An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper and a sole attached to the upper, where the sole has a medial side and a lateral side, and a through-hole extending between the medial side and the lateral side. A support member is positioned in the through-hole of the sole, where the support member includes an upper support and a lower support and where the upper support is spaced from the lower support.

A sole structure for an article of footwear may have a midsole system that includes a sole plate having a forefoot region and a midfoot region. The sole plate may have a foot-facing surface and a ground-facing surface opposite to the foot-facing surface. The sole plate may define a through hole extending from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface in the forefoot region. The through hole may be closer to a medial edge of the sole plate than to a lateral edge of the sole plate. The sole plate may have ridges extending longitudinally in the midfoot region and in the forefoot region. 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.

An article of footwear includes a sole structure coupled with an upper that defines a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region. The sole structure includes a plurality of pods that each have a pod body formed from a foam material that optionally has a coating disposed on an outer surface of the pod body. The sole structure includes a chassis attached to a bottom surface of each of the plurality of pods. The chassis includes a plurality of ground contacting regions and an elongated fork structure. The elongated fork structure includes a chassis stem, a first chassis leg, and a second chassis leg that each extend from the chassis stem through the heel region, the midfoot region, and the forefoot region of the sole structure. A continuous elongated groove is positioned between and extends along substantially the entire length of the first and second chassis leg.

The disclosure describes a spring device for a shoe for arrangement between an insole and an outsole. The spring device comprises a lower outsole portion and an upper insole portion, wherein the lower outsole portion and the upper insole portion are connected to each other via a curvature. At least one section of the curvature has a continuously varying radius of curvature, which increase towards the outsole portion. Both portions may be substantially parallel with respect to each other in a resting state.

A sole structure for an article of footwear may include a chamber for receiving a pressurized fluid, the chamber having a first chamber barrier layer and a second chamber barrier layer bonded to the first chamber barrier layer about peripheral portions of the first chamber barrier layer and the second chamber barrier layer to define an interior void between the first chamber barrier layer and the second chamber barrier layer. The sole structure may also include a tensile member bonded to, and extending between, the first chamber barrier layer and the second chamber barrier layer. The sole structure may include a bond inhibiting material located between the tensile member and the first chamber barrier layer, the tensile member and the first chamber barrier layer being unbonded in an unbonded area in which the bond inhibiting material is disposed. The chamber may include an outwardly extending bulge in the unbonded area.

A sole structure for an article of footwear may include a chamber for receiving a pressurized fluid, the chamber having a first chamber barrier layer and a second chamber barrier layer bonded to the first chamber barrier layer about peripheral portions of the first chamber barrier layer and the second chamber barrier layer to define an interior void between the first chamber barrier layer and the second chamber barrier layer. The sole structure may also include a tensile member bonded to, and extending between, the first chamber barrier layer and the second chamber barrier layer. The sole structure may include a bond inhibiting material located between the tensile member and the first chamber barrier layer, the tensile member and the first chamber barrier layer being unbonded in an unbonded area in which the bond inhibiting material is disposed. The chamber may include an outwardly extending bulge in the unbonded area.

A force absorbing device for a footwear appliance includes a shoe upper and a shoe sole having a planar sole surface, such that forces between the shoe upper and planar sole surface in ground contact are absorbed by force mitigation assemblies disposed in the shoe sole. A force mitigation assembly adapted for an athletic shoe includes a linkage to a wearer interface responsive to movement based on activity of the wearer. An attachment to a sole surface receives ground forces transmitted from frictional contact between the sole surface and a surface against which the sole is disposed, such as for running, turning, etc. A force mitigation assembly absorbs these forces received from the sole surface for directing the received force in a controlled manner. An elastic field in the force mitigation assembly is defined by a resilient material adapted to deform in response to the received force.

An article of footwear having a sole structure and an upper, the sole structure includes an outsole with a ground-engaging surface, a first cushioning member disposed between the outsole and the upper in a heel region of the sole structure, a second cushioning member disposed between the outsole and the upper in a forefoot region of the sole structure, and a sole plate having a rear portion and a curved portion that includes an anterior curved portion and a posterior curved portion. Additionally, the anterior curved portion is disposed proximate the second cushioning member, a portion of the posterior curved portion spans between the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member, and the rear portion is disposed between the first cushioning member and the upper. Further, the ground-engaging surface is not continuous along a midfoot region of the article of footwear.

A plate is used for a sole forming a part of a shoe. The plate includes a front support portion and a center support portion. The front support portion is formed in a flat shape or a curved shape with a single downward protrusion in a cross section in a foot width direction, when the sole is placed on a flat plane. The center support portion has a shape with an upward protrusion and a downward protrusion arranged alternately in the foot width direction in a cross section in the foot width direction, when the sole is placed on the flat plane, where the upward protrusion has a shape curved to protrude upward and the downward protrusion has a shape curved to protrude downward.

A fluid-filled chamber, which may be incorporated into articles of footwear and other products, may include an outer barrier and a tensile element. The outer barrier may have a first portion, an opposite second portion, and an interior surface defining an interior void. The tensile element may be secured to the first portion of the outer barrier in a plurality of first bond areas and may be secured to the second portion of the outer barrier in a plurality of second bond areas. Each of the bond areas may be connected to portions of the tensile element spaced from the interior surface.