An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure with a sole member. The sole member can be manufactured using a system that modifies the forefoot cushioning of the sole member over a series of footwear purchases. The modifications can be configured to correspond to a customer's evaluation of the forefoot cushioning previously purchased. The sole member can include a set of apertures or incisions that are formed along various surfaces of the sole member to adjust the cushioning characteristics of the sole member.

A foldable shoe includes a first sole section located under the ball of a wearer's foot including a first outsole portion and a first footbed. The foldable shoe further includes a second sole section located under the heel of a wearer's foot, the second sole section including a second outsole portion and a second footbed. An upper section extends from the first sole section, and a hinge is connected to the first sole section and the second sole section and is configured to fold the foldable shoe from a first position, to be worn, to a second position, for storage. A first magnetic material disposed in the first sole section and a second magnetic material disposed in the second sole section creates a magnetic connection to retain the foldable shoe in first position or second position.

A smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized, wherein the smartphone device is configured to actively control the configuration of one or more bladders, compartments, chambers or internal sipes and one or more sensors located in either one or both of a sole or a removable inner sole insert of the footwear of the user and/or located in an apparatus worn or carried by the user, glued unto the user, or implanted in the user. The one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, or sipes, and one or more sensors are configured for computer control. A sole and/or a removable inner sole insert for footwear, including one or more bladders, compartments, chambers, internal sipes and sensors in the sole and/or in a removable insert; or on an insole; all being configured for control by a smartphone or other mobile computer device, general purpose or specialized.

Climbing shoe comprising: a shoe-upper which is shaped to accommodate and substantially cover the entire foot of the user; a sole made of polymeric material, which is fixed to the bottom of the shoe-upper so as to cover at least the front part of the bottom of said shoe-upper; and a shoe-upper elastic tensioning system, which tightens the shoe-upper on the foot of the user; the ogival front part of the shoe-upper being provided with a tip (6) and, respectively, with an outer front side and an inner front side that are arranged on opposite sides of the tip so as to flank the forefoot of the user on both sides; the elastic tensioning system comprising a plantar tensioning band, which is made of elastomeric material, is firmly fixed to the bottom of the shoe-upper underneath the sole, and is shaped so as to connect the tip and the outer and inner front sides of the shoe-upper directly to a saddle-shaped patch, separate and distinct from said plantar tensioning band, which is made of soft and flexible material and is placed on the rear part of the shoe-upper, in the area over the calcaneus of the user's foot.

An article of footwear including a sole including a lateral support member, a medial support member and a front support member that are independent from each other and form a triangular contact region on a bottom surface of the sole.

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a first plate and a second plate both extending longitudinally in a flexion region of the sole structure. The second plate is disposed above the first plate in the flexion region. The second plate has a fixed portion fixed to the first plate, and has a free portion. A coupler is operatively connected to one of the first plate and the free portion of the second plate. The coupler is selectably movable transversely relative to the first plate and the second plate between a first position and a second position. The coupler is spaced apart from the other one of the first plate and the free portion of the second plate in the first position, and operatively engages the other one of the first plate and the free portion of the second plate in the second position.

An article of footwear includes an injection molded outsole of a first material having a durometer reading of at least 28 to at most 38 on the Asker C scale, an injection molded insole of a second material having a durometer reading of at least 28 to at most 38 on the Asker C scale, and an upper, at least a section of a peripheral edge of the upper being sandwiched between the insole and the outsole.

A chamber for receiving a pressurized fluid may include a tensile member extending between a first chamber barrier layer and a second chamber barrier layer and including a plurality of tethers extending between the first tensile member layer and the second tensile member layer. The chamber may include stitching through the tensile member in a stitched region. When the chamber is pressurized with the pressurized fluid, a substantial majority of the first tensile member layer is separated from the second tensile member layer by a distance that corresponds to a length of the plurality of tethers. In addition, the first tensile member layer is held in contact with the second tensile member layer by the stitching in the stitched region, thereby forming an area of the chamber having a reduced thickness relative to adjacent portions of the chamber.

An article of footwear having a sole structure and an upper, the sole structure including a first cushioning member positioned in a heel region of the sole structure and a second cushioning member positioned in a forefoot region of the sole structure. A gap extends between the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member in a midfoot region of the sole structure, and one or both of the first cushioning member or the second cushioning member are a supercritical foam with pockets of nitrogen gas therein.

An item of footwear comprises an upper adapted to receive a foot of the wearer and having a front-end portion. An outsole forms a bottom surface of the item of footwear, the outsole being single-piece monolithic and having a concave outsole shell receiving in its outsole concavity at least part of the front-end portion. A midsole being single-piece monolithic may be in direct-attach connection between the upper and the outsole, the midsole having a concave midsole shell between the concave outsole shell and the front-end portion, the concave midsole shell receiving in its midsole concavity at least part of the front-end portion. A shock-absorbing pad may be between the concave shell and the front-end portion of the upper, the shock-absorbing pad being made of a material attenuating an impact force by at least 60% in a flat surface impact test, single drop of a 8.5 kg mass, at 1.0 m/s velocity.