Sole structure for a shoe

Abstract

A sole structure for a shoe comprises a forefoot portion and a heel portion. A midfoot portion can be coupled to the forefoot portion and the heel portion. The midfoot portion comprises a plurality of connectors disposed on a ground-facing side of the midfoot portion. The midfoot portion comprises a resilient component coupled to the first connector and the second connector. The resilient component and connectors can alter bending characteristics of the midfoot portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sole structure for a shoe, comprising:
 a forefoot portion;   a heel portion;   a midfoot portion coupled to the forefoot portion and the heel portion, the midfoot portion comprising a plurality of connectors disposed on a ground-facing side of the midfoot portion, the plurality of connectors comprising a first connector and a second connector, the first connector located closer to the forefoot portion than the second connector; and   a resilient component coupled to the first connector and the second connector,   wherein the midfoot portion has a resting state in which the resilient component has a first length,   wherein, when the midfoot portion bends in a dorsiflexion direction, the first connector and the second connector move away from each other and pull the resilient component to a second length longer than the first length, and   wherein, when the midfoot portion bends in a plantarflexion direction, the first connector and the second connector move toward each other and allow the resilient component to relax to a third length shorter than the first length.   
     
     
         2 . The sole structure of  claim 1 , wherein the midfoot portion has a neutral bending axis, and the resilient component is vertically spaced apart from the neutral bending axis. 
     
     
         3 . The sole structure of  claim 1 , wherein the resilient component comprises an elastic band. 
     
     
         4 . The sole structure of  claim 1 , wherein the resilient component is removably coupled to the first connector and the second connector such that a wearer can replace the resilient component with a different resilient component. 
     
     
         5 . The sole structure of  claim 1 , wherein the midfoot portion has a dorsiflexion bending stiffness in the dorsiflexion direction and a plantarflexion bending stiffness in the plantarflexion direction, the plantarflexion bending stiffness being lower than the dorsiflexion bending stiffness. 
     
     
         6 . The sole structure of  claim 2 , wherein the resilient component is a first resilient component,
 wherein the plurality of connectors comprises a third connector and a fourth connector, the third connector located closer to the forefoot portion than the fourth connector, and   wherein the sole structure comprises a second resilient component coupled to the third connector and the fourth connector, the second resilient component being vertically spaced apart from the neutral bending axis.   
     
     
         7 . The sole structure of  claim 6 , wherein the first connector and the second connector are arranged along a first axis in the resting state, and the third connector and the fourth connector are arranged along a second axis in the resting state different from the first axis. 
     
     
         8 . The sole structure of  claim 7 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are spaced apart from each other along a transverse axis of the midfoot portion, and wherein the first axis and the second axis are each approximately parallel to a longitudinal axis of the midfoot portion. 
     
     
         9 . The sole structure of  claim 8 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are spaced apart from each other along a transverse axis of the midfoot portion, wherein the first axis is disposed at a first nonzero angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the midfoot portion and the second axis is disposed at a second nonzero angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the midfoot portion. 
     
     
         10 . The sole structure of  claim 9 , wherein the first axis extends in a forward medial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the midfoot portion and the second axis extends in a forward lateral direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the midfoot portion. 
     
     
         11 . The sole structure of  claim 8 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are spaced apart from each other along a transverse axis of the midfoot portion, wherein the first axis is approximately parallel to the second axis. 
     
     
         12 . The sole structure of  claim 6 , wherein the first resilient component has a first stiffness and the second resilient component has a second stiffness that is different than the first stiffness. 
     
     
         13 . The sole structure of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the plurality of connectors comprises a fifth connector and a sixth connector, the fifth connector located closer to the forefoot portion than the sixth connector,   the sole structure comprises a third resilient component coupled to the fifth connector and the sixth connector, the third resilient component being vertically spaced apart from the neutral bending axis,   the first connector and the second connector are arranged along a first axis approximately parallel to a longitudinal axis of the midfoot portion in the resting state,   the third connector and the fourth connector are arranged along a second axis in the resting state different from the first axis, the second axis extending in a forward medial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the midfoot portion, and   the fifth connector and the sixth connector are arranged along a third axis in the resting state different from the first axis and the second axis, the third axis extending in a forward lateral direction relative to the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         14 . The sole structure of  claim 1 , further comprising an insert coupled to the midfoot portion between the first connector and the second connector. 
     
     
         15 . The sole structure of  claim 14 , wherein the insert limits relative motion between the first connector and the second connector when the midfoot portion bends in the plantarflexion direction. 
     
     
         16 . The sole structure of  claim 14 , further comprising a guide disposed between the first connector and the second connector, wherein a portion of the resilient component engages the guide between the first connector and the second connector. 
     
     
         17 . The sole structure of  claim 16 , further comprising an insert removably coupled to the midfoot portion between the guide and the first connector or the guide and the second connector. 
     
     
         18 . The sole structure of  claim 1 , wherein the midfoot portion bridges a gap between the forefoot portion and the heel portion. 
     
     
         19 . A shoe comprising the sole structure of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         20 . The shoe of  claim 19 , wherein each of the forefoot portion and the heel portion comprise cleats.