In generating links between local merchants and community programs, a merchant may provide incentives to customers in relation to community programs. Community programs may be tracked as may online and offline customer transactions using the incentive. Participants may include customers, merchants, community organizations, intermediaries, and other groups or individuals. Participants may have participant identifiers, which may be linked to a payment source. Data may be collected about all participants, either expressly, or from offline or online transactions between participants utilizing a participant identifier, and said data may be stored in a data storage area. All data in the data storage area may be utilized by logic tool, which may provide information, such as details of consumer behaviour and analytic reporting. Matches between transactions and members and/or member activities may be identified by the system, and a level of certainty that the match is accurate may be determined.

A footwear sole structure includes a midsole having a ground-facing surface with a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region. The midsole defines downwardly-extending protrusions at the ground-facing surface distributed over the midfoot region and the heel region, each of the downwardly-extending protrusions having a convex outer surface. A height of the midsole is greatest at the midfoot region. The sole structure may also include an outsole covering at least a portion of the ground-facing surface of the midsole, and a height of the sole structure may be greatest at the midfoot region.

Shock absorbers, shock absorbing structures, shoe soles and shoes are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the shoe includes a shoe sole and a show upper. The shoe sole has a first end surface, a second end surface and a circumferential surface. The first end surface has an outer shape of an N-sided polygon. The second end has an outer shape of an M-sided polygon. The circumferential surface includes a plurality of connection surfaces connecting peripheral edges of the first end surface and the second end surface. The plurality of connecting surfaces are defined by a plurality of ridgelines including a first ridgeline extending from a first N vertex to an intermediate vertex, a second ridgeline extending from a first M vertex to the intermediate vertex, and a third ridge line extending from a second N vertex to a second M vertex.

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.

A footwear sole structure includes a midsole having a ground-facing surface with a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region. The midsole defines downwardly-extending protrusions at the ground-facing surface distributed over the midfoot region and the heel region, each of the downwardly-extending protrusions having a convex outer surface. A height of the midsole is greatest at the midfoot region. The sole structure may also include an outsole covering at least a portion of the ground-facing surface of the midsole, and a height of the sole structure may be greatest at the midfoot region.

Baseplates for shoes, wherein the baseplate is removably insertable into a shoe upper, and wherein the baseplate includes a substantially planar body, which is configured to provide stability to the shoe upper, and a plurality of tread elements, which are configured to protrude through a respective opening of a plurality of openings in a bottom portion of the shoe upper when the baseplate is removably inserted into the shoe upper, wherein the plurality of tread elements are unitarily formed with the body.

A shock absorber has a first and second end surfaces opposite to each other in an axial direction, and a plurality of connection surfaces. The first end surface is an N-sided polygon (N is an integer of 3 or more), and the second end surface is an M-sided polygon (M is an integer of 4 or more and more than N). (MN) vertices are provided at intermediate positions in the axial direction on a circumferential surface defined by the plurality of connection surfaces. From the vertices, one first ridgeline reaches one vertex of the first end surface and two second ridgelines reach a corresponding one of two vertices of the second end surface. The remaining vertices are connected to each other by (2NM) third ridgelines. The first ridgeline, the second ridgelines, and the third ridgelines define the plurality of connection surfaces.

Baseplates for shoes, wherein the baseplate is removably insertable into a shoe upper, and wherein the baseplate includes a substantially planar body, which is configured to provide stability to the shoe upper, and a plurality of tread elements, which are configured to protrude through a respective opening of a plurality of openings in a bottom portion of the shoe upper when the baseplate is removably inserted into the shoe upper, wherein the plurality of tread elements are unitarily formed with the body.

In generating links between local merchants and community programs, a merchant may provide incentives to customers in relation to community programs. Community programs may be tracked as may online and offline customer transactions using the incentive. Participants may include customers, merchants, community organizations, intermediaries, and other groups or individuals. Participants may have participant identifiers, which may be linked to a payment source. Data may be collected about all participants, either expressly, or from offline or online transactions between participants utilizing a participant identifier, and said data may be stored in a data storage area. All data in the data storage area may be utilized by logic tool, which may provide information, such as details of consumer behavior and analytic reporting. Matches between transactions and members and/or member activities may be identified by the system, and a level of certainty that the match is accurate may be determined.

A sole structure, for a shoe (e.g., a sports shoe), comprising a base layer and a polymer layer arranged on a ground-facing side of the base layer in a pattern wherein the pattern comprises one or more first areas and one or more second areas having a lower thickness than the one or more first areas and wherein the pattern comprises an alternating arrangement of first areas and second areas such that a longitudinal extension of the first areas and of the second areas is essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the sole structure, and/or wherein the surface area of the first areas is at least two times the surface area of the second areas for providing grip when in contact to a surface, preferably a wet surface. Additionally, a shoe comprising the sole structure and a method of manufacturing the sole structure.