Articulated sole structure with sipes forming hexagonal sole elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9648924-B2
Application number	US-201314077987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2013
Priority date	Nov 12, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A footwear sole structure may include a plurality of discrete hexagonally-shaped sole elements defined by a plurality of sipes. The sipes may include a plurality of sipes that extend in a transverse direction across the sole structure and a plurality of sipes that extend in an oblique direction relative to the transverse sipes. A plurality of sipes may also subdivide the hexagonally-shaped sole elements into one or more diamond-shaped sole element portions. The sole structure may include additional features such as non-hexagonal sole elements and lugs distributed across a bottom surface of the sole structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An articulated sole structure comprising:
a footwear sole structure spanning portion extending longitudinally along the length of the sole structure and transversely between the medial and lateral sides of the sole structure;
an articulated portion located below the spanning portion and comprising:
a plurality of sipes extending upward into the articulated portion from a bottom surface of the articulated portion and forming a hexagonal pattern on the bottom surface of the articulated portion,
a plurality of discrete hexagonally-shaped sole elements extending downward from the spanning portion, wherein individual hexagonally-shaped sole elements are at least partially defined by one or more sipes of the plurality of sipes, and
a plurality of hexagonal lugs, one of the hexagonal lugs being connected to and extending downward from a bottom surface of one of the discrete hexagonally-shaped sole elements, the hexagonal lug being oriented such that an edge of the hexagonal lug is disposed toward a forefoot region of the sole structure and extends in a transverse direction across the sole structure; and a curved sipe extending sideward into one of the medial or lateral sides of the articulated sole structure, the curved sipe being located at least partially above the articulated portion and extending continuously along one of the medial or lateral sides of the articulated sole structure through at least a portion of a heel region, through a midfoot region, and through at least a portion of a forefoot region of the articulated sole structure;

wherein one or more first sipes of the plurality of sipes located in the forefoot region and one or more second sipes of the plurality of sipes located in a heel region of the sole structure are deeper relative to one or more third sipes of the plurality of sipes located in the forefoot region of the sole structure.

2. The articulated sole structure of claim 1 wherein:
one of the hexagonally-shaped sole elements comprises a plurality of radial sipes extending upward into the articulated portion from the bottom surface of the articulated portion; and
individual radial sipes of the plurality of radial sipes extend from respective vertices of the hexagonally-shaped sole element toward a center of the hexagonally-shaped sole element such that the plurality of radial sipes subdivide the hexagonally-shaped sole element into at least one diamond-shaped sole element portion.

3. The sole structure of claim 2 wherein the plurality of radial sipes includes three radial sipes that subdivide the hexagonally-shaped sole element into a total of three diamond-shaped sole element portions.

4. The sole structure of claim 1 wherein:
individual hexagonal lugs of the plurality of hexagonal lugs have an edge-to-edge diameter of about 11 mm to about 13 mm; and
individual hexagonal lugs of the plurality of hexagonal lugs have a height of about 1 mm to about 3 mm.

5. The sole structure of claim 1 wherein one of the hexagonally-shaped sole elements includes sides that are about the same length such that the hexagonally-shaped sole element resembles a regular hexagon.

6. The sole structure of claim 5 wherein at least one of the plurality of hexagonally-shaped sole elements has an edge-to-edge diameter of about 18 mm to about 20 mm.

7. The sole structure of claim 1 wherein:
one or more of the third sipes located in the forefoot region near a forward end of the forefoot region of the sole structure have a sipe depth of about 2 mm to about 3 mm;
one or more of the first sipes located in the forefoot region near a rear end of the forefoot region of the sole structure have a sipe depth of about 7 mm to about 8 mm;
one or more fourth sipes of the plurality of sipes located in a midfoot region of the sole structure have a sipe depth of about 7 mm to about 10 mm; and
one or more of the second sipes located in a heel region of the sole structure have a sipe depth of about 10 mm.

8. The sole structure of claim 7 further comprising at least one outsole element covering a portion of the articulated portion.

9. The articulated sole structure of claim 1 further comprising:
a plurality of lateral sipes extending upward into the articulated portion from a bottom surface of the articulated portion and extending in a transverse direction from the lateral side toward the medial side of the articulated portion; and
a plurality of medial sipes extending upward into the articulated portion from the bottom surface of the articulated portion and extending in a transverse direction from the medial side toward the lateral side of the articulated portion.

10. The articulated sole structure of claim 9 further comprising:
at least one mediolateral sipe located in a forefoot region of the articulated portion and extending across the entire width of the of the articulated portion in a transverse direction from a medial edge of the articulated portion to a lateral edge of the articulated portion; and
wherein the at least one mediolateral sipe bisects at least one of the hexagonally-shaped sole elements.

11. The articulated sole structure of claim 10 wherein:
the mediolateral sipe is one of three mediolateral sipes located in the forefoot region of the articulated portion; and
the three mediolateral sipes are substantially parallel to each other.

12. The articulated sole structure of claim 1 wherein the curved sipe comprises:
a first plurality of vertices positioned proximate a top edge of the articulated portion; and
a second plurality of vertices positioned away from the top edge of the articulated portion and adjacent to individual sipes extending upward into the articulated portion from the bottom surface of the articulated portion.

13. An articulated sole structure comprising:
an upper;
a footwear sole structure attached to the upper comprising a spanning portion extending longitudinally along the length of the sole structure and transversely between the medial and lateral sides of the sole structure and an articulated portion located below the spanning portion;
a curved sipe extending sideward into one of the medial or lateral sides of the sole structure and extending continuously along one of the medial or lateral sides of the sole structure through at least a portion of a heel region, through a midfoot region, and through at least a portion of a forefoot region of the articulated sole structure; a plurality of sipes extending upward into the articulated portion from a bottom surface of the articulated portion and forming a hexagonal pattern on the bottom surface of the articulated portion; and a plurality of discrete sole elements extending downward from the spanning portion, individual sole elements being at least partially defined by one or more sipes of the plurality of sipes and each of the plurality of discrete sole elements having a hexagonal shape;
wherein the curved sipe permits the spanning portion to separate from the articulated portion in response to tension on the upper; and
wherein the curved sipe forms opposing contoured surfaces in the sole structure that abut against each other in response to twisting of the sole structure and resist the twisting of the sole structure.

14. The articulated sole structure of claim 13 wherein the curved sipe is a first curved sipe that extends sideward into the lateral side of the articulated sole structure and further comprising a second curved sipe that extends sideward into the medial side of the articulated sole structure and continuously along the medial side of the sole structure through at least a portion of the heel region, through the

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Hull Zachary E
• Truax John A
• Dolan Robert W
• Miner Mark C
• Martin Angela N
• Williams Jr Robert C
• Dimoff Carrie
• Hadiati Jekti
• Banich Howard

Classifications

• A43B13/14 Primary

  characterised by the constructive form · CPC title

• A43B13/146

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

• A43B13/122

  characterised by the outsole or external layer · CPC title

• A43B13/141 Primary

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

• A43B13/04

  Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre · CPC title