Patent ID: 7040040

Claim:
A shoe comprising: a bottom; a major longitudinal axis; an upper having a forward region, an arch region and a heel region; a rear sole below at least a portion of the heel region of the upper, the rear sole having a forward portion and an opposite rearward portion, the rear sole including an outsole material having a layer with a thickness, the layer having an upper surface, a lower surface and a peripheral region, the lower surface of the layer being at least in part ground-engaging, the rear sole having a vertical central axis perpendicular to the major longitudinal axis of the shoe and passing through the bottom of the shoe and the heel region of the upper; a midsole including at least one inflated cushion positioned between at least a portion of the lower surface of the layer and at least a portion of the heel region of the upper, the at least one inflated cushion having at least one sidewall, the midsole further including a midsole material external to the sidewall made of a material different from that comprising the outsole layer, the external midsole material extending in an upwardly direction from a location proximate at least a portion of the peripheral region of the layer and along at least a portion of a medial side of the shoe, a portion of a rear of the shoe and a portion of a lateral side of the shoe, the external midsole material having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the exterior surface being exposed to and visible from the outside of the shoe, the interior surface being adjacent to and conforming in shape to the at least one sidewall, the external midsole material having at least one opening therein on at least one of the medial side of the shoe and the lateral side of the shoe, at least one portion of the at least one sidewall being exposed to and visible from outside the shoe through the at least one opening in the external midsole material; a flexible plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, an interior portion and peripheral portions and positioned between at least a portion of the lower surface of the layer and at least a portion of the heel region of the upper, the plate extending from an area proximate the medial side of the shoe to an area proximate the lateral side of the shoe, at least a portion of the plate completely surrounding the vertical central axis of the rear sole; and an arch bridge made of a material different from the material comprising the outsole of the rear sole, the arch bridge extending from a position proximate the forward portion of the rear sole forward beneath at least a portion of the arch region of the upper and having a lower surface, the lower surface of the arch bridge being elevated above the ground-engaging portion of the lower surface of the layer so as to be in substantial part non-ground-engaging, the lower surface of the arch bridge being visible from the bottom of the shoe and including a portion of the bottom of the shoe.