Athletic shoe with heel counter reinforcement

Claim 2

In an athletic shoe having a shoe upper, a counter attached to the shoe upper in the area of the heel, and a shoe sole attached to the bottom of the shoe upper, said shoe sole including a layer of cushioning resilient material between the ground contacting surface of the shoe sole and the upper, a heel counter reinforcement fastened between the shoe upper and the shoe sole at the rear and sides of the heel of the athletic shoe to provide sideward support for the counter, said heel counter reinforcement comprising: a generally U-shaped member of resilient material having a substantially vertical wall and a substantially horizontal flange, both said wall and flange surrounding a portion of rear and sides of the shoe upper, said horizontal flange extending inward from an inner vertical surface of said vertical wall and being attached to said shoe, said vertical wall including an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion extending upward from said flange and surrounding a portion of the counter to reinforce the counter, said lower portion extending downward from said flange and overlapping a portion of the side of the shoe sole to cooperate with the sole to inhibit sideward rolling of the foot during foot strike.

Claim 3

An athletic shoe comprising: a shoe upper having an outer surface and an inner surface; a counter attached to said upper in the area around the heel for providing form to the upper in the area around the heel and for providing a degree of stability to the heel of a wearer of the shoe during running; a sole secured to said upper, said sole including an outer sole layer for contacting the ground during running and resilient cushioning midsole layer secured between said upper and said outer sole layer; and a generally U-shaped heel counter reinforcement member of a resilient material attached to said shoe and extending from the lateral side of said shoe around the back of the heel to the medial side, said reinforcement member having a generally vertically extending wall and a generally horizontally extending mounting flange, said mounting flange being attached to said midsole layer; and said vertical wall having an upper portion overlapping a portion of a side of said upper to provide lateral support for said counter and upper and a lower portion overlapping a portion of a side of said midsole layer for cooperating with said midsole layer to resist lateral rolling motion of the heel during foot strike.

Claim 4

An athletic shoe comprising: a shoe upper having an outer surface and an inner surface; a counter attached to said upper in the area around the heel for providing form to the upper in the area around the heel and for providing a degree of stability to the heel of a wearer of the shoe during running; a sole secured to said upper, said sole including an outer sole layer for contacting the ground during running and resilient cushioning midsole layer secured between said upper and said outer sole layer; and a generally U-shaped heel counter reinforcement member of a resilient material attached to said shoe and extending from the lateral side of said shoe around the back of the heel to the medial side, said reinforcement member having a generally vertically extending wall and a generally horizontally extending mounting flange, said mounting flange being attached to said midsole layer; and said vertical wall having an upper portion overlapping a portion of a side of said upper to provide lateral support for said counter and upper and a lower portion overlapping a portion of a side of said midsole layer for cooperating with said midsole layer to resist lateral rolling motion of the heel during foot strike.

Claim 5

An athletic shoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein said heel counter reinforcement member is formed of a resilient material within the hardness range of approximately 60 to 90 durometer on a Shore A scale.

Claim 6

An athletic shoe as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein said vertical wall extends forward to approximately the arch area on the medial side of the shoe.

Claim 7

An athletic shoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein said upper portion of said vertical wall has a maximum height on the medial side of the shoe.

Claim 8

An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 5 wherein said maximum height of said vertical wall above said mounting flange is approximately 7/16 of an inch and the average height of said vertical wall along the rear and lateral sides of said reinforcement member is approximately 3/8 of an inch.

Claim 9

An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 2 wherein said lower portion of said vertical wall has a height of approximately 1/8 of an inch.

Claim 10

An athletic shoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein said outer sole layer is contoured to increase traction.

Claim 11

An athletic shoe as claimed in claim 2 wherein the width of said flange is no greater than one-quarter of the maximum width of the heel of the shoe upper.

Claim 12

An athletic shoe as claimed in claim 9 wherein said flange contains a plurality of radial notches to increase the flexibility of said flange.

Claim 13

A athletic shoe comprising: a shoe upper having an outer surface and an inner surface; a counter attached to said upper in the area around the rear and lateral and medial sides of the heel for providing form to the upper in the area around the heel and for providing a degree of stability to the heel of a wearer of the shoe during running; a sole secured to said upper, said sole including an outer sole layer of a resilient wear resistant material for contacting the ground during running and a resilient cushioning midsole layer secured between said upper and said outer sole layer; and a generally U-shaped heel counter reinforcement member of a resilient material within the hardness range of approximately 60 to 90 durometer on a Shore A scale, said reinforcement member being attached to said shoe and extending from the lateral side of said shoe adjacent the arch area around the back of the heel to the medial side, said reinforcement member having a generally vertically extending wall and a generally horizontally extending mounting flange, said mounting flange being attached to said midsole layer; and said vertical wall having an upper portion overlapping a portion of a side of said upper to provide lateral support for said counter and upper and a lower portion overlapping a portion of a side of said midsole layer for cooperating with said midsole layer to resist lateral rolling motion of the heel during foot strike, said upper portion having a maximum height on the medial side of the shoe.

Claim 14

A athletic shoe comprising: a shoe upper having an outer surface and an inner surface; a counter attached to said upper in the area around the rear and lateral and medial sides of the heel for providing form to the upper in the area around the heel and for providing a degree of stability to the heel of a wearer of the shoe during running; a sole secured to said upper, said sole including an outer sole layer of a resilient wear resistant material for contacting the ground during running and a resilient cushioning midsole layer secured between said upper and said outer sole layer; and a generally U-shaped heel counter reinforcement member of a resilient material within the hardness range of approximately 60 to 90 durometer on a Shore A scale, said reinforcement member being attached to said shoe and extending from the lateral side of said shoe adjacent the arch area around the back of the heel to the medial side, said reinforcement member having a generally vertically extending wall and a generally horizontally extending mounting flange, said mounting flange being attached to said midsole layer; and said vertical wall having an upper portion overlapping a portion of a side of said upper to provide lateral support for said counter and upper and a lower portion overlapping a portion of a side of said midsole layer for cooperating with said midsole layer to resist lateral rolling motion of the heel during foot strike, said upper portion having a maximum height on the medial side of the shoe.

Claim 15

An athletic shoe comprising: a shoe upper having an outer surface and an inner surface; a counter attached to said upper in the area around the rear and lateral and medial sides of the heel for providing form to the upper in the area around the heel and for providing a degree of stability to the heel of a wearer of the shoe during running; a sole secured to said upper, said sole including an outer sole layer of a resilient wear resistant material for contacting the ground during running and a resilient cushioning midsole layer secured between said upper and said outer sole layer; and a generally U-shaped heel counter reinforcement member of a resilient material within the hardness range of approximately 60 to 90 durometer on a Shore A scale, said reinforcement member being attached to said shoe and extending from the lateral side of said shoe adjacent the arch area around the back of the heel to the medial side, said reinforcement member having a generally vertically extending wall and a generally horizontally extending mounting flange, said flange having a width less than one-quarter of the maximum width of the heel of the shoe upper, said mounting flange being attached to said midsole layer; and said vertical wall having an upper portion overlapping a portion of a side of said upper to provide lateral support for said counter and upper and a lower portion overlapping a portion of a side of said midsole layer for cooperating with said midsole layer to resist lateral rolling motion of the heel during foot strike, said upper portion having a maximum height of approximately 7/8 of an inch on the medial side of the shoe, and said lower portion having a height of approximately 1/8 of an inch.

Claim 16

An athletic shoe comprising: a shoe upper having an outer surface and an inner surface; a counter attached to said upper in the area around the rear and lateral and medial sides of the heel for providing form to the upper in the area around the heel and for providing a degree of stability to the heel of a wearer of the shoe during running; a sole secured to said upper, said sole including an outer sole layer of a resilient wear resistant material for contacting the ground during running and a resilient cushioning midsole layer secured between said upper and said outer sole layer; and a generally U-shaped heel counter reinforcement member of a resilient material within the hardness range of approximately 60 to 90 durometer on a Shore A scale, said reinforcement member being attached to said shoe and extending from the lateral side of said shoe adjacent the arch area around the back of the heel to the medial side, said reinforcement member having a generally vertically extending wall and a generally horizontally extending mounting flange, said flange having a width less than one-quarter of the maximum width of the heel of the shoe upper, said mounting flange being attached to said midsole layer; and said vertical wall having an upper portion overlapping a portion of a side of said upper to provide lateral support for said counter and upper and a lower portion overlapping a portion of a side of said midsole layer for cooperating with said midsole layer to resist lateral rolling motion of the heel during foot strike, said upper portion having a maximum height of approximately 7/8 of an inch on the medial side of the shoe, and said lower portion having a height of approximately 1/8 of an inch.