ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,702,190, issued on Aug. 11, was assigned to adidas AG (Herzogenaurach, Germany).
"Sole for a shoe" was invented by Angus Wardlaw (Nuremberg, Germany), John Whiteman (Nuremberg, Germany), Tru Huu Minh Le (Erlangen, Germany) and Stuart David Reinhardt (Herzogenaurach, Germany).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Improved soles for shoes, in particular sports shoes, are described. A sole for a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, is provided that includes a midsole with randomly arranged particles of an expanded material. The sole further includes an element having a higher deformation stiffness in at least one direction than the expanded material....