ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 30 -- United States Patent no. 12,426,677, issued on Sept. 30, was assigned to NIKE Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.).
"Sole structure for article of footwear" was invented by Nate Durflinger (Beaverton, Ore.) and Christopher J. Lyke (Portland, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a cushioning element including a first material and a cradle including a second material. The cradle is attached to the cushioning element and includes a first plate disposed against the cushioning element and a second plate spaced apart from the cushioning element, the second plate including an aperture. The sole structure additionally includes a blad...