Patent ID: 8079160

Claim:
An article of footwear, comprising: an upper; a sole member attached to the upper, the sole member having a plurality of openings in a bottom surface thereof; and a traction element insert embedded in the sole member, wherein the insert includes a plate member having a plurality of domes formed therein, each of the domes having an associated convex region in an upper surface of the plate member and an associated concave region in a lower surface of the plate member, the insert further includes a plurality of extendable ground-contacting traction elements, each of the ground-contacting traction elements located within and attached to a different one of the concave regions, and the sole member and plate member are configured such that downward force on the convex regions from a foot of a wearer of the article compresses the domes and extends the ground-contacting traction elements through the plurality of openings.