Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- 2~07191
TITLE: SHOE WITH CUSHlONlNG MEANS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
!,', 5 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to footwear in general and in particular
to various -types of shoes having replaceable impact absorbing inserts.
Description of the Prior Art
Conventional footwear generally consists of several parts. One part a
durable outersole that is in contact with the surface on which the wearer
walks constitutes the lower portion of the shoe. A second part includes a
- shoe upper peripherally affixed to the outersole and which encircles the
~, wearer s foot. The third an innersole overlays and is joined to the upper
- 15 inner surface of the outersole to provide a cushioning layer between the
wearer's foot and the outersole. Further cushioning may be provided by the
~l addition of a midsole.
During walking and running, high impact forces are exerted on the
~¦ shoe outersole. These impact forces are imparted principally to the heel and
1 2 0 forefoot portions of the foot. Since such forces are applied to one foot at a
j time, when all the body weight is supported on that one foot, the impact
forces are both large and highly concentrated. This continuous series of
impacts can result in tiredness, muscular pain and under extreme
circumstances physical injury. -
2 5 Therefore, in the field of shoe design it has been an object to fabricate
footwear that provides the wearer with comfort, support and low impact to
: the wearer's feet. Heel and forefoot plugs used to cushion impact shock,
;~ during walking or running, are well known in the art. As for example, in the
shoes disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,918,838, U.S. Patent No. 4,794,707, and
3 0 U.S. Patent No. 5,092,060. It is further noted that interchangeable heel plugs
of the type disclosed herein for shoes have been sold by Lehigh Safety Shoe
Company.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises footwear having an upper portion
which is secured along its lower peripheral edge to an outersole. The upper
5 inner surface of the outersole is formed with a heel recess for receiving a
heel plug and a forefoot recess for receiving a forefoot extension forrned on
the underside of an innersole. The innersole may be a soft pliable material
for providing cushioning and for thermally insulating the wearer's foot. The
innersole overlays the upper inner surface of the outersole with the heel
10 plug disposed within the heel recess. The forefoot extension of the undersideof the innersole is disposed within the outersole forefoot recess. Both the
heel plug and the forefoot extension are of selected materials which provide
comfort, cushioning and resilience for the wearer's heel and forefoot.
Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide an improved
15 shoe which is comfortable while imparting selectable proper heel and
forefoot support.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe having
J~ impact absorption especially in the heel and forefoot areas.
Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention
20 will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by
reference to the following detailed description when considered in
connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference
numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof.
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2 5 BRIEF DESCRIPIION OF THE DR~WINGS
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FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a shoe made in accordance with the
present invention including a partial cutaway section;
FIG.2 is an exploded perspective view of the shoe of FIG. 1 showing
3 0 the outersole, heel plug and insole.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIME~
.,
In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the shoe 10 includes a
3 5 shoe upper 12 which is affixed to the upper surface 14 of outersole 16 alongperipheral edge 18 of the outersole 16. Outersole 16 is formed with a pair of
re~esses 20 and 22 in its upper surface 14. Forefoot recess 20 is located
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2~07191
proximate the ball portion 24 of the wearer's foot 26. The heel recess 22 is
formed directly below the wearer's heel 28. Outersole 16 can be molded of
any suitable durable thermoplastic material such as synthetic rubber or PVC.
Overlaying upper surface 14 of the outersole 16 is innersole 30 which
5 is formed of a soft, pliable, cushioning composition. Such a composition may
include foamed or blown material as for example, polyurethane to thereby
provide a soft deformable surface on which the sole 32 of the wearer's foot 26
rests. Innersole 30is formed with a depending forefoot extension 34 which is
shaped to slightly overextend into forefoot recess 20 so as to raise the
10 innersole forefoot surface portion 36 above ~he rest of the innersole upper
surface 37 prior to insertion of the wearer's foot into the shoe. Extension 34
can be formed or molded integral with innersole 30 or it can be a separate
depending element and affixed as by gluing to the lower surface 36 of
innersole 30.
A separably removable heel plug 38 is formed with a lower heel
portion 40 and an upper peripheral flange 42 extending outwardly of the heel
portion 40. The lower heel portion 40 is configured to fully occupy heel recess
22 with flange 42 overlaying the upper heel surface 44 of outersole 14. The
depth of the lower heel portion 40 is slightly greater than the depth of heel
recess 22 so that the heel plug 38 will extend above and outwardly of
outersole upper surface 14. The portion of the heel plug 38 which is raised
above the outersole upper surface 14 is compressed by the wearer's heel 28.
In running and walking, the impact on the wearer concentrated on the
heel and forefoot areas of the foot. Therefore it is desirable to reduce the
2 5 impact on the wearer's foot by providing impact absorption under the heel
~ and forefoot areas. The material characteristics, as for example hardness and
.J, compressibility of the heel portion 40, depending extension 34 is selected to
absorb impact and provide comfort. Suitable materials for such purposes
include polyurethane of various densities.
3 0 Obviously many modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore
~ understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention
:~ may be practiced otherwise than spedfically described.
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