Shoe sole structures

An athletic shoe sole for supporting a foot of an intended wearer, the shoe sole comprising:

• a sole outer surface;
• a sole inner surface for supporting the foot of the intended wearer,
• the sole surfaces of the athletic shoe together defining a sole medial side, a sole lateral side, and a sole middle portion between the sole sides,
• the sole comprising a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus of the intended wearer's foot, a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the intended wearer's foot and a midtarsal portion at a location between the heel and forefoot portions;
• the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus of the intended wearer's foot, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus of the intended wearer's foot;
• the midtarsal portion having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal of the intended wearer's foot, and a main longitudinal arch part at a location substantially corresponding to the longitudinal arch of the intended wearer's foot;
• the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange of the intended wearer's foot, and rear medial and lateral forefoot parts at locations substantially corresponding to the heads of medial and lateral metatarsal of the intended wearer's foot;
• the sole further comprising at least one rounded bulge, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe sole unloaded, upright condition;
• each said at least one rounded bulge being located at different positions on the sole sides, the different positions at least comprising positions on the sole side proximate to at least one of the medial heel part, lateral heel part, forward medial forefoot part, rear medial forefoot part, rear lateral forefoot part, lateral midtarsal part, and main longitudinal arch part;
• each said at least one rounded bulge having a convexly rounded portion of an inner surface of a midsole component, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe sole upright, unloaded condition, the convexity existing with respect to a section of the midsole component located directly adjacent to the convexly rounded portion;
• each said at least one rounded bulge having a concavely rounded portion of an outer surface of a midsole component, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe sole upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to an inner section of the midsole component located directly adjacent to the concavely rounded portion;
• the sole having a lateral sidemost section and a medial sidemost section, each section being located at a location outside of a straight vertical line extending through the shoe sole at a respective sidemost extent of a midsole component inner surface, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition;
• each said at least one rounded bulge comprises midsole component extending into the sidemost section of the same sole side as said bulge, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition;
• each said at least one rounded bulge further comprises a midsole component upper part extending up said at least one rounded bulge to above a level corresponding to a lowest point of a midsole component inner surface of the same sole side as said bulge, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition;
• and
• the shoe sole comprises at least three said rounded bulges;
• the sole outer surface of at least part of the midtarsal portion is substantially convexly rounded, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition, the convexity existing with respect to an inner section of the shoe sole located directly adjacent to the convexly rounded part of the sole outer surface;
• and
• a heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane.