| Thomas Culpepper, Inventor of the "Shoe And Ankle Support With Artificial Spider Web" |
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04/22/2010
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Clothing/Textiles & Accessories , Health Care/Medical , Sports/Hobbies & Recreation
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"Shoe And Ankle Support With Artificial Spider Web"
 A Lifelong Love of the GameThomas Clifton Culpepper has played basketball for many years of his 70+ years and has also coached in tournament play. A true lover of the game, he has participated in all aspects of basketball, including foul shot competition in many tournaments. In 2002, the hoops sharpshooter began competing in the Senior Olympics on both the local and statewide (Virginia) levels, capturing 17 gold medals and two silver medals. In addition to playing in competition, Culpepper occasionally displays his talent at community rec centers. On one such occasion a few years ago, he sank 67 consecutive foul shots, his personal best. Culpepper suffered many ankle injuries over the years while playing, and realized the unusual solution, taping the ankle, wasn't sufficient to prevent injury. So he searched long and hard for an answer to two questions: what material had sufficient strength to prevent such injuries, and how that strength could be harnessed into a small area, the ankle support of an athletic shoe.
Getting His First Patent
Years of research and inquiry paid of. Culpepper obtained his first patent on October 6, 1992, to develop a sports shoe that would provide enough strength and stability for an ankle and thereby reduce the risk of injury. He realized the straps or "arms" on his patent were designed very well to provide strength and stability for the ankle. Yet he was unable to discover any material strong enough to truly protect the ankle from injury. He finally realized that no man-made material exists that is capable of providing the strength and stability needed to prevent ankle injuries.
Finding the Solution
During 2003 and 2004, while trimming some overgrown bushes in his yard, Culpepper would frequently become entangled within spider webs. The more he tried to free himself, the more entangled he became. He was amazed at the strength of these seemingly fragile webs. Intrigued, he visited the local library to research the strength and tenacity of the spider web. The information on his subject was so interesting, Culpepper rushed his findings to patent attorney William G. Sykes, who immediately began examining the claims of companies who had developed man-made "spider silk." Sykes sent his findings to the U.S. Patent Office. The rest is history.
A Theory That Proves Correct
Culpepper received his Spider Silk Patent on September 15, 2009. This patent proved to be the "missing link" that would make a truly supportive sport shoe possible, something he had been hypothesizing about for more than two decades, as no other man-made product was adequate for the task. Culpepper's invention incorporates the bendable frame of his first patent and adds to the frame structure an artificial spider web silk, both in lateral straps and in webbing between the straps. The strong, lightweight material provides this additional structural strength without reducing flexibility. A prominent podiatrist asserted that research could easily determine the appropriate thickness of the straps of artificial spider silk needed to slightly exceed the strength of normal human ligaments and tendons, in order to assure the necessary thickness and strength to protect the ankle from injury. Says this inventor: "This news about spider silk information was very impressive and surely exciting. I realized the material needed would have to come from nature's spider silk with a mixture of science connecting the dots, so to speak. I can now see this picture rapidly developing, especially when I know nothing else can compare to the strength of the spider's silk."
SALES POTENTIAL:
The Shoe And Ankle Support With Artificial Spider Web Silk fulfills a real need for millions of people worldwide. Once introduced, consumer and industry acceptance should be enthusiastic and immediate. Marketing will be easy, as it can be sold in discount, department, shoe and medical supply stores, as well as, other specialty outlets. In addition, it can be attractively offered in trade and industry catalogs, appropriate magazines, and over the Internet. It is an exciting, new and highly profitable product line with unlimited national and international marketing opportunities.
For Further Information on File #7595:
Please call 800.537.1133 or Fax 419.334.5068
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