Article of footwear having a polygon lug sole pattern

• US 8,832,970 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Avar, Eric P., Hoffer, Kevin W., Hatfield, Tobie D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kavanaugh, Ted
• Application Number:
  US13/456,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 36/59.R, 36/59.C, 361/03, 361/04, 36/30.R, 36/25.R
• US Class Current: 36/59.R
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0009 made at least partially of alveolar or honeycomb material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/141 with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/16 Pieced soles with several layers of different material A43B13/12
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/184 the structure protruding from the outsole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/186 Differential cushioning region, e.g. cushioning located under the ball of the foot resilient heel not included in the sole A43B21/26; resilient supports for the heel of the foot A43B21/32
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/26 projecting beyond the sole surface
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 86/00 Machines for assembling soles or heels onto uppers, not provided for in groups A43D25/00 - A43D83/00, e.g. by welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/06 having soles or heels formed and joined on to preformed uppers using a moulding technique, e.g. by injection moulding, pressing and vulcanising
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/122 Soles

Abstract

Articles of footwear, including athletic footwear, include one or more of: (a) an upper; (b) a sole structure including a midsole and an outsole, the outsole having a plurality of polygonal lugs arranged about a base surface of the outsole. The outsole may include one or more regions wherein the characteristics of a portion of the lugs within a region differ from the characteristics of a portion of the lugs in another region. The lugs may differ, for example based on size, construction and/or spacing between the lugs. Methods of manufacturing such articles of footwear also are disclosed.

Claims

1. An article of footwear, comprising:

an upper; and

a sole structure connected to the upper and including;

a midsole connected to the upper; and

an outsole engaged with the midsole, the outsole including a plurality of hexagonal lugs extending from a base surface, the hexagonal lugs being arranged to form a ground contacting surface of the outsole, wherein the hexagonal lugs are sized or spaced from one another to provide regions of the outsole with different impact-attenuation characteristics, and wherein the plurality of hexagonal lugs includes a first hexagonal lug having two adjacent sides nested within an area defined by sides of two adjacent hexagonal lugs.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hexagonal lugs are non-uniformly sized.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least some of the hexagonal lugs are arranged such that a distance between neighboring lugs is between 1 mm and 15 mm.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least some of the hexagonal lugs are arranged such that a distance between neighboring lugs is between 1 mm and 8 mm.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least some of the hexagonal lugs are arranged such that a distance between neighboring lugs is between 2 mm and 12 mm.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein free ends of the plurality of hexagonal lugs opposite the base surface are not in contact with each other.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least some of the lugs have a height that is greater than one-half of a thickness of the outsole at the lug'"'"'s location.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least some of the lugs have a height that is greater than three-fourths of a thickness of the outsole at the lug'"'"'s location.

9. An article of footwear, comprising:

an upper;

a sole structure connected to the upper, the sole structure including;

a midsole;

an outsole, wherein the outsole includes a plurality of hexagonal lugs extending from a base surface and arranged to form a ground contacting surface of the outsole, the outsole further including at least a first lug region with a first plurality of hexagonal lugs having at least a first lug characteristic and a second lug region with a second plurality of hexagonal lugs having at least a second lug characteristic different from the first lug characteristic, wherein the first plurality of hexagonal lugs includes a first hexagonal lug having two adjacent sides nested within a first area defined by sides of a first pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs, and wherein the second plurality of hexagonal lugs includes a second hexagonal lug having two adjacent sides nested within a second area defined by sides of a second pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs.

10. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein the plurality of hexagonal lugs are non-uniformly sized.

11. The article of footwear of claim 9, further including a third lug region having at least a third lug characteristic different from the first and second lug characteristics.

12. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein the first lug region includes hexagonal lugs having a first material thickness and the second lug region includes hexagonal lugs having a second lug thickness different from the first lug thickness.

13. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein the first hexagonal lug of the first lug region is arranged such that a distance between the first hexagonal lug and the first pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs is between 1 mm and 15 mm.

14. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein the first hexagonal lug of the first lug region is arranged such that a distance between the first hexagonal lug and the first pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs is between 1 mm and 8 mm.

15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the second hexagonal lug of the second lug region is arranged such that a distance between the second hexagonal lug and the second pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs is between 2 mm and 12 mm.

16. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein second hexagonal lug of the second lug region is arranged such that a distance between the second hexagonal lug and the second pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs is between 2 mm and 12 mm.

17. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein free ends of the first plurality of hexagonal lugs opposite the base surface are not in contact with each other, and wherein free ends of the second plurality of hexagonal lugs opposite the base surface are not in contact with each other.

18. An article of footwear, comprising:

an upper;

a midsole connected to the upper; and

an outsole connected to the midsole, the outsole including;

a first region including a first plurality of hexagonal lugs extending downward from a base surface and forming at least a portion of a ground contacting surface, the first region being arranged in a central portion of the outsole, wherein at least a portion of the first plurality of hexagonal lugs of the first region have a first thickness, and wherein the first plurality of hexagonal lugs includes a first hexagonal lug having two adjacent sides nested within a first area defined by sides of a first pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs; and

a second region including a second plurality of hexagonal lugs extending downward from the base surface and forming at least a portion of the ground contacting surface, the second region being arranged around a periphery of the central portion, and wherein the second plurality of hexagonal lugs includes a second hexagonal lug having two adjacent sides nested within a second area defined by sides of a second pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs.

19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of the second plurality of hexagonal lugs of the second region have a second thickness different from the first thickness.

20. The article of footwear of claim 18, further including a third region including a third plurality of hexagonal lugs extending downward from the base surface and forming at least a portion of the ground contacting surface, the third region being arranged in a toe region of the article of footwear.

21. The article of footwear of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of the third plurality of hexagonal lugs of the third region are substantially similar in size to at least a portion of the first plurality of hexagonal lugs of the first region.

22. The article of footwear of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of the third plurality of hexagonal lugs of the third region are substantially similar in size to at least a portion of the second plurality of hexagonal lugs of the second region.

23. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the first hexagonal lug of the first region is arranged such that a distance between the first hexagonal lug and the first pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs is between 1 mm and 15 mm.

24. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the first hexagonal lug of the first region is arranged such that a distance between the first hexagonal lug and the first pair of adjacent hexagonal lugs is between 1 mm and 8 mm.

25. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the outsole includes a plurality of non-uniformly sized hexagonal lugs extending from a base surface and arranged to form a ground contacting surface of the outsole.