An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper having a bottom surface and a length and a sole secured to the bottom surface of the upper and including a midsole and an outsole, the outsole including a peripheral stabilizing member extending outwardly from the upper along a periphery of the upper from a medial side to a lateral side of the upper, the peripheral stabilizing member having a width and a length that are each at least 20% of the length of the upper.

A supporting member in a sole for an article of footwear comprising at least a vertical sub-member extending in both a vertical direction and a longitudinal direction that extends along a toe region to a heel region of the sole. Located within or adjacent to a cushioning member, the vertical sub-member has a curvature along the longitudinal direction wherein the curvature is configured to reduce flexion of the cushioning element and/or improve the durability of the supporting member. The supporting member further comprises a horizontal sub-member extending from a sidewall of the vertical sub-member in a latitudinal direction of the sole and being angled away from the vertical sub-member and at least a portion of the vertical sub-member being coextensive with the vertical sub-member.

A bimodal shoe having a bimodal structure, the bimodal structure configured to selectively snap to at least one of a second position and a first position. The bimodal structure is a bendable structure that selectively snaps into the first position upon being subjected to a first bending force, and that selectively snaps into the second position upon being subjected to a second bending force, where the first bending force has an opposite direction to the second bending force. A downward force applied to a heel counter of the bimodal shoe while holding portions of the shoe forward from the bimodal structure stationary causes the bimodal structure to snap out of the second position.

The invention relates to a sole component for a shoe suitable for use with different heels. The sole component comprises a front, a middle and a rear sole portion and comprises a mechanism for adjusting the sole curvature in a transition region between the front and the middle sole portion. The mechanism comprises a rotatable supporting element which is provided in such a way that it may have a first angular position which causes a first sole curvature in the transition region and a second angular position which causes a second sole curvature in the transition region, wherein the first sole curvature is different from the second sole curvature.

Disclosed herein are various methods and devices for modifying the comfort and performance characteristics of a shoe. In various embodiments, the devices are soles, insole or outsoles, of a shoe comprising one or more shocks. The shocks may be defined by shock cavities positioned within one or more surfaces of a sole. In some embodiments the shock cavity may be configured to receive one or more shock cavity inserts.

An athletic shoe extending between toe (1) and heel (3) and comprising upper (5) attached to outsole (7) via comfort sole (9). According to the invention, the athletic shoe comprises shell (13) make of plastic or composite material, inserted between upper (5) and comfort sole (9) and to which it is attached at heel (1).

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 assembly for an article of footwear comprises a midsole, a sole having a heel region, and a first wave spring disposed within a vacuity located within the heel region. The wave spring includes a top surface and a bottom surface. A plate, resting upon the top surface of the wave spring, is unsecured to the midsole and sized to permit movement within the vacuity along with the wave spring responsive to a rolling foot strike.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a first plate, a fluid-filled bladder supported on the first plate, and a second plate supported on the fluid-filled bladder with the fluid-filled bladder disposed between the first plate and the second plate. The first plate ascends rearward of the fluid-filled bladder and the second plate descends rearward of the fluid-filled bladder with a posterior portion of the first plate above a posterior portion of the second plate rearward of the fluid-filled bladder. A method of manufacturing footwear sole structures includes assembling sole structures for plural ranges of footwear sizes, each of the sole structures including a fluid-filled bladder with a predetermined inflation pressure that is different for at least two of the plural ranges.

A support is configured such that a bulge is allowed to deform toward a deformation space due to the deformation space when the deformation space is in an open state, and that the bulge is allowed to deform upward and a buffer member is compressively deformed when the deformation space is in a closed state.