ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 19 -- United States Patent no. 12,250,994, issued on March 18, was assigned to adidas AG (Herzogenaurach, Germany).
"Shoe" was invented by Stefan Tamm (Herzogenaurach, Germany), Carl Arnese (Herzogenaurach, Germany) and James Carnes (Herzogenaurach, Germany).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Described are shoes, particularly a sports shoe, having an upper and at least one of an outer sole and a midsole connected to the upper. As examples, the outer sole is knitted in a unitary fashion with the upper. As further examples, an insert is positioned within the one-piece knitwear, wherein the insert comprises a profile that increases traction of the outer sole."
The patent was f...