Nike patents shoe soles with tilted plates to support your foot
Nike describes a shoe sole made of two layers with a rigid plate sandwiched between them. The plate is angled so the outer edge sits higher than the inner edge in the front of the shoe, which may help guide how your foot lands.
In the filing’s own words
Sole structures and footwear include: (i) a lower midsole component including a ground-facing surface and an opposite upper-facing surface and (ii) an upper midsole component also including a ground-facing surface and an opposite upper-facing surface. In at least some examples, the lower midsole component will be harder than the upper midsole component at least over some of a forefoot region of the sole structure. More specifically, the lower midsole component may be at least 4 Asker C durometer hardness points greater than the upper midsole component. Additionally or alternatively, such sole structures and/or footwear may include a rigid plate member located between the facing surfaces of the midsole components. The plate member may include a plantar support surface that tilts such that the lateral side edge is higher than the medial side edge at least in a portion of a forefoot region of the sole structure.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A sole structure for an article of footwear that includes a bottom foot support surface, the sole structure comprising: a first midsole component including a first ground-facing surface and a first upper-facing surface located opposite the first ground-facing surface, wherein the first upper-facing surface defines a receptacle; a second midsole component at least partially received in the receptacle, the second midsole component including a second ground-facing surface that faces the first upper-facing surface and a second upper-facing surface located opposite the second ground-facing surface; and a plate member at least partially received in the receptacle and located between the first upper-facing surface and the second ground-facing surface, wherein the plate member includes a plantar support surface having a lateral side edge and a medial side edge, wherein when the sole structure is supported upright with the bottom foot support surface thereof supported on a horizontal support surface in an unloaded condition, the plantar support surface of the plate member is tilted such that the lateral side edge is higher in the sole structure than the medial side edge at least in a portion of a forefoot region of the sole structure.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Footwear Sole Structures and Articles of Footwear Including the Sole Structures
- Publication number
- US20260314748A1
- Application number
- 19641927
- Filed
- Apr 8, 2026
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A43B 13/127 Human necessitiesA43B 5/00 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Clothing & sport
- Nike patents clothing that stiffens instantly to protect against impacts Sep 15, 2026
- Nike patents underwear with electric straps that adjust tightness Sep 17, 2026
- Nike patents fabric that tightens when it gets wet Oct 15, 2026
- Nike patents shoe that pumps fluid to heel for cushioning Sep 8, 2026
- Nike patents top with built-in pocket for breast pumps Oct 1, 2026
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.