Outsoles having traction inserts

Abstract

An article of footwear may include an outsole having an opening extending from a top face of the outsole to a ground-contacting face of the outsole, and a traction member disposed within the opening in the outsole. The traction member has a protruding portion and flange portion extending from an upper end of the protruding portion. The flange portion is secured to the top face of the outsole.

1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 an outsole having a ground-contacting face, a top face opposing the ground-contacting face, a curved anterior peripheral edge including a toe end of the outsole, an anterior peripheral region along and inset from the curved anterior peripheral edge, a curved posterior peripheral edge including a heel end of the outsole, and a posterior peripheral region along and inset from the curved posterior peripheral edge;   a plurality of openings in both the anterior peripheral region and the posterior peripheral region of the outsole, wherein each of the plurality of openings includes a recess in the top face of the outsole in communication with a respective hole in the ground-contacting face of the outsole, and the recess has a dimension larger than a dimension of the hole;   a plurality of traction elements, wherein each of the plurality of traction elements corresponds to one of the plurality of openings, has a protruding portion and a flange portion extending from an upper end of the protruding portion, a shape of the flange portion conforms to a shape of the recess of the one corresponding opening of the plurality of openings, and the each of the plurality of traction elements is disposed in the one corresponding opening with an anterior flange portion and a posterior flange portion of the flange portion both seated in the recess and with the protruding portion extending through the hole;   wherein the plurality of traction elements includes two posterior traction elements in a heel end of the posterior peripheral region, and a combined length of each of the two posterior traction elements is a majority of a total length of the curved posterior peripheral edge in the heel end of the outsole.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein a combined length of the each of the two protruding portions of the two posterior traction elements is a majority of the total length of the curved posterior peripheral edge in the heel end of the outsole. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of traction elements includes two posterior medial traction elements, each including anterior flange portions extending from an anterior side of the upper end of the protruding portion toward the toe end of the outsole, and the each of the two anterior flanges has a length greater than a length of the protruding portion from which it extends. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein, for the each of the plurality of traction elements, the flange portion extends around a complete periphery of the upper end of the protrusion portion. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of traction elements includes an anterior medial traction element and an anterior lateral traction element directly opposite the anterior medial traction element, and a length of the protruding portion of the anterior medial traction element is the same as a length of the protruding portion of the anterior lateral traction element. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 5 , wherein the anterior medial traction element is curved and follows a curve of a medial side of the curved anterior peripheral edge and the anterior lateral traction element is curved and follows a curve of a lateral side of the curved anterior peripheral edge. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the two posterior traction elements include a posterior medial traction element and a posterior lateral traction element directly opposite the posterior medial traction element, and a length of the protruding portion of the posterior medial traction element is the same as a length of the protruding portion of the posterior lateral traction element. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein a posterior end of the posterior medial traction element curves toward a vertical midline of the outsole and a posterior end of the posterior lateral traction element curves toward the vertical midline of the outsole. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein a layer of material or a midsole covers the top face of the outsole, and the flange portion of the each of the plurality of traction elements is positioned between the layer of material or midsole and the top face of the outsole. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the each of the plurality of traction elements comprises a first material having a first hardness, the outsole comprises a second material having a second hardness, and the first hardness is different than the second hardness. 
     
     
         11 . An article of footwear comprising:
 an outsole having a ground-contacting face, a top face opposing the ground-contacting face, a curved anterior peripheral edge including a toe end of the outsole, an anterior peripheral region along and inset from the curved anterior peripheral edge, a curved posterior peripheral edge including a heel end of the outsole, and a posterior peripheral region along and inset from the curved posterior peripheral edge;   a plurality of openings in both the anterior peripheral region and the posterior peripheral region of the outsole, wherein each of the plurality of openings includes a recess in the top face of the outsole in communication with a respective hole in the ground-contacting face of the outsole, and the recess has a dimension larger than a dimension of the hole;   a plurality of traction elements, wherein each of the plurality of traction elements corresponds to one of the plurality of openings, has a protruding portion and a flange portion extending from an upper end of the protruding portion, a shape of the flange portion conforms to a shape of the recess of the one corresponding opening of the plurality of openings, and the each of the plurality of traction elements is disposed in the one corresponding opening with an anterior flange portion and a posterior flange portion of the flange portion both seated in the recess and with the protruding portion extending through the hole;   wherein the plurality of traction elements includes two posterior traction elements in the posterior peripheral region, and for each of the two posterior traction elements, the flange portion includes the anterior flange portion extending beyond the upper end of the protruding portion toward the toe end of the outsole, the anterior flange portion has an anterior flange portion length, and the anterior flange portion length ranges from 1 to 2 times a length of the protruding portion from which the anterior flange portion extends.   
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of traction elements includes an anterior medial traction element and an anterior lateral traction element directly opposite the anterior medial traction element, and a length of the protruding portion of the anterior medial traction element is the same as a length of the protruding portion of the anterior lateral traction element. 
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 12 , wherein the anterior medial traction element is curved and follows a curve of a medial side of the curved anterior peripheral edge and the anterior lateral traction element is curved and follows a curve of a lateral side of the curved anterior peripheral edge. 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein the two posterior traction elements include a posterior medial traction element and a posterior lateral traction element directly opposite the posterior medial traction element, and a length of the protruding portion of the posterior medial traction element is the same as a length of the protruding portion of the posterior lateral traction element. 
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein a posterior end of the posterior medial traction element curves toward a vertical midline of the outsole and a posterior end of the posterior lateral traction element curves toward the vertical midline of the outsole. 
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein a layer of material or a midsole covers the top face of the outsole, and the flange portion of the each of the plurality of traction elements is positioned between the layer of material or midsole and the top face of the outsole. 
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein the each of the plurality of traction elements comprises a first material having a first hardness, the outsole comprises a second material having a second hardness, and the first hardness is different than the second hardness. 
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein, for the each of the plurality of traction elements, the flange portion extends around a complete periphery of the protrusion portion. 
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , a combined length of each of the two posterior traction elements is a majority of a total length of the curved posterior peripheral edge in the heel end of the outsole. 
     
     
         20 . The article of footwear of  claim 19 , wherein a combined length of the each of the two flange portions of the two posterior traction elements is a majority of the total length of the curved posterior peripheral edge in the heel end of the outsole.