Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02366089 2001-12-21
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SOLE FOR FOOTWEAR OR FOOTWEAR ATTACHMENT
HAVING MULTILEVEL CLEATS FOR INDICATING WEAR
AND PROVIDING ENHANCED TRACTION AND FLEXIBILITY
SPECIFICATION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application relates generally to footwear and more particularly to a
ground
engaging portion of an article of primary footwear such as a shoe or a boot,
or an
attachment device which is adapted to be mounted upon an article of primary
footwear
so that the ground engaging portion provides enhanced traction between the
article of
primary footwear and a walking surface and substantial flexibility.
It is well known in the art to provide a sole having cleats disposed upon its
ground engaging portion in order to enhance traction between the sole and a
walking
surface. Additionally, various attachment devices for primary footwear having
cleats
disposed upon their ground engaging portions are available for enhancing
traction
between the primary footwear and a walking surface. Attachment devices bearing
spikes are also available to prevent slippage on ice or other slippery
surfaces. The
known attachment devices can take the form of complex sandals or other devices
which are adapted to be mounted upon an article of primary footwear by means
of
attaching straps or components for engaging the upper of the footwear.
Additionally,
the attachment devices can take the form of simple pads or strips for
securement to
the sole of the primary footwear.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the invention to provide a ground
engaging
portion for use on an article of primary footwear, e.g., a boot, shoe, etc.,
or an
attachment device for an article of primary footwear which overcomes the
disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide an article of primary
footwear or
an attachment device for an article of primary footwear for enhancing the
traction
provided by the ground engaging surface thereof.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an article of primary
footwear
or an attachment device for an article of primary footwear for enhancing the
traction of
the article of footwear which is simple in construction.
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It is another object of the invention to provide an article of primary
footwear or
an attachment device for an article of primary footwear including a ground
engaging
surtace having plural cleats or spikes for providing increased traction.
It is another object of the invention to provide an article of primary
footwear or
an attachment device for an article of primary footwear having substantial
depth
recesses or grooves formed therein for providing a traction enhancing, ground
engaging surface.
It is another object of the invention to provide an article of primary
footwear or
an attachment device for an article of primary footwear having substantial
depth
recesses or grooves formed therein arranged for providing substantial
flexibility of the
primary footwear or attachment device.
It is another object of the invention to provide an article of primary
footwear or
an attachment device for an article of primary footwear having wear indicating
elements
for indicating when the ground engaging surtace is worn down due to use and
requires
replacement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the subject invention are achieved by providing a
ground engaging portion for a sole or an attachment device for an article of
primary
footwear, the ground engaging portion having a plurality of multilevel cleats.
Generally,
the multilevel cleats include a raised base element thereby defining a first
level of the
multilevel cleat. Plural additional top elements are disposed upon the base
element
thereby defining a second level of the multilevel cleat. The base elements are
disposed
on the ground engaging surface in spaced apart locations selected to define
both
longitudinal base flexing grooves and transverse base flexing grooves
therebetween.
The longitudinal and transverse base flexing grooves disposed between the base
elements are adapted to enhance the flexibility of the ground engaging
surface.
Furthermore, the top elements are disposed in spaced apart locations upon the
surfaces of the base elements selected to define both longitudinal top element
flexing
grooves and transverse top element flexing grooves therebetween. The
longitudinal
and transverse top element flexing grooves are adapted to further enhance the
flexibility of the ground engaging surtace by permitting the base elements to
be move
flexible. Thus, the invention set forth herein is a ground engaging portion of
an article
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of foofinrear having longitudinal and transverse axes for enhancing the
traction and
flexibility of the ground engaging portion, the ground engaging portion having
a plurality
of multilevel cleats. The multilevel cleats of the plurality of multilevel
cleats include a
plurality of cleat base elements extending upwardly from a surface of the
ground
engaging portion and defining a first level of the multilevel cleats and a
plurality of cleat
top elements extending upwardly from a surface of a selected cleat base
element and
defining a second level of the multilevel cleats. The cleat base elements are
disposed
in a spaced apart arrangement upon the surface of the ground engaging portion
to
define between said spaced apart cleat base elements both a longitudinal base
element groove along the longitudinal axis and a transverse base element
groove
along the transverse axis. The cleat top elements are disposed in a spaced
apart
arrangement upon a surface of the selected cleat base element to define both a
longitudinal top element groove and a transverse top element groove between
the cleat
top elements. The ground engaging portion is an article of primary footwear or
an
attachment device for mounting the attachment device upon an article o~
primary
footwear. Two, four or any other number of top elements can extend upwardly
from
the surface of the cleat base element provided that the longitudinal and
transverse
flexing grooves are defined therebetween. The surface of the ground engaging
portion,
the cleat base portions, and the cleat top portions are formed from a
resilient material
as an integral unit. At least one of the cleat base elements or the cleat top
elements
is formed in a square, circular, triangular, or any other shape.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA,~IVINGS
Other objects and many attendant features of this invention will become
readily
appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following
detailed description when considered in connection with the acxompanying
drawing
wherein:
Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the multilevel cleats of the subject invention
disposed upon a ground engaging surface of an article of primary footwear or
an
attachment to an article of primary footwear;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of an attachment device in accordance with the subject
invention for mounting upon a conventional article of primary footwear; and
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Fig. 3 is a plan view of a sole of a shoe in accordance with the invention
(the
shoe being shown by phantom lines).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF~HE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to various figures of the drawing where like reference numerals
refer to like parts there is shown at 10 a ground engaging portion constructed
in
accordance with the invention. The ground engaging portion 10 is adapted for
enhancing the traction and flexibility of articles of footwear such as the
sole of an article
of primary footwear, e.g., a shoe or a boot (shown in phantom in Fig.3). The
ground
engaging portion 10 of the present invention can also enhance the traction and
flexibility of an attachment device for mounting on an article of primary
footwear (Fig.2),
in order to render it more resistant to slippage on slippery surfaces. The
attachment
device is mounted to an article of primary footwear using straps as shown in
Fig.2 or
in any other manner well understood by those skilled in the art.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention the ground
engaging portion 10 of either the article of primary footwear or the
attachment device
includes a plurality of multilevel gripping cleats 14. The multilevel gripping
cleats 14
are formed of any hard resilient material such as rubber or synthetic rubber
and are
adapted to improve the ground engaging traction-enhancing properties of the
ground
engaging portion 10. The ground engaging portion 10 formed with multilevel
gripping
cleats 14 is adapted to provide enhanced traction and flexibility in all types
of slippery
conditions, including wet conditions and smooth ice.
As best seen in Fig. 1, each of the multilevel gripping cleats 14 includes a
cleat
base element 16 which extends upwardly from the surface of the ground engaging
portion 10 to define a first level of the multilevel gripping cleats 14. The
cleat base
elements 16 disposed upon the ground engaging portion 10 may be formed in any
geometric shape or combination of geometric shapes. For example, the cleat
base
elements 16 can be formed as circles, squares or triangles.
The arrangement of the cleat base elements 16 upon the surface of the ground
engaging portion 10 is adapted to define both longitudinal base element
flexing
grooves 22 and transverse base element flexing grooves 24 between the adjacent
rows and columns of the base elements 16. The longitudinal base element
flexing
grooves 22 permit the article of footwear from which the base elements 16
extend to
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flex more easily along the entire lengths of the base element flexing grooves
22. The
easier flexing provided in this manner permits the user to be more comfortable
when
walking, while also permitting the user to obtain the benefits of a larger
number of
traction enhancing cleats which would otherwise cause the article of footwear
to be
more rigid. In a similar manner the flexing of the transverse base element
flexing
grooves 24 permits the article of primary footwear or attachment to flex more
easily
along their entire length.
A portion of a longitudinal base element flexing groove 22 is defined between
two transversely adjacent cleat base elements 16. A further portion of the
same
longitudinal base element flexing groove 22 is defined between the next two
transversely adjacent base elements 16 in either direction along the base
element
flexing groove 22. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the two
portions of the
longitudinal base element groove 22 defined in this manner are aligned with
each
other. Because of the alignment in this embodiment the adjacent portions of
the
longitudinal base element flexing groove 22 can flex cooperatively as the user
walks.
The cooperation of the groove portions contributes to the flexibility of the
article of
primary footwear or attachment device upon which the base elements 16 are
disposed
and permits the use of a larger number of the multilevel cleats 14 and
increased
traction without causing excessive rigidity.
Additionally, a portion of a transverse base element flexing groove 24 is
defined
between two longitudinally adjacent cleat base elements 16. A further portion
of the
same transverse base element flexing groove 24 is defined between the next two
longitudinally adjacent base elements 16 in either direction along the
transverse flexing
groove 24. The two portions of the transverse base element flexing groove 24
defined
in this manner are aligned with each other. Thus, in the preferred embodiment
the two
portions of the transverse base element flexing groove 24 defined in this
manner can
flex cooperatively as the user walks. The cooperation of the groove portions
further
contributes to the flexibility of the article of primary footwear or
attachment device upon
which the base elements 16 are disposed and permits the use of a larger number
of
multilevel cleats 14 and increased traction. It will be understood that a
large number
of such longitudinal and transverse aligned groove portions can be defined and
can
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extend continuously over an entire longitudinal or transverse dimension of the
ground
engaging portion 10.
Plural top elements 28 extend upwardly from the top surface of at least one of
the cleat base elements 16. In the preferred embodiment of the invention
plural top
elements 28 extend upwardly from each cleat base element 16. The top elements
28
disposed upon the base elements 16 may be formed in any geometric shape or
combination of geometric shapes, e.g., circles, squares or triangles. As the
ground
engaging portion 10 is wom by a user the top elements 28 wear down. Thus, a
user
of the ground engaging portion 10 can view the length of the top elements 28
remaining upon the client base elements 16 to determine the amount of wear on
the
ground engaging portion 10.
It will be understood that as the length of the top elements 28 decreases due
to
a user wearing the ground engaging portion 10, the amount of traction
enhancement
provided by the top elements 28 decreases accordingly. Thus, the user can view
the
remaining length of the top elements 28, determine the usefulness of the
ground
engaging portion 10 upon which the top elements 28 are disposed, and replace
the
ground engaging portion when replacement is thus indicated.
The arrangement of the top elements 28 is adapted to define both longitudinal
top element flexing grooves 30 and transverse top element flexing grooves 32
between
adjacent rows and columns of the top elements 28. In the preferred embodiment
of the
invention the top element flexing grooves 30, 32 extend from each multilevel
cleat 14
to its adjacent multilevel cleats 14 along entire longitudinal and transverse
dimensions
of the ground engaging portion 10.
The top element flexing grooves 30, 32 permit increased flexibility of the
base
elements 16 of the multilevel cleats 14 and, hence, increased flexibility of
the ground
engaging surface upon which the multilevel cleats 14 are disposed. Thus, a
greater
number of top elements 28 can be disposed on the base elements 16 without
excessively increasing the rigidity of the base elements 16, thereby
increasing traction
while permitting the article of primary footwear or attachment device to be
more
comfortable for a user when the user is walking. In accordance with the
invention, any
number of top elements 28 can be disposed upon an individual base element 16
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provided that the top elements 28 are arranged to form the top element flexing
grooves
30, 32.
A portion of a longitudinal top element flexing groove 30 is defined between
two
transversely adjacent top elements 28. A further portion of the same
longitudinal top
element flexing groove 30 is defined between the next two transversely
adjacent top
elements 28. In the preferred embodiment of the invention these portions of
the
longitudinal base element groove 30 are aligned with each other. Thus, in this
embodiment the two adjacent portions of the longitudinal top element flexing
groove
30 can flex cooperatively as the user walks. Cooperation of the groove
portions in this
manner contributes to the flexibility of the base elements 16 and, hence, to
the
flexibility of the article of primary footwear or attachment device upon which
the base
elements 16 are disposed.
Furthermore, a portion of a transverse top element flexing groove 32 is
defined
between two longitudinally adjacent top elements 28. A further portion of the
same
transverse top element flexing groove 32 is defined by the next longitudinally
adjacent
top elements 28. Thus, in this embodiment the two adjacent portions of the
transverse
top element flexing groove 32 can flex cooperatively as the user walks. This
also
contributes to the flexibility of the article of primary footwear or
attachment device as
previously described. It will be understood that the adjacent crooperating
portions of
the top element flexing grooves 30, 32 defined in this manner can be disposed
upon
a single base element 16 or upon adjacent base elements 16.
As should be appreciated from the foregoing description the ground engaging
portion 10 having the multilevel gripping cleats 14 in accordance with the
invention is
simple in construction and can be fabricated readily. Moreover, when the
ground
engaging portion 10 is provided as an attachment device for an article of
primary
footwear and molded of a resilient material it can be folded or rolled up into
a compact
configuration. Thus, it can be conveniently stored or transported until the
user is ready
to wear it. For example, a worker can carry the attachment device either
unfolded or
folded, unrolled o~ rolled in hislher pocket. When it is desired to use the
attachment
device, it can be conveniently retrieved and mounted upon the article of
primary
footwear.
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Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate our
invention that
others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adapt the same for use
under
various conditions of service.
