Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-14
2001-11-06
Kavanaugh, Ted (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
C036S015000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311415
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a shoe fabrication and to a method of providing selectable modification of high or low traction of the shoe on a support surface. In particular, the shoe of this invention is adapted for use as a bowling shoe to allow the wearer, among other features to be later described, control over the slide and/or traction action of each shoe independently.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the game of bowling, accurate approach to the foul line and precise delivery of the ball generally require that the bowler have the ability to control the slide action and the traction action of each foot independently according to individual bowling style and surface conditions of the bowling lane, among other variables. Several attempts have been made to construct bowling shoes with specific designs to the sole, including the toe and/or the heel, to give this element of control according to the individual bowler's preference. Typically, a pair of bowling shoes may include a slide shoe for slide action with a sole of a material with a low coefficient of friction, for example, leather, and a traction shoe for good traction with a sole of a material with a high coefficient of friction., for example, rubber. The traction shoe sole conventionally may have a wear tip at the front of the sole, which may have a low coefficient of friction surface (i.e., a slippery surface) or a high coefficient of friction surface (i.e., a traction surface), according to a bowler's preference, bowling style, and right- or left-handedness. On such a conventional bowling shoe, the sole bottom area covered by the wear tip may become worn with extended use. The worn area typically may include the front edge of the sole and the adjacent shoe upper. The wear may usually arise from two conditions. At the beginning of the approach to the foul line, some bowlers may push off by rolling the traction shoe up onto the toe, sometimes even exaggerating the push off, so that the upper part of the traction shoe may roll up onto the lane surface. Bowlers with this style of approach may generally prefer to have a shoe tip with a high coefficient of friction traction material, such as rubber. Other bowlers, at the end of the approach to the foul line, may slide the traction shoe behind, while sliding forward on the slide shoe. Such bowlers may generally prefer to have a shoe tip with a low coefficient of friction slippery material, such as leather.
Coles, U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,077, issued Jun. 27, 1972, is directed to a shoe which has removable cleats attached to apertures in the sole. Each of the cleats may have a different coefficient of friction, so that by selecting specific cleats, it is said that the bowler may obtain the desired low or high traction characteristics for the sole.
Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,664, issued Jan. 5, 1988, describes a bowling shoe which has a specially designed heel and sole surface. The shoe worn on the bowler's sliding foot has a generally U-shaped heel with different outer and inner bottom surfaces. The outer bottom heel surface has a relatively high coefficient of friction as compared to the inner heel surface. The shoe for the non-sliding foot has a sole with a higher coefficient of friction and a conventional uniform heel surface.
Famolare, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,198, issued Aug. 6, 1996, relates to a bowling shoe, in which the shoe sole has a replaceable slide area on the tread surface. The slide area extends from the toe end of the shoe sole to about the arch portion and extends across the width of the tread surface. The shoe construction includes a removable slide pad which has a peripheral margin about equal to the peripheral margin of the slide area on the tread surface. Mating faces of the slide pad and the tread surface are removably secured to each other by hook and loop fastener material. The heel also has selectively replaceable heels, to provide a desired coefficient of friction to the heel.
Although these and other shoe constructions have been proposed and are currently available, none of them provide all of the advantages of the present invention, including, among other features described herein, selectability of the coefficient of friction of the sole surface and additional protection of the shoe upper adjacent the front sole surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a shoe with a replaceable tip. The shoe comprises a shoe upper, a shoe sole mounted to the shoe upper, and a plurality of replaceable shoe tips. The shoe sole has a selectable traction area which extends from a toe end of the shoe sole and extends across a width of the shoe sole. Each tip has a peripheral margin which is substantially equal to a peripheral margin of the selectable traction area. Each tip also covers and conforms to at least a portion of the shoe upper adjacent to the selectable traction area. Each of the plurality of tips has a different coefficient of friction traction surface. A selected tip of a desired coefficient of friction is removably secured to the selectable traction area and to at least a portion of the adjacent shoe upper. The tips are interchangeable, so that a specific desired coefficient of friction is provided to the selectable traction area according to surface conditions and an individual wearer's preference. The selectable traction area may extend from the toe end of the shoe sole to the ball portion or even to the arch portion. A margin of the shoe sole may extend peripherally outward from the shoe upper to form a sole flange. The selected sole tip may be interiorly provided with a rim which conforms with the toe end of the shoe upper and the extending flange. The sole tip is removably secured between at least a portion of the flange and adjacent shoe upper by this rim. Hook and loop fastener material or adhesive attached to mating faces of the selectable traction area and the tip may removably secure the selected tip to the selectable traction area. The tip may be formed of a material with the pre-determined coefficient of friction. The tip exterior covering the shoe sole may be co-planar with the shoe sole. This shoe with a replaceable tip is suitably adapted for use as a bowling shoe.
In another embodiment, this invention is a shoe for retaining a replaceable shoe tip. The shoe comprises a shoe upper, a shoe sole mounted to the shoe upper, and a selectable traction area. The shoe sole has a selectable traction area which extends from the toe end of the shoe sole and extends across the width of the shoe sole. The shoe is designed and adapted so that one of a plurality of tips can be removably secured to the selectable traction area and to at least a portion of the adjacent shoe upper. The tips are interchangeable and each tip has a different coefficient of friction, so that each tip provides selectable traction according to surface conditions and an individual wearer's preference. The selectable traction area may extend from a toe end of the shoe sole and may extend across a width of the shoe sole. A margin of the shoe sole may extend peripherally outward from the shoe upper to form a sole flange. The selected tip may be provided with an interior rim which conforms between the toe end of the shoe upper and the extended flange, so that the tip can be removably secured to the shoe. A hook and loop fastener material or adhesive may removably secure mating faces of the selected tip to the selectable traction area of the shoe. The selectable traction area may be of reduced thickness compared to the rest of the shoe sole, so that when the selected tip is attached, the exterior of the selected tip is co-planar with the full-thickness body of the shoe sole. The shoe is particularly adaptable for use as a bowling shoe.
According to a further embodiment, this invention is a replaceable shoe tip for a shoe. The tip has a peripheral margin substantially equal to a peripheral margin of a selectable traction area of a shoe sole at the toe end, mounted to a shoe upper. The tip covers and conforms to at
Jaisle Cecilia M.
Kavanaugh Ted
Lind Shoe Company
Reid Malcolm D.
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