A shoe may comprise an upper and a comfort sole attached to an outsole, the comfort sole having a radius of curvature at any point of a line from a heel to a toe and interfacing with outsole, wherein the lowest point of comfort sole and outsole, called the center of mass or balance point of the sole or natural balance point of the shoe, when placed on a substantially horizontal reference plane defines a transition zone of the roll of the foot having the highest radius of the comfort sole and the outsole, and in that the center of mass is behind point (B) of the metatarsals; and a rigid shell interposed between the upper and the comfort sole.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a midsole having a medial edge and a lateral edge. The sole structure also include a first lower rib extending from the medial edge to the lateral edge of the midsole. The first lower rib includes a portion spaced from the midsole between the medial edge and the lateral edge. The sole structure further includes a medial flex member disposed between the midsole and the first lower rib near the medial edge and a lateral flex member disposed between the midsole and the first lower rib near the lateral edge. The medial flex member and the lateral flex member are configured to flex the first lower rib relative to the midsole in response to a force of a predetermined magnitude.

A shoe structure includes an upper assembly, having an upper and an insole, a bottom, joined in a lower region to the upper assembly and including a sole and a midsole, the sole having a tread. The sole includes one or more tabs monolithic therewith, directed toward the midsole.

A sole structure for a shoe that can secure cushioning properties and obtain a ground surface information is disclosed. The sole structure includes a first midsole having a plurality of first protrusions on a foot-sole-contact side, an outsole having a plurality of second protrusions on a ground surface side, and a second midsole disposed at a part of a region between the first midsole and the outsole and having a lower compressive rigidity than the first midsole. At least a part of the plurality of first protrusions of the first midsole is located at a position corresponding vertically to at least a part of the plurality of second protrusions of the outsole.

A breathable sole, including a midsole and an outsole; a bottom surface of the midsole has an air chamber, an air inlet channel and a single-way air outlet channel; the air chamber is provided at a heel position; the air inlet channel comprises a dispersed air-collecting channel and an air-guiding channel; the dispersed air-collecting channel is provided at the sole and is provided with air inlet holes; the air-guiding channel is connected with a rear position of the dispersed air-collecting channel and the air chamber; the single-way air outlet channel is a Tesla Valve which has an end connecting to a front position of the air chamber, and has another end provided with an air outlet hole penetrating the upper surface of midsole; the single-way air outlet channel imposes a higher resistance against air flowing from the air outlet hole to the air chamber.

An article of footwear is provided having an elevated plate structure incorporated in the sole structure and optionally including a fluid-filled chamber. The elevated plate structure can include an upper plate and a plurality of legs extending downward toward the outsole. End portions of the legs can engage an upper region of the outsole. The elevated plate structure can form a cage region that can optionally include a fluid-filled chamber substantially disposed therein. The elevated plate structure can further include a lower plate disposed at an upper region of the outsole, which can form a lower portion of the cage region. Portions of the legs can be integrated with impact-attenuating members in the heel region in various configurations and can provide features for the impact-attenuating members, such as support, impact-attenuation and adjustable impact-attenuation features.

A method of forming a plate for an article of footwear is disclosed. The method includes applying a first strand portion to a base layer including positioning adjacent segments of the first strand portion to form a first layer on the base layer. The adjacent segments of the first strand portion having a greater density across a width of the plate between a medial side and a lateral side at a forefoot region of the plate than at a midfoot region of the plate and at a heel region of the plate. The method also includes applying at least one of heat and pressure to the first strand portion and to the base layer to conform the first strand portion and the base layer to a predetermined shape.

A method of manufacturing a midsole for an article of footwear includes cutting a pattern of openings at least partway through a midsole with a cutting tool driven by an embroidery machine. An article of footwear includes a midsole defining a pattern of openings extending at least partway through the midsole. An inner surface of the midsole is contoured and the midsole includes upwardly-extending sidewalls. At least some of the openings extend relatively nonparallel with one another through the sidewalls and splay away from one another along longitudinal axes of the openings.

An article of footwear includes a strobel having an interior surface and an exterior surface formed on an opposite side from the interior surface, the strobel defining a footbed and a peripheral wall extending transversely from the footbed to a terminal edge. The article of footwear additionally includes an upper attached to the terminal edge of the strobel along a peripheral seam to define an interior void for receiving a foot, the peripheral seam configured to extend along a side of the interior void.

A running shoe comprises an upper and a midsole attached to the upper, the midsole having a front portion corresponding to a forefoot and a rear portion corresponding to a heel. The front portion of the midsole may define a toe spring of at least 40 mm and a plurality of flex grooves, the plurality of flex grooves including one or more horizontal flex grooves and one or more longitudinal flex grooves, the horizontal flex groove(s) extending in a lateral to medial direction of the running shoe and allowing the front portion of the midsole to lie flat in response to application of less than 15 pounds of force against the toe spring, the longitudinal flex groove(s) extending in a front to back direction of the running shoe. The rear portion of the midsole may have a flat bottom that is narrower than the upper.