Patent ID: 7832118

Claim:
Footwear providing enhanced protection against extreme landing impacts to a foot of a wearer, the footwear comprising: a sole defining an upper surface, a damping coefficient and a spring rate, the sole sized to support the foot and having one centrally disposed recess; and a cushioning pad having an upper surface that supports the wearer's foot, the cushioning pad disposed within the one centrally disposed recess of the sole with the upper surface of the cushioning pad below the upper surface of the sole such that the sole acts independently of the pad in response to relatively small to moderate compressions thereof by the wearer's foot and in parallel combination with the pad in response to relatively large compressions thereof by the wearer's foot; wherein the cushioning pad has an effective spring rate that is about the same as the spring rate of the sole, and the cushioning pad has an effective damping coefficient that is substantially greater than the damping coefficient of the sole.