Athletic shoe with dynamic cradle

Abstract

A lightweight athletic shoe includes a midsole of compressible material having portions of differing hardness which limit overpronation and effectively absorb shock while conforming to the shape of the foot. The midsole includes a central portion of relatively soft material, a lower peripheral portion of intermediate hardness extending around the central portion in the heel region and forward along each side to the toe region, and a raised upper peripheral portion of relatively hard material located above the lower peripheral portion and extending forward to the ball region of the midsole. The central portion conforms to the contour of the foot so that the force is uniformly distributed, while the peripheral portions cradle the sides of the foot so as to limit overpronation and oversupination.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.