U.S. patent number 3,676,940 [Application Number 05/062,817] was granted by the patent office on 1972-07-18 for anti-slip apparatus.
Invention is credited to John J. Shively.
United States Patent |
3,676,940 |
Shively |
July 18, 1972 |
ANTI-SLIP APPARATUS
Abstract
A film or web of rubber or the like is formed with patterns of
small closely spaced vacuum cups on each of its faces. When
compressed between two surfaces, both of which are smooth, the cups
of the two faces grip the two respective surfaces to restrain
slippage, but due to the small size of the individual cups, local
release is prompt as the area of applied pressure shifts. In
applications such as bathing sandal soles or baseball bat grips,
aligned cups of the two faces may be vented each to each, so that
vacuum release on either face of the gripping element automatically
releases the other face.
Inventors: |
Shively; John J. (New York,
NY) |
Family
ID: |
22045020 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/062,817 |
Filed: |
August 11, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
36/8.1;
248/362 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
5/08 (20130101); A43B 13/226 (20130101); A43B
13/223 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
13/14 (20060101); A43B 13/22 (20060101); A43B
5/08 (20060101); A43B 5/00 (20060101); A43b
005/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/8.1,4,7.4,11.5,59R
;248/362,363 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lawson; Patrick D.
Claims
I claim:
1. In apparatus for restraining relative slippage between opposing
first and second surfaces, in combination, a thin web of resilient
material adapted to be interposed between said surfaces, a first
plurality of laterally adjacent miniature vacuum cups protruding in
a closely spaced pattern from one face of said web for adherently
engaging said first surface, a second plurality of miniature vacuum
cups protruding from the other face of said web in a closely spaced
pattern in direct back-to-back individual respective relationships
with said cups of said first plurality and adapted to engage
adherently said second surface in cooperational alignment with said
adherent engagement of said first plurality of cups with said first
surface, and means forming individual vents between cups of said
first plurality and said respective back-to-back cups of said
second plurality, and wherein each of said back-to-back pairs of
cups comprises a relatively larger and a relatively smaller cup,
said relatively larger and smaller cups being disposed
alternatively in both said protruding patterns, said relatively
larger cups occupying side-by-side relationship in their
conjunctions with said web, whereby said web and cup combination
may be rendered of minimum thickness.
Description
The present invention pertains to improvements in anti-slip
apparatus, being directed to means for preventing undue
displacement or slide between two relatively smooth surfaces.
Over a period of years, vacuum cups have been applied to a variety
of anti-slip devices, ranging from certain early automobile tire
treads to modern bath mats and sport shoe soles. However, while
articles such as the latter two types have been successful within
their particular scopes, certain drawbacks inherent in the manner
in which the cup principle has hitherto been applied have prevented
realization of the later's full potentialities as a measure of
safety. For example, the usual mat having an under side layer of
cups adapted to adhere to the bottom of a tub or shower bath
furnishes a measure of safety, but that measure is limited to the
immediate stationary area of the mat itself; numerous accidents
occur when bathers step from the mats to adjacent slippery surfaces
such as open tub bottoms or tile bathroom floors, the latter either
bare or protected only by such hazardous makeshifts as towels or
similar readily shiftable articles. To apply a vacuum mat to every
danger spot on which a person may wish or chance to step has been
too cumbersome for general practice; in fact, many an experienced
traveller has been faced with accommodations having no safety mat
whatever unless he has troubled to bring it himself.
The same dangerous condition occurs, often to even greater extent,
in other locations such as the tile margins of swimming pools,
particularly where children or young adults may be at play. Since,
as noted above, it has been found impractical to supply the usual
stationary vacuum mats to all potential danger areas, the logical
conclusion is that the protection must be carried by the individual
himself or herself in the form of footwear. Here again however, the
forms of footwear hitherto available do not lend themselves to this
purpose without interfering with the other requirements of the
user's activity, namely, quick and easy release of the vacuum grip,
together with extreme lightness, ease of putting on and removal,
and minimum restraint in walking, running or swimming. These
deficiencies as to the prior art have been largely due to two
related factors. In the first place, as typefied in sports shoes,
the vacuum cups have been provided only on the bottoms of
relatively stiff soles, so that the gripping effect by the soles is
confined to the underlying engaged surface. Secondly, the sizes of
vacuum cups employed have been relatively large, causing high
localized gripping effects with correspondingly high energy
requirements to effect release. As a result of these factors, it
has been necessary to provide comparatively heavy upper means to
retain the article firmly on the wearer's foot, in order to avoid
displacement and flapping as the vacuum grip is overcome. While, as
previously mentioned, the above type of structure may be suited to
ordinary sport shoes and the like, it would obviously be too
cumbersome for use in the field of very light and thin
slip-restraining devices as contemplated herein.
In view of the above and related considerations, an object of the
present invention is to provide improved anti-slip apparatus
including a flexible sheet-like element having means on both its
faces for gripping both of two surfaces between which it may be
compressed.
A further object is to provide apparatus of the above nature in
which the gripping means on each face of the sheet-like element
comprises a pattern of vacuum cups.
A further object is to provide an element of the above type in
which each pattern is composed of a relatively large number of
closely spaced cups of small individual dimension, so that local
release of their gripping effect is readily accomplished as
pressure is withdrawn therefrom.
Another object is to provide a gripping element of the above nature
in which the two face patterns are matched back-to-back, whereby
the tensional effect necessary to release a cup of either face
pattern may be supplied directly through its matching cup of the
other face pattern.
A further object is to provide apparatus of the above type in which
the cups on each face of the gripping element are vented to their
respective backing cups on the other face of the element, whereby
ready local release of the gripping effect may be facilitated.
A further object is to provide apparatus of the above nature in
which the gripping element comprises the sole of an article of
safety footwear.
Another object is to provide apparatus of the above nature in which
the sheet-like element is formed as a sleeve adapted to serve as a
non-slip gripping means for use on implements such as baseball bats
and the like.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become evident
during the course of the following description in connection with
the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a flatwise or plan view of a typical gripping sheet or
element embodying the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view in the region 2--2, FIG.
1;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are similarly enlarged sections showing alternative
detail formations of the gripping element;
FIG. 5 illustrates the application of the invention to a device for
restraining slippage between the ball of a bather's foot and an
underlying surface;
FIG. 6 similarly shows the invention embodied in a guard for the
user's heel;
FIG. 7 illustrates a form in which the non-slip element comprises
the complete sole and under-heel portion of a foot appliance;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view illustrating the compression of the
gripping sole element between a user's foot and an underlying
surface;
FIG. 9 illustrates the ready local release of the gripping
vacuum;
FIG. 10 similarly illustrates the gripping and ready release of the
alternative form shown in FIG. 4, and
FIG. 11 shows the use of the invention in a non-slip grip for a
baseball bat.
Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral 20 generally indicates an
anti-slip element of soft rubber or equivalent plastic material
embodying primarily a thin web 21. A pattern of closely spaced
small vacuum cups 22 is formed on one face of the web 21, this face
for convenience being hereinafter termed the upper face. Referring
to the enlarged typical sections, FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen
that a similar plurality of downwardly directed cups 23 is formed
on the lower face of the web 21, the individual cups 23 being
disposed in vertical alignment with respective upwardly facing cups
22. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, each pair of aligned cups 22
and 23 is interconnected via a central orifice 24 which serves as a
vent between them.
FIG. 5 shows the manner in which the invention is embodied in an
appliance 25 adapted to prevent or effectively restrain slippage
between a smooth underlying surface and the ball of a user's foot
26. As will be seen, the anti-slip element 20 comprises the bottom
portion or sole of the appliance, a thin over-reaching band 27
being provided to retain the appliance in proper position when the
device's double gripping function is not in process, the latter as
when the foot 26 is raised in stepping or walking. Similarly, in
FIG. 6, the element 20 comprises the underlying portion of a heel
guard 28, while in the form 29 shown in FIG. 7 the element 20
underlies the entire bottom surface of the wearer's foot 26. (In
ordinary prior parlance, the general form shown in FIG. 7 might be
referred to as a "bathing slipper," but as the term "anti-slip
slipper" would constitute an obvious ambiguity, such nomenclature
has been avoided herein.)
The manner in which the anti-slip element 20 performs its functions
of localized clinging action and easy release is shown in greatly
enlarged detail FIGS. 8 and 9, which for example typefy the
relationships occurring when the user of an appliance such as those
shown in FIGS. 5 or 7 applies the ball of his foot 26 to an
underlying slippery surface 30. As the user's weight is applied the
foot naturally flattens somewhat, as shown in FIG. 8, compressing
the element 20, so that the cups 22 and 23 are flattened in the
area of pressure application, expelling a large part of their air
or water content and thereby empowering them to exert the clinging
effect characteristic of vacuum cups. It will be noted that the
clinging effect is applied not only to the underlying surface 30 by
the cups 23, but also by the upper cups 22 to the wearer's foot 26;
the latter provision prevents shifting tendency to displacement of
the device from the foot, without requirement for relatively heavy
fastening means.
FIG. 9 illustrates the easy releasing feature of the device. When a
start to walk or a shifting of the wearer's position causes the
usual upward bending or rolling movement of the foot sole, the
mechanical pressure is released from the cups 22 and 23 in the
immediate zone of separation, so that the respective pairs of upper
and lower cups in this zone tend to be expanded or drawn apart to
release their joint clinging action, the anti-slip effect meanwhile
being maintained by the remaining cups still under pressure. During
release it is immaterial whether the upper or lower cup of each
pair is first drawn out of sealing engagement with its respective
adherent surface, since by provision of the connecting orifice 24,
breaking the vacuum in either cup instantly releases the other. Due
to the small actual size of the cups, (exaggerated in FIGS. 1, 8
and 9 as noted) the extent of separation necessary to release each
pair is correspondingly small, so that the local resistance to
release in turn is too small to cause any delayed jerking effect
which could interfere with normal activity of the wearer, such as
running along the margin of a swimming pool. Thus the device
provides slip restraint in the immediate area of pressure
application wherein the requirement for such resistance is
localized, in other words, only where and when needed, eliminating
any necessity for large stationary mats; at the same time, the
top-and-bottom clinging action of the cup combinations themselves
allows both the web 21 and the band 27 to be so thin and flexible
as to cause no significant interference either with ready removal
and replacement in bathing, or with swimming, walking or related
activities as noted.
The anti-slip function described is brought about in the same
characteristic manner by the heel guard appliance 28, FIG. 6, and
by the combined or full sole version 29, FIG. 7.
In the alternative form of the anti-slip element 20a, shown in
FIGS. 4 and 10, each pair of interconnected cups consists of a
relatively large cup 31 and a matching smaller cup 32, the pattern
being so arranged that the larger cups 31 of adjacent pairs are
directed alternately upward and downward. This embodiment may be
employed in cases wherein it is desirable to reduce the over-all
thickness of the element 30a to a minimum, as illustrated in FIG.
10. The general operation is the same as that described above,
except that due to their reduced areas the smaller cups 32 tend to
release first, in a sense acting mainly as release valves for their
connected larger cups 31.
FIG. 11 shows a typical use of the invention in an appliance other
than footwear. In this example the element 20 is formed as a sheath
33 adapted to be employed as a non-slip safety grip on the handle
34 of a baseball bat 35. The form of bat in present popular use
incorporates a handle portion so small in diameter that the user's
often perspiring hand grip thereon can readily become insecure, a
fact made evident in the frequent accidental hurlings of bats into
the ranks of spectators or players, with obvious danger of injury.
The sheath 33, when compressed between the bat handle and the
user's hands, provides significant inner and outer vacuum gripping
effect and consequent resistance to slip in the manner previously
described; similarly, the described quick and easy vacuum release
feature permits the batter to drop the bat at once after (and if)
he hits the ball. Thus the device is adapted to provide protection
against dangerous slip without the use of sticky pine tar or the
like, though obviously it may be employed in conjunction therewith
if desired. In addition to its anti-slip function, the resilient
sleeve 33 cushions the batter's hands against the danger of numbing
or prolonged tingling effects frequently resulting from imperfect
engagement of the bat with the ball, for examples, when the ball is
hit either on the extreme end of the bat or just above the
handle.
In the foregoing description the diagonal rectangular pattern of
cup arrangement, as shown in FIG. 1, has been taken as typical.
However, obviously any other pattern such as a circular, hexagonal,
or spiral arrangement, may be employed when found advantageous in a
particular form of appliance. Similarly, for particular services
the pattern may include pairs of cups formed without direct
interconnection, as shown in FIG. 3. Furthermore, it will be
evident that slip-restraining advantages of the double faced vacuum
gripping means may be employed in industrial as well as household
and sporting appliances. Thus, while the apparatus has been
described in preferred form, it is not limited to the precise
embodiments illustrated, as various modifications may be made
without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined
within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *