Articles of Footwear
An article of footwear including a footwear upper and a sole assembly secured to the footwear upper. The sole assembly has a forefoot portion and a heel portion, and includes an outsole, a midsole disposed on the outsole and an instability insert disposed between the outsole and the midsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly. The instability insert causes a forefoot protrusion to be defined by the outsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly.
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This disclosure relates to articles of footwear having forefoot cushioning.
BACKGROUNDArticles of footwear, such as shoes, are generally worn while exercising to protect and provide stability of a user's feet. In general, shoes include an upper portion and a sole. When the upper portion is secured to the sole, the upper portion and the sole together define a void that is configured to securely and comfortably hold a human foot. Often, the upper portion and/or sole are/is formed from multiple layers that can be stitched or adhesively bonded together. For example, the upper portion can be made of a combination of leather and fabric, or foam and fabric, and the sole can be formed from at least one layer of natural rubber. Often materials are chosen for functional reasons, e.g., water-resistance, durability, abrasion-resistance, and breathability, while shape, texture, and color are used to promote the aesthetic qualities of the shoe.
SUMMARYOne aspect of the disclosure provides, an article of footwear including a footwear upper and a sole assembly secured to the footwear upper. The sole assembly has a forefoot portion and a heel portion, and includes an outsole, a midsole disposed on the outsole and an instability insert disposed between the outsole and the midsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly. The instability insert causes a forefoot protrusion to be defined by the outsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly.
Another aspect of the disclosure provides, an article of footwear including a footwear upper and a sole assembly secured to the footwear upper. The sole assembly has a forefoot portion and a heel portion. The forefoot portion of the sole assembly is configured to provide a first period of instability upon receiving the weight of a user followed by a second period of stability.
Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of the following features. In some implementations, the heel portion is configured to at least partially collapse upon receiving the weight of a user and cause the user to rotate the sole assembly forward, placing the weight of the user on the forefoot portion of the sole assembly. In some implementations, the sole assembly includes an outsole, a midsole disposed on the outsole and an instability insert disposed between the outsole and the midsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly, the instability insert causing a forefoot protrusion to be defined by the outsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly.
In some implementations, the forefoot portion of the outsole defines a radius of curvature of between about 130 mm and about 190 mm (preferably about 160 mm). The forefoot protrusion can have a height, measured from a lowest point of the protrusion to an outer edge of the outsole, of between about 4 mm and about 12 mm (preferably about 8 mm). The instability insert may define a substantially elliptical shape in top and side views. In some examples, the instability insert has a thickness of between about 3 mm and about 9 mm (preferably about 6 mm), a length of between about 65 mm and about 85 mm (preferably about 76 mm), and a width of between about 45 mm and about 55 mm (preferably about 50 mm). The instability insert may comprise polyurethane. In some implementations, the instability insert has a durometer of between about 15 Asker C and about 20 Asker C.
In some implementations, the article of footwear includes a heel insert disposed substantially between the outsole and the midsole in the heel portion of the sole assembly, the heel insert configured to collapse under a user's weight. The heel insert may comprise at least one of polyurethane and a ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA). In some examples, the heel insert has a durometer of between about 42 Asker C and about 48 Asker C and/or a thickness of between about 10 mm and about 35 mm.
The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. By way of example only, all of the drawings are directed to an article of footwear (e.g., shoe) suitable to be worn on a user's left foot. The invention includes also the mirror images of the drawings, i.e. an article of footwear suitable to be worn on the infant's right foot.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe footwear upper 110 may be stitched and/or bonded (e.g., by an adhesive) to the sole assembly 200. The footwear upper 110 may be constructed of one or more leathers, textiles, non-woven materials, and any other suitable material for receiving and holding a user's foot. In some examples, the footwear upper 110 includes moisture-wicking materials.
Referring to
The sole assembly 200 includes an instability insert 230 disposed substantially between the outsole 210 and the midsole 220 in the forefoot portion 202 of the sole assembly 200. The instability insert 230 creates a forefoot protrusion 216 (e.g., a gently domed bulge) in the outsole 210, such that the user experiences a slight rocking (fore-aft and/or side-to-side) in the forefoot portion 202 of the sole assembly. In some examples, the forefoot portion 212 of the outsole 210 defines a radius of curvature R of between about 130 mm and about 190 mm (preferably about 160 mm). The forefoot protrusion 216 may have a height H, measured from a lowest point of the protrusion 216 to an outer edge 218 of the outsole 210, of between about 4 mm and about 12 mm (preferably about 8 mm). The user generally exerts relatively more energy to maintain balance and over-come the instability caused by the instability insert 230, as compared to that experienced while wearing a conventional stable shoe.
In some implementations, the instability insert 230 defines an elliptical shape in top and side views, as shown in
In some implementations, the sole assembly 200 includes a heel insert 240 disposed substantially between the outsole 210 and the midsole 220 in the heel portion 204 of the sole assembly 200, as shown in
The article of footwear 100 may include a foot bed 300 (
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. An article of footwear comprising:
- a footwear upper; and
- a sole assembly secured to the footwear upper, the sole assembly having a forefoot portion and a heel portion, the sole assembly comprising: an outsole; a midsole disposed on the outsole; and an instability insert disposed between the outsole and the midsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly, the instability insert causing a forefoot protrusion to be defined by the outsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly.
2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the forefoot portion of the outsole defines a radius of curvature of between about 130 mm and about 190 mm.
3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the forefoot portion of the outsole defines a radius of curvature of about 160 mm.
4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the forefoot protrusion has a height, measured from a lowest point of the protrusion to an outer edge of the outsole, of between about 4 mm and about 12 mm.
5. The article of footwear of claim 4, wherein the forefoot protrusion has a height, measured from a lowest point of the protrusion to an outer edge of the outsole, of about 8 mm.
6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the instability insert defines a substantially elliptical shape in top and side views.
7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the instability insert has a thickness of between about 3 mm and about 9 mm, a length of between about 65 mm and about 85 mm, and a width of between about 45 mm and about 55 mm.
8. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein the instability insert has a thickness of about 6 mm, a length of about 76 mm, and a width of about 50 mm.
9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the instability insert comprises polyurethane.
10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the instability insert has a durometer of between about 15 Asker C and about 20 Asker C.
11. The article of footwear of claim 1, further comprising a heel insert disposed substantially between the outsole and the midsole in the heel portion of the sole assembly, the heel insert configured to collapse under a user's weight.
12. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein the heel insert comprises at least one of polyurethane and a ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA).
13. The article of footwear of claim 12, wherein the heel insert has a durometer of between about 42 Asker C and about 48 Asker C.
14. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein the heel insert has a thickness of between about 10 mm and about 35 mm.
15. An article of footwear comprising:
- a footwear upper; and
- a sole assembly secured to the footwear upper, the sole assembly having a forefoot portion and a heel portion;
- wherein the forefoot portion of the sole assembly is configured to provide a first period of instability upon receiving the weight of a user followed by a second period of stability.
16. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the heel portion is configured to at least partially collapse upon receiving the weight of a user and cause the user to rotate the sole assembly forward, placing the weight of the user on the forefoot portion of the sole assembly.
17. The article of footwear of claim 15, the sole assembly comprises:
- an outsole;
- a midsole disposed on the outsole; and
- an instability insert disposed between the outsole and the midsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly, the instability insert causing a forefoot protrusion to be defined by the outsole in the forefoot portion of the sole assembly.
18. The article of footwear of claim 17, wherein the forefoot portion of the outsole defines a radius of curvature of between about 130 mm and about 190 mm.
19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the forefoot portion of the outsole defines a radius of curvature of about 160 mm.
20. The article of footwear of claim 17, wherein the instability insert has a thickness of between about 3 mm and about 9 mm, a length of between about 65 mm and about 85 mm, and a width of between about 45 mm and about 55 mm.
21. The article of footwear of claim 20, wherein the instability insert has a thickness of about 6 mm, a length of about 76 mm, and a width of about 50 mm.
22. The article of footwear of claim 17, wherein the instability insert comprises polyurethane.
23. The article of footwear of claim 17, wherein the instability insert has a durometer of between about 15 Asker C and about 20 Asker C.
24. The article of footwear of claim 15, further comprising a heel insert disposed substantially between the outsole and the midsole in the heel portion of the sole assembly, the heel insert configured to collapse under a user's weight.
25. The article of footwear of claim 24, wherein the heel insert comprises at least one of polyurethane and a ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA).
26. The article of footwear of claim 24, wherein the heel insert has a durometer of between about 42 Asker C and about 48 Asker C.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 18, 2009
Publication Date: May 19, 2011
Applicant: SRL, LLC (Lexington, MA)
Inventors: Bernard Merritt (Hingham, MA), Alain Laverdure (Medford, MA)
Application Number: 12/621,024
International Classification: A43B 1/10 (20060101); A43B 13/18 (20060101); A43B 13/38 (20060101);