A43B13/186

Contoured fluid-filled chamber
09730487 · 2017-08-15 · ·

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.

Shoe with Layered Sole
20220031015 · 2022-02-03 ·

A shoe includes a sole and an upper secured to the sole. The sole includes a midsole and an outsole. The midsole includes at least one foam midsole member being of foam and at least one gel midsole member being of gel. The at least one gel midsole member is located between the at least one foam midsole member and the outsole and spaces the at least one foam midsole member from the outsole such that when a wearer, wearing the shoe with the outsole in contact with a horizontal surface such as the ground, applies a downward force toward the horizontal surface and against the upper surface of the at least one foam midsole member, all of such downward force is transmitted from the midsole to the outsole via the at least one gel member.

Sole for an article of footwear having regionally varied auxetic structures

A sole for article of footwear includes a midsole component having an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. A plurality of blind holes each extends from the outer surface toward the inner surface. The plurality of blind holes are arranged in an auxetic configuration in the outer surface. Each hole in the plurality of holes extends towards the inner surface. The plurality of blind holes is arranged in a pattern that provides a tunable performance characteristic. The patterns of blind holes vary between different regions of the midsole component to provide different types of responses in the different regions.

Sole structure with plates and intervening fluid-filled bladder and method of manufacturing

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.

Sole with projections and article of footwear

A sole for an article of footwear includes a base having an outer edge defining a perimeter, the base having a forefoot portion, a midfoot portion and a heel portion; and a plurality of resilient projections extending from the base, wherein the plurality of projections includes a plurality of projections extending non-orthogonally from the base about the perimeter of the base and a plurality of projections extending substantially orthogonally from the base within the non-orthogonal projections.

Sole structure for an article of footwear with undulating sole plate
11246374 · 2022-02-15 · ·

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate including a midfoot region and at least one of a forefoot region and a heel region. The sole plate has an undulating profile at a transverse cross-section of the sole plate. The undulating profile includes multiple waves each having a crest and a trough. The sole plate has ridges corresponding with the crest and the trough of each wave and extending longitudinally throughout the midfoot region and the at least one of a forefoot region and a heel region.

ARTICLE INCLUDING AN OUTER LAYER WITH AREAS OF VARYING HARDNESSES
20170318902 · 2017-11-09 · ·

An article of footwear has a sole structure with a resilient outer layer. The outer layer includes a continuous region and a discontinuous region. The continuous region and the discontinuous region have different hardnesses.

ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR
20170265564 · 2017-09-21 · ·

An article of footwear includes a sole structure including a polymeric bladder element enclosing a fluid-filled interior cavity. The bladder element has a surface with a groove that extends generally parallel with a transverse edge from a lateral side to a medial side, and has a reduced thickness at the groove. A first length along a longitudinal midline of the bladder element from a longitudinal extremity of the bladder element to the groove corresponds with a first footwear size, and a second length along the longitudinal midline of the bladder element from the longitudinal extremity to the transverse edge corresponds with a second footwear size larger than the first footwear size. The sole structure is used in a method of manufacturing an article of footwear.

FLUID-FILLED BODY AND METHOD FOR FORMING THE SAME
20170266938 · 2017-09-21 · ·

A fluid-filled chamber is provided and includes a first barrier layer, a second barrier layer attached to the first barrier layer and cooperating with the first barrier layer to define an interior void, and a third layer attached to one of the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer including mineral mica that provides the one of the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer with an iridescent appearance caused by differential refraction of light waves.

SOLE STRUCTURE FOR ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR

A sole structure includes a heel region, a forefoot region, and a midfoot region disposed between the heel and forefoot regions. The sole structure also includes a first fluid-filled segment disposed within the forefoot region and includes a first portion extending continuously from a medial side of the sole structure to a lateral side of the sole structure. The sole structure also includes a second fluid-filled segment disposed between the heel region and the first fluid-filled segment and includes a first portion extending continuously between the medial side and the lateral side. The sole structure also includes a third fluid-filled segment disposed between the first fluid-filled segment and the second fluid-filled segment and includes a first portion extending along one of the medial side and the lateral side and a second portion extending from the first portion toward the other one of the medial side and the lateral side.