Article of footwear with a stretchable upper and an articulated sole structure

An article of footwear comprising:

• an upper for receiving a foot of a wearer, the upper including:
• an exterior layer that forms at least a portion of an exterior of the upper, the exterior layer including a plurality of incisions that extend through the exterior layer, and
• an interior layer located adjacent at least a portion of an inner surface of the exterior layer, the interior layer being exposed through at least a portion of the incisions;
• and
• a sole structure secured to the upper and having a polymer foam element with a connecting portion and a plurality of discrete sole elements extending downward from the connecting portion, the connecting portion being positioned adjacent the upper and the sole elements being separated by a plurality of sipes that extend upward into the sole structure, the sipes including:
• at least one sipe that extends in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the article of footwear, and
• a plurality of additional sipes that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
• wherein the connecting portion has a first thickness in a forefoot region of the footwear, the connecting portion has a second thickness in a midfoot region of the footwear, and the connecting portion has a third thickness in a heel region of the footwear, the first and third thicknesses being less than the second thickness.

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure, the sole structure comprising:

• a connecting portion secured to the upper and extending along a longitudinal length of the upper, the connecting portion having:
• a first thickness in a forefoot region of the footwear,
• a second thickness in a midfoot region of the footwear, and
• a third thickness in a heel region of the footwear, the first thickness and the third thickness being less than the second thickness;
• and
• a plurality of sole elements formed of unitary construction with the connecting portion and extending downward from the connecting portion, the sole elements being separated by a plurality of sipes that extend upward into the sole structure.

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising a plurality of sole elements extending downward from a connecting portion, the sole elements being separated by a plurality of sipes that extend upward into the sole structure, the plurality of sipes including:

• a first sipe oriented in a longitudinal direction with respect to the footwear, the first sipe extending through substantially all of a length of the sole structure, and the first sipe being positioned closer to a lateral side of the footwear than a medial side of the footwear in a forefoot region of the footwear;
• a second sipe that extends in the longitudinal direction, the second sipe extending through only a portion of the length of the sole structure;
• and
• a plurality of third sipes that extend in a lateral direction from the medial side to the lateral side of the sole structure,
• the connecting portion and the sole elements being formed of unitary construction from a polymer foam material, and a thickness of the connecting portion varies between the forefoot region and the heel region, the thickness of the connecting portion including:
• a first thickness in the forefoot region,
• a second thickness in a midfoot region of the footwear, and
• a third thickness in the heel region,
• the first thickness and the third thicknesses being less than the second thickness.

An article of footwear comprising an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure including a midsole formed from a polymer foam material, the midsole having an upper surface and an opposite lower surface, the upper surface being positioned adjacent the upper, the midsole defining a plurality of sipes that extend upward from the lower surface and through at least half of a distance between the lower surface and the upper surface, the plurality of sipes including:

• a first sipe oriented in a longitudinal direction with respect to the footwear, the first sipe being positioned closer to a lateral side of the footwear than a medial side of the footwear in a forefoot region of the footwear, and the first sipe extending to a heel region of the footwear;
• a second sipe that extends in the longitudinal direction, the second sipe being positioned between the first sipe and the medial side;
• and
• a plurality of third sipes that extend in a lateral direction from the medial side to the lateral side of the sole structure,
• each of the first sips and the second sipe having a curved configuration in at least the forefoot region of the footwear.