US 11,744,322 B2
Sole of a shoe, particularly an athletic shoe
Matthias Hartmann, Forchheim (DE); Reinhold Sussmann, Scheinfeld (DE); Federico Casalegno, San Francisco, CA (US); Hunmin Koh, Somerville, MA (US); Yihyun Lim, Somerville, MA (US); Yasaman Tahouni, Cambridge, MA (US); and Will Walker, Oakland, CA (US)
Assigned to PUMA SE, Herzogenaurach (DE); and MASSACHUETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Cambridge, MA (US)
Appl. No. 17/53,510
Filed by PUMA SE, Herzogenaurach (DE); and MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Cambridge, MA (US)
PCT Filed May 8, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/061934
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 6, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/214814, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0235813 A1, Aug. 5, 2021
Int. Cl. A43B 13/18 (2006.01); A43B 13/12 (2006.01)
CPC A43B 13/181 (2013.01) [A43B 13/125 (2013.01); A43B 13/187 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sole of a shoe, wherein the sole has a longitudinal extension in a longitudinal direction and a vertical extension in a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
wherein a plurality of recesses is provided in the sole that penetrate the sole at least in part, the plurality of recesses extending in a transverse direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and to the vertical direction,
wherein, without external forces on the sole, a first group of recesses of the plurality of recesses are larger in the vertical direction than in the longitudinal direction and a second group of recesses of the plurality of recesses are smaller in the vertical direction than in the longitudinal direction, the recesses of the first and second groups of recesses having a peripheral contour forming a shape when viewed in the transverse direction,
wherein, at least in sections, at least one row of the first and second groups of recesses is arranged adjacent to another row of the first and second groups of recesses in the longitudinal direction such that a recess of the second group is arranged between two recesses of the first group,
wherein an upper row of recesses and a lower row of recesses are arranged above one another at least in sections in the vertical direction such that a recess of the first group lies vertically above a recess of the second group, and
wherein, without external forces on the sole, a largest first dimension of a recess of the plurality of recesses in a first direction is at least 150% of a largest second dimension of the recess in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction such that, when an external force is applied to the sole, the plurality of recesses is configured to collapse.