Outsole with anti-slip tread

Abstract

A footwear outsole has a generally planar outwardly facing contact surface which has a plurality of spaced-apart conduits passing through it. The conduits have opposed ends which open through the sidewall of the outsole. The conduits open to the contact surface of the outsole through slots which have a width at their intersection with the contact surface which is less than the maximum width of the conduits.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] Tread patterns of footwear are designed to provide optimal performance based on the intended use of the footwear. In many cases optimum performance is maximum traction. A boot that will be used for walking in mud, for example, would have a very aggressive tread with multiple protrusions with large open areas between them. Maximum traction on a smooth surface, such as concrete, is achieved by having a simple flat tread made from a sticky material such as rubber or a rubber compound. However, if the same surface has liquid on it, as might be the case with a restaurant kitchen, the liquid prevents a flat outsole from actually contacting the floor surface and it would provide little traction. To overcome this problem slots are formed in the outsole to allow the water to be squeezed out from under the outsole as it is urged against the floor. However, if these slots are wide enough to displace all of the liquid under the outsole, a large portion of the ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, if the same surface has liquid on it, as might be the case with a restaurant kitchen, the liquid prevents a flat outsole from actually contacting the floor surface and it would provide little traction.

However, if these slots are wide enough to displace all of the liquid under the outsole, a large portion of the contact area of the outsole is lost.

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