Swivel Athletic Shoe

Abstract

An athletic shoe with cleats for traction such as is used in games of football, soccer, baseball and other field sports where sudden direction change and maneuverability must be employed in fair or foul weather, and wherein such cleat gripping aids to meet force, to apply force or to avoid it, the invention consisting of a cleat assembly on the underside of the shoe, and which is rotatable upon application of relatively increased turning force.

Description

This invention relates generally to cleated athletic shoes.

It is generally well known that athletic shoes presently used in sports employ cleats of various lengths, which are rigidly attached to the undersole of these shoes. When a person wearing such a shoe plants his weight upon it the cleat becomes firmly gripped in the turf or ground so that the leg cannot rotate when a torsion force is applied to the ankle or knee, thus causing severe straining or tearing of muscles and ligaments. Such torque can be caused by a player simply making a quick twist when a leg is in such a fixed position without other force applied. This is quite common in the game of football when a pass receiver plants his foot and suddenly turns or twists into a new direction.

Again in football especially when the cleats are locked in the turf, a blow on the knee or any other part of the body creates a torque or twisting in the knee-ankle areas; the cleats now act as a trap-like contrivance for locking the leg into a fixed position enhacing the torque possibilities described in the knee-ankle joints.

Experts on football injuries universally conclude that the use of rigidly attached cleats is the prime cause of knee and ankle injuries which comprise more than one-third of all football injuries. Furthermore, in the Professional leagues alone, approximately two-thirds of such injuries require surgery each year.

Nevertheless the use of cleats in these sports seem to be necessary for the traction needed and for the kind of maneuverability which can avoid possible injury.

Therefore a principal object of the present invention is: to provide the athlete with cleated shoes that will not permit the foot to become "locked" and therefore the leg can never be in a "fixed" position for that reason which creates the undesirable torque in the knee-ankle joints. Thus the prime cause for knee-ankle injuries would be removed and yet provide the benefits obtainable from cleated shoes.

Another object therefore is to spare much unnecessary pain, surgery, delay for recuperation, expense and sometimes the termination of an athletic career.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a facility in cleated athletic shoes whereupon the cleats will not be rigidly integral with the shoe. Although cleats will be rigidly locked in the turf and the foot planted with the player's weight on it, the foot will be permitted to turn horizontally, as a railroad train on its turn-table or as a swivel chair allows its seat to turn on its swivel point even when the legs are stationary on the floor.

Thus this principal applied to this invention will permit the cleates to anchor or lock in turf with the foot planted and weight on it but permit the shoe to turn horizontally, left or right, as on a turn-table pivoted in the center, thus "unfixing" the leg and circumventing any torsion possibilities for such reason.

Also the skills of direction change and other acts of maneuverability will be enhanced since turning into a new direction will require less effort than the churning of turf with rigidly attached cleats directly to the shoe.

Also for this same reason fatigue will be delayed since the resistance in twisting and turning is now the friction between two slippery parts such as nylon for in effect the player's shoe and foot are separated from the clears and some part of 1 inch above the playing field.

Other objects are to provide a SWIVEL ATHLETIC SHOE which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use and efficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an athletic shoe partly in cross section and shown incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded view of certain structure illustrated in FIG. 1, and shown in cross section.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral 10 represents a SWIVEL ATHLETIC SHOE according to the present invention, wherein there is a cleat assembly 11 attached to the underside of the shoe sole 12.

The sole 12 may be molded of nylon or other suitably strong, slightly flexible material and incorporating a disc like promontory 13 under the entire ball of the foot, and which includes a central downward extending stud 14 with external thread 15 therearound. The promontory is circular in shape with a circular edge that is inwardly concave in cross section as shown in FIG. 1 so to form an annular groove.

A one piece clear unit 16 molded of nylon suitable material includes a circular depression 17 upon its upper side that complimentarily conforms to the shape of the promontory 13 so that it can readily be snappingly fitted thereupon. The cleat unit 16 includes an extending circular flange or brim 18 that fits against the underside of the shoe sole 12. A central opening 19 through the cleat unit is provided so to fit on a wide pad 20 formed at the base of the stud 14 and from which accordingly the stud 14 downwardly protrudes. On the underside of the promontory 13 there are molded six downwardly tapering cleats 21 arranged in a circular arrangement around the central opening 19.

It will be noted that the peripheral brim or flange 18 serves to prevent entry of dirt and grains of sand into the depression 17.

A locking nut 22 of nylon with threaded blind opening 23 on its upper side is adaptable to engage the threaded stud 14. The nut 22 has an upper surface 24 which bears against the bottom surface 25 of the pad 20, and includes a wide flange 26 which extends under the bottom side 27 of the promontory 13. The pad 20 is slightly thicker than the promontory 13 so that the nut does not bind the cleat unit from rotating in operative use. A transverse opening 28 through the stud is aligned with transverse opening 29 through the nut so to receive a securing taper pin 30, made of nylon.

In operative use it will now be evident that during a sudden turning force by the foot will cause the shoe to rotate about the cleat unit when the cleats are holding firmly against the ground.

When the cleat unit becomes excessively worn out, it can be quickly and easily replaced without need of a shoe service repairman.

As shown in the drawing the shoe heel is flat so to not restrict lateral or transverse sliding.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a swivel athletic shoe the combination of a shoe including a sole on the bottom thereof and said sole having a pivotable cleat unit attached to an underside of said sole, wherein said sole is made of molded flexible material and which includes a disc shaped promontory projecting under that portion of the sole which is below a ball of a person's foot, a projecting small central circular pad formed below said promontory and a downward projecting threaded stud below said pad.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein a cleat unit is fitted around said promontory and stud, said unit including a one piece molded member of nylon material having a depression on an upper side for said promontory fitting therein, a central opening for being fitted around said pad and said unit having integrally molded therewith a circular arrangement of downwardly tapered cleats.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein a nut positioned against an underside of said unit is threaded on said stud and secured by a transverse taper pin fitted through transverse openings in said nut and stud.