Article of footwear and method of manufacturing an article of footwear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10555580-B2
Application number	US-201715457375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2016
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

An article of footwear includes a sole structure including a polymeric bladder element enclosing a fluid-filled interior cavity. The bladder element has a surface with a groove that extends generally parallel with a transverse edge from a lateral side to a medial side, and has a reduced thickness at the groove. A first length along a longitudinal midline of the bladder element from a longitudinal extremity of the bladder element to the groove corresponds with a first footwear size, and a second length along the longitudinal midline of the bladder element from the longitudinal extremity to the transverse edge corresponds with a second footwear size larger than the first footwear size. The sole structure is used in a method of manufacturing an article of footwear.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article of footwear comprising:
a sole structure including a polymeric bladder element enclosing a fluid-filled interior cavity;
wherein the polymeric bladder element has:
a peripheral flange displaced from a ground-engaging surface of the sole structure and that:
surrounds the fluid-filled interior cavity; and
includes a transverse edge extending from a lateral side of the polymeric bladder element to a medial side of the polymeric bladder element;

a surface of the peripheral flange has a groove that extends continuously and generally parallel with the transverse edge from the lateral side to the medial side and with the transverse edge and the groove disposed at a midfoot region of the article of footwear;
a reduced thickness at the groove;
a first length along a longitudinal midline of the polymeric bladder element from a longitudinal extremity of the polymeric bladder element to the groove; and
a second length along the longitudinal midline of the polymeric bladder element from the longitudinal extremity to the transverse edge;
wherein the first length corresponds with a first footwear size, and the second length corresponds with a second footwear size larger than the first footwear size.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , further comprising:
a footwear upper; wherein the sole structure is secured to the footwear upper with the transverse edge disposed at the midfoot region of the footwear upper.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the sole structure is a heel sole structure, and the article of footwear further comprising:
a footwear upper;
a forefoot sole structure secured to the footwear upper; and
wherein the heel sole structure is secured to the footwear upper with the transverse edge abutting a rear edge of the forefoot sole structure, and with the transverse edge and the rear edge both disposed at the midfoot region of the footwear upper.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the sole structure is a forefoot sole structure, and the article of footwear further comprising:
a footwear upper;
a heel sole structure secured to the footwear upper; and
wherein the forefoot sole structure is secured to the footwear upper with the transverse edge abutting a forward edge of the heel sole structure, and with the transverse edge and the forward edge both disposed at the midfoot region of the footwear upper.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the transverse edge is further forward at the medial side than at the lateral side.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric bladder element includes:
a first polymeric sheet;
a second polymeric sheet bonded to the first polymeric sheet at the peripheral flange; and
wherein the first and the second polymeric sheets are at least partially thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

7. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein:
the groove is a first groove;
the surface has a second groove extending generally parallel with the first groove from the lateral side to the medial side; and
the polymeric bladder element has a third length along the longitudinal midline of the polymeric bladder element from the longitudinal extremity to the second groove, and the third length corresponds with a third footwear size smaller than the first footwear size.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1 , further comprising:
a footwear upper;
the sole structure including an outsole that is secured to the polymeric bladder element below the fluid-filled interior cavity and that has the ground-engaging surface;
wherein:
the peripheral flange is secured to the footwear upper;
the fluid-filled interior cavity extends below the peripheral flange; and
the surface with the groove is a ground-facing surface of the polymeric bladder element that is displaced from the ground-engaging surface of sole structure by the fluid-filled interior cavity.

9. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprising:
selecting a first sole structure from an inventory of substantially identical sole structures; wherein each of the substantially identical sole structures includes:
a polymeric bladder element enclosing a fluid-filled interior cavity;
wherein the polymeric bladder element has:
a peripheral flange displaced from a ground-engaging surface of the sole structure and that:
surrounds the fluid-filled interior cavity; and
includes a transverse edge extending from a lateral side of the polymeric bladder element to a medial side of the polymeric bladder element;

a surface of the peripheral flange has a groove that extends continuously and generally parallel with the transverse edge from the lateral side to the medial side; and
a reduced thickness at the groove;

trimming the first sole structure along the groove resulting in a new transverse edge;
after said trimming, attaching the first sole structure to a first footwear upper with the new transverse edge at a midfoot region of the article of footwear;
selecting a second sole structure from the inventory;
attaching the second sole structure to a second footwear upper without trimming along the groove; and
wherein the first footwear upper and the first sole structure correspond with a first footwear size, and the second footwear upper and the second sole structure correspond with a second footwear size larger than the first footwear size.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the first sole structure is a first heel sole structure attached to a heel region of the first footwear upper;
the polymeric bladder element of the first sole structure is a first heel bladder element;
the second sole structure is a second heel sole structure attached to a heel region of the second footwear upper;
the polymeric bladder element of the second sole structure is a second heel bladder element; and the method further comprising:
attaching a first forefoot sole structure to the first footwear upper forward of the first heel sole structure, with a straight rear edge of the first forefoot sole structure adjacent to and extending parallel to the new transverse edge of the first heel bladder element; and
attaching a second forefoot sole structure to the second footwear upper forward of the second heel sole structure, with a straight rear edge of the second forefoot sole structure adjacent to the transverse edge of the second heel bladder element.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first forefoot sole structure and the second forefoot sole structure are selected from an inventory of substantially identical forefoot sole structures, each including:
a polymeric forefoot bladder element enclosing a fluid-filled interior cavity;
wherein:
the polymeric forefoot bladder element has:
a peripheral flange that:
surrounds the fluid-filled interior cavity of the polymeric forefoot bladder element; and
includes a transverse edge extending from the lateral side of the polymeric forefoot bladder element to the medial side of the polymeric forefoot bladder element;

the fluid-filled interior cavity of the polymeric forefoot bladder element of the first forefoot sole structure is isolated from the fluid-filled interior cavity of the first heel bladder element of the first heel sole structure; and
the fluid-filled interior cavity of the polymeric forefoot bladder element of the second forefoot sole structure is isolated from the fluid-filled interior cavity of the second heel bladder element of the second heel sole structure.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
abutting the straight rear edge of the first forefoot sole structure against the new transverse edge of the first

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Peyton Lee D

Classifications

• A43B3/26

  adjustable as to length or size · CPC title

• B29D35/142

  Soles · CPC title

• B29D35/148

  Moulds or apparatus therefor · CPC title

• A43B13/16

  Pieced soles (with several layers of different material A43B13/12) · CPC title

• A43B13/125

  characterised by the midsole or middle layer · CPC title