Patent ID: 8584379

Claim:
An article of footwear comprising: an outsole including a forefoot portion, a heel portion, a medial side, a lateral side, an edge, and an outwardly facing outer outsole surface disposed between the medial side and the lateral side, wherein the outer outsole surface has a curved non-planar contour when viewed from a side view; the outsole defining a length from a first edge portion at a front of the forefoot portion to a second edge portion at a rear of the heel portion; the outsole defining a width from a third edge portion on the lateral side of the outsole to a fourth edge portion on the medial side of the outsole; a first group of cleats disposed along the outer outsole surface, each cleat of the first group of cleats including a first base portion and a first tip portion and having a first height extending from the first base portion to the first tip portion, each cleat of the first group of cleats defining a longitudinal axis from the first base portion to the first tip portion, and each first tip portion having an outwardly facing flat distal surface; a second group of cleats disposed along the outer outsole surface, each cleat of the second group of cleats including a second base portion and a second tip portion and having a second height extending from the second base portion to the second tip portion, each cleat of the first group of cleats defining a longitudinal axis from the second base portion to the second tip portion, and each second tip portion having an outwardly facing flat distal surface; a two-dimensional first tip surface defined collectively by the flat distal surfaces of the first tip portions of the first group of cleats, the first tip surface facing a ground surface and being congruent with the curved non-planar contour of the outer outsole surface when viewed from the side view; a two-dimensional second tip surface defined collectively by the flat distal surfaces of the second tip portions of the second group of cleats, the second tip surface facing the ground surface and being congruent with the curved non-planar contour of the outer outsole surface when viewed from the side view; wherein the first tip surface lies at a first distance corresponding to the first height away from the outer outsole surface; wherein the second tip surface lies at a second distance corresponding to the second height away from the outer outsole surface; and wherein the first tip surface and the second tip surface each lie at different distances from the outer outsole surface and wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.