Boots – shoes – and leggings – Boots and shoes – Occupational or athletic shoe
Patent
1988-12-21
1990-08-21
Sewell, Paul T.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Boots and shoes
Occupational or athletic shoe
36114, A43B 506
Patent
active
049494767
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an improved running shoe.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When a runner is running at high speed and in particular when he is sprinting, the rolling movement of the foot does not take place in the usual manner from the heel which is first put on the ground. On the contrary, the heel scarcely comes into contact with the ground or does not come into contact with it at all, as the runner first puts the stretched-out foot on to the track in the region of the outside part of the ball of the foot, and it is from there that a rolling movement towards the inside part of the ball of the foot takes place. When the foot is put on to the ground with the outside region of the ball of the foot, that is to say at the first moment of making contact with the ground, the runner first tries to achieve contact with the track, that is to say secure support on the track, in order then immediately to apply leg power to the ground by means of the gripping elements which are fixed to the hard front sole portion of the shoe, during the rolling movement of the foot towards the inward side of the ball of the foot. That first contact with the track in the region of the outside part of the ball of the foot is of essential significance in regard to sure-footed running and in regard to optimum efficiency on the part of the runner, as it is that first contact with the track which substantially determines at least the initial phase of the rolling movement of the foot towards the inside ball region thereof. If the runner does not make contact at the correct location at the outside edge of the sole, then correction of the rolling movement of the foot occurs during such rolling movement, and that correction prevents the immediate and full application of power to the track and consequently represents a drop in efficiency. As long as the runner is fresh, he succeeds in making the first contact with the track in such a way as to provide for an optimum rolling movement of the foot. However, when the runner becomes just slightly fatigued, there is a tendency to make first contact with the track, with regions of the foot which are further towards the rear thereof; finally, when the runner is more seriously fatigued, that tendency results in the heel making first contact with the track. Due to the point at which the foot makes contact with the track being shifted further rearwardly from the outside ball region of the foot however, the tendency to sink back on to the heel in turn becomes more and more pronounced.
There are already many proposals for better controlling the way in which the foot is put on to the track, and the subsequent rolling movement from the outside region to the inside region of the ball of the foot, even when the runner is suffering from a certain amount of fatigue, by virtue of a suitable configuration of running shoes. Thus, running shoes are known in which the hard front sole which carries the gripping elements has a support edge which laterally embraces the upper portion of the shoe in the outer ball region and which blends into the hard front sole with a relatively large rounded configuration (German laid-open application (DE-OS) No 28 05 426). The intention with that design is that the rolling movement from the moment of first making contact with the track until the end of that movement is controlled by that rounded configuration. Admittedly, that shoe construction has proven to be advantageous insofar as, due to the above-mentioned support edge, the runner does not need firstly to try to achieve a secure condition of support on the track in order then to initiate and perform the rolling movement of the foot, but rather the runner can immediately put the foot full on the track and can also already apply leg power to the track, because, when the foot is correctly set down on to the track, the rolling movement automatically takes place over the hard front sole portion with the support edge. However, even that support edge cannot initiate a satisfactory rolling movement if runne
REFERENCES:
patent: 2095766 (1937-10-01), Shapiro
patent: 2758394 (1956-08-01), Whitlock
patent: 3028689 (1962-04-01), Dassler
patent: 3918181 (1975-11-01), Inohara
patent: 4187623 (1980-02-01), Dassler
patent: 4212120 (1980-07-01), Bowerman et al.
patent: 4361971 (1982-12-01), Bowerman
Adidas Sportschuhfabriken, ADI Dassler Stiftung & Co. Kg.
Meyers Andrew D.
Sewell Paul T.
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