Anti-slip foot assembly
An anti-slip foot assembly for a strut is disclosed. An embodiment of the anti-slip assembly includes a heel pad adapted to resist normal forces applied by the strut, a plurality of independently flexible toes adapted to resist the lateral forces that tend to cause slipping. A foot assembly with retractable cleat system is also disclosed.
1. An anti-slip foot assembly comprising:
a strut-socket at an upper face of the assembly comprising a stretchable opening for securing a strut therein;
a central heel-pad adapted to resist an axial force from a strut seated within the strut-socket, the heel-pad extending from within the assembly to a bottom surface thereof and comprising a bottom, ground-engaging surface;
a plurality of flexible toes adapted to resist lateral slipping forces from a strut seated within the strut-socket, the toes surrounding the central heel-pad and separated from the heel-pad by one or more channels, each toe comprising:
an outer face extending from the foot assembly and comprising an outer tread pattern;
an inner face; and
a bottom, ground-engaging face comprising a bottom tread pattern,
wherein each toe is separated from the other by one or more channels having a sufficient width and height to allow each toe to be independently flexible, each channel extending through the inner and outer face of the toe; and
one or more bridges extending from the heel-pad to the inner surface of one or more of the toes.
2. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein the number of toes is three.
3. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein the number of toes is four.
4. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein the strut-socket is securable to a strut with a press-fit connection.
5. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein the strut-socket comprises a tri-lobed opening.
6. The anti-slip foot of claim 5 , wherein the strut-socket is narrower at the opening than at a base thereof.
7. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 further comprising a mounting peg secured to the strut-socket.
8. The anti-slip foot of claim 7 , wherein,
the mounting peg is threadably securable to a strut.
9. The anti-slip foot of claim 7 , further comprising a strut, and wherein,
the mounting peg is an integrated component of the strut.
10. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein the heel-pad is aligned to an axis of the strut-socket.
11. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein,
the depth of one of the channels between one of the toes and the heel-pad is at least ½ of the height of the foot.
12. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein,
the depth of one of the channels between the one of the toes and the heel-pad is at least ¼ of the height of the foot.
13. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein,
the strut-socket is centrally located on the upper face of the foot assembly,
the toes radiate around a lower face of the foot,
the heel-pad is located in the center of the toes, and
the heel-pad is aligned to an axis of the strut-socket.
14. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein
an outer circumference of the anti-slip foot is between 15 and 30 cm.
15. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein
the largest circumference of the anti-slip foot is between 50 and 100 cm.
16. The anti-slip foot of claim 1 , wherein
the largest circumference of the anti-slip foot is between 1 and 5 cm.