Shoe with angular slotted midsole

An athletic shoe comprising:

• an upper portion comprising:
• an upper portion having first and second sides forming a cavity to receive the wearer's foot and having heel and toe areas, and a lower portion to provide stability and cushoning to the wearer's foot, said lower portion comprising:
• a midsole fixed to the upper portion and being formed at least in part of a first material,
• a wear surface formed on the bottom of the midsole to contact the ground,
• said midsole including a plurality of channels extending generally crosswise of shoe and in the direction from shoe upper portion toward said wear surface to allow the midsole to compress and cushion the foot as the wearer's weight is exerted on said midsole and to form therebetween crossbeams to provide stability and transmit forces between the foot and the ground;
• said channels being formed with sides extending at an angle other than normal to said wear surface with said channels beneath the heel area of said upper portion extending at one angle to the wear surface adjacent said first side of the shoe and at a different angle to the wear surface adjacent the second side of the shoe.

An athletic shoe comprising:

• an upper portion forming a cavity to receive the wearer's foot and having heel and toe areas, and a lower portion to provide stability and cushioning to the wearer's foot, said lower portion having inner and outer edges and comprising:
• a midsole fixed to the upper portion and being made of a first material,
• a wear surface formed on the bottom of said midsole to contact the ground,
• said midsole including a plurality of first channels extending laterally from the outer edge and across the midsole and positioned beneath the heel area of the upper portion, said channels having spaced side walls extending at an angle other than perpendicular to the wear portion and extending forward from the wear surface so as to allow the midsole to compress beneath the heel area during initial contact between the shoe and ground to cushion the foot while forming between said channels a plurality of crossbeams serving to maintain the lateral stability of the shoe said first channels extending only partially across said midsole;
• and
• said midsole including a plurality of second channels extending from the inner edge of the shoe and beneath the heel area of the upper portion, said second channels having spaced side walls extending at an angle other than normal to said wear surface and extending rearward from the wear surface.

An athleic shoe comprising:

• an upper portion forming a cavity to receive the wearer's foot and having heel and toe areas, and a lower portion to provide stability and cushioning to the wearer's foot, said lower portion comprising:
• a midsole fixed to the upper portion and being formed at least in part of a first material,
• a wear surface formed on the bottom of the midsole to contact the ground,
• said midsole including a plurality of channels extending generally crosswise of the shoe and in the direction from shoe upper portion toward said wear surface to allow the midsole to compress and cushion the foot as the wearer's weight is exerted on said midsole and to form therebetween crossbeams to provide stability and transmit forces between the foot and the ground;
• at least some of said channels in said midsole having both walls non-planar with at least a portion thereof extending at an angle other than perpendicular to the wear surface thereby to absorb the shock of the shoe contacting the ground during walking and running.