Sole system having movable protruding members
An article of footwear with a sole system includes a sole member and a protruding member assembly. The sole system provides tactile sensation. Protruding members of the protruding member assembly can translate through holes in the sole member to facilitate tactile sensation.
1. An article of footwear, comprising:
a sole member having an outwardly facing surface and an inwardly facing surface disposed opposite of the outwardly facing surface, wherein the outwardly facing surface is disposed further from a foot than the inwardly facing surface when the article of footwear is worn;
the sole member including a plurality of holes extending from the outwardly facing surface to the inwardly facing surface;
a protruding member assembly, the protruding member assembly comprising a plurality of protruding members and a plurality of connecting portions, each of the plurality of protruding members including a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, wherein the distal end portion is disposed further from the foot than the proximal end portion when the article of footwear is worn;
the plurality of protruding members comprising at least a first protruding member, a second protruding member, and a third protruding member;
the first protruding member being disposed between the second protruding member and the third protruding member;
a first connecting portion including a first end portion attached to the first protruding member and a second end portion attached to the second protruding member;
a second connecting portion including a third end portion attached to the first protruding member and a fourth end portion attached to the third protruding member; and
wherein the plurality of connecting portions are disposed adjacent the outwardly facing surface of the sole member so that at least a portion of the plurality of connecting portions are spaced apart from the outwardly facing surface of the sole member.
2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the first protruding member is configured to retract upward into the sole member in response to a force applied to an outwardly facing surface of the protruding member assembly.
3. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein the first connecting portion stretches as forces are applied to the outwardly facing surface of the protruding member assembly.
4. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein the first connecting portion has a first elasticity, wherein the second connecting portion has a second elasticity that is greater than the first elasticity, and wherein the third protruding member is configured to retract to a greater degree relative to the second protruding member.
5. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the first connecting portion is disposed closer to the sole member when the first protruding member is in a retracted configuration.
6. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the proximal end portion of the first protruding member extends above the inwardly facing surface of the sole member.
7. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the protruding member assembly is a first protruding member assembly and the article of footwear further comprises a second protruding member assembly spaced apart from the first protruding member assembly.
8. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein the first protruding member assembly and the second protruding member assembly have different material properties.
9. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the first and second connecting portions are formed from an elastic material.
10. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the sole member is more rigid than the first and second connecting portions.
11. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the sole member is more rigid than the first and second protruding members.