초록 ▼

Athletic footwear has an upper and sole. The sole has heel and midfoot regions and metatarsel and toe regions which include a foundation layer of semi-flexible material attached to the upper and defining a plurality of stretch chambers, a stretch layer attached to the foundation layer and having por

Athletic footwear has an upper and sole. The sole has heel and midfoot regions and metatarsel and toe regions which include a foundation layer of semi-flexible material attached to the upper and defining a plurality of stretch chambers, a stretch layer attached to the foundation layer and having portions of elastic stretchable material underlying the stretch chambers of the foundation layer, and a thrustor layer attached to the stretch layer and having portions of stiff material underlying and aligned with the stretch chambers of the foundation layer and with the portions of the stretch layer disposed between the thrustor layer and foundation layer such that interactions can occur between the foundation layer, stretch layer and thrustor layer in response to compressive forces applied thereto upon contact of the heel and midfoot regions and metatarsel and toe regions of the sole with a support surface so as to convert and temporarily store energy applied to heel and midfoot regions and metatarsel and toe regions of the sole by a wearer's foot into mechanical stretching of the portions of the stretch layer into the stretch chambers. The stored applied energy is thereafter retrieved in the form of rebound of the stretched portions of the stretch layer and portions of the thrustor layer therewith.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] In an athletic footwear having an upper and a sole, said sole having heel and midfoot regions wherein said sole comprises:(a) foundation layer made of a semi-flexible material, attached to said upper, and defining a plurality of peripherally-located stretch chambers underlying a hee

[ I claim:] [1.] In an athletic footwear having an upper and a sole, said sole having heel and midfoot regions wherein said sole comprises:(a) foundation layer made of a semi-flexible material, attached to said upper, and defining a plurality of peripherally-located stretch chambers underlying a heel and midfoot of a wearer's foot, wherein said peripherally-located stretch chambers are defined by a plurality of elongated slots formed in a spaced apart end-to-end generally U-shaped arrangement in said foundation layer;(b) a stretch layer attached to said foundation layer and having portions made of elastic stretchable material underlying said peripherally-located stretch chambers of said foundation layer; and(c) a thrustor layer attached to said stretch layer and having thrustor portions made of stiff material underlying and aligned with said peripherally-ally-located stretch chambers of said foundation layer and with said portions of said stretch layer disposed between said thrustor layer and said foundation layer such that interactions can occur between said upper layer, stretch layer and thrustor layer in response to compressive forces applied thereto upon contact of said heel and midfoot regions of said sole with a support surface so as to convert and temporarily store energy applied to said heel and midfoot regions of said sole by a wearer's foot into mechanical stretching of said portions of said stretch layer into said peripherally located stretch chambers, said stored applied energy being thereafter retrieved in the form of rebound of said stretched portions of said stretch layer and said store portions of said thrustor layer therewith;wherein said stretch layer includes a flexible substantially flat stretchable body and a plurality of compressible lugs formed on and projecting downwardly from said flat stretchable body at the periphery thereof to said thrustor layer.