Impact Absorbing Shoe

Abstract

A shoe has a sole member which has a fluid chamber in the front, a fluid chamber in the back, and a channel which connects the two fluid chambers. A viscous fluid is contained in each of the fluid chambers. An orifice or a valve is disposed within the channel, where the orifice or valve provides for limited flow of the viscous fluid between the two chambers as the chambers are subjected to a change in loading as a user walks in the shoe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shoe comprising:
 a medial side and a lateral side;   an upper having a lasting margin;   a sole member have an upper member and a lower member, a lateral side and a medial side, and a forward section and a rearward section separated by a midsole section, the upper member having a peripheral edge attached to the lasting margin of the upper, wherein the forward section comprises a first fluid chamber and the rearward section comprises a second fluid chamber;   a viscous fluid disposed in the first fluid chamber and in the second fluid chamber;   a channel disposed in the midsole section, the channel connecting the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber; and   an orifice disposed in the channel wherein the orifice provides for a limited flow of the viscous fluid through the orifice between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber as the forward section and the rearward section are subjected to a change in loading as a user walks in the shoe.   
     
     
         2 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the sole member is sealed at a bottom of the sole member by a sole tray. 
     
     
         3 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the channel comprises an hourglass configuration having a long axis generally parallel to a long axis of the shoe and the orifice is disposed within a narrow portion of the hourglass. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe of  claim 1  wherein the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber comprise an inner matrix material which absorbs the viscous fluid. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe of  claim 1  further comprising a medial fluid chamber disposed on the medial side of the shoe, the viscous fluid disposed within the medial fluid chamber. 
     
     
         6 . The shoe of  claim 5  wherein the viscous fluid in the medial fluid chamber may flow into either the first fluid chamber, the second fluid chamber, or into both the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The shoe of  claim 1  comprising an adjustable pad on the medial side. 
     
     
         8 . The shoe of  claim 7  wherein the position of the adjustable pad may be changed with respect to a user's medial lateral arch. 
     
     
         9 . The shoe of  claim 8  wherein the adjustable pad comprises a position screw which allows the position of the adjustable pad to be fixed in a desire position by the user. 
     
     
         10 . The shoe of  claim 1  comprising an arch support pocket on the medial side, wherein an arch support is disposed within the arch support pocket. 
     
     
         11 . The shoe of  claim 10  wherein the arch support pocket comprises an elastic side which retains the arch support within the arch support pocket 
     
     
         12 . The shoe of  claim 10  wherein the arch support pocket is configured to receive different sizes of arch supports. 
     
     
         13 . The shoe of  claim 10  where the arch support is retained within the arch support pocket by a screw. 
     
     
         14 . The shoe of  claim 2  wherein a fluid insertion valve is disposed within the sole tray, the fluid insertion valve having an extending into either the first fluid chamber or the second fluid chamber, wherein additional viscous fluid may be introduced into either the first fluid chamber or the second fluid chamber through the fluid insertion valve. 
     
     
         15 . A shoe comprising:
 a medial side and a lateral side;   an upper having a lasting margin;   a sole member have an upper member and a lower member, a lateral side and a medial side, and a forward section and a rearward section separated by a midsole section, the upper member having a peripheral edge attached to the lasting margin of the upper, wherein the forward section comprises a first fluid chamber and the rearward section comprises a second fluid chamber;   a viscous fluid disposed in the first fluid chamber and in the second fluid chamber;   a channel disposed in the midsole section, the channel connecting the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber; and   a valve body disposed in the channel wherein the valve body provides for a limited flow of the viscous fluid through the orifice between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber as the forward section and the rearward section are subjected to a change in loading as a user walks in the shoe.   
     
     
         16 . The shoe of  claim 15  wherein the valve body comprises an axially-oriented aperture which allows flow therethrough of the viscous fluid. 
     
     
         17 . The shoe of  claim 15  wherein the valve body may move forward and backward within the channel, and viscous fluid flows around the valve body as it moves forward and backward. 
     
     
         18 . The shoe of  claim 15  wherein the channel comprises an inward facing wall which bound an outside facing surface of the valve body, and a peripheral flow channel is defined between the inward facing wall and the outside facing surface, wherein the viscous fluid may flow through the peripheral flow channel.