An athletic shoe with an energy return system is provided. The shoe includes a shoe sole assembly having a midsole, at least one stabilizer plug in a recess in the midsole, and at least one outsole member. In an aspect, the stabilizer plug has at least one trampoline recess disposed in an upper surface thereof, and at least one projection extending from a lower surface thereof that substantially underlies at least a portion of the at least one trampoline recess. An upper surface of the outsole is adapted to complimentarily receive the at least one projection extending from the lower stabilizer plug surface such that when a force is applied to the lower outsole surface during a foot strike, the at least one trampoline recess receives underlying portions of the stabilizer plug to accommodate elastic deflection of the underlying portions of the stabilizer plug and the outsole.

A sole structure includes a plate placed between an outsole and a midsole. The plate includes a plate body and first openings. The plate body is made of a material less stretchable than the material of the outsole and is in the form of a thin plate. Each of the first openings extends through a part of the plate body in the vertical direction. The first openings are disposed at a position corresponding to the forefoot and the midfoot on the medial side of a wearer's foot and is covered by the outsole from below.

A sole structure includes an upper midsole made of an elastic material and a lower midsole made of an elastic material and bonded from below to the upper midsole. The upper midsole has first protrusions protruding toward the lower midsole, and the tip ends of the first protrusions are in contact with the lower midsole such that the tip ends of the first protrusions can move with respect to the lower midsole.

A sole structure includes a plate placed between an outsole and a midsole and disposed at the position corresponding to at least the forefoot and the midfoot of a wearer's foot, and a cushioning body disposed so as to face the sole of the wearer's foot at the position corresponding to the midfoot and the hindfoot of the wearer's foot and capable of absorbing a vertical impact on the upper surface of the cushioning body. The cushioning body and the plate body overlap each other in the vertical direction at the position corresponding to the midfoot of the wearer's foot.

An upper for an article of footwear includes a first upper panel, a second upper panel, and an extruded component. The extruded component is disposed along a border between the first upper panel and the second upper panel. The extruded component joins the first upper panel to the second upper panel.

A shoe having a sole connected with a shoe upper part. The sole includes: a first sole part having a ground plate, wherein a plurality of first damping elements which extend in a direction of loading are integrally shaped at the ground plate, a second sole part having a cover plate, wherein a plurality of second damping elements which extend in the direction of loading are integrally shaped at the cover plate, a connection part which includes a plurality of interconnected plugin connections. Each plug-in connection has a first plug connector extending downwards in the direction of loading and a second plug connector extending upwards in the direction of loading. The first plug connection frictionally engages into the hollow-cylindrical section of the first damping element and wherein the second plug connection frictionally engages into the hollow-cylindrical section of the second damping element.

A sandal strap reinforcement apparatus which is incorporated into a sandal having a multi-hardness midsole to reinforce the opening around the straps. The apparatus may be made of a molded material, fabric, tape, an o-ring, cord, or the same material as the harder layer. The apparatus is molded into the midsole and serves to protect the hole or slot from damage from a strap inserted through the hole or slot.

An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper, a fluid-filled chamber including a first portion in contact with the upper in a first region, and a midsole including a first portion disposed between the fluid-filled chamber and the upper in a second region.

Presented are footwear sole structures with split midsole designs having peripheral walls for lateral stability, footwear fabricated with such sole structures, and methods for making/using such footwear and/or sole structures. A sole structure for an article of footwear includes mating first and second midsole sections each having a respective midsole sidewall that extends between and adjoins respective upper and lower midsole surfaces. The first midsole section's lower surface has a first waveform geometry, such as an anteroposterior-undulating curviform wave, and the second midsole section's upper surface has a complementary, mirrored waveform geometry that seats therein and intermeshes with the first waveform geometry. The second midsole section includes one or more peripheral walls that extend upward from the second sidewall; inboard surfaces of the peripheral wall(s) abut outboard surfaces the first sidewall. An outsole, which defines the footwear's ground-contacting surface, is attached to the lower surface of the second midsole section.

An article of footwear includes an upper, a midsole connected to the upper, and an outsole connected to the midsole. The midsole includes a lattice structure comprising a network of laths forming a plurality of cell units, the plurality of cell units arranged in a plurality of layers on the midsole. The midsole defines at least a first zone and a second zone wherein each cell unit in the first zone has a physical property that is substantially different from a cell unit in the second zone.