Performance shoe midsole

Abstract

Application-specific midsoles and method of designing midsoles are described herein. The midsole includes a plurality of cells that extend generally upward from a generally flat support structure and provide the ability to selectively attenuate the ground reaction forces that result when one engages in activities associated with the application for which the shoe midsole is designed. The midsole comprises a plurality of zones. The shock attenuation properties of each zone is determined by the geometry of the cells in the zone and material composition of the midsole.

1 . An application-specific shoe midsole, comprising: 
 a support structure along the bottom of the midsole comprising a generally flat foot-shaped lower portion having a peripheral boundary with a generally vertical outer edge that encircles the lower portion, wherein the lower portion comprises an upper surface and a lower surface;    a plurality of cells that extend generally upward from the upper surface of the support structure; and    a plurality of midsole zones, wherein at least one of the midsole zones comprises a performance zone and at least one of the midsole zones comprises a comfort zone, wherein at least one performance zone has a targeted vertical deceleration level higher than that for at least one comfort zone, and wherein at least one of the cells within each performance zone has an angle of drafting less than at least one of those in each comfort zone.    
   
   
       2 . An application-specific shoe midsole, comprising: 
 a support structure along the bottom of the midsole comprising a generally flat foot-shaped lower portion having a peripheral boundary with a generally vertical outer edge that encircles the lower portion, wherein the lower portion comprises an upper surface and a lower surface;    a plurality of cells that extend generally upward from the upper surface of the support structure; and    a plurality of midsole zones, wherein the midsole zones that are designed to provide lower targeted vertical deceleration levels comprise a plurality of cells that have higher angles of drafting than those in at least one other zone.    
   
   
       3 . A shoe midsole, comprising: 
 a support structure along the bottom of the midsole comprising a generally flat foot-shaped lower portion having a peripheral boundary with a generally vertical outer edge that encircles the lower portion, wherein the lower portion comprises an upper surface and a lower surface;    a plurality of cells that extend generally upward from the upper surface of the support structure; and    a plurality of midsole zones each configured to provide a specific targeted vertical deceleration level.    
   
   
       4 . The midsole of  claim 3 , wherein at least one midsole zone comprises a comfort zone.  
   
   
       5 . The midsole of  claim 3 , wherein at least one midsole zone comprises a performance zone.  
   
   
       6 . The midsole of  claim 3 , wherein the cells are more concentrated in regions that have a higher targeted vertical deceleration level.  
   
   
       7 . The midsole of  claim 3 , wherein the angle of drafting is relatively higher in the midsole zones that are designed to provide relatively lower vertical deceleration level.  
   
   
       8 . A method of designing shoe midsoles, comprising: 
 selecting the application for which the shoes will be worn;    determining the vertical stability requirements of the application;    generating pressure distribution maps for each activity associated with the application;    delineating zones on the midsole based on the vertical stability requirements and the pressure distribution maps;    determining the targeted vertical deceleration level of each zone based on the vertical stability requirements and the pressure distribution maps; and    selecting and varying one or more of the geometric and/or material properties of each zone to the extent necessary through an iterative process to achieve the targeted vertical deceleration level in each zone.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the application is a sporting activity.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the midsole is delineated into three or more zones.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the midsole zones comprises a comfort zone.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the midsole zones comprises a performance zone.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the performance zone is delineated to comprise the lateral and forefoot region of the midsole.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the performance zone is delineated to comprise the toe region of the midsole.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the geometric properties comprise the angle of drafting of cells within each zone.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the iterative process comprises: 
 measuring the actual vertical deceleration level;    comparing the actual and targeted vertical deceleration levels;    adjusting one or more of the geometric and/or material properties within each zone as needed based on the difference between the actual and targeted vertical deceleration levels; and    repeating the process until the actual and targeted vertical deceleration levels are the same.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein measuring the actual vertical deceleration level comprises SATRA Test Method PM142.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein measuring the actual vertical deceleration level comprises calculating the percentage difference between the initial and final RPVs, wherein the initial RPV is calculated for a shoeless test subject, and wherein the final RPV is calculated for a test subject wearing shoes that contain a midsole constructed with the most recently selected or adjusted physical properties.