CN111741692B

CN111741692B - Sole for shoes

Info

Publication number: CN111741692B
Application number: CN201980012913.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: F·詹森; J·M·汉森
Original assignee: Ecco Sko AS
Current assignee: Ecco Sko AS
Priority date: 2018-02-26
Filing date: 2019-02-25
Publication date: 2023-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 2039-02-25
Also published as: CN111741692A; US20200375312A1; EP3758537A1; WO2019162488A1

Abstract

A sole for a shoe, comprising: an outsole having a ground-contacting surface and an opposing foot-facing surface, the outsole having a periphery defining a periphery of the outsole; a midsole having a foot-facing surface and an opposite outward-facing bottom surface, the midsole comprising a polymer configured to be injected into a mold adapted to define a midsole volume such that the midsole is configured to be positioned between the outsole and a user's foot during use; wherein the outsole comprises at least a first protrusion and a second protrusion extending from the instep towards the midsole, wherein each protrusion has a proximal end joined/integrated/attached to the instep and an opposite distal end, such that the distal ends of the first protrusion and the second protrusion extend into the midsole of the sole; wherein the first and second protrusions are adjacent to each other with a predetermined space/volume between the first and second protrusions; wherein the polymer material of the midsole extends into the predetermined space/volume between the first protrusion and the second protrusion, such that the polymer material provides coupling between the first protrusion and the second protrusion in an area distal to a proximal end of the protrusion.

Description

Sole for shoes

Technical Field

A sole for footwear (sole), comprising: an outsole (outsole) having a ground-contacting surface and an opposite, foot-facing surface, and a midsole (midsole) having a peripheral edge defining a periphery of the outsole; the midsole has a foot-facing surface and an opposite outward-facing bottom surface, and comprises a polymer configured to be injected into a mold adapted to define a volume of the midsole such that the midsole is configured to be positioned between the outsole and a user's foot during use.

Background

In the production of shoes, there are several ways of manufacturing a pair of shoes, wherein the manufacturing method, the choice of materials, the form of the upper (upper), the form and material of the midsole, and the form and shape of the outsole all have a great influence on the properties of the shoe. Shoes are of many different types, such as hiking boots, sports shoes, golf shoes, running shoes, which have different qualities, such as the rigidity of the upper (stiff), the rigidity of the outsole or the midsole, the quality of the shoe being controlled by different factors.

One of the important factors in producing a particular type of shoe that functions in some way is the design, shape and stiffness (hardness) of the sole of the shoe. Traditionally, this has been achieved by introducing elements such as a ferrite core (shank) or embedded reinforcements to increase the rigidity of the material in certain areas while maintaining some flexibility in other areas; alternatively, reinforcements may be applied to the outer surface of the sole to alter the properties of the sole.

In the direct injection moulding technique of shoes, the sole and/or the outsole are injected directly onto the upper of the shoe, wherein a last (last) supports the upper, onto which a mould having the shape of the sole is guided, onto which the thermoplastic material is injected directly, while the midsole and/or the outsole are fixed to the upper. This means that the outsole is injected directly onto the upper without the need to adhere or otherwise secure the midsole/outsole to the upper.

In the direct injection molding technique, the introduction of the reinforcement into the inner side of the midsole requires modifications to the mold and equipment required for shoe making, which is time consuming and can be costly for simpler shoes without the reinforcement, where the midsole is uniformly threaded through the shoe. Furthermore, to provide a complex midsole with partial areas of reinforcement and no areas of reinforcement, multiple distinct injection molding steps may be required, using multiple distinct molds to achieve the desired characteristics. This is costly and time consuming for production purposes.

WO 2008/115743 discloses an article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The sole structure includes a midsole and an outsole. The midsole has an upper surface and an opposite lower surface. The upper surface defines a plurality of depressions (depressions) and the lower surface defines a plurality of indentations (indentations) extending toward the depressions. The outsole forms a plurality of projections that extend into the recesses of the midsole, and the outsole has grooves (grooves) located opposite the projections. This configuration increases the flexibility of the midsole and outsole because the midsole and outsole have recesses that reduce the thickness of the sole assembly.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved footwear construction that uses a simplified footwear design to achieve certain properties by simpler means in order to achieve certain reinforcement characteristics in the footwear.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a sole for a shoe, comprising an outsole having a tread surface and an opposite foot-facing surface, the outsole having a periphery defining a periphery of the outsole, and a midsole having a foot-facing surface and an opposite outward bottom surface, the midsole comprising a polymer arranged to be injected into a mold adapted to define a volume of the midsole such that the midsole is arranged to be located between the outsole and a user's foot during use, wherein the outsole comprises at least a first projection and a second projection extending from the foot-facing surface and in a direction towards the midsole, wherein each projection has a proximal end joined/integrated/attached to the foot-facing surface and an opposite distal end such that the distal ends of the first projection and the second projection extend into the midsole of the sole, wherein the first projection and the second projection abut each other with a predetermined space/volume between the first projection and the second projection, wherein the polymer material of the midsole extends into the predetermined space/volume between the first projection and the second projection such that the polymer material provides a coupling projection (upling) between the first projection and the second projection in a region distal end of the projection.

By providing the outsole with at least two lugs, it is possible to use the polymer material of the midsole to connect or interact with each other so that the two lugs, as well as the midsole material, may provide increased stiffness over the midsole material itself, or over each lug alone. The polymeric material extending between the two protrusions will mechanically couple the two protrusions such that the polymeric material transfers at least part of the force applied to one of the protrusions to the other protrusion, thereby connecting the two protrusions. The force applied to the polymeric material may be a compressive force, a tensile force, and/or a shear force, or a combination of any of the foregoing forces.

An example of this is where there are two parallel protrusions extending up to the midsole in order to increase the stiffness of the sole, and the polymer material of the midsole couples the two protrusions to each other along the length of the protrusions, which form an integral reinforcement with the polymer material of the midsole between the protrusions, where the combined reinforcement is stronger than the reinforcement of each protrusion by itself, and also stronger than if the two protrusions were not connected along their length.

By providing at least two protrusions on the outsole, it is possible to reinforce the midsole and outsole, i.e. the sole, in a manner that would otherwise only be possible with additional elements that add weight to the sole, this reinforcement being most likely in the form of combined protrusion/polymer elements and most likely having a higher density and/or being likely to be of a less compressible material than the midsole, or when it is of a lighter material, the material costs and/or manufacturing costs would be high if the reinforcement were carbon fibre, glass fibre, thermoplastic material.

Furthermore, the manufacturing costs of the sole are reduced, since the complexity of the mould will be greatly reduced and the additional steps required to introduce the foreign reinforcement will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, if the designer wants to reinforce the sole in another way, the adaptability of the production device will be greatly improved, since only the shape of the inner surface of the outsole will change. That is, a manufacturer can produce soles with very different characteristics using the same mold, since only the inner surface of the outsole (toward the instep) will change, while the mold will retain its original shape, size and form.

It is understood that within the meaning of the present invention, the outsole and the midsole are two separate elements, wherein the outsole is placed in a mold and the midsole is injected between the upper and the mold so as to form the sole. Thus, the outsole may be molded from any type of suitable material, such as TPU or PU, and is injection molded after being introduced into the bottom of the mold for the midsole. The injection molding of the midsole may be by introducing a polymeric material into the mold, expanding the material into the void volume of the mold to form the midsole of the footwear, and forming the sole of the footwear, thereby attaching the outsole to the upper.

When the polymeric material between the two lugs is bonded to both lugs, the density and stiffness of the material in this volume of the sole is different from the respective density and stiffness of each material. When introducing a polymer material to couple two protrusions to each other, the thickness, width, height, length of the protrusions made of the outsole material will affect the rigidity of the sole. This therefore creates a synergy between the two lugs and/or the polymeric material, creating a synergistic assembly that is more rigid than the outsole itself or than the midsole itself.

The polymer material provides coupling between the first protrusion and the second protrusion to increase stiffness of a sole for the footwear. By using a polymer material to provide the coupling, there is no need to provide an adhesive layer between the midsole and the outsole. The layer of adhesive between the midsole and the outsole may result in areas of weakness in the sole construction, as the adhesive force depends on the particular type of adhesive. Many types of adhesives are chemical products that may be considered environmentally damaging and toxic, may require protection when applying the adhesive to the shoe sole, and may also be toxic when disposing of the shoe sole after use. Furthermore, adhesives are less toxic chemically than in the past due to environmental standards, but the reduction in toxicity also reduces the adhesive ability of the adhesive layer. By providing a sole that joins the outsole to the midsole without an adhesive, the sole has a reduced amount of toxic material, which means that the material of the shoe is easier to recycle.

Furthermore, the adhesive-free layer also reduces the risk of the outsole detaching from the midsole during use and reduces the risk of providing a defective shoe, since it is the polymer material of the midsole that provides the coupling with the outsole. It is well known in the footwear industry that adhesives are more susceptible to defects or loss of function during the useful life of the footwear, resulting in the outsole becoming detached from the midsole. Thus, the adhesive-free sole structure is a stronger sole structure.

According to the invention, the material of the outsole may be different from the polymer material of the midsole. By way of example, the outsole may be a more durable TPU material, while the midsole is a PU material. In addition, the outsole material may be stronger or stiffer than the polymer material of the midsole, or may have a higher density than the polymer material of the midsole. The material of the outsole and/or midsole may also be a latex material, rubber, thermoplastic rubber, PVC, or any suitable type of TPE.

In one embodiment, the area of the first projection and/or the second projection and/or any subsequent projection may provide the outsole with a higher stiffness than the area on the foot surface adjacent to the first projection and/or the second projection and/or any subsequent projection.

In one embodiment, the area of the outsole in which the first projection and/or the second projection are located provides the ground contacting surface of the outsole. This means that the projection is capable of transmitting a force from the ground-contacting surface towards the distal end of the projection when the outsole is in use, and/or that this force can be transmitted via the projection towards the ground-contacting surface below the projection when a force is applied to the distal end of the projection.

In one embodiment, the outsole thickness of the raised areas may be greater than the outsole thickness of the non-raised areas. This thickness may be considered as the height of the outsole from the ground-contacting surface to the foot-facing surface, where the thickness may be measured along an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the ground-contacting surface and/or the foot-facing surface. Thus, when the touchdown surface is on a horizontal surface, the axis extends upwardly. This means that the projection may be considered as a part of the outsole and the projection may increase in thickness in a direction from the ground-facing surface towards the instep.

In one embodiment, the height of the first and second protrusions may be 10% to 100% of the height of the midsole. The height of the protrusions can be controlled to increase or decrease the stiffness of the sole, as protrusion coupling by the midsole material will result in stiffening elements. When the protrusion height extends through the midsole height, the sole stiffness in this region will increase, and a thickness of 10% of the midsole height will increase the stiffness slightly. With a lug height of anywhere between 10% and 100%, the sole may have the desired resistance and rigidity in predetermined areas, while in areas of the sole without lugs, the shoe may have greater flexibility than areas with lugs.

In one embodiment, the first protrusion has a sidewall and the second protrusion may have a sidewall, with the polymeric material connecting/engaging the sidewall of the first protrusion with the sidewall of the second protrusion. The sidewalls of the protrusions may be adjacent to each other such that when the polymer material of the midsole fills the space between the two sidewalls, the polymer material couples the two sidewalls to each other, thereby mechanically coupling the two protrusions to each other.

In one embodiment, the first protrusion may have a different height than the second protrusion. By providing protrusions having different heights, the stiffness of the sole may be reduced in a direction towards a protrusion having a lower height than an adjacent protrusion, and vice versa. Thus, the rigidity of the sole in a particular direction can be gradually reduced based on the arrangement of the protrusions on the outsole.

In one embodiment, the polymeric material fills the predetermined space/volume between the first protrusion and the second protrusion. When the polymer material is injected into the mold, there is an outsole with protrusions at the mold, and the polymer material fills all voids inside the mold as it expands. Thus, by creating voids in the predetermined spaces/volumes between the protrusions, the polymer material will expand and fill the spaces, thereby filling the voids between the protrusions.

In one embodiment, the first projection and/or the second projection extend a predetermined length along the plantar surface/plane of the outsole. The stiffening protrusions may extend along the length or width of the shoe by extending the protrusions along a predetermined length toward the instep, wherein the extension ensures that the protrusions extend a length greater than the width of the protrusions. Thus, the length of the protrusions increases the surface area of the protrusions that can bond with the polymeric material of the midsole, thereby providing stiffening elements that extend along the outsole and thus along the sole.

In one embodiment, the first and/or second protrusions extend inwardly from a periphery of the outsole toward a central portion of the outsole. In some embodiments, the protrusions may extend from a periphery of the outsole, such as from a peripheral portion of the heel region, from a peripheral portion of the forefoot region, from a peripheral portion of the arch region of the sole. The protrusion may extend inwardly of the outer bottom body portion, wherein the protrusion may be oriented in any direction inwardly from the peripheral edge.

In one embodiment, the outsole further comprises a third projection, a fourth projection, or another subsequent projection adjacent to another projection, the spaces defined between the projections allowing the midsole to couple the two projections to one another. By providing additional protrusions, it is possible to accommodate and provide an increased stiffness of the sole area over a larger area of the sole. One example may be to provide a plurality of protrusions in the heel region of the shoe, which is beneficial to increase the rigidity of the heel region, thereby minimizing damping at heel strike during walking. Thus, a plurality of protrusions may be provided in the heel region with heel strike, and for example in the surrounding area thereof, i.e. at the rear and inside of the heel portion on the outsole. Thus, when a polymeric material is introduced, the stiffness of this region increases. Alternatively, the plurality of protrusions may be provided in any region of the outsole, i.e., the heel region, the arch region, or the forefoot region, as well as both the medial side and the lateral side of the sole.

In one embodiment, the sole may include a direct injection midsole. The polymer material of the directly injected midsole is advantageous for providing coupling between the lugs because the polymer material, when expanded and cooled after injection into the mold, bonds with the lugs and the outsole. Thus, a directly injection molded midsole may be directly bonded to the upper and/or outsole, meaning that there is no layer of adhesive between the midsole and the upper and/or outsole. The injected material expands as the sole material expands during injection molding, and forms a chemical bond between the upper-facing surface of the midsole and/or the ground-facing surface of the midsole when the material solidifies.

In one embodiment, the midsole may be molded directly to the foot-facing surface of the outsole and to the lower surface of the upper. This means that during the manufacturing process of the sole, the upper and the outsole may be placed in a mold, wherein the upper and the outsole are separated by an injection cavity (injection cavity). The material of the midsole may then be injected into the injection cavity, allowing the material of the midsole to fill the cavity. Thus, the material of the midsole may connect the outsole to the upper, wherein the material of the midsole connects the protrusions on the midsole to each other and attaches the outsole to the upper.

In one embodiment, the first and/or second protrusions are solid from the proximal end of the protrusion to the distal end of the protrusion. The proximal portion of the lugs extends from the instep of the outsole toward the foot and may terminate at a distal portion, which may be considered the top of the lugs. Thus, the projection can be solid when viewed in cross-section, wherein the outsole material extends from a first sidewall of the projection to an opposing second sidewall of the same projection. Alternatively, the material of the protrusion may be uninterrupted from the proximal end of the protrusion towards the distal end of the protrusion, and/or uninterrupted from one side of the protrusion towards the opposite side of the protrusion.

In one embodiment, the tread surface of the outsole may be uninterrupted in the area where the projections extend from the tread surface of the outsole. This means that in the region where the lugs extend from the foot-facing surface of the outsole to the midsole, the ground contact surface is free of recesses in the region where the lugs extend from the foot-facing surface.

In one embodiment, the first and/or second protrusion, or any subsequent protrusion, may have a width extending from a first sidewall of the protrusion to a second sidewall of the protrusion. Alternatively, the width of the projection at the proximal end of the projection may be greater than the width of the projection at the distal end of the projection.

In one embodiment, from a cross-sectional view of the protrusion, the proximal portion of the protrusion may be joined/integrated/attached to the foot facing surface from one side wall to the opposite side wall across its entire width.

In one embodiment, the first and second protrusions may extend parallel along the foot-facing surface. The parallel extension of the lugs towards the instep may be advantageous because the incorporation of the polymer material creates a balanced or constant stiffness along the length of the lugs when the sole is molded.

In one embodiment, the first and second protrusions may extend at an angle to each other. This means that the protrusions are not parallel to each other, but are adapted such that the imaginary axes of the protrusions can intersect at some point in the plane of the foot-facing surface of the outsole. Thus, the protrusions may have longitudinal axes, wherein the longitudinal axes of two protrusions may be considered to have a V-shape, while the intersection point may be in a direction towards the sole or in the opposite direction.

In one embodiment, the first and/or second protrusions may have a varying (variable) height along the length of the protrusions. This means that the protrusions may have a height in one area, which may be 70% of the thickness of the midsole, and the height of the protrusions may increase or decrease along their length in the direction of the length of the protrusions. Furthermore, the protrusion may have a plurality of heights, which may be undulated as seen in the height direction, so that the protrusion may start at a low height and increase in height along its length, and then decrease in height again as it extends further along the length of the protrusion.

In one embodiment, the first and/or second protrusions may have a ring shape as seen from above. Thus, the first and/or second protrusions may be considered as rings adjacent to each other, similar to the ring shape of the target, i.e. a plurality of rings of different sizes are spaced from each other such that polymer material can enter the space between two protrusions.

In one embodiment, the first and/or second protrusion may have a first width in the proximal portion of the protrusion and a second width in the distal portion of the protrusion, optionally the first thickness being different from the second width. The different widths allow for different rigidities along the width direction of the sole, wherein the sole may be relatively rigid in the area near the outsole, while the rigidity of the sole is reduced in the area near the upper (i.e., in the upper portion of the sole).

In one embodiment, the first and/or second protrusions may have varying widths along the length of the protrusions. Thus, the protrusion may have a first thickness at one end and another width at the opposite end. This helps provide a certain stiffness in certain areas, the increased width reducing the amount of midsole polymer material where the protrusions are thicker and increasing the amount of polymer material between the protrusions in areas where the protrusions are thinner.

Various exemplary embodiments and details are described below with reference to the associated drawings. It should be noted that the figures may or may not be drawn to scale and that elements having similar structures or functions are represented by like reference numerals throughout the figures. It should also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention or as a limitation on the scope of the invention. Moreover, the illustrated embodiments need not have all of the aspects or advantages shown. Aspects or advantages described in connection with a particular embodiment are not necessarily limited to that embodiment, and may be practiced in any other embodiment, even if not illustrated or otherwise explicitly described.

Drawings

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawing, in which

Figures 1a and 1b are a top view and a perspective view of an embodiment of an outsole according to the invention,

figures 2a-2c are cross-sectional views of a shoe with a sole according to the invention,

figures 3a and 3b are top and perspective views of an embodiment of an outsole according to the invention,

figures 4a and 4b are top and perspective views of an embodiment of an outsole according to the invention,

FIGS. 5a and 5b are top and perspective views of an embodiment of an outsole according to the invention, an

Fig. 6a and 6b are a top view and a perspective view of an embodiment of an outsole according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

The use of the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," "primary," "second," "third," etc. do not imply any particular order, but rather are intended to identify individual elements. Moreover, the use of the terms "first," "second," "third" and "fourth," "primary," "second," "third," etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms "first," "second," "third" and "fourth," "primary," "second," "third," etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Note that the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," "primary," "second," "third," etc. are used herein and elsewhere for purposes of notation, and are not intended to indicate any particular spatial or temporal order.

Further, the labeling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element and vice versa.

It is noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

It is noted that the word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of said elements.

It should also be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that the exemplary embodiments may be implemented at least partly by means of hardware and software, and that several "means", "units" or "devices" may be represented by the same item of hardware.

In the following, each reference numeral relating to similar parts of the invention in different embodiments will have the same reference numeral.

Fig. 1a and 1b show an outsole 1 according to the invention, wherein the outsole 1 comprises a foot-facing surface 2 and an opposite tread surface 3, wherein the outsole has a periphery 4 defining the periphery of the outsole 1. Outsole 1 includes a forefoot region 5, a heel region 6, and an arch region 7, wherein arch region 7 extends between forefoot region 5 and heel region 6.

The ground contacting surface 3 of the outsole 1 may have any type of suitable surface, wherein the outsole may include treads (treads) 8, or alternatively, spikes (clean), pads, or any type of suitable ground contacting surface suitable for the particular use of the outsole 1.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the outsole has a plurality of lugs 9 that extend from the periphery 4 of the heel region 6 inwardly toward the body 10 of the outsole. In this embodiment, lugs 9 can be considered as two different types, with outsole 1 including a central lug 11, and two

lugs

12, 13 located on a medial side 14 of heel region 6 and on a lateral side 15 of heel region 6. The medial protrusions 11 are intended to provide stability in both the longitudinal and lateral directions of the sole, wherein these protrusions increase heel strike stability, wherein an increase in stiffness in the longitudinal direction provides increased comfort, while an increase in lateral stiffness improves the stability and predictability of the sole. The medial bulge 12 and the peripheral protrusion 13 also improve the stability of the sole, so that the rigidity of the peripheral region of the sole is increased and the risk of the medial and peripheral sides of the sole collapsing during walking is reduced.

By making the longitudinal extension of the medial projection 9 shorter than the longitudinal extension of the peripheral and

medial projections

12, 13, the flexibility of the sole is maintained in the heel region, particularly in the region 16 arranged to lie beneath the heel bone, thereby improving the comfort of the sole, while the medial and

peripheral projections

11, 12, 13 may be arranged to support the heel bone from the rear as well as from the medial and lateral sides.

Fig. 2a to 2c show a plurality of cross-sectional views of the heel region (similar to that shown in fig. 1) of a sole 17 comprising a midsole 18 and an outsole 1, which is injection molded directly onto an upper 19 of a shoe 20. The outsole comprises a foot-facing surface 2 and an opposite ground-contacting surface 3, wherein the outsole comprises a plurality of

protrusions

11, 12, 13 extending in a direction away from the foot-facing surface 2 of the outsole 1, towards a foot-facing surface 21 of the midsole 18. The protrusions have a proximal portion 22 and a distal portion 23, wherein the distal portion extends in a direction toward the plantar surface of midsole 21.

The

projections

11, 12, 13 of the outsole 1 are arranged such that there is a space 24 between any two

projections

11, 12, 13, and the polymer material of the midsole 18 will fill the space 24 when the midsole is injected into the space between the upper 19 and the outsole 1. Here it can be seen that it is the midsole material 18 that connects the outsole 1 to the upper 19. The polymer material of the midsole 18 filling the spaces 24 between the

protrusions

11, 12, 13 ensures that at least two

adjacent protrusions

11, 12, 13 are coupled to each other, so that the midsole material cooperates with the

protrusions

11, 12, 13 to form a reinforcement in the sole 17 of the shoe, said reinforcement reinforcing a predetermined area of the sole 17. In this embodiment, the reinforcement of the sole 17 is directed to the heel region of the sole. This also enables the shoe to be produced without the need to incorporate separate reinforcements in the shoe, such as wicks or stiffeners (stiff ribs) on the inside or outside of the midsole.

Fig. 3a and 3b are top and perspective views of an embodiment of an outsole 1 according to the invention, wherein the outsole comprises a plurality of lugs 25 extending from the periphery 4 in the arch region 7 and forefoot region 5 and extending substantially diagonally towards the forefoot end 26 of the outsole 1. The protrusions shown in this embodiment may be used to stabilize the lateral forefoot portion 27 of the sole. This example may for instance be a hiking boot, where protrusions are provided in this area to improve stability of the launch during walking, where the sole provides a stable lateral forefoot area, so that when the user takes a launch, for instance at an incline, stability may be improved if the launch is performed on an enhanced side.

Fig. 4a and 4b are top and perspective views of an embodiment of an outsole 1 according to the invention, wherein the outsole comprises a plurality of lugs 28 that are tapered, both from a side view and from a top view, starting from the periphery 4 of the heel region 6 and extending inwardly towards the heel region 6, wherein the lugs 28 decrease in width and/or height in a direction extending inwardly towards the heel region 6. This may be useful in situations where more stability is desired in the peripheral region of the heel region of the sole than in the central region of the heel region of the sole.

Fig. 5a and 5b are a top view and a perspective view of an embodiment of an outsole 1 according to the invention, wherein the outsole comprises a plurality of lugs 29, which lugs 29 are in the form of a plurality of

circular lugs

30, 31 of different sizes, with spaces being provided in the areas between the lugs. The outermost lugs 30 have a maximum diameter and the next lugs 31 have a slightly smaller diameter, thereby creating a volume 32 between the

lugs

30, 31 in which the midsole material can fill the space and create a synergistic reinforcement of the midsole material and outsole material in the form of the

lugs

29, 30, 31. This can be useful in situations where the sole needs to reduce the absorption of shocks during walking, and where the protrusions are located at a short distance from the sole of the foot to increase stability and/or reduce any absorption. This may for example be when the sole is used in a running shoe.

Fig. 6a and 6b are top and perspective views of an embodiment of an outsole 1 according to the invention, wherein the outsole comprises a plurality of lugs 33 extending in the heel region 6 and the arch region 7 of the outsole 1 from one periphery, i.e., the lateral periphery 34, in the direction of an opposite periphery, e.g., the medial periphery 35. These protrusions are intended to provide greater rigidity in the heel region 6 and the arch region 7 of the shoe, where the distance between the protrusions 36 may vary along the length of the protrusions, so that the rigidity may be increased unevenly along the length of the protrusions. By providing the projections in this manner, the shoe may be adapted to the particular gait of the user, i.e. the situation in which the user needs to stabilize the shoe in a pronating (advancing) foot in gait. The orientation and shape of these protrusions may be reversed, with the primary stability falling on the medial side of the foot, to provide compensation during supination gait.

Furthermore, in all embodiments, the width and height of the protrusions and the spacing between the protrusions may be adjusted to provide suitable stiffness of the sole.

It is understood that one skilled in the art would have no problem combining one embodiment shown in the present invention with other embodiments disclosed.

While features have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed invention, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The claimed invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents.

Claims

1. A sole for an article of footwear, comprising:

an outsole having a ground-contacting surface and an opposite, foot-facing surface, said outsole having a periphery defining a periphery of the outsole,

-a midsole having a foot-facing surface and an opposite outwardly facing bottom surface, the midsole comprising a polymer arranged to be injected into a mould adapted to define a volume of the midsole such that the midsole is arranged to be located between the outsole and a user's foot during use,

-wherein the outsole comprises at least a first and a second protrusion extending from the instep towards the midsole, wherein each protrusion has a proximal end engaged/integrated/attached to the instep and an opposite distal end, such that the distal ends of the first and second protrusions extend into the midsole of the sole,

-wherein the first and second protrusions are adjacent to each other with a predetermined space/volume between the first and second protrusions,

-wherein the polymer material of the midsole extends into the predetermined space/volume between the first and second protrusions, such that the polymer material provides a coupling between the first and second protrusions in an area away from proximal ends of the protrusions,

wherein the first and/or second protrusion has a first width at a proximal portion of the protrusion and a second width at a distal portion of the protrusion, the first width being larger than the second width, and the first and/or second protrusion has a length longer than the width of the protrusion,

-wherein the first protrusion is a central protrusion and the second protrusion is a peripheral protrusion on the inner side or the outer side, the first protrusion having a shorter longitudinal extension than the second protrusion.

2. The sole for footwear according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the outsole in the area having the protrusions is greater than a thickness of the outsole in the area having no protrusions.

3. The sole for footwear according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first protrusion has a sidewall and the second protrusion has a sidewall, wherein the polymer material connects/joins the sidewall of the first protrusion to the sidewall of the second protrusion.

4. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the polymer material fills a predetermined space/volume between the first protrusion and the second protrusion.

5. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first projection and/or the second projection extend along a predetermined length along a plane/surface of the outsole in which the foot facing surface lies.

6. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outsole further comprises a third projection, a fourth projection, or another subsequent projection adjacent to another projection, and the projections define a space therebetween to allow the midsole to couple the two projections to each other.

7. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sole comprises a direct injection midsole.

8. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second projections extend parallel along the instep.

9. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second projections extend at an angle to each other.

10. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or second protrusions have a varying height along the length of the protrusions.

11. The sole for footwear according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or second protrusions are solid from a proximal portion of the protrusions to a distal portion of the protrusions.

12. Sole for shoes according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the proximal part of the protuberance, seen in a sectional view of the protuberance, is joined/integrated/attached to the instep-facing, from one side wall to the opposite side wall, over its entire width.