Sole structure for a shoe

Abstract

Articles of footwear with a sole comprising a forefoot portion, a heel portion, an outer rim that extends around a perimeter of the forefoot portion and the heel portion, and a wing extending away from the outer rim. The wing defines a space between the wing and an upper of the article of footwear, and comprises a traction element extending from a bottom surface of the wing. In some embodiments, the wing can bend from an initial position towards the upper when a force is imparted to the wing by a ground surface, such that a volume of the space decreases.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear, comprising: 
 an upper; and   a sole coupled to the upper, the sole comprising:    a forefoot portion,   a heel portion,    an outer rim that extends at least partially around a perimeter of the forefoot portion and the heel portion, and   a wing extending away from the outer rim, defining a space between the wing and the upper, and comprising a traction element extending from a bottom surface of the wing.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the wing comprises a first end and a second end, the first end extending from the outer rim and the second end located further from the outer rim than the first end. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 2 , wherein the first end is positioned closer to a bottom surface of the sole than the second end. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the wing comprises a concave shape that curves away from a bottom surface of the sole. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein the concave shape is concave about a longitudinal axis of the wing, a transverse axis of the wing, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the wing extends from the forefoot portion or the heel portion. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the wing is a first wing and the traction element is a first traction element, the sole further comprises a second wing extending away from the outer rim of the sole and comprising a second traction element extending from a bottom surface of the second wing, and the first wing extends from the forefoot portion and the second wing extends from the heel portion. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the wing comprises a first portion and a second portion that are separated by a gap. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the sole further comprises a cup extending away from a bottom surface of the sole and adjacent to the upper, and wherein the wing defines a space between the wing and the cup. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 9 , wherein the cup is located in the forefoot portion. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 9 , wherein the cup is located in the heel portion. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 9 , wherein the wing comprises a first end and a second end, the first end extending from the outer rim and the second end located further from the outer rim than the first end, and 
       wherein a longitudinal distance between a rearmost end of the cup and the second end is greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 50 mm. 
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , further comprising a filler component disposed in the space. 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 13 , wherein the filler component comprises a resilient material. 
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear of  claim 13 , wherein the filler component is coupled to the upper. 
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear of  claim 13 , wherein the filler component is coupled to the wing. 
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein the wing is made of a material that is more rigid than the resilient material.  
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the wing has an initial position relative to the upper, and the wing is configured to bend from the initial position toward the upper when a force is imparted to the wing by a ground surface, such that a volume of the space decreases. 
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the traction element comprises a cleat. 
     
     
         20 . An article of footwear, comprising: 
 an upper; and   a sole coupled to the upper, the sole comprising:    a wing extending away from the sole, the wing comprising a bottom surface that is tangent to a bottom surface of the sole at an outer rim of the sole, the wing defining a space between the wing and the upper and comprising a traction element extending from the bottom surface of the wing;   wherein the wing has an initial position relative to the upper, and the wing is configured to bend from the initial position toward the upper when a force is imparted to the wing by a ground surface, such that a volume of the space decreases.