Quick Change Shock Mitigation Outsole Insert with Debris Shield

Abstract

An article of footwear has a shock absorbing insert placed between the insole and the outsole thereof, for example at the heel. The insert includes a spring carrier having upper and lower portions, each having a plurality seats for receiving a respective ends of respective coil springs. Each of the springs extends between said upper and lower portions and is captured therebetween. A magnetic spring supplements the mechanical springs. The springs and carrier are protected from environmental elements and abrasive particles by a debris shield.

Description

[0001]This application claims benefit of provisional application 61 / 957910, filed Jul. 15, 2013.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to shock absorbing footwear.[0003]Numerous footwear inventions have been proposed for absorbing shock and adding lift, particularly in the athletic shoe field. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,304 describes footwear with a cushioning sole structure in which a sealed internal member in the sole is inflated with gas to form a resilient insert in the heel region of the shoe. Various shoe structures have also been proposed in which springs are embedded in the shoe sole in the heel region or over the entire sole. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,901, No. 5,138,776, No. 4,566,206, and No. 4,592,153. Some of these structures are bulky and heavy, or cannot effectively be manufactured. My own patents (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,502,901 and 7,213,350) describe improvements over those prior patents.[0004]One problem with prior shock absorbing footwe...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved items of footwear which have improved shock absorbing properties and which also add lift and propulsion to the foot of a wearer when walking or running

[0007]The coil springs and magnetic spring together are designed to support an air-flux gap within the sole member at all times. This permits continuous and more effective shock dissipation than when the gap is closed, solid or absent under load.

[0009]The shock absorbing insert of this invention may be used in any type of footwear, such as sports / athletic shoes, boots, casual shoes, work shoes, children's shoes, orthopedic shoes, sandals and the like. It significantly reduces shock to the body while walking, running or in other types of foot motion, and adds lift and propulsion, thereby reducing fatigue.

[0010]An object of the invention is to provide an article of footwear having an improved, easily replaceable, spring insert in the heel.

Problems solved by technology

Some of these structures are bulky and heavy, or cannot effectively be manufactured.

One problem with prior shock absorbing footwear, including my own, is that the characteristics of the shock absorber, particularly including the load capacity, cannot be easily adjusted.

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