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. An article of footwear having the sole structure attached to an upper is also provided.

A plurality of fluid-filled chambers may be incorporated into sole structures of articles of footwear. The chambers may be configured to be substantially diamond-shaped. The chambers may lie within cavities formed by a lower surface of the midsole and may extend into apertures in the outsole. The apertures in the outsole may be aligned with the cavities of the midsole. The chambers may be bounded by bounding regions between and at the perimeter of the chambers. The bounding regions may be formed of a polymer foam material of the midsole. The chambers may additionally be connected.

The present invention teaches a method of making a custom article of footwear. Further, the article of footwear can include a knitted upper and means for cushioning. In addition, the components of the article of footwear can be selected from a wide range of options, and can be easily removed and replaced, as desired.

A sole for an article of footwear includes: a foam base; a lateral pod assembly having a plurality of pods fluidly connected in series disposed below the foam base, wherein the lateral pod assembly extends from a heel portion of the sole to a forefoot portion of the sole along a lateral side of the sole; and a medial pod assembly having a plurality of pods fluidly connected in series disposed below the foam base, wherein the medial pod assembly extends from a heel portion of the sole to a forefoot portion of the sole along a medial side of the sole, wherein a portion of the foam base extends between the lateral pod assembly and the medial pod assembly.

Footwear devices having various shock absorbing configurations situated in the heal of the footwear and a plurality of regions on the bottom of the footwear defined by a plurality of compressibilities.

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.

A shank for an article of footwear including a substantially planar base portion extending within a first plane in the longitudinal and lateral directions and a substantially planar ramp portion designed to absorb footwear loads in a vertical direction, the ramp portion extending, in an uncompressed state, within a second plane that is oblique to the first plane. The base portion and the ramp portion are arranged such that they do not overlap in the vertical direction. A sole assembly is also described and includes an outsole divided into a first portion located at a forefoot portion of the sole assembly and a second portion located at an arch portion of the sole assembly. The second portion is designed to contact the midsole in a compressed state and form a gap between when a load is removed. Related methods of manufacturing are also described.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes an outer sole component with a co-molded flex modifier component. The outer sole component is formed of a first mold material, such as a rubber mold material. The flex modifier component includes a fiber material and a second mold material. The second mold material may be mold compatible with the first mold material. The sole structure may be formed by co-molding an outer sole component blank or pre-form (e.g., rubber mold material), and a flex modifier component, e.g., in a hot press molding process using a molding system having a mold cavity configured to form the outer sole component. The flex modifier component may be formed (e.g., cut or stamped) from a sheet of flex modifier material, such as a thermoplastic extruded hot melt film sandwiched between fusion bonded non-woven fiber fabric material impregnated with a styrene-coated polymer.

A sole structure of an article of footwear has a support assembly structure including a flexure element and an upper support element. The flexure element may have a central portion located between first and second ground-contacting or lower regions, wherein the central portion may have a downwardly concavely-curved shell-like region. The flexure element also may have first and second flanges extending upward from the first and second lower regions, respectively. The upper support element is positioned above the central portion and between the first and second flanges of the flexure element. When a vertical compressive load is first applied to the upper support element, the upper support element moves vertically relative to the first and second flanges. An article of footwear having the sole structure attached to an upper is also provided.

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.