# US 10,499,704 B2 · Sole for an article of footwear having regionally varied Auxetic structures

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- Number: US 10,499,704 B2
- Document ID: US10499704B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/604,890
- Filed: 2017-05-25
- Published: 2017-09-14
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-09-18
- Assignees: NIKE, Inc.
- Applicants: NIKE, Inc.
- Inventors: Tory M. Cross; Bryan N. Farris; Elizabeth Langvin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10499704B2

## CPC

- A43B 13/186: {Differential cushioning region, e.g. cushioning located under the ball of the foot (resilient heel not included in the sole A43B21/26; resilient supports for the heel of the foot A43B21/32)}
- A43B 1/0009: {made at least partially of alveolar or honeycomb material}
- A43B 3/0073: {Y-shaped}
- A43B 13/122: {characterised by the outsole or external layer}
- A43B 13/125: {characterised by the midsole or middle layer}
- A43B 13/14: characterised by the constructive form
- A43B 13/141: {with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion}
- A43B 13/181: {Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole}
- A43B 13/187: {Resiliency achieved by the features of the material, e.g. foam, non liquid materials}
- A43B 13/188: {Differential cushioning regions}
- A43B 13/28: characterised by their attachment, also attachment of combined soles and heels
- A43B 13/38: Built-in insoles joined to uppers during the manufacturing process, e.g. structural insoles; Insoles glued to shoes during the manufacturing process
- A43B: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR

## Abstract

A sole for article of footwear includes a midsole component having an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. A plurality of blind holes each extends from the outer surface toward the inner surface. The plurality of blind holes are arranged in an auxetic configuration in the outer surface. Each hole in the plurality of holes extends towards the inner surface. The plurality of blind holes is arranged in a pattern that provides a tunable performance characteristic. The patterns of blind holes vary between different regions of the midsole component to provide different types of responses in the different regions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of customizing a sole comprising:
determining a performance characteristic for a portion of the sole;
correlating the performance characteristic to an attribute of a plurality of blind holes; and
forming the plurality of blind holes in the sole, wherein the plurality of blind holes are arranged on the sole to form an auxetic structure, the auxetic structure having an attribute that imparts a performance characteristic to the portion of the sole.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining the performance characteristic includes measuring a heel strike force; and
wherein correlating the performance characteristic includes correlating the heel strike force to a blind hole depth pattern that tunes cushioning in a heel portion of the sole.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining a first tunable performance characteristic for a first portion of the sole;
determining a second tunable performance characteristic for a second portion of the sole;
forming a first plurality of blind holes in the first portion of the sole, wherein the first plurality of blind holes is arranged in a first pattern to form a first auxetic structure, wherein the first pattern imparts the first tunable performance characteristic to the first portion;
forming a second plurality of blind holes in the second portion of the sole in a second pattern to form a second auxetic structure, wherein the second pattern imparts the second tunable performance characteristic to the second portion; and
wherein the first pattern is different from the second pattern so that the first tunable performance characteristic is different from the second tunable performance characteristic.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein:
determining a tunable performance characteristic includes measuring a heel strike force in a heel portion and a push off force in a forefoot portion; and
wherein correlating the tunable performance characteristic includes correlating the heel strike force to a first blind hole depth pattern that tunes cushioning in the heel portion of the sole and correlating the push off force to a second blind hole depth pattern that tunes stability in the forefoot portion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the first portion of the sole is the heel portion, and the second portion of the sole is the forefoot portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second tunable performance characteristics each include at least one of: a cushioning response, traction, stability, and support.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining a performance characteristic for a portion of the sole includes at least one of: measuring plantar pressure of a foot using a plantar pressure measurement system; or
measuring geometric information of the foot using a foot measuring or imaging apparatus; and
superimposing the measured plantar pressure or measured geometric information to a template of the sole.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein forming the plurality of blind holes in the sole includes cutting at least a portion of the plurality of blind holes into the sole using a laser cutting device or hot knife process.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the portion of the plurality of blind holes are cut into the sole according to an aspect of the measured plantar pressure or measured geometric information.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the plurality of blind holes are cut into the sole such that the sole provides a comparatively greater cushioning response or deformation in areas of the sole where greater plantar pressures are measured, and a comparatively lesser cushioning response or deformation in areas of the sole where lesser plantar pressures are measured.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the auxetic structure expands in both a first direction and in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction when the auxetic structure is tensioned in one or both of the first direction or the second direction.