US 9,414,638 B2Granted

Golf shoe with natural motion structures

AssigneeNIKE, Inc.

InventorsTobie D. Hatfield, Thomas G. Bell, Chip Jones, Brooke P. Rapf, Ricardo Salinas, Jr.

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Abstract

Golf shoes include one or more of the following: (a) a foot stabilizer system that interacts with a shoe securing system to securely engage and/or wrap around a foot of a wearer; (b) a natural motion sole, optionally including flex grooves that allow a weight transfer from back-to-front and/or from side-to-side; (c) a six cleat configuration (e.g., four cleats in a forefoot region, two cleats in a heel region, and no cleats located directly under a big toe); (d) a forefoot moderator plate positioned to moderate or reduce user feel of the forefoot cleats; (e) a lateral half heel counter extending from a rear heel area to a lateral midfoot or lateral forward heel area of the shoe; and/or (f) one or more medial, forefoot, sidewall traction elements at or near a big toe area of the sole.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A golf shoe, comprising:

an upper defining at least a portion of an interior chamber for receiving a foot;
and
a sole structure engaged with the upper, wherein the sole structure includes a midsole member for supporting a wearer's foot, wherein the midsole member includes:
a first longitudinal flexion groove,
a second longitudinal flexion groove located on a medial side of the first longitudinal flexion groove,
a first transverse flexion groove extending continuously from a lateral side to a medial side of the sole structure,
a second transverse flexion groove located on a forefoot side of the first transverse flexion groove and extending continuously from the lateral side to the medial side of the sole structure, and
a bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface of the midsole member includes a plurality of secondary traction elements formed therein,
and wherein the sole structure further includes:
a first medial side outsole component mounted on the bottom surface of the midsole member, wherein the first medial side outsole component is located on a medial side of the second longitudinal flexion groove and is located entirely between the first transverse flexion groove and the second transverse flexion groove, and wherein the first medial side outsole component has first raised ridge traction elements extending around a majority of its perimeter, and
a first lateral side outsole component mounted on the bottom surface of the midsole member and located on a lateral side of the first longitudinal flexion groove between the first transverse flexion groove and the second transverse flexion groove, wherein the first lateral side outsole component has second raised ridge traction elements extending around a majority of its perimeter, wherein the first medial side outsole component is separate from the first lateral side outsole component and is separated from the first lateral side outsole component by a first gap, and wherein an exposed portion of the bottom surface of the midsole member including the first longitudinal flexion groove, the second longitudinal flexion groove, and a first portion of the plurality of secondary traction elements are located within the first gap,
wherein a material of the first lateral side outsole component is harder than a material of the first medial side outsole component.

9 more elements

A golf shoe, comprising:

an upper defining at least a portion of an interior chamber for receiving a foot;
and
a sole structure engaged with the upper, wherein the sole structure includes a midsole member for supporting a wearer's foot made, at least in part, from a polymeric foam material, wherein the midsole member includes:
a bottom surface that is partially exposed at an exterior of the sole structure, wherein the bottom surface includes a plurality of secondary traction elements formed therein,
an exposed first longitudinal flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member,
an exposed second longitudinal flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member, wherein the second longitudinal flexion groove is located on a medial side of the first longitudinal flexion groove,
an exposed first transverse flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member and extending continuously from a lateral side to a medial side of the sole structure, and
an exposed second transverse flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member, wherein the second transverse flexion groove is located on a forefoot side of the first transverse flexion groove and extends continuously from the lateral side to the medial side of the sole structure,
and wherein the sole structure further includes:
a first medial side outsole component mounted on the bottom surface of the midsole member, wherein the first medial side outsole component is located on a medial side of the second longitudinal flexion groove and is located entirely between the first transverse flexion groove and the second transverse flexion groove, and wherein the first medial side outsole component has first raised ridge traction elements extending around a majority of its perimeter, and
a first lateral side outsole component mounted on the bottom surface of the midsole member and located on a lateral side of the first longitudinal flexion groove between the first transverse flexion groove and the second transverse flexion groove, wherein the first lateral side outsole component has second raised ridge traction elements extending around a majority of its perimeter, wherein the first medial side outsole component is separate from the first lateral side outsole component and is separated from the first lateral side outsole component by a first gap, and wherein an exposed portion of the bottom surface of the midsole member including the first longitudinal flexion groove, the second longitudinal flexion groove, and a first portion of the plurality of secondary traction elements are located within the first gap,
wherein a material of the first lateral side outsole component is harder than a material of the first medial side outsole component.

9 more elements

A golf shoe, comprising:

an upper defining at least a portion of an interior chamber for receiving a foot;
and
a sole structure engaged with the upper, wherein the sole structure includes a midsole member for supporting a wearer's foot made, at least in part, from a polymeric foam material, wherein the midsole member includes:
a bottom surface that is partially exposed at an exterior of the sole structure, wherein the bottom surface includes a plurality of secondary traction elements formed therein,
an exposed first longitudinal flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member,
an exposed second longitudinal flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member, wherein the second longitudinal flexion groove is located on a medial side of the first longitudinal flexion groove,
an exposed first transverse flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member and extending continuously from a lateral side to a medial side of the sole structure, and
an exposed second transverse flexion groove defined in the polymeric foam material at the bottom surface of the midsole member, wherein the second transverse flexion groove is located on a forefoot side of the first transverse flexion groove and extends continuously from the lateral side to the medial side of the sole structure,
and wherein the sole structure further includes:
a first medial side outsole component mounted on the bottom surface of the midsole member, wherein the first medial side outsole component is located on a medial side of the second longitudinal flexion groove and is located entirely between the first transverse flexion groove and the second transverse flexion groove, and
a first lateral side outsole component mounted on the bottom surface of the midsole member and located on a lateral side of the first longitudinal flexion groove between the first transverse flexion groove and the second transverse flexion groove, wherein the first medial side outsole component is separate from the first lateral side outsole component and is separated from the first lateral side outsole component by a first gap, and wherein an exposed portion of the bottom surface of the midsole member including the first longitudinal flexion groove, the second longitudinal flexion groove, and a first portion of the plurality of secondary traction elements are located within the first gap,
wherein a material of the first lateral side outsole component has a hardness at least 10 Shore D points higher than a hardness of a material from which the first medial side outsole component is made.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/564,605Filed 1 Aug 2012 · us provisional application
Priority: 2 Aug 2011
Published: US 2013/0104423 A12 May 2013
Granted: 16 Aug 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

A43B 5/001
Footwear for sporting purposes: golf shoes
A43B 7/142
Characterised by the location under the foot: situated under the medial arch, i.e. under the navicular or cuneiform bones
A43B 13/122
Soles with several layers of different materials: characterised by the outsole or external layer
A43B 13/141
Characterised by the constructive form: with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion