Patent ID: 7448149

Claim:
An athletic shoe comprising: (a) a sole assembly; and (b) a cushioning arrangement disposed within said sole assembly, said cushioning arrangement including: (i) at least one cushioning element; and (ii) a stiffening spring at least partially surrounding said at least one cushioning element; wherein said stiffening spring has a stiffness greater than said at least one cushioning element, a portion of said at least one cushioning element is disposed adjacent to a periphery of said shoe and said stiffening spring at least partially defines an aperture, said at least one cushioning element is disposed in said aperture such that said at least one cushioning element can be seen and touched from an exterior of said shoe, a first plurality of cushioning elements are disposed in said aperture, and a space that can be seen and touched from an exterior of said shoe after completion of assembly of the shoe is provided between adjacent ones of said first plurality of cushioning elements; and (iii) a second plurality of cushioning elements provided behind said first plurality of cushioning elements with respect to a viewing direction from an exterior of said shoe and through said aperture, said second plurality of cushioning elements staggered with respect to said first plurality of cushioning elements such that said second plurality of cushioning elements are visible through said spaces between said first plurality of cushioning elements, wherein said stiffening spring has a curved top disposed above said first plurality of cushioning elements and a substantially flat bottom disposed below said first plurality of cushioning elements such that said stiffening spring surrounds said first plurality of cushioning elements, and said second plurality of cushioning elements are not disposed within said stiffening spring.