Article of footwear with self-cleaning surface

Abstract

An article of footwear having a self-cleaning surface and a method of making an article of footwear are disclosed. The article of footwear may generally include a sole plate having cleats associated with resilient members. The resilient members may be disposed on a bottom surface of the sole plate in an area near the cleats. For example, a resilient member may be disposed in on the bottom surface of the sole plate in the peripheral area of a cleat. The resilient members may prevent mud from accumulating on the cleats and/or a bottom surface of the sole plate by compressing against a surface of the ground and then springing back, preventing mud from sticking to the resilient member.

1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a sole plate including a bottom surface having a forefoot region, a heel region, a longitudinal axis extending through the forefoot region and heel region, a forward edge, and a rearward edge;   a first cleat disposed on the bottom surface of the sole plate, the first cleat having a shaft extending away from the bottom surface of the sole plate and a terminal end disposed opposite the bottom surface of the sole plate;   a second cleat disposed on the bottom surface of the sole plate and spaced from the first cleat, the second cleat having a shaft extending away from the bottom surface of the sole plate and a terminal end disposed opposite the bottom surface of the sole plate; and   a first resilient member disposed on the bottom surface of the sole plate, the first resilient member including a first portion disposed between and spaced apart from the first cleat and the second cleat,   wherein the first resilient member has a first hole, a second hole, and a third hole, the first cleat disposed within the first hole, the second cleat disposed within the second hole, and the third hole being formed in the first portion of the resilient member and exposing the bottom surface of the sole plate.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the first hole has a shape substantially corresponding to a shape of the shaft of the first cleat and the second hole has a shape substantially corresponding to a shape of the shaft of the second cleat. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the first resilient member is substantially flat. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the first resilient member is substantially flush with the bottom surface of the sole plate. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the first resilient member is made of a foam material. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear according to any  claim 1 , wherein the first resilient member is made from at least one of silicone and rubber. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , further comprising an upper attached to the sole plate. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the first resilient member is permanently affixed to the bottom surface of the sole plate in an area of the bottom surface of the sole plate that substantially surrounds the first cleat. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the first resilient member has a thickness that is less than a length of the first cleat. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the first resilient member contacts the shaft of the first cleat. 
     
     
         11 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A method of making an article of footwear comprising:
 providing a sole plate including a bottom surface having a forefoot region, a heel region, a longitudinal axis extending through the forefoot region and heel region, a forward edge, and a rearward edge, wherein the sole plate further includes:   a first cleat disposed on the bottom surface of the sole plate, the first cleat having a shaft extending away from the bottom surface of the sole plate and a terminal end disposed opposite the bottom surface of the sole plate; and   a second cleat disposed on the bottom surface of the sole plate and spaced from the second cleat, the second cleat having a shaft extending away from the bottom surface of the sole plate and a terminal end disposed opposite the bottom surface of the sole plate;   providing a first resilient member having a first hole, a second hole, and a third hole;   placing the first resilient member on the bottom surface of the sole plate, the first resilient member including a first portion disposed between and spaced apart from the first cleat and the second cleat;   placing the first cleat in the first hole; and   placing the second cleat in the second hole;   wherein providing the first resilient member having the third hole includes providing the first portion of the resilient member with the third hole to expose the bottom surface of the sole plate between the first cleat and the second cleat via the third hole.   
     
     
         18 . The method of making an article of footwear according to  claim 17 , further comprising:
 placing a second resilient member on the bottom surface of the sole plate, the second resilient member being disposed in a space defined between both a third cleat and a fourth cleat of the sole plate, the third cleat and the fourth cleat both being spaced from the first cleat, the second cleat, and each other.   
     
     
         19 . The method of making an article of footwear according to  claim 17 , wherein placing the first resilient member on the bottom surface of the sole plate includes permanently affixing the first resilient member to the bottom surface of the sole plate. 
     
     
         20 . The method of making an article of footwear according to  claim 17 , wherein the first resilient member has a thickness that is less than a length of the first cleat. 
     
     
         21 . The article of footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the sole plate is configured to engage a ground surface through the third hole.