Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

Wolverine Outdoors, Inc.

Christopher J Loveder

Clark A Matis

John H Burch

Martin William Frederick Dean

Shaun Michael Bohnsack

Lee Martin Smith

Shaun M Bohnsack

Wilson S Dodge

A footwear having a shock attenuating and cushioning sole is provided, including a base to which first and second wave elements are joined, each element including alternating crests and troughs. The crests are wide and can each form a ground contact surface, whereas the troughs can be narrower than the crests. Crests of one element are disposed adjacent the troughs of another element. The widths of the crests to those of the troughs can be in at least a 2:1 ratio. Forward and rearward ends of the elements are connected to the base, and the troughs intermittently join with the base to secure the elements between the ends and to impair lateral movement. Different groups of wave elements can be grouped together to form a forefoot section, a heel section and/or an arch section, with the sections separated from and compressible independent of the other sections.

Footwear sole

A method is provided for making footwear utilizing a spray-on material. The method can include spraying a spray-on fabric onto surfaces of a three dimensional last. The last can be produced using additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, based on data corresponding to dimensions and contours of a consumer's foot, and/or preselected aesthetic footwear designs. The spray-on fabric is sprayed onto the surfaces of the last and allowed to cure to form a flexible, non-woven fabric upper. The upper can be removed from the last and turned inside out. With the upper turned inside out, a sole can be joined to the fabric upper to form the footwear.

Method of manufacturing spray-on footwear

A method of manufacturing footwear includes providing a modular forepart and a modular rearpart, overlapping these parts along an overlap margin a preselected distance, and permanently joining the parts to selectively manufacture footwear of at least two different sizes, for example, a full size or a half size or some other partial size. The forepart and rearpart can be injection molded from one or more polymeric materials in a mold. The polymeric materials can be bonded to a sheet of material which can be at least partially retained in a three-dimensional, contoured shape by the polymeric material. The molded polymeric material can form a supportive and/or structural exoskeleton in an upper portion of the footwear. The exoskeleton can define one or more holes through which the sheet is visible to form one or more aesthetic regions on the upper. An article of footwear constructed with the method is also provided.

Injection molded footwear and related method of manufacture

Footwear sole portion

Sole for a boot or shoe

A high top athletic shoe has partial quarters terminating in spaced relationship to each other, in combination with a rear subassembly with inner and outer portions. The inner portion includes a substantially rigid lower counter portion and a soft, flexible Y-shaped upper rear portion forming a tendon engager, integral with but movable relative to the lower portion for flexing thereof between a forward foot-engaging position and a rearward foot entry position. The outer portion comprises a relatively rigid, U-support element pivotally mounted on both sides of the shoe, and movable between a lowered position beneath the counterpoint of the foot and spaced rearwardly of the inner portion, and an upper position snugly engaging the inner portion being retained in this latter condition by a connectable tensile strap extending around the U-support at the rear of the shoe.

Rear entry athletic shoe

Growing community of inventors

Rockford, MI, United States of America

Christopher J Loveder