Boots – shoes – and leggings – Soles – Rope
Reexamination Certificate
1995-06-05
2004-09-14
Patterson, M. D. (Department: 3728)
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Soles
Rope
C036S114000, C036S088000, C036S03000A
Reexamination Certificate
active
06789331
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the structure of soles of shoes and other footwear, including soles of street shoes, hiking boots, sandals, slippers, and moccasins. More specifically, this invention relates to the structure of athletic shoe soles, including such examples as basketball and running shoes.
Still more particularly, this application explicitly includes an alternate definition of the inner surface of the theoretically ideal stability plane as being complementary to the shape of the wearer's foot, instead of conforming to the wearer's foot sole or to a shoe last approximating it either for a specific individual; such alternate definition is more like a standard shoe last that approximates the exact shape and size of the individual wearer's foot sole for mass production. This application also includes the broadest possible definition for the inner surface of the contoured shoe sole sides that still defines over the prior art, namely any position between roughly paralleling the wearer's foot sole and roughly paralleling the flat ground.
Still more particularly, in its simplest conceptual form, this invention relates to variations in the structure of such shoes having a sole contour which follows a theoretically ideal stability plane as a basic concept, but which deviates substantially therefrom outwardly, to provide greater than natural stability, so that joint motion of the wearer is restricted, especially the ankle joint; or, alternately, which deviates substantially therefrom inwardly, to provide less than natural stability, so that a greater freedom of joint motion is allowed. Alternately, substantial density variations or bottom sole designs are used instead of, or in combination with, substantial thickness variations for the same purpose. These shoe sole modifications are research indicating that they are necessary and useful to correct important interrelated anatomical/biomechanical imbalances or deformities of surprising large magnitude in both individuals or major population groups.
More particularly, in its simplest conceptual form, this invention is the structure of a conventional shoe sole that has been modified by having its sides bent up so that their inner surface conforms to a shape nearly identical but slightly smaller than the shape of the outer surface of the sides of the foot sole of the wearer (instead of the shoe sole sides conforming to the ground by paralleling it, as is conventional). The shoe sole sides are sufficiently flexible to bend out easily when the shoes are put on the wearer's feet and therefore the shoe soles gently hold the sides of the wearer's foot sole when on, providing the equivalent of custom fit in a mass-produced shoe sole.
Still more particularly, this invention relates to shoe sole structures that are formed to conform to the all or part of the shape of the wearer's foot sole, whether under a body weight load or unloaded, but without contoured stability sides as defined by the applicant.
Still more particularly, this invention relates to variations in the structure of such soles using a theoretically ideal stability plane as a basic concept, especially including structures exceeding that plane.
Finally, this invention relates to contoured shoe sole sides that provide support for sideways tilting of any angular amount from zero degrees to 180 degrees at least for such contoured sides proximate to any one or more or all of the essential stability or propulsion structures of the foot, as defined below and previously.
The parent '598 application clarified and expanded the applicant's earlier filed U.S. application Ser. No. 07/680,134, filed Apr. 3, 1991.
The applicant has introduced into the art the concept of a theoretically ideal stability plane as a structural basis for shoe sole designs. The theoretically ideal stability plane was defined by the applicant in previous copending applications as the plane of the surface of the bottom of the shoe sole, wherein the shoe sole conforms to the natural shape of the wearer's foot sole, particularly its sides, and has a constant thickness in frontal or transverse plane cross sections. Therefore, by definition, the theoretically ideal stability plane is the surface plane of the bottom of the shoe sole that parallels the surface of the wearer's foot sole in transverse or frontal plane cross sections.
The theoretically ideal stability plane concept as implemented into shoes such as street shoes and athletic shoes is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,349, issued Feb. 5, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,819, issued Jun. 7, 1994, both of which are incorporated by reference; and pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/400,714, filed Aug. 30, 1989; Ser. No. 07/416,478, filed Oct. 3, 1989; Ser. No. 07/424,509, filed Oct. 20, 1989; Ser. No. 07/463,302, filed Jan. 10, 1990; Ser. No. 07/469,313, filed Jan. 24, 1990; Ser. No. 07/478,579, filed Feb. 8, 1990; Ser. No. 07/539,870, filed Jun. 18, 1990; Ser. No. 07/608,748, filed Nov. 5, 1990; Ser. No. 07/783,145, filed Oct. 28, 1991; and Ser. No. 07/926,523, filed Aug. 10, 1992.
PCT applications based on the above patents and applications have been published as WO 90/00358 of Jan. 25, 1990 (part of the '349 Patent, all of the '819 Patent and part of '714 application); WO 91/03180 of Mar. 21, 1991 (the remainder of the '714 application); WO 91/04683 of Apr. 18, 1991 (the '478 application); WO 91/05491 of May 02, 1991 (the '509 application); WO 91/10377 of Jul. 25, 1991 (the '302 application); WO 91/11124 of Aug. 08, 1991 (the '313 application); WO 91/11924 of Aug. 22, 1991 (the '579 application); WO 91/19429 of Dec. 26, 1991 (the '870 application); WO 92/07483 of May 14, 1992 (the '748 application); WO 92/18024 of Oct. 29, 1992 (the '598 application); and WO 94/03080 of Feb. 17, 1994 (the '523 application). All of above publications are incorporated by reference in this application to support claimed prior embodiments that are incorporated in combinations with new elements disclosed in this application.
This new invention is a modification of the inventions disclosed and claimed in the earlier applications and develops the application of the concept of the theoretically ideal stability plane to other shoe structures. Each of the applicant's applications is built directly on its predecessors and therefore all possible combinations of inventions or their component elements with other inventions or elements in prior and subsequent applications have always been specifically intended by the applicant. Generally, however, the applicant's applications are generic at such a fundamental level that it is not possible as a practical matter to describe every embodiment combination that offers substantial improvement over the existing art, as the length of this description of only some combinations will testify.
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to elaborate upon the application of the principle of the theoretically ideal stability plane to other shoe structures.
The purpose of the earlier '523 application was to specifically describe some of the most important combinations, especially those that constitute optimal ones, that exist between the applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/400,714, filed Aug. 30, 1989, and subsequent patents filed by the applicant, particularly U.S. Ser. No. 07/416,478, filed Oct. 3, 1989, as well as some other combinations.
The '714 Application indicated that existing running shoes are unnecessarily unsafe. They profoundly disrupt natural human biomechanics. The resulting unnatural foot and ankle motion leads to what are abnormally high levels of running injuries.
Proof of the unnatural effect of shoes has come quite unexpectedly from the discovery that, at the extreme end of its normal range of motion, the unshod bare foot is naturally stable, almost unsprainable, while the foot equipped with any shoe, athletic or otherwise, is artificially
Anatomic Research Inc.
Knoble & Yoshida & Dunleavy LLC
Patterson M. D.
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