injury.
The nylon 12 material of the sole will provide that
desree of strength, sturdiness, durability, support, and
so forth as necessary for the sole of the athletic shoe,
as described herein. ~`his material further, is capable of
being molded according to well ~nown molding techniques.
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