Shoes for walking and rolling
AssigneeMearthane Products Corporation
InventorJohn A. Roderick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Shoes with various configurations of rollers secured to one region of their soles for rolling, while leaving another sole region exposed for walking. The rollers are mounted to rotate about an axle defining a primary axis of rotation extending at an angle of between about zero and 45 degrees to the walking direction, as viewed from above the shoe, for rolling sideways along a support surface. This provides a combined running-rolling method of locomotion, by running on the exposed sole surfaces, and then jumping into a “surfing” stance for rolling. In some cases, the rollers are mounted on steerable truck assemblies. One particularly small truck assembly includes wedge-shaped bushings for steering compliance.
Claims66
A shoe defining a normal walking direction and comprising
- a sole defining a forward region positioned beneath toes and at least part of a ball of a foot received within the shoe and having a lower surface exposed across the forward region to engage a supporting surface for walking thereon;
- and
- a roller secured to the sole and disposed rearward of the forward region, the roller mounted to rotate about an axle defining a primary axis of rotation extending at an angle of between about zero and 45 degrees to the walking direction, as viewed from above the shoe, for rolling sideways along a support surface.
A shoe defining a normal walking direction and comprising
- a sole defining a forward region positioned beneath toes and a ball of a foot received within the shoe and having a lower surface exposed across the forward region to engage a supporting surface for walking thereon;
- and
- a roller secured to the sole and disposed rearward of the forward region, the roller mounted to rotate about an axle defining a primary axis of rotation non-perpendicular to the walking direction as viewed from above the shoe.
A shoe defining a normal walking direction and comprising
- a sole with a lower surface exposed for engaging a supporting surface for walking thereon, the sole defining a cavity having an opening at the lower surface of the sole;
- and
- a roller partially disposed within the cavity and extending through the cavity opening;
- wherein the roller is mounted to rotate only about a primary axis of rotation for rolling along a support surface in a direction other than the walking direction.
A shoe having a heel portion and a toe portion defining a normal walking direction, and a flexible sole with a lower surface exposed for engaging a supporting surface in a walking mode;
- the sole defining a cavity extending into the sole rearward of the toe portion from an opening at said lower surface and at least partially containing a removable roller extending through the opening for rolling against the supporting surface in a rolling mode;
- wherein the roller is mounted to rotate about an axis extending at an angle of between about zero and 45 degrees to the walking direction, as viewed from above the shoe.
A rolling shoe having a sole and comprising
- a steerable truck assembly comprising a pair of rollers mounted to rotate about an axle secured to the sole through a compliant mount that allows tilting of the axle with respect to the sole to vary direction of travel while rolling upon the roller;
- and
- a non-steerable roller mounted to rotate about a fixed axle laterally spaced from the axle of the steerable truck assembly.
A method of personal locomotion, comprising
- donning a pair of shoes each defining a normal walking direction and comprising
- a sole defining a forward region positioned beneath toes and at least part of a ball of a foot received within the shoe and having a lower surface exposed across the forward region to engage a supporting surface for walking thereon;
- and
- a roller secured to the sole and disposed rearward of the forward region, the roller mounted to rotate about an axle defining a primary axis of rotation extending at an angle of between about zero and 45 degrees to the walking direction, as viewed from above the shoe, for rolling sideways along a support surface;
- accelerating in a desired direction corresponding to the normal walking direction by engaging the forward regions of the soles against a support surface;
- and then
- repositioning the shoes to engage the rollers against the support surface, to roll in the desired direction at an angle to the normal walking direction defined by the shoes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.