Footwear with interchangeable sole structure elements
First Claim
1. An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper; and
a sole structure coupled to the upper and including a plurality of support elements located in a plantar region, the sole structure further including a plurality of elastic retaining bands, wherein each of the support elements is at least partially secured in a corresponding position on the sole structure by a corresponding one of the retaining bands surrounding at least a portion of the support element, and wherein the plurality of support elements includes a medial heel support element located on a medial side of the sole structure in a heel region and a lateral heel support element located on a lateral side of the sole structure in the heel region.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A shoe may comprise an upper and a sole structure that includes a plurality of support elements located in a plantar region. Each of the support elements may be non-destructively removable from and replaceable into the sole structure. The shoe may comprise a plurality of sensors configured to measure force exerted in a footbed region of the article of footwear, as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the sensors. The processor may be configured to receive input indicative of forces measured by the sensors and to transmit data based on that input. Methods utilizing the article may include removing a support element and replacing the removed support element with a replacement support element.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper; and a sole structure coupled to the upper and including a plurality of support elements located in a plantar region, the sole structure further including a plurality of elastic retaining bands, wherein each of the support elements is at least partially secured in a corresponding position on the sole structure by a corresponding one of the retaining bands surrounding at least a portion of the support element, and wherein the plurality of support elements includes a medial heel support element located on a medial side of the sole structure in a heel region and a lateral heel support element located on a lateral side of the sole structure in the heel region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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7. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper; and a sole structure coupled to the upper and including a plurality of support elements located in a plantar region, the sole structure further including a plurality of elastic retaining bands, wherein each of the support elements is at least partially secured in a corresponding position on the sole structure by a corresponding one of the retaining bands surrounding at least a portion of the support element, and wherein each support element of the plurality abuts at least one other of the support elements of the plurality. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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19. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper; and a sole structure coupled to the upper and including a base having a plurality of positions defined therein, a plurality of support elements respectively corresponding to and located in the positions, and a plurality of elastic retaining bands respectively corresponding to and securing the support elements in the positions, wherein the plurality of positions comprises a medial forefoot position, a lateral forefoot position, and a heel position. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 24, 25)
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22. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper; and a sole structure coupled to the upper and including a base having a plurality of positions defined therein, a plurality of support elements respectively corresponding to and located in the positions, and a plurality of elastic retaining bands respectively corresponding to and securing the support elements in the positions, wherein the plurality of positions comprises a forefoot position, a medial heel position, and a lateral heel position. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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26. A method of modifying an article of footwear, comprising:
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holding the article of footwear, wherein the article of footwear comprises an upper and a sole structure coupled to the upper, wherein the sole structure includes a plurality of support elements located in a plantar region, the sole structure further including a plurality of elastic retaining bands, wherein each of the support elements is at least partially secured in a corresponding position on the sole structure by a corresponding one of the retaining bands surrounding at least a portion of the support element, and wherein the plurality of support elements includes a medial heel support element located on a medial side of the sole structure in a heel region and a lateral heel support element located on a lateral side of the sole structure in the heel region; removing one of the support elements from the sole structure; and securing a replacement support element into the position corresponding to the removed support element. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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37. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper; and a sole structure coupled to the upper and including a plurality of support elements located in a plantar region, the sole structure further including a plurality of elastic retaining bands, wherein each of the support elements is at least partially secured in a corresponding position on the sole structure by a corresponding one of the retaining bands surrounding at least a portion of the support element, and wherein the plurality of support elements includes a medial forefoot support element located on a medial side of the sole structure in a forefoot region and a lateral forefoot support element located on a lateral side of the sole structure in the forefoot region. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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Specification