Patent ID: 7181868

Claim:
An article of footwear, comprising: An upper; an outsole plate attached to the upper having a plurality of ground engaging members extending downwardly from the outsole plate configured to provide traction; the outsole plate including a forefoot region and a rearfoot region, the ground engaging members including a first set of ground engaging members disposed in the forefoot region of the outsole plate and a second set of ground engaging members disposed in the rearfoot region of the outsole plate, the second set of ground engaging members extending downwardly from the rearfoot region; and a flex control member, the flex control member being disposed adjacent to the ground engaging members on the out sole plate, the flex control member being composed of a superelastic shape memory alloy and being an elongated wire member embedded within a portion of the outsole plate and configured so that the flex control member is surrounded by the portion of the outsole plate, wherein the second set of ground engaging members are coupled to the flex control member and collectively curve inwardly around the perimeter of the rearfoot region of the outsole plate such that the flex control member and the second set of ground engaging members surround an interior region of the rearfoot region of the outsole plate, wherein the interior region is free of the flex control member.