SPORTS SHOE DESIGNED TO IMPART CONTROLLED SPIN ON A BALL WHEN KICKED WITH THE TOES

20180184754

15/908915

March 01, 2018

An sports shoe that changes shape in two ways. Firstly, a change of shape occurs when the sports shoe is used to kick a ball with the toes. This change of shape maximizes the area of contact with a ball that is kicked with the toes. Secondly, a change of shape occurs when the front of the sports shoe rotates during contact with a kicked ball.

1. A sports shoe comprising: a sole; an upper part; wherein the sole and upper part have a forefoot section, a ball section, a midfoot section and a heel section; a hollow flexible toe cap attached to at least one of the sole and the upper part and configured for primary contact with an object while kicking such object; the flexible toe cap having a top, a bottom, a front and a back, and two side sections; the flexible toe cap having generally curved struts and a flexible skin; the generally curved struts running longitudinally from the front of the flexible toe cap in a direction toward the heel section of the sports shoe, such struts being more rigid than the skin of the flexible toe cap; the flexible skin residing between adjacent curved struts; the flexible skin arranged in an undulating shape between adjacent struts while the sports shoe is under no force.

2. The sports shoe of claim 1 wherein the generally curved struts are adapted to separate from the adjacent generally curved struts upon application of a longitudinal force acting on the front of the flexible toe cap; the force acting in a direction from very front of the sports shoe toward the heel section of the sports shoe.

3. The sports shoe of claim 1 wherein the flexible skin of the flexible toe cap is adapted to pull tighter between adjacent struts upon application of a longitudinal force acting on the front of the flexible toe cap, the force acting in a direction from the front of the toe cap toward the heel section of the sports shoe.

4. The sports shoe of claim 1 wherein any cleats attached to the flexible toe cap are adapted to move vertically downward and away from the toes of a wearer in response to a longitudinal force of 250 Newtons applied from a vertical plane pressing longitudinally upon a front of a horizontal flexible toe cap oriented orthogonally to the vertical plane.

5. A sports shoe comprising: a sole; an upper part; wherein the sole and upper part have a forefoot section, a ball section, a midfoot section and a heel section; a hollow flexible toe cap attached to at least one of the sole and the upper part and configured for primary contact with an object while kicking such object; the flexible toe cap having a top, a bottom, a front and a back, and two side sections; the flexible toe cap having generally curved struts and a flexible skin; the generally curved struts running longitudinally from the front of the flexible toe cap in a direction toward the heel section of the sports shoe, the struts being more rigid than the skin of the flexible toe cap; the generally curved struts curving in two orientations; one orientation of curvature of the generally curved struts being generally the outside surface of a segment of the roughly hemispherical exterior of the flexible toe cap; the other orientation of curvature of the generally curved struts being either clockwise or anticlockwise as viewed from the front of the sports shoe; the flexible skin residing between adjacent generally curved struts;

6. The sports shoe of claim 5 wherein the flexible skin arranged in an undulating shape between adjacent struts while the sports shoe is under no force.

7. The sports shoe of claim 5 wherein the most forward point on the flexible toe cap rotates around an axis that runs from the very front of the flexible toe cap to the heel section of the sports shoe in response to a longitudinal force acting on the front of the flexible toe cap, such force pushing from front of the sports shoe toward the heel section.

8. The sports shoe of claim 5 wherein the flexible toe cap has a mechanical stiffness that prevents contact between itself and toes of a wearer during the application of a longitudinal force of 250 Newtons.

9. The sports shoe of claim 5 wherein the maximum radius of the flexible toe cap increases by at least 10 percent during application of the longitudinal force of about 250 Newtons.

10. A sports shoe comprising: a sole; an upper part; wherein the upper part has a forefoot section, a ball section, a midfoot section and a heel section; the sole has a ball section, a midfoot section and a heel section; a hollow flexible toe cap attached to at least one of the sole and the upper part and configured for primary contact with an object while kicking such object; the flexible toe cap having a top, a bottom, a front and a back, and two side sections; the most forward point on the flexible toe cap rotates around an axis that runs from the very front of the flexible toe cap to the heel section of the sports shoe in response to a longitudinal force acting on the front of the flexible toe cap, such force pushing from front of the sports shoe to the heel section.

11. The sports shoe of claim 10 wherein the maximum radius of the flexible toe cap increases by at least 10 percent during application of a longitudinal force of about 250 Newtons, the force acting in a direction from front toward the heel section of the sports shoe.

12. The sports shoe of claim 10 wherein the flexible skin arranged in an undulating shape between adjacent struts while the sports shoe is under no force.

13. The sports shoe of claim 10 wherein the flexible skin of the flexible toe cap is adapted to pull tighter between adjacent struts upon application of a longitudinal force acting on the front of the flexible toe cap, the force acting in a direction from front toward the heel section of the sports shoe.

14. A sports shoe comprising: a sole; an upper part; wherein the upper part has a forefoot section, a ball section, a midfoot section and a heel section; the sole has a ball section, a midfoot section and a heel section; a hollow flexible toe cap attached to at least one of the sole and the upper part and configured for primary contact with an object while kicking such object; the flexible toe cap having a top, a bottom, a front and a back, and two side sections; the flexible toe cap having generally curved struts and a flexible skin; the generally curved struts running longitudinally from the front of the flexible toe cap in a direction toward the heel section of the sports shoe, such struts being more rigid than the skin of the flexible toe cap; the flexible skin residing between adjacent generally curved struts; the generally curved struts are adapted to separate from the adjacent generally curved struts upon application of a longitudinal force acting on the front of the flexible toe cap, the force acting in a direction from very front of the sports shoe toward the heel section of the sports shoe.

15. The sports shoe of claim 14 wherein the maximum radius of the flexible toe cap increases by about 10 percent or more during application of a longitudinal force of about 250 Newtons applied through a vertical plane acting upon the toe end of the flexible toe cap.

16. The sports shoe of claim 14 wherein the flexible toe cap is unconnected to the sole at any point forward of the attachment points which are adapted to be forward of the tarsometatarsal joint of the wearer.

17. The sports shoe of claim 14 wherein the flexible toe cap is substantially rounded in each direction forward of its attachment points, including sections at the bottom of the flexible toe cap.

18. The sports shoe of claim 14 wherein a 5 centimeter diameter vertical surface circle that is a most longitudinally forward point on the flexible toe cap, the 5 centimeter diameter vertical surface circle moves laterally with respect to a central axis, which runs from toe to heel, of the sports shoe by more than two centimeters in each horizontal lateral direction in response to a horizontal lateral force of about 50 Newtons or more.

19. The sports shoe of claim 14 wherein the flexible toe cap has a mechanical stiffness that prevents contact between itself and toes of a wearer during the application of the longitudinal force of 250 Newtons.

20. The sports shoe of claim 14 wherein any cleats attached to the flexible toe cap are adapted to move vertically downward and away from the toes of a wearer in response to a longitudinal force of 250 Newtons applied from a vertical plane pressing longitudinally upon a front of a horizontal flexible toe cap oriented orthogonally to the vertical plane.

43; 43

edspap.20180184754