Midfoot support structures for articles of footwear
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsTate E. Kuerbis, Ross Klein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article of footwear can include an upper and a sole structure. The upper defines at least a portion of a foot-receiving cavity. The sole structure is coupled to the upper and includes a midfoot support member. The midfoot support member includes a lateral flange, a medial flange, a superior deck plate, and an inferior deck plate. The superior deck plate and the inferior deck plate span from the lateral flange to the medial flange. The superior deck plate and the inferior deck plate are spaced apart in a superior/inferior direction and define an opening therebetween. The opening extends unobstructed from the lateral flange to the medial flange, and the lateral flange extends farther in a superior direction than the medial flange.
Claims13
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper comprising a toe portion, a midfoot portion, and a heel portion;
- and
- a sole structure coupled to the upper so as to define a foot-receiving cavity therebetween, wherein the sole structure comprises a lateral side, a medial side, a midsole, a midfoot support member, and an outsole,
- wherein the midsole is disposed between the midfoot support member and the upper,
- wherein the midfoot support member comprises a lateral flange, a medial flange, a first plate, and a second plate, wherein the first plate is connected to and spans from the lateral flange to the medial flange, wherein the second plate is connected to and spans from the lateral flange to the medial flange, wherein the lateral flange of the midfoot support member extends further in a superior direction, an anterior direction, and a posterior direction than the medial flange of the midfoot support member, wherein the second plate is disposed farther toward the outsole than the first plate, and wherein the second plate is spaced apart from the first plate so as to form an opening extending through the midfoot support member from the lateral side of the sole structure to the medial side of the sole structure,
- wherein the lateral flange extends further in the anterior direction and the posterior direction than the second plate,
- wherein the medial flange extends further in the anterior direction and the posterior direction than the second plate,
- wherein the second plate extends further in the anterior direction and the posterior direction than the first plate, and
- wherein the outsole is coupled to the midsole and the midfoot support member.
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper defining at least a portion of a foot-receiving cavity;
- and
- a sole structure coupled to the upper and comprising a midfoot support member, wherein the midfoot support member comprises a lateral flange, a medial flange, a superior deck plate, and an inferior deck plate, wherein the superior deck plate and the inferior deck plate are each coupled to the lateral flange and to the medial flange and span from the lateral flange to the medial flange, wherein the superior deck plate and the inferior deck plate are spaced apart in a superior/inferior direction and define an opening therebetween, wherein the opening extends unobstructed from the lateral flange to the medial flange, wherein the lateral flange extends farther in a superior direction, an anterior direction, and a posterior direction than the medial flange, and wherein the inferior deck plate extends farther in the anterior direction and the posterior direction than the superior deck plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.