Patent ID: 6163982
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: A43B

Abstract:
An athletic shoe sole for supporting a foot of an intended wearer, the shoe sole comprising:a sole inner surface for supporting the foot of the intended wearer, and a sole outer surface, the sole outer surface having a sole middle portion and at least a sole side adjacent to the sole middle portion;the sole defining a heel portion at a location substantially corresponding to a calcaneus of the intended wearer's foot, a midtarsal portion at a location substantially corresponding to a midtarsal of the intended wearer's foot, and a forefoot portion at a location substantially corresponding to a forefoot of the intended wearer's foot;the heel portion having a lateral heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus of the intended wearer's foot, and a medial heel part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of the calcaneus of the intended wearer's foot;the midtarsal portion being between the forefoot portion and heel portion, and having a lateral midtarsal part at a location substantially corresponding to the base of a fifth metatarsal of the intended wearer's foot, and a main longitudinal arch part at a location substantially corresponding to the longitudinal arch of the intended wearer's foot;the forefoot portion having a forward medial forefoot part at a location substantially corresponding to the head of the first distal phalange of the intended wearer's foot, and rear medial and lateral forefoot parts at locations substantially corresponding to the heads of medial and lateral metatarsal of the intended wearer's foot;the sole further including at least one concavely rounded bulge, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane, during a shoe sole unloaded, upright condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe;one said concavely rounded bulge being located at the sole side proximate to at least one of the: medial heel part, lateral heel part, forward medial forefoot part, rear medial forefoot part, rear lateral forefoot part, lateral midtarsal part, and main longitudinal arch part;each said at least one concavely rounded bulge including a concavely rounded portion of the inner surface of a midsole component and a concavely rounded portion of the sole outer surface, all as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane during a shoe sole upright, unloaded condition, the concavity existing with respect to the intended wearer's foot location in the shoe;the sole including a lateral sidemost section and a medial sidemost section, each section at a location outside of a straight vertical line extending through the shoe sole at a respective sidemost extent of a midsole component inner surface, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition;each said at least one concavely rounded bulge includes midsole component extending into the sidemost section of the same sole side as said bulge, as viewed in a sole frontal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition;each said at least one concavely rounded bulge further includes a midsole component upper part extending up said at least one concavely rounded bulge to above a level corresponding to a lowest point of the midsole component inner surface of the same sole side as said bulge, as viewed in a shoe sole frontal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition; andthe sole outer surface of at least part of the midtarsal portion is substantially convexly rounded, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane cross section during an unloaded, upright shoe sole condition, the convexity existing with respect to an intended wearer's foot location in the shoe;the concavely rounded portion of the sole outer surface extending through at least a lowermost part of said sole side; and whereinthe shoe sole includes at least two said concavely rounded bulges; anda heel portion thickness that is greater than a forefoot portion thickness, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane.