WEIGHTLIFTING SHOE

Abstract

A weightlifting shoe includes a sole defining a heel-to-toe drop of at least ten millimeters, the sole including an outsole and a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the outsole, and one or more panels attached to the sole to define an enclosure for a person's foot. The weightlifting shoe may further include a carbon fiber plate disposed within the sole (e.g., between the outsole and the midsole) in a forefoot portion of the sole. The carbon fiber plate may define a cutout for increased flexibility.

Claims

1. A weightlifting shoe comprising: a sole defining a heel-to-toe drop of at least ten millimeters, the sole including an outsole and a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the outsole; one or more panels attached to the sole to define an enclosure for a person's foot; and a carbon fiber plate disposed within the sole between the outsole and the midsole, the carbon fiber plate defining a cutout, wherein a ratio of an area of the cutout to an area of the carbon fiber plate outside the cutout is between 0.1 and 0.5.

2. (canceled)

3. The weightlifting shoe of claim 1, wherein an outer perimeter of the carbon fiber plate is shaped like an oval.

4. The weightlifting shoe of claim 3, wherein an edge of the cutout defines an inner perimeter of the carbon fiber plate that is shaped like an oval.

5. The weightlifting shoe of claim 1, wherein the sole further includes a wooden heel.

6. The weightlifting shoe of claim 1, wherein the midsole comprises thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

7. The weightlifting shoe of claim 6, wherein the midsole defines a sidewall on an external surface of the weightlifting shoe.

8. The weightlifting shoe of claim 7, further comprising chrome plating on the sidewall.

9. A weightlifting shoe comprising: a sole defining a heel-to-toe drop of at least ten millimeters, the sole including an outsole and a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the outsole; one or more panels attached to the sole to define an enclosure for a person's foot; and a carbon fiber plate disposed within a forefoot portion of the sole, the carbon fiber plate defining a cutout, wherein a ratio of an area of the cutout to an area of the carbon fiber plate outside the cutout is between 0.1 and 0.5.

10. (canceled)

11. The weightlifting shoe of claim 9, wherein an outer perimeter of the carbon fiber plate is shaped like an oval.

12. The weightlifting shoe of claim 11, wherein an edge of the cutout defines an inner perimeter of the carbon fiber plate that is shaped like an oval.

13. The weightlifting shoe of claim 9, wherein the sole further includes a wooden heel.

14. The weightlifting shoe of claim 9, wherein the midsole comprises thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

15. The weightlifting shoe of claim 14, wherein the midsole defines a sidewall on an external surface of the weightlifting shoe.

16. The weightlifting shoe of claim 15, further comprising chrome plating on the sidewall.

17. A weightlifting shoe comprising: a sole defining a heel-to-toe drop of at least ten millimeters, the sole including an outsole, a midsole disposed above at least a portion of the outsole, and a wooden heel; one or more panels attached to the sole to define an enclosure for a person's foot; and a carbon fiber plate disposed within the sole, the carbon fiber plate defining a cutout, wherein a ratio of an area of the cutout to an area of the carbon fiber plate outside the cutout is between 0.1 and 0.5.

18. The weightlifting shoe of claim 17, wherein the midsole comprises thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

19. The weightlifting shoe of claim 18, wherein the midsole defines a sidewall on an external surface of the weightlifting shoe.

20. The weightlifting shoe of claim 19, further comprising chrome plating on the sidewall.

21. The weightlifting shoe of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the area of the cutout to the area of the carbon fiber plate outside the cutout is between 0.2 and 0.5.

22. The weightlifting shoe of claim 9, wherein the ratio of the area of the cutout to the area of the carbon fiber plate outside the cutout is between 0.2 and 0.5.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

[0010] FIG. 1 is a left side perspective view of a weightlifting shoe for a left foot;

[0011] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the weightlifting shoe;

[0012] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a sole of the weightlifting shoe together with a carbon fiber plate provided therein;

[0013] FIG. 3B is an exploded perspective view of the sole and the carbon fiber plate;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a top view of the sole and the carbon fiber plate;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the sole and the carbon fiber plate;

[0016] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5;

[0017] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 in FIG. 5; and

[0018] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present disclosure encompasses various embodiments of a weightlifting 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.

[0020] FIGS. 1-8 are views of a weightlifting shoe 100 for a left foot. While not separately illustrated, the weightlifting shoe 100 may also be symmetrically designed for a right foot. The resulting pair of weightlifting shoes 100 may advantageously be worn by a weightlifter in order to improve performance while going up onto the toes or at other times while lifting. The weightlifting shoe 100 may include a sole 110 (shown separately in FIGS. 3A-8) and one or more panels 120 attached to the sole 110 to define an enclosure for a person's foot. The sole 110 may include an outsole 112, which may be made of rubber, such as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) having a Shore A hardness of 60. The outsole 112 may provide grip and durability where the sole 110 contacts the floor of a gym or other surface. The sole 110 may further include a midsole 114 that may be disposed above at least a portion of the outsole 112 and may be made of a stiff material such as a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) having a Shore A hardness of 72. In particular, the hardness of the midsole 114 may be greater than the hardness of the outsole 112. The midsole 114 may provide stiffness in the heel and through the midfoot for increased support and stability and may terminate at the forefoot, for example, allowing more flexibility in the toe box. The panel(s) 120, which may be attached to one or both of the outsole 112 and the midsole 114, may be made of leather and/or microfiber, for example, and may comprise an upper, vamp, quarter, etc. that surround the foot while the weightlifting shoe 100 is being worn.

[0021] As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the midsole 114 may define a sidewall on an external surface of the weightlifting shoe 100. In this regard, it is noted that a midsole material having a high melting point such as TPU may be readily glued to the one or more panels 120. For additional support and stability, the sidewall may extend higher than the bottom of the wearer's foot (e.g., higher than an insole of the weightlifting shoe) so as to surround and stabilize the wearer's foot in the midfoot region 111m of the sole 110 on medial and/or lateral sides of the foot. The weightlifting shoe 100 may comprise chrome plating on the sidewall (e.g., covering the TPU or other midsole material), which may be applied by electroplating, for example.

[0022] To provide additional strength and support beyond that which is provided by the midsole 114, the sole 110 may further include a wooden heel 116 made of natural wood (e.g., American Beech having a Shore A hardness of 100). Alternatively, a synthetic wood heel 116 may be used. The heel 116 may be provided between the outsole 112 and the midsole 114 as shown. In this regard, it is noted that the outsole 112 may comprise two separate pieces of material, one on the bottom of the heel 116 (in a heel portion 111h of the sole 110, see FIGS. 3B and 5) and one in a forefoot portion 111f of the sole 110. The outsole 112 may be absent from some or all of a midfoot portion 111m of the sole 110. As most clearly shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 8, the midsole 114 may begin at the rear end of the forefoot portion 111f of the sole 110 and may extend rearward through the midfoot portion 111m and heel portion 111h while being absent from all or most of the forefoot portion 111f.

[0023] In order that the forefoot portion 111f of the sole 110 may have a degree of stiffness and support that is greater than that of the outsole 112 while being less than that of the stiff midsole 114, the weightlifting shoe 100 may include a carbon fiber plate disposed within the sole 110. As illustrated, the carbon fiber plate 130 may be disposed in the forefoot portion 111f of the sole 110 between the outsole 112 and the midsole 114. To this end, a recess 118 may be defined in the upper surface of the outsole 112, which may be sized and shaped to receive the carbon fiber plate 130 (e.g., such that the upper surface of the carbon fiber plate 130 is flush with the upper surface of the outsole 112). Within the recess 118, the outsole 112 may define one or more windows 113 through which the carbon fiber plate 130 may be seen from underneath (see FIGS. 3B, 5, 6, and 8). As shown in FIG. 3B, the midsole 114 may overlap the outsole 112 at the rear end of the forefoot portion 111f, such that the recess 118 extends underneath the midsole 114 to define a slot 119 within the recess 118 between the outsole 112 and the midsole 114. The carbon fiber plate 130 may fit within the recess 118 as shown in FIG. 3A, with a portion of the carbon fiber plate 130 fitting into the slot 119 (see FIG. 3B) to extend partway underneath the midsole 114. In this way, the carbon fiber plate 130 may fit snugly within the sole 110 of the weightlifting shoe 100 and may impart its own stiffness (as well as its own flexibility as described below) to the sole 110 of the weightlifting shoe 100.

[0024] Referring to the exploded view of FIG. 3B, the carbon fiber plate 130 may advantageously define a cutout 131. By virtue of having the cutout 131 (where the material of the carbon fiber plate 130 is absent), the carbon fiber plate 130 may have increased flexibility and may, in particular, impart varying degrees of flexibility and stiffness to the sole 110 in different regions of the forefoot 111f. For example, the carbon fiber plate 130 may have an outer perimeter Po that is shaped like an oval as shown, with the cutout 131 being an interior cutout having an edge that defines an inner perimeter P.sub.i (which may also be shaped like an oval, for example). With such a configuration, the area of the carbon fiber plate 130 may extend between the outer perimeter Po and the inner perimeter P.sub.i, imparting increased stiffness to regions of the sole 110 that are vertically aligned with this area. In order to impart increased stiffness to the region of the sole 110 that underlies the wearer's toes, for example, a distance D between the outer perimeter Po and the inner perimeter P.sub.i in the front of the carbon fiber plate 130 may be selected so as to match the approximate length of this region. The specific distance D may depend on the size of the shoe but may be 2-5 cm for a size 9 men's shoe, for example. The distance between the outer perimeter Po and the inner perimeter P.sub.i in the rear of the carbon fiber plate 130 or on the sides of the carbon fiber plate 130 may be the same or may be different, as may be selected in view of the desired region(s) of additional stiffness. Behind the wearer's toes, underlying the ball of the wearer's foot, the cutout 131 may impart additional flexibility where the additional flexibility may be most needed by the weightlifter (e.g. in the ball of the foot) to allow the weightlifter to more easily go up onto the toes and/or jump while bringing the weight up over the shoulders during a lift. While the absolute dimensions of the carbon fiber plate 130 and the cutout 131 may depend on the size of the shoe (corresponding to the expected size of the weightlifter's foot) as well as on the specific desired effect, a preferred ratio of an area of the cutout 131 to an area of the carbon fiber plate 130 outside the cutout 131 may be between 0.1 and 0.5, preferably between 0.2 and 0.4. A ratio on the low end of this range may result in a stiffer forefoot region 111f, while a ratio on the high end of this range may result in a more flexible forefoot region 111f.

[0025] While other materials for the carbon fiber plate 130 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). The carbon fiber plate 130 may be 1-4 mm thick, for example, such as one-eighth inch thick. It is also noted that the cutout 131 need not necessarily be an interior cutout. For example, the cutout 131 may instead be on one side of the carbon fiber plate 130, resulting in a U-shaped carbon fiber plate 130. With a large enough cutout 131, such a construction may result in a significantly more flexible carbon fiber plate 130 in the direction from one end of the U to the other. In practice, an interior (preferably central) cutout 131 has been found to be more practically useful in imparting a degree of stiffness or rigidity to the forefoot region 111f (and particularly the area of the wearer's toes), while allowing for slightly more flexibility in the mid-ball region corresponding to the center of the wearer's forefoot.

[0026] As most easily understood from FIGS. 2 and 8, the sole 110, including the outsole 112, midsole 114, and heel 116, may define a relatively large heel-to-toe drop to improve the range of motion of the weightlifter's knees and to allow for better use of the weightlifter's leg muscles during a squat. The heel-to-toe drop may be, for example, at least ten millimeters, preferably at least fifteen millimeters, and more preferably at least twenty millimeters such as 25.4 millimeters (one inch). At the same time, the shoe 100 may have a large toe box that allows for the weightlifter to fully splay the toes of his or her foot during a squat. An example of a weightlifting shoe having a suitably large toe box may be found in the '880 patent, which is incorporated by reference. By virtue of the additional inclusion of the carbon fiber plate 130 as described herein, the weightlifting shoe 100 described herein may provide additional flexibility in the ball of the foot to allow the weightlifter to come out of a deep squat (in which the toes may be flayed) and go up onto the toes and/or jump while bringing the weight up over the shoulders during a lift.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the midsole 114 may define a pattern of cavities 115, such as hexagonal cavities 115 as depicted. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the heel 116 may likewise define a pattern of cavities 117, which may be hexagonal as well. The cavities 115, 117 may reduce the weight of the midsole 114 and heel 116, while the material surrounding the cavities 115, 117 (e.g., TPU and wood) may be adequate to maintain the structural integrity of the midsole 114 or heel 116. In this regard, a hexagonal pattern has been found to be particularly effective at maintaining strength and rigidity of the midsole 114 or heel 116.

[0028] 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.