U.S. patent application number 11/190102 was filed with the patent office on 2007-01-25 for insert for footwear midsole.
This patent application is currently assigned to Rogue Outdoor Brands, LLC. Invention is credited to Janelle Dahlsten, John Earle, Robert Scofield.
Application Number | 20070017123 11/190102 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37677750 |
Filed Date | 2007-01-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070017123 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Scofield; Robert ; et
al. |
January 25, 2007 |
Insert for footwear midsole
Abstract
An insert for a footwear midsole has a center portion which
extends centrally across the midsole, a medial portion which
extends upwardly from the center portion at the inner side of the
midsole and a lateral portion which extends upwardly from the
center portion at the outer side of the midsole. In a preferred
embodiment, the insert is made from a cork rubber material and
portions of the medial and lateral portions extend above the
outsole and overly the upper of the footwear where they are
exposed.
Inventors: |
Scofield; Robert; (Lake
Oswego, OR) ; Earle; John; (Portland, OR) ;
Dahlsten; Janelle; (Lake Oswego, OR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHERNOFF, VILHAUER, MCCLUNG & STENZEL
1600 ODS TOWER
601 SW SECOND AVENUE
PORTLAND
OR
97204-3157
US
|
Assignee: |
Rogue Outdoor Brands, LLC
|
Family ID: |
37677750 |
Appl. No.: |
11/190102 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/43 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/12 20130101;
A43B 13/125 20130101; A43B 7/1495 20130101; A43B 7/24 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
036/043 |
International
Class: |
A43B 13/38 20060101
A43B013/38 |
Claims
1. An insert for footwear having a midsole, an outsole and an
upper, said insert comprising: (a) a center portion which extends
across the midsole; (b) a medial portion which extends upwardly
from the center portion at the inner side of the midsole; and (c) a
lateral portion which extends upwardly from the center portion at
the outer side of the midsole.
2. The insert of claim 1 wherein said medial portion is located
generally forwardly of said lateral portion.
3. The insert of claim 1 wherein at least portions of said medial
and lateral portions extend above the outsole and over exposed
portions of the upper.
4. The insert of claim 1 wherein said insert is a unitary molded
element.
5. The insert of claim 1 wherein said insert is embedded in said
midsole.
6. The insert of claim 1 wherein said insert is stiffer than said
midsole.
7. The insert of claim 1 wherein said insert is made from a
combination of ethylene vinyl acetate and cork.
8. The insert of claim 1 wherein said center portion is located
immediately in front of a heel portion of said midsole.
9. The insert of claim 8 wherein said lateral portion extends
partially over said heel portion.
10. The insert of claim 5 wherein said insert is located in a
cavity formed in a top surface of said midsole.
11. The insert of claim 3 wherein the portions of said lateral and
medial portions which are exposed have arcuate upper edges.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] It is well known to selectively stiffen the sole of footwear
by placing a stiffer insert in a portion of the midsole. Doing this
provides stability, allows the midsole to bend at the desired
location and allows the remainder of the midsole to be made more
flexible and cushioning than it otherwise could be. A common
material used for such an insert is metal. However, prior art
inserts do little to provide tortional stability since tortional
movement of the foot is generally above the top of the midsole. In
addition, if the insert is metal the portion of the midsole
containing the insert is substantially not flexible at all.
Finally, if the insert is metal, it activates airport metal dectors
if the user forgets to remove the footwear before passing through
them.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The subject invention provides a midsole insert having
medial and lateral portions which extend upwardly from a center
portion which provides both longitudinal and tortional stability in
the midsole it is placed into.
[0003] The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages
of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration
of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a first side elevation view of a shoe having an
insert of the subject invention placed in it.
[0005] FIG. 2 is the opposite side elevation view of the shoe of
FIG. 1.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a plan view, partially broken away to show hidden
detail of a footwear midsole with the insert of the subject
invention in it.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in FIG.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0008] Referring now to the drawings, a shoe 10 has a midsole 12,
an outsole 14 and an upper 16 which are all joined together in the
conventional fashion. An inner sole 18 is inserted inside of the
shoe above the midsole, FIG. 4. The midsole 12 is made from a
material that is flexible and provides good cushioning for the
foot. A typical material used for this purpose is molded ethylene
vinyl acetate ("EVA"). A cavity 20 is formed in the upper surface
22 and the opposed side surfaces of the insole. Referring to FIG.
3, the back end 24 of the cavity 20 is shown in the embodiment
illustrated as extending from the inside edge of the midsole
laterally across the midsole proximate the front of the heel 26 and
then extending rearwardly to near the back of the heel at the
outside edge of the midsole. The front end 28 of the cavity 20 is
shown as extending transversely across the midsole from near the
ball of the foot at the inside of the midsole to approximately the
middle of the arch at the outside of the midsole. However, the
exact location and extent of the cavity 20 can vary depending on
the application.
[0009] Located in the cavity 20 is an insert 30. The insert 30 has
a center portion 32 which fills the portion of the cavity located
in the upper surface 22 of the midsole. Thus, the insert causes no
significant discontinuity in the upper surface of the midsole.
Located at the inside edge of the center portion 32 is a medial
portion 34. The medial portion extends upwardly from the center
portion and fills the portion of the cavity 20 located in the
inside edge of the midsole. Located at the outside edge of the
center portion 32 is a lateral portion 36. The lateral portion
extends upwardly from the center portion and fills the portion of
the cavity 20 located in the outside edge of the midsole. The
medial and lateral portions of the insert extend above the outsole
and overlay the outside surface of the upper 16. In addition, the
outsole 14 extends downwardly at the medial and lateral portions of
the insert exposing even more of them. For aesthetic reasons the
upper edges of the medial and lateral portions of the insert and
the downwardly extending portions of the outsole are curved. The
insert is made from a material which is stiffer than the midsole
material. In a preferred embodiment, the insole is made from a
combination of EVA and cork rubber. This combination gives a cork
appearance to the material which results in the exposed portions of
the medial and lateral portions also being a design element.
[0010] The insert 30 provides additional stiffness to the midsole
22 at the location where additional stiffness is required,
essentially under the ball of the foot. As a result, the rest of
the midsole can be more flexible and have greater cushioning than
otherwise would be possible. However, unlike metal inserts, the use
of an EVA/cork insert still allows some flexibility along the
entire extent of the midsole. Moreover, due to the fact that the
front edge of the insert extends diagonally across the midsole, the
midsole flexes approximately at the base of the toes, rather than
at the arch. In addition, by not having a metal insert, footwear
utilizing the subject midsole do not trigger airport metal
detectors.
[0011] By having the insert extend upwardly along both sides of the
midsole, it also provides tortional stability. This prevents the
foot from rolling side-to-side while walking which causes
discomfort and can cause ankle injury. In addition, it tends to
reduce over pronation or supination of the wearer's feet.
[0012] Finally, by making the insert from a cork material and
extending the medial and lateral portions 34, 36 above the outer
sole 14 onto the upper 16 where they are exposed, the inserts
provide an aesthetically pleasing design feature.
[0013] The terms and expressions which have been employed in the
foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description
and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of
such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the
features shown and described or portions thereof, it being
recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited
only by the claims which follow.
* * * * *