# US 11,297,895 B2 · Footwear sole assembly with insert plate and nonlinear bending stiffness > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,297,895 B2 - Document ID: US11297895B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/701,512 - Filed: 2019-12-03 - Published: 2020-04-02 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2015-09-18 - Assignees: NIKE, Inc. - Applicants: NIKE, Inc. - Inventors: Dennis D. Bunnell; Bryan N. Farris; Austin Orand; Alison Sheets-Singer; Aaron B. Weast - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11297895B2 ## CPC - A43B 13/141: {with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion} - A43B 13/04: Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre - A43B 13/12: Soles with several layers of different materials - A43B 13/127: {the midsole being multilayer} - A43B 13/181: {Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole} - 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 13/188: {Differential cushioning regions} - A43B 13/223: {Profiled soles} - A43B 17/02: wedge-like or resilient - A43B 23/026: {Laminated layers} - A43B 23/028: {Resilient uppers, e.g. shock absorbing} - A43C 15/16: Studs {or cleats} for football or like boots - A43B 5/02: Football boots {or shoes, i.e. for soccer, football or rugby} - A43B: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR - A43C: FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL ## Abstract A sole assembly for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate with a foot-facing surface with a recess disposed in the foot-facing surface. An insert plate is disposed in the recess. A length of the insert plate between anterior and posterior ends of the insert plate is less than a length of the recess. The insert plate flexes free of compressive loading by the sole plate when a forefoot portion of the sole assembly is dorsiflexed in a first portion of a flexion range, and operatively engages with the sole plate when the forefoot portion is dorsiflexed in a second portion of the flexion range that includes flex angles greater than in the first portion of the flexion range. The sole assembly is dorsiflexed, for example, when the forefoot portion is flexed in accordance with toes bending toward the top of the foot. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sole assembly for an article of footwear comprising: a sole plate that has a foot-facing surface with a recess in the foot-facing surface; wherein the sole plate has a front wall at a forward perimeter of the recess, and a rear wall at a rearward perimeter of the recess; an insert plate disposed in the recess; wherein the insert plate has an anterior end, a posterior end, and a length extending between the anterior end and the posterior end that is less than a length of the recess; and a resilient material disposed in the recess between at least one of the front wall and the anterior end of the insert plate or the rear wall and the posterior end of the insert plate such that the resilient material is compressed in the recess between the at least one of the front wall and the anterior end of the insert plate or the rear wall and the posterior end of the insert plate prior to operative engagement of the insert plate with the sole plate when the sole assembly is dorsiflexed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sole assembly of claim 1, wherein the insert plate operatively engages with the sole plate at a first predetermined flex angle so that the sole assembly has a change in bending stiffness at the first predetermined flex angle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The sole assembly of claim 2, wherein the anterior end and the posterior end of the insert plate operatively engage with the sole plate at the first predetermined flex angle such that the insert plate flexes under compression by the sole plate when the sole assembly is dorsiflexed at flex angles greater than or equal to the first predetermined flex angle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The sole assembly of claim 3, wherein the insert plate is unfixed within the recess. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The sole assembly of claim 4, wherein the insert plate operatively engages with the sole plate only at an outer perimeter of the insert plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sole assembly of claim 1, wherein: a first portion of the resilient material is disposed between the front wall of the sole plate and the anterior end of the insert plate and a second portion of the resilient material is disposed between the rear wall of the sole plate and the posterior end of the insert plate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The sole assembly of claim 1, wherein: the sole plate has a lip at the recess; and the length of the recess is below the lip and is greater than a length of the recess at the lip. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The sole assembly of claim 1, further comprising: at least one groove extending transversely in the foot-facing surface of the sole plate; wherein the at least one groove is configured to be open prior to dorsiflexion of the sole plate and closed during dorsiflexion of the sole plate so that the sole assembly has a change in bending stiffness when the at least one groove closes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The sole assembly of claim 8, wherein adjacent walls of the sole plate at the at least one groove are nonparallel when the at least one groove is open. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The sole assembly of claim 8, wherein: a portion of the sole plate at the at least one groove protrudes downward at a ground-facing surface and is thicker than fore and aft portions of the sole plate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The sole assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least one groove extends transversely beyond the recess. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The sole assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least one groove has a medial end and a lateral end, with the lateral end rearward of the medial end. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The sole assembly of claim 1, wherein the resilient material is polymeric foam. ### Claim 14 A sole assembly for an article of footwear comprising: a sole plate that has a foot-facing surface with a recess in the foot-facing surface; wherein the sole plate has a front wall at a forward perimeter of the recess, and a rear wall at a rearward perimeter of the recess; an insert plate disposed in the recess; wherein the insert plate has an anterior end, a posterior end, and a length extending between the anterior end and the posterior end that is less than a length of the recess; at least one groove extending generally transversely in the sole plate and having a medial end and a lateral end, with the medial end closer to a medial edge of the sole plate and the lateral end closer to a lateral edge of the sole plate and rearward of the medial end; wherein the at least one groove extends laterally outward of the recess; and a resilient material disposed in the recess between at least one of the front wall and the anterior end of the insert plate or the rear wall and the posterior end of the insert plate such that the resilient material is compressed in the recess between the at least one of the front wall and the anterior end of the insert plate or the rear wall and the posterior end of the insert plate prior to operative engagement of the insert plate with the sole plate when the sole assembly is dorsiflexed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The sole assembly of claim 1, wherein the insert plate is a single insert plate with a continuous expanse between the anterior end and the posterior end. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The sole assembly of claim 14, wherein the insert plate is a single insert plate with a continuous expanse between the anterior end and the posterior end.