Reebok get patent for 'forefoot' exercise shoe

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This patent has just been granted to Reebok:
Sole for increased circulation

Link to patent

 

As a former Reebok employee I can claim that many of their best inventions and technologies never made it past conception. As a footwear manufacturer it's still about business, and making sure enough of a certain shoe sells to cover development and tooling costs. Having read this newest patent, I'm not sure they can develop enough of a market to make it worth those extensive efforts.

 

Peter Cavanagh in his book on running shoes from 198? had a chapter on patents related to running shoes. It was an interesting read back then as to what never made it to market and that was >20 yrs ago!

 

I believe it. What's also funny, especially in the running product category , is how much the product managers migrate from one brand to another. The guys I worked with during my time in Stoughton eventually moved over to Nike. Then they went to Adidas. They're somewhere else now, of which I have yet to determine where. When they make these moves, very often the technology or marketing elements they wanted to release do eventually get produced by these new brands. The computerized Adidas was originally a Reebok concept; however, in the early 90's there were concerns over how welcoming the running public would be to the price point it would demand. The very best running cushioning technology I ever tested has yet to be mass producedl. Maybe some day it will finally find its day (although, the projected retail price of it in 1994 was well over $200).