Patent ID: 7383647

Claim:
A midsole for an article of footwear, comprising: (a) a medial element comprising: a top medial plate; a bottom medial plate; and a plurality of medial strut members disposed between said top and bottom medial plates for supporting said top medial plate a distance away from said bottom medial plate, wherein at least two adjacent medial strut members are oriented at a first angle relative to a longitudinal axis of said article of footwear to define a medial stiffening axis, said at least two adjacent medial strut members oriented and adapted to preferentially deflect in the same direction transversely to said medial stiffening axis in response to a force imparted on said medial element of said article of footwear during use, one of said at least two adjacent medial strut members adapted to preferentially deflect in said same direction toward the other of said at least two adjacent medial strut members, thereby providing directional flexibility transverse to said medial stiffening axis; and (b) a lateral element comprising: a top lateral plate; a bottom lateral plate; and a plurality of lateral strut members disposed between said top and bottom lateral plates for supporting said top lateral plate a distance away from said bottom lateral plate, wherein at least two adjacent lateral strut members are oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal axis of said article of footwear to define a lateral stiffening axis, said at least two adjacent lateral strut members oriented and adapted to preferentially deflect in the same direction transversely to said lateral stiffening axis in response to a force imparted on said lateral element of said article of footwear during use, one of said at least two adjacent lateral strut members adapted to preferentially deflect in said same direction toward the other of said at least two adjacent lateral strut members, thereby providing directional flexibility transverse to said lateral stiffening axis; wherein said lateral stiffening axis is arranged at an angle to said medial stiffening axis, said at least two adjacent lateral strut members and said at least two adjacent medial strut members adapted and arranged to provide flexibility and stifihess anisotropically to said midsole.