Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-19
2001-07-03
Patterson, M. D. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
C036S127000, C036S06700D
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253468
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a spike structure for sporting shoes such as golf shoes. More particularly, this invention relates to sporting shoe spikes that substitute for metal spikes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A golf shoe, for example, has metal spikes which are screwed into a shoe sole to be secured thereto. It has been pointed out that this kind of shoe has a problem that the metal spikes could damage greens of a golf course. Therefore, a recent trend is to use spikeless shoes having a shoe sole formed integrally with protrusions made of a plastic material. However, such shoe sole structure having protrusions integral with the sole requires to replace the whole shoe sole when the protrusions have worn.
To solve this problem, the structure may be that spikes made of a plastic material are screwed into shoe soles. However, in the case where such plastic spikes are screwed into the shoe sole in a manner similar to that of metal spikes, there may be a practical problem that loosening may easily occur in use, due to the physical properties of the material used for the spikes. To solve the problem, Japanese patent laid-open publication No. Hei 11-9306 has proposed that an sporting shoe spike can consist of a body made of a plastic material, and a core made of a metal material. In the proposed structure, the body is comprised of a flange-shaped portion and a threaded stud which extends from one surface of said flange-shaped portion and has a thread on an outer surface of the stud. An axial bore is formed to extend through a flange-shaped portion and the threaded stud, while a slit is formed to extend axially to the free end of the stud. A core is inserted into the axial bore to be fixed to the body. The core is configurated to make the stud to expand radially outwardly when inserted in the axal bore of the body. Further, the flage-shaped portion of the spike body has a plurality of spike protrusions formed on the other surface thereof opposite the threaded stud.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to cope more effectively with the loosening problem in use in the case where sporting shoes such as golf shoes are provided with spikes made of a plastic material, and to provide a novel spike structure which can more effectively solve the loosening problem in use even with the primary portion of the spike is made of a plastic material.
In order to solve the problem described above, this invention improves the structure disclosed in Japanese patent laid-open publication No. Hei 11-9306, by having a core in the form of a self-tapping screw.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the spike has a flange-shaped portion having one surface formed with spike protrusions and of a convex shape having a high central portion gradually lowering to the edge. A core is preferably formed to be tapered toward the free end of a threaded stud of a spike body to make the spike body to expand radially outwardly at the base area of the threaded stud adjacent to the flange-shaped portion.
In another embodiment of the invention, an axial bore formed in the spike body includes a large diameter portion opening to the surface having the spike protrusions, and a small diameter portion formed in the threaded stud, the core being formed to include a flange which is adapted to sit on a shoulder formed between the large and small diameter portions. Two slits are preferably provided at the diametrically opposing sides in the threaded stud.
Plastic material composing the spike body in this invention, is preferably a urethane type elastomer material, but other type of plastic materials may be used. The core is preferably formed of a corrosion-resistant iron based material such as a stainless steel.
According to the present invention, the spike for sporting shoes has a spike body made of a plastic material, so that male threads on the threaded stud are also made of a plastic material. However, in the spike structure, the threaded stud is formed with axial slits extending to the free end, and secured by a self-tapping screw of a metallic material by being forced to expand radially outwardly from inside. It is therefore possible, when screwed into the bore of the shoe sole, to prevent the spike from being loosened in use. Further, the metal self-tapping screw may have a tip end of the screw protruding from the spike protrusion, it may be possible to prevent slipping by the protruding tip of the metal core material when walking on slopes.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3195246 (1965-07-01), Ueda
patent: 3715817 (1973-02-01), White et al.
patent: 5025576 (1991-06-01), Biasiotto et al.
patent: 5386651 (1995-02-01), Okamoto
patent: 5964048 (1999-10-01), Shich
patent: 6006454 (1999-12-01), Sitzler, Sr.
patent: 11009306 (1999-01-01), None
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
Kyowa Electric and Chemical Co. Ltd.
Patterson M. D.
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