Gravity footwear and spring unit

Abstract

The supporting element of gravity footwear, made up in the form of a shoe, a boot etc. with accumulation of energy, caused by deflecting, comprising flexure spring, the topmost of the shoe equipped with fixing device, joined to the spring, sole and other elements of the shoe, is made up in the form of a heel, or a heel and a sole, or a sole, gravitational effect on the spring is communicated by a cuff and/or a stiff cover as well as out of any other soft suspending element, wherein the distance between the ends of the spring when load is not applied to the spring is greater than the distance between a point of suspending and the lowest point of the user's foot, the spring is equipped with a fixing device. The heel is a supporting element within the spring unit, jointly used with conventional footwear as a device, intended to accumulate energy and comprising a flexure spring, joined through the element, which communicates gravitational effect on the spring and the user's foot. When the spring is compressed the sole is an additional supporting element.

1 .- 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . Gravity footwear in the form of shoes, boots, and the like, with the accumulation of energy caused by elastic deformation, comprising:
 a spring unit comprising at least one flexure spring selectively operable to deflect from an initial state to a compressed state, and formed by elements;   wherein a lower part of the spring is a supporting element designed to contact a supporting surface and an upper part of the spring is equipped with fixing devices to fix a position of the user's foot and communicate a gravitational effect on the spring of the spring unit;   wherein the upper part of the shoe and/or fixing devices are joined to the spring, a sole of the shoe, or at least one other element of the shoe;   wherein the supporting element of the lower part of the spring within the spring unit is made in the form of a heel, or a heel and the sole;   wherein the sole is selectively operable to contact the supporting surface when a load is applied to the spring;   fixing devices for communication of the gravitational effect on the spring within the spring unit comprise an element made in the form of a cuff that partially or entirely covers a portion of the user's leg and is joined to the upper part of the spring in the form of a stiff cover element to support the user's foot suspended on the upper part of the spring in the form of an elastic strip joining the upper part of the spring to the stiff cover element suspending the user's foot;   wherein H 1 >H 2  when there is no load applied to the spring and H 1 =H 2  or H 1  is substantially equal to H 2  when the spring is loaded;   wherein H 1  is the distance between the ends of the spring; and   wherein H 2  is the distance from the upper part of the spring to a bottom part of the user's foot.   
     
     
         16 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the sole can be joined by the spring to communicate an additional gravitational load on it, wherein H 1 >H 3 ≧H 2  when there is no load applied to the spring, wherein H 3  is the distance from the upper part of the spring to a point of sole fixation, wherein H 1 =H 2 =H 3  or H 1  and H 3  are substantially equal to H 2  when the spring is compressed. 
     
     
         17 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the spring unit comprises several springs, located in a rear part of the shoe, as well as on its sides or in the forepart of the shoe, wherein the supporting element is in the form of a heel that can be made all-in-one-piece with one or several springs or can be a part of several springs, wherein the number of upper and lower parts of springs do not match. 
     
     
         18 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the heel is located when the compressed spring is located in the area of the user's heel. 
     
     
         19 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the heel, when the spring is compressed, is adjacent to the shoe soles. 
     
     
         20 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the heel adjacent to the sole and joined to it. 
     
     
         21 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the spring has a bow-shaped form, a bow-shaped form provided with an additional curve, or a semi-ellipsoidal form. 
     
     
         22 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein a cross-section of the spring is crescent shaped, has a shape of an elongated isosceles triangle, has a shape of am oblong ellipsoid, or has a shape of a rectangle, or is U-shaped. 
     
     
         23 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein a cross-section or longitudinal section of the spring can be constant or variable. 
     
     
         24 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the spring material including its physical and technical properties are constant or variable in length, width or thickness. 
     
     
         25 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the spring is partially or entirely made out of one or more materials such as polymers, including polyurethanes, polycarbonates, composites, or elastomers. 
     
     
         26 . Gravity footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the upper part of the shoe includes a coat which partially or completely covers the spring or is joined to it ensuring the ability to change the angle of the spring by making the topmost out of corrugated material or in the form of a set of coherent and extensible elements. 
     
     
         27 . Gravity footwear in the form of a shoe, boot, or the like, with the accumulation of energy caused by elastic deflection, comprising:
 a spring unit containing at least one flexure spring selectively operable to deflect from an initial state to a compressed state and formed by shoe elements   wherein a lower part of the spring is a lower element designed to contact a supporting surface;   wherein an upper part of the shoe is equipped with fixing devices to fix a position of the user's foot and to communicate a gravitational effect on the spring within the spring unit;   wherein the upper part of the shoe and/or fixing devices are joined to the spring, sole and other parts of the shoe   wherein the supporting element of the lower part of the spring within the spring unit is made up in the form of a heel, a sole, or a sole only   wherein the sole is selectively operable to contact the supporting surface when a load is applied to the spring;   wherein fixing devices which communicate the gravitational effect on the spring within the spring unit include an element made up in the form of a cuff partially or entirely covering at least a portion of the user's leg and is joined to the upper part of the spring in the form of a stiff cover supporting the foot suspended on the upper part of the spring in the form of a flexible strip joining the upper part of the spring to the stiff cover suspending the user's foot   wherein H 1 =H 2  or H 1  is substantially equal to H 2 ;   wherein H 1  is the distance between the ends of the spring   H 2  is the distance between the upper part of the spring and a lowest point of the user's foot; and   wherein the spring is equipped with a fixing device and a releasing device to get the fixing device out of a hookup, if necessary, before the repulsion of the user's foot away from the supporting surface.   
     
     
         28 . Spring unit comprising at least one flexure spring selectively operable to deflect from an initial state to a compressed state, while the lower part of the spring is a supporting element which contacts a supporting surface, and fixing devices which communicate a gravitational effect on the spring within the spring unit, wherein the supporting element of the lower part of the spring within the spring unit is designed as a heel, a heel and a sole, or a sole only, a fixing device which communicates the gravitational effect on the spring within the spring unit includes an element made up in the form of a cuff, partially or entirely covering at least a portion of the user's leg and is joined to an upper part of the spring in the form of a stiff cover or a soft supporting element for the user's shoe suspended on top of the spring in the form of a flexible strip joining the upper part of the spring to a stiff cover or a soft element which suspends the user's shoe, wherein H 1 >H 2  when there is no load applied to the spring and H 1 =H 2  or H 1  is substantially equal to H 2 , wherein H 1  is the distance between the ends of the spring, and H 2  is the distance between the top of the spring and a lowest point of the sole of user's shoe.