Pain prevention footwear sole

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11000094-B2
Application number	US-201916555628-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2019
Priority date	Aug 29, 2019
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

An article of footwear including an upper and a sole assembly configured to provide broad base structural support and stability to a wearer's foot to promote pain prevention in the wearer. The footwear can include a midsole including a stability bridge that enhances torsional rigidity in an arch region, a bifurcated rigid central shank disposed in the arch region under the stability bridge that is visible to a viewer of the footwear and an outsole disposed below the midsole and the bifurcated central shank. The outsole can include a ladder tread section, disposed below the bifurcated central shank, that less than 5 mm above a lowermost surface of the remainder of the outsole so that the outsole includes a substantially flat ground contacting surface to promote stability. The outsole also can include an upwardly curved rearmost heel strike tread, and heel and/or forefoot impact absorption comfort pods in associated midsole voids.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An article of footwear comprising:
an upper configured to receive a wearers foot, the upper extending longitudinally from a forefoot region toward a heel region,
a midsole including a forefoot midsole portion disposed in the forefoot region of the footwear and a heel midsole portion disposed in the heel region of the footwear, with an arch midsole portion joining the forefoot midsole portion with the heel midsole portion, the arch midsole portion including a stability bridge comprising a first density, the heel midsole portion and the forefoot midsole portion comprising a second density less than the first density such that the arch midsole portion exhibits greater torsional stiffness than the forefoot midsole portion, the midsole including a midsole lower surface;
a bifurcated central shank disposed under the arch midsole portion and including a lateral shank and a medial shank, the lateral shank including a lateral shank base and an outer lateral shank wall that extends upward from the lateral shank base, the lateral shank including an interior lateral shank edge disposed adjacent the longitudinal axis of the sole assembly, the outer lateral shank wall being disposed in a midsole arch lateral void such that the outer lateral shank wall is visible by a viewer of a lateral side view of the footwear, the medial shank including a lateral shank base and an outer medial shank wall that extends upward from the medial shank base, the lateral shank including an interior lateral shank edge disposed adjacent the longitudinal axis of the sole assembly and facing generally toward but spaced a distance from the interior medial shank edge; and
an outsole disposed below the midsole and the pair of rigid central shanks, the outsole including a plurality of forefoot tread sections in the forefoot that are separated from one another by respective forefoot tread gaps, such that the plurality of forefoot tread sections extend outward from a longitudinal base section in a cantilevered manner, the outsole joined with the lower surface of the midsole such that the midsole lower surface of the midsole is exposed through the respective forefoot tread gaps, between respective ones of the plurality of forefoot tread sections, the forefoot tread gaps configured to provide the outsole with increased flexibility and reduced weight in the forefoot region, the plurality of forefoot tread sections including a lowermost ground contacting surface,
wherein the outsole includes a ladder tread section disposed in the arch region of the footwear, the ladder tread section joined with a lower surface of the respective pair of central shanks, the ladder tread section including a lowermost ground contacting surface that is less than 4 mm above a lowermost surface of the plurality of forefoot tread sections,
whereby the outsole includes a substantially flat ground contacting surface extending from the heel region to the forefoot region of the footwear.

2. The article of footwear claim 1 ,
wherein the midsole lower surface defines a downward opening first void in the heel midsole portion,
wherein the midsole is constructed from a first material having the first density and the second density,
wherein a heel pod is constructed from a second material, different from the first material, that is disposed in the first void in the heel region between the midsole and an outsole upper surface of the outsole.

3. The article of footwear of claim 2 ,
wherein the midsole defines an upward opening second void in the forefoot midsole portion,
wherein a forefoot pod is disposed in the second void in the forefoot region between the midsole and a Strobel board joined with the upper.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1 ,
wherein the outsole includes a heel outsole portion disposed under the midsole heel portion,
wherein the heel outsole portion includes an upwardly curved impact tread that curves upwardly, toward the midsole as the impact tread extends rearwardly in the heel region of the footwear.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1 ,
wherein the lateral shank base extends under the midsole forefoot portion and terminates at a forward edge that is configured to be disposed behind a first metatarsal head of a wearer's foot when the wearer's foot is disposed in the footwear.

6. The article of footwear of claim 5 ,
wherein the longitudinal base section extends from the forefoot region to the heel region of the footwear,
wherein the longitudinal base section defines a pressure curve groove that undulates between a medial side of the footwear and a lateral side of the footwear disposed opposite one another across a longitudinal axis of the footwear.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1 ,
wherein the lateral shank interior edge is separated from the medial shank interior edge adjacent the shank connector by the distance that is less than 20 mm.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1 ,
wherein the arch midsole portion includes a medial bridge wall that extends upwardly from an upper surface of the midsole and a lateral bridge wall that extends upwardly from the upper surface of the midsole,
wherein the medial bridge wall and lateral bridge wall extend upwardly adjacent respective panels of the upper on lateral and medial sides of the longitudinal axis of the footwear.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1 ,
wherein the outer medial shank wall is disposed in a midsole arch medial void such that the outer medial shank wall is visible to a viewer of a medial side view of the footwear.

10. The article of footwear of claim 9 ,
wherein the medial shank base includes a medial shank lower surface,
wherein the ladder tread section includes a medial lug extending downward away from the medial shank lower surface,
wherein the lateral shank base includes a lateral shank lower surface,
wherein the ladder tread section includes a medial lug extending downward from the lateral shank lower surface,
wherein the ladder tread section is void of lugs extending directly downward between the lateral shank lower surface and the medial shank lower surface.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1 ,
wherein the stability bridge of the midsole is disposed between the outer lateral shank wall and the outer medial shank wall,
wherein the stability bridge of the midsole is disposed above the lateral shank base and the medial shank base.

12. The article of footwear of claim 11 ,
wherein the arch midsole portion includes a medial bridge wall that extends upwardly from an upper surface of the midsole, above the stability bridge, and a lateral bridge wall that extends upwardly from the upper surface of the midsole, above the stability bridge,
wherein the medial bridge wall and lateral bridge wall extend upwardly adjacent respective panels of the upper on medial and lateral sides of the longitudinal axis of the footwear.

13. The article of footwear of claim 1 ,
wherein the longitudinal base section defines an outsole base groove that undulates between a lateral side and a medial side of the sole assembly in the forefoot region,
wherein the midsole lower surface of the midsole that is exposed through the respective forefoot tread gaps defines at least one forefoot flex groove that is transverse to the outsole base groove.

14. The article of footwear of claim 1 comprising:
a forefoot pod that is constructed from a second material different from a first material from which the midsole is constructed, the forefoot pod being disposed in an upwardly opening void that is defined in t

Assignees

• Wolverine Outdoors Inc

Inventors

• Vizy Anthony D

Classifications

• A43B23/081

  Toe stiffeners · CPC title

• A43B13/223

  Profiled soles · CPC title

• A43B13/188

  Differential cushioning regions · CPC title

• A43B13/141

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

• A43B13/125 Primary

  characterised by the midsole or middle layer · CPC title