Nike patents shoe sole with extra plate piece for toe-off
This filing describes a shoe sole with a rigid plate that extends past the front of the shoe upper. The plate has two layers with different stiffness levels to help push the foot forward during a step.
In the filing’s own words
An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure. The sole structure includes a plate that has a heel portion, a midfoot portion, a forefoot portion, and an extension portion. The extension portion extends forward of the forefoot portion and forward of a foremost extent of upper. The plate includes a first plate layer establishing an outer surface of the plate and extending in each of the heel portion, the midfoot portion, the forefoot portion, and the extension portion, and a second plate layer interfacing with the first plate layer and extending in the forefoot portion and the extension portion. A bending stiffness of the second plate layer is greater than a bending stiffness of the first plate layer.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An article of footwear comprising: an upper; and a sole structure including: a plate having a heel portion, a midfoot portion, a forefoot portion, and an extension portion, the extension portion extending forward of the forefoot portion and forward of a foremost extent of the upper; and at least one sole layer underlying the extension portion of the plate and establishing a ground-contact surface of the sole structure; wherein a toe spring angle of the sole structure at the ground-contact surface that is forward of the foremost extent of the upper and that is underlying the extension portion of the plate is greater than a toe spring angle of the extension portion of the plate.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Article of footwear with extended plate for toe-off
- Patent number
- US12727644B2
- Application number
- 19226635
- Filed
- Jun 3, 2025
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A43B 13/127 Human necessitiesA43B 13/122 Human necessitiesA43B 13/37 Human necessitiesA43B 13/42 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Clothing & sport
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.