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US 12,635,765 B2Granted
Independently movable sole structure
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorJames C. Meschter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article of footwear and method of making an article of footwear are disclosed. The article includes an outsole having an outsole member. The outsole member includes a first piece and a second piece. The first piece is spaced from a base by a first vertical distance. The second piece is spaced from the base by a second vertical distance, the first vertical distance being greater than the second vertical distance.
Claims20
A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising:
- a midsole including a top surface, a bottom surface formed on an opposite side of the midsole than the top surface, and an outer surface extending between the top surface and the bottom surface and defining an outer perimeter of the midsole;
- an outsole attached to the bottom surface of the midsole and having a bottom surface that defines a ground-engaging surface of the sole structure, the outsole being concave at a heel region of the ground-engaging surface and extending toward the midsole in a neutral state of the article of footwear and being convex at a forefoot region of the ground-engaging surface and extending away from the midsole in the neutral state of the article of footwear;
- a first sipe formed through the outsole and extending into the bottom surface of the midsole to expose a first portion of the midsole;
- and
- a second sipe concentric with the first sipe, formed through the outsole, and extending into the bottom surface of the midsole to expose a second portion of the midsole, the first sipe being disposed closer to the outer perimeter of the midsole than the second sipe and extending into the midsole to a greater depth than the second sipe in a direction extending from the ground-engaging surface toward the top surface of the midsole.
2 more elements
A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising:
- a midsole including a top surface, a bottom surface formed on an opposite side of the midsole than the top surface, and an outer surface extending between the top surface and the bottom surface and defining an outer perimeter of the midsole;
- an outsole attached to the bottom surface of the midsole and having a bottom surface that defines a ground-engaging surface of the sole structure, the outsole being concave at a heel region of the ground-engaging surface and extending toward the midsole in a neutral state of the article of footwear, and being convex at a forefoot region of the ground-engaging surface and extending away from the midsole in the neutral state of the article of footwear;
- a first sipe formed through the outsole to expose a first portion of the midsole and defining a first closed-loop;
- a second sipe formed through the outsole to expose a second portion of the midsole, defining a second closed-loop, and surrounding the first sipe;
- and
- a third sipe formed through the outsole to expose a third portion of the midsole, defining a third closed-loop, and surrounding the second sipe, a depth of the third sipe in a direction extending from the ground-engaging surface toward the top surface of the midsole being greater than a depth of the second sipe and the depth of the second sipe in the direction extending from the ground-engaging surface toward the top surface of the midsole being greater than a depth of the first sipe.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.