Athletic footwear for non-contact or light contact sports

Claim 1

An athletic shoe characterized by members which are in contact with and which reinforce the wearer's foot at points of maximum flexibility only and which athletic shoe is otherwise unrestricting as to the wearer's foot, comprising first means to protect the sole of the wearer's foot from direct contact with a playing surface, said first means comprising a readily yieldable elastic sole portion member extending essentially the entire length and width of the wearer's foot and conforming to the natural configuration of the sole of said foot; second and third means independently attached to said first means, said second means further comprising two generally tabular shaped members configured to restrainedly encompass the wearer around the ankle and remain in close restraining relationship therewith to thereby reinforce and protect the maximum stress points of the wearer's ankle whereby said first and second means acting in conjunction with one another to minimize any shifting of the heel of the wearer relative to said first means while permitting the wearer to move the ankle in a manner which is independent of and unconstrained by said third means, and said third means further comprising two generally tabular shaped members configured to restrainedly encompass the wearer only above the ball of the foot and remain in close restraining relationship therewith so as to thereby reinforce and protect said ball of the foot whereby said first and third means acting in conjunction with one another permit the wearer's foot to flex across the ball portion thereof in a manner which is independent of and unconstrained by said second means while precluding the foot from shifting forward relative to said first means.