Footwear sole structure incorporating a plurality of chambers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10010136-B2
Application number	US-201113049245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2011
Priority date	Mar 16, 2011
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

A plurality of fluid-filled chambers may be incorporated into sole structures of articles of footwear. The chambers may be configured to be substantially diamond-shaped. The chambers may lie within cavities formed by a lower surface of the midsole and may extend into apertures in the outsole. The apertures in the outsole may be aligned with the cavities of the midsole. The chambers may be bounded by bounding regions between and at the perimeter of the chambers. The bounding regions may be formed of a polymer foam material of the midsole. The chambers may additionally be connected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising:
a midsole formed from a foam material having an upper surface positioned adjacent to the upper and a lower surface defining a plurality of cavities that extend into the foam material in a direction toward the upper surface, the midsole having a unitary construction defining the plurality of cavities with the plurality of cavities being spaced apart from the upper surface by the foam material of the midsole that extends between each cavity and the upper surface;
an outsole secured to the midsole and being formed from a rubber material, the outsole including a first surface that forms at least part of a ground-contacting surface of the footwear, the outsole forming a plurality of apertures that are respectively aligned with one of the plurality of cavities; and
a plurality of fluid-filled chambers at least partially located within the cavities, the chambers each extending through the apertures and including a first surface in contact with the midsole within a respective cavity and a planar second surface formed on an opposite side of the chambers than the first surface of the chambers, the second surface of the chambers being coplanar with the first surface of the outsole and forming at least part of the ground-contacting surface of the footwear, and at least some of the chambers having a diamond shape.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the outsole includes an at least partially transparent portion located adjacent at least some of the chambers.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the outsole includes a plurality of first flexion lines and a plurality of second flexion lines, at least some edges of the diamond shapes of the chambers being parallel to the first flexion lines, and at least some edges of the diamond shapes of the chambers being parallel to the second flexion lines.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the sole structure further comprises a sidewall extending between the upper surface of the midsole and the ground-contacting surface of the footwear, at least part of the sidewall being formed by a surface of at least one of the chambers.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein a majority of the chambers are located in a forefoot region of the footwear.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the sole structure further comprises a plurality of connections between the chambers.

7. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising:
a midsole formed from a polymer foam material and having an upper surface positioned adjacent to the upper and a lower surface defining an array of cavities each having a shape defined by the polymer foam material of the midsole, the array of cavities extending partially into the polymer foam material in a direction toward the upper surface and terminating within the polymer foam material at a location that is spaced apart from the upper surface;
an outsole formed from a rubber material and being secured to the midsole, the outsole including a first surface that forms at least part of a ground-contacting surface of the footwear; and
an array of fluid-filled chambers at least partially located within the cavities, the chambers protruding outward from the cavities and each including a first surface in contact with the midsole within a respective cavity and a planar second surface formed on an opposite side of the chamber than the first surface of the chamber, the second surface of the chamber being coplanar with the first surface of the outsole and forming at least part of the ground-contacting surface of the footwear.

8. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein the outsole defines an array of apertures, each of the apertures being aligned with one of the cavities, and the chambers extend into the apertures.

9. The article of footwear of claim 8 , wherein the chambers form at least part of an edge surface of the sole structure.

10. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the chambers has a diamond-shaped configuration.

11. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein a majority of the chambers are located in a forefoot region of the footwear.

12. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein the sole structure further comprises a plurality of connections between the chambers.

13. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein at least some of the connections are aligned with a mediolateral axis of the footwear.

14. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising:
a midsole formed from a polymer foam material and having an upper surface positioned adjacent to the upper and a lower surface formed on an opposite side of the midsole than the upper surface and defining a plurality of cavities, the plurality of cavities extending partially into the polymer foam material in a direction from the lower surface toward the upper surface and terminating at a distance from the lower surface that is less than a thickness of the polymer foam material;
an outsole formed from a rubber material that provides a surface for engaging the ground, the outsole being secured to the lower surface of the midsole and including a first surface that forms at least part of a ground-contacting surface of the footwear;
a plurality of first bounding regions and a plurality of second bounding regions, each intersection of the first bounding regions and the second bounding regions including at least one of an obtuse angle and an acute angle; and
a plurality of fluid-filled chambers at least partially located within the cavities and each including a first surface in contact with the midsole within a respective cavity and a planar second surface formed on an opposite side of the chamber than the first surface of the chamber, the second surface of the chamber being coplanar with the first surface of the outsole and forming at least part of the ground-contacting surface of the footwear, the chambers being at least partially bounded by the first bounding regions, and the chambers being at least partially bounded by the second bounding regions.

15. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein the outsole forms a plurality of apertures, each of the plurality of apertures being aligned with one of the plurality of cavities.

16. The article of footwear of claim 15 , wherein the chambers protrude outward from the cavities and extend into the apertures.

17. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein the outsole includes a first plurality of flexion lines aligned with the first bounding regions and a second plurality of flexion lines aligned with the second bounding regions.

18. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein the bounding regions have a configuration of straight lines.

19. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the chambers has a diamond-shaped configuration.

20. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein at least fifty percent of a perimeter of each chamber abuts the bounding regions.

21. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein the sole structure further comprises a plurality of connections between the chambers.

22. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein the fluid-filled chambers are connected to one another by connection portions, the connection portions being disposed between the lower s

Assignees

• Shaffer Benjamin A
• Dekovic Denis
• Long Bradley S
• Santa Maria Brian E
• Taylor Danielle L
• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Shaffer Benjamin A
• Dekovic Denis
• Long Bradley S
• Santa Maria Brian E
• Taylor Danielle L

Classifications

• A43B7/1445

  situated under the midfoot, i.e. the second, third or fourth metatarsal · CPC title

• A43B13/141

  with a part of the sole being flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion · CPC title

• A43B7/148

  Recesses or holes filled with supports or pads · CPC title

• A43B13/184

  the structure protruding from the outsole · CPC title

• A43B13/20 Primary

  Pneumatic soles {filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas (inflatable linings for skiboots A43B5/0407)} · CPC title