Patent Publication Number: US-2023143450-A1

Title: Footwear midsoles with bridge components

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Footwear tends to be mass produced with variance among a specific style or type of footwear typically being limited to size. Mass production of footwear is facilitated by industrial processes, such as injection molding, that are effective in keeping costs down when many of the same item are made. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a bottom perspective view of an example midsole that includes a bridge component that joins other midsole components. 
         FIG.  2    is a bottom exploded perspective view of the example midsole of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is a top perspective view of the example midsole of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    is a top exploded perspective view of the example midsole of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of an example bridge component and example midsole components that include a protrusion and recess connection structure. 
         FIG.  6    is a partial cross-sectional view of an example edge and groove arrangement. 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view of an example apparatus to manufacture an article of footwear including a midsole with a bridge component. 
         FIG.  8    is a flowchart of an example method of making an article of footwear specific to a wearer using a midsole bridge. 
         FIG.  9    is a flowchart of an example method of making an article of footwear specific to a wearer using midsole bridges. 
         FIG.  10 A  is a schematic diagram of an example midsole with three midsole components joined by two bridge components. 
         FIG.  10 B  is a schematic diagram of an example midsole with midsole components joined by a bridge component with two rearward legs. 
         FIG.  100    is a schematic diagram of an example midsole with midsole components joined by a bridge component with two opposing legs. 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective view of an example article of footwear with a midsole including a bridge component that bonds midsole components. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Footwear often lacks customizable features, such as orthopedic performance characteristics, specific to an individual wearer or group of wearers. The mass production technologies that keep costs low also tend to inhibit wearer-specific customization. 
     A footwear midsole can provide various characteristics to an article of footwear. The midsole can be instrumental in the configuration of an orthopedic or other performance characteristic, such as rebound and energy transfer. 
     To provide customizability of characteristics, a midsole may be made of several partial midsole components, such as a forward component and a rearward component, which may be provided with different physical properties. Each component may be provided with a specific shape, material, and construction, which may be varied from component to component. As such, a midsole may be customized for a wearer or group of wearers by configuring and joining partial midsole components to form a complete midsole. 
     A bridge component joins partial midsole components. The bridge component is located towards the underside of the midsole components and may be adjacent the outsole. The bridge component may serve to attach the midsole components and augment the characteristics provided to the completed midsole. A second bridge component may be located towards the upper side of the midsole components and may be adjacent the upper of the article of footwear. The second bridge component may also serve to attach the midsole components and further augment the characteristics provided to the completed midsole, such as arch support. 
     A bridge may provide additional orthopedic function to the midsole while aiding midsole manufacturing by joining midsole components. 
     A bridge may include a leg that provides a bonding surface to a midsole component. Bonding strength may be increased by a recess and protrusion structure. An edge of the leg may fit into a groove of the midsole component to provide securement. A bridge may have four legs in an H-like arrangement. 
     Midsole components may be made by three-dimensional (3D) printing, such as additive printing techniques, to allow for efficient customizability and reduced time of manufacture. Midsole components may be made by other techniques, such as injection molding and milling or machining. 
     Properties of a wearer&#39;s foot may be captured using a digital acquisition technique, such as a pressure sensor array or optical scanner with a connected computing device. Foot property data, such as shape and pressure, may be used to select suitable midsole components, including a bridge, from a library. A selected midsole component may be pulled from a stock of premade components or 3D printed on demand. Additionally or alternatively, data for a midsole component may be generated using the foot property data, and the midsole component may be 3D printed on demand. 
     The customized midsole formed from components selected or generated for the wearer or group of wearers may then be combined with an outsole and upper to form a customized article of footwear. 
       FIGS.  1 - 4    show an example midsole  100  for an article of footwear, such as a shoe. The midsole  100  may be positioned between an outsole and an upper to form the article of footwear. 
     The midsole  100  includes a forward midsole component  102 , a rearward midsole component  104 , and a bridge component  106 . The bridge component  106  may attach the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  on outsole sides  110 ,  112  of the components  102 ,  104 . The bridge component  106  may be considered a lower bridge component. The midsole  100  may further include an upper bridge component  108 . 
     The components  102 - 108  may be shaped to provide support to a wearer&#39;s foot. The shape, material, and construction of the components  102 - 108  may be selected to provide a desired performance for the wearer. For example, the components  102 - 108  may provide a customized orthopedic function, such as an orthopedic correction to address plantar fasciitis, pronation, supination, or similar concern. Additionally or alternatively, the components  102 - 108  may provide a customized energy transfer characteristic, rebound profile, or similar. 
     Each component  102 - 108  may provide support and other performance characteristic at its location. The forward midsole component  102  may provide a performance characteristic to the wearer&#39;s forefoot. The rearward midsole component  104  may provide a performance characteristic to the wearer&#39;s hindfoot or heel. The upper bridge component  108  may provide a performance characteristic to the wearer&#39;s midfoot and arch. The lower bridge component  106  may provide a performance characteristic to the wearer&#39;s midfoot. The lower bridge component  106  may provide stiffness to the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104 . 
     Customization may be provided by selecting the components  102 - 108  from a library of modular components. Such a library may include premade components, computer aided design (CAD) data for components  102 - 108  to be made on demand, or a combination of such. Customization may be directed to an individual wearer or group of wearers. For example, with five variations of each of the four components  102 - 108 , 625 unique combinations are possible, which may be sufficient to meet the needs of a population of wearers who may be categorized into as similar number of groups. If 300 variations of each of the four components  102 - 108  are provided, then the possible unique combinations outnumber the number of possible wearers, which is more than sufficient to provide individual customization. Of course, different numbers of variations of the components  102 - 108  may be provided. 
     Each of the components  102 - 108  may be made by injection molding, 3D printing, composite material manufacturing technique, or a combination of such. The components  102 - 108  may include materials such as polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), other plastics/polymers, synthetic or natural rubber, carbon fiber, metal, stamped metal, wood, formed wood, natural or synthetic fiber, or similar. In some examples, the components  102 - 108  are manufactured using a 3D printing technique. This enables rapid and efficient manufacture with a high degree of customizability. In other examples, the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  are injection molded and the lower bridge component  106  and/or the upper bridge component  108  is 3D printed. This may allow for a stock of various forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  to be mass produced while further allowing a finer degree of customizability by way of the lower bridge component  106  and/or the upper bridge component  108 . Other combinations of manufacturing techniques may be used to arrive at other balances between the efficiency of mass production and the customizability of 3D printing. 
     A 3D printing technique may be used to fuse material, such as powder, to form a printed component  102 - 108 . In a suitable powder-bed material fusion printing system, layers of powder are progressively introduced and select portions of each layer are fused with the previous layer. Material fusion may be performed using an energy source, a light source, laser, electron beam, a chemical fusing agent, binding agent, curing agent, an energy absorbing fusing agent, or combination of such that may be jetted or sprayed (e.g., via a thermal or piezo inkjet-type printhead), or similar. Fused layers thereby form a printed article and unfused material may be recovered and recycled. 
     The forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  may have a cellular or matrix structure that is gas-entraining. An example matrix construction  114  includes a 3D geometric lattice of linear members that connect at nodes. Air or other gas may permeate the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  to provide a customizable support or cushioning effect with a lightweight form. The forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  may be made of foam. 
     The upper bridge component  108  may be made of foam or other construction discussed above for the components  102 ,  104 . 
     The lower bridge component  106  may be formed of a relatively solid structure, such as solid plastic. The lower bridge component  106  may be formed of generally planar bodies. The solid planar construction of the lower bridge component  106  may provide for sturdy attachment to the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  as well as rigidity and resiliency to the midsole  100  at a location directly adjacent the outsole. In other examples, the lower bridge component  106  may be hollow, have hollow volumes, or may include openings. 
     The lower bridge component  106  is mated with the outsole side  110  of the forward midsole component  102  and the outsole side  112  of the rearward midsole component  104  to permanently attach the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104 . The lower bridge component  106  may be bonded to the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  by an adhesive or glue, by heat, or by other bonding technique. Because of the lower bridge component  106 , the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  may not need to be bonded directly to each other. However, bonding the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  directly to each other may increase strength. 
     The lower bridge component  106  may include a body  116  extending within a gap  118  between the forward midsole component  102  and the rearward midsole component  104  when the components  102 ,  104  are brought together. The body  116  may include a ridge  120  that occupies the gap  118  to form a joint among the bridge component  106  and the midsole components  102 ,  104 . The body  116  may fill the gap  118  completely. The lower bridge component  106  may thereby provide strength and sturdiness to the joint, which could otherwise be weak and a possible point of failure. 
     The lower bridge component  106  may include a forward leg  122  extending from the body  116  in a forward direction. As shown in  FIG.  4   , the forward leg  122  may be shaped to provide a planar surface  400  to contact the outsole side  110  of the forward midsole component  102 . As shown in  FIG.  2   , the outsole side  110  may have a depression  126  to accommodate the forward leg  122 , so that the outsole side of the midsole assembly is relatively flush. The forward leg  122  is large enough to provide sufficient contact surface area with the forward midsole component  102  to develop suitable bonding strength. In this example, the lower bridge component  106  includes two of such forward legs  122 ,  128  at opposite sides of the forward midsole component  102 . 
     Similarly, the lower bridge component  106  may include a rearward leg  130  extending from the body  116  in a rearward direction. As shown in  FIG.  4   , the rearward leg  130  may be shaped to provide a planar surface  402  to contact the outsole side  112  of the rearward midsole component  104 . As shown in  FIG.  2   , the outsole side  112  may have a depression  134  to accommodate the rearward leg  130 , so that the outsole side of the assembly is relatively flush. The rearward leg  130  is large enough to provide sufficient contact surface area with the rearward midsole component  104  to develop suitable bonding strength. In this example, the lower bridge component  106  includes two rearward legs  130 ,  136  at opposite sides of the rearward midsole component  102 . 
     In this example, the lower bridge component  106  includes four legs  122 ,  128 ,  130 ,  136  in an H-like arrangement with respect to the body  116 . In other examples, the lower bridge component  106  may include more or fewer legs. 
     The legs  122 ,  128 ,  130 ,  136  may each have a shape, material, and construction to provide a desired performance characteristic to the midsole  100 . For example, inside legs  122 ,  130  near the wearer&#39;s arch may be made thicker and more rigid to provide greater stiffness to support the wearer&#39;s arch. 
     The upper bridge component  108  is mated with the upper side  300  of the forward midsole component  102  and the upper side  302  of the rearward midsole component  104 . The upper bridge component  108  may be bonded to the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  by an adhesive or glue, by heat, or by other bonding technique. The upper bridge component  108  may aid the permanent attachment of the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  provided by the lower bridge component  106 . 
     The upper bridge component  108  may include a body  200  extending across the gap  118  formed between the forward midsole component  102  and the rearward midsole component  104  when the components  102 ,  104  are brought together. The body  200  may overlie the gap  118  completely and sandwich the gap  118  with the body  116  of the lower bridge component  106 . The upper bridge component  108  may thereby add strength and sturdiness to the joint formed where the components  102 ,  104  meet. 
     The joint  304 , circled in  FIG.  3   , is a localized region where the forward and rearward midsole components  102 ,  104  and the lower and upper bridge components  106 ,  108  meet and may be mutually bonded. 
     The upper bridge component  108  may include a forward leg  202  extending from the body  200  in a forward direction. The forward leg  202  may be shaped to fit within a recess or pocket  404  in the forward midsole component  102 , so as to provide the desired performance characteristic as well as enough contact surface area to develop sufficient bonding strength. In this example, the upper bridge component  108  includes two forward legs  202 ,  204  at opposite sides of the forward midsole component  102 . 
     Similarly, upper bridge component  108  may include a rearward leg  206  extending from the body  200  in a rearward direction. The rearward leg  206  may be shaped to fit within a recess  406  in the rearward midsole component  104 , so as to provide the desired performance characteristic as well as enough contact surface area to develop sufficient bonding strength. In this example, the upper bridge component  108  includes two rearward legs  206 ,  208  at opposite sides of the rearward midsole component  104 . 
     In this example, the upper bridge component  108  includes four legs  202 - 208  in an H-like arrangement with respect to the body  200 . In other examples, the upper bridge component  108  may include more or fewer legs. 
     The legs  202 - 208  may each have a shape, material, and construction to provide a desired performance characteristic to the midsole  100 . For example, inside legs  204 ,  206  may be made of relatively dense material to provide greater support to the wearer&#39;s arch. A leg  202 - 208  may have a lobe-like shape. 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , a lower bridge component  500  may include protrusions  502  (or raised areas or bosses) to mate with complementary recesses  504  (or holes) on an outsole side  506  of a forward midsole component  508  and/or to mate with complementary recesses  510  (or holes) on an outsole side  512  of a rearward midsole component  514 . The protrusions  502  and recesses  504 ,  510  may be shaped to provide a snap fit. The protrusions  502  and recesses  504 ,  510  may provide increased surface area for adhesive, glue, or other bonding technique. In other examples, recesses  504 ,  510  are provided to the lower bridge component  500  and protrusions  502  are provided to the forward and rearward midsole components  508 ,  514 . In still other examples, protrusions  502  and recesses  504 ,  510  are arranged on the lower bridge component  500  and forward and rearward midsole components  508 ,  514  according to another pattern. 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , an inner edge  210  of a leg  128  of the lower bridge component  106  may be shaped to mate with a groove  212  on the forward midsole component  102  defined by an edge of a depression  214  in the forward midsole component  102 . The groove  212  may provide an undercut that prevents the forward leg  128  from lifting out of or being laid into the depression  214 . The groove  212  may constrain the forward leg  128  of the lower bridge component  106  to be slid into/out of the depression  214  in a direction along the length of the leg  128 . An inner edge of any of the forward legs  122 ,  128 , may be shaped to mate with such a complementary groove. In this example, all inner edges of both forward legs  122 ,  128  as so shaped to mate with grooves at the depressions. 
     Similarly, any of the rearward legs  130 ,  136  of the lower bridge component  106  may be shaped to mate with a complementary groove on the rearward midsole component  104 , in the manner as described above. 
       FIG.  6    shows a cross-section of an example edge and groove arrangement to prevent the detachment of the lower bridge component  106  from a forward or rearward midsole component  102 ,  104 . A forward or rearward midsole component  102 ,  104  defines a depression  600  to accommodate a leg of a bridge component  106 . An inner edge of the depression is shaped to define a groove  602  to fit a complementarily shaped outer edge  604  of the bridge component  106 . As such, the bridge component  106  cannot be readily detached from the forward or rearward midsole component  102 ,  104  in the direction of an axis  606  perpendicular to the plane of the midsole/outsole. 
     With reference back to  FIGS.  1 - 4   , the forward midsole component  102  may be slid  220  onto the lower bridge component  106 , the rearward midsole component  104  may be slid  222  onto the lower bridge component  106 , and the upper bridge component  108  may be lowered  224  onto the subassembly of the midsole components  102 ,  104  and lower bridge component  106 . 
       FIG.  7    shows an example apparatus  700  to assembly a midsole of an article of footwear, such as a shoe. The apparatus  700  may be used with a carousel-type machine that rotates among a plurality of different stations. The apparatus includes a frame  702 . 
     The frame  702  defines a cavity  708 . The frame  702  may include opposing side frames  710 ,  712  and a bottom frame  714 . The frame  702  receives a last  716  that carries an upper  718  of an article of footwear that is under manufacture to enable the bonding of a midsole to the upper  718 . The side frames  710 ,  712 , bottom frame  714 , and the last  716  may be movable with respect to each other to open and close the cavity  708 . The opposing side frames  710 ,  712 , bottom frame  714 , and upper  718  as carried by the last  716  may be brought into mutual engagement to close the cavity  708 . 
     An outsole  720  may be inserted into the cavity  708 . Then, various components  722 ,  724 ,  726 ,  728  of a midsole may be assembled and bonded to the outsole  720 . Examples of midsole components include a forward midsole component  722 , a rearward midsole component  724 , a lower bridge component  726 , and an upper bridge component  728 . 
     The last  716  may then be lowered to bond the upper  718  to the assembled midsole, thereby completing an article of footwear. 
       FIG.  8    shows an example method  800  of manufacturing an article of footwear that includes a midsole with a bridge to attach different midsole components. The method  800  may be performed with the example apparatus  700  of  FIG.  7   . The method  800  may be performed with other apparatuses.  FIGS.  1 - 6    may be referenced for example midsole structures. The method begins at block  802 . 
     At block  804 , data of a wearer&#39;s foot is captured. This may be done with a pressure sensor array, a 3D scanner or camera system, and/or other biometric measurement technique to capture the shape and/or other properties of the foot. Such captured data may be used to determine the structure and composition of the midsole to be manufactured and, particularly, an orthopedic characteristic of the midsole. 
     At block  806 , midsole components are selected or generated based on the data captured for the wearer&#39;s foot. An orthopedic analysis of the wearer may be performed to configure the midsole components. The shape, material, and construction of each component may be selected as specific to the wearer or group to which the wearer belongs. A midsole component may be selected from a library  808  of modular components or created on-demand, such as by 3D printing. 
     A library  808  may include a stock of premade components, pre-generated CAD data useable to make components, parametric CAD models, or a combination of such. Parametric CAD may be used, where a parameter from the wearer&#39;s captured foot data is used to modify a CAD model to generate customized CAD data. Frequently used components may be premade and stocked using mass production techniques, such as injection molding. Components that are used less often may be created on demand, such as by 3D printing. 
     A material for a midsole component may be selected for properties such as resiliency, density, color, stiffness, weight, and so on. The material may be selected in conjunction with the construction (e.g., cellular, matrix, etc.) and shape of the component to meet the orthopedic characteristic determined for the wearer. The construction of a midsole component may be selected for properties such as resiliency, density, stiffness, weight, and so on. The shape of a midsole component may be selected to provide the characteristics afforded by the material and construction to an appropriate location at the wearer&#39;s foot. Hence, the midsole of the footwear may be customized to the wearer. 
     The configured midsole components include first and second components and a bridge that is to join the first and second components. In various examples, the first and second components are forefoot and hindfoot components. In other examples, different components may be located at different positions at the midsole. 
     At block  810 , a planar surface of a selected bridge component is bonded to an outsole. An adhesive or glue may be sprayed onto the outsole and/or bridge component to achieve bonding. 
     At block  812 , a bottom of a first midsole component and a bottom of a second midsole component are bonded to the bridge component and to the outsole. The first and second midsole components overlap with both the bridge component and the outsole, so that the components may be mutually bonded to the outsole. An adhesive or glue may be sprayed onto the outsole, first component, second component, and/or bridge component to achieve bonding. 
     The bonded first and second midsole components and bridge component form a customized midsole. 
     At block  814 , an upper is bonded to top surface of the midsole, as defined by the top surfaces of the first midsole component and the second midsole component, so as to complete this stage in the manufacture of the article of footwear. The method  800  ends at block  816 . Additional manufacturing may be performed, such as the insertion of an insole, laces, fasteners, and so on. 
       FIG.  9    shows an example method  900  of manufacturing an article of footwear that includes a midsole with a pair of bridge components. The method  900  may be performed with the example apparatus  700  of  FIG.  7   . The method  900  may be performed with other apparatuses.  FIGS.  1 - 6    may be referenced for example midsole structures. The method  800  of  FIG.  8    may be referenced for detail not repeated here. The method begins at block  902 . 
     At block  804 , data of a wearer&#39;s foot is captured, and at block  806 , midsole components are selected or generated based on the captured data. 
     The configured midsole components include first and second components, a lower bridge components that is to join the first and second components, and an upper bridge component that provides a further characteristic to the midsole and that may provide further joining of the first and second components. In various examples, the first and second components are forefoot and hindfoot components. In other examples, different components may be located at different positions at the midsole. 
     At block  904 , before the bottom of the first midsole component and the bottom of the second midsole component are bonded to the outsole, the first midsole component and the second midsole component are mechanically secured to the bridge component. This may include sliding an edge of the bridge component into a securing groove on any number midsole components. In addition or alternatively, a recess and protrusion arrangement on the bridge and midsole components may be snapped together. Prior to mechanically securing the bridge component and first and second midsole components, the components may be sprayed with an adhesive or glue. 
     At block  904 , any number of bridge components may be used to join the first and second midsole components, as discussed. For example, upper and lower bridge components may sandwich first and second midsole components to overlie or cover the joint formed by abutting the first and second midsole components. 
     At block  906 , the midsole assembly formed at block  904  is bonded to an outsole. 
     At block  908 , an upper is bonded to top surface of the midsole assembly, so as to complete this stage in the manufacture of the article of footwear. The method  900  ends at block  910 . Additional manufacturing may be performed, such as the insertion of an insole, laces, fasteners, and so on. 
       FIGS.  10 A- 10 C  show that various midsole components and bridge components are contemplated. 
     In  FIG.  10 A , a midsole  1000  includes three midsole components, such as heel, middle, toe components  1002 ,  1004 ,  1006 , separated by two bridge components  1008 ,  1010 . The bridge components  1008 ,  1010  may be upper and/or lower bridge components. 
     In  FIG.  10 B , a midsole  1020  includes two midsole components  1022 ,  1024  separated by a bridge component  1026  that includes two rearward legs and no forward leg. 
     In  FIG.  100   , a midsole  1030  includes two midsole components  1032 ,  1034  separated by a bridge component  1036  that includes one forward leg and one rearward leg. 
       FIG.  11    shows an example of an article of footwear  1100  that may be made using the techniques discuss herein. The article of footwear  1100  may include an upper  1102  and outsole  1104  bonded to a midsole  1106 . The midsole  1106  may include a bridge component  1108 ,  1110  that join other midsole components  1112 ,  1114  and together form a combined midsole assembly with a desired customized performance characteristic, tailored to an individual wearer or group of wearers. 
     In view of the above, it should be apparent that the techniques described herein provide for readily customizable midsoles specific to a single wearer or group of wearers. A bridge may be used to join modular midsole components with different characteristics. The bridge may itself provide a characteristic to the midsole. As such, a readily customizable and manufacturable midsole may be provided. 
     It should be recognized that features and aspects of the various examples provided above can be combined into further examples that also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the figures are not to scale and may have size and shape exaggerated for illustrative purposes.