Article of footwear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9943134-B2
Application number	US-201213693596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2012
Priority date	Dec 4, 2012
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

An article of footwear may include an upper and an outsole bonded to the upper. The outsole may include multiple discrete lugs distributed across a bottom exterior surface of the outsole. The article may further include a compressible foam midsole contained within the upper. The midsole may be non-destructively removable from the upper.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article of footwear, comprising:
an upper, the upper including a lasting element;
an outsole formed of a synthetic rubber material bonded directly to an exterior face of the lasting element, wherein the outsole comprises multiple discrete lugs distributed across a bottom exterior surface of the outsole in forefoot, midfoot, and heel regions of the outsole, each of the lugs having a largest width of approximately 0.4 inches or less, each of the lugs separated from adjacent lugs by a gap region, and the outsole having a thickness of between about 0.5 millimeters and about 0.8 millimeters in the gap regions; and
a compressible foam midsole contained within the upper, the midsole being non-destructively removable from the upper and resting on the lasting element, wherein a bottom of the midsole comprises a plurality of longitudinal sipes and a plurality of transverse sipes formed therein, wherein at least one of the longitudinal sipes includes portions in forefoot, midfoot, and heel regions of the midsole, wherein the transverse sipes include a plurality of transverse sipes in the heel region of the midsole and a plurality of transverse sipes in the midfoot region of the midsole, wherein a top surface of the midsole is configured to receive a plantar face of a foot of a wearer and includes a plurality of raised regions distributed over the top surface, wherein the raised regions are separated by channels, wherein the raised regions have heights relative to surrounding channels of approximately 1 millimeter, wherein the midsole comprises a raised edge that surrounds the top surface and that includes heel raised edge portions, midfoot raised edge portions, and forefoot raised edge portions, and wherein the heel raised edge portions and the midfoot raised edge portions are higher than the forefoot raised edge portions.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the lugs and the raised regions are sized such that an average of a cross sectional area of the lugs is within a range of 20% to 500% of an average cross sectional area of the raised regions.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the top surface of the midsole is configured to form a footbed and lacks a top cloth.

4. The article of footwear of claim 3 , wherein the top surface lacks a liner.

5. The article of footwear of claim 4 , wherein the top surface consists essentially of exposed foam material from which the midsole is formed.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the midsole comprises an articulated portion comprising the sipes and a spanning portion above the sipes, and wherein the spanning portion has a thickness of approximately 3 millimeters in a footbed region.

7. The article of footwear of claim 6 , wherein the lugs and the raised regions are sized such that an average of a cross sectional area of the outsole lugs is within a range of 20% to 500% of an average cross sectional area of the raised regions.

8. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein the midsole rests directly on an interior surface of the lasting element.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the midsole in a region configured to receive a receive a forefoot portion of a wearer foot has a thickness between about 3 and about 6 millimeters.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the midsole rests directly on an interior surface of the lasting element.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the midsole comprises a U-shaped heel reinforcement positioned on a lower outer portion of the heel region of the midsole, wherein the heel reinforcement is formed from a foam that is denser and less compressible than the compressible foam forming other portions of the midsole.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the compressible foam of the midsole comprises compressed ethylene vinyl acetate foam.

13. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the compressed ethylene vinyl acetate foam has an expansion ratio of at least 189% and not more than 191%, an Asker C hardness value of at least 36 and not more than 40, a specific gravity of at least 0.1 gr/cc and not more than 0.12 gr/cc, a split tear strength of at least 1.2 kg/cm, a compression set of not more than 60%, a tensile strength of at least 14 kg/cm 3 , an elongation of at least 250%, a tear strength of at least 7 kg/cm, a shrinkage of not more than 2%, and a resiliency of at least 45%.

14. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the midsole comprises a U-shaped heel reinforcement positioned on a lower outer portion of the heel region of the midsole, wherein the heel reinforcement is formed from a foam that is denser and less compressible than the compressible foam forming other portions of the midsole.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Holmes Matt
• Avar Eric P
• Lee Jeongwoo
• Ho Fanny
• Klug Bryant

Classifications

• A43B13/125 Primary

  characterised by the midsole or middle layer · CPC title

• A43B13/36

  Easily-exchangeable soles (protecting-soles A43C13/12) · CPC title

• A43B17/02

  wedge-like or resilient · CPC title

• A43B13/226

  the profile being made in the foot facing surface · CPC title

• A43B13/141

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