Nike, Inc.

Nike International Ltd.

Sergio G Lozano

Tinker L Hatfield

TaeYong Lee

Giorgio Anceresi

Craig E Santos

Gordon A Valiant

Anthony P Daversa

James C Meschter

Kevin W Hoffer

Pamela Susan Greene

Edward Nathaniel Thomas

Denis Dekovic

Michael D Martindale

Tony A Bignell

Michael Martindale

Robert J Lucas

Carl Blakeslee

Thomas J Gray

Jay Meschter

Christian Ebon Plein

Rebecca Lynn Edington

Mark Cartier

Denis Dukovic

Various arrangements for an article of footwear including an outsole having grooves forming discrete lugs are presented. The outsoles generally include a plurality of grooves formed in at least a portion of the outsole that extend from a lateral side of the outsole to a medial side of the outsole. The grooves may be linear or curved and generally extend in an angular fashion. The grooves may have a first depth at a perimeter of the outsole and a second depth, greater than the first depth, at the center of the outsole. The grooves form discrete lugs. In some arrangements, the lugs are diamond shaped.

Outsoles having grooves forming discrete lugs

Shoe outsole

Shoe upper

Outsole having grooves forming discrete lugs

An article of footwear is disclosed having an upper, a foot-supporting member, and a sole structure. The foot-supporting member includes a heel region located at a greater elevation than a forefoot region, thereby defining a recess under the heel region. The sole structure includes a midsole that forms a protrusion on the interior of the footwear. The protrusion mates with the recess to provide support for the heel region. The foot-supporting member may also incorporate pronation control characteristics, including a downward cant from a medial to a lateral side of the foot-supporting member and a region of reduced support generally underlying the first metatarsal. To further reduce the rate of pronation, the sole structure includes a region in the rear-lateral corner that is more compressible than other areas of the sole structure.

Footwear with removable foot-supporting member

An article of footwear having a sole structure that includes one or more support elements formed of a resilient, compressible material is disclosed. The lower surface of a support element located in the back-lateral corner of the sole structure includes a downward bevel in the lateral-to-medial direction and back-to-front direction. In addition to the downward bevel on the lower surface of the support element, a base plate and outsole include corresponding bevels. Cooperatively, the bevels reduce the rate of pronation in a foot of a wearer.

Footwear midsole with compressible element in lateral heel area

Portion of a shoe upper

Side element of a shoe upper

Portion of a shoe outsole

Growing community of inventors

Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Sergio G Lozano