Patent 7398608 was granted and assigned to Wolverine World Wide on July, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A sole for an article of footwear having an insert with a plurality of forefoot support tubes are configured to control the support characteristics of the sole in a forefoot region of the sole. In one embodiment, the forefoot support tubes each include a base, and a wall extending from the base. The wall is formed from a material that has a lower durometer value than the base. In another embodiment, the forefoot support tubes air arranged in a radiating pattern, such that at least two of the forefoot support tubes diverge as they extend toward the lateral side of the insert.