Article Of Footwear With Multiple Cleat Sizes

• US 20100293813A1
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Morag, Erez, Gerber, Clifford B., Ervin, Jon, Baucom, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 8,584,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/132
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/026 Composites, e.g. carbon fibre or aramid fibre; the sole, one or more sole layers or sole part being made of a composite
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/12 Soles with several layers of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/165 pointed or conical, e.g. calks, spikes, pins
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/167 frusto-conical or cylindrical

Abstract

An article of footwear including different cleat sizes is disclosed. The article of footwear includes cleats of a first size along the medial side of the outsole and cleats of a second size along the lateral side of the outsole. The cleats also include spherical indentations along their tips. The outsole also includes an internal structural plate with notches associated with the cleats.

Claims

1. An article of footwear comprising:

an outsole including a forefoot portion, a heel portion, a medial side, a lateral side, an edge, and an outwardly facing outer outsole surface;

the outsole defining a length from a first edge portion at a front of the forefoot portion to a second edge portion at a rear of the heel portion;

the outsole defining a width from a third edge portion on the lateral side of the outsole to a fourth edge portion on the medial side of the outsole;

a first group of cleats disposed along the outer outsole surface, each cleat of the first group of cleats including a base portion and a tip portion and having a first height extending from the first base portion to the first tip portion, each cleat defining a longitudinal axis from the base portion to the tip portion;

a second group of cleats disposed along the outer outsole surface, each cleat of the second group of cleats including a base portion and a tip portion and having a second height extending from the second base portion to the second tip portion, each cleat defining a longitudinal axis from the base portion to the tip portion;

a first tip surface defined by the first tip portions of the first group of cleats, the first tip surface matching a contour of the outer outsole surface;

a second tip surface defined by the second tip portions of the second group of cleats, the second tip surface matching the contour of the outer outsole surface;

wherein the first tip surface lies at a first distance corresponding to the first height away from the outer outsole surface;

wherein the second tip surface lies at a second distance corresponding to the second height away from the outer outsole surface; and

wherein the first tip surface and the second tip surface each lie at different distances from the outer outsole surface and wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.

2. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein the first group of cleats comprises a majority of cleats in a periphery area of the outer outsole surface and the second group of cleats comprises a majority of the cleats in a center area of the outer outsole surface.

3. The article of footwear according to claim 2, wherein the first tip surface lies a greater distance from the outer outsole surface than the second tip surface.

4. The article of footwear according to claim 3, further comprising:

a third group of cleats, each cleat of the third group of cleats including a base portion and a tip portion; and

a third tip surface defined by the tip portions of the third group of cleats, the third tip surface matching the contour of the outer outsole surface, the third group of cleats comprising a majority of cleats in the heel portion.

5. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein each cleat of the first group of cleats defines an outwardly facing indentation at its tip portion.

6. The article of footwear according to claim 5, wherein the indentation has a partial spherical shape.

7. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein a majority of the cleats of the first group of cleats is spaced from the edge a distance less than a largest lateral dimension of the first base portion;

and

wherein a majority of the cleats of the second group of cleats is disposed in a center area of the outer outsole surface farther from the edge than the majority of the cleats of the first group of cleats.

8. An article of footwear comprising:

an outsole including a forefoot portion and a heel portion, the forefoot portion including an outer periphery and an inner portion;

a plurality of cleats disposed on an outwardly facing surface of the outsole;

the outer periphery of the forefoot portion including a plurality of first cleats having a first diameter and a plurality of second cleats having a second diameter;

a majority of the cleats in the inner portion comprising a plurality of third cleats having a third diameter;

a majority of the cleats in the heel portion comprising a plurality of fourth cleats having a fourth diameter; and

the first diameter, the second diameter, the third diameter, and the fourth diameter being different from each other.

9. The article of footwear according to claim 8, wherein the outer periphery of the forefoot portion includes eleven cleats, wherein the inner portion of the forefoot portion includes six cleats, and wherein the heel portion includes four cleats.

10. The article of footwear according to claim 8, wherein the fourth diameter is larger than the first diameter, the second diameter, and the third diameter.

11. The article of footwear according to claim 10, wherein the third diameter is smaller than the first diameter and the second diameter.

12. The article of footwear according to claim 8, wherein the cleats disposed along the inner portion of the forefoot portion are shorter than the cleats disposed along the outer periphery of the forefoot portion.

13. The article of footwear according to claim 8, wherein the cleats disposed along the heel portion are longer than the cleats disposed along the forefoot portion.

14. An article of footwear comprising:

an outsole including a forefoot portion and a heel portion, the forefoot portion including an outer periphery and an inner portion;

a plurality of first cleats disposed along the outer periphery of the forefoot portion of the outsole, each of the plurality of first cleats having a first size; and

a plurality of second cleats disposed along the outer periphery of the forefoot portion of the outsole, each of the plurality of second cleats having a second size different from the first size,

wherein the plurality of first cleats comprises a majority of the cleats in the outer periphery.

15. The article of footwear according to claim 14, wherein the first size is larger than the second size.

16. The article of footwear according to claim 15, wherein the inner portion includes a third cleat having a third size different from the first size and the second size.

17. The article of footwear according to claim 16, wherein the third size is smaller than the first size and the second size.

18. The article of footwear according to claim 17, wherein the heel portion includes a fourth cleat having a fourth size that is larger than the first size.

19. The article of footwear according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of first cleats is disposed in an uninterrupted line along a lateral side of the outer periphery of the forefoot portion of the outsole, and wherein the plurality of second cleats is disposed in an uninterrupted line along the medial side of the outer periphery of the forefoot portion of the outsole.

20. The article of footwear according to claim 19, wherein each first cleat of the plurality of first cleats is spaced apart from the outer periphery a distance less than a largest lateral base dimension of the each first cleat, and wherein each second cleat of the plurality of second cleats is spaced apart from the outer periphery a distance less than a largest lateral base dimension of the each second cleat.