Flexible sole for article of footwear
A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a midsole coupled to an outsole. The midsole includes a plurality of sipes on a first side and a plurality of sipes on a second side opposite the first side. The sipes partition portions of the midsole body into impact attenuation cells on the first and second sides of the midsole. The second side of the midsole further includes a plurality of grooves and a plurality of protruding members separated by the grooves. The protruding members extend from a midsole body towards the outsole when the midsole is coupled to the outsole, spacing the midsole body apart from the outsole.
1. A midsole for an article of footwear, the midsole comprising:
a midsole body having a first side, a second side that faces away from the first side, a medial side, and a lateral side; and
a first plurality of sipes incised into the first side and extending at least partially through the midsole body,
wherein the first plurality of sipes on the first side intersect with one another to partition a first plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the first side,
wherein each impact-attenuation cell within the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells includes a prismatic polyhedral body having a hexagonal-shaped base that comprises an outermost surface of the first side, and
wherein each corner of each hexagonal-shaped base within the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells is formed at an intersection of three sipes within the first plurality of sipes; and
a plurality of grooves constructed into an outermost surface of the second side, such that a portion of the second side's outermost surface is omitted at positions corresponding with the plurality of grooves, each groove having a groove width, and each sipe having a sipe width, the groove width being greater than the sipe width when the midsole is in a relaxed state.
2. The midsole of claim 1 , wherein the groove width is a range of eight millimeters to fifteen millimeters.
3. The midsole of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional reference plane extends from the medial side to the lateral side and perpendicular with at least one of the first side and the second side, and wherein, in the cross-sectional reference plane, the portion of the second side's outermost surface that is omitted comprises a percentage of the second side's outermost surface in a range of 20 percent to 50 percent.
4. The midsole of claim 1 further comprising a second plurality of sipes incised into the second side and extending at least partially through the midsole body, the second plurality of sipes intersecting with one another to partition a second plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the second side.
5. The midsole of claim 4 , wherein each impact-attenuation cell within the second plurality of impact attenuation cells on the second side includes a prismatic polyhedral body having a hexagonal-shaped base that comprises another portion of the outermost surface of the second side, wherein each corner of each hexagonal-shaped base of at least a first portion of impact-attenuation cells within the second plurality of impact-attenuation cells is formed at an intersection of three sipes within the second plurality of sipes.
6. The midsole of claim 5 , wherein a first portion of the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the first side each has a central region that is vertically aligned with the intersection of three sipes within the second plurality of sipes on the second side, and wherein the first portion of the second plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the second side each has a central region that is vertically aligned with the intersection of three sipes within the first plurality of sipes on the first side.
7. A midsole for an article of footwear, the midsole comprising:
a midsole body having a first side, a second side that faces away from the first side, a medial side, and a lateral side;
a first plurality of sipes incised into the first side and extending at least partially through the midsole body, the first plurality of sipes on the first side intersecting with one another to partition a first plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the first side,
wherein each impact-attenuation cell within the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells includes a prismatic polyhedral body having a hexagonal-shaped base that comprises an outermost surface of the first side, and
wherein each corner of each hexagonal-shaped base within the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells is formed at an intersection of three sipes within the first plurality of sipes; and
a plurality of grooves constructed into an outermost surface of the second side, each groove having a groove width and each sipe within the first plurality of sipes having a sipe width, the groove width being greater than the sipe width when the midsole is in a relaxed state,
wherein a cross-sectional reference plane extends from the medial side to the lateral side and perpendicular with at least one of the first side and the second side, and
wherein, in the cross-sectional reference plane, a ratio of sipes on the first side to grooves on the second side is at least two to one.
8. The midsole of claim 7 , wherein the midsole body includes a midsole width extending from the medial side to the lateral side at a position aligned with the cross-sectional reference plane, and wherein a ratio of the groove width to the midsole width is in a range of 1:5 to 1:12.
9. The midsole of claim 7 , further comprising:
a second plurality of sipes incised into the second side and extending at least partially through the midsole body, the second plurality of sipes on the second side intersecting with one another to partition a second plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the second side,
wherein each impact-attenuation cell within the second plurality of impact-attenuation cells includes a prismatic polyhedral body having a hexagonal-shaped base that comprises a portion of the outermost surface of the second side, and
wherein each corner of each hexagonal-shaped base of at least a first portion of impact-attenuation cells within the second plurality of impact-attenuation cells is formed at an intersection of three sipes within the second plurality of sipes,
wherein a first portion of the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the first side each has a central region that is vertically aligned with the intersection of sipes within the second plurality of sipes on the second side, and
wherein a second portion of the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the first side each has a central region that is vertically aligned with a groove within the plurality of grooves on the second side.
10. The midsole of claim 9 , wherein at least some corners of the hexagonal-shaped base of a second portion of impact-attenuation cells within the second plurality of impact-attenuation cells are formed at an intersection of grooves.
11. The midsole of claim 9 , wherein the second plurality of sipes are incised into a first region of the midsole body and the plurality of grooves are incised into a second region of the midsole body, and wherein the first region surrounds the second region on the second side of the midsole body.
12. A sole assembly for an article of footwear, the sole assembly comprising:
a midsole coupled to an outsole;
the midsole comprising:
a midsole body having a first side, a second side that faces away from the first side and is coupled to the outsole, a medial side, and a lateral side; and
a first plurality of sipes incised into the first side and extending at least partially through the midsole body,
wherein the first plurality of sipes on the first side intersect with one another to partition a first plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the first side,
wherein each impact-attenuation cell within the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells includes a prismatic polyhedral body having a hexagonal-shaped base that comprises an outermost surface of the first side, and
wherein each corner of each hexagonal-shaped base within the first plurality of impact-attenuation cells is formed at an intersection of three sipes within the first plurality of sipes, and
a plurality of grooves constructed into an outermost surface of the second side, such that a portion of the second side's outermost surface is omitted at positions corresponding with the plurality of grooves, each groove having a groove width, and each sipe having a sipe width, the groove width being greater than the sipe width when the midsole is in a relaxed state.
13. The sole assembly of cam 12 , wherein the midsole body further comprises:
a plurality of protruding members that extend outward from the second side and towards the outsole,
wherein the outsole is affixed directly to the plurality of protruding members, which space the outsole apart from a substratum portion of the midsole body.
14. The sole assembly of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of protruding members define one or more impact-attenuation voids between the outsole and the substratum portion of the midsole body, the substratum portion of the midsole body being positioned between an end of the first plurality of sipes incised into the first side and an end of the grooves constructed into the second side, the one or more impact-attenuation voids including ambient aft, loose cushioning materials, or any combination thereof.
15. The sole assembly of claim 13 , wherein a cross-sectional reference plane extends from the medial side to the lateral side and is perpendicular with at least one of the first side and the second side, and wherein, in the cross-sectional reference plane, a ratio of all sipes within the first plurality of sipes on the first side to all grooves within the plurality of grooves on the second side is at least two to one.
16. The sole assembly of claim 12 , wherein the midsole further comprises a second plurality of sipes incised into the second side and extending at least partially through the midsole body, the second plurality of sipes intersecting with one another to partition a second plurality of impact-attenuation cells on the second side.
17. The sole assembly of claim 16 , wherein each impact-attenuation cell within the second plurality of impact attenuation cells on the second side includes a prismatic polyhedral body having a hexagonal-shaped base that comprises another portion of the outermost surface of the second side, wherein each corner of each hexagonal-shaped base of at least a first portion of impact-attenuation cells within the second plurality of impact-attenuation cells is formed at an intersection of three sipes within the second plurality of sipes.