US-12622489-B2 - Cleated footwear

US12622489B2US 12622489 B2US12622489 B2US 12622489B2US-12622489-B2

Abstract

A cleated shoe has an upper, a Strobel board or midsole, and an outsole having a plurality of cleats, assembled to the upper/Strobel board or midsole. The insole has a first forefoot region configured to underlie heads of the second through fifth metatarsal bones of a wearer, and a second forefoot region having a concave depression extending downward from a top of the insole and is configured to underlie a head of the first metatarsal bone of the wearer. A hollow is provided in the Strobel board or midsole underlying the concave depression of the insole, and a corresponding concave depression is provided in the outsole underlying the concave depression of the insole and the hollow in the Strobel board or the midsole. The cleats are radially arranged around the head of the first metatarsal bone of the wearer.

Inventors

Howard Dananberg
Brian G. R. Hughes

Assignees

HBN SHOE, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250304

Claims (15)

1 . A cleated or spiked shoe comprising: an upper, a Strobel board or midsole assembled to the upper, and an insole overlying the Strobel board or midsole, an outsole assembled or bonded to the assembled upper and Strobel board or midsole, and having a first plurality of cleats or spikes which are secured to or incorporated in a forefoot region of the outsole, a first concave depression in the insole configured to underlie a head of the first metatarsal bone of the foot of a wearer and configured to isolate support of the head of the first metatarsal bone of the foot of the wearer from the second, third, fourth and fifth metatarsal heads whereby to permit the head of the first metatarsal bone of the wearer to plantar flex and evert while under load, wherein the first concave depression extends as a convex surface below a bottom surface of the insole into an area of reduced support in the Strobel board or midsole; wherein the forefoot region of the outsole has a first concave depression configured to underlie the first concave depression in the insole and the area of reduced support in the Strobel board or midsole, wherein the first concave depression of the outsole extends as a first convex surface below a bottom surface of the outsole; wherein the outsole is devoid of cleats or spikes in an area underlying the first concave depression of the outsole; and a second concave depression in the insole and in the outsole at a heel region, wherein the second concave depression is configured to underlie a calcaneus of the foot of the wearer, wherein a second plurality of cleats or spikes are secured to or incorporated in the heel region of the outsole.
2 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of cleats or spikes are radially arranged about the first convex surface of the outsole.
3 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 1 , wherein the outsole comprises a flex channel positioned posterior to the first convex surface of the forefoot region of the outsole.
4 . A pair of cleated or spiked shoes as claimed in claim 1 , wherein spike or cleat patterns outsoles are different for left and right shoes, and wherein the shoes comprise golf shoes, javelin shoes, discus shoes or shot put shoes.
5 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of cleats or spikes are radially arranged about the first convex surface of the outsole.
6 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of cleats or spikes and the second plurality of cleats or spikes are radially arranged about the first convex surface of the outsole.
7 . A pair of left and right foot cleated or spiked shoes as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the left shoe and the right shoe are left and right shoe mirror images of one another.
8 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 1 , wherein the first concave depression of the insole is sized to accommodate the head of the first metatarsal bone of the wearer.
9 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 1 , wherein the first concave depression of the insole is oval, egg-shaped or elongated in plan.
10 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 1 , wherein the second concave depression of the outsole extends as a second convex surface below the bottom surface of the outsole.
11 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 10 , wherein the second plurality of cleats or spikes are radially arranged about the second convex surface of the outsole.
12 . The pair of cleated or spiked shoes as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the shoes are selected from the group consisting of baseball shoes, cricket shoes, football boots, soccer boots, rugby shoes and track shoes.
13 . A pair of left and right cleated or spiked shoes as claimed in claim 10 , wherein one of the left or the right shoes has the first plurality of cleats or spikes radially arranged about the first convex surface of the forefoot region of the outsole, and the second plurality of cleats or spikes are radially arranged about the second convex surface of the heel region of the outsole.
14 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 8 , wherein the first concave depression of the insole is circular in plan and has a diameter of between 2.54 cm and 3.81 cm.
15 . The cleated or spiked shoe of claim 8 , wherein the first concave depression of the insole has a nominal depth of 2-3 mm measured from a top edge of side wall bounding a depressed area to a lowest point of the depression.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 18/117,309, filed Mar. 3, 2023, which application in turn claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/319,595, filed Mar. 14, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure is generally related to footwear. The disclosure has particular utility in connection with sports footwear such as soccer footwear having a hard, one-piece, molded outsole and will be described in connection with such utility, although other utilities are contemplated. BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY The present disclosure relates to new designs for cleated or spiked athletic shoes. The disclosure has particular applicability to cleated soccer footwear or so-called “soccer boots” or “soccer shoes” and will be described in connection with such utility, although the disclosure also may be advantageously used with other cleated or spiked footwear including, but not limited to cricket shoes, football boots, baseball shoes, track shoes, rugby shoes and the like. The disclosure also advantageously may be used with cleated or spiked footwear subject to unidirectional or asymmetric rotational motion such as golf shoes and sport shoes for shot put, discus, javelin, and the like. Athletic shoes are a combination of many elements which have specific functions, all of which must work together for the support and protection of the wearer's foot during an athletic event. Cleated or spiked athletic shoes, particularly soccer boots, typically include an upper which is assembled or bonded to a Stroble board or midsole, a removable insole over the Strobel board or midsole and a cleated or spiked outsole. The outsole provides traction, protection, and a durable wear surface. The sport of soccer imposes special demands upon player footwear. To begin with, players run long distances. In a 90 minute match, a player may run as much as (or more than) 14 kilometers (over 8.5 miles). When practice sessions are also considered, a player may run in excess of 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) per week while wearing soccer boots. It is thus important that soccer boots protect and support the foot while minimizing discomfort. The presence of cleats or spikes on a shoe or boot outsole presents additional problems in this regard. Specifically, cleats or spikes can cause point pressures on a player's foot, particularly when the player is running over a hard playing field. Moreover, the long distances that a player must run, in combination with the side-to-side motions, foot-planting motions (for kicking a ball) and other common motions, can cause a player to become even more fatigued and injury prone than the player might be from simply running. Pronation, or the rolling of a foot from the outside to the inside during running, is of special interest. In particular, pronation occurs as a runner's foot strikes the ground on the outside (or lateral) edge of the foot and the foot then rolls inward so as to place the inner (or medial) edge on the ground. A certain amount of pronation is natural and necessary for normal running. Pronation is considered abnormal when it occurs in the 2nd half of the support phase of the step. Since this phase is consistent with the period when the heel is rising, then anything which impacts the ability of the heel to lift (i.e., lost motion of the metatarsophalangeal joints) can create an environment in which the foot must excessively pronate as an accommodation to restriction of heel lift. Also in the case of cleated or spiked footwear there is a “mismatch” between traction and available rotation during running, stopping and changing direction. Non-contact injuries to the knee are a major issue in sports, particularly soccer, where stopping abruptly and changing direction causes excessive rotational stress on the cruciate ligament in the knee. Rupture of this structure is unfortunately common. Additionally, the presence of a cleat or spike directly under the wearer's first metatarsal head inhibits flexing of the foot by locking the wearer's first metatarsal head joint, which in turn essentially locks the wearer's foot to the ground, increasing the risk of knee damage caused by the wearer's foot being unable to rotate. The present disclosure addresses the foregoing problems and other problems of the prior art by providing cleated or spiked footwear that controls motion of the wearer's foot, increases comfort and reduces fatigue, while also reducing stress by permitting normal foot joint flexibility while simultaneously maintaining traction while running, stopping and changing direction. Cleated or spiked footwear normally is fabricated with cleated or spiked protrusions extending from the bottom outward towards the field surface. When cleats or spikes are placed directly under the first metatarsal head (which is traditional), they create an u