Sole assembly for article of footwear

Abstract

A sole assembly for an article of footwear having a midsole defining a sidewall channel in the forefoot and a sidewall channel in the heel. The forefoot and heel channels terminate at the arch. The sole assembly includes a plate disposed below the midsole. The plate may include an arch portion, forefoot legs extending along the medial and lateral sides of the forefoot and heel legs extending along the medial and lateral sides of the heel. The medial forefoot leg may extend almost the full length of the forefoot. The lateral forefoot leg may extend about half-way through the forefoot. The lateral heel leg may extend almost the full length of the heel. The medial heel leg may extend about half-way through the heel. The sole assembly may include an outsole with slots in the heel and forefoot. The slots may terminate short of the peripheral edge.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to footwear, and more particularly to a sole assembly for an article of footwear.[0002]A typical article of footwear includes an upper and a sole assembly. The general function of the upper is to receive the wearer's foot and secure it to the sole assembly. Uppers are available in a wide variety of shapes and style for forming a broad range of categories of footwear, such as casual shoes, dress shoes, athletic shoes, work boots, dress boots, outdoor boots, casual sandals, dress sandals and performance sandals. The sole assembly is affixed to the undersurface of the upper and its general function is to provide a layer of protection for the wearer's foot. The sole assembly can be designed not only to protect the foot from contact with the ground, but also to provide improved comfort and support for the foot.[0003]There is an ongoing effort to develop new and improved sole constructions that provide optimal performance acro...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a shoe with a midsole that has channels in the forefoot and heel to enhance compression. A plate is also included with forefoot and heel legs to provide support and store energy with each stride. The shoe has an outsole with longitudinally-extending channels in the heel and forefoot to provide enhanced independence between the legs of the plate. The midsole channels and plate design improve durability, comfort, and energy-return while the outsole assembly provides optimal support and energy return for a typical gait. The shoe also includes an angled end section in the heel to improve support for forces applied towards the rear, center of the heel during heel strike.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional plate constructions can suffer from a number of typical problems.

Because plates are relatively rigid, it can be difficult to develop a sole assembly with a plate that provides adequate support while remaining comfortable for day to day use.

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