Footwear sole plate with forefoot through hole

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11877618-B2
Application number	US-202218083649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2022
Priority date	May 31, 2018
Publication date	Jan 23, 2024
Grant date	Jan 23, 2024

Abstract

A sole structure for an article of footwear may have a midsole system that includes a sole plate having a forefoot region and a midfoot region. The sole plate may have a foot-facing surface and a ground-facing surface opposite to the foot-facing surface. The sole plate may define a through hole extending from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface in the forefoot region. The through hole may be closer to a medial edge of the sole plate than to a lateral edge of the sole plate. The sole plate may have ridges extending longitudinally in the midfoot region and in the forefoot region. The ridges may have crests at least some of which may extend non-parallel with one another in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sole structure for an article of footwear comprising:
a midsole system including:
a sole plate;

wherein;
the sole plate has a foot-facing surface and a ground-facing surface opposite to the foot-facing surface;
the foot-facing surface has ridges extending longitudinally along the sole plate in a forefoot region and in a midfoot region of the sole plate, each of the ridges having an anterior end in the forefoot region and a posterior end in the midfoot region;
the ground-facing surface has grooves extending longitudinally in correspondence with the ridges; and
the sole plate defines a through hole extending from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface and through one of the ridges.

2. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the anterior end of each of the ridges is at a front edge of the sole plate.

3. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the sole plate further includes a heel region.

4. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein a lateral-most one of the ridges curves in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate to follow a curved lateral edge of the sole plate.

5. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein a medial-most one of the ridges curves in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate to follow a curved medial edge of the sole plate.

6. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the ridges include a first ridge, a second ridge, a third ridge, and a fourth ridge arranged in order from a medial side of the sole plate to a lateral side of the sole plate; and
the one of the ridges through which the through hole extends is the first ridge, and the through hole further extends through the second ridge.

7. The sole structure of claim 6 , wherein the through hole further extends through the third ridge.

8. The sole structure of claim 6 , wherein the through hole does not extend through the fourth ridge.

9. The sole structure of claim 6 , wherein the ridges include only the first ridge, the second ridge, the third ridge, and the fourth ridge.

10. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the ridges have crests at least some of which extend non-parallel with one another in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate.

11. The sole structure of claim 10 , wherein the crests of the ridges are equally spaced from one another at any transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the ridges.

12. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the grooves have crests at least some of which extend non-parallel with one another in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate.

13. The sole structure of claim 12 , wherein the crests of the grooves are equally spaced from one another at any transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the grooves.

14. The sole plate of claim 1 , wherein the ridges and the grooves are configured such that a thickness of the sole plate from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface varies at a transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the ridges, or varies along a length of at least one of the ridges, or varies at both the transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the ridges and along the length of the at least one of the ridges.

15. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the through hole is closer to a medial edge of the sole plate than to a lateral edge of the sole plate.

16. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the foot-facing surface is concave in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate in the forefoot region; and
the ground-facing surface is convex in the longitudinal direction of the sole plate in the forefoot region.

17. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the ridges have crests at least some of which vary in amplitude in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate such that the amplitude is greater in a zone of the sole plate configured for relatively high compressive loads than in a zone of the sole plate configured for relatively low compressive loads.

18. The sole structure of claim 17 , wherein at least some of the crests have an amplitude that is greater in a rearward portion of the forefoot region than in a forward portion of the forefoot region and greater than in the midfoot region.

19. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the ridges have crests, and the sole plate is a resilient material such that the crests of the ridges decrease in elevation from a steady state elevation to a loaded elevation under a dynamic compressive load and return to the steady state elevation upon removal of the dynamic compressive load.

20. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the sole plate has an absence of any additional ridges extending between and connecting adjacent ones of the ridges, and an absence of any additional grooves extending between and connecting adjacent ones of the grooves.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Chambers Clayton
• Droege John

Classifications

• A43B13/146 Primary

  Concave end portions, e.g. with a cavity or cut-out portion · CPC title

• A43B3/0036

  characterised by a special shape or design · CPC title

• A43B7/1425

  situated under the ball of the foot, i.e. the joint between the first metatarsal and first phalange · CPC title

• A43B7/1445

  situated under the midfoot, i.e. the second, third or fourth metatarsal · CPC title

• A43B13/023

  Soles with several layers of the same material · CPC title