U.S. patent application number 09/749167 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-27 for dance shoe with tri-split.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ballet Makers, Inc.. Invention is credited to Morrone, Peter.
Application Number | 20020078591 09/749167 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25012561 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020078591 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Morrone, Peter |
June 27, 2002 |
Dance shoe with tri-split
Abstract
A shoe for dance or athletics. The shoe includes a shoe upper
having a respective toe portion, a ball portion and a heel portion.
A split sole beneath the shoe upper. The split sole includes a
front sole under the toe portion of the shoe upper, a middle sole
under the ball portion of the shoe upper and a rear sole under the
heel portion of the shoe upper. A mid-flex portion between the
middle sole and the rear sole and a front-flex portion between the
front sole and the middle sole enables the shoe to bend easily at
the flex portions.
Inventors: |
Morrone, Peter; (Huntington,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OSTROLENK FABER GERB & SOFFEN
1180 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK
NY
100368403
|
Assignee: |
Ballet Makers, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
25012561 |
Appl. No.: |
09/749167 |
Filed: |
December 27, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/8.3 ; 36/102;
36/51 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/16 20130101;
A43B 23/047 20130101; A43B 5/12 20130101; A43B 13/141 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/8.3 ; 36/51;
36/102 |
International
Class: |
A43B 011/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A shoe comprising: a shoe upper including a toe portion, a ball
portion and a heel portion; and a split sole beneath the shoe
upper, the split sole including a front sole portion under the toe
portion of the shoe upper, a mid-sole portion under the ball
portion of the shoe upper, and a rear sole portion under the heel
portion of the shoe upper; the shoe upper includes two separated
areas which do not have a respective sole portion beneath,
including a mid-flex portion between the mid-sole portion and the
rear sole portion and a front-flex portion between the front sole
portion and the mid-sole portion.
2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe upper includes a forward
section and a rearward section, the forward section including the
toe portion and the ball portion, and the rearward section
including the heel portion.
3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the front-flex portion is located
substantially between the toe portion and the ball portion of the
shoe upper, and the mid-flex portion is located substantially
between the ball portion and the heel portion of the shoe
upper.
4. The shoe of claim 3, further comprising an elastic member which
extends between the forward section and the rearward section and
joins them, the elastic member providing a flexible connection at
the mid-flex portion of the shoe.
5. The shoe of claim 4, further comprising an elastic member which
comprises the front-flex portion.
6. The shoe of claim 5, wherein the elastic member which joins the
forward and rearward sections includes an extended portion which
also forms the front-flex portion of the shoe.
7. The shoe of claim 1, wherein at least one of the front-flex
portion and the mid-flex portion comprises elastic material.
8. The shoe of claim 1, wherein both of the front-flex portion and
the mid-flex portion comprises elastic material
9. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the front-flex portion and the
rear-flex portion each comprise material extending between the sole
portions to which the flex portions are connected.
10. The shoe of claim 1, wherein shoe upper is longitudinally split
and a securing member draws the split upper together for tightening
the shoe on a wearer's foot.
11. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe upper is comprised of
leather.
12. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe upper is comprised of an
inelastic flexible material.
13. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe upper is comprised of a
combination of leather and an inelastic material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a shoe with a tri-split
sole, particularly useful as a dance shoe, but also useful as an
exercise shoe. More particularly, the present invention relates to
an improved split sole arrangement with two split areas which
enables a more natural movement of the foot within the shoe while
also providing protection of the foot from impacts associated with
dance or exercise.
[0002] A typical shoe, including a dance shoe, dance slipper, and
athletic shoe has a continuous sole that extends from the toe up to
the heel. For enhancing the flexibility of the shoe to enable the
wearer's foot and the shoe to bend and flex more easily, it is
known to split the outsole of the shoe defining a front portion
beneath the toes and the ball of the foot and a rear portion under
the heel and to have no outsole below the mid-section of the foot,
covering the arch of the foot.
[0003] Examples of split sole shoes with a single split are seen in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,519,148 and 4,554,749, which suggest a shoe or
slipper that is usable in a dance application, and U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,541,186 and 4,542,598, which show an athletic shoe. In shoes of
this type, beneath the mid-section of the foot, between the sole
sections at the front and rear of the shoe, the material of the
shoe upper is wrapped under the foot. The shoe upper also encloses
the sides and top of the foot.
[0004] A dancer's foot can be bent slightly at the arch and also
can be bent at the toe. Known shoe designs do not take all of the
bend locations into consideration. More importantly, and
particularly relevant to dance shoes, a wearer typically flexes and
bends the foot not only at the mid-section, but also at the toe
portion between the ball of the foot and the toes. Particularly,
when a dancer executes an extension, the foot is curved with the
toes and arch bent to form a "C" curve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe
with increased flexibility when a wearer's foot is arched and
during normal bending of the foot.
[0006] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
dance shoe having separate outsole portions, namely a front sole
portion, a mid-sole portion and a rear sole portion for enabling
flexibility.
[0007] According to the invention, the shoe upper is secured to
three separated outsole portions. The shoe may be in the form of a
dance shoe, a dance sandal, a dance sneaker, which, inter alia, has
a thicker sole or other ballet or pointe shoe, an athletic shoe or
sneaker, etc. The three sole portions are attached beneath the
upper in a respective location corresponding to the toe area, the
ball area and the heel area of the wearer's foot.
[0008] The three separate sole portions are spaced apart from the
neighboring section(s) by gaps between the sole portions.
Typically, the gaps are wide enough to be formed from the material
of the shoe upper wrapped under the foot there. However, a gap
between sole portions may be formed from a separate elastic or
flexible material piece.
[0009] The tri-split sole shoe of the present invention provides
increased flexibility in the area between the toes and the ball of
the foot that conventional split sole shoes do not provide.
[0010] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following description of a preferred
embodiment considered in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a shoe
according to the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a section view along section line 3-3 in FIG.
2;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the shoe of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the shoe of FIG. 1 on a
wearer's foot flat on a surface;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the shoe the FIG. 4 on a
wearer's foot in an extended position and executing a toe stand;
and
[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a
shoe according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The invention is described herein as applied on a dance
shoe. This, however, is one example of the many possible show
applications for the invention.
[0018] One embodiment of the illustrated shoe 10 is shown in FIGS.
1-5. It includes three separate and independent, essentially
inflexible outsole portions 20, 30 and 40 below a typical dance
shoe upper 15. A front sole portion 20 is located below a
respective front, toe portion 21 of the shoe upper 15. A mid-sole
portion 30 is located below a respective ball portion 31 of the
shoe upper 15. A rear sole portion 40 is located below a respective
heel portion 41 of the shoe upper 15.
[0019] The shoe upper 15 is preferably formed of a flexible,
substantially inelastic material such as a conventional dance shoe
leather or fabric, or a combination thereof.
[0020] As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shoe upper 15 includes two
separate areas which do not have a respective sole portion
underneath, a mid-flex portion 35 between the mid-sole portion 30
and the rear sole portion 40 and a front-flex portion 25 between
the front sole portion 20 and the mid-sole portion 30. As shown in
FIG. 2, the front-flex portion 25 of the shoe 10 is preferably
located substantially between the toes and the ball of a typical
wearer's foot, while the mid-flex portion 35 is preferably located
at substantially the arch of a typical wearer's foot.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the shoe upper 15 includes a forward
section 16 and a rearward section 17. The forward section 16
includes both the toe portion 21 and the ball portion 31, and the
rearward section 17 includes the heel portion 41. Further, the
illustrated shoe upper 15 includes an elastic material member 50
which extends between the forward section 16 and the rearward
section 17 and joins them. The elastic member 50 provides a
flexible and slightly stretchable connection at the mid-flex
portion 35 of the shoe 10. However, at the location of the member
50, the shoe upper may be of a continuous piece with the forward
and rearward sections.
[0022] As seen in FIG. 2, the elastic member 50 has an extended
portion 51 which extends along the bottom of the shoe upper 15 and
forms the front-flex portion 25 between the front sole portion 20
and the mid-sole portion 30. It will, however, be evident to one
skilled in the art of shoe manufacture, that separate elastic or
flexible members can be secured to the appropriate locations to
form the front-flex and mid-flex portions of the shoe upper, as
opposed to using the single flexible member with an extended
portion as described herein.
[0023] The elastic member 50 may be formed of an elastic material
such as neoprene, cotton lycra, nylon lycra, elastic Gore or other
suitable elastic material. The elastic Gore material may be formed
of about 40%-80% polyester and 20-50% rubber. The elastic member 50
may have an elasticity of about 30% to 100% stretch in a
longitudinal direction of the shoe (in a direction extending from
the front body portion to the rear body portion). The elastic
member 50 also preferably has an elasticity in a lateral direction
(substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction) that is
less than the percentage of stretch in the longitudinal direction.
More specifically, the percentage stretch in the lateral direction
may be about 5-60%. The material is selected and of such length
between the forward and rearward body portions that the elastic
member 50 is at maximum stretch tension when the shoe 10 is in its
longest stretched or flat foot position shown in FIG. 3. This
maximum tension of the elastic member 50 provides a comfortable,
snug fit on the wearer's foot and prevents the shoe 10 from
becoming loose or slipping off the wearer's foot during
activity.
[0024] In addition, the maximum stretch of the elastic member 50
allows the elastic material to contract when a wearer's foot is
arched without the elastic material bunching, wrinkling or sagging
beneath the foot.
[0025] Additionally, with reference to FIG. 2, the shoe 10 of the
present invention may also includes other elements depending upon
the required use of the shoe. In particular, the shoe may include
additional cushioning elements 22, 32 and 42, as a mid-sole between
the wearer's foot and the front sole portion 20, the mid-sole
portion 30 and the rear sole portion 40, respectively. Further, an
insole liner 55 may be positioned within and along the bottom of
the shoe upper 15. The invention may be used in some types of shoes
not provided with cushioning elements or an insole liner, e.g., a
more typical ballet shoe.
[0026] The elastic member 50 extends forward inside portion 30 to
the forward extended portion 51 which forms the front-flex portion
25 between the front sole portion 20 and the mid-sole portion 30.
This allows the wearer to easily bend the shoe and enter an arched
position from a flat-foot position, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
Unlike typical split sole shoes having a single, integral front
sole portion which covers the toe area and the ball area, the shoe
of the present invention bends easily at the location between the
toes and the ball of the foot, thus enabling the wearer to more
fully bend the foot in a "C" curve to more easily stand on pointe
than that position which could be achieved with conventional split
sole shoes having a single, integral front sole portion.
[0027] Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
6. Elements which are the same as in the first embodiment are
designated by the same reference numerals as those used above.
Description of the similar elements has been omitted.
[0028] The shoe 100 of FIG. 6 is similar to the shoe 10 shown in
FIGS. 1-3 in having three separate outsole portions 20, 30 and 40
provided beneath respective portions 21, 31 and 41 of the shoe
upper 115 corresponding to particular sections of a wearer's
foot.
[0029] However, the shoe upper 115 of the embodiment shown in FIG.
6 is longitudinally split so as to form two respective halves of
the shoe upper 120 and 130. A securing member 140 provided on the
shoe upper 115 may be of any known type, such as a lacing (shown in
FIG. 6), strapping (not shown), a Velcro (fine hooks to loops)
arrangement (not shown) or any other arrangement which allows the
wearer to draw the two halves 120 and 130 of the split upper 115
together in a manner which tightens the shoe on the wearer's
foot.
[0030] Further, and as stated above with respect to the first
embodiment, the shoe upper can be constructed of a flexible,
substantially inelastic material such as a conventional dance shoe
leather or fabric, or a combination thereof.
[0031] Regardless of the materials chosen for the shoe upper 115,
the shoe upper 115 includes two separate areas which do not have a
respective sole portion beneath, a mid-flex portion 35 defined
between the mid-sole portion 30 and the rear sole portion 40 and a
front-flex portion 25 defined between the front sole portion 20 and
the mid-sole portion 30. As described above, the front-flex portion
25 is located substantially between the toes and the ball of the
wearer's foot, while the mid-flex portion 35 is located at
substantially the arch of the wearer's foot.
[0032] In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the front-flex portion 25 and
the mid-flex portion 35 of the shoe are formed by the flexible
material of the shoe upper 115 construction wrapped under the foot.
Accordingly, the shoe bends easily at the front-flex portion 25 and
the mid-flex portion 35 due to the flexible nature of the shoe
upper material and thus enables the wearer to form an arch or
extend the foot more easily than can be achieved with conventional
split sole shoes having a single, integral front sole portion. This
material at the flex positions may therefore be flexible, without
also being elastic.
[0033] Not only does the tri-split sole shoe of the present
invention enable the increased flexibility of the shoe, it also
retains the desired foot protecting properties by providing a sole
portion beneath the sections of the wearer's foot which receives
impacts during dance or exercise, namely the toes, ball and heel
portions of the foot.
[0034] Although the present invention has been described in
relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations
and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those
skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present
invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but
only by the appended claims.
* * * * *