Patent Application
20230270207
The present disclosure relates generally to sole structures for articles of footwear.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Articles of footwear conventionally include an upper and a sole structure. The upper may be formed from any suitable material(s) to receive, secure, and support a foot on the sole structure. The upper may cooperate with laces, straps, or other fasteners to adjust the fit of the upper around the foot. A bottom portion of the upper, proximate to a bottom surface of the foot, attaches to the sole structure.
Sole structures generally include a layered arrangement extending between a ground surface and the upper. One layer of the sole structure includes an outsole that provides abrasion-resistance and traction with the ground surface. The outsole may be formed from rubber or other materials that impart durability and wear-resistance, as well as enhance traction with the ground surface. Another layer of the sole structure includes a midsole disposed between the outsole and the upper. The midsole provides cushioning for the foot and is generally at least partially formed from a polymer foam material that compresses resiliently under an applied load to cushion the foot by attenuating ground-reaction forces. The midsole may define a bottom surface on one side that opposes the outsole and a footbed on the opposite side that may be contoured to conform to a profile of the bottom surface of the foot. Sole structures may also include a comfort-enhancing insole and/or a sockliner located within a void proximate to the bottom portion of the upper.
High-intensity interval training (HITT) workouts alternate bouts of going all-out with periods of rest to recover. The movements are diverse—burpees, kettlebell swings, lunges, mountain climbers, push-ups, squats and many more— and are sequenced to get maximum impact from maximum effort. In HIIT workout classes, athletes typically wear footwear that is optimized for cushioning or footwear that is optimized for support. Unfortunately, such footwear, while adequate for its intended purpose (i.e., cushioning or support), isn't designed to concurrently provide both benefits and, as a result, do not perform optimally during HIIT movements.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.
Referring to
The article of footwear 10 may be divided into one or more regions. The regions may include a forefoot region 20, a mid-foot region 22, and a heel region 24. The forefoot region 20 may be subdivided into a toe portion 20T corresponding with phalanges and a ball portion 20B associated with metatarsal bones of a foot. The mid-foot region 22 may correspond with an arch area of the foot, and the heel region 24 may correspond with rear portions of the foot, including a calcaneus bone.
The upper 100 includes interior surfaces that define an interior void 102 configured to receive and secure a foot for support on the sole structure 200. The upper 100 may be formed from one or more materials that are stitched or adhesively bonded together to form the interior void 102. Suitable materials of the upper 100 may include, but are not limited to, mesh, textiles, foam, leather, and synthetic leather. The materials may be selected and located to impart properties of durability, air-permeability, wear-resistance, flexibility, and comfort. In some examples, the upper 100 includes a strobel having a bottom surface opposing the sole structure 200 and an opposing top surface defining a footbed of the interior void 102. Stitching or adhesives may secure the strobel to the upper 100. The footbed may be contoured to conform to a profile of the bottom surface (e.g., plantar) of the foot. Optionally, the upper 100 may also incorporate additional layers such as an insole or sockliner that may be disposed upon the strobel and reside within the interior void 102 of the upper 100 to receive a plantar surface of the foot to enhance the comfort of the article of footwear 10. An ankle opening 104 in the heel region 24 may provide access to the interior void 102. For example, the ankle opening 104 may receive a foot to secure the foot within the void 102 and to facilitate entry and removal of the foot from and to the interior void 102. In some examples, one or more fasteners extend along the upper 100 to adjust a fit of the interior void 102 around the foot and to accommodate entry and removal of the foot therefrom.
Referring to
Regardless of the configuration of the cushion or cushioning arrangement 216, the one or more plates 212, 214 includes an upper plate 212 and a lower plate 214 spaced apart from the upper plate 212 by the cushioning arrangement 216. Like the midsole 202, the outsole 204 includes a fragmentary structure and includes an anterior fragment 220 attached to the forefoot cushioning element 208 at the anterior end 12 and a posterior fragment 222 attached to the lower plate 214 and the heel cushioning element 210.
Referring to
As best shown in
Referring to
With continued reference to
Notably, the forefoot cushioning element 208 only includes the lateral stability member 246 on the lateral side 18 of the sole structure 200, while the top side 234 of the forefoot cushioning element 208 is substantially flush and continuous along the medial side 16. Thus the lateral stability member 246 is configured to provide lateral support (i.e., transverse to the longitudinal axis Aio) along the lateral side 18 of the upper 100 during traditional exercises associated with a HIIT workout, such as lateral squats or skater lunges. In addition to providing lateral support, the lateral stability member 246 may provide longitudinal stiffness along the lateral side of the sole structure 200 and the upper 100 to minimize flexing of the sole structure 200 along the ball portion 20B. As shown, the first end 248a of the lateral stability member 246 is attached to the top side 234 of the forefoot cushioning element 208 on an opposite side (i.e., the top side 234) from the flexure channel 244. Accordingly, the lateral stability member 246 and the flexure channel 244 may cooperate to provide increased flexibility between the toe portion 20T and the ball portion 20B, while improving stability along the ball portion 20B.
The heel cushioning element 210 extends from a first end 250 adjacent to the mid-foot region 22 to a second end 252 at the posterior end 14 of the sole structure 200. The heel cushioning element 210 includes a top side 254 defining another portion of the footbed of the sole structure 200 and configured to attach to the upper 100. A bottom side 256 of the heel cushioning element 210 is formed on the opposite side from the top side 254. As best shown in
The top side 254 of the heel cushioning element 210 includes an upper socket 258 including an anterior portion 260 adjacent to the first end 250 and a posterior portion 262 extending from the anterior portion 260 between the first end 250 and the second end 252. As shown in
The heel cushioning element 210 further includes a passage 264 extending through a thickness T210 of the heel cushioning element 210 from the top side 254 to the bottom side 256. As shown in
With reference to
The forefoot cushioning element 208 and the heel cushioning element 210 each include a resilient polymeric material, such as foam or rubber, to impart properties of cushioning, responsiveness, and energy distribution to the foot of the wearer. The forefoot cushioning element 208 and the heel cushioning element 210 may include the same or different materials to impart desired performance characteristics to the respective regions of the sole structure 200. Example resilient polymeric materials for the cushioning elements 208, 210 may include those based on foaming or molding one or more polymers, such as one or more elastomers (e.g., thermoplastic elastomers (TPE)). The one or more polymers may include aliphatic polymers, aromatic polymers, or mixtures of both; and may include homopolymers, copolymers (including terpolymers), or mixtures of both.
In some aspects, the one or more polymers may include olefinic homopolymers, olefinic copolymers, or blends thereof. Examples of olefinic polymers include polyethylene, polypropylene, and combinations thereof In other aspects, the one or more polymers may include one or more ethylene copolymers, such as, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers, EVOH copolymers, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene-unsaturated mono-fatty acid copolymers, and combinations thereof
In further aspects, the one or more polymers may include one or more polyacrylates, such as polyacrylic acid, esters of polyacrylic acid, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylic acetate, polymethyl acrylate, polyethyl acrylate, polybutyl acrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, and polyvinyl acetate; including derivatives thereof, copolymers thereof, and any combinations thereof.
In yet further aspects, the one or more polymers may include one or more ionomeric polymers. In these aspects, the ionomeric polymers may include polymers with carboxylic acid functional groups, sulfonic acid functional groups, salts thereof (e.g., sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc.), and/or anhydrides thereof. For instance, the ionomeric polymer(s) may include one or more fatty acid-modified ionomeric polymers, polystyrene sulfonate, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers, and combinations thereof
In further aspects, the one or more polymers may include one or more styrenic block copolymers, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene block copolymers, styrene acrylonitrile block copolymers, styrene ethylene butylene styrene block copolymers, styrene ethylene butadiene styrene block copolymers, styrene ethylene propylene styrene block copolymers, styrene butadiene styrene block copolymers, and combinations thereof
In further aspects, the one or more polymers may include one or more polyamide copolymers (e.g., polyamide-polyether copolymers) and/or one or more polyurethanes (e.g., cross-linked polyurethanes and/or thermoplastic polyurethanes). Examples of suitable polyurethanes include those discussed above for barrier layers. Alternatively, the one or more polymers may include one or more natural and/or synthetic rubbers, such as butadiene and isoprene.
When the resilient polymeric material is a foamed polymeric material, the foamed material may be foamed using a physical blowing agent which phase transitions to a gas based on a change in temperature and/or pressure, or a chemical blowing agent which forms a gas when heated above its activation temperature. For example, the chemical blowing agent may be an azo compound such as adodicarbonamide, sodium bicarbonate, and/or an isocyanate.
In some embodiments, the foamed polymeric material may be a crosslinked foamed material. In these embodiments, a peroxide-based crosslinking agent such as dicumyl peroxide may be used. Furthermore, the foamed polymeric material may include one or more fillers such as pigments, modified or natural clays, modified or unmodified synthetic clays, talc glass fiber, powdered glass, modified or natural silica, calcium carbonate, mica, paper, wood chips, and the like.
The resilient polymeric material may be formed using a molding process. In one example, when the resilient polymeric material is a molded elastomer, the uncured elastomer (e.g., rubber) may be mixed in a Banbury mixer with an optional filler and a curing package such as a sulfur-based or peroxide-based curing package, calendared, formed into shape, placed in a mold, and vulcanized.
In another example, when the resilient polymeric material is a foamed material, the material may be foamed during a molding process, such as an injection molding process. A thermoplastic polymeric material may be melted in the barrel of an injection molding system and combined with a physical or chemical blowing agent and optionally a crosslinking agent, and then injected into a mold under conditions which activate the blowing agent, forming a molded foam.
Optionally, when the resilient polymeric material is a foamed material, the foamed material may be a compression molded foam. Compression molding may be used to alter the physical properties (e.g., density, stiffness and/or durometer) of a foam, or to alter the physical appearance of the foam (e.g., to fuse two or more pieces of foam, to shape the foam, etc.), or both.
The compression molding process desirably starts by forming one or more foam preforms, such as by injection molding and foaming a polymeric material, by forming foamed particles or beads, by cutting foamed sheet stock, and the like. The compression molded foam may then be made by placing the one or more preforms formed of foamed polymeric material(s) in a compression mold, and applying sufficient pressure to the one or more preforms to compress the one or more preforms in a closed mold. Once the mold is closed, sufficient heat and/or pressure is applied to the one or more preforms in the closed mold for a sufficient duration of time to alter the preform(s) by forming a skin on the outer surface of the compression molded foam, fuse individual foam particles to each other, permanently increase the density of the foam(s), or any combination thereof. Following the heating and/or application of pressure, the mold is opened and the molded foam article is removed from the mold.
Referring to
The bottom side 282 of the upper plate 212 faces the cushioning arrangement 216 within the receptacle 242 at the first end 276 and mates with the upper socket 258 of the heel cushioning element 210 at the second end 278. As shown in
With reference to
The shank 286 includes an elongate member continuously from the lobes 284 to the second end 278 of the upper plate 212. The bottom side 282 of the shank 286 includes a stiffening rib 290 extending along the length of the shank 286. As best shown in
The upper plate 212 may further include one or more lattice structures 294a-294d integrally formed in the top side 280 and/or the bottom side 282 of the upper plate 212. Each of the lattice structures 294a-294d is defined by a plurality of recesses formed in one of the top side 280 or the bottom side 282, such that the lattice structures 294a-294d are formed as substantially flush elements of the top side 280 and the bottom side 282. In the illustrated example, the upper plate 212 includes a first upper lattice structure 294a formed in the top side 280 of the upper plate 212 between the pair of the lobes 284 at the first end 276. The upper plate 212 includes a second upper lattice structure 294b formed in the top side 280 between the lobes 284 and the platform 292. A third upper lattice structure 294c is formed in the top side 280 along the platform 292. Here, each of the upper lattice structures 294a-294c is formed with an oblique orientation, such that rows and columns of the recesses defining the upper lattice structures 294a-294c are oriented at oblique angles relative to the longitudinal axis Aio of the footwear. Referring to
With continued reference to
Referring to
The brace 306 of the lower plate 214 includes a pair of tabs 310 extending to independent distal ends 312 at the second end 298 of the lower plate 214. Here, the tabs 310 are separated from each other by a slot 314 extending along a central portion of the brace 306 through the second end 298. As shown in
As shown in
The fluid cushioning arrangement 216 of the illustrated example includes a pair of bladders 218 each defining a respective chamber for including a pressurized fluid. A first one of the bladders 218 is disposed on the medial side 16 of the sole structure 200 in the forefoot region 20, and a second one of the bladders 218 is disposed on the lateral side 18 of the sole structure 200 in the forefoot region 20. Each the bladders 218 is received between one of the lobes 284 of the upper plate 212 and the tray 304 of the lower plate 214 such that a top surface of each bladder 218 is received within one of the sockets 288 on the bottom side 282 of the upper plate 212 and a bottom surface of each bladder 218 is attached to the top side 300 of the tray 304.
Each of the bladders 218 may include a first barrier element 320a and a second barrier element 320b formed of an elastomeric material. The chamber of each of the bladders 218 may receive a tensile element 322 (
As used herein, the term “barrier element” (e.g., barrier elements 320a, 320b) encompasses both monolayer and multilayer films. In some embodiments, one or both of barrier elements 320a, 320b are produced (e.g., thermoformed or blow molded) from a monolayer film (a single layer). In other embodiments, one or both of the barrier elements 320a, 320b are each produced (e.g., thermoformed or blow molded) from a multilayer film (multiple sublayers). In either aspect, each layer or sublayer can have a film thickness ranging from about 0.2 micrometers to about 1 millimeter. In further embodiments, the film thickness for each layer or sublayer can range from about 0.5 micrometers to about 500 micrometers. In yet further embodiments, the film thickness for each layer or sublayer can range from about 1 micrometer to about 100 micrometers.
One or both of the barrier elements 320a, 320b can independently be transparent, translucent, and/or opaque. As used herein, the term “transparent” for a barrier layer and/or a fluid-filled chamber means that light passes through the barrier layer in substantially straight lines and a viewer can see through the barrier layer. In comparison, for an opaque barrier layer, light does not pass through the barrier layer and one cannot see clearly through the barrier layer at all. A translucent barrier layer falls between a transparent barrier layer and an opaque barrier layer, in that light passes through a translucent layer but some of the light is scattered so that a viewer cannot see clearly through the layer.
The barrier elements 320a, 320b can each be produced from an elastomeric material that includes one or more thermoplastic polymers and/or one or more cross-linkable polymers. In an aspect, the elastomeric material can include one or more thermoplastic elastomeric materials, such as one or more thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) copolymers, one or more ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymers, and the like.
As used herein, “polyurethane” refers to a copolymer (including oligomers) that contains a urethane group (—N(C═O)O—). These polyurethanes can contain additional groups such as ester, ether, urea, allophanate, biuret, carbodiimide, oxazolidinyl, isocynaurate, uretdione, carbonate, and the like, in addition to urethane groups. In an aspect, one or more of the polyurethanes can be produced by polymerizing one or more isocyanates with one or more polyols to produce copolymer chains having (—N(C═O)O—) linkages.
Examples of suitable isocyanates for producing the polyurethane copolymer chains include diisocyanates, such as aromatic diisocyanates, aliphatic diisocyanates, and combinations thereof. Examples of suitable aromatic diisocyanates include toluene diisocyanate (TDI), TDI adducts with trimethyloylpropane (TMP), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), xylene diisocyanate (XDI), tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate (TMXDI), hydrogenated xylene diisocyanate (HXDI), naphthalene 1,5-diisocyanate (NDI), 1,5-tetrahydronaphthalene diisocyanate, para-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI), 3,3′- dimethyldiphenyl-4, 4′-diisocyanate (DDDI), 4,4′-dibenzyl diisocyanate (DBDI), 4-chloro-1,3-phenylene diisocyanate, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the copolymer chains are substantially free of aromatic groups.
In particular aspects, the polyurethane polymer chains are produced from diisocynates including HMDI, TDI, MDI, H12 aliphatics, and combinations thereof In an aspect, the thermoplastic TPU can include polyester-based TPU, polyether-based TPU, polycaprolactone-based TPU, polycarbonate-based TPU, polysiloxane-based TPU, or combinations thereof
In another aspect, the polymeric layer can be formed of one or more of the following: EVOH copolymers, poly(vinyl chloride), polyvinylidene polymers and copolymers (e.g., polyvinylidene chloride), polyamides (e.g., amorphous polyamides), amide-based copolymers, acrylonitrile polymers (e.g., acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate copolymers), polyethylene terephthalate, polyether imides, polyacrylic imides, and other polymeric materials known to have relatively low gas transmission rates. Blends of these materials as well as with the TPU copolymers described herein and optionally including combinations of polyimides and crystalline polymers, are also suitable.
The barrier elements 320a, 320b may include two or more sublayers (multilayer film) such as shown in Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,141 and Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,065, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In embodiments where the barrier elements 320a, 320b include two or more sublayers, examples of suitable multilayer films include microlayer films, such as those disclosed in Bonk et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,786, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. In further embodiments, barrier elements 320a, 320b may each independently include alternating sublayers of one or more TPU copolymer materials and one or more EVOH copolymer materials, where the total number of sublayers in each of the barrier elements 320a, 320b includes at least four (4) sublayers, at least ten (10) sublayers, at least twenty (20) sublayers, at least forty (40) sublayers, and/or at least sixty (60) sublayers.
The bladders 218 can be produced from the barrier elements 320a, 320b using any suitable technique, such as thermoforming (e.g. vacuum thermoforming), blow molding, extrusion, injection molding, vacuum molding, rotary molding, transfer molding, pressure forming, heat sealing, casting, low-pressure casting, spin casting, reaction injection molding, radio frequency (RF) welding, and the like. In an aspect, the barrier elements 320a, 320b can be produced by co-extrusion followed by vacuum thermoforming to produce an inflatable bladder 218, which can optionally include one or more valves (e.g., one way valves) that allows the bladder 218 to be filled with the fluid (e.g., gas).
The bladder 218 can be provided in a fluid-filled (e.g., as provided in footwear 10) or in an unfilled state. The bladder 218 can be filled to include any suitable fluid, such as a gas or liquid. In an aspect, the gas can include air, nitrogen (N2), or any other suitable gas. In other aspects, the bladder 218 can alternatively include other media, such as pellets, beads, ground recycled material, and the like (e.g., foamed beads and/or rubber beads). The fluid provided to the bladder 218 can result in the bladder 218 being pressurized. Alternatively, the fluid provided to the bladder 218 can be at atmospheric pressure such that the bladder 218 is not pressurized but, rather, simply contains a volume of fluid at atmospheric pressure.
The fluid-filled bladder 218 desirably has a low gas transmission rate to preserve its retained gas pressure. In some embodiments, the fluid-filled bladder 218 has a gas transmission rate for nitrogen gas that is at least about ten (10) times lower than a nitrogen gas transmission rate for a butyl rubber layer of substantially the same dimensions. In an aspect, fluid-filled bladder 218 has a nitrogen gas transmission rate of 15 cubic-centimeter/square-meteratmosphereday (cm3/m2⋅atm⋅day) or less for an average film thickness of 500 micrometers (based on thicknesses of the barrier layers 218a, 218b). In further aspects, the transmission rate is 10 cm3/m2⋅atm⋅day or less, 5 cm3/m2⋅atm⋅day or less, or 1 cm3/m2⋅atm⋅day or less.
As discussed previously, the lateral support member 206 is attached to the midsole 202 and is configured to support lateral (e.g., side-to-side) forces along the lateral side 18 of the upper 100 in the heel region 24. The lateral support member 206 includes materials having a greater stiffness than the materials of the heel cushioning element 210, such as a TPU material. The lateral support member 206 extends from a first end 340 in the mid-foot region 22 to a second end 342 at the posterior end 14. Here, the first end 340 is aligned with the first end 250 of the heel cushioning element 210. The lateral support member 206 includes an inner surface 344 configured to face the upper 100 and an outer surface 346 formed on an opposite side from the inner surface 344. When the sole structure 200 is assembled, the lateral support member 206 mates with the lateral support socket 272 formed along the lateral side 18 of the heel cushioning element 210 such that the inner surface 344 is flush and continuous with the top side 254 of the heel cushioning element 210 and forms a portion of the footbed of the sole structure 200.
The lateral support member 206 includes a vertical leg 348 formed at the first end 340 of the lateral support member 206 and a longitudinal leg 350 extending from the vertical leg 348 to the second end 342. As shown, the vertical leg 348 has a greater height H348 from the top side 254 of the heel cushioning element 210 than the height H350 of the longitudinal leg 350 such that the vertical leg 348 is configured to provide increased lateral support along the mid-foot region 22 of the upper 100. In the illustrated example, a distal end of the vertical leg 348 is vertically aligned (i.e., same distance from the longitudinal axis Aio) with an apex of the lateral stability member 246.
With continued reference to
The following Clauses provide exemplary configurations for a sole structure and an article of footwear described herein.
Clause 1. A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising a first cushioning element including a first top side and a bottom side formed on an opposite side from the first top side and defining a receptacle, a second cushioning element attached to the first cushioning element and including a second top side flush with the first top side of the first cushioning element, at least one plate extending along the receptacle and including one end attached to the first cushioning element and another end attached to the second cushioning element, and a cushioning arrangement disposed within the receptacle of the first cushioning element and attached to the at least one plate.
Clause 2. The sole structure of Clause 1, wherein the at least one plate includes an upper plate having a first end attached to the bottom side of the first cushioning element and a second end attached to the second top side of the second cushioning element.
Clause 3. The sole structure of Clause 2, wherein the upper plate, the first cushioning element, and the second cushioning element each define a portion of a footbed of the sole structure.
Clause 4. The sole structure of Clause 2 or 3, wherein the upper plate includes a rib extending between the first end of the upper plate and the second end of the upper plate.
Clause 5. The sole structure of any of the preceding Clauses, wherein the at least one plate includes a lower plate including a third end attached to the bottom side of the first cushioning element and a fourth end attached to a bottom side of the second cushioning element.
Clause 6. The sole structure of Clause 5, wherein the lower plate includes a flexure rib formed between the third end of the lower plate and the fourth end of the lower plate.
Clause 7. The sole structure of Clause 6, wherein the cushioning arrangement is attached to the lower plate between the flexure rib and the third end of the lower plate.
Clause 8. The sole structure of any of the preceding Clauses, further comprising a lateral support member attached to the second top side of the second cushioning element.
Clause 9. The sole structure of Clause 8, wherein the lateral support member includes a vertical leg disposed in a mid-foot region of the sole structure and a longitudinal leg extending along a heel region of the sole structure.
Clause 10. The sole structure of Clause 9, wherein a distal end of the vertical leg is aligned with an apex of the first cushioning element.
Clause 11. A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising a first cushioning element including a first top side and a bottom side formed on an opposite side from the first top side and defining a receptacle, a second cushioning element attached to the first cushioning element and including a second top side flush with the first top side of the first cushioning element, an upper plate disposed within the receptacle and including a first end attached to the first cushioning element and a second end attached to the second cushioning element, a lower plate spaced apart from the upper plate and including a third end attached to the first cushioning element and a fourth end attached to the second cushioning element, and a cushioning arrangement disposed within the receptacle of the first cushioning element and attached to each of the upper plate and the lower plate.
Clause 12. The sole structure of Clause 11, wherein the first end of the upper plate is attached to the bottom side of the first cushioning element in the receptacle and the second end of the upper plate is attached to the second top side of the second cushioning element.
Clause 13. The sole structure of Clause 12, wherein the upper plate, the first cushioning element, and the second cushioning element each define a portion of a footbed of the sole structure.
Clause 14. The sole structure of Clause 12 or 13, wherein the upper plate includes a rib extending between the first end of the upper plate and the second end of the upper plate.
Clause 15. The sole structure of any of the preceding Clauses, wherein the third end of the lower plate is attached to the bottom side of the first cushioning element and the fourth end is attached to a bottom side of the second cushioning element.
Clause 16. The sole structure of Clause 15, wherein the lower plate includes a flexure rib formed between the third end of the lower plate and the fourth end of the lower plate.
Clause 17. The sole structure of Clause 16, wherein the cushioning arrangement is attached to the lower plate between the flexure rib and the third end of the lower plate.
Clause 18. The sole structure of any of the preceding Clauses, further comprising a lateral support member attached to the second top side of the second cushioning element.
Clause 19. The sole structure of Clause 18, wherein the lateral support member includes a vertical leg disposed in a mid-foot region of the sole structure and a longitudinal leg extending along a heel region of the sole structure.
Clause 20. The sole structure of Clause 19, wherein a distal end of the vertical leg is aligned with an apex of the first cushioning element.
The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/313,990, filed on Feb. 25, 2022. The disclosure of this prior application is considered part of the disclosure of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63313990 | Feb 2022 | US |
