Sole structure for a running shoe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9775403-B2
Application number	US-201313839306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A sole structure for a running shoe is presented having an outsole and a midsole. The sole structure includes a plurality of hollow elements, which are closed off in each case by front flanks and rear flanks, and have spaced-apart upper inner surfaces and lower inner surfaces, that forces to which the hollow elements are subjected when the runner is running are absorbed by these hollow elements in each case with deformation, with the spacing between their inner surfaces decreasing in the process. The upper inner surfaces of the hollow elements are formed on the underside of the midsole, that the lower inner surfaces of the hollow elements are formed on the upper side of the outsole, which is fastened on the underside of the midsole in each case in front of, and behind, the hollow elements, the front flanks and the rear flanks likewise forming part of the outsole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sole structure for a running shoe, comprising:
an outsole and a midsole, the outsole and the midsole made from different types of material and the outsole and the midsole joined to one another, and
a plurality of hollow elements, which are closed off in each case by a front flank and a rear flank, in the longitudinal direction of the sole structure, but are open laterally and each of the plurality of hollow elements have an upper inner surface and a lower inner surface, each upper inner surface and each lower inner surface of each of the plurality of hollow elements being spaced-apart and extending between each respective front flank and each respective rear flank,
wherein each one of the plurality of hollow elements, which are configured to be subjected to forces generated during exercise when the runner is running, is configured to absorb the forces by being elastically deformed, such that the spacing between the respective upper inner surface and the respective lower inner surface decreases and horizontal displacement of the respective upper inner surface in relation to the respective lower inner surface occurs, and
wherein each one of the plurality of hollow elements is configured to be capable, under the effect of said forces, of deforming to such a pronounced extent that the respective upper inner surface comes into contact with the respective lower inner surface, thereby preventing horizontal displacement of said upper inner surface in relation to said respective lower inner surface,
wherein the upper inner surfaces of the plurality of hollow elements are formed on an underside of the midsole,
wherein the lower inner surfaces of the plurality of hollow elements are formed on an upper side of the outsole, which is joined to the underside of the midsole in each case in front of, and behind, the plurality of hollow elements, the front flanks and the rear flanks likewise forming part of the outsole, and
wherein only the outsole is deformed when the upper inner surfaces and the respective lower inner surfaces of the plurality of hollow elements are in contact with each other.

2. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein only the front flanks and rear flanks of the plurality of hollow elements are deformed when the upper inner surfaces and the respective lower inner surfaces are in contact with each other.

3. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the midsole is designed to project downward in the region of each respective hollow element.

4. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upper inner surfaces and the lower inner surfaces of the plurality of hollow elements are each provided with transverse ribs which, when the inner surfaces are in contact with one another, engage with an adjacent transverse rib and thereby preventing horizontal displacement of the inner surfaces in relation to one another, wherein the sole has a forefoot region and a heel region, each with at least one of the plurality of hollow elements, and wherein the transverse ribs of the at least one hollow element in the forefoot region are smaller, and more numerous, than the transverse ribs of the at least one hollow element in the heel region.

5. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the upper inner surfaces has an average roughness depth (Rz) of 250-500 μm at least over part of a surface area of the at least one upper inner surface.

6. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the front flank and the rear flank of at least of one of the plurality of hollow elements have different thicknesses than one another.

7. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sole has a forefoot region and a heel region, each with at least one hollow element of the plurality of hollow elements, and wherein the front flank of the at least one hollow element in the forefoot region is thinner than the rear flank of said at least one hollow element, and wherein the front flank of the at least one hollow element in the heel region is thicker than the rear flank of said at least one hollow element.

8. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a shape of the cross section of at least one of the plurality of hollow elements changes in the transverse direction of the sole.

9. The sole as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the outsole is designed in more than one individual part, wherein the individual parts each help merely to form the plurality of hollow elements arranged one behind another in the longitudinal direction of the sole.

10. The sole as claimed in claim 9 , wherein at least two transversely adjacent parts of the outsole are provided with a first number of hollow elements and a second number of hollow elements, and wherein the first number is different from the second number.

11. A sole structure for a running shoe comprising:
a midsole having an underside;
an outsole having an upper side coupled to the underside of the midsole, the outsole forming a plurality of front flanks and rear flanks,
the underside of the midsole forming plurality of upper inner surfaces at respective locations corresponding to the plurality of the front flanks and rear flanks, and the outsole having a plurality of lower inner surfaces respectively corresponding to the plurality of upper inner surfaces, so that the plurality of front flanks, rear flanks, lower inner surfaces, and upper inner surfaces form a plurality of hollow elements,
wherein the plurality of hollow elements is configured to elastically deform when the sole structure is subjected to forces generated during exercise, and wherein each hollow element is closed in the longitudinal direction of the sole structure by a respective front flank and a respective rear flank and each hollow element is open in the lateral direction of the sole structure; and
wherein each hollow element has an undeformed configuration and a deformed configuration, wherein in the undeformed configuration, the upper inner surfaces are spaced apart from the respective lower inner surfaces, and wherein in the deformed configuration, the front flanks and rear flanks are deformed so as to cause the lower inner surfaces to come into contact with respective ones of the upper inner surfaces, and
wherein in the deformed configuration, at least one of the plurality of hollow elements is configured to deform horizontally so that the lower inner surface and the upper inner surface of the at least one hollow element move relative to one another and once the lower inner surface and the upper inner surface are in contact, the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface are configured to prevent horizontal displacement relative to one another.

12. The sole structure according to claim 11 , wherein the sole structure is configured such that the elastic deformation causes the upper inner surface and the respective lower inner surface of at least one hollow element to move closer to each other and causes horizontal displacement of the upper inner surface and the respective lower inner surface in relation to one another.

13. The sole structure according to claim 11 , wherein the midsole is configured to project downward in the region of the plurality of hollow elements.

14. The sole structure according to claim 11 ,
wherein the sole structure comprises a forefoot region and a heel region, each with at least one hollow element of the plurality of hollow elements;
wherein the upper inner surfaces and lower inner surfaces each further comprise transverse ribs, wherein each transverse rib is configured to engage an adjacent transverse rib, such that a peak of one rib is received in a valley of an adjacent rib, when the upper inner surface and the lo

Assignees

• On Clouds Gmbh

Inventors

• Bernhard Olivier
• Heitz Ilmarin

Classifications

• A43B13/181 Primary

  Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole · CPC title

• A43B13/16

  Pieced soles (with several layers of different material A43B13/12) · CPC title