Footwear with bladder filter
First Claim
1. An article of footwear for receiving a foot of a wearer, said article of footwear comprising:
- an upper for covering at least a portion of the wearer'"'"'s foot;
a sole structure attached to said upper;
an air-filled bladder in fluid communication with ambient air and attached to said article of footwear; and
a filter in fluid communication with said bladder and ambient air, said filter being structured to permit ambient air to enter said bladder and restrict liquids and particulates from entering said bladder.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An article of athletic footwear having an air-filled bladder disposed in a sole structure is disclosed. The air-filled bladder is in fluid communication with ambient air through a filter that permits ambient air to enter the bladder but restricts liquids and particulates from entering the bladder. In operation, the filter and bladder may be portions of a bladder system that absorb shock when the footwear contacts a playing surface. Alternatively, the filter and bladder may be portions of a bladder system that ventilates the interior of the footwear. The filter may be formed of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene that is attached to a carrier.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An article of footwear for receiving a foot of a wearer, said article of footwear comprising:
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an upper for covering at least a portion of the wearer'"'"'s foot;
a sole structure attached to said upper;
an air-filled bladder in fluid communication with ambient air and attached to said article of footwear; and
a filter in fluid communication with said bladder and ambient air, said filter being structured to permit ambient air to enter said bladder and restrict liquids and particulates from entering said bladder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An article of footwear for receiving a foot of a wearer, said article of footwear comprising:
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an upper for covering at least a portion of the wearer'"'"'s foot;
a sole structure attached to said upper;
an air-filled bladder in fluid communication with ambient air and attached to said article of footwear; and
a polytetrafluoroethylene filter in fluid communication with said bladder and ambient air, said filter being structured to permit ambient air to enter said bladder and restrict liquids and particulates from entering said bladder. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification