Footwear with adaptive sole support

Abstract

A footwear with adaptive sole supports is disclosed. In an example, the footwear includes at least an upper member and a sole member attached to the upper member to define a cavity for housing a foot. The sole member may be configured with variable stiffness to at least one sole section(s) of the sole member to absorb compressive forces via at least one adjustable spring member(s) that are disposed beneath the at least one sole section(s).

Description

FOOTWEAR WITH ADAPTIVE SOLE SUPPORTCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This U. S. Application claims the benefit and priority to the U. S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 713,084, titled “FOOTWEAR WITH ADAPTIVE SOLE SUPPORT”, filed on October 29, 2024, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[0002] The present application relates to various components which form a footwear with one or more adaptive sole support sections for adaptive foot comfort.BACKGROUND

[0003] Footwear construction addresses comfort, light weight, and fatigue relief. Footwear with inadequate support or cushioning may lead to ankle sprains (ligament and tendon strains), plantar fasciitis (arch pain caused by inflammation of tissues from the heel to the ball of the foot), or even foot injuries such as metatarsal bone fractures. People who have flatten arch or people of heavy weight may have difficulties finding shoes that are tailored to their comfort, In brief, comfortable shoes play a big role in enabling people to stand longer, walk and run farther.SUMMARY

[0004] According to some aspects, there is provided the subject mater of the independent claims. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. Same further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. Other features of the present disclosure may become easily comprehensible through the following description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the claims, are incorporated in, and constitute a part of this specification. The detailed description and illustrated embodiments described serve to explain the principles definedby the claims,

[0006] FIGs. 1A to 1D illustrate various examples of a footwear design.

[0007] FIGs. 2A to 2C illustrate various spring members used in the sole article.

[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates an anatomy of a foot.

[0009] The foregoing represents only some preferred embodiments of the present disclosures and they may not be construed to limit the present disclosure in any way. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that equivalent embodiments may be created via alterations or modifications without departing from the scope of the technical solutions presented.

[0010] Additional disclosure of the invention is provided through drawings, claims and the additional description filed along with this application. Similar features may be referenced back to the prior descriptions in a prior numbered drawing or referenced ahead to a higher numbered drawing,DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] As used herein, the term “footwear” (100) may refer to any protective measure designed to provide foot comfort and prevent foot injuries, whether to human or to an animal. For human use, the footwear may refer to any one of: sneakers, walking shoes, sandals, track shoes, basketball shoes, tennis shoes, jogging shoes, ballroom dance shoes, ballerina shoes, hiking boots, casual footwear, slippers, flip-flops, clogs, slip-on shoes, foam resin clogs, moccasin style shoes, toddler shoes, snow boots, ski boots, rainboots, combat boots, orthopedic prescription footwear, prosthetic limbs, to name a few. For animal use, the footwear may refer to dog footwears, paw boots, and horse hoof footwear horseshoe inserts,

[0012] The term “spring member” may refer to any resilient device that stores, dampens or absorbs mechanical energy when compressed or stretched in an opposite of application, and the stored energy may be released in the opposite direction to generate a force to cause an opposite movement, which may be an upward or forward movement.

[0013] The term “stiffness” in mechanical engineering may refer to an ability of materialor structure to resist deformation when subjected to an applied force. The term “variable stiffness” may refer to an ability of material or structure to resist deformation due to an applied force that varies in strength, direction er location.

[0014] The term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-loT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a sensor (180) and a terminal device (190) between a sensor (180) and a network device (196), or between a terminal device (190) and a network device (196) in the communication network (198), may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the fourth generation (4G). 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G). 5.5G, the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.[00 S] As used herein, the term “network device” (196) refers to a node in a communication network (198) via which a terminal device (190) accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device (198) may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In some example embodiments, radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at an IAB donor node.

[0016] The term “terminal device” (190) refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device (190) may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, "communication device”, "terminal”, “user equipment”, “user terminal” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0017] The term “sensor” may include a sensor (180) with circuitry that monitors pressure sensing. In addition, the circuitry of the sensor (180) may further be integrated with or coupled with a transmitter (182) with antenna circuitry capable of wirelessly communicating measured data a user terminal (190), a network device (196) or to a network (198). In an example, the sensor (180) with the transmitter (182) may include an internet of things (loT) device that consumes ultralow power, with a rechargeable circuit that includes at least a transducer circuit (e.g., a piezoelectric transducer or a load cell or) that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy to enable wireless communication or to power other devices. In an example, the sensor (180) with a transmitter (182) may possess Reduced Capability (RedCap) functions configured to periodically communicate (e.g., via sidelink) wirelessly at least a portion of compression data of the respective sole section(s) (122, 124, 126), or even to transmit a portion of geolocation data to a cellularnetwork (198) through a user terminal (190) or a network device (196).

[0018] FIGs. 1A to 1D illustrate various examples of a footwear (100) design. In an example, the footwear (100) illustrated may be a sneaker that includes at least an upper member (110) and a sole member (120) attached to the upper member (110) to define a cavity (125) for housing a foot (150). The sole member (120) may be configured with variable stiffness to at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sole member (120) to absorb compressive forces via at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) that are disposed beneath the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126),

[0019] In an example, the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sole member (120) may include at least: a heel region (122); an arch region (124); and a ball region (126). The sole member (120) may further include a sole cushion (130) of defined thickness disposed over the spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) for foot comfort.

[0020] In an example of the footwear (100), the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) may support the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126), and the at least one adjustable spring member(s) may be embedded within the sole member (120) or formed as an integral part of the sole cushions (130a to 130d) at the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sole member (120).

[0021] In another example of the footwear (100), the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) may be permanently embedded, or configured to be removable, replaceable or accessible through one or more side opening(s) (122b, 124b, 126b) of the sole member (120). The one or more side opening(s) (122b, 124b, 126b) may be existing molded openings of the sole member (120) for insertion of the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c).

[0022] In another example of the footwear (100), the at least one of adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) may be configured with at least one or a combination of features including: a tubular structure comprising a geometric shape of at least one of: a hexagonal shape, an oval shape or circular shape, a comb shape. In another example, the construction of the adjustable spring member (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) may be one or a combination of a springboard or a coil spring design; or the region may beencapsulated as an air bubble or filled with a compressible gel, such as silicone. There is no limitation on the geometric shape or the construction of the adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) to be used at the heel region (122), the arch region (124) or the ball region (126).

[0023] FIGs. 2A to 2C illustrate some suggested geometric shapes or construction of some of the adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c). In an example, the spring member (122a) at the heel region (122) (a region of the foot (150) with the most compressed force applied to the footwear (100) by weight), may be constructed of a hexagonal or a comb tubular structure, which is a well-known light weight structure to efficiently and evenly distribute stress, while maintaining a high strength with minimized material usage.

[0024] In an example, the spring member (124a) at the arch region (124) (a region of the foot (150) with soft tissues that suffer plantar fasciitis), which needs support when transferring the weight of the body from the heel to the toes in walking, running or toe lifting, may be constructed of an oval tubular structure, which is shaped to adapt to the arch to absorb the compressed force during weight transfer, and to release the stored energy due to compression to lift the heel or to transfer the body weight forward to facilitate forward propulsion movement when walking, running or toe lifting.

[0025] In an example, the spring member (126a) at the ball region (126), a region of the foot (150) which needs a lightweight and tensile spring to absorb a downward compressive force when stopping or jumping, or to propel forward or with an upward movement when the weight of the body is transferred to the toes in walking, running, jumping or toe lifting; may be constructed of an hexagonal or comb tubular structure, which is a well-known light weight structure to efficiently and evenly distribute stress, while maintaining a high strength with minimized material usage. Alternately, the spring member (126c) at the ball region (126) may be a springboard or a coil spring design. Yet in another example, the heel (122) or the ball (126) region may be embedded with an encapsulated gas filled bubble, or gel filled to absorb the compressive force.

[0026] In another example of the footwear (100), each of the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) may be configured with: a respectiveconfigurable compressive index value that is proportional to weight or compressive force; or successive compression index values from a heel region (122) to a ball region (126) in a descending order or in an ascending order to propel forward or upward when walking, running or bouncing. More specifically, the compressive index value may be a pressure measurement that is correlated with a weight or a time duration of applied pressure to simulate activities, such as walking, running, jumping, toe lifting, or standing, to name a few, The significance of the one or more compressive index values may be tailored to or selected to configure the footwear (100) for various athletic activities or sports, such as basket ball shoes, track shoes for sprinting, marathon race, track shoes for high jump, long jump, tennis shoes, jogging shoes, or even in the ballerina shoes wherein the spring members may assist jumps and toe lift movements with arch support, to name a few.

[0027] In another example of the footwear (100), the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are constructed of materials comprising one or a combination of: carbon nanotube; graphene; rubber; elastomers; composites; polymer foam; silicone; plastic; metal, alloy; or recycled materials.

[0028] In another example, the footwear (100) may be a smart footwear, configured to measure applied force or to communicate the measured applied force for display or for artificial intelligence (Al) training to tailor the one or more compressive index values to tailor or to configure the footwear (100) for the comfort of the wearer or for the sport activities. For example, the footwear (100) may further include one or both of: one or more sensor (180) and a transmitter (182) embedded beneath one or more of the spring members (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) in the sole member (120) to perform at least one of: measuring at least a portion of compressive forces applied onto the at least one of the respective sections (122, 124, 126); or converting mechanical energy into electrical energy to enable wireless communication or to power other devices (e.g., via RF coupling or induction).

[0029] In another example, the wireless communication may be configured to communicate (192) the at least a portion of one or both of: the measured compressive forces of the at least one of the respective sections (122, 124, 126), or a portion of geolocation data of the user to one or more of: a user terminal (190) or to a network node(196, 198) for display, storage, analysis or artificial intelligence (Al) training.

[0030] In another example of the footwear (100), the communicated measured portion of compressive force applied to the at least one of the respective sections (122, 124, 126) are analyzed and used as feedback to train a database (194) to perform one or more of: configuring a subsequent set of the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a) to match to compressive index values (stiffness, damping factor, recoil strength, etc,) specific for a wearer; configuring respective compression index values for the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) to customize the footwear (100) for a wearer; or establishing metrics to correlate with wearer’s age, weight, height and shoe size for optimal selection of the spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a) in the footwear (100) through the artificial intelligence (Al) or training through machine learning (ML). The scope of Al or ML is beyond the scope of the footwear design, and therefore will not be discussed. In brief, the transmitted measured data at each of the one or more spring members (122a, 124a, 126a. 126c) may indicate the values which should be increased or decreased, or select a particular type of spring to provide an optimal responsiveness or strength of the spring to improve comfort and performance of the wearer for a specific sport activity. Such training may require feedback to train a model specific for a wearer based on his or her weight, height, shoe size and motion activities at various regions (122, 124, 126) of the foot (150) over a time duration. Based on the training, a particular type of spring member with a certain compressive index value for each region may be suggested through Al.

[0031] In another example of the footwear (100), the cavity (125) may include a wedge shaped (113) cushion lining (112) with ankle paddings (112a, 112b) shaped to conform to an Archilles ligament (153) of the foot (150) to provide support and comfort. Prolonged use of the foot in walking, running or jumping strains the Archilles ligament (153) which may cause inflammation. By shaping the ankle paddings (112a, 112b) of the cushion lining (112) to provide a wedge shape (113) to snug fit on both sides of the Archilles ligament (153) may reduce strains and provide more comfort.

[0032] In another example, the sole member (120) may be configured to a forward rolling shape to assist an upward lift of a heel region (118), or to propel forward movement.

[0033] In another example, the footwear (100) may be any one of: sneakers, walking shoes, sandals, track shoes, basketball shoes, tennis shoes, jogging shoes, hiking boots, ballroom dance shoes, ballerina shoes, casual footwear, slippers, flip-flops, dogs, slip-on shoes, foam resin clogs, moccasin style shoes, toddler shoes, snow boots, ski boots, rainboots, combat boots, orthopedic prescription footwear, prosthetic limbs, dog footwears, paw boots, and inserts between a horse hoof footwear or horseshoe inserts.

[0034] In another example, the footwear (100) may utilize three-dimensional (3D) printing to manufacture at least one or a combination of: at least a portion of the upper member (110); at least a portion of the sole member (120); and at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c).

[0035] In another example of the footwear (100), three-dimensional (3D) printing may be utilized in forming an integral structure for manufacturing of at least one or a combination of: the sole member (120) and the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c); the upper member (110), the sole member (120) and the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c).

[0036] Another example of the embodiment discloses a sole member (120) adaptable for use in a footwear (100), the sole member includes: a sole adapted to variable stiffness to at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sole member (120) to absorb a compressive forces via at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) that are disposed beneath the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126).

[0037] In another example of the sole member (120), the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are insertable, removable, replaceable or accessible through one or more existing side opening(s) (122b, 124b, 126b) of the sole member (120).

[0038] Another example of the embodiment discloses a method for configuring a sole member (120) in a footwear (100), the method may include at least: configuring the sole member (120), via at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) that are disposed beneath at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126), to absorb a respective predetermined applied compressive force. The at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sole member (120) comprise one or more of: a heel region (122);

[0039] an arch region (124); and a ball region (126).

[0040] In another example of the method, the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are insertable, removable, replaceable or accessible through one or more existing side opening(s) (122b, 124b, 126b) of the sole member (120). wherein the sole member (120) is configured with at least one sensor (180) and a transmitter (182) to perform one or more of: measuring at least a portion of compressive forces applied onto the at least one of the respective sections (122, 124, 126); or converting mechanical energy into electrical energy to enable wireless communication or to power other devices.

[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates an anatomy of a foot (150) for layman understanding, The foot (150) may include a heel region (122), an arch region (124), a ball region (126) with the phalanges or toes (158) at the extremity. The calcaneus is a bone at the heel region (122) that applies the most compression due to a downward force exerted from the talus (156) bone, which is connected to the tibia (159a) and fibula (159b) (lower leg portion). The cuboid is a bone at the arch region (124) that bridges the calcaneus and the metatarsal (155) through soft tissues, cartilage or collagens that may inflame and develop pain such as plantar fasciitis due to walking, standing, running or stepping. The metatarsal distributes the forces to the phalanges which keeps the body balance or to propel forward for movement. Fracture in the metatarsal (156) may occur if the arch region (124) is not properly supported or when severe repeated impacts are applied to the ball region (126) over time in rigorous sports activities or if the footwear is not properly cushioned.

[0042] The foregoing represents only some preferred embodiments of the present disclosures and they may not be construed to limit the present disclosure in any way. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that equivalent embodiments may be created via alterations or modifications without departing from the scape of the technical solutions presented.

[0043] The following legends may be referred to FIGs. 1 to 3:100 footwear 110 upper member112 ankle cushion 112a, 112b ankle padding118 bow shape sole 120 sole member121 sole region 122 heel region122a, 124a, 126a, 126c spring members122b, 124b, 126b side openings124 arch region 125 cavity126 ball region128a outer side 128b inner side130 sole cushion 130a to 130d sole cushion sections 150 foot 152 calcaneus153 Archilles ligament 154 cuboid155 talus 156 metatarsal157 sesamoid (ball) 158 phalanges159a tibia 159b fibula160 lace or shoe string 180 sensor182 transmitter 190 user terminal192 communication 194 database196. 198 network node

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A footwear (100), comprising:an upper member (110): anda sole member (120) attached to the upper member (110) to define a cavity (125) for housing a foot (150), wherein the sole member (120) is configured with variable stiffness to at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sole member (120) to absorb compressive forces via at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) that are disposed beneath the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126).

2. The footwear (100) of claim 2, wherein the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 136) comprise one or more of:a heel region (122);an arch region (124); anda ball region (126).

3. The footwear (100) of anyone of claims 1 to 2, wherein the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 1 6c) are embedded within the sole member (120) or formed as an integral part of sole cushions (130a to 130d) at the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sote member (120).

4. The footwear (100) of anyone of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are insertable, removable, replaceable or accessible through one or more existing side opening(s) (122b, 124b, 126b) of the sole member (120).

5. The footwear (100) of anyone of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one of adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are configured with at least one or a combination of features comprising:a tubular structure comprising a geometric shape of at least one of: hexagonal, oval, circular, comb;a springboard or a coil spring design;bubble filled or gel filled,6. The footwear (100) of anyone of claims 1 to 5. wherein each of the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are configured with:a respective configurable compressive index value that is proportional to weight or compressive force; orsuccessive compression index values from a heel region (122) to a ball region (1 6) in a descending order or in an ascending order to propel forward or upward when walking, running or bouncing,7. The footwear (100) of anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a. 126a, 126c) are constructed of materials comprising one or a combination of: carbon nanotube; rubber; elastomers: composites: polymer foam; silicone; plastic; metal, alloy; or recycled materials.

8. The footwear (100) of anyone of claims 1 to 7, wherein one or both of: at least one sensor (180) and a transmitter (182) is embedded in the sole member (120) to perform at least one of:measuring at least a portion of compressive forces applied onto the at least one of the respective sections (122, 124, 126); orconverting mechanical energy into electrical energy to enable wireless communication or to power other devices.

9. The footwear (100) of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication is configured to communicate (192) the at least a portion of one or both of: the measured compressive forces of the at least one of the respectivesections (122, 124, 126), or a portion of geoiocation data of the user to one or more of: a user terminal (190) or to a network node (196, 198) for display, storage, analysis or artificial intelligence (Al) training.

10. The footwear (100) of claim 9, wherein the communicated measured portion of compressive force applied to the at least one of the respective sections (122, 124, 126) are analyzed and used as feedback to train a database (194) to perform one or more of:configuring a subsequent set of the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a) to match to compressive index values specific for a wearer;configuring respective compression index values for the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) to customize the footwear (100) for one or more wearer; orestablishing metrics to correlate with user’s age, weight, height and shoe size for footwear selection through the artificial intelligence (Al) training.

11. The footwear (100) of claim 1, wherein the cavity (125) comprises a wedge shaped (113) cushion lining (112) with ankle paddings (112a, 112b) shaped to conform to an Achilles ligament (153) of the foot (150) to provide support and comfort.

12. The footwear (100) of claim 6, wherein the sole member (120) is configured to a forward rolling shape to assist an upward lift of a heel region (112), or to propel forward movement.

13. The footwear (100) of claim 1, comprising any one of: sneakers, walking shoes, sandals, track shoes, basketball shoes, tennis shoes, jogging shoes, hiking boots, ballroom dance shoes, ballerina shoes, casual footwear, slippers, flip-flops, clogs, slip-on shoes, foam resin clogs,moccasin style shoes, toddler shoes, snow boots, ski boots, rainboots, combat boots, orthopedic prescription footwear, prosthetic limbs, dog footwears, paw boots, horse hoof footwear horseshoe inserts.

14. The footwear (100) of claim 1, wherein three-dimensional (3D) printing is utilized in manufacturing at least one or a combination of:at least a portion of the upper member (110);at least a portion of the sole member (120); andat least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c).

15. The footwear (100) of claim 1, wherein three-dimensional (3D) printing is utilized in forming an integral structure for manufacturing of at least one or a combination of: the sole member (120) and the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a);the upper member (110), the sole member (120) and the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a).

16. A sole member (120) adaptable for use in a footwear (100), comprising: the sole member (120) configured with variable stiffness to at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126) of the sole member (120) to absorb a compressive force via at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) that are disposed beneath the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126).

17. The sole member (120) of claim 16, wherein: the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are insertable, removable, replaceable or accessible through one or more existing side opening(s) (122b, 124b, 126b) of the sole member (120).

18. A method for configuring a sole member (120) in a footwear (100), comprising: configuring the sole member (120), via at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) that are disposed beneath at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 126), to absorb a respective predetermined applied compressive force.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one sole section(s) (122, 124, 136) of the sole member (120) comprise one or more of:a heel region (122);an arch region (124); anda ball region (126).

20. The method of claim 18, wherein: the at least one adjustable spring member(s) (122a, 124a, 126a, 126c) are insertable, removable, replaceable or accessible through one or more existing side opening(s) (122b, 124b, 126b) of the sole member (120).

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the sole member (120) is configured with at least one sensor (180) and a transmitter (182) to perform one or more of:measuring at least a portion of compressive forces applied onto the at least one of the respective sections (122, 124, 126); orconverting mechanical energy into electrical energy to enable wireless communication or to power other devices.

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