Articles of footwear with stabilizing rails

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10588378-B2
Application number	US-201615170537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2016
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

An article of footwear including an upper, a midsole, a lateral stabilizing rail, and a medial stabilizing rail. The lateral stabilizing rail may be coupled to the upper and the midsole and extend from a forefoot portion of the article of footwear to a heel portion of the article of footwear. The medial stabilizing rail may be coupled to the upper and the midsole and extend from the forefoot portion of the article of footwear to the heel portion of the article of footwear. The lateral stabilizing rail and the medial stabilizing rail may be separate pieces capable deforming independently of each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article of footwear comprising:
an upper coupled to a midsole;
a lateral stabilizing rail coupled to the upper and the midsole and extending from a forefoot portion of the article of footwear to a heel portion of the article of footwear, the lateral stabilizing rail comprising a forefoot end coupled to a bottom surface of the midsole and a heel end coupled to and wrapping around at least a portion of a heel end of the upper;
a medial stabilizing rail coupled to the upper and the midsole and extending from the forefoot portion of the article of footwear to the heel portion of the article of footwear, the medial stabilizing rail comprising a forefoot end coupled to the bottom surface of the midsole and a heel end coupled to and wrapping around at least a portion of the heel end of the upper; and
an outsole coupled to the midsole and disposed over the forefoot end of the lateral stabilizing rail and the forefoot end of the medial stabilizing rail;
wherein at least one of the medial stabilizing rail and the lateral stabilizing rail comprises:
ribbing disposed along at least a portion of the rail disposed between the bottom surface of the midsole and the outsole, wherein the portion of the rail disposed between the bottom surface of the midsole and the outsole comprises a thickness measured between an interior surface and an exterior surface of the rail and the ribbing comprises one or more areas of increased thickness disposed between the bottom surface of the midsole and the outsole to provide increased stiffness,
wherein the lateral stabilizing rail and the medial stabilizing rail are separate pieces, and
wherein the lateral stabilizing rail is a single integrally formed piece and the medial stabilizing rail is a single integrally formed piece.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the lateral stabilizing rail and the medial stabilizing rail are independent rails.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the heel end of the lateral stabilizing rail comprises a bottom portion coupled to a top surface of the midsole and a top portion coupled to a heel portion of the upper, and wherein the heel end of the medial stabilizing rail comprises a bottom portion coupled to the top surface of the midsole and a top portion coupled to the heel portion of the upper.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the lateral stabilizing rail and the medial stabilizing rail are composed of a material having a higher stiffness than the material of the midsole.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the medial stabilizing rail comprises the ribbing and the ribbing extends from the forefoot portion of the article of footwear to a midfoot portion of the article of footwear.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the lateral stabilizing rail comprises the ribbing and the ribbing extends from the forefoot portion of the article of footwear to a midfoot portion of the article of footwear.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the midsole comprises a lateral groove formed in a lateral side surface and the bottom surface of the midsole and a medial groove formed in a medial side surface and the bottom surface of the midsole, and wherein the lateral stabilizing rail is partially disposed in the lateral groove and the medial stabilizing rail is partially disposed in the medial groove.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises a hollow interior for receiving a wearer's foot, the hollow interior defined by an innermost surface of the upper, wherein the distance between the innermost surface and the lateral stabilizing rail decreases from the forefoot end of the lateral stabilizing rail to the heel end of the lateral stabilizing rail, and wherein the distance between the innermost surface and the medial stabilizing rail decreases from the forefoot end of the medial stabilizing rail to the heel end of the medial stabilizing rail.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the heel end of the lateral stabilizing rail comprises a bottom portion coupled to a top surface of the midsole and a top portion coupled to a heel portion of the upper and extending towards the forefoot portion of the article of footwear, and wherein the heel end of the medial stabilizing rail comprises a bottom portion coupled to the top surface of the midsole and a top portion coupled to the heel portion of the upper and wrapped around at least a portion of the heel end of the upper.

10. The article of footwear of claim 3 , wherein a portion of the top portion of the lateral stabilizing rail and a portion of the top portion of the medial stabilizing rail extend in the same direction around the perimeter of the upper.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the heel end of the lateral stabilizing rail and the heel end of the medial stabilizing rail have different shapes.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the heel end of the lateral stabilizing rail and the heel end of the medial stabilizing rail have substantially the same shape.

13. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the lateral stabilizing rail and the medial stabilizing rail are substantially mirror images of each other.

14. An article of footwear comprising:
an upper coupled to a midsole;
a lateral stabilizing rail coupled to the upper and the midsole and extending from a forefoot portion of the article of footwear to a heel portion of the article of footwear, the lateral stabilizing rail comprising a forefoot end coupled to the midsole, a heel end coupled to and wrapping around at least a portion of a heel end of the upper, and a lateral fin extending from the heel end of the lateral stabilizing rail; and
a medial stabilizing rail coupled to the upper and the midsole and extending from the forefoot portion of the article of footwear to the heel portion of the article of footwear, the medial stabilizing rail comprising a forefoot end coupled to the midsole, a heel end coupled to and wrapping around at least a portion of the heel end of the upper, and a medial fin extending from the heel end of the medial stabilizing rail;
wherein the lateral fin and the medial fin extend in the same direction around the perimeter of the upper,
wherein the lateral fin extends towards the forefoot portion of the article of footwear and the medial fin extends towards and wraps around at least a portion of the heel end of the upper such that a highest point of the medial fin is disposed on the heel end of the upper and a highest point of the lateral fin is disposed closer to a toe end of the upper than the highest point of the medial fin.

15. An article of footwear comprising:
an upper coupled to a midsole, the upper comprising a hollow interior for receiving a wearer's foot, the hollow interior defined by an innermost surface of the upper;
a lateral stabilizing rail coupled to the upper and the midsole and extending from a forefoot portion of the article of footwear to a heel portion of the article of footwear, the lateral stabilizing rail comprising a forefoot end coupled to a bottom surface of the midsole, a heel end coupled to and wrapping around at least a portion of a heel end of the upper, and a midfoot portion comprising a curved segment that wraps around a lateral side of the midsole such that the distance between the innermost surface of the upper and the lateral stabilizing rail decreases from the forefoot end of the lateral stabilizing rail to the heel end of the lateral stabilizing rail; and
a medial stabilizing rail coupled to the upper and the midsole and extending from the forefoot portion of th

Assignees

• Adidas Ag

Inventors

• Groeneweg Nicholas Allen
• PADOVANI Matteo

Classifications

• A43B23/0275

  with a part of the upper particularly rigid, e.g. resisting articulation or torsion · CPC title

• A43B13/141

  with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion · CPC title

• A43B5/00 Primary

  Footwear for sporting purposes (non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00) · CPC title

• A43B23/0245

  characterised by the constructive form · CPC title

• A43B13/187

  Resiliency achieved by the features of the material, e.g. foam, non liquid materials · CPC title