Nike patents shoe soles with tiny holes for custom cushioning
This patent describes a shoe sole made with a pattern of tiny, blind holes, most smaller than 1 millimeter. By varying how closely packed these holes are in different areas, the sole can provide different levels of cushioning tailored to a user's foot shape or preferences.
In the filing’s own words
An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure with a sole member. The sole member can be manufactured using a customized cushioning sole system. A user's foot morphology and/or preferences may be used to design the sole member. The sole member can include a set of pinpoint apertures that are formed along the outer surface of the sole member to form at least a first distribution of apertures associated with a first density and a second distribution of apertures associated with a second density, wherein the first density is greater than the second density.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising: a sole member, the sole member including an outer surface, the outer surface comprising an upper surface and a lower surface; the sole member having a set of pinpoint apertures, wherein each aperture of the set of pinpoint apertures is a blind-hole aperture, and wherein a majority of apertures of the set of pinpoint apertures have a diameter less than 1 mm; wherein the set of pinpoint apertures are disposed along the outer surface of the sole member to form at least a first distribution of apertures and a second distribution of apertures; and wherein the first distribution of apertures is associated with a first density, wherein the second distribution of apertures is associated with a second density, wherein the first density is greater than the second density, wherein the first distribution of apertures with the first density provides first cushioning characteristics for the sole member, wherein the second distribution of apertures with the second density provides second cushioning characteristics for the sole member, and wherein the second cushioning characteristics differ from the first cushioning characteristics due to differences between the second density and the first density.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Article of footwear comprising a sole member with aperture patterns
- Patent number
- US12757974B2
- Application number
- 17874812
- Filed
- Jul 27, 2022
- Granted
- Oct 13, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A43B 13/186 Human necessitiesA43B 7/144 Human necessitiesA43B 7/1445 Human necessitiesA43B 7/1485 Human necessitiesA43B 13/146 Human necessitiesA43B 13/181 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Wearables
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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.