# US 8,539,698 B1 · Footwear safety apparatus, device, and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,539,698 B1 - Document ID: US8539698B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 12/758,843 - Filed: 2010-04-13 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2009-04-13 - Applicants: Michael J. Woodruff - Inventors: Michael J. Woodruff - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8539698B1 ## CPC - A43B 13/22: Soles made slip-preventing or wear-resisting, e.g. by impregnation or spreading a wear-resisting layer - A43B: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR ## Abstract A footwear traction device is disclosed that enhances regular or slip-resistant shoes during a slip-in-progress. The traction device includes an adhesive layer embedded with microscopic friction additives, natural or engineered, and partially covered with an epoxy resin in a design that pierces and grips the microscopic roughness of a surface and any contaminants thereon, providing emergency traction during a slip. The footwear traction device provides more than one opportunity to recover from a slip and regain traction. In the event that a fall is unavoidable, the footwear traction device provides a first and a second push back force, spreading the force of the fall over a larger area, minimizing the absolute force of the fall and providing a safer trajectory during the fall. The slip recovery method and system of the present invention offers an economical solution that reduces the financial and human toll caused by slip-and-fall accidents and deaths. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A footwear traction device that provides multiple slip recovery opportunities, comprising in combination: a shoe having an outsole with a bottom surface between a front end and a rear end adapted to contact a walking surface, and a heel located behind the rear end of the outsole, the heel having a bottom surface adapted to contact the walking surface, and a beveled surface formed on an outer most part of the heel, said beveled surface is specifically designed to not contact the walking surface until a person walking on the walking surface begins to slip; a layered composition only on the beveled surface of the heel, the layered composition having micro-shapes in a layered configuration, consisting of: a first layer of a smooth base adhesive material, a second layer of a plurality of microscopic particles with sharp tips and pointed shapes having a hardness between approximately 9 and approximately 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, embedded in the first adhesive layer, and a third layer of an epoxy resin coating covering the plurality of microscopic particles and the first layer of the smooth base adhesive material, wherein the epoxy resin leaves sharp tips and pointed shapes of the microscopic material exposed for microscopic piercing of a walking surface; and the first adhesive layer for allowing the layered composition with micro-shapes to directly attach only to the beveled surface on the heel of the shoe, wherein the beveled surface on the heel and its attached composition in combination does not contact the walking surface until the a person walking on the walking surface begins to slip. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The footwear traction device of claim 1, wherein the beveled heel structure is at least one of leather or a synthetic material the outsole of the shoe is at least one of rubber, a natural elastic material, and a synthetic material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The footwear traction device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of microscopic particles is selected from the group consisting of engineered ceramics, diamond, cubic boron nitride, silicon carbide, titanium carbide, alumina oxide, tungsten carbide, titanium nitride, titanium diboride and a mixture thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The footwear traction device of claim 3, wherein the microscopic particle is at least one of silicon carbide or engineered ceramics. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The footwear traction device of claim 1, wherein the device measures approximately 40 mm-50 mm (1.36-1.96 inches) in length, 10 mm-20 mm (0.39-0.78 inches) in height and approximately 5 mm-8 mm (0.2-0.31 inches) in depth with amplitudes and wavelengths creating an irregular shaped outer surface coated by a layer of an epoxy resin with a thickness of approximately 500-700 microns that covers a second layer of a plurality of microscopic particles that adhere to the first layer of the smooth base adhesive. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The footwear traction device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of microscopic particles each has a diameter of at least approximately 200 microns. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The footwear traction device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of microscopic particles each has the sharp tips and the pointed edges that protrude through the layer of an epoxy resin that covers the plurality of microscopic particles and the protruding tips take the brunt force necessary to stop a slip-in-progress. ### Claim 8 A method of only modifying a beveled heel surface of a shoe to prevent slipping, the method comprising the steps of: providing a shoe having a outsole with a front end and a rear end and a bottom surface there between for contacting a walking surface; providing a heel on the shoe behind the rear end of the outsole, the heel having bottom surface for contacting a walking surface, and a beveled surface on an outer most part of the heel of the shoe, said beveled surface is specifically designed not to contact the walking surface until a person walking on the walking surface begins to slip; attaching directly a first layer of a smooth base adhesive material only to the beveled surface of the heel; embedding a second layer of a plurality of microscopic particles with sharp tips and pointed shapes having a hardness between approximately 9 and approximately 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, in the first adhesive layer only on the beveled surface of the heel; and attaching directly a third layer of an epoxy resin coating covering the plurality of microscopic particles and the first layer of the smooth base adhesive material, wherein the epoxy resin leaves the sharp tips and the pointed shapes of the microscopic material exposed only from the beveled surface of the heel of the shoe for microscopic piercing and gripping of the a walking surface when the person on the walking surface begins to slip. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the beveled heel structure is at least one of leather and synthetic material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of microscopic particles is selected from the group consisting of engineered ceramics, diamond, cubic boron nitride, silicon carbide, titanium carbide, alumina oxide, tungsten carbide, titanium nitride, titanium diboride and a mixture thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the microscopic particle is at least one of silicon carbide or engineered ceramics. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the device measures approximately 40 mm-50 mm (1.36-1.96 inches) in length, 10 mm-20 mm (0.39-0.78 inches) in height and approximately 5 mm-8 mm (0.2-0.31 inches) in depth with amplitudes and wavelengths creating an irregular shaped outer surface coated by a layer of an epoxy resin with a thickness of approximately 500-700 microns that covers a second layer of a plurality of microscopic particles that adhere to the first layer of the smooth base adhesive. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of microscopic particles each have a diameter of at least approximately 200 microns. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of microscopic particles each has the sharp tips and the pointed edges that protrude through the layer of an epoxy resin that covers the plurality of microscopic particles.