A shoe having a structure with excellent acceleration performance is provided. A shoe includes: a sole made of a soft material, which includes a ground contact surface and also includes a foot contact surface facing a side opposite to the ground contact surface; and an upper combined with the foot contact surface side of the sole. A thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to an MP joint of a wearer is different from a thickness of the sole at a position corresponding to the center of the heel such that an angle between the foot contact surface and the ground contact surface falls within the range of 8 to 16 degrees. Accordingly, a shoe having a structure that provides excellent feeling of acceleration is provided.

An article of footwear that offers different levels of cushioning and support depending on the direction of force applied to the midsole. An outer edge of the midsole includes an inwardly-extending elongate groove with a V-shaped cross-sectional configuration. An elongate insert having a V-shaped cross-sectional configuration is secured to the elongate groove. The insert forms a spring that dynamically alters the character of the support provided by the footwear to a foot of a wearer during “banking” or side-to-side movement.

Improved soles for shoes, in particular sports shoes, are described. A sole for a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, is provided that includes a midsole with randomly arranged particles of an expanded material. The sole further includes an element having a higher deformation stiffness in at least one direction than the expanded material. The material of the midsole at least partially surrounds the element.

A sole structure for an article of footwear has a sole plate that may include a midfoot region, and also may include a forefoot region or a heel region. The sole plate may have a foot-facing surface with ridges extending longitudinally in the midfoot region and in the forefoot region or heel region. The sole plate may have a ground-facing surface with grooves extending longitudinally in correspondence with the ridges. A thickness of the sole plate from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface may vary at a transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the ridges, or along a length of at least one of the ridges, or at both the transverse cross-section and along the length of the at least one of the ridges. The ridges may have crests at least some of which may extend non-parallel with one another in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a first plate having a first surface. The first plate includes a forefoot region at an anterior end, a heel region at a posterior end, and a mid-foot region. The sole structure further includes a second plate having a second surface opposing the first surface of the first plate. The second plate has a first end attached to the forefoot region of the first plate and a second end that is spaced apart from the first surface of the first plate. A cushion is disposed between the first plate and the second plate and has a first side attached to the first surface of the first plate and a second side attached to the second surface of second plate. The cushion extends continuously from a medial side of the sole structure to a lateral side of the sole structure.

The footwear cushioning invention includes a floating elastic plate that stores and returns elastic energy to provide cushioning through deflection of the elastic plate. Cushioning is by energy return rather than the compression of a foam. Footwear cushioning utilizes a deflection plate integrated into the heel of the shoe for providing shock attenuation and energy absorption when a wearer impacts a hard surface with the shoe. The deflection plate can be carbon fiber because it increases energy return and minimizes energy loss. A cavity can be formed in a midsole of the shoe underneath the deflection plate to allow the plate to flex into the cavity when pressed down upon by a wearer's heel, thereby accepting the energy of a downward step. A post can be located in the center of the cavity underneath the deflection plate that allows support and minimizes excessive deflection of the deflection plate.

A sole structure for an article of footwear is provided. The sole structure includes an outsole having a ground-engaging surface and an upper surface formed on an opposite side of the outsole than the ground-engaging surface. A first cushion is disposed proximate to a medial side of the sole structure and includes a first fluid-filled chamber attached to the upper surface of the outsole and a second fluid-filled chamber attached to the first fluid-filled chamber and disposed between the first fluid-filled chamber and the upper. A second cushion is disposed proximate to a lateral side of the sole structure and includes a third fluid-filled chamber attached to the upper surface of the outsole and a fourth fluid-filled chamber attached to the third fluid-filled chamber and disposed between the third fluid-filled chamber and the upper. The second cushion is fluidly isolated from the first cushion.

A sole structure for an article of footwear is provided and includes a plate having a concave ground-engaging surface extending between a medial side of the plate and a lateral side of the plate and movable between a relaxed state and a flexed state. The concave surface has an increased radius when moved from the relaxed state to the flexed state. A first ground-engaging member extends from the plate proximate to the medial side of the plate and a second ground-engaging member extends from the plate proximate to the lateral side of the plate. The second ground-engaging member is spaced apart from the first ground-engaging member by a first distance when the plate is in the relaxed state and is spaced apart from the first ground engaging member by a second distance greater than the first distance when the plate is in the flexed state.

An article of footwear including an upper and a sole secured to the upper, where the sole includes an upper surface. A support member is positioned on the sole, and includes at least one portion positioned a designated distance above the upper surface of the sole to form a space between the support member and the sole, where the portion of the support member moves through the space and toward the upper surface of the sole when pressure is applied to the portion of the support member, and flexes away from the upper surface when pressure is decreased or released from the portion of the support member.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a chassis including a footbed having an interior surface and an outer surface formed on an opposite side from the interior surface, the interior surface defining one or more sockets. The sole structure also includes one or more haptic elements each having a bottom surface received within a respective one of the one or more sockets and a top surface protruding from the interior surface of the chassis, each of the one or more haptic elements having a different hardness than the footbed.