Energy absorbing elements for footwear and method of use

A method of absorbing energy in an energy absorbing element for footwear, comprising:

• arranging a first set of open spaces and a second set of open spaces in a layer of material within said footwear, wherein said first set of open spaces and said second set of open spaces are each comprised of three arrays of open spaces, wherein each array is comprised of three open spaces, wherein the arrays are arranged in a triangular pattern,
• wherein said layer of material is fixed within a pocket in a shoe sole layer, said pocket defined by walls of the shoe sole layer;
• wherein said layer is a polymer thermoplastic material;
• providing a single fluid tight pocket within said layer of material not in fluid communication with any other pockets wherein said pocket is entirely encapsulated within a planar upper surface and a planar lower surface of said layer of material and said pocket is located within one of said sets of open spaces and within said triangular pattern formed by said three open spaces of said three arrays, said open spaces located in close, surrounding proximity to said pocket for forces to transmit laterally from said pocket to said open spaces through said material for further dissipation by said open spaces;
• and
• locating said layer of material below a first material in said footwear and above a second material in said footwear, said first and second materials being different from said layer of material;
• locating a shear thickening fluid comprised of a suspension of nanoparticles inside a polymer matrix within said single fluid tight pocket;
• dissipating a force applied to said single fluid tight pocket by absorbing said force via a stiffing of said shear thickening fluid in said single fluid tight pocket upon receipt of said force;
• relaxing said stiffened shear thickening fluid after said force is dissipated to return said shear thickening fluid to a non-shear thickened state.

An energy absorbing element for footwear, comprising:

• a first set of open spaces and a second set of open spaces in a layer of material, wherein said first set of open spaces and said second set of open spaces are each comprised of three arrays of open spaces, wherein each array is comprised of three open spaces, wherein the arrays are arranged in a triangular pattern,
• wherein an imaginary line extending through centers of said open spaces of a first array and an imaginary line extending through centers of said open spaces of a second array of each of said first and second sets meet at points outside of said first and said second sets, wherein said points are collinear,
• wherein an imaginary line extending through a center of a first open space in said first array and through a center of a first open space in said second array is parallel with an imaginary line extending through a center of a second open space in said first array and through a center of a second open space in said second array;
• wherein an imaginary line extending through centers of said third array of said first set of open spaces and an imaginary line extending through centers of said third array of said second set of open spaces are parallel;
• wherein said layer is a polymer thermoplastic material;
• a single fluid tight pocket within said layer of material not in fluid communication with any other pockets wherein said pocket is entirely encapsulated within a planar upper surface and a planar lower surface of said layer of material and said pocket is located within one of said sets of open spaces and within said triangular pattern formed by said three open spaces of said three arrays, said open spaces located in close, surrounding proximity to said pocket for forces to transmit laterally from said pocket to said open spaces through said material for further dissipation by said open spaces;
• and
• a shear thickening fluid entirely filling said pocket, said shear thickening fluid comprising a nanosuspension of nanoparticles in a fiberous matrix.

An energy absorbing element for footwear, comprising:

• a first set of open spaces and a second set of open spaces in a layer of material, wherein said first set of open spaces and said second set of open spaces are each comprised of three arrays of open spaces, wherein each array is comprised of three open spaces, wherein the arrays are arranged in a triangular pattern;
• and
• wherein said layer of material is fixed within a pocket in a shoe sole layer, said pocket defined by walls of the shoe sole layer;
• wherein said layer is a polymer thermoplastic material;
• a single fluid tight pocket within said layer of material not in fluid communication with any other pockets wherein said pocket is entirely encapsulated within a planar upper surface and a planar lower surface of said layer of material and said pocket is located within one of said sets of open spaces and within said triangular pattern formed by said three open spaces of said three arrays, said open spaces located in close, surrounding proximity to said pocket for forces to transmit laterally from said pocket to said open spaces through said material for further dissipation by said open spaces;
• and
• a shear thickening fluid entirely filling said pocket, said shear thickening fluid comprising a nanosuspension of nanoparticles in a fiberous matrix.