ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,575,638, issued on March 17, was assigned to NIKE Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.).
"Sole structure for article of footwear" was invented by Yuchung K. Chen (Portland, Ore.), Joel Ryp Greenspan (Portland, Ore.), Oliver McLachlan (Beaverton, Ore.), Stuart Reinhardt (Portland, Ore.) and Thomas J. Rushbrook (Portland, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A sole structure for an article of footwear includes a midsole having a medial edge and a lateral edge. The sole structure also include a first lower rib extending from the medial edge to the lateral edge of the midsole. The first lower rib includes a portion spaced from the midsole between the media...