A sports shoe, particularly for tennis, has a flexible plastics outsole through which extend venting channels which open, on the interior of the shoe, in the region of a wearer's toes and forwardly of the ball of the foot. Channels can be provided through the bottom of the sole to terminate beneath the hollows of the toes and/or through a rim of the sole at the front of the shoe. In addition, an air-permeable toe part and tongue can be provided further to assist air movement through the shoe in use.
A one-piece, washable and sterilizable plastic shoe comprising a lower part with a top on which the foot bears and a bottom enveloping an outsole and a heel, and an upper part having ventilating openings in a substantially vertical lateral area, these openings having upper and lower outer boundary edges that are lower, respectively, than the corresponding upper and lower inner boundary edges thereof. The method for producing such a plastic shoe includes the steps of introducing mouldable plastic into a mould comprising top and bottom halves with a shoe last therebetween and simultaneously forming the lateral ventilating openings by means of spaced pins extending between the bottom-half mould and the last. The apparatus for producing the shoe comprises a mould having top and bottom halves with a shoe last therebetween and a plurality of pins extending from the bottom-half mould into removeable engagement with the shoe last. The pins are shaped and oriented to provide the desired configuration to the ventilating openings.
A one-piece, washable and sterilizable plastic shoe comprising a lower part with a top on which the foot bears and a bottom enveloping an outsole and a heel, and an upper part having ventilating openings in a substantially vertical lateral area, these openings having upper and lower outer boundary edges that are lower, respectively, than the corresponding upper and lower inner boundary edges thereof. The method for producing such a plastic shoe includes the steps of introducing mouldable plastic into a mould comprising top and bottom halves with a shoe last therebetween and simultaneously forming the lateral ventilating openings by means of spaced pins extending between the bottom-half mould and the last. The apparatus for producing the shoe comprises a mould having top and bottom halves with a shoe last therebetween and a plurality of pins extending from the bottom-half mould into removeable engagement with the shoe last. The pins are shaped and oriented to provide the desired configuration to the ventilating openings.
An article of footwear having an improved outsole formed with uniformly distributed small apertures therethrough throughout its area, the apertures being of circular, oval or other curvilinear or angular or polygonal cross-section or any combination of them throughout their axial length and tapering convergently upwardly. The apertures optimally have diameters, or spans defining equivalent cross-sectional areas, on the order of about 1.6-2 millimeters at their inner ends and 2.4-2.8 millimeters at their outer ends, with center to center spacings on the order of about 5-7 millimeters. Small untapered holes may be employed.
An improved sole structure for attachment to a shoe for bicyclists. The sole structure includes a conformed rigid body having in the front region a plurality of recessed seats each containing a fastener for attachment to a plate anchoring the sole structure to a bicycle pedal, and also includes in the plantar arch region a recessed seat containing a bolt fastened to a plate provided on the sole lower side, the plate being connected to a strap for attaching the sole structure securely onto a foot of a bicyclist. The sole structure provides channels extending rearwardly through the sole from a downward protruding frontal face for air ventilation of the foot of a cyclist, and includes a heel block attached to the sole lower surface rear portion to facilitate normal walking for the cyclist. The sole body upper face may include front and rear soft resilient cushions for improved support of the foot of the bicyclist. Preferably, the body structure includes an insole having a plurality of perforations located in flow communication with dual channels extending from a front inlet opening along the sole upper face to more effectively ventilate the cyclist's foot. A resilient layer such as organosiloxane gel may be provided in selected area portions of the insole.
A one-piece, washable and sterilizable plastic shoe comprising a lower part with a top on which the foot bears and a bottom enveloping an outsole and a heel, and an upper part having ventilating openings in a substantially vertical lateral area, these openings having upper and lower outer boundary edges that are lower, respectively, than the corresponding upper and lower inner boundary edges thereof. The method for producing such a plastic shoe includes the steps of introducing mouldable plastic into a mould comprising top and bottom halves with a shoe last therebetween and simultaneously forming the lateral ventilating openings by means of spaced pins extending between the bottom-half mould and the last. The apparatus for producing the shoe comprises a mould having top and bottom halves with a shoe last therebetween and a plurality of pins extending from the bottom-half mould into removeable engagement with the shoe last. The pins are shaped and oriented to provide the desired configuration to the ventilating openings.
