A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a midsole and a stabilizing member. The stabilizing member can include a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion is positioned along the bottom surface of the midsole. A first sub-portion of the first end portion extends along a first side of the midsole and a second sub-portion of the first end portion extends across the bottom surface from the first side of the midsole to a second side of the midsole. The second portion extends upwardly from the first portion and onto the second side of the midsole to wrap around at least a portion of a periphery of a heel region of the midsole and onto the first side of the midsole.

Footwear with a reflective strip low on the heel and visible through the outsole. The reflective strip is a strip of reflective material attached horizontally to the back and, optionally, the lateral side of the footbed heel cup, positioned low on the heel cup. Optionally, the reflective strip fits into a depression in the heel cup. The reflective strip is attached to the heel cup either permanently or removably. The outsole heel and lateral side has one or more window cutouts through which the reflective strip is visible. The reflective strip is visible through the heel counter because the heel counter is either transparent, with or without raised sections filling the outsole window cutouts or has a cutout with an optional sheet of transparent protective material outside of the heel counter.

A plantar energy storage booster includes a fixed plate and an elastic plate. The elastic plate is located below the fixed plate, the front end of the elastic plate is fixedly connected to the front end of the fixed plate. In a natural initial state, the rear end of the elastic plate keeps an energy storage cap of a set distance from the rear end of the fixed plate in a vertical direction, so as to be deformed under the action of the impact force generated by feet landing and the gravity of the body to buffer and store energy. Along with the forward movement of the user, the elastic plate releases it stored energy to generate an upward and forward boosting force to the fixed plate and to drive a boosting mechanism to continue to generate an upward and forward force against the fixed plate.

An article of footwear and method of making an article of footwear are disclosed. The article includes an outsole having an outsole member. The outsole member includes a first piece and a second piece. The first piece is spaced from a base by a first vertical distance. The second piece is spaced from the base by a second vertical distance, the first vertical distance being greater than the second vertical distance.

Foot support components include plural foot support members (e.g., arched slats or other support members) forming at least a portion of a footbed for a sole structure/article of footwear. Spacings between individual foot support members enable selective activation of one or more individual members, thereby providing support where needed and enhancing overall comfort without overly stiffening the footbed. When made from sufficiently rigid/resilient materials, the foot support components may apply return energy to the wearer's foot. This may occur, for example, by vertically deflecting (e.g., flattening out) one or more foot support members under applied force, and then the deflected foot support member(s) will spring back to and/or toward its/their original shape when the force sufficiently abates/relaxes.

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 cushioning article comprises a first and a second polymeric sheet bonded to one another and enclosing an interior cavity. The polymeric sheets retain a gas in the interior cavity. A tensile component disposed in the interior cavity includes a first tensile layer, a second tensile layer, and a plurality of tethers spanning the interior cavity and connecting the first tensile layer to the second tensile layer. An inwardly-protruding bond joins the first polymeric sheet to the first tensile layer, protrudes inward from the first polymeric sheet toward the second polymeric sheet, and partially traverses the plurality of tethers. The first polymeric sheet is displaced from the first tensile layer adjacent to the inwardly-protruding bond by the gas. A method of manufacturing a cushioning article is disclosed.

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 shoe sole that is less likely to feel push-up on the sole at the time of landing and suppresses pronation to enable quick weight movement in running or jogging, while being widely available in sports requiring weight movement such as golf, tennis, basketball, soccer, and skateboarding, as well as that is lightweight, has good wearing comfort and provides stable walking even in using on the street or walking. The shoe sole includes a shoe sole main body made of a flexible material, and a plate made of a material having a flexural modulus higher than a flexural modulus of the flexible material constituting the shoe sole main body, in which at least two of the plates are included in the shoe sole main body.

A device configured to surround a portion of a foot-receiving cavity at a heel region of an article of footwear comprises a control bar having a center segment, a first side arm extending from the center segment, and a second side arm spaced from the first side arm and extending from the center segment. The control bar may include a series of slats. A base supports the control bar and is connected to the first side arm and the second side arm. The control bar is biased to an unstressed position with the center segment a first distance from the base, and elastically bends under an applied force to a loaded position with the center segment a second distance from the base less than the first distance. The device stores potential energy that returns the control bar to the unloaded position upon removal of the applied load.