A footwear sole assembly that includes a sole body defining voids of different depths. The voids are arranged to provide relatively greater cushioning and bendability within at least one of a metatarsus portion and a calcaneus portion of the sole body. A heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly.
1. A footwear sole assembly comprising:
a sole body defining voids of different depths, the voids arranged to provide relatively greater cushioning and bendability within at least one of a metatarsus portion and a calcaneus portion of the sole body;
wherein a heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly;
wherein voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the sole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in a heel portion of the sole body.
2. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein the heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly generally receives and supports a calcaneus bone of a received foot and the forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly generally receives and supports metatarsal-phalanges joints of the received foot.
3. The footwear sole assembly of claim 2 , wherein the heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly is elevated about 8 mm above the forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly.
4. The footwear sole assembly of claim 3 , wherein the voids are arranged in a two-dimensional area.
5. The footwear sole assembly of claim 3 , wherein the voids envelop at least 50% of a surface area of a top surface of the sole body.
6. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the sole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in a phalanges portion of the sole body.
7. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the sole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in at least one of a phalanges portion, an arch portion, and the calcaneus portion of the sole body.
8. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein voids defined in the calcaneus portion have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the sole body.
9. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein voids defined near a periphery of the sole body have at least one of a smaller cross-sectional area and a shallower depth than any remaining voids defined by the sole body.
10. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portions of the sole body have a cross-sectional area of between about 4 mm 2 and about 100 mm 2 and voids defined in a phalanges portion and an arch portion of the sole body have a cross-sectional area of between about 4 mm 2 and about 25 mm 2 .
11. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portion of the sole body have a depth of between about 4 mm and about 10 mm and voids defined in a phalanges portion and an arch portion of the sole body have a depth of between about 1 mm and about 5 mm.
12. The footwear sole assembly of claim 1 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portions of the sole body have a depth of between about 45% and 90% a thickness of the sole body.
13. A footwear sole assembly comprising:
a sole body defining voids of different depths, the voids arranged to provide relatively greater cushioning and bendability within at least one of a metatarsus portion and a calcaneus portion of the sole body;
wherein a heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly;
wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portions of the sole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than any remaining voids defined by the sole body.
14. A footwear sole assembly comprising:
a sole body defining voids of different depths, the voids arranged to provide relatively greater cushioning and bendability within at least one of a metatarsus portion and a calcaneus portion of the sole body;
wherein a heel top surface of the footwear sole assembly is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a forefoot top surface of the footwear sole assembly;
wherein the sole body defines a two-dimensional array of voids each having a substantially square cross-sectional shaped in a top surface of the sole body, the array having first and second perpendicular axes, both arranged to form an angle of about 45° with respect to a transverse axis of the sole body, voids defined in the metatarsus portion having a relatively deeper depth than voids defined by other portions of the sole body.
15. A midsole for an article of footwear, the midsole comprising a midsole body defining voids of different depths, the voids arranged to provide relatively greater cushioning and bendability within at least one of a metatarsus portion and a calcaneus portion of the midsole body, wherein a top surface of the midsole in the calcaneus portion is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a top surface of the midsole in the metatarsus portion, wherein voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the midsole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in a heel portion of the midsole body.
16. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein the top surface of midsole in the calcaneus portion is elevated about 8 mm above the top surface of the midsole in the metatarsus portion.
17. The midsole of claim 16 , wherein the voids are arranged in a two-dimensional area.
18. The midsole of claim 16 , wherein the voids envelop at least 50% of a surface area of a top surface of the midsole body.
19. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the midsole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in a phalanges portion of the midsole body.
20. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the midsole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in at least one of a phalanges portion, an arch portion, and the calcaneus portion of the midsole body.
21. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein voids defined in the calcaneus portion have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than voids defined in the metatarsus portion of the midsole body.
22. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein voids defined near a periphery of the midsole body have at least one of a smaller cross-sectional area and a shallower depth than any remaining voids defined by the midsole body.
23. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portions of the midsole body have a cross-sectional area of between about 4 mm 2 and about 100 mm 2 and voids defined in a phalanges portion and an arch portion of the midsole body have a cross-sectional area of between about 4 mm 2 and about 25 mm 2 .
24. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portion of the midsole body have a depth of between about 4 mm and about 10 mm and voids defined in a phalanges portion and an arch portion of the midsole body have a depth of between about 1 mm and about 5 mm.
25. The midsole of claim 15 , wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portions of the midsole body have a depth of between about 45% and 90% a thickness of the midsole body.
26. A midsole for an article of footwear, the midsole comprising a midsole body defining voids of different depths, the voids arranged to provide relatively greater cushioning and bendability within at least one of a metatarsus portion and a calcaneus portion of the midsole body, wherein a top surface of the midsole in the calcaneus portion is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a top surface of the midsole in the metatarsus portion, wherein voids defined in the metatarsus and calcaneus portions of the midsole body have at least one of a larger cross-sectional area and a deeper depth than any remaining voids defined by the midsole body.
27. A midsole for an article of footwear, the midsole comprising a midsole body defining voids of different depths, the voids arranged to provide relatively greater cushioning and bendability within at least one of a metatarsus portion and a calcaneus portion of the midsole body, wherein a top surface of the midsole in the calcaneus portion is elevated between about 4 mm and about 12 mm above a top surface of the midsole in the metatarsus portion, wherein the midsole body defines a two-dimensional array of voids each having a substantially square cross-sectional shaped in a top surface of the midsole body, the array having first and second perpendicular axes, both arranged to form an angle of about 45° with respect to a transverse axis of the midsole, voids defined in the metatarsus portion having a relatively deeper depth than voids defined by other portions of the midsole body.