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NikePatent applicationClothing & sportInterest 6/10

Nike patents shoe sole with side lobes and internal chambers for cushioning

Nike describes a shoe sole design featuring a cushioning layer with a series of connected bumps, or lobes, running along the inner and outer edges. This cushion sits on a rigid support structure, or chassis, that has matching supports to hold the lobes in place while leaving space for internal air pockets.

Why it mattersRunners and athletes might notice this design in future Nike shoes as it aims to improve how the sole absorbs impact and supports the foot.

In the filing’s own words

A sole structure for an article of footwear having an upper includes a cushion member and a chassis. The cushion member includes a first series of lobes alternating with a first series of recesses along a length of the cushion member. The first series of lobes and the first series of recesses extend along one of a medial side of the sole structure and a lateral side of the sole structure. The chassis is disposed between the cushion member and the upper and includes a series of first supports alternating with a second series of recesses. The supports of the series of first supports are aligned and in contact with respective lobes of the first series of lobes and the second series of recesses are aligned with the first series of recesses.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A sole structure comprising: a cushion member including a first series of lobes interconnected to each other and arranged continuously from a forefoot region to a heel region along one of a medial side and a lateral side of the sole structure and a second series of lobes interconnected to each other and arranged continuously from the forefoot region to the heel region along the other of the medial side and the lateral side of the sole structure, the cushion member further including at least one interior chamber disposed inward of the first series of lobes and the second series of lobes; and a chassis disposed between the cushion member and an upper and including a cushion support (i) extending from the forefoot region to the heel region and (ii) defining a series of supports that are aligned and in contact with respective lobes of the first series of lobes and the second series of lobes, the cushion support further including a series of ridges that define at least one depression configured to receive the at least one interior chamber of the cushion member.

Facts

Company
Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
Official title
SOLE STRUCTURE FOR ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR
Publication number
US20260272112A1
Application number
19673652
Filed
May 11, 2026
Published
Sep 17, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

A43B 13/20 Human necessitiesA43B 13/12 Human necessitiesA43B 13/16 Human necessities
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.