An insole and/or outsole for a shoe such as an athletic shoe or cleat that includes a multilayer channeled assembly designed at preventing the transfer of heat from extremely hot ground surfaces, most notably synthetic turf, to the foot. In one embodiment, the insole includes a channeled layer of solid material with a very low thermal conductivity, preferably silicon or cork, as the base material beneath a layer of heat resistant felt preferably made of oxidized polyacrylonitrile fibers. The channeling in the base layer allows for air pockets to be created within the insole itself that makes the heat resistant felt more resistant to (i.e., efficient at preventing) the transfer of heat. In another embodiment, the outsole for a shoe such as an athletic shoe or cleat includes a base layer of channeled solid material with low thermal conductivity, silicon, cork, or polystyrene, below a layer of heat resistant felt.

A rate dependent tether for securing a shoe to a user, and footwear incorporating the rate dependent tether. The rate dependent tether may include a tube filled with a shear-thickening material and at least one cable or ribbon. In conditions of normal, low, or no intense activity by the user, the rate dependent tether's deformation resistance is low allowing the rate dependent tether to be extended to allow insertion or removal of the foot. At active levels, for example, participating in sporting events or intense activities, the rate dependent tether's deformation resistance is high preventing the rate dependent tether from loosening and securing the shoe on the user. The rate dependent tether may be connected to a saddle. A rate dependent insole for footwear, a support impregnated with a shear-thickening fluid, a rate dependent footcone, and rate dependent bands are also described.

In example implementations, a self-adjustable sole is provided. The self-adjustable sole includes a soft sole, a flexible sole and a hard sole. The soft sole includes a first sensor. The flexible sole includes a bag containing an amount of fluid. The hard sole includes a controller that is in communication with the first sensor and the bag. The controller controls the amount of the fluid in the bag based on data collected by the sensor.

A cushioning member that includes a base, a plurality of protrusions extending from at least a portion of the base, the protrusions being configured to deform to provide cushioning; and an outer surface at least partially formed from distal ends of the protrusions, wherein at least a portion of a first protrusions is taller than an adjacent portion of a second protrusions so that the portion of the first protrusions deforms prior to the adjacent portion of the second protrusions in response to a pressure applied by a planar surface in contact with the outer surface of the cushioning member.

An insulating shoe insert including a core layer formed of a cellular material, and a top layer and a bottom layer bonded to opposing sides of the core layer, respectively, the top layer and the bottom layer being configured as thin sheets of aromatic polyamide material such that the top layer and bottom layer cooperate with the core layer to create a heat transfer resistance sufficient to resist transfer of heat through the core layer.

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.

The invention relates to a sole element that is introducible into a shoe, comprising a flexible top layer for receiving a foot in a footbed, an insole body having locally different bending properties, which insole body extends parallel to a top layer surface and which insole body is joined to the top layer surface, the insole body is in the form of a one-piece body extending over a first subregion and over a second subregion, which first subregion of the insole body having a high bending stiffness is arranged in a plane adjacent to the second subregion of the insole body having a low bending stiffness, wherein the second subregion is arranged in a manner at least partially enclosing the first subregion, wherein the first subregion is arranged in the region of the midfoot and/or in the heel region.

Described herein is a method for producing a PU foam insole, including the following steps of: (1) pouring the raw materials used to form a PU foam into a mould, reacting to obtain a PU sheet, where the height of the mould cavity is from about 1.0 to about 1.6 times of the total thickness of two finished insoles; (2) splitting the PU sheet into two halves in the horizontal direction to obtain two pieces of PU insole material, where one surface of the material has open pores, and the other surface of the material has a skin; and (3) attaching a piece of fabric onto the surface having open pores of the material obtained in step (2). Also described herein is a PU foam insole produced by the method.

An assembly-type insole of the present invention is a shoe insole arranged on an inner bottom surface of a shoe so as to protect the sole of a wearer's foot, the insole comprising: a heel bottom-support configured to support a bottom part of the heel of the wearer's foot; a heel bottom support plate configured to allow the heel bottom support to be attached thereto; an inner arch support configured to support the inner arch part of the wearer's foot sole; an arch inside-support plate positioned inwardly from the longitudinal center of the arch of the foot sole to allow the inner arch support attached thereto; an outer arch support configured to support the outer arch part of the foot sole; an outer arch support plate positioned outwardly from the longitudinal center of the arch of the foot sole to allow the outer arch support attached thereto; an insole base configured to support the arch of the sole and the sole positioned at the front of the arch; and a support plate engagement member configured to allow the heel bottom support plate, the inner arch support plate, and the outer arch support plate to be engaged thereto.

An article of footwear includes an upper member and a sole structure, with a sensor system connected to the sole structure. The sensor system includes a plurality of sensors that are configured for detecting forces exerted by a user's foot on the sensor. Each sensor includes two electrodes that are in communication with a force sensitive resistive material. The electrodes and the force sensitive resistive material may have multi-lobed shapes. Additionally, the sensor system may be provided on an insert that may form a sole member of the article of footwear. The insert may have slits therethrough, and may have a defined peripheral shape.