The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 20, 2022
Filed:
Oct. 04, 2019
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA (US);
Christopher A. Brown, Waterbury Center, VT (US);
James J. Muller, Worcester, MA (US);
Winton Parker, Waitsfield, VT (US);
Allysa Grant, Worcester, MA (US);
Tristin J. Carlton, Coventry, RI (US);
Nicholas Workman, Worcester, MA (US);
Michael Doyle, Worcester, MA (US);
Jessica Shelsky, Worcester, MA (US);
Jessica K. Y. Cheu, Worcester, MA (US);
Lorenzo Dube, Worcester, MA (US);
Pedro D. Oporto, Worcester, MA (US);
Olivia G. Steen, Worcester, MA (US);
Andrew R. Vickery, Worcester, MA (US);
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA (US);
Abstract
A force absorbing device for a footwear appliance includes a shoe upper and a shoe sole having a planar sole surface, such that forces between the shoe upper and planar sole surface in ground contact are absorbed by force mitigation structures disposed in the shoe sole. A footwear article includes a split-sole system that redefines a shoe sole as coplanar surfaces having a force mitigating interface for receiving sudden forces and effectively mitigating these forces by storing kinetic energy and releasing it over time. An elastic field in the force mitigation structure is defined by a resilient material adapted to deform in response to the received force. Frictional engagement between the upper and lower sole may also be augmented by surface characteristics such as dimples, voids and lubricants, in addition to interference engagement with an elastic field.