Improvements in and relating to footwear and foot wear analysis

Abstract

A shoe comprising a shoe insole for receiving a foot and shoe outsole for ground engagement by the wearer of the shoe, the outsole including a plurality of discrete wear depth indicator datums indicative of outsole wear at each such datum, the datums being arranged at positions below the foot prone to wear, such as under the heel, to thereby provide a visual indication of wear over time at each such datum. The invention also extends to a method of analysing the wear pattern of the wear indication datums of a shoe, including the steps of providing a reference 3D geometry of the sole of the unworn shoe on a computer, thereafter uploading subsequent 3D geometry of the sole of the shoe at intervals during the life of the shoe and comparing such geometry with the reference to thereafter ascertain the wear pattern across the sole for the wearer of the shoe.

1 . A shoe comprising:
 a shoe insole for receiving a foot; and   a shoe outsole for ground engagement by the wearer of the shoe, the outsole including a tread and a plurality of discrete wear depth indicator datums indicative of outsole wear at each such datum, the datums being arranged at positions below the foot prone to wear, to thereby provide a visual indication of wear over time at each such datum.   
     
     
         2 . The shoe according to  claim 1  wherein each datum includes at least two wear indicators, each wear indicator of different depth to the other relative to the thickness of the sole. 
     
     
         3 . The shoe according to  claim 2 , wherein one or more of the at least two wear indicators includes a localized region of the outsole. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe according to  claim 2 , wherein one or more of the at least two wear indicators includes an extended elongate region of the outsole. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe according to  claim 2 , wherein one or more of the at least two wear indicators includes an extended surface region. 
     
     
         6 . The shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein the datums are arranged generally concentrically with deepest or thickest wear indicator areas at a center of the datum and shallowest or thinnest wear indicator areas at the outside. 
     
     
         7 . The shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein the datums are arranged to lie flush with a surface of the shoe sole. 
     
     
         8 . The shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein the datums protrude above a major plane of the sole. 
     
     
         9 . The shoe according to  claim 1 , wherein the datums are of different colour to the rest of the shoe sole so that wear can be easily seen and analyzed. 
     
     
         10 . A method of analyzing the wear pattern of the plurality of wear depth indicator datums of a shoe according to  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 providing a reference 3D geometry of a sole of an unworn shoe on a computer;   obtaining a subsequent 3D geometry of the sole of the shoe at intervals during the life of the shoe; and   comparing the subsequent 3D geometries with the reference 3D geometry to thereafter ascertain a wear pattern across the sole for the wearer of the shoe.   
     
     
         11 . A method of making a shoe tailored to a foot strike (gait) of an individual, the method comprising:
 obtaining a wear pattern across the sole for the wearer of the shoe using the method of  claim 10 ; and thereafter   adjusting a thickness and/or hardness of areas of the sole of the shoe to compensate for the gait of the user of the shoe disclosed by the wear pattern to thereby prolong the life of the shoe for that wearer or increase the performance of the user of the shoe.   
     
     
         12 . A shoe made in accordance with the method of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         13 . (canceled)