Uneven Surface Training Footwear

The present invention relates to athletic training equipment, and more particularly to a piece of training footwear with an uneven bottom surface.

In hockey and other ice sports the majority of the training is focused on core and lower body exercises in order to enhance the stride and stability of the skater. The difficulty of the training is that it requires specialized equipment such as skates permitting concentration or focusing of the weight and downward force of the body of the wearer onto narrow skate edges. It would be desirable to maximize and develop off ice training opportunities for skaters as well as similar core exercises for use by non-skating athletes and other individuals. The ability to train off ice, practicing balance and strengthening core muscles in a similar fashion as skaters on ice, would it is believed to be beneficial across the athletic spectrum.

Non-skaters wishing to train in this fashion would not necessarily be able to skate or enjoy training on ice or off ice using skates, since non-skaters may find that footwear uncomfortable and non-beneficial. If it were possible to develop footwear with an uneven surface on the bottom exhibiting an axially oriented downward ridge similar to a skate blade, that allowed for similar muscle activation and training opportunities as is experienced by skaters in off ice or off ice training applications using skates with narrow blades, it is believed that this would be commercially valuable.

Safety of the use of such an uneven surface footwear product would also be paramount. If it were possible to provide uneven surface footwear that included upwardly tapered sides alongside the ridge to the outsole of the shoe, or an axially oriented ridge which blended into the player outsole surface at the heel and toe end of the associated shoe or footwear article, it is believed that this would provide further commercial viability and safety in operation and use.

Accordingly, one of the present invention is to provide an uneven surface training footwear that substantially prevents a user from falling over.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an uneven surface training footwear that substantially prevents a user's foot from rolling over.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an uneven surface training footwear having an outsole with a ridge which are of unitary manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an uneven surface training footwear having an outsole with a ridge with sufficient gripping ability to substantially prevent slippage between the ridge and a training surface.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a training footwear having a toe end and a heel end and comprising an upper with an outsole joined to the bottom thereof and extending downwardly therefrom. The outsole has a downward facing surface-engaging outsole bottom having an axial ridge extending downwardly from the outsole bottom along a center line of the outsole substantially from the toe end to the heel end of the footwear. The axial ridge comprises a toe end and heel end corresponding to the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The toe end and heel end of the ridge are each tapered upward to the outsole bottom at each of the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The outsole and the ridge are of unitary manufacture.

According to the aspect of the present invention, there is provided a training footwear having a toe end and a heel end and comprising an upper with an outsole joined to the bottom thereof and extending downwardly therefrom. The outsole has a downward facing surface-engaging outsole bottom having an axial ridge extending downwardly from the outsole bottom along a center line of the outsole substantially from the toe end to the heel end of the footwear. The axial ridge comprises a toe end and heel end corresponding to the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The toe end and heel end of the ridge are each tapered upward to the outsole bottom at each of the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The outsole and the ridge are of unitary manufacture. The axial ridge comprises a substantially flat bottom surface, a left-hand side surface, and a right-hand side surface. The left-hand side surface and the right-hand side surface extend upwards from the bottom surface of the ridge in the direction of a respective left-hand side edge and right-hand side edge of the outsole bottom. The left-hand side surface and the right-hand side surface form tapers upward toward the respective left-hand side edge and right-hand side edge of the outsole bottom.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an outsole for use as a component of a training footwear article having a toe end and a heel end and comprising an upper for attachment of the outsole to the bottom thereof and extending downwardly therefrom. The outsole has a downward facing surface-engaging outsole bottom having an axial ridge extending downwardly from the outsole bottom along a center line of the outsole substantially from the toe end to the heel end of the footwear. The axial ridge comprises a toe end and heel end corresponding to the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The toe end and heel end of the ridge are each tapered upward to the outsole bottom at each of the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The outsole and the ridge are of unitary manufacture. According to the other aspect of the present invention, there is provided an outsole for use as a component of a training footwear article having a toe end and a heel end and comprising an upper for attachment of the outsole to the bottom thereof and extending downwardly therefrom. The outsole has a downward facing surface-engaging outsole bottom having an axial ridge extending downwardly from the outsole bottom along a center line of the outsole substantially from the toe end to the heel end of the footwear. The axial ridge comprises a toe end and heel end corresponding to the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The toe end and heel end of the ridge are each tapered upward to the outsole bottom at each of the toe end and heel end of the footwear. The outsole and the ridge are of unitary manufacture. The axial ridge comprises a substantially flat bottom surface, a left-hand side surface, and a right-hand side surface. The left-hand side surface and the right-hand side surface extend upwards from the bottom surface of the ridge in the direction of a respective left-hand side edge and right-hand side edge of the outsole bottom. The left-hand side surface and the right-hand side surface form tapers upward toward the respective left-hand side edge and right-hand side edge of the outsole bottom.

The advantage of the present invention is that it provides an uneven surface training footwear that substantially prevents a user from falling over.

A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an uneven surface training footwear that substantially prevents a user's foot from rolling over.

A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an uneven surface training footwear having an outsole with a ridge which are of unitary manufacture.

A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an uneven surface training footwear having an outsole with a ridge with sufficient gripping ability to substantially prevent slippage between the ridge and a training surface.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described.

While the description of the preferred embodiments hereinbelow is with reference to a

runner having an outsole with an uneven bottom surface, it will become evident to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto, but may also be provided in conjunction with other types of footwear such as, for example, sneakers or boots, or for use as a component of a training footwear article for attachment to the bottom of a respective upper of the training footwear article.

As described hereinbelow, the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an uneven surface training footwear with an outsole thereof having a downward facing surface-engaging outsole bottom an axial ridge extending downwardly from the outsole bottom along a center line of the outsole substantially from the toe end to the heel end of the training footwear.

The uneven surface training footwear of the present invention permits for the simulation of skates by an athlete during off-ice training, physical workouts etc. without the risk of damaging the off-ice training surface, since the training footwear of the present invention has a nondestructive, noncutting ridge that prevents damaging the off-ice training surface. Furthermore, the training footwear has sufficient gripping ability to substantially prevent slippage between the training footwear and the off-ice training surface, thus enabling use on various surfaces that do not provide sufficient gripping interaction but are easily available such as, for example, concrete surfaces and asphalt surfaces of a driveway or road.

The toe end and heel end of the ridge are each tapered upward to the outsole bottom at each of the toe end and heel end of the footwear which substantially prevents a user from falling over during vigorous training or if the user is not used to skating but wishes to practice balance and strengthen the core muscles. Furthermore, the left-hand side surface and the right-hand side surface of the ridge form linear or convex shaped tapers upward toward the respective left-hand side edge and right-hand side edge of the outsole bottom to provide sufficient support such that a user's foot is substantially prevented from rolling over.

Referring toan uneven surface training footwearaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention is provided. The training footwearhas a toe endA and a heel endB and comprises an upperwith an outsolejoined to the bottomA thereof and extending downwardly therefrom. The upperis designed, for example, to form a runner, a boot, a sneaker, or other type of footwear known in the art, according to user preferences. Preferably, the uppercomprises ankle support portionto provide sufficient ankle support and, therefore, reduce the risk of injury. The uppermay be made in a conventional manner using materials known in the art such as, for example, leather, synthetics, or textiles.

The outsolehas a downward facing surface-engaging outsole bottomA with an axial ridgeextending downwardly from the outsole bottomA along a center lineof the outsolesubstantially from the toe endA to the heel endB of the training footwear, as illustrated in. The axial ridgecomprises a toe endA and a heel endB corresponding to the toe endA and the heel endB of the training footwear. The toe endA and the heel endB of the ridgeare each tapered upward to the outsole bottomA at each of the toe endA and the heel endB of the training footwear. The toe endA and the heel endB may be tapered upward in a linear manner, as illustrated in, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the toe endA and heel endB may be tapered, for example, in a convex or concave curved manner, as well as the toe endA may be tapered differently than the heel endB, for example, with the toe endA being convex curved and the heel endB being concave curved.

The width W of the ridgeand the lengths of the toe endA and the heel endB along the center linemay be determined according to user preferences. For example, the width W may be determined to be similar to the width of an ice skate blade for users accustomed to skating such as hockey players, or may be determined to be substantially wider than an ice skate blade for users that are not accustomed to skating but wish to practice balance and strengthen the core muscles. The outsoleand the ridgeare of unitary manufacture made of a sufficiently rigid plastic or rubber material using, for example, a conventional molding technique. The outsoleis then adhered to the bottomA of the upperin a conventional manner to form the uneven surface training footwear. Preferably, the surface-engaging outsole bottomA has a high coefficient of friction to minimize the likelihood of slippage of the surface-engaging outsole bottomA on the training surface.

Preferably, the axial ridgecomprises a substantially flat bottom surfacewith a toe endA and a heel endB, a left-hand side surface., and a right-hand side surface., as illustrated inwithillustrating cross-sectional views along section-indicated in. The left-hand side surface.and the right-hand side surface.extend upwards from the bottom surfaceof the ridgein the direction of a respective left-hand side edgeA.and right-hand side edgeA.of the outsole bottomA. The left-hand side surface.and the right-hand side surface.form tapers upward toward the respective left-hand side edgeA.and right-hand side edgeA.of the outsole bottomA. Preferably, the left-hand side surface.and the right-hand side surface.are tapered in a linear manner, as illustrated in, or convex curved manner, as illustrated in, to provide sufficient side support such that a user's foot is substantially prevented from rolling over.

Depending on design preferences, the taper of the left-hand side surface.and the right-hand side surface.are determined to be constant along the ridgefrom the toe endA to the heel endB of the training footwear, as illustrated in. Alternatively, the taper of the left-hand side surface.and the right-hand side surface.are determined to vary along the ridge, for example, in dependence upon a width of the outsole bottomA, as illustrated inwithillustrating cross-sectional views along sections-and-indicated in, respectively.

As is evident to a person of skill in the art, the taper may vary in various manners other than extending from the ridgeto the respective left-hand side edgeA.and right-hand side edgeA.of the outsole bottomA, as illustrated in, depending on design preferences. Furthermore, the taper may change from location to location between, for example, linear, convex curved, and concave curved.

Depending on design preferences, the width W of the bottom surfaceof the ridgeis determined to be constant along the ridgefrom the toe endA to the heel endB of the training footwear, as illustrated in. Alternatively, the bottom surfaceof the ridgehas a width W that varies from the toe endA to the heel endB of the training footwear, for example, in dependence upon a width of the outsole bottomA, as illustrated inwithillustrating cross-sectional views along sections-and-indicated in, respectively. Various other variations of the width W of the bottom surfaceof the ridgemay be envisioned depending on design preferences.

As is evident to a person of skill in the art, the training footwearaccording to the preferred embodiment of the invention may easily be adapted to fit various conventional shapes and sizes of footwear.

The outsoleof the training footwearaccording to the preferred embodiment of the invention as described hereinabove may also be provided for use as a component of a training footwear article for attachment to the bottom of a respective upper of the training footwear article.

The present invention has been described herein with regard to preferred embodiments. However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.