Climbing shoe with multiple hardness rubber sole

Abstract

A climbing shoe includes an upper portion and an outer sole attached to the upper portion. The outer sole of the toe part has an edge area, a mid-area, and an interior area. The edge area will be made of rubber polymer with a hardness greater than the mid-area, and the mid-area will be made of rubber polymer with a hardness greater than the interior area. The edge area and mid-area will be substantially U-shaped along the toe part of the outer sole of the climbing shoes.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A climbing shoe comprising: 
 a) an upper portion; and    b) an outer sole attached to the upper portion, the outer sole having an edge area, a mid-area and an interior area, wherein the outer sole having a thickness substantially uniform, and wherein the edge area has a harder rubber polymer than the mid-area and the mid-area has a harder rubber polymer than the interior area.    
     
     
         2 . The climbing shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the edge area of the toe of the outer sole has a width ‘w’, wherein the width ‘w’ is about one-fourth of an inch.  
     
     
         3 . The climbing shoe of  claim 2 , wherein the thickness ‘t’ of the outer sole is about one-sixth of an inch.  
     
     
         4 . The climbing shoe in  claim 3 , wherein the edge area of the toe part of the sole is substantially U-shaped.  
     
     
         5 . The climbing shoe in  claim 4 , wherein the edge area has a rockwell hardness of between 70 through 85.  
     
     
         6 . The climbing shoe in  claim 5 , wherein the mid-area has a rockwell hardness between 60 through 75.  
     
     
         7 . The climbing shoe in  claim 6 , wherein the interior area has a rockwell hardness between 55 through 70.  
     
     
         8 . The climbing shoe in  claim 7 , wherein the outer sole has multiple hardness rubber using different rubber polymers.  
     
     
         9 . The climbing shoe of  claim 8 , wherein the top surface of the outer sole is substantially flat or semi-flat.  
     
     
         10 . A climbing shoe comprising: 
 a) an upper portion; and    b) an outer sole attached to the upper portion, the outer sole having multiple hardness rubber, wherein the front portions, which are the edge area and mid-area, of the outer sole uses a harder rubber compound than the other portions of the outer sole, whereby the front portions can be used to provide stability to climbers on small footholds and the other portion can be used to provide stability on large footholds.    
     
     
         11 . The climbing shoe in  claim 10 , wherein the edge area of front portion of the outer sole is hard and inflexible, wherein the rest of the outer sole is soft and flexible.  
     
     
         12 . The climbing shoe in  claim 11 , wherein the edge area of the toe of the outer sole has a rockwell hardness between 70 through 85.  
     
     
         13 . The climbing shoe in  claim 12 , wherein the mid-area has substantially the harder rubber hardness than the interior area and the softer rubber hardness than the edge area.  
     
     
         14 . The climbing shoe in  claim 13 , wherein the other interior portion of the outer sole has a hardness less than the edge area and mid-area.