Patent ID: 8839531

Claim:
A footwear sole assembly comprising: a midsole; a strike pad disposed on the midsole in at least a heel region of the footwear sole assembly the strike pad being constructed from an impact absorbing material that compresses in an elastic manner so as to provide impact absorbing cushion to a heel bottom of a wearer; and an outsole disposed on the strike pad; wherein a heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly, wherein the strike pad is disposed substantially only in a lateral heel portion of the sole assembly, wherein the strike pad extends laterally from a lateral edge of the midsole a distance between about 10% and about 80% of a width of a heel portion of the footwear sole assembly, wherein the heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly being elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly positions a wearer of the footwear sole assembly farther forward over the footwear sole assembly to facilitate a mid-foot striking gait, wherein the outsole is joined with the strike pad below the strike pad, wherein the midsole is joined with the strike pad above the strike pad, wherein the midsole extends downwardly into and forms at least part of the strike pad, wherein the strike pad forms a J shape, having a first portion of the J shape wrap around the lateral heel portion and a second, bottom portion of the J shape wrap around at least part of a rear of the heel portion, wherein the strike pad is joined with the midsole at an upper portion of the strike pad, with a lower portion of the strike pad being separated into a plurality of strike pad parts, the plurality of strike pad parts separated from one another by a recess, wherein the outsole includes a plurality of separate individual outsole parts, each outsole part joined with a corresponding strike pad part, the plurality of outsole parts separated from one another by the recess.