Footwear sole configured to impart pressure and stimulation

Abstract

A footwear sole includes a first sole component or an inner portion of the sole and a second sole component or an outer portion of the sole. The upper surface of the first sole component having an undulating pattern of crests and troughs that is out of phase with a lower surface of the first sole component having an undulating pattern of crests and troughs. The vertical alignments of the crests of the upper surface with the troughs of the lower surface are configured to apply pressure at specific locations of the user's foot. The second sole component has a lower surface with an undulating pattern of crests and troughs that is out of phase with that of the lower surface. The combined configuration imparts differential pressure and sensory stimulation to the bottom surface of the user's foot.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A sole comprising:
 a first sole component having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a sidewall surface;   the upper surface comprising depressions and elevated regions;   wherein the depressions are spaced apart from each other with an elevated region interspersed between each of the depressions, and the depressions are spaced along a heel-to-toe axis of the sole;   the lower surface comprising first ground contacting regions and first raised regions, the first ground contacting regions are spaced apart from each other with a first raised region interspersed between each of the first ground contacting regions, and the first ground contacting regions are spaced along the heel-to-toe axis of the sole;   each of the elevated regions being vertically and solidly aligned with a corresponding first ground contacting region,   each of the depressions extending across a mediolateral direction of the sole at least within a central portion of the first sole component, and wherein   the upper surface of the first sole component has direct contact with a user's foot or a flexible insert.   
     
     
         2 . The sole of  claim 1 , wherein each of the depressions is vertically aligned with one of the elevated lower regions. 
     
     
         3 . The sole of  claim 1 , further comprising a second sole component, wherein the second sole component is adjacent to the first sole component being positioned adjacent to the sidewall surface of the first sole component. 
     
     
         4 . The sole of  claim 1  wherein the second sole component has a lower surface, and the lower surface comprising second ground contacting regions that are each spaced away from each other by a second raised region that is interspersed between the second ground contacting regions. 
     
     
         5 . The sole of  claim 4  wherein each of the first ground contacting regions are aligned with the second raised regions along the mediolateral direction of the sole which exposes a portion of the sidewall of the first sole component. 
     
     
         6 . The sole of  claim 5  wherein the second ground contacting regions are at least aligned with the first raised regions along the mediolateral axis of the sole. 
     
     
         7 . The sole of  claim 6  wherein the sidewall surface of the first sole component has a medial surface and a lateral surface, and the second sole component is located adjacent to the medial sidewall and lateral sidewall of the first sole component wherein the first sole component is at least a portion of a central area of the sole. 
     
     
         8 . The sole of  claim 5  wherein the first sole component is constructed of a less dense material than the second sole component. 
     
     
         9 . The sole of  claim 1  wherein the depressions and elevated regions forms an undulating surface along the heel-to-toe axis of the sole. 
     
     
         10 . The sole of  claim 1  wherein the first ground contacting regions and the first raised regions form an undulating surface along the heel-to-toe axis of the sole. 
     
     
         11 . The sole of  claim 1  wherein at least one depression in a heel region of the first sole component is approximately circular and at least one depression in a forefoot region of the first sole component is elongated. 
     
     
         12 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a first sole component having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a sidewall surface;   the upper surface having an at least one arched region;   the lower surface comprising first ground contacting regions and first raised regions, the first ground contacting regions are spaced apart from each other with a first raised region interspersed between each of the first ground contacting regions, and the first ground contacting regions spaced along the heel-to-toe axis of the article;   each of the first ground contacting regions is vertically aligned with the at least one arched region,   a second sole component which is located along at least a portion of the perimeter of the article and is adjacent to the first sole component being positioned adjacent to the sidewall surface of the first sole component,   the second sole component having a lower surface comprising second ground contacting regions that are each spaced away from each other by a second raised region that is interspersed between the second ground contacting regions,   each of the first ground contacting regions being aligned with the second raised regions along the mediolateral axis of the article which exposes a portion of the sidewall of the first sole component, and wherein   the upper surface of the first sole component has direct contact with a user's foot or an intermediate layer having a lower hardness than a first hardness of the first sole component.   
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 12 , wherein the upper surface comprising depressions and arched regions;
 wherein the depressions are spaced apart from each other with one of the arched regions interspersed between each of the depressions, and the depressions are spaced along a heel-to-toe axis of the article;   each of the depressions extending across a mediolateral direction of the article from an edge of the first sole component to the opposite edge of the first sole component,   
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 13  wherein the depressions and the arched regions form an undulating surface along the heel-to-toe axis of the sole. 
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear of  claim 13  wherein the first ground contacting regions and the first raised regions form an undulating surface along the heel-to-toe axis of the sole. 
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear of  claim 14  wherein the sidewall surface of the first sole component has a medial surface and a lateral surface, and the second sole component is located adjacent to the medial sidewall and lateral sidewall of the first sole component and wherein the first sole component is at least a portion of a central area of the sole. 
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 12  wherein at least one of the sole components is constructed of material formed by supercritical fluid expansion of a polymer material into its final form. 
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 12  wherein the at least one arched region is arched along the mediolateral direction of the sole and extends along the entire upper surface of the first sole component. 
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 12  wherein a hardness of the first sole component is greater than the second sole component. 
     
     
         20 . The article of footwear of  claim 19  wherein the hardness of the first sole component is greater in a forefoot region than in a heel region of the first sole component. 
     
     
         21 . The article of footwear of  claim 12  wherein each of the first ground contacting regions has a first lowest point and each of the second ground contacting regions has a second lowest point, and at least one of the second lowest points is vertically higher than at least one of the first lowest points when no downward pressure is applied on the article of footwear. 
     
     
         22 . The article of footwear of  claim 21  wherein the second lower point is vertically higher than the first lower point by a vertical height up to 3 mm. 
     
     
         23 . A sole comprising:
 a first sole portion and a second sole portion;   the first sole portion located centrally to the second sole portion;   the first sole portion comprising
 an upper surface and a lower surface opposite of the upper surface; 
 the upper surface having an upper sinusoidal wave configuration extending along a longitudinal axis of the sole; 
 the lower surface having a lower sinusoidal wave configuration extending along the longitudinal axis of the sole; 
 wherein the upper surface has upper crests and upper troughs; 
 the lower surface has a plurality of lower crests and lower troughs and; 
 each of the upper crests are vertically aligned to a corresponding lower trough and each of the lower crests are vertically aligned to a corresponding upper trough; and wherein 
   the upper surface of the first sole portions having direct contact with a user's foot or a flexible insert.   
     
     
         24 . The sole of  claim 21  wherein the sole further comprises a second sole portion that surrounds the first sole portion and forms a central cavity that receives the first sole portion. 
     
     
         25 . The sole of  claim 22  wherein first sole portion has at least a medial sidewall and a lateral sidewall, and the medial and the lateral sidewalls are angled inwardly from either the upper surface or lower surface of the first sole portion, and the central cavity is reciprocally angled to receive the medial and lateral sidewalls. 
     
     
         26 . The sole of  claim 23  wherein the first sole portion extends from a heel region to a toe region, and the upper surface has 4 to 5 troughs each with a splay angle greater than 50 degrees.