Footwear outsole

• US 7,313,875 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolverine Outdoors, Inc. (Wolverine World Wide Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wolverine World Wide Inc.
• Inventors: Morgan, Mark M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYS, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US11/020,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20060130368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 36/59.C, 36/32.R, 36/59.R, 36/28, 361/34, 36/25.R, 36/67.R, 36/30.R
• US Class Current: 36/59.00C
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/145 Convex portions, e.g. with a bump or projection, e.g. 'Masai' type shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/184 the structure protruding from the outsole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles

Abstract

An outsole for an article of footwear including a base and a plurality of lugs extending from the base in the forefoot and in the heel portions of the outsole. The lugs each include a leading edge and a trailing edge, and are individually contoured to include a profile increasing in height relative to the base from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The plurality of lugs can also collectively form a contour having an increasing height profile from toe to heel in both the forefoot portion and the heel portion of the outsole. The shape of the lugs, both individually and collectively, permits efficient energy return when walking and simultaneously provides localized, independent reactivity to accommodate a wearer'"'"'s pressure profile and gait.

Claims

1. An outsole for an article of footwear comprising:

a forefoot base defining a plurality of forefoot lug channels;

a plurality of forefoot lugs joined with the forefoot base, each forefoot lug including a forefoot lug leading portion, a forefoot lug trailing portion, and a forefoot lug ground contacting bottom surface, the forefoot lug ground contacting bottom surface disposed a first distance from the forefoot base, the first distance increasing from the forefoot lug leading portion to the forefoot lug trailing portion on each forefoot lug so that each forefoot lug has a rearwardly increasing profile, each of said forefoot lugs surrounded by at least one of the forefoot lug channels;

a heel base defining a plurality of heel lug channels; and

a plurality of heel lugs joined with the heel base, each heel lug including a heel lug leading portion, a heel lug trailing portion, and a heel lug ground contacting bottom surface, the heel lug ground contacting bottom surface disposed a second distance from the heel base, the second distance increasing from the heel lug leading portion to the heel lug trailing portion on each heel lug so that each heel lug has a rearwardly increasing profile, each of said heel lugs surrounded by at least one of the heel lug channels.

2. The outsole of claim 1 wherein the plurality of forefoot lugs are collectively aligned along an arcuate contour having a rearwardly increasing profile.

3. The outsole of claim 1 wherein the forefoot lug leading portions of the plurality of forefoot lugs are collectively aligned along a forefoot lug leading contour and wherein the forefoot lug trailing portions of the plurality of forefoot lugs are collectively aligned along a forefoot lug trailing contour, wherein the forefoot lug leading contour is congruent with a first arc, wherein the forefoot lug trailing contour is congruent with a second arc.

4. The outsole of claim 3 wherein the first arc and the second arc are congruent but offset from one another an amount.

5. The outsole of claim 1 wherein the heel lug leading portions of the plurality of heel lugs are collectively aligned along a heel lug leading contour and wherein the heel lug trailing portions are collectively aligned along a heel lug trailing contour.

6. The outsole of claim 5 wherein the heel lug leading contour is congruent with a first arc, wherein the heel lug trailing contours congruent with a second arc.

7. The outsole of claim 6 wherein the first arc and a second arc are congruent but offset from one another an amount.

8. The outsole of claim 1 wherein the forefoot lug trailing portions are aligned along a forefoot lug trailing contour and wherein the heel lug trailing portions are aligned along a heel lug trailing contour, and wherein a maximum distance between the forefoot lug trailing contour and the forefoot base is about 4.0 mm to about 5.0 mm and wherein a maximum distance between the heel lug trailing contour and the heel base is about 4.0 mm to about 5.0 mm.

9. The outsole of claim 2 wherein the plurality of heel lugs are collectively aligned along another arcuate contour having a rearwardly increasing profile.

10. The outsole of claim 5 wherein the heel lug leading contour and the heel lug trailing contour are separated by a distance of about 1.2 mm to about 1.7 mm.

11. The outsole of claim 1 wherein the forefoot lug channel is of a first depth and the heel lug channel is of a second depth, wherein the first depth and second depth increase from toe to heel in the footwear.

12. An outsole for an article of footwear comprising:

a base; and

a plurality of lugs joined with the base, each lug including a leading edge and a trailing edge, the leading edge aligned with a first point that lies on a first arc, the trailing edge aligned with a second point that lies on a second arc, the first arc and second arc being congruent, the first arc offset from the second arc a pre-selected amount so that the leading edge is closer to the base than the trailing edge on each of the plurality of lugs, the plurality of lugs collectively forming a common rearwardly increasing profile.

13. The outsole of claim 12 wherein each of the lugs includes a profile that increases as the profile transitions from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

14. The outsole of claim 13 wherein the profile forms a contour.

15. The outsole of claim 14 wherein the contour includes a portion that is coincident with a third arc.

16. The outsole of claim 14 wherein the contour does not extend beyond the second arc.

17. The outsole of claim 12 wherein each lug is surrounded by a channel having a depth, the depth increasing in a direction from heel to toe of the outsole.

18. An outsole for an article of footwear comprising:

a base;

a plurality of lugs extending from the base, each lug including a leading edge and a trailing edge, each lug including an independent contour having a rearwardly increasing profile relative to the base as the independent contour transitions from the leading edge to the trailing edge, wherein the plurality of lugs collectively form a collective ground contacting contour having another rearwardly increasing profile relative to the base as the collective contour transitions in a direction of toe toward heel on the outsole.

19. The outsole of claim 18 wherein the base defines a plurality of channels, each of such channels surrounding each of the plurality of lugs.

20. The outsole of claim 19 wherein each of the plurality of channels is of a depth, and wherein the depth increases from toe to heel whereby channels closer to a heel region of the footwear are deeper than channels that are near a toe region of the footwear.