Shoes for walking and rolling

Abstract

Shoes with various configurations of rollers secured to one region of their soles for rolling, while leaving another sole region exposed for walking. The rollers are mounted to rotate about an axle defining a primary axis of rotation extending at an angle of between about zero and 45 degrees to the walking direction, as viewed from above the shoe, for rolling sideways along a support surface. This provides a combined running-rolling method of locomotion, by running on the exposed sole surfaces, and then jumping into a “surfing” stance for rolling. In some cases, the rollers are mounted on steerable truck assemblies. One particularly small truck assembly includes wedge-shaped bushings for steering compliance.

1 - 56 . (canceled)  
     
     
         57 . A shoe defining a normal walking direction and comprising a sole defining a forward region positioned beneath toes and a ball of a foot received within the shoe and having a lower surface exposed across the forward region to engage a supporting surface for walking thereon; and 
 a roller secured to the sole and disposed rearward of the forward region, the roller mounted to rotate about an axle defining a primary axis of rotation non-perpendicular to the walking direction as viewed from above the shoe.    
     
     
         58 - 66 . (canceled)