Article of footwear with one or more auxetic bladders

• US 10,716,361 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2017
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Nordstrom, Matthew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prange, Sharon M
• Application Number:
  US15/825,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20180077998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 36 25 R, 36 29, 36 35 B
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/14 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/181 Resiliency achieved by the structure of the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/187 Resiliency achieved by the features of the material, e.g. foam, non liquid materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/20 Pneumatic soles filled with a compressible fluid, e.g. air, gas inflatable linings for skiboots A43B5/0407
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/1258 for the shin, e.g. shin guards
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/081 fluid-filled, e.g. air-filled

Abstract

An article of footwear with a midsole has an auxetic bladder member formed from inflated components surrounding star-shaped apertures. The inflated components form one or more auxetic bladders, and may have a triangular geometry. The inflated components are fluidly connected to adjoining components. Adjoining inflated components are hingedly connected, so that they can rotate with respect to each other in the plane of the midsole.

Claims

1. A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising:

a midsole having an inflated auxetic bladder that defines at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes, wherein each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes is formed from a plurality of fluidly-connected inflated components;

the auxetic bladder further including a plurality of apertures extending through a thickness of the bladder, wherein each aperture of the plurality of apertures is fluidly isolated from each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes; and

wherein an arrangement of the plurality of apertures and the plurality of fluidly-connected inflated components across the bladder provides the midsole with an auxetic property.

2. The sole structure of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes are inflated to a different internal pressure.

3. The sole structure of claim 1, wherein the inflated components are inflated polygonal components.

4. The sole structure of claim 3, wherein adjoining inflated polygonal components are fluidly connected to each other at their common vertices.

5. The sole structure of claim 1, wherein the inflated auxetic bladder includes a heel bladder member that has an auxetic structure in a heel region of the midsole and a forefoot bladder member that has an auxetic structure in the forefoot region of the midsole.

6. The sole structure of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes are inflated with one of air and nitrogen.

7. The sole structure of claim 1, further comprising an outsole affixed to the midsole.

8. The sole structure of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of apertures has a three-pointed star cross-sectional geometry.

9. A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising:

a midsole having an inflated auxetic bladder that defines at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes, wherein each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes is formed from a plurality of fluidly-connected inflated components;

the auxetic bladder further including a plurality of star shaped apertures, each star shaped aperture extending through a thickness of the bladder and surrounded by a subset of the inflated components, wherein each aperture is fluidly isolated from each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes;

wherein an arrangement of the plurality of apertures and the plurality of fluidly-connected inflated components across the bladder provides the midsole with an auxetic property; and

wherein each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes are inflated to a different internal pressure.

10. The sole structure of claim 9, wherein each inflated component is hingedly connected to at least one adjoining inflated component to form an auxetic structure in which the inflated components can rotate with respect to each other in a plane of the midsole.

11. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes extend in a longitudinal direction.

12. The sole structure of claim 9, wherein each of the at least two fluidly isolated internal volumes are inflated with one of air and nitrogen.

13. The sole structure of claim 9, further comprising an outsole affixed to the midsole.

14. The sole structure of claim 9, wherein the inflated components are inflated polygonal components that are fluidly connected to each other at common vertices.