In 1997 inventor Lenn Rockford Hann had an epiphany concerning running shoes. A decade later he patented a revolutionary running shoe design that employed an innovative system to cushion and propel the foot than traditional foam.

His approach attracted the attention athletic apparel company Under Armour Inc. who saw it as the centerpiece of it's first line of footwear. After several years and pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop the shoe it scheduled to be introduced early this year.

It never quite made it to market. Bloomberg news tells the fascinating tale of Hann's shoe and outlines the complications involved in developing a unique idea then trying to get it in front of the crowded athletic apparel market.