NikePatent applicationClothing & sportInterest 6/10

Nike patents shoe soles made by stacking rubber layers without glue

Nike describes a method for making shoe soles by stacking multiple layers of uncured rubber directly on top of each other without using adhesive. The layers are then cured together in one step, bonding them into a single solid unit through chemical cross-linking. This process allows different rubber layers to be exposed on the bottom of the shoe, each with distinct properties.

Why it mattersThis manufacturing technique could allow for more complex sole designs with varied grip or cushioning zones without the added weight or complexity of glue, potentially improving the durability and performance of athletic footwear.

In the filing’s own words

An article of footwear includes a sole structure. The sole structure has layers stacked on one another. Adjacent ones of the layers are secured to one another by thermal bonds and without adhesive such that the layers define a monolithic component having a proximal side and a distal side. The layers are stacked in a direction from the proximal side to the distal side. At least two of the layers are exposed at the distal side, and have at least one different property. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear may include stacking the multiple layers without adhesive between adjacent ones of the multiple layers.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising: stacking multiple uncured rubber layers without adhesive between adjacent ones of the multiple uncured rubber layers; after the stacking, curing the multiple uncured rubber layers as a monolithic component of a sole structure of the article of footwear such that adjacent ones of the rubber layers are secured to one another by cross-linking; wherein the monolithic component has a distal side and a proximal side, the rubber layers being stacked in a direction from the proximal side to the distal side; and wherein at least two of the rubber layers are exposed at the distal side and have at least one different property.

Facts

Company: Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
Official title: ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR HAVING A SOLE STRUCTURE WITH MONOLITHIC COMPONENT OF STACKED LAYERS
Publication number: US20260272106A1
Application number: 19674401
Filed: May 12, 2026
Published: Sep 17, 2026
Inventors: 3
Claims: 20

Classified under

A43B 13/023 Human necessitiesA43B 1/10 Human necessitiesB29D 35/085 Operations & transportB29D 35/142 Operations & transport

Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.