Patents on the soles of your shoes...: sole systems

Showing posts with label sole systems. Show all posts

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Oh Birkenstocks! (DE4235261 – 1994)

On April 21, 1994, Karl Birkenstock was awarded German patent, DE4235261, for: Footwear in form of sandals, shoes, slippers, mules, trainers or clogs - has upper consisting of interlocking strips of material with matching cut out parts and attachments, considerably widening the scope of the invention. And, according to the Figures (I do not read German…), the sandal looks very much like a modern iteration of your beloved, corky cumfy Berkies….

Oh Birkenstocks! (US3722113 – 1973)

What’s your favorite shoes? Birkenstocks are cult shoes, made in Germany, since 1774! (1774? Yes, that’s without a typo…!) This is a Birkenstock family-owned business for 230 years, toiling for perfection in the contour of soles. The first Birkenstock Patent, US3722113, was granted March 3, 1973 to Karl Birkenstock, for an Article of Footwear, which looked much like massage footwear in 1973....

An article of footwear has uppers which may [be] in form of straps, and a sole of yieldable elastomeric material which is provided at least on its upper and, according to some embodiments, on its lower surface with projections which extend substantially normal to the general plane of the respective surface. The projections may be of different length. [US3722113]

Monday, March 4, 2013

Mirrors of time (3) – Nike Free(TM)

One more patented sole system and upper footwear structure from Nike, Inc, marketed as Nike Free(TM). And a huge stride in time since slip-resistant crepe rubber soles with grid, waffle or checkered patterns, designed to both cushion and secure the user’s gait.

This is your homework, in purple and green, dear Students.... Now, pray tell me, what’s your domain and what are you tracking through time? Prosthetic limbs, reading glasses, clocks, watches, bicycles, automobiles, airplanes, or textiles ?

Patents mirror time, and we could show this reflection together, on more counts than footwear.

US2005076536 An Article of footwear with a stretchable upper and an articulated sole structure

An article of footwear is disclosed that includes at least one of a stretchable upper and an articulated sole structure. The upper may include an exterior layer and an interior layer. The exterior layer forms at least a portion of an exterior of the upper, and the exterior layer includes a plurality of incisions that extend through the exterior layer. The interior layer is located adjacent an inner surface of the exterior layer, and the interior layer is exposed through the incisions. The sole structure may include a connecting portion and a plurality of discrete sole elements. The connecting portion is positioned adjacent the upper and may extend along a longitudinal length of the upper. The sole elements extend from the connecting portion, and the sole elements are separated by a plurality of sipes that extend upward into the sole structure.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Mirrors of time (1)

You will find that patents are like mirrors of time, and that inventions pepper your daily experience.

Remember the 1929 crepe soles patent on the first week of class? Crepe soles offering slip resistance on wet surfaces. In 1929, crepe soles came as big news in comparison to leather soles, but still too slippery to wear for viable commercial success....

Now, in 2013, here are state of the art sole structures and systems, brought to you, for example, by Nike, Inc! That is, soles with sensors to connect to all your body metric, Bluetooth-enabled, mobile devices, and peek-a-boo sole systems so that you can really see the shock absorbers in your soles! That's almost 100 years reflected in the soles of your shoes!

US2013019694 - Footware having a sensor system

"An article of footwear includes an upper member and a sole structure, with a sensor system connected to the sole structure. The sensor system includes a plurality of sensors that are configured for detecting forces exerted by a user's foot on the sensor. The sensor system also includes a port that is configured to receive a module to place the module in communication with the sensors. The port includes a housing with a chamber configured to receive the module and an interface engaged with the housing and having at least one electrical contact exposed to the chamber.Additional retaining structure and interface structure may be included". [Nike, Inc.]

US2012324761 - Footwear with cavity viewingsystem
A sole structure for an article of footwear and a method of making the sole structure is disclosed. The sole structure can include an outsole and a midsole. The midsole includes a cavity with a protruding portion. A U-shaped transparent member is configured to cover the cavity so that the protruding portion remains visible from within the cavity." [Nike Inc.]