Athletic shoe with a detachable sole having an electronic breakaway system

Abstract

The present invention provides an athletic shoe with a detachable sole having an electronic sensing and breakaway system. An upper sole member is detachably connected to a lower sole member which may have a plurality of cleats attached to the bottom of the lower sole member. There are a series of latch mechanisms which detachably hold the upper and lower sole members together, which protrude from the upper sole member and terminate in recesses in the lower sole member. The latch mechanisms are spring-biased toward a retracted position and are held in the extended latching position against the spring force by a system of pressurized fluid. Additionally, there are a number of strain gauges or sensors in the upper sole member and extend into recesses of the lower sole member. These strain gauges continuously sense the shear force applied to the cleats or sole when in use and emit a signal to a trigger mechanism located in the upper sole member when the shear force exceeds a pre-set level. A release mechanism is actuated when the shear force has reached its predetermined stress level for the wearer of the athletic shoes during the occurrence of a high-level torque or shear force incident. There are control means provided for adjusting the pre-set shear force which must be exceeded to actuate the trigger mechanism.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.