Nike patents shoe soles with movable studs that change grip
Nike has filed a patent for a shoe sole containing small, movable studs that shift up and down when the shoe hits the ground. The design uses different spacing between these studs in various parts of the sole to adjust how the shoe interacts with the surface.
In the filing’s own words
A sole system for an article of footwear can include a sole member and a protruding member assembly. The sole member includes outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces and a plurality of spaced apart apertures extending though the sole member. The protruding member assembly includes a plurality of protruding members, where each protruding member is vertically movable within a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures of the sole member. A first set of protruding members is arranged in a first region of the sole member, a second set of protruding members is arranged in a second region of the sole member, and a spacing between adjacent protruding members of the first set is smaller than a spacing between adjacent protruding members of the second set.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A sole system for an article of footwear, comprising: a sole member comprising an outwardly facing surface, an inwardly facing surface, and a plurality of spaced apart apertures extending through the sole member, between the inwardly facing surface and the outwardly facing surface; and a plurality of protruding members configured to move relative to the sole member in response to engagement with a ground surface, wherein each protruding member is vertically movable within a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures of the sole member, wherein a first set of protruding members of the plurality of protruding members is arranged in a first region of the sole member, wherein a second set of protruding members of the plurality of protruding members is arranged in a second region of the sole member, and wherein a spacing between adjacent protruding members of the first set of protruding members is smaller than a spacing between adjacent protruding members of the second set of protruding members.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- MOVEABLE SENSORY ELEMENTS IN FOOTWEAR SOLES
- Publication number
- US20260294031A1
- Application number
- 19700021
- Filed
- Jun 5, 2026
- Published
- Oct 1, 2026
- Inventors
- 12
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A43B 7/146 Human necessitiesA43B 13/226 Human necessitiesA43B 13/26 Human necessitiesA43C 15/14 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.