A sole for an article of footwear includes an outsole that has longitudinal ribs and a midsole that is disposed above the outsole and that defines notches. The longitudinal ribs are disposed in the notches.

The present invention relates to an enhanced method for the manufacture of a plastic component (135), in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, the method comprising: opening a mold (100) by a predetermined amount into a loading position, wherein the mold comprises at least two mold parts (110, 112) and wherein the amount by which the mold is opened influences an available loading volume of the mold, loading a material comprising expanded particles (130) into the loading volume, closing the mold into a closed position, wherein during closing of the mold the mold parts are moved together over different distances (140) in different areas of the mold, compressing the expanded particles by closing the mold and fusing at least the surfaces of the expanded particles to mold the plastic component.

An article of footwear includes an upper defining an interior void and a first cable movable in a tightening direction to move the upper into a tightened state and movable in a loosening direction to move the upper into a loosened state. The article of footwear also includes a tightening grip operable to be moved away from the upper in a first direction to move the first cable in the tightening direction and a cable lock operable in a locked state to restrict movement of the first cable in the loosening direction and operable in an unlocked state to permit movement of the first cable in the loosening direction. A release grip is operable to be moved away from the upper in a second direction to move the cable lock from the locked state to the unlocked state, whereby the release grip is separate from the tightening grip.

An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper having a width and a footbed. A sole is attached to the upper and includes a heel portion, a lateral side and a medial side. The sole includes an upper surface and a lower surface, where the upper surface extends across the width of the upper, and where the footbed is on the upper surface of the sole. The sole forms a shell having a sidewall that extends from the lateral side around the heel portion to the medial side, where the sidewall extends along the upper to a point above a top surface of the footbed.

An article of footwear has an upper, an outsole attached to the upper, and a midsole. The outsole includes a ground-engaging surface and an inner surface disposed on opposite sides. The midsole has a footbed and a bottom surface disposed on opposite sides. The bottom surface opposes the inner surface to define a cavity therebetween. The article of footwear also includes a first series of projections extending into the cavity from one of the inner surface and the bottom surface in a first direction toward the other of the inner surface and the bottom surface. The article of footwear also includes a second series of projection extending into the cavity from one of the inner surface and the bottom surface in the first direction toward the other of the inner surface and the bottom surface. The article of footwear also includes a quantity of particulate matter disposed within the cavity.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a foam element having a top surface and a bottom surface. The foam element includes a recess (i) formed in one of the top surface or the bottom surface, (ii) extending from a first end in a forefoot region of the sole structure to a second end in a mid-foot region of the sole structure, (iii) having a first edge extending between the first end and the second end and disposed proximate to a peripheral region of the sole structure, and (iv) a second edge extending between the first end and the second end and disposed at an interior region of the sole structure. A cushioning arrangement is disposed within the recess and includes an outer surface that is substantially flush with the one of the top surface or the bottom surface of the foam element.

A dual-layered midsole for footwear includes an internal midsole layer and an external midsole layer, which are coupled to and separated by a Strobel board. The internal midsole layer may compress and expand with the movement of a wearer of an article of footwear including the dual-layered midsole, while the external midsole may provide stability and cushion for the wearer. Materials selected for the internal and external midsole layers may provide tuned viscoelastic properties to different areas of the midsole as a function of midsole layer thickness at each sole area.

A sole structure for an article of footwear can include a midsole and an outsole. The outsole can include one or more layers, and the one or more layers can be printed material deposited directly onto the midsole. In some instances, the outsole can include a base layer and an outermost layer. The base layer can include a first printed material deposited directly onto the midsole and includes a first width. The outermost layer can include a second printed material deposited onto the base layer and includes a second width, and the second width can less than or greater than the first width.

A device for converting bends of a body to electricity that includes a generator, a bending converter and a connector. The generator includes a stator and a rotor that is connected to a rotational shaft. The bending converter includes a bending arm that has a front side and a back side. The stator and the back side of the bending arm are designed to be fixed directly or indirectly to the body. The rotational shaft is connected to the connector at a first connecting point and the front side of the bending arm is connected to the connector at a second connecting point. When the body bends then the bending arm bend and rotates the rotor relative to the stator.

Airsoles or bladders for articles of footwear comprising multi-layered films are provided herein. In one aspect, the airsoles or bladders comprise a first sheet and a second sheet, wherein a first side of the first sheet faces a second side of the second sheet, wherein the first sheet and the second sheet are bonded together to form an internal cavity in a space between the first side of the first sheet and the second side of the second sheet, forming a bladder capable of retaining a gas in the internal cavity at a pressure above atmospheric pressure, at atmospheric pressure, or below atmospheric pressure; and wherein each of the first sheet and the second sheet comprise a multi-layered film comprising: a core region comprising at least 20 gas-barrier layers and a plurality of elastomeric layers, wherein the gas-barrier layers alternate with the elastomeric layers.