Footwear sole plate with non-parallel waves of varying thickness

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

a sole plate including a midfoot region, and the sole plate further including a forefoot region and a heel region;

wherein the sole plate has a foot-facing surface with ridges extending longitudinally in the midfoot region and in the forefoot region;

wherein the sole plate has a ground-facing surface with grooves extending longitudinally in correspondence with the ridges;

wherein the ridges and the grooves are configured such that a thickness of the sole plate from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface varies at a first transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the ridges in the midfoot region, or varies along a length of at least one of the ridges, or varies at both the first transverse cross-section and along the length of the at least one of the ridges;

the ridges and the grooves extend only in the midfoot region and the forefoot region;

the sole plate has an undulating profile at any transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the ridges;

the undulating profile of the sole plate at the first transverse cross-section includes a first set of multiple waves having crests at the ridges and having troughs between respective adjacent ones of the ridges;

the undulating profile of the sole plate at a second transverse cross-section in the forefoot region includes a second set of multiple waves having crests at the ridges and having troughs between respective adjacent ones of the ridges;

waves of the first set each have a first wavelength; and

waves of the second set each have a second wavelength greater than the first wavelength.

2. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein:

the ridges have crests at least some of which extend non-parallel with one another in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate; and

the grooves have crests at least some of which extend non-parallel with one another in the longitudinal direction.

3. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the crests vary in amplitude in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate such that the amplitude is greater in a zone of the sole plate configured for relatively high compressive loads than in a zone of the sole plate configured for relatively low compressive loads.

4. The sole structure of claim 3 , wherein:

at least some of the crests have an amplitude that is greater in a rearward portion of the forefoot region than in a forward portion of the forefoot region, and greater in the rearward portion of the forefoot region than in the midfoot region.

5. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the sole plate is a resilient material such that the crests of the ridges decrease in elevation from a steady state elevation to a loaded elevation under a dynamic compressive load and return to the steady state elevation upon removal of the dynamic compressive load.

6. The sole structure of claim 5 , wherein the sole plate is one of a fiber strand-lain composite, a carbon-fiber composite, a thermoplastic elastomer, a glass-reinforced nylon, wood, or steel.

7. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein:

the foot-facing surface is concave in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate in the forefoot region; and

the ground-facing surface is convex in the longitudinal direction of the sole plate in the forefoot region.

8. The sole structure of claim 7 , wherein:

the sole plate slopes in the longitudinal direction in the midfoot region from the heel region to the forefoot region.

9. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein:

the foot-facing surface has the undulating profile at the first transverse cross-section that includes multiple waves having crests at the ridges and having troughs between respective adjacent ones of the ridges; and

the crests at the ridges are aligned with crests of the grooves.

10. The sole structure of claim 9 , wherein the thickness of the sole plate at the first transverse cross-section is less at the crests of the ridges than between the crests of the ridges and the troughs.

11. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein:

a lateral-most one of the ridges curves in the longitudinal direction to follow a curved lateral edge of the sole plate; and

a medial-most one of the ridges curves in the longitudinal direction to follow a curved medial edge of the sole plate.

12. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the ground-facing surface is flat between the grooves at the first transverse cross-section.

13. The sole structure of claim 1 , wherein the sole plate is a unitary, one-piece component.

14. A sole structure for an article of footwear comprising:

a sole plate including a midfoot region, a forefoot region, and a heel region;

wherein the sole plate has a foot-facing surface with ridges extending longitudinally such that the foot-facing surface has an undulating profile at a first transverse cross-section of the sole plate through the ridges in the midfoot region;

wherein the sole plate has a ground-facing surface with grooves extending longitudinally;

wherein at least some of the ridges of the foot-facing surface extend non-parallel with one another, and at least some of the grooves of the ground-facing surface extend non-parallel with one another in correspondence with the ridges;

wherein the ridges and the grooves are configured such that a thickness of the sole plate from the foot-facing surface to the ground-facing surface varies at the first transverse cross-section, or varies along a length of at least one of the ridges, or varies at both the first transverse cross-section and along the length of the at least one of the ridges;

at least some of the ridges vary in amplitude in a longitudinal direction of the sole plate;

the undulating profile of the sole plate at the first transverse cross-section includes a first set of multiple waves having crests at the ridges and having troughs between respective adjacent ones of the ridges;

the undulating profile of the sole plate at a second transverse cross-section in the forefoot region includes a second set of multiple waves having crests at the ridges and having troughs between respective adjacent ones of the ridges;

waves of the first set each have a first wavelength;

waves of the second set each have a second wavelength greater than the first wavelength;

a lateral-most one of the ridges curves in the longitudinal direction to follow a curved lateral edge of the sole plate; and

a medial-most one of the ridges curves in the longitudinal direction to follow a curved medial edge of the sole plate.

15. The sole structure of claim 14 , wherein the amplitude of at least some of the ridges is greater in a rearward portion of the forefoot region than in a forward portion of the forefoot region, and greater in the rearward portion of the forefoot region than in the midfoot region.

16. The sole structure of claim 14 , wherein the sole plate is a resilient material such that the crests of the ridges decrease in elevation from a steady state elevation to a loaded elevation under a dynamic compressive load and return to the steady state elevation upon removal of the dynamic compressive load.

17. The sole structure of claim 14 , wherein:

the foot-facing surface is concave in the longitudinal direction in the forefoot region;

the ground-facing surface is convex in the longitudinal direction in the forefoot region;

the sole plate slopes in the longitudinal direction in the midfoot region from the heel region to the forefoot region; and

the ground-facing surface is flat between the grooves at the first transverse cross-section.