Patent Application
20070266592
The figures referred to above are not drawn necessarily to scale and should be understood to provide a representation of the invention, illustrative of the principles involved. Some features of the article of footwear depicted in the drawings have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate explanation and understanding. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings for similar or identical components and features shown in various alternative embodiments. Articles of footwear as disclosed herein would have configurations and components determined, in part, by the intended application and environment in which they are used.
The present invention may be embodied in various forms. A preferred embodiment of an article of footwear 10 is shown in
Unless otherwise stated, or otherwise clear from the context below, directional terms used herein, such as rearwardly, forwardly, inwardly, downwardly, upwardly, etc., refer to directions relative to footwear 10 itself. Footwear 10 is shown in
Footwear 10 includes an upper 22, and a sole assembly 24 secured to upper 22. Sole assembly 24 may be secured to upper 22 by an adhesive, or any other suitable fastening means. Upper 22 receives and comfortably secures footwear 10 to a foot of a wearer. Sole assembly 24, which is generally disposed between the foot of the wearer and the ground, provides attenuation of ground reaction forces (i.e., imparting cushioning), traction, and may control foot motions, such as pronation. As with conventional articles of footwear, sole assembly 24 may include an insole (not shown) located within upper 22, a midsole 26, and an outsole 28. Midsole 26 is attached to upper 22 and functions as the primary shock-attenuating and energy-absorbing component of footwear 10. Suitable materials for outsole 22 include traditional rubber materials. Other suitable materials for outsole 28 will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure. In certain embodiments, sole assembly 24 may not include an outsole layer separate from midsole 26 but, rather, the outsole may comprise a bottom surface of midsole 26 that provides the external traction surface of sole assembly 24.
Midsole 26 includes a top plate 30 secured to upper 22 by adhesive or any other suitable fastening means. Top plate 30 may be formed of a polymer, e.g., a polyether-block co-polyamide polymer (sold as Pebax® by ATOFINA Chemicals of Philadelphia, Pa.), nylon resins such as Zytel®, sold by Dupont, or polyurethane, for example. Other suitable materials for top plate 30 will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.
Midsole 26 is formed of a plurality of support assemblies 32. Each support assembly 32 includes a plurality of compressible elastomeric support columns 34 extending between top plate 30 and a web 36. Suitable materials for support columns 34 and web 36 include rubber, polyurethane foam, microcellular elastomeric foams, or ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) foam. Other suitable materials for support columns 34 will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.
In the illustrated embodiment, a rear support assembly 38 is provided in heel portion 20 of footwear 10. A midfoot support assembly 40 is spaced forwardly of rear support assembly 38, with a first transverse gap 42 extending between rear support assembly 38 and midfoot support assembly 40. A medial support assembly 44 is positioned forwardly of midfoot support assembly 40 on medial side 12 of a rear of forefoot portion 16 of footwear 10. A lateral support assembly 46 is also positioned forwardly of midfoot support assembly 40 on lateral side 14 of the rear of forefoot portion 16. Medial support assembly 44 and lateral support assembly 46 are spaced from midfoot support by a second transverse gap 48. Medial support assembly 44 and lateral support assembly 46 are spaced from one another by a longitudinal gap 50.
A forefoot support assembly 52 is positioned in a front area of forefoot portion 16 of footwear 10, and is spaced forwardly from medial support assembly 44 and lateral support assembly 46 by a third transverse gap 54. A slit 56 extends forwardly from a rear edge 58 into a central portion of forefoot support assembly 52.
Although the illustrated embodiment shows midsole 26 having five (5) support assemblies, it is to be appreciated that any number of support assemblies can be provided in sole assembly 24, in any desired locations. Providing distinct support assemblies, spaced from one another by a gap, allows particular regions of footwear 10 to be tuned to have desired performance and comfort characteristics.
In the illustrated embodiment, outsole 28 comprises individual pieces, each being secured to a lower surface of web 36. In certain embodiments, only certain support assemblies include an outsole 28, while other support assemblies do not include a separate outsole component; rather, the support assembly itself provides the ground-contacting surface.
For example, as illustrated in
Each support column 34 includes an upper surface 58 that is attached to top plate 30, a lower surface 60 that is attached to web 36, and an exposed exterior surface 62 that extends between upper surface 58 and lower surface 60. Upper surface 58 may be secured to top plate 30 and lower surface 60 may be secured to web 36 by an adhesive or any other suitable fastening means. In certain embodiments, support column 34 and web 36 may be of unitary, that is, one-piece, construction. In other embodiments, web 36 is a separate element secured to support column 34 with adhesive or other suitable fastening means.
As depicted in
In the illustrated embodiment, outsole 28 includes downwardly extending projections 64. Similarly, projections 66 extend downwardly from webs 36. Projections 64, 66 provide the ground-contacting surface for footwear 10. In certain embodiments, a projection 64, 66 is positioned beneath each support column 34. Projections 64, 66 may have any desired cross-sectional shape. As depicted in
Support columns 34 serve to attenuate shocks and absorb energy as footwear 10 contacts the ground. The cross-sectional dimension of support columns 34, e.g., the diameter for the cylindrical columns illustrated here, can vary. For example, as illustrated in
One or more support columns 34 may include an interior void 68, as illustrated in
In embodiment illustrated in
By altering the material of which support columns 34 are made, the number of support columns 34 in each support assembly 32, as well as the compliance of individual support columns 34, an individual may configure footwear 10 to have a desired shock attenuation and energy absorption profile throughout footwear 10.
In other preferred embodiments, as seen in the support assemblies 32 in forefoot portion 16 of footwear 10 in
As noted above, each support assembly 32 includes a plurality of support columns 34. In certain embodiments, each support assembly 32 includes at least six (6) support columns 34.
In light of the foregoing disclosure of the invention and description of various embodiments, those skilled in this area of technology will readily understand that various modifications and adaptations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. All such modifications and adaptations are intended to be covered by the following claims.
