Auxetic structures and footwear with soles having auxetic structures

• US 9,402,439 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Cross, Tory M., Hoffer, Kevin W., Jones, David P., Kirschner, Patrick B., Langvin, Elizabeth, Meschter, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ostrup, Clinton T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao-Thieu L
• Application Number:
  US14/030,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20150075033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 361/03, 361/02, 36/59.C, 36/25.R, 36/35.R, 36/81, D29/07, D29/06, D29/08, D29/47, D29/57
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0009 made at least partially of alveolar or honeycomb material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/04 Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/122 characterised by the outsole or external layer
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/14 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/141 with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/181 Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/187 Resiliency achieved by the features of the material, e.g. foam, non liquid materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/188 Differential cushioning regions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/22 Soles made slip-preventing or wear-resisting, e.g. by impregnation or spreading a wear-resisting layer
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/226 the profile being made in the foot facing surface
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0073 Y-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/002 Fastenings using stretchable material attached to cuts in the uppers
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/16 Studs or cleats for football or like boots
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/357 Auxetic foams, i.e. material with negative Poisson ratio; anti rubber; dilatational; re-entrant
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24298 Noncircular aperture [e.g., slit, diamond, rectangular, etc.]

Abstract

A material that includes at least one layer made of an auxetic structure and articles of footwear having soles comprising the materials. When the material is under tension, it expands in both the direction under tension and in the directional orthogonal to the direction under tension. The articles of footwear have soles that have at least one layer made of a material that has a pattern of geometrical patterns with polygonal apertures. The geometrical patterns have hinged polygons that rotate with respect to each other when the sole is under lateral or longitudinal tension, thus increasing the lateral and longitudinal dimensions of the sole.

Claims

1. An article of footwear comprising:

an upper;

a sole structure attached to the upper;

wherein the sole structure comprises an outsole, the outsole comprising a ground-contacting outer surface disposed on one side of the outsole;

wherein the sole structure has a longitudinal direction extending along a length of the article of footwear and a lateral direction extending along a width of the article of footwear;

wherein the longitudinal direction is tangential to the outer surface of the outsole and the lateral direction is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, wherein the lateral direction is also tangential to the outer surface of the outsole;

the sole structure further including a plurality of apertures extending from the outer surface of the outsole and extending through a thickness of the sole structure, the plurality of apertures being arranged in geometric patterns;

the sole structure further comprising a midsole, the midsole haying a midsole geometry matching an outsole geometry of the outsole, such that the plurality of apertures extending through the thickness of the sole structure are formed by apertures in the outsole and apertures in the midsole that correspond with each other to form single apertures the extend through both the midsole and the outsole;

wherein the geometrical patterns comprise triangular portions of the outsole that define and surround the apertures; and

wherein tensioning the sole structure in the longitudinal direction causes the outsole to expand in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the triangular portions are joined to each other by joints that function as hinges allowing the triangular portions to rotate with respect to each other to expand the apertures along both of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the apertures are in the form of reentrant triangles.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the plurality of apertures are closed when the sole structure is not under tension.

5. The article of footwear of claim 4, wherein the plurality of the apertures are open when the sole structure is under tension.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least one of the apertures is open when the sole structure is not under tension and is not under vertical compression, and is closed when the sole structure is under vertical compression.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1, further comprising an outer covering over the outsole.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole structure has a tread pattern.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the geometric patterns are hexagonal patterns.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the sole structure comprises an auxetic foam material.

11. An article of footwear comprising an upper and a sole structure attached to the upper, wherein the sole structure has a longitudinal direction extending along a length of the article of footwear and a lateral direction extending along a width of the article of footwear, the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction defining a plane, and wherein the sole structure comprises an outsole, the outsole being characterized by having:

a ground-engaging outer surface;

polygonal portions surrounding polygonal apertures, the polygonal apertures extending from the outer surface of the outsole and extending through a thickness of the sole structure;

wherein the polygonal portions are hingedly joined to adjoining polygonal portions such that a plurality of the polygonal portions rotate with respect to each other in the plane of the sole structure when the sole structure is under tension along at least one of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction;

the sole structure further comprising a midsole, the midsole haying a midsole geometry matching an outsole geometry of the outsole, such that the polygonal apertures are formed by apertures in the outsole and apertures in the midsole that correspond with each other to form single apertures extending through both the midsole and the outsole;

wherein the polygonal apertures are arranged in geometric patterns comprising triangular portions of the outsole that define and surround the polygonal apertures; and

wherein when a portion of the outsole is under longitudinal tension it expands in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction and when the portion of the outsole is under lateral tension it expands in both the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction.

12. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein the sole structure further comprises an outer covering attached to a bottom surface of the outsole.

13. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein the polygonal apertures have a center, and wherein when the sole structure is subject to vertical compression, the polygonal portions are forced towards the center of the polygonal apertures.

14. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein the outsole is attached to the upper by overmolding the outsole to the upper.

15. An article of footwear comprising:

an outsole that includes a ground-engaging outer surface having a pattern of polygonal apertures formed by triangular portions surrounding the polygonal apertures;

the polygonal apertures extending from the outer surface of the outsole and extending through a thickness of the outsole;

a midsole, the midsole having a midsole geometry matching an outsole geometry of the outsole, such that the polygonal apertures are formed by apertures in the outsole and apertures in the midsole that correspond with each other to form single apertures extending through both the midsole and the outsole;

wherein the polygonal apertures have a center;

wherein the triangular portions are joined at their vertices such that they function as hinges thereby allowing the triangles to rotate with respect to each other;

wherein the outsole is characterized by having a lateral direction extending along a width of the article of footwear, a longitudinal direction extending along a length of the article of footwear, and a vertical direction that is normal to a plane defined by the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction;

wherein when a portion of the outsole is under lateral tension, it expands in both the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction, and

when a portion of the outsole is under longitudinal tension it expands in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, and

when a portion of the outsole is under vertical compression, the triangular portions are forced towards the center of the polygonal apertures.

16. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the article of footwear has a heel region and wherein the pattern of polygonal apertures extends through the heel region.

17. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the outsole has a medial side and a lateral side and an instep region, and wherein the outsole comprises a carve-out portion at a medial side of the instep region.

18. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the outsole has a heel region and an instep region, and wherein the polygonal apertures are substantially larger in the heel region than in the instep region.

19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the outsole has a forefoot region, and wherein the polygonal apertures are larger in the forefoot region than in the instep region.

20. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the outsole has a heel region, and wherein the polygonal apertures in the heel region are characterized by having a lateral reentrant side that is generally oriented along the lateral direction , and wherein the generally laterally oriented reentrant side has a shallow reentrant angle.

21. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the outsole has a forefoot region and wherein the polygonal apertures in the forefoot region are characterized by having a lateral reentrant side that is generally oriented along the lateral direction, and wherein the generally laterally oriented reentrant side has a sharp reentrant angle.

22. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the outsole has a heel region, and wherein the heel region has a lateral side, a center and a medial side, and

wherein the polygonal apertures at the lateral side of the heel region and at the medial side of the heel region are significantly smaller than the polygonal apertures at the center of the heel region.