Sole structure and shoe with a plurality of concave and convex shapes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12465114-B2
Application number	US-202018039669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2020
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A sole structure of a shoe includes a rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion including a vertex region in a bottom surface of the sole in a rearfoot region. The vertex region is positioned at a highest position within the bottom surface of the sole in the rearfoot region and configured to be positioned at a position corresponding to a center of a heel of a wearer such that center of pressure of the wearer overlaps with the center of the heel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A sole structure of a sole of a shoe, comprising:
a rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion including a vertex region in a bottom surface of the sole in a rearfoot region, the vertex region including a substantially flat surface in a longitudinal direction and an upward convex curvilinear shape in a width direction at a highest position within the bottom surface of the sole in the rearfoot region and configured to be positioned at a position corresponding to a center of a heel of a wearer such that center of pressure of the wearer overlaps with the center of the heel; and a continuous ridge surrounding the rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion and projecting downwardly to create a crater shape around the rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion, the continuous ridge formed by a pair of rearfoot ridges, a boundary ridge and a rear end ridge, the pair of rearfoot ridges disposed on opposite sides of the vertex region in a width direction, the boundary ridge disposed at a boundary between a midfoot region and the rearfoot region on a front longitudinal side of the vertex region, and the rear end ridge disposed on a rear longitudinal side of the vertex region.

2 . The sole structure according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the sole has a shape such that a height of the bottom surface of the sole gradually increases toward the vertex region, from the width direction and the longitudinal direction.

3 . The sole structure according to claim 2 , wherein
the boundary ridge is a first ridge, and the sole includes a thinner portion adjacent to a toe side of the first ridge.

4 . The sole structure according to claim 3 , wherein
the sole includes a roll-up portion along a circumferential edge of the sole, the roll-up portion extending upward, and a height of the roll-up portion near the thinner portion is higher than the height of the roll-up portion in other areas.

5 . The sole structure according to claim 2 , further comprising a second ridge and a third ridge projecting downwardly and disposed on both sides in the width direction of the bottom surface at the midfoot region of the sole.

6 . The sole structure according to claim 5 , wherein a concave-shaped portion is formed at a forefoot-side of the sole between the second ridge and the third ridge in the bottom surface of the midfoot region, the concave-shaped portion at the forefoot-side of the sole having a height that gradually increases from the midfoot region towards the forefoot-side in the longitudinal direction.

7 . The sole structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the boundary ridge is a first ridge, and the sole includes a thinner portion adjacent to a toe side of the first ridge.

8 . The sole structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a second ridge and a third ridge projecting downwardly and disposed on both sides in the width direction of the bottom surface at the midfoot region of the sole.

9 . The sole structure according to claim 8 , wherein a concave-shaped portion is formed at a forefoot-side of the sole between the second ridge and the third ridge in the bottom surface of the midfoot region, the concave-shaped portion at the forefoot-side of the sole having a height that gradually increases from the midfoot region towards the forefoot-side in the longitudinal direction.

10 . The sole structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the boundary ridge is a first ridge projecting downwardly between the bottom surface at the rearfoot region and the bottom surface at the midfoot region of the sole, the sole structure further comprising a second ridge and a third ridge projecting downwardly on both sides in the width direction of the bottom surface of a forefoot region of the sole; a plurality of convex shapes including the second ridge and the third ridge disposed along a medial side end or a lateral side end from a vicinity of a toe to a vicinity of a heel; and a plurality of convex shapes including the first ridge formed from the vicinity of the toe to the vicinity of the heel in a position along a middle in the width direction of the bottom surface of the sole, a number of the plurality of convex shapes disposed in the position along the middle in the width direction of the bottom surface of the sole is larger than a number of convex shapes disposed on the medial side end or the lateral side end of the bottom surface of the sole.

11 . A shoe, comprising:
an upper configured to accommodate a foot of a wearer; and the sole including the sole structure according to claim 1 , the upper attached to the sole.

12 . The sole structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the pair of rearfoot ridges contact a ground surface in a no-load state, and the boundary ridge does not contact the ground surface in the no-load state.

13 . The sole structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the pair of rearfoot ridges contact a ground surface in a no-load state, and the rear end ridge does not contact the ground surface in the no-load state.

14 . A sole structure of a sole of a shoe, comprising:
a rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion including a vertex region in a bottom surface of the sole in a rearfoot region, the vertex region including a substantially flat surface in a longitudinal direction and an upward convex curvilinear shape in a width direction at a highest position within the bottom surface of the sole in the rearfoot region and configured to be positioned at a position corresponding to a center of a heel of a wearer such that center of pressure of the wearer overlaps with the center of the heel; and a first ridge projecting downwardly and disposed between the bottom surface at the rearfoot region and the bottom surface at a midfoot region of the sole, the sole including a thinner portion adjacent to a toe side of the first ridge, the sole including a roll-up portion along a circumferential edge of the sole, the roll-up portion extending upward, and a height of the roll-up portion near the thinner portion is being higher than the height of the roll-up portion in other areas.

15 . A sole structure of a sole of a shoe, comprising:
a rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion including a vertex region disposed in a bottom surface at a rearfoot region of the sole; and a fourth ridge including a pair of rearfoot ridges, a boundary ridge and a rear end ridge that form a continuous ridge within the rearfoot region that is disposed to surround an entire circumference of the rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion and projecting downwardly to create a crater shape around the rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion, the pair of rearfoot ridges disposed on opposite sides of the vertex region in a width direction and contacting a ground surface in a no-load state, the boundary ridge formed at a boundary between a midfoot region and the rearfoot region on a front longitudinal side of the vertex region, the rear end ridge disposed on a rear longitudinal side of the vertex region, and at least one of the boundary ridge or the rear end ridge does not contact the ground surface in the no-load state, the vertex region including an upward convex curvilinear shape at a highest position within the bottom surface of the sole in the bottom surface at the rearfoot region and configured to be positioned at a position corresponding to a center of a heel of a wearer.

16 . The sole structure according to claim 15 , wherein the fourth ridge and the rearfoot-side concave-shaped portion are continuous such that each of a base of a cross section in the width direction that passes through the position

Assignees

• Asics Corp

Inventors

• Takashima Shingo
• Taniguchi Norihiko
• Kozuka Yuya
• HATANO Genki
• Abe Satoru
• Sakaguchi Masanori
• Maejima Hisashi
• Yano Seiji
• Ueda Takayuki
• YAGYU Katsunori

Classifications

• A43B13/145 Primary

  Convex portions, e.g. with a bump or projection, e.g. 'Masai' type shoes · CPC title

• A43B7/144

  situated under the heel, i.e. the calcaneus bone · CPC title

• A43B7/1435

  situated under the joint between the fifth phalange and the fifth metatarsal bone · CPC title

• A43B7/1425

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

• A43B7/145

  situated under the toes, i.e. the phalanges · CPC title