Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-19
2001-05-22
Patterson, M. D. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
C036S06700D, C036S127000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233850
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
This invention deals with non-metallic cleats for athletic shoes, which cleats provide traction on grass surfaces and provide resistance to wear when used on hard walking surfaces.
2. Description of the related art
It has long been known that metallic cleats on athletic shoes, especially golf shoes, are harmful to the grass surfaces or floors on which they are used and fail to provide traction when worn on hard surfaces. To avoid this problem, a number of plastic golf cleats have been developed. One example of such a golf cleat is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,640 to Deacon et al. Such plastic cleats routinely contain a threaded stud for securing the cleat to the sole of a shoe and a main cleat body which contains a convex lower surface containing a plurality of traction ribs. As these cleats are worn on both hard and soft walking surfaces, the hard surfaces have a tendency to wear down the traction ribs of the cleats, making replacement necessary more often than desired. U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,860 to McMullin discloses an athletic shoe cleat which does not adversely affect the turf while providing necessary traction. This cleat contains a hub having an outer flange, an upper surface of the hub containing an attachment stud, and a plurality of traction elements extending substantially laterally from the hub. When used on a turf walking surface, the traction elements extend downwardly to provide traction. When used on a hard surface, the traction elements bend outwardly so that the turf-engaging portions of the traction elements are protected from abrasion and wear. Since the traction elements still bear the full weight of the user, wear of these elements is inevitable. U.S. Pat. No, 6,052,923 to McMullin addresses the problem of wear of the traction element. The cleat of this patent contains an attachment stud, a flange, a plurality of relatively small traction protrusions extending from the flange, and a convex bearing portion extending downwardly from the flange. The small protrusions provide traction while the bearing portion bears the user's weight at all times, on both turf surfaces and hard surfaces. On soft surfaces, the traction protrusions sink into the surface sufficiently to provide traction and to cause the bearing portion to bear weight. On hard surfaces, the resiliency of the traction protrusions causes them to bend so that full weight of the user is carried by bearing portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a cleat similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,923 with the improvements being that the traction elements of the present invention are longer for increased traction and exhibit increased resiliency.
The present invention provides a removable cleat for use with an athletic shoe. The cleat provides traction on soft walking surfaces and reduces wear of the traction elements when used on hard surfaces.
The athletic shoe on which the cleat is used has a sole, and the sole has a plurality of sole attachment means for attachment of the removable cleats. The removable cleat has a sole attachment member having a longitudinal axis for mounting the cleat in the sole attachment means of the shoe. The cleat has a hub having a planar upper portion which is perpendicular to the sole attachment member having a first periphery and a rounded lower portion having a second periphery. Each cleat has a plurality of resilient, cantilevered traction elements extending radially outwardly and downwardly from the hub. The traction elements have an outward band extending downwardly and outwardly from the periphery of the first portion of the hub, an inward band extending outwardly and downwardly from the periphery of the lower portion of the hub, a bottom band connecting the lower ends of the inner band and the outer band, and an upper band connecting the upper ends of the inner and outer bands. These bands surround an open space. This open space gives the traction elements greater resiliency while maintaining the ability to impart the required traction.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4014114 (1977-03-01), Jordan et al.
patent: 5029405 (1991-07-01), DeHaitre
patent: 5794367 (1998-08-01), Carroll
patent: 6023860 (2000-02-01), McMullin
patent: 6041526 (2000-03-01), Collins
patent: 6052923 (2000-04-01), McMullin
Huff Richard L.
Patterson M. D.
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