U.S. patent number 3,667,141 [Application Number 05/081,278] was granted by the patent office on 1972-06-06 for shoe cleat.
Invention is credited to Samuel H. White.
United States Patent |
3,667,141 |
White |
June 6, 1972 |
SHOE CLEAT
Abstract
An inexpensive sheet metal cleat for golf shoes or the like is
formed by stamping from a strip of metal, such as aluminum, and has
a body section with a roughened or toothed surface that is attached
to the bottom of a shoe and cleats integral with the body section
extending in a direction opposite to the roughened surface.
Inventors: |
White; Samuel H. (Detroit,
MI) |
Family
ID: |
22163176 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/081,278 |
Filed: |
October 16, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/67B |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43C
13/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43C
13/00 (20060101); A43C 13/04 (20060101); A43c
015/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/2.5AH,67R,67A,59R,67B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lawson; Patrick D.
Claims
I claim:
1. A shoe cleat comprising a flat oblong plate having a top face
and a bottom face, means on the top face for attaching it to a shoe
surface, and at least one cleat projection formed integral with and
from the material of said plate and extending transversely from the
strip away from the bottom face, said plate being formed of metal
and said cleat projection being hollow and formed by the metal of
the plate.
2. A cleat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cleat projection is
tapered.
3. A cleat as set forth in claim 2 wherein said tapered projection
is conical and comprises a larger diameter conical section
extending from the strip and a smaller diameter conical section
extending from the larger section.
4. A cleat as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means on the top
face of the plate includes sharp metal edges for embedding in a
shoe surface.
5. A cleat as set forth in claim 4 wherein said top surface is
roughened to provide said sharp edges.
6. A cleat as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means includes a
saw tooth rim on the circumference of the plate.
7. A shoe cleat comprising a flat oblong plate having a top face
and a bottom face, means on the top face for attaching it to a shoe
surface, and at least one cleat projection formed integral with and
from the material of said plate and extending transversely from the
strip away from the bottom face, said means on the top face
including sharp edges to embed in a shoe surface.
8. A shoe cleat comprising a flat oblong plate having a top face
and a bottom face, means on the top face for attaching it to a shoe
surface, and at least one cleat projection formed integral with and
from the material of said plate and extending transversely from the
strip away from the bottom face, two cleat projections formed in
the plate, said plate being metal and said two projections being
hollow and conical and formed by the metal of the plate.
9. A cleat as set forth in claim 8 wherein said means on the top
face includes sharp edges to embed in a shoe surface.
Description
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the purpose of this invention to provide cleats for shoes,
such as golf shoes, which may be manufactured at minimum cost and
which may be attached by the user without the necessity of using
special tools or fittings. The invention accomplishes this by means
of a cleat which is formed by production methods from aluminum, or
other suitable metal. The cleat has a planar base with cleats
projecting from the base and may be secured to the sole or heel of
an ordinary street shoe by a suitable mechanical or chemical means,
the shoe contacting surface of the cleat being preferably knurled
or toothed to facilitate the attachment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a shoe having six cleats constructed in
accordance with this invention mounted thereon;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the cleats looking at the
bottom or ground engaging side thereof;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a cleat;
FIG. 4 is a cross section on an enlarged scale along the line 4--4
of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a transverse cross section through a modified form of
cleat; and
FIG. 6 is a cross section along line 6--6 of FIG. 5.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, the shoe 1 has a sole 3 and heel 4 with cleats 5
constructed in accordance with this invention mounted thereon. The
cleats 5 may be mounted in any desired orientation relative to each
other and to the shoe and more or less than the six illustrated may
be used.
Each cleat member 5 comprises a flat plate-like base section 9 of
an elongated shape with longitudinal side edges 11 that are
preferably parallel and ends 13 that are preferably semi-circular,
as indicated. The cleats 5 are preferably formed of inexpensive
metal strip, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy, and obviously may
be made in large quantities by simple production stamping or punch
and die operations so that the per-piece cost is very low.
Alternatively, the cleats may within the broad purview of the
invention be formed by forging or casting. In the forming
operation, tapered cleat projections 15 are formed which preferably
comprise a relatively large diameter hollow cone 17 that is formed
outwardly from the base 9 and a smaller diameter cone 18 which
extends from the outer end of the larger cone 17. The cone 18 ends
in a conical apex that will pierce the ground and provide the
holding action expected of a cleat. Preferably, two projections 15
are formed in each strip 9 as shown in the drawings and it is
evident that they are integral with and formed from the metal of
the base 9.
The top surface of the base section 9 is preferably knurled or
roughened as indicated at 19 to provide sharp edges that embed and
facilitate the attachment of the cleat to the bottom of the shoe.
For such attachment the knurled surface 19 or the bottom of the
shoe, or both, are coated with a suitable adhesive, such as epoxy
glue, and then the surface 19 is pressed tightly in place. If
suitable force or pressure are applied the knurled surface 19 will
embed itself to a slight degree in the shoe bottom and this will
facilitate setting of the glue and reduce the shearing stresses on
the adhesive joint in usage. The knurled surface also increases the
total surface area that is glued to the shoe. The entire top face
of the base 9 is illustrated as knurled in FIG. 3 but it is
apparent that less than all the face may be roughened or knurled,
if desired.
In FIGS. 5 and 6 a modified form of cleat has a slight saw tooth
rim 23 formed around the edge of the base section 9' and extending
in a direction opposite to the cleat projection 15'. The toothed
rim 23 provides sharp edges that embed in the bottom of the shoe if
sufficient force or pressure is applied to the cleat and will,
therefore, serve to facilitate the actual gluing of the cleat to
the shoe as well as to take shear stresses during usage.
It will be noted that the rounded ends 13 minimize the possibility
that the cleats will catch in wire shoe cleaning devices or in the
ground itself and that permanence of attachment is also enhanced by
the knurled surface 19 or the rim 23. It is apparent that the rim
23 and the knurled surface 19 may be used in combination in a cleat
construction, if desired.
Thus, the invention provides a cleat member that may be
inexpensively manufactured and therefore sold at a low cost to the
public. The purchaser can then personally glue them in any desired
pattern on any pair of shoes, thereby obviating the need to
purchase expensive shoes or to have expensive modifications made to
street shoes. It is, however, within the broad purview of the
invention to secure the base sections of the cleats to the shoe by
other means such as sewing, nailing, riveting, screwing, etc.
Modifications may be made in the specific structure shown without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *