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  Footwear with an adjustable stabilizing system, in particular for pronation and/or supination controlUSPTO Application #: 20060283046Title: Footwear with an adjustable stabilizing system, in particular for pronation and/or supination control Abstract: A footwear has a sole that comprises an adjustable stabilising system, in particular to control phenomena of pronation and/or supination. The stabilisation system comprises at least one adjustment member capable of selectively taking at least two alternative positions within a respective seat present in a component of the sole, the adjustment member having a body with at least two portions or sectors that present different degrees of compressibility. (end of abstract)
Agent: Nixon & Vanderhye, PC - Arlington, VA, US Inventor: Angelo Mason USPTO Applicaton #: 20060283046 - Class: 036028000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Boots, Shoes, And Leggings, Soles, Cushion The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060283046. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to footwear, particularly sports footwear, having a sole fitted with an adjustable stabilising system. [0002] It is known that the gait, that is the placing of the foot on the ground during walking or running, varies from person to person depending on the morphological and/or biomechanical characteristics of the subject. Some people rest their foot on the ground in a "neutral" manner, that is substantially correctly from the biomechanical standpoint; on the contrary in others some defect occurs in resting the foot on the ground, in particular due to excessive pronation (or inverted foot rest) or excessive supination (or everted foot rest). Very briefly, in pronation the foot takes on a position in which most of the body weight is loaded onto the inner (in technical jargon the medial) edge of the foot. On the contrary, in supination the foot takes on a position in which the body weight is loaded onto the outer (in technical jargon the lateral) edge of the foot. Even some people who are immune to gait defects when walking normally may suffer from excessive pronation or supination during running or sports activities in general. [0003] For the above reasons, "neutral" footwear and "stable" footwear are currently available on the market, in particular for practising running. [0004] The "neutral" footwear is provided with a midsole of uniform hardness or rigidity and is thus indicated for persons who do not suffer from any defect in resting the foot. The "stable" footwear is, on the contrary, provided with a midsole of locally differentiated hardness or rigidity and is therefore indicated for persons who have problems of excessive pronation or supination, particularly noticeable during prolonged running. [0005] Usually the midsoles of "stable" footwear have, in the medial zone of the heel, one or more insertions of greater hardness than the rest of the midsole and/or conformed so as to increase the resistance to compression of the midsole in that area; in this manner greater support may be provided to the foot, controlling and/or supporting pronation when resting the foot on the ground. An example of this type of solution is described in EP-A-0 315 340, and reference may also be made to the introduction of this prior document for a detailed examination of the problem mentioned above. [0006] Manufacturers of footwear must therefore produce both "neutral" footwear and "stable" footwear and, in the case of "stable" footwear fitted with inserts, it is also necessary that manufacturers produce numerous versions of a single model of footwear, differentiated one from another in terms of the hardness or compressibility of the relative midsole (as has been seen, the load when resting the foot on the ground varies depending on biomechanics and the person's weight). [0007] This diversification of production involves problems both for the footwear manufacturer, who must set up diversified plant, and for the retailer, who must acquire a larger number of versions of a single model of footwear in the attempt to meet consumers' differing demands. [0008] In view of resolving these drawbacks, footwear has been proposed in which the midsole is fitted with inserts defining at least one air chamber, fitted with valve-operated means of control and capable of being inflated to different pressures; in solutions of this type the operative configuration of the midsole may therefore be modified depending on the extent of pronation that must be corrected. An example of this technique is described in WO 98/56272. Solutions of the type indicated are complicated and expensive, as well as difficult to use for the purpose of adjusting the degree of compressibility of the midsole; apart from this, should said valve break the adjustment system would become unusable. [0009] From the document EP-A-0 258 718 footwear for practising running is also known in which the means that oppose excessive pronation comprises a cushioning strip, which embraces the midsole externally at the heel zone; the strip is fixed in a removable manner to the midsole, so as to enable it to be replaced if necessary. This solution has been found to be unreliable over time, chiefly because use of the footwear involves a risk of damaging the cushioning strip and the means that enable it to be fixed in a removable fashion to the midsole. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] In the light of the above, the present invention aims to produce footwear provided with a new system of adjustable stabilisation, particularly to control pronation and/or supination, of simple and economic construction, as well as being versatile and reliable in use. In this general sphere, a particular purpose of the invention is to produce footwear having a stabilising system conceived to facilitate and simplify the phase of adjusting the degree of compressibility of the respective sole, be this carried out by the producer, the retailer or the consumer. [0011] This and further purposes, which will become clearer below, are achieved according to the present invention by footwear having the characteristics indicated in the attached claims, which constitute an integral part of the descriptive content of this patent application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] Further purposes, as well as the characteristics and advantages of the present invention, will be clear in the description that follows and in the attached drawings, provided as a simple example for explanatory purposes with no limiting intent, in which: [0013] FIG. 1 is a view in elevation and partial section in diagram form of sports footwear according to the invention; [0014] FIGS. 2 and 3 are views in lateral elevation in diagram form of the side defined as "lateral" and of the side defined as "medial" of a midsole of the footwear in FIG. 1; [0015] FIGS. 4 and 5 are views in diagram form, respectively in plan and in lateral elevation, of a main body of the midsole in FIGS. 2 and 3; [0016] FIGS. 6 is a diagrammatic section along the line VI-VI of FIG. 4; [0017] FIG. 7 is a front elevation in diagram form of an adjustment member being part of a stabilising system of the footwear according to the invention; [0018] FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic section along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7; [0019] FIGS. 9 and 10 show, in diagram form, respectively in front and lateral elevation, an insert of the member in FIGS. 7 and 8; [0020] FIG. 11 is a section in diagram form along the line XI-XI of FIG. 10; [0021] FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic plan of the midsole in FIGS. 2 and 3, including the body in FIGS. 4-6, the member in FIGS. 7-8 and the insert in FIGS. 9-11; Continue reading... Full patent description for Footwear with an adjustable stabilizing system, in particular for pronation and/or supination control Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Footwear with an adjustable stabilizing system, in particular for pronation and/or supination control patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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