An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper, a sole secured to the upper and including a stabilizing member extending outwardly from the upper, where the stabilizing member includes a groove that separates the stabilizing member into a medial balancing member and a lateral balancing member, and the medial balancing member and the lateral balancing member move independently of each other to provide balance and stability on different terrains, and a support plate is positioned between the upper and the sole.

A design of heel of footwear which reproduces the ground contacting portion, or minimally the key elements of the ground contacting portion of the heel of the wearer in shape and placement in relation to the foot and function. That is a shape of heel in the footwear which does not imbalance the natural functions and leverage of the foot in bipedal locomotion through addition of material outside the confines of the shape and measurements of the wearer's own heel in the sagittal plane. This design of heel will afford the wearer the grace, smoothness and ease of stride enjoyed while barefoot. The wearer of a shoe with such a shape of heel will not suffer from shocks and strains to the foot and supporting members caused by the shape of the shoeheel. These being the types of shocks and strains contributing largely to shin splints and plantar fasciitis and attendant pathologies.

Selectively textured footbeds for athletic footwear are described. A footbed includes a rearfoot portion and a plurality of discrete raised areas extending from the rearfoot portion. The discrete raised areas are constructed and arranged to engage a rearfoot region of a plantar surface of a foot. The footbeds provide a sensory input to the plantar surface to allow a user to determine whether and/or how to adjust his or her gait.

A sole structure may include a bladder network. The bladder network may include multiple bladders interconnected by one or more conduits. At least a portion of the bladder network may contain a fluid. The sole structure may further include one or more stems. Each of the one or more stems may be positioned to impinge upon an external surface of, and at least partially deform, a corresponding conduit.

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.

An article of footwear can include an upper and a sole structure. The upper defines at least a portion of a foot-receiving cavity. The sole structure is coupled to the upper and includes a midfoot support member. The midfoot support member includes a lateral flange, a medial flange, a superior deck plate, and an inferior deck plate. The superior deck plate and the inferior deck plate span from the lateral flange to the medial flange. The superior deck plate and the inferior deck plate are spaced apart in a superior/inferior direction and define an opening therebetween. The opening extends unobstructed from the lateral flange to the medial flange, and the lateral flange extends farther in a superior direction than the medial flange.

A process of making a family cell of homogenous inner bladders with varying elasticity includes a forming a plurality of inner bladders from a first material with a first elasticity. The inner bladders have interior surfaces during inner chambers and exterior surfaces exposed to an outside environment. The inner chambers are configured to store a fluid. A family cell is formed by fluidly connecting the inner bladders. One or more hybrid bladders are selected from the inner bladders and a second material having a second elasticity is applied to the hybrid bladders. The second elasticity is less than the first elasticity, such that the second material reduces the elastic qualities of the hybrid bladder.

Various articles, such as footwear, apparel, athletic equipment, watchbands, and the like, and methods of forming those articles are presented. The articles are generally formed, in whole or in part, using rapid manufacturing techniques, such as laser sintering, stereolithography, solid deposition modeling, and the like. The use of rapid manufacturing allows for relatively economical and time efficient manufacture of customized articles. The articles may include one or more reinforcements configured to provide added durability to various regions of the articles. In addition, the articles may be formed from two or more materials in a single rapid manufacturing process. The rapid manufacturing additive fabrication technique may also include using of varying intensities of the laser to fuse material to form the articles.