Cushioning sole for shoe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9402440-B2
Application number	US-201314075298-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2013
Priority date	Jul 9, 2010
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A sole in accordance with the present invention may include a sole for attachment to an outside of a shoe. Moreover, a sole of the present invention may include a sole for insertion within an inner cavity formed by an upper of a shoe. In exemplary aspects the sole includes a base and a plurality of protrusions projecting from the base and integrally constructed with the base. Protrusions may include a side extending at an angle from the base. In addition, protrusions may include a side extending near perpendicular from the base. A plurality of protrusions may be arranged at ball portions of the sole. In addition, a plurality of protrusions may be arranged at a heel portion of the sole.

First claim

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A sole for cushioning a wearer's foot from impact, the sole comprising:
(a) a base portion extending across at least the heel of the wearer's foot and the ball of the wearer's foot in an as-worn position, the base portion extending in a substantially planar fashion and having a first surface and a second surface;
(b) a first plurality of concentrically arranged portions extending from at least one of the first surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion, the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions being substantially centered on the heel of the wearer's foot in an as-worn position, each concentrically arranged portion of the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions comprising:
(i) an angled side extending at an angle from the base to a first terminal edge,
(ii) a perpendicular side extending at a near perpendicular angle from the base to a second terminal edge, and
(iii) a contact side extending between the first terminal edge of the angled side and the second terminal edge of the perpendicular side; and
(c) a second plurality of concentrically arranged portions extending from at least one of the first surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion, the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions being positioned along the balls of the wearer's foot in an as-worn position, each concentrically arranged portion of the second plurality of concentric ring portions comprising:
(i) an angled side extending at an angle from the base to a first terminal edge,
(ii) a perpendicular side extending at a near perpendicular angle from the base to a second terminal edge, and
(iii) a contact side extending between the first terminal edge of the angled side and the second terminal edge of the perpendicular side, and
wherein the first terminal edge and the second terminal edge of one of the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions are positioned closer together at a first side of the sole than at a second side of the sole, whereby the contact side at the first side is narrower than at the second side and wherein the first side of the sole is opposite the second side of the sole.

2. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein, in an as-worn position, the first surface of the base portion comprises a top surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion comprises a bottom surface of the base, the top surface being more proximate to the wearer's foot than the bottom surface in an as-worn position, wherein both the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions extend from the top surface of the base portion.

3. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein, in an as-worn position, the first surface of the base portion comprises a top surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion comprises a bottom surface of the base, the top surface being more proximate to the wearer's foot than the bottom surface in an as-worn position, wherein both the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions extend from the bottom surface of the base portion.

4. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein, in an as-worn position, the first surface of the base portion comprises a top surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion comprises a bottom surface of the base, the top surface being more proximate to the wearer's foot than the bottom surface in an as-worn position, wherein the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions extends from the top surface of the base portion and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions extends from the bottom surface of the base portion.

5. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein, in an as-worn position, the first surface of the base portion comprises a top surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion comprises a bottom surface of the base, the top surface being more proximate to the wearer's foot than the bottom surface in an as-worn position, wherein the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions extends from the bottom surface of the base portion and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions extends from the top surface of the base portion.

6. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein the base attaches to a midsole of a shoe.

7. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein the sole is positioned both inside an upper portion of a shoe and above a midsole portion of a shoe.

8. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein the sole is constructed of at least one material selected from a group of materials comprising polyeurothane, phylon, EVA, and rubber.

9. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions are elliptical.

10. The sole of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions comprise one or more circles.

11. The sole of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions is truncated.

12. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein, in an as-worn position, the first surface of the base portion comprises a top surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion comprises a bottom surface of the base, the top surface being more proximate to the wearer's foot than the bottom surface in an as-worn position; wherein both the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions extend from the bottom surface of the base portion; wherein the sole further comprises a third plurality of concentrically arranged portions and a fourth plurality of concentrically arranged portions; and wherein the third plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the fourth plurality of concentrically arranged portions extend from the top surface of the base portion.

13. The sole for cushioning of claim 1 , wherein, in an as-worn position, the first surface of the base portion comprises a top surface of the base portion and the second surface of the base portion comprises a bottom surface of the base, the top surface being more proximate to the wearer's foot than the bottom surface in an as-worn position; wherein both the first plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the second plurality of concentrically arranged portions extend from the top surface of the base portion; wherein the sole further comprises a third plurality of concentrically arranged portions and a fourth plurality of concentrically arranged portions; and wherein the third plurality of concentrically arranged portions and the fourth plurality of concentrically arranged portions extend from the bottom surface of the base portion.

14. A shoe sole that extends in a substantially planar fashion in an as-worn position on a foot having an inner side, an outer side, a ball, and a heel, the shoe sole comprising:
(a) a base for attachment to a bottom of a shoe; and
(b) a plurality of protrusions projecting from the base and integrally constructed with the base, wherein each of the plurality of protrusions comprises:
(i) an angled side extending at an angle from the base between a first connecting edge and a first terminal

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Diepenbrock James E

Classifications

• A43B3/0042

  with circular or circle shaped parts · CPC title

• A43B17/00

  Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined · CPC title

• A43B13/186

  Differential cushioning region, e.g. cushioning located under the ball of the foot (resilient heel not included in the sole A43B21/26; resilient supports for the heel of the foot A43B21/32) · CPC title

• A43B7/144 Primary

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

• A43B13/181 Primary

  Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole · CPC title