A shoe includes a first plate, a second plate, a third plate, filler material, springs, an insole, and a midsole. The first plate and the second plate are hingedly connected to each other. The filler material is located between the first plate and the second plate. The springs are located within openings in the filler material. The third plate is affixed to a top surface of the first plate. The insole is located above the third plate. The first plate is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the third plate is made of carbon fiber. Another shoe includes a midsole, a plate located above the midsole, springs located at least partially within openings in the midsole, and a spring holding unit located below the midsole for holding the springs. The spring holding unit includes spring holding members and branches connecting corresponding spring holding members.

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 including a midsole, an outsole, and a plate disposed between the plate and the outsole. The plate includes a first portion having an arcuate shape extending through a forefoot region and a mid-foot region, and a planar second portion connected to the first portion along a joint and extending in a first plane at an oblique angle from the joint. The plate includes a first channel extending from a first end of the plate along the first portion and in a direction toward the second portion. A second channel extends from a second end of the plate along the second portion and in a direction toward the first portion. The first channel separates the plate into a first pair of tabs formed at the first end and the second channel separates the plate into a second pair of channels formed at the second end.

A sole assembly for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate with a foot-facing surface with a recess disposed in the foot-facing surface. An insert plate is disposed in the recess. A length of the insert plate between anterior and posterior ends of the insert plate is less than a length of the recess. The insert plate flexes free of compressive loading by the sole plate when a forefoot portion of the sole assembly is dorsiflexed in a first portion of a flexion range, and operatively engages with the sole plate when the forefoot portion is dorsiflexed in a second portion of the flexion range that includes flex angles greater than in the first portion of the flexion range. The sole assembly is dorsiflexed, for example, when the forefoot portion is flexed in accordance with toes bending toward the top of the foot.

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate that has a forefoot region, and a stiffness enhancing assembly disposed in the forefoot region of the sole plate. The stiffness enhancing assembly further comprises a compression member disposed at a foot-facing side of the sole plate, and a tensile member disposed at an opposite side of the sole plate from the compression member. The tensile member is spaced apart from the compression member by a first distance in a first portion of a flexion range during dorsiflexion of the sole structure, and interferes with the compression member during a second portion of the flexion range that includes flex angles greater than in the first portion of the flexion range.

The shoe 100 includes the outer sole 10 brought in contact with the road surface, the midsole 20 arranged on the outer sole 10, and the upper 9 covering the foot from the upper side. The midsole 20 includes at the middle foot portion the cut-out portion 21 and the like opened to the outside and closed at the middle portion in the width direction.

An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure that defines a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region. The sole structure comprises densified wood and includes an upper midsole cushioning member, a lower midsole cushioning member, an outsole coupled with a bottom surface of the lower midsole cushioning member, and a plate positioned between the upper midsole cushioning member and the lower midsole cushioning member.

A sole structure includes: an anti-skid layer, a rigid layer, an elastic piece and a soft layer which are superimposed upon one another. With the characteristic of the elastic piece being elastically deformable, a rebounding force can be produced to act on the foot to stimulate the ligaments and muscles of the foot, which consequently corrects flatfootedness.

A sole structure for an article of footwear having an upper includes a heel region, a forefoot region, and a mid-foot region disposed between the heel region and the forefoot region. The sole structure also includes a fluid-filled chamber including a first barrier layer cooperating with a second barrier layer to define a fluid-filled segment extending along a medial side of the sole structure within the heel region, a second fluid-filled segment extending along a lateral side of the sole structure within the heel region, and a web area disposed between and connecting the first fluid-filled segment and the second fluid-filled segment. The first barrier layer is attached to the second barrier layer within the web area.

A method of forming a plate for an article of footwear 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 midfoot region of the plate than at a forefoot 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.