Article of footwear having a sole plate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12336593-B2
Application number	US-202318229097-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2023
Priority date	Aug 18, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure coupled to the upper. The sole structure defines a ground engaging surface of the article of footwear and includes an outsole and a sole plate positioned between the upper and the outsole. The sole plate extends along the ground engaging surface of the sole structure includes a rear portion, an anterior curved portion, and a posterior curved portion extending away from the upper between the rear portion and the anterior curved portion.

First claim

We claim:

1. An article of footwear, comprising:
an upper; and
a sole structure coupled to the upper and defining a ground engaging surface, the sole structure including:
an outsole; and
a sole plate positioned between the upper and the outsole, the sole plate including a rear portion, an anterior curved portion, and a posterior curved portion extending away from the upper between the rear portion and the anterior curved portion;
a first cushioning member; and
a second cushioning member,

wherein a gap is disposed between the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member,
wherein the sole plate extends along the ground engaging surface of the sole structure,
wherein the sole plate extends across the gap between the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member, and
wherein the sole plate is directly coupled to the upper.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the rear portion is substantially planar.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the gap is disposed within a midfoot region of the sole structure.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member are spaced apart from one another by the gap between a lateral side and a medial side of the sole structure.

5. The article of footwear of claim 4 , wherein the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member overlap one another at the gap such that the second cushioning member is positioned between the first cushioning member and the ground engaging surface.

6. The article of footwear of claim 5 , wherein a front end of the first cushioning member extends from a heel region toward and past a rear end of the second cushioning member at the gap such that the front end of the first cushioning member is closer to a forefoot region than is the rear end of the second cushioning member.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the ground engaging surface includes a first ground engaging surface corresponding with the first cushioning member and a second ground engaging surface corresponding with the second cushioning member, the first ground engaging surface and the second ground engaging surface being discontinuous with one another at the gap.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the second cushioning member is disposed between the sole plate and the outsole.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member is a supercritical foam.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein, at the gap between the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member, the sole plate is spaced from the upper.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the gap extends uninterrupted from a lateral side to a medial side of the sole structure.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the outsole is coupled to the second cushioning member, and
wherein the second cushioning member is positioned between the sole plate and the outsole.

13. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein each of the sole plate, the first cushioning member, and the second cushioning member is directly coupled to the upper.

14. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the gap is positioned within a midfoot region of the sole structure, and
wherein the ground engaging surface is discontinuous and the sole plate is spaced from the upper at the gap.

15. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the sole plate includes a curved portion that is directly coupled to the second cushioning member.

16. A sole structure for an article of footwear having an upper, the sole structure comprising:
a first cushioning member disposed in a heel region of the sole structure;
a second cushioning member disposed in a forefoot region of the sole structure, the second cushioning member being spaced from the first cushioning member in a midfoot region by a gap positioned between a lateral side and a medial side of the sole structure; and
a sole plate that extends across the gap and is coupled to each of the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member,
wherein the sole plate is directly coupled to the upper and extends away from the upper passing through the gap between the second cushioning member and the first cushioning member.

17. The sole structure of claim 16 , wherein the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member overlap one another at the gap such that the second cushioning member is positioned between the first cushioning member and a ground engaging surface of the sole structure.

18. The sole structure of claim 17 , wherein the sole plate extends along the ground engaging surface.

19. The sole structure of claim 16 , wherein the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member overlap one another at the gap such that a front end of the first cushioning member is closer to the forefoot region than is a rear end of the second cushioning member.

20. The sole structure of claim 16 , wherein the sole plate includes a substantially planar rear portion coupled to the first cushioning member, an anterior curved portion coupled to the second cushioning member, and a posterior curved portion extending between the substantially planar rear portion and the anterior curved portion.

21. The sole structure of claim 16 further comprising an outsole coupled to the second cushioning member,
wherein the second cushioning member is positioned between the sole plate and the outsole.

22. The article of footwear of claim 16 , wherein the gap extends uninterrupted from the lateral side to the medial side of the sole structure.

23. The sole structure of claim 16 , wherein a first ground engaging surface corresponds with the first cushioning member and a second ground engaging surface corresponds with the second cushioning member, the first ground engaging surface and the second ground engaging surface being discontinuous with one another at the gap.

24. The sole structure of claim 16 further including an outsole, wherein the second cushioning member is disposed between the sole plate and the outsole.

25. The sole structure of claim 16 , wherein each of the sole plate, the first cushioning member, and the second cushioning member is directly coupled to the upper.

26. The sole structure of claim 16 , wherein the sole plate includes a curved portion that is directly coupled to the second cushioning member.

27. An article of footwear, comprising:
an upper; and
a sole structure coupled to the upper and defining a ground engaging surface, the sole structure including:
a first cushioning member;
a second cushioning member arranged relative to the first cushioning member to define a gap between the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member;
a sole plate that extends across the gap and is coupled to each of the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member; and
an outsole that is directly coupled to the second cushioning member, the outsole being spaced apart from the sole plate by the second cushioning member,

wherein the sole plate extends along the ground engaging surface of the sole structure,
wherein each of the sole plate, the first cushioning member, and the second cushioning member is directly coupled to the upper.

28. The article of footwear of claim 27 , wherein the sole plate

Assignees

• Puma SE

Inventors

• Redon Arnaud
• Girard Romain

Classifications

• A43B13/141

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

• A43B13/146

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

• A43B13/04

  Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre · CPC title

• A43B13/125

  characterised by the midsole or middle layer · CPC title

• A43B13/026

  Composites, e.g. carbon fibre or aramid fibre; the sole, one or more sole layers or sole part being made of a composite · CPC title