Spring cushioned shoe

Abstract

A spring cushioned shoe is disclosed. The shoe includes a sole assembly that has a first encapsulating spring enclosure with spring disposed within a vacuity of the heel region and a second encapsulating spring enclosure with spring disposed within a vacuity of the toe region. The springs are, e.g., wave springs that extend to the upper and lower boundaries of the encapsulating spring enclosure.

1 . A shoe comprising a shoe sole defining a vacuity and an encapsulating spring enclosure with spring disposed within such vacuity. 
     
     
         2 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuity is disposed within the heel region of the shoe sole. 
     
     
         3 . The shoe of  claim 2 , further comprising a pair of vertically opposed plates, disposed on upper and lower ends of the spring encapsulating enclosure, wherein the spring is mounted within the enclosure between the opposed plates. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the shoe sole further defines a second vacuity and an encapsulating spring enclosure with spring disposed within such vacuity. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe of  claim 4 , wherein the first vacuity with encapsulating spring enclosure with spring is disposed within the heel region of the shoe sole, and the second encapsulating spring enclosure with spring is disposed within the ball region of the shoe sole. 
     
     
         6 . The shoe of  claim 5 , wherein the spring and the second spring are both crest-to-crest multi-turn wave springs. 
     
     
         7 . The shoe of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second encapsulating spring enclosures are hermetically sealed. 
     
     
         8 . The shoe of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second encapsulating spring enclosures contain ambient air at atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
         9 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the spring is a multi-turn wave spring. 
     
     
         10 . A shoe comprising a shoe sole including outer sole, an inner sole, and a mid-sole disposed above the outer sole and below the inner sole, the middle sole defining a vacuity and an encapsulating spring enclosure with spring disposed within such vacuity, and a second vacuity and an encapsulating spring enclosure with spring disposed within such vacuity. 
     
     
         11 . The shoe of  claim 10 , wherein the first and second springs are multi-turn wave springs. 
     
     
         12 . A shoe sole assembly comprising a compressible material defining a vacuity and an encapsulating spring enclosure with spring within the vacuity. 
     
     
         13 . A shoe sole assembly comprising a sole member defining a vacuity and an encapsulating spring enclosure with spring within the vacuity.