An article of footwear may include an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer, the upper including one or more elastic portions and one or more substantially inelastic portions. The footwear may further include a plurality of lace receiving members fixedly attached to an outer surface of the upper on the inelastic portions of the upper. Also, the footwear may include a sole structure fixedly attached to the upper. In addition, the footwear may include a motorized tensioning system including a motorized tightening device and a tensile member extending through the plurality of lace receiving members, the tightening device being configured to apply tension in the tensile member to adjust the size of an internal void defined by the article of footwear by drawing two or more of the plurality of lace receiving members closer to one another.

An article of footwear has a sole assembly that is further comprised of a chassis, a reinforcing member and a forefoot plate. The reinforcing member includes lateral and medial forefoot portions that fit with corresponding recesses in the forefoot plate and the reinforcing member in the forefoot region of the chassis. The reinforcing member includes a central portion that figs with a corresponding recess in the heel region of the chassis. The chassis and the forefoot plate include ridges on their outer surfaces. Cleats extending from ridges in the forefoot of the chassis are vertically aligned with protrusions on ridges in the forefoot plate. The protrusions can help diffuse forces applied by the cleats against the inner components of the sole and foot to reduce point loading.

An article of footwear may include an upper and a sole structure fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the upper. The sole structure may include a sole component including a baseplate having a bottom surface and at least a first ground engaging member extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, the first ground engaging member having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In addition, the sole structure may also include a tapered support structure having a substantially pyramidal shape and extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, abutting the first ground engaging member at a side portion, and partially surrounding the first ground engaging member such that a portion of the first ground engaging member is exposed between edges of the tapered support structure. Also, the tapered support structure may extend downward from the baseplate less than the first ground engaging member.

An article of footwear includes an upper having a lacing system, an underfoot support plate, and a holding cage that has support members extending up from the support plate, forming a portion of a cradle around and rearward of a wearer's calcaneus bone. The support members join with the lacing system so when the cage is in a loaded state, the system translates a forward force of a wearer's instep against it, through the members so the cradle is pulled toward the calcaneus bone, with the lacing system, to impair the foot from sliding forward over the support plate. The footwear can include a tensioning member, joined with the system and a constrictor strap that wraps rearward around an ankle of the wearer, and operable in a tightening mode in which the lace is tightened to lock the holding cage against the heel and tighten the strap around the ankle.

An article of footwear may include an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer, the upper including one or more elastic portions and one or more substantially inelastic portions. The footwear may further include a plurality of lace receiving members fixedly attached to an outer surface of the upper on the inelastic portions of the upper. Also, the footwear may include a sole structure fixedly attached to the upper. In addition, the footwear may include a motorized tensioning system including a motorized tightening device and a tensile member extending through the plurality of lace receiving members, the tightening device being configured to apply tension in the tensile member to adjust the size of an internal void defined by the article of footwear by drawing two or more of the plurality of lace receiving members closer to one another.

An article of footwear with a dynamic support system that controls arrays of tiles in the upper of the footwear to adjust the level of support provided in different regions of the upper. Sensors in the sole of the footwear, in the upper of the footwear and/or in an article worn by the wearer of the footwear measure the level of stress or other characteristics and provide input to one or more microprocessors that control motors located in the sole or in the upper of the footwear. When the motors are activated, they may compress or loosen arrays of tiles to adjust the stiffness of the upper in one or more regions of the upper.

A ventilated article of footwear, a boot or a shoe, has a disconnectable footwear portion partly detachably connected to the outer contour portion of the sole of the article of footwear. One or more connectors are secured on the top surface of the sole outer contour portion adjacent the disconnectable footwear portion and actionable to disconnect and reconnect the disconnectable footwear portion to the sole outer contour portion to permit the entrance of air between the sole outer contour portion and a lower edge of the disconnectable footwear portion to ventilate at least a portion of a users foot.

The soft boot and liner include a moisture transfer system that includes an inner fabric layer carefully selected from technically advanced fabrics. A series of layers are provided outside the inner liner including foam material layers, spacer fabrics and breathable membranes, in various orders. Encapsulation technology and waterproofing are used as well. The outer fabric layer is also capable of working with the other layers to promote the transfer of moisture. Frothed foams and flocking with fibers are further characteristics of the present invention. The moisture transfer system is incorporated into a soft boot or skate or as a removable liner for a shell boot. Numerous other modifications and applications are disclosed.

A hiking shoe includes a vamp connected to an outsole. The outsole includes a rear section and a front section. The outsole has multiple anti-slip blocks formed thereto. Multiple spikes are respectively and integrally formed to a portion of the anti-slip blocks that are located at the rear section and the front section of the outsole. Each spike has an end face that is formed on the first end thereof, and the end face is in flush with the distal end of the anti-slip block corresponding thereto. The second end of each spike is located within the anti-slip block corresponding thereto and within the outsole. The end face of each spike has multiple grooves defined therein so as to provide friction. Each spike is made by SKD-11 (Steel Kogu Dies-11).

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes one or more outsole portions. At least some of these outsole portions include a plurality of alternating upward-facing and downward-facing elongate channels. The channels may have a base and two sidewalls, with adjacent channels sharing a common sidewall. The bases of the downward-facing channels form an upper surface of the outsole portion and the bases of the upward-facing channels form a lower surface of the outsole portion. The sidewalls are arranged at non-perpendicular angles to the upper surface. A first outsole portion has a pressure-versus-strain curve having a local maximum at a trip point pressure value and a first strain value and wherein the pressure-versus-strain curve has a change in strain of at least approximately 10% before a second occurrence of the trip point pressure value is reached. An article of footwear having the sole structure attached to an upper is also provided.