Patent ID: 8959804
Filing Date: 2015-02-24
Classification: A42B,A43B,B32B,F16F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A shoe or other footwear comprising: a shoe upper and a shoe sole including at least a bottom sole; at least a portion of said shoe sole being formed by a sole section having an inner surface and an outer surface; at least a portion of the sides of said shoe upper being attached directly to the bottom sole such that the shoe upper envelopes, on the outside, at least the sole section of said shoe sole, such that the sole section of said shoe sole is located within a structure formed by a combination of said bottom sole and a portion of said shoe upper that is attached to said bottom sole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; the inner surface of the sole section including at least one convexly rounded portion, said convexity being determined relative to a portion of the sole section directly adjacent to the inner surface of the sole section, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the sole section is upright and in an unloaded condition; the outer surface of the sole section including at least one concavely rounded portion, said concavity being determined relative to a portion of the sole section directly adjacent to the outer surface of the sole section, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the sole section is upright and in an unloaded condition; each said concavely rounded portion of the outer surface of the sole section being located on the sole section at a location corresponding to the location of at least one convexly rounded portion of the inner surface of the sole section so as to define a rounded portion of the sole section located between said convexly rounded portion of the inner surface of the sole section and said concavely rounded portion of the outer surface of the sole section, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the sole section is upright and in an unloaded condition; the sole section including at least one outer bladder having two side portions, an uppermost surface and a lowermost surface, both said surfaces being curved concavely on both said side portions to define concavely curved side portions of the at least one outer bladder, so that said concavely curved side portions, together with a middle portion extending between the side portions, form said at least one outer bladder in a U-shape, the concave curvature and the U-shape being determined relative to a central portion of an intended wearer's foot location in the footwear or orthotic device, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the footwear or orthotic sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; said at least one outer bladder forming a component of the sole section; and at least one inner bladder substantially surrounded on at least a top, bottom and sides by the at least one outer bladder, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section, said at least one inner bladder including at least a gas located at least inside of said at least one inner bladder, said outer bladder and said inner bladder being separated at least in part by an internal sipe; and and the inner and outer surface portions forming the sipe oppose each other and therefore can move relative to each other in a sliding motion; and at least one attachment between said inner surface of said outer bladder and said outer surface of said inner bladder, said attachment being located in an upper, central portion of said internal sipe between sidemost extents of said uppermost surface of said outer bladder, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe or other footwear is upright and in an unloaded position.