Spacing For Footwear Ground-Engaging Member Support Features

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an article of footwear including an upper configured to receive a foot and a sole component fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the upper. The sole component may include a baseplate having a bottom surface and at least a first ground engaging member extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate. The sole component may also include a plurality of elongate support members extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, abutting the first ground engaging member at a side portion, and extending horizontally from the side portion of the first ground engaging member; wherein three or more support members of the plurality of support members are unevenly spaced about the ground engaging member. The spaces between the three or more unevenly spaced support members may be devoid of additional support members, and the three or more support members may be independent of other ground engaging members extending from the baseplate.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . An article of footwear, comprising:
 an upper configured to receive a foot;   a sole component fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the upper, the sole component including a baseplate having a bottom surface and at least a first ground engaging member extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate;   a plurality of elongate support members extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, abutting the first ground engaging member at a side portion, and extending horizontally from the side portion of the first ground engaging member; and   a textured traction surface disposed on the baseplate between a first support member and a second support member of the plurality of support members;   wherein the textured traction surface is disposed either:
 linearly between the first support member and the second support member such that the textured traction surface is disposed between the first ground engaging member and a linear boundary extending between the first support member and the second support member; or 
 rotationally between the first support member and the second support member such that the textured traction surface is disposed between the first ground engaging member and a rotational boundary extending rotationally around the first ground engaging member between the first support member and the second support member. 
   
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear according to  claim 8 , wherein the first and second support members include downward facing surfaces extending at slope angles from the side portion of the first ground engaging member to the bottom surface of the baseplate proximate to the ground engaging member, and wherein the first and second support members have downward facing surfaces extending at different slope angles. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear according to  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of support members extends substantially radially from an approximate center portion of the first ground engaging member. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear according to  claim 10 , wherein the first ground engaging member has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is substantially round. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear according to  claim 10 , wherein the first ground engaging member has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is substantially elongate. 
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear according to  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of support members extend substantially radially from an approximate center portion of the first ground engaging member, and are unevenly spaced about the first ground engaging member. 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear according to  claim 8 , wherein the first support member extends substantially radially from a center of the first ground engaging member, and the second support member extends horizontally from the first ground engaging member in a substantially non-radial direction with respect to the center of the first ground engaging member. 
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear according to  claim 8 , wherein three or more of the plurality of support members are unevenly spaced about the first ground engaging member. 
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear according to  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the plurality of support members extends horizontally away from the first ground engaging member in a direction toward a region of the sole component adjacent to a gap in the sole component. 
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear according to  claim 8 , wherein the sole component includes an arrangement of a plurality of ground engaging members including the first ground engaging member, wherein each of the plurality of support members extends horizontally away from the first ground engaging member in a direction that is not aligned with any of the other ground engaging members in the arrangement. 
     
     
         18 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . An article of footwear, comprising:
 an upper configured to receive a foot;   a sole component fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the upper, the sole component including a baseplate having a bottom surface and at least a first ground engaging member extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate;   a plurality of elongate support members extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, abutting the first ground engaging member at a side portion, and extending horizontally from the side portion of the first ground engaging member, the plurality of elongate support members including a first elongate support member and a second elongate support member;   the first elongate support member including a first end disposed away from the first ground engaging member and the second elongate support member including a second end disposed away from the first ground engaging member;   a linear boundary extending from the first end of the first elongate support member to the second end of the second elongate support member; and   a textured traction surface disposed on the baseplate between the linear boundary and the first ground engaging member.   
     
     
         26 . The article of footwear according to  claim 25 , further comprising a third elongate support member, the third elongate support member including a third end disposed away from the first ground engaging member;
 a second linear boundary extending directly from the first end of the first elongate support member to the third end of the third elongate support member; and   wherein the bottom surface of the baseplate remains free of the textured traction surface between the first ground engaging member and the second linear boundary.   
     
     
         27 . The article of footwear according to  claim 26 , wherein a first rotational boundary extends between the first end of the first elongate support member and the third end of the third elongate support member; and
 wherein the textured traction surface is disposed between first rotational boundary and the first elongate support member.   
     
     
         28 . The article of footwear according to  claim 25 , wherein the first ground engaging member has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is substantially elongate. 
     
     
         29 . The article of footwear according to  claim 25 , wherein the first ground engaging member has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is substantially circular. 
     
     
         30 . The article of footwear according to  claim 25 , wherein the textured traction surface includes a plurality of peaked ground engaging members. 
     
     
         31 . The article of footwear according to  claim 30 , wherein a height of the plurality of peaked ground engaging members is substantially less than a height of the first ground engaging member. 
     
     
         32 . An article of footwear, comprising:
 an upper configured to receive a foot;   a sole component fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the upper, the sole component including a baseplate having a bottom surface and at least a first ground engaging member extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate;   a plurality of elongate support members extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, abutting the first ground engaging member at a side portion, and extending horizontally from the side portion of the first ground engaging member, the plurality of elongate support members including a first elongate support member and a second elongate support member;   the first elongate support member including a first end disposed away from the first ground engaging member and the second elongate support member including a second end disposed away from the first ground engaging member;   a rotational boundary extending from the first end of the first elongate support member to the second end of the second elongate support member; and   a textured traction surface disposed on the baseplate between the rotational boundary and the first ground engaging member.   
     
     
         33 . The article of footwear according to  claim 32 , wherein the textured traction surface includes a plurality of peaked ground engaging members 
     
     
         34 . The article of footwear according to  claim 33 , wherein a height of the plurality of peaked ground engaging members is substantially less than a height of the first ground engaging member.