US 12,402,692 B2
Sole structure with midsole protrusions and arced profile for forward momentum
Fidencio Campos, II, Dallas, OR (US); Karen S. Dimoff, Portland, OR (US); Derek A. Fitchett, Beaverton, OR (US); Emily Harrington, Beaverton, OR (US); Joseph L. Helseth, Plano, TX (US); Oliver McLachlan, Beaverton, OR (US); and Colin Runkle, Portland, OR (US)
Assigned to NIKE, Inc., Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed by NIKE, Inc., Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed on Apr. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/307,179.
Application 18/307,179 is a continuation of application No. 17/372,733, filed on Jul. 12, 2021, granted, now 11,666,119.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/051,110, filed on Jul. 13, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0255314 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. A43B 13/22 (2006.01); A43B 13/14 (2006.01); A43B 13/18 (2006.01)
CPC A43B 13/223 (2013.01) [A43B 13/145 (2013.01); A43B 13/184 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising: a midsole having a ground-facing surface with a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region, the midsole defining downwardly-extending protrusions at the ground-facing surface distributed over the midfoot region and the heel region, each of the downwardly-extending protrusions having a convex outer surface; and an outsole covering at least a portion of the ground-facing surface of the midsole; wherein: a height of the sole structure is greatest at the midfoot region; a height of the midsole from a foot-facing surface of the midsole on which a foot rests to the ground-facing surface of the midsole is greatest at the midfoot region such that a height of the midsole in the heel region from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface is less than the height of the midsole in the midfoot region; the outsole includes a forefoot outsole portion, a midfoot outsole portion, and a heel outsole portion, each of the forefoot outsole portion, the midfoot outsole portion, and the heel outsole portion extending from a medial side wall to a lateral side wall of the midsole; a rear edge of the forefoot outsole portion is spaced apart from a forward edge of the midfoot outsole portion defining a first gap between the rear edge of the forefoot outsole portion and the forward edge of the midfoot outsole portion; a rear edge of the midfoot outsole portion is spaced apart from a forward edge of the heel outsole portion defining a second gap between the rear edge of the midfoot outsole portion and the forward edge of the heel outsole portion; wherein the outsole is thicker at peaks of the downwardly-extending protrusions than at the ground-facing surface of the midsole between adjacent peaks of the downwardly-extending protrusions; and wherein the rear edge of the forefoot outsole portion has an irregular shape that is nonlinear from a medial extent of the rear edge of the forefoot outsole portion to a lateral extent of the rear edge of the forefoot outsole portion and is furthest forward between the medial extent of the forefoot outsole portion and the lateral extent of the forefoot outsole portion, and the forward edge of the midfoot outsole portion has a complementary irregular shape that tracks the irregular shape of the rear edge of the forefoot outsole portion such that a width of the first gap is substantially constant.