Training Shoe

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

In footwear where increased stability is desirable (such as basketball shoes), efforts have been made to increase the stiffness of the soles using various rigid materials. In the case of training shoes, however, the advantages of increasing the stiffness of the sole are at odds with other desired qualities, such as flexibility and comfort. For example, the soft foams used in the midsoles of training shoes may be rendered inoperative for their purpose of imparting flexibility by the addition of a more rigid member within the sole.

The present disclosure contemplates footwear for overcoming the above drawbacks associated with the related art. One aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure is a training shoe comprising a bottom sole, a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the bottom sole, one or more panels attached to one or both of the midsole and the bottom sole to define an enclosure for a person's foot, and a carbon fiber plate disposed between the bottom sole and the midsole. The carbon fiber plate may define a plurality of fingers that extend forward in a longitudinal direction of the training shoe.

Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure is a training shoe comprising a bottom sole and a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the bottom sole, the midsole comprising a first material in a front portion of the midsole corresponding to a person's forefoot and a firmer second material in a rear portion of the midsole corresponding to the person's heel. The training shoe may further comprise one or more panels attached to one or both of the midsole and the bottom sole to define an enclosure for the person's foot and a carbon fiber plate disposed between the bottom sole and the front portion of the midsole.

Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure is a training shoe comprising a bottom sole, a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the bottom sole, one or more panels attached to one or both of the midsole and the bottom sole to define an enclosure for a person's foot, and a carbon fiber plate disposed in a recess defined in a bottom surface of the midsole. The carbon fiber plate may define a plurality of fingers that extend forward in a longitudinal direction of the training shoe.

In any of the above training shoes, a width of the carbon fiber plate may vary in the longitudinal direction of the training shoe and reach a maximum at a longitudinal position underneath a front portion of the midsole corresponding to the person's forefoot. A bottom surface of the midsole (e.g., a front portion thereof) may define a recess in which the carbon fiber plate is disposed. The recess may define a plurality of fingers corresponding to the plurality of fingers of the carbon fiber plate. The midsole may comprise a first material in a front portion of the midsole corresponding to the person's forefoot and a firmer second material in a rear portion of the midsole corresponding to the person's heel, the recess being formed in the first material. The first material may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer such as polyether block amide. The second material may comprise a closed-cell foam such as ethylene-vinyl acetate. An outermost pair of the plurality of fingers may curve inward as they extend forward in the longitudinal direction of the training shoe. The training shoe may comprise a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sidewall disposed on at least a portion of the midsole and at least a portion of the one or more panels so as to define part of an external surface of the training shoe. The bottom sole may comprise a transparent rubber.

The present disclosure encompasses various embodiments of a training shoe. The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of several currently contemplated embodiments and is not intended to represent the only form in which the disclosed invention may be developed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and features in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. It is further understood that the use of relational terms such as first and second and the like are used solely to distinguish one from another entity without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities.

are views of a training shoefor a left foot. While not separately illustrated, the training shoemay also be symmetrically designed for a right foot. The resulting pair of training shoesmay advantageously provide the increased longitudinal bending stiffness (and consequent agility and performance benefits) imparted by a rigid member embedded in the sole, while simultaneously providing the comfort and flexibility of a resilient foam or other soft midsole material. Moreover, the rigid member may beneficially provide additional shearing resistance to the midsole material, allowing the training shoeto be put to a variety of athletic purposes without degradation caused by medial-lateral motion of the wearer. The training shoemay include a bottom sole(which may be made of a rubber such as 70 durometer rubber that is textured for traction, for example), a midsoledisposed above at least a portion of the bottom sole, and one or more panels, which may be attached to one or both of the midsoleand the bottom soleto define an enclosure for a person's foot. The panel(s), which may be made of microfiber, for example, may comprise an upper, vamp, quarter, etc. that surround the foot while the training shoeis being worn. The rigid member may comprise a carbon fiber platedisposed between the bottom soleand the midsole. While other materials for the rigid member are included within the scope of the present disclosure, carbon fiber may be preferable due to its high stiffness to weight ratio and relatively good flex life (in comparison to nylon or traditional plastics, for example).

As can be seen inand in more detail in the exploded perspective views of, the carbon fiber platemay define a plurality of fingers-,-,-,-(collectively referenced as fingers) that extend forward in a longitudinal direction of the training shoe. The fingersmay originate from a shared hub (not separately referenced but shown at the position of reference numberin) that may be located in a longitudinal middle region of the training shoecorresponding to a midfoot of the wearer between the wearer's forefoot and heel. The fingersmay extend in a generally parallel arrangement forward in the longitudinal direction underneath the wearer's forefoot before terminating near the front of the training shoe. The width of the carbon fiber platemay vary in the longitudinal direction of the training shoe, reaching a maximum width W(see) at a longitudinal position underneath a front portion of the midsolecorresponding to the person's forefoot. Forward of the maximum width W, the outermost pair of fingers-,-may curve inward as they extend farther forward in the longitudinal direction of the training shoe. The resulting “horseshoe” shape of the carbon fiber platemay advantageously increase stability at the toes as may be important for movements typically performed by a training shoe like the training shoerather than a running shoe, for example.

As best seen inand the alternative embodiment shown in, the bottom surface of the midsolemay define a recessin which the carbon fiber plateis disposed. The midsolemay be constructed from two (or more) pieces and may, for example, comprise a first material in a front portion of the midsolecorresponding to the person's forefoot (the front portion being referenced by the same reference number as the midsolegenerally) and a firmer second material in a rear portionof the midsolecorresponding to the person's heel, with the recessfor the carbon fiber platebeing formed in the first material. The first material may comprise a thermoplastic elastomer such as polyether block amide. The second material (defining the rear portion) may comprise a closed-cell foam such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). The use of different materials in the front portionand rear portionmay allow for increased flexibility in the forefoot and toes, relative to the heel of the wearer where more support may be needed. As noted above, the carbon fiber platemay advantageously increasing resistance to shearing stresses that might otherwise degrade the more flexible material of the front portion. A sidewallmade of a firmer material such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) may also be provided, which may have any or all of the features described in U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2023/0389648, filed Jun. 3, 2022 and entitled “TRAINING SHOE,” the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein. The sidewallmay be disposed on at least a portion of the midsole,and at least a portion of the one or more panelsso as to define part of an external surface of the training shoe.

shows a simple recessthat is shaped correspondingly to the outer perimeter of the carbon fiber plate, whileshows an example in which the recessdefines a plurality of fingers-,-,-,-(collectively referenced as fingers) corresponding to the plurality of fingers-,-,-,-of the carbon fiber plate. Advantageously, providing a recessshaped to match the carbon fiber plateincluding the fingersthereof as shown inmay allow each of the fingersto independently provide support and rigidity to a corresponding part of the midsolewhile the portions of the midsolebetween the fingersflexibly compress and expand to accommodate the movement of the individual fingers. The design may allow for a finetuning of the flexibility and rigidity of the midsoleunderneath the forefoot of the wearer, depending on the desired performance and comfort of the training shoe.

The thickness of the carbon fiber platemay match the depth of the recessso that the underside of the carbon fiber plateis flush with the underside of the midsole, with the carbon fiber platethus being embedded between the midsole and the bottom solewith little or no play (though it is contemplated that an adhesive may be applied to secure the carbon fiber platewithin the recess). The bottom solemay comprise a transparent rubber or other material, in whole or in part, such that the carbon fiber platemay be visible through the bottom solewhen looking at the bottom of the training shoe.

In the illustrated examples of the training shoe, the carbon fiber platehas four fingers. However, the number of fingersis not necessarily limited to four. There may, for example, be only two fingers, three fingers, or five or more fingers, depending on the desired rigidity or flexibility of the embedded carbon fiber plate(which may be determined in part by the width of the fingersand of the spaces between the fingers). For typical use of the training shoe, in which consideration of medial-lateral motion is more important than in the case of a running shoe for example, it may be preferable for there to be at least three, preferably four or more fingers.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.