U.S. patent number 3,859,739 [Application Number 05/360,815] was granted by the patent office on 1975-01-14 for gripper elements for sports shoes.
Invention is credited to Adolf Dassler.
United States Patent |
3,859,739 |
Dassler |
January 14, 1975 |
GRIPPER ELEMENTS FOR SPORTS SHOES
Abstract
Gripper element for sports shoes especially for track shoes for
use on plastics tracks, in which the element is provided with a
body having one or more sharp penetrating surfaces adjacent the
free end of the element and one or more support surfaces at a
greater angle to the axis of the element, the support surface or
surfaces preventing undue penetration of the element into a
plastics track. A preferred construction comprises a body having
the shape of a half barrel in which are formed a plurality of
grooves the depth of the grooves increasing gradually from the free
end of the element to a point approximately at the centre of the
length of the element and then gradually decreasing, the grooves
forming the penetrating surfaces and the support surfaces.
Inventors: |
Dassler; Adolf (Herzogenaurach,
DT) |
Family
ID: |
25763301 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/360,815 |
Filed: |
May 16, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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May 24, 1972 [DT] |
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2225143 |
May 24, 1972 [DT] |
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2225144 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/67D |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43C
15/165 (20130101); A43C 15/162 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43C
15/00 (20060101); A43C 15/16 (20060101); A43c
015/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/67,59,2.5AM |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Scanlan, Jr.; Richard J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A gripper element for a sports shoe, such as a shoe for use on
plastic tracks, said gripper element comprising a body having a
first end and a second end, a longitudinal axis extending between
said ends, said second end being adapted to be secured to the
outsole of a sports shoe, a conical outer surface to said body
whereby said body is narrower at said first end than at said second
end, further comprising means defining longitudinally extending
grooves, circumferentially spaced around said body, the depth of
said grooves increasing gradually from said first end to a point
approximately centrally of said first and second ends, and then
gradually decreasing, and further comprising a flat end surface
substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis at said first
end, whereby the ends of said grooves adjacent said first end form
gripper edges with said end surfaces and the ends of said grooves
nearer said second end form support surfaces.
2. A gripper element as claimed in claim 1, wherein three grooves
are provided, each having a domed inner surface.
3. A gripper element as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising
an axial spike, of short axial length compared to the length of
said body, extending from said first end.
4. A gripper element as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising
means defining a recess in said flat end surface.
Description
The invention relates to gripper elements for sports shoes and
especially for track shoes for use on plastics tracks.
The nature of the plastics tracks, for the staging of sports
competitions, which have existed for some time, has brought with it
certain problems in the design of the sports shoes to be used
thereon. The problems relate especially to the design of the spikes
or gripper elements on the sports shoes of runners, jumpers,
javelin throwers and the like. One of the problems is that the
track holds the spikes of track shoes very firmly after the spikes
have penetrated, so that turning the shoe about an axis at right
angles to the track, such as would be necessary, for example, when
running round a bend, is not readily possible, and pulling the
spikes out also requires a relatively high force to be exerted.
For this reason, the use of conventional spikes has been
discontinued for a long time for plastics tracks and a large number
of proposals has also already been made for different designs of
the gripper elements or outsoles of sports shoes, in order to make
these suitable for use on plastics tracks. However the existing
problems have hitherto not yet been solved satisfactorily. Above
all, the outstanding problem still remains to reduce the retention
of the track shoes in the track by the gripper elements and thereby
to reduce the high strain on the feet and legs of the sports
competitors without thereby also eliminating the reliable grip and
safety from slipping and the possibility of high force
transfer.
According to the present invention there is provided a gripper
element for a sports shoe, such as a shoe for use on plastic
tracks, such gripper element comprising a body having first and
second ends with a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, the
second end being adapted to be secured to the outsole of a sports
shoe, at least one penetrating surface of said body tapering
towards said first end and at least one support located between the
penetrating surface and the second end but spaced from the second
end, the or each support surface being disposed at a greater angle
to the longitudinal axis than the penetrating surface or
surfaces.
The body may take a number of shapes such as conical or pyramidal,
or even be in the form of a plate with upturned sharpened edges.
However, according to a preferred construction the gripper element
comprises a body having first and second ends with a longitudinal
axis extending therebetween, the second end being adapted to be
secured to the outsole of a sports shoe, a radially outer surface
of said body being defined by rotating a convex line about the
longitudinal axis, so that the body is narrower at the first end
than at the second end, and wherein a plurality of longitudinally
extending circumferentially spaced grooves are formed in the body,
the depth of the grooves increasing gradually from the first end to
a point approximately centrally of the first and second ends and
then gradually decreasing, so that the ends of the grooves adjacent
the first end form penetrating surfaces and the ends of the grooves
nearer the second end form support surfaces.
The gripper elements of the invention, when used on plastics tracks
penetrate less deeply into the track and hence are also retained
less than the previous gripper elements. It has been found that
gripper elements of this type even in the gripped state, permit a
certain turning of the shoe about an axis approximately at right
angles to the track. At the same time these gripper elements can
produce support against the track surface so as to generate a
catapult effect and permit penetration into the track by means of
sharp edges.
In order that the invention will be more fully understood, the
following description is given, by way of example, reference being
made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows, in perspective, a first embodiment of a gripper
element according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a second embodiment of gripper
element;
FIGS. 2a and 2b is a perspective view and a plan view of a third
embodiment;
FIGS. 2c and 2d show modifications of the embodiment according to
FIGS. 2a and b;
FIGS. 3a and 3b is a side view and cross-section of a sixth
embodiment of a gripper element according to the invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-section, corresponding to FIGS. 3a and 3b, along
line IV--IV, through a modificationn of the construction of FIGS.
3a and 3b;
FIGS. 5a and 5b is a side view and axial cross-section of an eighth
embodiment of a gripper element;
FIGS. 6a and 6b are similar views of a ninth embodiment of a
gripper element;
FIG. 7 is a side view of a 10th embodiment of a gripper
element;
FIGS. 8 and 9 are a cross-section and a plan view of a part of an
outsole, on which is mounted an eleventh embodiment of a gripper
element; and
FIG. 10 is a cross-section through a part of the outsole and a
twelfth embodiment of a gripper element.
FIGS. 1 to 7 represent gripper elements which resemble conventional
spikes in their basic concept and the way in which they are fixed.
FIGS. 8 to 10, on the other hand, show dish-shaped gripper elements
with the basic characteristics of the invention.
On the relatively simple embodiment of FIG. 1, the spike 1 has a
conical, pointed penetrating end piece 2, which is effectively
mounted on a frusto-conical support surface 3. The angle between
the support surface 3 and the longitudinal axis of the spike is
greater than the angle between the longitudinal axis of the spike
and the surface of the conical penetrating surface 2. The spike 1
can be screwed into a threaded insert on the outsole of a sports
shoe, by means of a threaded extension 4.
The spike 5 according to FIG. 2 consists of an originally conical
front part 6, which is provided, in the present case, with three
grooves 8 starting from its conical surface 7. The grooves 8 begin
at the apex or first end 9 of the spike 5 and extend to the base 10
of the conical part 6. As can be seen, in particular, from the
broken line 11 (on the left of FIG. 2), the depth of the grooves 8
gradually increases, starting from the apex 9 of the cone 6 and
then decreases, somewhat more sharply, towards the base 10. As a
result of this, the angle between the longitudinal axis 12 of the
spike and the bottom of the groove 8, indicated by the broken line
11, increases relatively rapidly in the region of the spike which
adjoins the outsole, so that in this region the spike offers
increased resistance to penetration into the track. Of course, the
support region thus formed can be as near or far from the apex 9 of
the spike as is desired. All that this requires is that the shape
of the bottom 11 of the grooves 8 be chosen appropriately.
The spike 5 can also, analogously to the spike 1 and in the same
way as the other spikes shown in the drawing, be fixed in the
outsole of the sports shoe by means of a thread 4. For this
purpose, for example, a number of notches 14 for the engagement of
a corresponding key are provided on a plate 14 which terminates the
threaded bolt 4 (FIGS. 3a, 3b and 4).
The spike or gripper element according to FIGS. 2a and 2b is a
modification of the spike according to FIG. 2, which is obtained by
cutting off or flattening the apex. This produces, at the free end
of the spike, a flat end surface 50 which--as can be seen from FIG.
2b,--is essentially triangular in shape, with slightly drawn-in
sides, being defined by the bottom of the grooves 8. In this
embodiment, it is thus not only the broadening bottom of the
grooves 8 which serves as a support surface, but essentially also
the plane 50. This plane forms edges, which act as gripper edges,
with the bottom of the groove.
As can also be seen from FIG. 2b, the edge 6 is formed by rotating
a conversely curved line about the axis of the spike, so as to be
narrower at the free end. Thus the spike has the shape of a
half-barrel.
The embodiments according to FIGS. 2c and 2d are again
modifications of the spikes according to FIGS. 2a and 2b. According
to FIG. 2c, a small central spike 51 additionally projects from the
flat end surface 50 and assists the gripping action of the spike on
the jumping board of long-jump tracks. In the embodiment according
to FIG. 2d, on the other hand, the end surface 50 has a recess 52
which emphasises the sharpness of the gripper edges formed by the
surface 50 with the grooves 8.
In the spikes 15 or 16 of FIGS. 3a, 3b and 4 the penetrating
surfaces 17 or 18 are triangular this forming an end piece having
the shape of a pyramid. This pyramid 17 or 18 rests on a ring, or
the like, 19, the circular circumferential edge 20 of which is
chosen to be of such radius that it just encloses the base surface
of the pyramid 17 or 18 (FIG. 3b). In the regions in which the ring
19 projects beyond the base surface of the pyramid 17 or 18,
support surfaces 21 are thus formed, which project radially beyond
the end piece 17 or 18. In order further to increase the gripper
action of the circumferential edge 20 of the support surfaces 21,
the side of the ring 19 which faces the pyramid 17 or 18, that is
to say also the support surface 21, can be so constructed that it
is inclined from the circumferential edge 20 towards the
longitudinal central axis 22 of the spike in the direction of the
outsole, that is to say towards the threaded extension 4.
Whilst in the case of the spike of FIGS. 3a and 3b the pyramid 17
rests on the ring 19 with its entire base surface, the design in
the spike 16 in FIG. 4 is such that a notch 24 is provided at the
edges 23 of the pyramid which would extend to the circumferential
edge 20 of the ring 19. Thus, in this embodiment, the sharp edge 20
of the ring 19 effectively projects somewhat, on all sides, beyond
the pyramid 17.
In the spikes 25 of FIGS. 5a and 5b and 26 of FIGS. 6a and 6b the
design is such that a body 29 or 30 which in total is approximately
pyramidal projects, as a gripper body, beyond the ring 27 or dish
28 in which the thread 4 terminates on the track side. Preferably,
this pyramid 29 or 30 is a tetrahedron.
In the embodiment according to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the pyramid 29
consists of a more pointed penetrating end piece 31 and an
adjoining, blunter support piece 32. To improve the supporting
action, notches 34 are provided between the end piece 31 and the
support piece 32 in the region of the edges 33 of the pyramidal
part 29. As can clearly be seen from the drawing, the lower surface
35 which here serves as a support surface, analogously to the
surfaces 21 in FIG. 3 and 4, is inclined downwards and towards the
outsole, so that a relatively sharp edge is produced at the
transition from the edge 33 to the surface 35.
The spike 26 in FIGS. 6a and 6b is very similar to the spike 25 in
FIGS. 5a and 5b. It only differs from the latter in that the angle
between the outer surface 36 of the spike 26 and the central axis
37 of the spike remains the same over the entire length of the
pyramidal body 30. The end piece 38, analogously to the end piece
31 of FIGS. 5a and 5b, is again separated by notches 39, in the
region of the edges 40 of the pyramidal body 30, from the part of
the pyramidal body which is nearer the outsole.
In addition to the notches 39 which define the end piece 38, the
spike 26 of FIGS. 6a and 6b also possesses further notches 41,
nearer the outsole. Both the notches 39 and the notches 41 form
support surfaces which present increased resistance to the
penetration of the spike into the track, as compared to the
resistance presented to the end piece 38. In using the spike 26,
long-distance runners will generally only bring the support
surfaces formed by the notches 39 into action, whilst the support
surfaces formed by the notches 41 will only come into action for
short-distance runners and heavier athletes, since these press the
spike more deeply into the track in order thus to achieve a
particularly strong catapult effect. In order to give an idea of
the actual size of the spikes, it should again be pointed out here
that the free end piece 38, that is to say the distance from the
apex of the spike to the transition from the bottom surface of the
notch 39 into the edge 40, is about 3 mm.
The spike 42 shown in FIG. 7 is based on the same principles as the
spikes of FIGS. 5 and 6. It differs from the spike of FIGS. 6a and
6b in that the gripper body 43 is approximately conical in shape,
with the cone 43 which forms support edges 44 or support surfaces
being provided with circumferential grooves 45, which appropriately
form certain undercuts corresponding to the notches 39 and 41 of
the FIGS. 6a, 6b, so that the support surfaces 44 are inclined
towards the spike axis 46 and to the outsole.
The flattened faces 47 which the spikes of FIGS. 5a to 6b possess
have the additional advantage, over the spike of FIG. 7, that they
provide particularly good support in running round bends, where a
relatively strong centrifugal effect can be felt. On the other
hand, applications are also conceivable in which the conical
embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 may be more appropriate. In particular,
such spikes have the advantage that even after replacement they
again automatically assume precisely the correct position.
Of course it is possible to make a series of modifications to the
spikes according to the invention. In particular, the angle of
inclination of the penetrating end piece and of the optionally
adjoining blunter support part can be widely modified to achieve
particularly favourable grip properties. The spikes according to
the invention can be manufactured from the most diverse materials,
preferably from hard metal but, where appropriate, even of
plastics. Finally, as can be seen from the drawings, the spikes
need not consist of a single piece. Rather, it would also be
possible to compose the spikes of several parts, for example so
that the end piece has a threaded extension and at least one ring
which forms at least one support surface and is sharp-edged on the
side in contact with the track can be put onto the end piece and is
then fixed against the outsole by means of the end piece. If, in
that case, several rings of different diameter, and end pieces of
different design, are used, the most diverse spikes can be composed
from a few individual parts. A further possibility is that the ring
14, 27 or dish 28 in which the thread 4 terminates is also provided
with a sharp outer edge, which can additionally even be serrated.
Furthermore, the actual apex of the spike could also be somewhat
rounded or flattened in other embodiments than those shown in FIGS.
2a-2b.
The embodiments according to FIGS. 8 to 10 now show modified
gripper elements, the fundamental design of which no longer
resembles a spike.
Threaded inserts 62 are fixed, for example injection-moulded, in
the usual manner into the outsole 61 of the sports shoe, which
outsole is immaterial to the present invention and is therefore
merely shown as a single layer in FIGS. 8 and 10. The actual
gripper elements 63, 63' are each constructed as a plate 64 or 64',
with the peripheral edge turned up axially as can be seen from
FIGS. 8 and 10. A threaded bolt 65 or 65' serves to fix them to the
threaded insert 62.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 the edge 66 of the dish-shaped
plate 64 which is in contact with the serrated track to provide
with a plurality of notches 67, between which approximately radial
sharp edges 68 are then in each case produced. Of course, the shape
of the notches 67 can be varied. The edge 66 of the dish-shaped
plate 64 which is in contact with the track forms a penetrating
surface of the gripper element, whilst the action of the plate 64
on the inside, where there is a transition to the bottom of the
plate 64, is, as can be seen from the drawing, that of the support
surface which prevents excessively deep penetration of the gripper
element into the track.
The dish-shaped plate 64 is fixed by a threaded bolt 65 in the form
of a customary screw having a slit 69 in the head 70. To improve
the hold of the gripper element 63, especially in a sideways
direction, relative to the outsole 61, the bottom 71 of the
dish-shaped plates 64 or 64' is flattened. Of course, it would also
be possible to make the plate 64 in a different shape, for example
part of a sphere.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 10 differs from that according to
FIGS. 8 and 9 in that the edge 66' of the dish 64' does not have
any notches but forms, over its entire periphery, a sharp edge
produced by the chamfered surface 72. Here, this chamfered surface
already, in a sense, represents a support surface.
The dish 64' according to FIG. 10 is fixed by means of a threaded
bolt 65', the head of which is constructed as a spike 73, which
projects beyond the plane formed by the edge 66' of the dish 64'.
Advantageously, the spike 73 which forms the head of the threaded
insert 65' can be provided, at the side, with flattened surfaces
and can, for example, be in the shape of a pyramid. Of course it
would also be possible to fix the dish 64 of the embodiment
according to FIGS. 8 and 9 with a spike 73--analogously to FIG.
10--and not with a normal screw. On the other hand, the dish 64' of
the embodiment according to FIG. 10 could be fixed with a customary
screw and not with the spike 73. Finally, it would also be possible
to make the spike 73 of a different shape, especially suitable for
the particular end use.
The diameter and material of the dish 64 are chosen to suit the
particular requirements. Furthermore, the dish 64, can be provided
on the inside or outside, with stiffening ribs to increase its
stability of shape. The stiffening ribs can be produced either
merely by appropriate shaping, keeping the wall thickness
approximately constant, or by increasing and reducing the thickness
of the wall of the dish 64.
* * * * *