Sole structure for football and socker shoes

Abstract

 This sole structure for football and socker shoes comprises a rigid plate structure (1) and a plurality of studs. The studs extend in part (4,5,19) perpendicular and in part (6,11,12,17) inclined with respect to the plate structure. Indeed at least one stud (6), arranged in the front region (2) of the sole, and at least a second stud (17), arranged at a heel region (3) of the sole, have their axes inclined outwardly with respect to the sole, while at least front region studs (11,12), located on the front region (2) of the sole, adjacent to the middle flat region (13) of the foot are inclined backwards.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a sole structure for football and socker shoes.

[0002] Football and socker shoes are known and currently in widespread use which are provided with a plurality of studs protruding therefrom and having the function of allowing an optimum grip of the ground during the resting and thrust phases which very often occur in conditions which are at the limit of adherence.

[0003] Said studs, which usually substantially consist of truncated cone-shaped elements, have their major axis perpendicular to the sole of the shoe and in practice perpendicular to the ground in normal resting conditions.

[0004] From the qualitative analysis of photographic and television pictures, as well as from direct on-site observation, it has been possible to check the role played by football shoe studs in all the basic actions which every player, regardless of his role, repeatedly performs during a match.

[0005] Often the resting and thrust phases are performed in conditions at the limit of adherence, regardless of the type and the state of the playing field, with considerable stresses and with extremely unfavourable positions of the center of gravity.

[0006] It has been observed that the lateral region at the metatarsal heads and at the toes is particularly stressed during the thrust phase and during lateral movements, and so is the calcanear region of the supporting foot during impacts and during the execution of shots.

[0007] Accordingly, the aim of the invention is to provide a sole structure having a particular arrangement of the studs so as to increase the effectiveness of the grip of the shoe on the ground.

[0008] A further object is to provide an arrangement of studs capable of increasing the adherence and, therefore, the stability of said sole structure.

[0009] A further important object is to provide a sole structure which allows an overall improvement in the performance of the athlete.

[0010] This aim, these objects, and others which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a sole structure for football and socker shoes provided with a plurality of studs for gripping the ground, characterized in that at least one of said studs, located in the front region, and at least one located at the heel have their major axis inclined outwards with respect to the sole structure, while at least the studs of the front region, adjacent to the flat of the foot, have their major axis inclined backwards.

[0011] Advantageously, the inclination of the axis of said studs with respect to the normal to the sole and therefore to the normal to the ground is approximately 5°.

[0012] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment given only by way of non-limitative example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 is an general view of the sole structure;

fig. 2 is a cross section view taken along the line II-­II of fig. 1;

fig. 3 is a cross section view taken along the line III-III of fig. 1.

[0013] With reference to the above described figures, the sole structure according to the invention comprises a substantially rigid plate 1 preferably made of plastic material, which includes two regions, namely a front region 2 at the metatarsal heads and at the toes and a rear region 3 at the heel.

[0014] Said front region 2 is provided with a plurality of studs, five in the case illustrated.

[0015] Of these five studs, the two front ones, respectively indicated by 4 and 5, have their middle axis perpendicular to the rigid plate 1 and therefor perpendicular to the ground during the resting phase.

[0016] The outer middle stud indicated by 6 has its middle axis inclined outwards as indicated by the arrow 7 of fig. 1.

[0017] The cross section of this stud 6 is more clearly illustrated in fig. 2, where it can be seen that it is screwed onto a threaded bush 8 which is sunk into the plastic material which constitutes the rigid plate 1.

[0018] The axis of said bush, indicated by 9, is inclined with respect to the axis 10 traced along the normal to the plate 1 by an angle α which is advantageously of approximately 5°.

[0019] Said front region 2 has two further studs indicated at 11 and 12 and arranged adjacent to the middle flat of the foot indicated by 13, both having their axes, the one of the stud 11 being indicated at 14 in fig. 3, both inclined backwards as indicated respectively by the arrows 15 and 16.

[0020] Also in this case the optimum inclination is approximately 5°.

[0021] In the rear region 3, that is to say in the heel region, two further studs are provided, the outer one being indicated at 17 and having its middle axis inclined outwards as indicated by the arrow 18, while the inner stud, indicated at 19, has its middle axis perpendicular to the rigid plate 1 and therefore perpendicular with respect to the sole in normal resting conditions.

[0022] With regard to the studs 17 and 19, it should be noted that the line joining their axes is not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sole but is inclined (angle β=10-­15°). Thus, keeping the sole in "neutral" position, the medial rear (inner) stud 19 is arranged further rearward than the lateral one - regardless of the inclination of the latter.

[0023] This arrangement has been provided in order to improve the phase of impact of the foot on the ground, both in terms of grip and in terms of stability - said phase occurring with a divergence of the foot equal to approximately 10-15° when walking and when running.

[0024] In this manner the rear part of the shoe (the studs) impacts at right angle to the advance line during walk and/or run, improving effectiveness thereof.

[0025] The rigid plate 1 is furthermore provided with section reducing lines, respectively indicated at 20 and 21, arranged so as to provide preferential lines for the flexing of the sole structure.

[0026] The inclination of the major axis of the inclined studs has of approximately 5° and in any case must not be such as to entail undesirable side effects during the less than extreme use of the sole structure, such as a feeling of instability, of off-level positioning of one part of the shoe with respect to another, etc.

[0027] Said inclination may in any case be slightly different from the one proposed, especially in relation to the height of said studs.

[0028] With such an arrangement of the studs, an improved safety and stability in the "sports action" has been observed, especially in conditions of extreme stresses at the limit of adherence.

[0029] Naturally, as mentioned above, the inclinations may even be different with respect to the ones proposed, keeping substantially invariant, however, the direction indicated in the description.

[0030] The studs may be of the screw-on type or may be provided monolithical and rigid with the plate which constitutes sole structure.

[0031] In any case, the materials and dimensions may be any according to the requirements or to the conveniencies.

Claims

1. Sole structure for football and socker shoes comprising a plurality of ground gripping studs, characterized in that at least a first stud (6), located in a front region (2) of the sole structure (1),and at least a second stud (17), located at a heel region (3) of the sole structure, have their major axis inclined outwards with respect to the sole structure (1), while at least front region studs (11,12) arranged on the front region (2) of the sole structure, adjacent to a flat middle region (13) of the foot have their major axis inclined backwards.

2. Sole structure according to claim 1, characterized in that front studs (4,5) arranged towards a tip region of the sole structure (1) have their major axis perpendicular to said sole structure.

3. Sole structure according to claim 2, characterized in that said front studs (4,5) are two in number.

4. Sole structure according to claim 1, characterized by at least one stud (19) extending from the heel region (3) of the sole structure (1), at an inward region of the foot and having its major axis perpendicular to the sole structure.

5. Sole structure according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one first stud (6), said at least one second stud and said front region studs (11,12) have their major axis inclined of approximately 5° with respect to the normal to the sole structure (1).

6. Football and socker shoe sole structure, characterized by a rigid plate plastics injected structure (1) having embedded therein threaded bushes (8) in screw engagement with studs (6,11,12,17), said threaded bushes being inclined according to the inclination of the studs according to one or more of the preceding claims.

7. Football and socker shoe sole structure, characterized by a monolithic element comprising a rigid plate and inclined studs according to one or more of claims 1-5.

Drawing