Patent ID: 6668470
Filing Date: 2003-12-30
Classification: A43B

Abstract:
A sole for an athletic shoe comprising:a combined midsole and outersole; a sole heel area at a location substantially corresponding to the location of a heel of an intended wearer's foot when inside the shoe; a sole forefoot area at a location substantially corresponding to the location of a forefoot of the intended wearer's foot when inside the shoe; a sole third portion at a location substantially corresponding to the area between the heel and the forefoot of the intended wearer's foot when inside the shoe; a sole lateral side, a sole medial side and a sole middle portion located between the sole lateral side and the sole medial side; a lateral sidemost section and a medial sidemost section, each at a location outside of a straight vertical line extending through the sole at a sidemost extent of the inner surface of the combined midsole and outersole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; the sole having a greater sole thickness in the sole heel area than a sole thickness in the sole forefoot area, as viewed in respective sole heel area and sole forefoot area frontal plane cross-sections when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; at least one heel area sole side located at at least one of the sole lateral side and the sole medial side in the sole heel area, each said at least one heel area sole side comprising: a) a concave portion of an outer surface of the shoe sole extending from below a height of a lowermost point of an inner surface of the combined midsole and outersole down said heel area sole side, as viewed in a shoe sole heel area frontal plane cross-sections when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to an inner section of the shoe sole directly adjacent to the concave sole outer surface portion, b) a convex portion of an inner surface of the combined midsole and outersole, as viewed in a shoe sole heel area frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, the convexity existing with respect to a section of the combined midsole and outersole directly adjacent to the convex inner surface portion of the combined midsole and outersole, c) the combined midsole and outersole extending into the sidemost section of the same said heel area sole side, as viewed in the sole heel area frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, and d) an upper part of the combined midsole and outsole extending up said heel area sole side to above a level corresponding to a lowest point of the inner surface of the combined midsole and outersole of the same said heel area sole side, as viewed in the sole heel area frontal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; at least one sole side located at at least one of the sole medial side and the sole lateral side in the sole third portion, each said at least one sole side of the sole third portion comprising: a) a concave portion of the outer surface of the shoe sole extending up said sole side, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section in the sole third portion when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition the concavity being determined relative to an inner section of the shoe sole directly adjacent to the concave sole outer surface portion, b) a convex portion of an inner surface of the combined midsole and outersole, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane cross-section in the sole third portion when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, the convexity existing with respect to a section of the combined midsole and outersole directly adjacent to the convex inner surface portion of the combined midsole and outersole, c) at least a portion of the combined midsole and outersole extending into the sidemost section of the same sole side of the sole third portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section in the sole third portion when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, d) an upper part of the combined midsole and outersole extending up the sole side to above a level corresponding to a lowest point of the inner surface of the combined midsole and outersole of the same sole side of the sole third portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section in the sole third portion when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition, and e) a thickness between the inner surface of the combined midsole and outersole and the outer surface of the shoe sole increases gradually from a thickness at an uppermost point of each said sole side of the sole third portion to a greater thickness at a location below the uppermost point of each said sole side of the sole third portion, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section in the sole third portion when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; at least one of the concave portions of the sole outer surface is formed by a series of at least three substantially straight line segments of the sole outer surface, as viewed in at least one of a heel area frontal plane cross-section and a frontal plane cross-section in the sole third portion, when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; at least part of a lowest line segment extends substantially to a lowermost point of the outer surface of the shoe sole, as viewed in a frontal plane cross-section in at least one of a sole heel area and sole third portion, when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition; and at least part of the third sole portion comprises an indentation relative to a straight line between a lowermost part of the sole outer surface of the sole heel portion and a lowermost part of the sole outer surface of the sole forefoot portion, all as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane cross-section when the shoe sole is upright and in an unloaded condition.