U.S. patent application number 14/216383 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-18 for ladder climbing shoes.
The applicant listed for this patent is Michael D. Stull. Invention is credited to Michael D. Stull.
Application Number | 20140259791 14/216383 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51520740 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140259791 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stull; Michael D. |
September 18, 2014 |
LADDER CLIMBING SHOES
Abstract
A shoe having an upper component and an outersole including a
heel portion and a ball portion. The heel portion and the ball
portion include a recess configured to receive a ladder rung
therein.
Inventors: |
Stull; Michael D.; (FPO,
AP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Stull; Michael D. |
FPO |
AP |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51520740 |
Appl. No.: |
14/216383 |
Filed: |
March 17, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61799978 |
Mar 15, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/103 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/223
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
36/103 |
International
Class: |
A43B 5/00 20060101
A43B005/00 |
Claims
1. A shoe comprising: an upper component; and an outersole having a
heel portion and a ball portion, wherein the heel portion and the
ball portion include a recess configured to receive a ladder rung
therein.
2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the
recess corresponds to a cross-sectional shape of the ladder
rung.
3. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the
recessed portion is round.
4. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the
recessed portion is oval.
5. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the
recessed portion is triangular.
6. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the
recessed portion is square.
7. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the outersole is made of a material
selected from the group consisting of rubber, polyurethane and
latex.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/799,978, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to the field of climbing
shoes and, in particular, ladder climbing shoes that can be used to
climb a caving ladder.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A myriad of shoes exist for all kinds of uses and to address
different use conditions and problems. The shoe disclosed herein,
however, addresses a very specific problem. Climbing wet ladders or
ladders to board a vessel at sea, i.e., a caving ladder, can be
problematic because of the tendency for one's feet to slip off the
rungs.
[0004] Embodiments of the present invention disclosed and described
herein are directed to a addressing and solving this problem by
providing a new type of shoe with a specially designed bottom or
outersole that corresponds to the shape of a ladder rung.
SUMMARY
[0005] Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a shoe
comprising an upper component and an outersole having a heel
portion and a ball portion. The heel portion and the ball portion
each include a recess configured to receive a ladder rung therein.
In some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the recess
corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the ladder rung
[0006] The various features of novelty that characterize the
embodiments of the present invention are pointed out in
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its
operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses,
reference is made to the accompanying descriptive matter in which
preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a side view of a shoe, according to an embodiment
of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a shoe, according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a front view of a caving ladder;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a caving ladder rung;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken about line A-A in
FIG. 4;
[0012] FIG. 6 is a side view of a shoe, according to another
embodiment of the present invention; and
[0013] FIG. 7 is a side view of a shoe, according to yet another
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Embodiments of the present invention are described more
fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The
various embodiments of the invention may, however, be embodied in
many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the
embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and
will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in
the art. Elements that are identified using the same or similar
reference characters refer to the same or similar elements.
Features disclosed as belonging to certain embodiments can be used
with other embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.
[0015] It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to
the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters described
and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for
the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example
only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and
is not intended to be limiting of the disclosed invention. For
example, as used in the specification including the appended
numbered paragraphs, the singular forms "a," "an," and "one"
include the plural, the term "or" means "and/or," and reference to
a particular numerical value includes at least that particular
value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition,
any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the
sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other
sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein. And any
dimensions shown in the attached drawings are representative and
not limiting of the invention, as larger or smaller dimensions can
be used as desired.
[0016] It will also be understood that, although the terms first,
second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these
elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only
used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a first element
could be termed a second element without departing from the
teachings of the embodiments of the present invention.
[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such
as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their
meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be
interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly
so defined herein.
[0018] As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, ladders, such as, for example,
caving ladders 2, include a plurality of rungs 4. The rungs 4 are
suspended from a non-rigid material 5 such as rope, chain, etc.,
making them even more difficult to climb in rough conditions.
Typically, the rungs 4 have a circular or oval cross-sectional
shape. Caving ladders are typically used in caving to descend or
ascend in caves or for military purposes, for example, for use with
a helicopter to extract military personnel from water or for use by
military personnel when boarding a ship at sea. To climb a caving
ladder 2, a person alternates placing the heel and ball of the feet
onto each rung 4.
[0019] To address the problem of feet slipping off the rungs 4,
which typically occurs when used in wet conditions, disclosed
herein is a shoe 6 that includes an upper component 8 and an
outersole 10. The outer sole 10 includes a heel portion 12 and a
ball portion 14, which correspond to the heel and ball of the human
foot. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outersole of both the
heel portion 12 and ball portion 14 includes an indentation or
recessed portion 16 whose shape corresponds to the cross-sectional
shape of the ladder rung 4 as depicted in FIG. 5. In other words,
the cross-sectional shape of the recessed portion 16 corresponds to
the cross-sectional shape of the ladder rung 4. The indentation 16
should be slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the
rung 4 so that when a person is climbing the ladder, the rung 4 is
received within the indentation 16, which prevents the shoe 6 from
slipping off the rung 4 making it easier and quicker for a person
to climb the caving ladder. It should be noted that the indentation
16 should be large enough to receive the rung 4 but it cannot be
too large so that it interferes with a person's normal
walking/running activities. Also, the indentation 16 can be of any
shape as long as it corresponds to or can receive a rung 4 therein.
As depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7, other shapes for the indentation
include, but are not limited to, round, oval, triangular, square,
etc.
[0020] The outersole 10 can also have a thickness greater than an
overall height of the recessed portion of the heel portion and the
ball portion. The recessed portion of the ball portion 14 is
preferably positioned so as to be substantially aligned (e.g.,
vertically aligned) with a ball of a foot position within the shoe.
The recessed portion of the heel portion 12 is preferably
positioned so as to be substantially aligned (e.g., vertically
aligned) with a heel of a foot positioned within the shoe. The
recessed portions 16 are also sized to receive a ladder rung 4 and
to be significantly larger than typical treads of a shoe
outersole.
[0021] Embodiments of the present invention can be made from the
same materials used to make typical shoes for this purpose.
Non-limiting examples of materials that can be used for the heel
portion 12 and the ball portion 14 include polymers e.g., plastics,
elastomers, rubbers, polyurethane, latex, etc.
[0022] In some embodiments, the indentation or recessed portion 16
can be molded directly into the heel portion 12 and the ball
portion 14. Therefore, additional manufacturing steps may not be
necessary as the indentation or recessed portion 16 can be molded
directly into the heel portion 12 and the ball portion 14 at the
same time that the tread is molded.
[0023] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been
described above in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not
limited thereto. Rather, the appended numbered paragraphs should be
construed broadly to include other variants and embodiments of the
invention which may be made by those skilled in the art without
departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the
invention.
* * * * *