Patent ID: 11877625
Assignee: WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Field: Other consumer goods (Other fields)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 11:
12. A method for receiving and absorbing forces exerted against a footwear appliance, comprising: receiving a displacement force at a ground interface member extending from a planar sole surface of a shoe sole, the ground interface member coupled to a force mitigation assembly, transferring the displacement force via a linkage to a planar member slidably disposed in communication with an elastic field, the planar member slidably engaged with and directly in contact with the planar sole surface; the planar member including an inclined surface around a circumferential edge of the planar member, the inclined surface disposed against the elastic field and oriented to compress the elastic field in a direction perpendicular to the planar sole surface by slidable travel of the planar member along the planar sole surface and between the planar sole surface and the elastic field for disposing the inclined surface in a direction parallel to the planar sole surface in response to receiving a lateral displacement across the field, the inclined surface defining a compression region having a constant size resulting from an area moving with the inclined surface from travel of the planar member parallel to the planar sole surface as the inclined surface compresses the compression region in a direction perpendicular to the travel of the planar member; the elastic field including a resilient, compressible material; and receiving a mitigating force to counter the lateral displacement force with a counterforce proportional to a compressed area of the elastic field based on an area of the elastic field engaged by the inclined surface.