Patent ID: 8161665

Claim:
A footwear article, comprising: an upper; a liner; an outsole; a layer of impact absorbing material selectively positioned between said upper and said liner, wherein said impact absorbing material includes a first sheet having a top surface facing toward the upper and a bottom surface facing away from the upper, the first sheet having a plurality of projections extending outward from the top surface, wherein said projections are shaped and positioned to disperse force from an impact, wherein said projections define gaps between adjacent pairs of said projections, each of said gaps being linearly offset from any said gaps adjacent thereto; wherein said impact absorbing material includes a second sheet bonded to the bottom surface of said first sheet for absorbing said force from said projections, said second sheet having a lower durometer than said first sheet, said second sheet substantially continuously engaging said first sheet; and wherein each of said projections has an outer surface facing towards the upper and includes an indentation positioned on the outer surface.