Shoe sole with rounded inner and outer surfaces

Abstract

An athletic shoe sole for a shoe has side portions with concavely rounded inner and outer surfaces, as viewed in at least a heel area and a midtarsal area of the sole. The concavely rounded portion of the sole outer surface located at the heel area extends substantially continuously through a sidemost part of the sole side. The rounded portion of the sole outer surface located at the midtarsal area extends up the sole side to at least a level corresponding to a lowest point of the sole inner surface. A midsole component of the shoe sole extends into the sidemost section of the sole side and also extends up the sole side to above a level corresponding to a lowest point of the sole inner surface. The concavely rounded portions of the sole midtarsal area are located at least at the sole lateral side. The sole outer surface of at least part of the midtarsal area is substantially convexly rounded, as viewed in a shoe sole sagittal plane.

1 . A shoe sole construction for a shoe, such as a running shoe, comprising: 
 a sole having a sole portion, a uniform frontal plane thickness, and a naturally-contoured side portion merging with at least a portion of said sole portion and conforming substantially to the shape of the associated edges of the foot;    said sole portion including a foot support surface;    said naturally-contoured side portion being defined at least in part by a curved surface defined by a locus of points determined by the uniform frontal plane thickness of said sole portion and extending vertically beyond an upper plane of a foot supporting surface of said sole portion.