Patent ID: 9486037
Filing Date: 2016-11-08
CPC Classification: A43B

Claim Text:
1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising: a void positioned in a heel region of the article of footwear and defining an upper surface and an opposite lower surface; a plurality of fluid-filled chambers located within the void and extending between the upper surface and the lower surface; an outsole that defines a depression spaced inward from sides of the sole structure, the outsole forming a peripheral portion of the lower surface of the void; and a plate having a rigid or semi-rigid property, the plate being positioned between the outsole and the plurality of fluid-filled chambers, the plate being located within the depression in the outsole, and the plate forming a central portion of the lower surface of the void, wherein each of the plurality of fluid-filled chambers is formed of a flexible material, the plate is formed of a material that has a greater modulus of elasticity than the flexible material of the fluid-filled chambers, and a material of the outsole is softer than the material of the plate, and wherein each of the plurality of fluid-filled chambers is located above areas of both the peripheral portion and the central portion of the lower surface of the void, and each of the plurality of fluid-filled chambers is in contact with a surface portion of the plate.