The sole structure 104 may have a layered configuration that includes a resilient midsole 108 (e.g., formed, at least in part, from a polymer foam material) and a ground-contacting outsole 110 that provides both abrasion-resistance and traction. A separate insole may also be included (e.g., within the upper 102). Suitable polymer foam materials for at least portions of the midsole 108 include ethylvinylacetate (“EVA”) or polyurethane (“PU”) that compress resiliently under an applied load to attenuate ground reaction forces.
For example, some footwear users participate in events or exercise programs that require frequent direction changes, often at high speeds. Such direction changes typically require the athlete to solidly plant and then push off one foot in a sideways direction, at times with some amount of twisting or spinning action. During these and other types of events, a user's foot can experience significant forces and motions. Designing footwear to support and/or protect the foot during such activities remains an ongoing challenge.
The following presents a general summary of some embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts in a general form as a prelude to a more detailed description provided below.
At least some embodiments include support elements. Such support elements may be incorporated into an article of footwear and include: a first diagonally-oriented plate that extends from a lateral heel location in the article of footwear to a medial forefoot location in the article of footwear. Such support elements may further include a second diagonally-oriented plate that extends from a medial heel location in the article of footwear to a lateral forefoot location in the article of footwear. The first plate and the second plate may cross in an arch area.
Each of the first and second plates may include a longitudinal portion configured to extend under a wearer's foot and a heel support flange extending upward from an edge of the longitudinal portion of the heel region. The article of footwear may further include a ground contacting member engaged with at least one of the first plate or the second plate.
Still additional embodiments may include foot-receiving devices, such as shoes or articles of footwear. Such devices may include, for example: (a) a foot-covering member (such as an upper or a portion thereof); and (b) a support element engaged with the foot-covering member. The support element may be incorporated into the article of footwear and include: a first diagonally-oriented plate that extends from a lateral heel location in the article of footwear to a medial forefoot location in the article of footwear. Such a support element may further include a second diagonally-oriented plate that extends from a medial heel location in the article of footwear to a lateral forefoot location in the article of footwear. The first plate and the second plate cross in an arch area. Each of the first and second plates may include a longitudinal portion configured to extend under a wearer's foot and a heel support flange extending upward from an edge of the longitudinal portion of the heel region. The foot-receiving device may further comprise a ground-contacting member engaged with the support element. Additionally, the foot-covering member may form at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear, the support element may form at least a portion of a midsole for the article of footwear, and the ground-contacting member may form at least a portion of an outsole for the article of footwear.
A more complete understanding of various embodiments may be acquired by referring to the following description in consideration with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
At least some embodiments may include support elements that can be incorporated into an article of footwear. Such support elements may help decouple medial and lateral sides of a footwear sole structure and reduce or prevent lateral and shear movement of one portion of the article of footwear with respect to other portions of the product. Footwear equipped with such support elements may provide more solid feel, particularly when a wearer performs a “cutting” maneuver or other rapid change of direction.
In the following description of several example embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts, example systems, and environments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, while the terms “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “front,” “back,” “above,” “below,” “under,” “over,” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements of example embodiments, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures and/or a typical orientation during use. Unless indicated otherwise, nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three dimensional orientation of structures with respect to an external object or the external environment in order to fall within the scope of this invention.
To assist and clarify subsequent description of various embodiments, various terms are defined herein. Unless context indicates otherwise, the following definitions apply throughout this specification (including the claims). “Shoe” and “article of footwear” are used interchangeably to refer to articles intended for wear on a human foot. A shoe may or may not enclose the entire foot of a wearer. For example, a shoe could include a sandal or other article that exposes large portions of a wearing foot. The “interior” of a shoe refers to space that is occupied by a wearer's foot when the shoe is worn. An “interior side” (or surface) of a shoe element refers to a face of that element that is (or will be) oriented toward the shoe interior in a completed shoe. An “exterior side” (or surface) of an element refers to a face of that element that is (or will be) oriented away from the shoe interior in the completed shoe. In some cases, the interior side of an element may have other elements between that interior side and the interior in the completed shoe. Similarly, an exterior side of an element may have other elements between that exterior side and the space external to the completed shoe.
A longitudinal foot axis refers to a horizontal heel-toe axis along the center of the foot, while that foot is resting on a horizontal surface that is generally parallel to a line along the second metatarsal and second phalangeal bones. A transverse foot axis refers to a horizontal axis across the foot that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. A longitudinal direction is parallel to the longitudinal axis or has a primary directional component that is parallel to the longitudinal axis. A transverse direction is parallel to a transverse axis or has a primary directional component that is parallel to a transverse axis.
Shoe elements can be described based on regions and/or anatomical structures of a human foot wearing that shoe, and by assuming that shoe is properly sized for the wearing foot. As an example, a forefoot region of a foot includes the metatarsal and phalangeal bones. A forefoot element of a shoe is an element having one or more portions located over, under, to the lateral and/or medial side of, and/or in front of a wearer's forefoot (or portion thereof) when the shoe is worn. As another example, a midfoot region of a foot includes the cuboid, navicular, medial cuneiform, intermediate cuneiform and lateral cuneiform bones and the heads of the metatarsal bones. A midfoot element of a shoe is an element having one or more portions located over, under and/or to the lateral and/or medial side of a wearer's midfoot (or portion thereof) when the shoe is worn. As a further example, a heel region of a foot includes the talus and calcaneus bones. A heel element of a shoe is an element having one or more portions located over, under, to the lateral and/or medial side of, and/or behind a wearer's heel (or portion thereof) when the shoe is worn. The forefoot region may overlap with the midfoot region, as may the midfoot and heel regions.
The various figures in this application illustrate examples of support elements and their arrangement in an article of footwear according to certain embodiments.
For convenience, a forefoot region 222, a midfoot region 223, and a heel region 224 are approximately indicated in
Additionally, as illustrated in
The example support element 300 may include a first plate 320 and a second plate 340. Generally, the first plate 320 and the second plate 340 may be separate portions of the support element 300. This example support element 300 may be provided at any desired location within a shoe construction, e.g., immediately beneath an insole or sock liner; included within or on top of a midsole component; between a midsole component and an outsole component; etc. Additionally, this example support element 300 may be incorporated into the shoe 200 with various methods known and used in the art, such as glued or fixed inside the upper, attached to the bottom of the upper, embedded into the midsole or another part of the sole structure, or resting inside the upper and stitched to the upper.
The support element 300 may be made from any suitable or desired type of material, including materials conventionally used in base plates for sole structures and/or other portions of footwear products. As more specific examples, the support element 300 may be made from one or metals (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel, titanium), one or more thermoset plastics, one or more thermopolymers (e.g., thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamides such as NYLON, etc.) and/or other materials, e.g., materials that have limited tensile stretch under typical footwear use conditions. In some embodiments, the support element 300 could be a composite material formed from a polymer resin (e.g., polyester or epoxy) having reinforcing fibers (e.g., carbon and/or glass) embedded therein. Another example material from which the support element 300 can be formed includes a polyether-block co-polyamide polymer such as that sold under the trade name PEBAX® by Atofina Corporation of Puteaux, France. In some examples, the support element 300 (including the first plate 320 and the second plate 340) will be integrally formed as a unitary, one-piece construction, e.g., by molding, such as by injection, compression, or blow molding processes. Of course, other ways of producing the support element 300, and indeed a wide variety of support element constructions and structures, may be used without departing from this invention.
The support element 300 may be fixed to the midsole structure 208 or other locations of the footwear structure in any desired manner without departing from this invention. For example, adhesives or cements may be used to adhere the support element 300 to the underside of the midsole 208. Also, the support element 300 may include one or more raised engagement elements (not shown) that fit into corresponding grooves or openings provided in the midsole 208. The engagement elements, when fit into corresponding grooves or openings provided in the midsole 208, can help position and prevent undesired movement of support element 300 with respect to the midsole 208. Any desired number, shape, arrangement, or construction of engagement elements in the support element and corresponding openings or grooves in the impact-attenuating element structure (or vice versa) may be provided without departing from this invention. Also, if desired, each of the support element 300 and the midsole 208 may contain combinations of raised engagement elements, openings, and/or grooves without departing from the invention. As still another example, if desired, the support element 300 may be embedded into the midsole 208 (e.g., during the process of molding a midsole 208).
The first plate 320 and the second plate 340 may extend from the heel region 224 to the forefoot region 222 of the shoe 200. Generally, the first plate 320 may be oriented diagonally and extend diagonally from a lateral heel location in the shoe 200 to a medial forefoot location in the shoe 200. The second plate 340 may be oriented diagonally and extend diagonally from a medial heel location of the shoe 200 to a lateral forefoot location of the shoe 200.
The first plate 320 may be located on top of the second plate 340. Generally, the first plate 320 is located or crossed over the second plate 340 because a user's weight typically moves along the user's foot from the lateral heel area of the foot (at foot strike) to the medial forefoot area (at the user's big toe, for toe off). This diagonal crossing of the first plate 320 and the second plate 340 and the construction of the support element 300 helps to decouple the medial and lateral sides of the support element 300. This decoupling of the medial and lateral sides of the support element 300 allows the support element 300 to more easily follow the movement of a user's foot within the shoe 200. In the example embodiment, the first plate 320 and the second plate 340 can move separately and independently of each other with the movement of the user's foot within the shoe 200.
The first plate 320, as illustrated in
The second plate 340, as illustrated in
In accordance with various embodiments, the first plate 320 and the second plate 340 may cross and narrow in an arch area of the foot, thereby defining a plate overlap area 360. The plate overlap area 360 may be located and configured to provide comfortable support in the arch area of the foot and the shoe 200. As was described above, in one embodiment, the first plate 320 crosses over the top of the second plate 340. In another embodiment, the second plate 340 may cross over the top of the first plate 320.
The first plate 320 may include a first heel support flange 330 and the second plate 340 may include a second heel support flange 350. The first heel support flange 330 and the second heel support flange 350 may provide a surface for supporting a footwear insole, the wearer's heel, and/or a portion of an upper 202 at the heel area of a shoe 200. The first heel support flange 330 may extend upward from an edge of the longitudinal portion 321 in the heel region of the first plate 320. The second heel support flange 350 may extend upward from an edge of the longitudinal portion 341 in the heel region of the second plate 340. The heel support flanges 330 and 350 may extend upward from their respective longitudinal portions towards the opening 206 of the shoe 200 and along a heel cup or heel counter of the shoe 200. The heel support flanges 330 and 350 may provide additional support to the heel of a user's foot when located in the shoe 200. If desired, the heel support flanges 330 and 350 may constitute a portion of an upper of a shoe, a heel cup, a heel counter, or the like, in accordance with the example embodiments.
The first heel support flange 330 may be integrally formed with the longitudinal portion 321 of the first plate 320 (e.g., molding the first plate 320 with the heel flange 330 as a single piece). The second heel support flange 350 may be integrally formed with the longitudinal portion 342 of the second plate 340 (e.g., molding the second plate 340 with the heel flange 350 as a single piece). In other examples, the first heel support flange 330 may be formed separately and then attached to the longitudinal portion 321 of the first plate 320 and the second heel support flange 350 may be formed separately and then attached the longitudinal portion 341 of the second plate 340. For example, adhesives or cements may be used to fix the heel support flange and the longitudinal portions together. Fusing techniques also may be used to fix the heel support flange and the longitudinal portions together. In at least some examples of these embodiments, the heel support flange 330, 350 will be made from one or metals (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel, titanium), one or more thermoset plastics, one or more thermopolymers (e.g., thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamides such as NYLON, etc.) and/or other materials, e.g., materials that have limited tensile stretch under typical footwear use conditions. In some embodiments, the support element 300 could be a composite material formed from a polymer resin (e.g., polyester or epoxy) having reinforcing fibers (e.g., carbon and/or glass) embedded therein. Another example material from which the support element 300 can be formed includes a polyether-block co-polyamide polymer such as that sold under the trade name PEBAX® by Atofina Corporation of Puteaux, France. When the heel support flange 330, 350 is a separate part from the first plate 320 and the second plate 340, the heel support flange 330, 350 may be capable of engaging with and bonding to the material of the longitudinal portion 321 of the first plate 320 and/or the longitudinal portion 341 of the second plate 340 using a suitable cement or adhesive.
Returning now to
As illustrated in
The first plate 720 and the second plate 740 may cross and narrow in an arch area of the foot, thereby defining an overlap area 760. The overlap area 760 may include one or more overlap portions, such as forefoot overlap portion 762, a heel overlap portion 764, and an arch overlap portion 766. The arch overlap portion 766 may be located and configured to provide comfortable support in the arch area of the foot and the shoe.
The first plate 820 and the second plate 840 may include an overlap region 860. The overlap region 860 may include one or more overlap portions, such as forefoot overlap portion 862, a heel overlap portion 864, and an arch overlap portion 866. The overlap region may include one or more recesses provided for receiving one or more of the overlapping portions of the first plate 820 and the second plate 840.
The thickness of the support element and the plate members are exaggerated for purposes of explanation and illustration. The actual thickness of the first plate and the second plate may be between 5 mm and 35 mm in accordance with example embodiments.
In addition to shoes or articles of footwear, aspects of these embodiments can be practiced with other types of foot-receiving devices, i.e., any device into which a user places at least some portion of his or her foot. In addition to all types of footwear or shoes (e.g., as described above), foot-receiving devices include, but are not limited to: boots, bindings and other devices for securing feet in snow skis, cross country skis, water skis, snowboards, and the like; boots, bindings, clips, or other devices for securing feet in pedals for use with bicycles, exercise equipment, and the like; boots, bindings, clips, or other devices for receiving feet during play of video games or other games; and the like. Such foot-receiving devices may include: (a) a foot-covering component (akin to a footwear upper) that at least in part defines an interior chamber for receiving a foot; and (b) a foot-supporting component (akin to the footwear sole structure) engaged with the foot-covering component.
The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit embodiments of the present invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments. The embodiments discussed herein were chosen and described in order to explain the principles and the nature of various embodiments and their practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the present invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Any and all combinations, subcombinations and permutations of features from above-described embodiments are the within the scope of the invention. With regard to claims directed to an apparatus, an article of manufacture or some other physical component or combination of components, a reference in the claim to a potential or intended wearer or a user of a component does not require actual wearing or using of the component or the presence of the wearer or user as part of the claimed component or component combination.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140245640 A1 | Sep 2014 | US |