Nike, Inc.

Dennis D Bunnell

Austin J Orand

Alison Sheets-Singer

Bryan N Farris

Aaron B Weast

Steven H Walker

Summer L Schneider

Michael D Hughes

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate that has a forefoot portion with a foot-facing surface. The sole plate has at least one groove extending at least partially transversely in the foot-facing surface. The at least one groove is open when the sole structure is dorsiflexed in a first portion of a flexion range, and closed when the sole structure is dorsiflexed in a second portion of the flexion range that includes flex angles greater than in the first portion of the flexion range.

Footwear sole structure with compression grooves and nonlinear bending stiffness

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate that includes a forefoot portion with a foot-facing surface. The sole plate has at least one side wall extending upward from the foot-facing surface. The at least one side wall has a first notch in an upper periphery of the side wall in the forefoot portion. The first notch is configured to be open when the forefoot portion of the sole plate is dorsiflexed in a first portion of a flexion range and closed when the forefoot portion of the sole plate is dorsiflexed in a second portion of the flexion range greater than the first portion.

Sole structure for an article of footwear with side wall notch and nonlinear bending stiffness

A sole assembly for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate with a foot-facing surface with a recess disposed in the foot-facing surface. An insert plate is disposed in the recess. A length of the insert plate between anterior and posterior ends of the insert plate is less than a length of the recess. The insert plate flexes free of compressive loading by the sole plate when a forefoot portion of the sole assembly is dorsiflexed in a first portion of a flexion range, and operatively engages with the sole plate when the forefoot portion is dorsiflexed in a second portion of the flexion range that includes flex angles greater than in the first portion of the flexion range. The sole assembly is dorsiflexed, for example, when the forefoot portion is flexed in accordance with toes bending toward the top of the foot.

Footwear sole assembly with insert plate and nonlinear bending stiffness

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate that has a foot-facing surface with a forefoot portion, and a ground-facing surface opposite from the foot-facing surface. The sole plate has a plurality of grooves extending at least partially transversely relative to the sole plate in the forefoot portion of the foot-facing surface, and a plurality of ribs protruding at the ground-facing surface, extending at least partially transversely relative to the sole plate, and underlying the plurality of grooves. At least some grooves of the plurality of grooves are configured to be open when the sole structure is dorsiflexed in a first portion of a flexion range, and closed when the sole structure is dorsiflexed in a second portion of the flexion range that includes flex angles greater than in the first portion of the flexion range.

Sole structure for an article of footwear having nonlinear bending stiffness with compression grooves and descending ribs

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a sole plate that includes a foot-facing surface with a forefoot portion, and a ground-facing surface opposite from the foot-receiving surface. A tension member is operatively secured to the ground-facing surface and has a portion configured to move relative to the sole plate during dorsiflexion of the sole structure in a first portion of a flexion range, and interfere with the sole plate during dorsiflexion of the sole structure in a second portion of the flexion range greater than the first portion altering the rate of the resultant torque.

Sole structure for an article of footwear with longitudinal tension member and non-linear bending stiffness

Sole structure for an article of footwear having a nonlinear bending stiffness with compression grooves and descending ribs

A sole structure may include a protected region at least partially defined by side walls of one or more sole structure features. The sole structure may further include indicial features formed in the protected region. The indicial features may have shapes of information-conveying indicia. A sole structure master corresponding to the sole structure may have indicial elements corresponding to the indicial features in a master indicial region corresponding to the protected region. A mold corresponding to the sole structure may have indicial elements corresponding to the indicial features in a mold indicial region corresponding to the protected region. A sole structure master modeling a sole structure may have textures formed on one or more surfaces by a laser.

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Vancouver, WA, United States of America

Dennis D Bunnell