Footwear sole component with a single sealed chamber

• US 20040216330A1
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Swigart, John F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,073,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/29
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/187 Resiliency achieved by the features of the material, e.g. foam, non liquid materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/189 filled with a non-compressible fluid, e.g. gel, water
• 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: A43B 7/144 situated under the heel, i.e. the calcaneus bone

Abstract

A sole component for footwear combining the desirable response characteristics of a fluid filled chamber and an elastomeric material. The chamber can be formed as a single bladder chamber in contact with an elastomeric midsole, or a single chamber formed by a sealing a void in elastomeric material. The interface between the chamber and elastomeric material is sloped and gradual so that the shape of the chamber and its placement in a midsole determine the combination of response characteristics in the sole component. The chamber has a relatively simple shape with one axis of symmetry with a rounded portion and a narrow portion.

Claims

1. A sole component for footwear comprising:

a sealed chamber containing a fluid, said chamber having a first major surface with a first perimeter border, an opposing second major surface with a second perimeter border, and a sidewall surface connecting the first and second perimeter borders of said major surfaces, said first and second major surfaces being devoid of internal connection, said second perimeter border located inward of said first perimeter border such that said sidewall surface contours outwardly from said second major surface to said first major surface; and

a resilient material surrounding at least a portion of said chamber, said chamber being formed, at least in part, by a void formed in said resilient material, and at least one of said major surfaces and at least one of the perimeter borders being formed by walls of the void in said resilient material.

2. The sole component of claim 1, wherein said resilient material covers a substantial portion of at least one of said major surfaces.

3. The sole component of claim 2, wherein said first major surface is connected to said second major surface solely by said sidewall surface.

4. The sole component of claim 3, wherein said fluid is air at ambient pressure.

5. The sole component of claim 3, wherein said first and second borders each have first and second narrow sides and first and second long sides, said first narrow side being longer than said second narrow side so that said first and second long sides angle toward one another extending from said first narrow side to said second narrow side.

6. The sole component of claim 5, wherein said first and second narrow sides are curved so that said chamber has a pear shape.

7. The sole component of claim 6, wherein a substantial portion of said first major surface is substantially planar and a substantial portion of said second major surface is substantially planar and has less than 50% of the area of said substantially planar portion of said first major surface.

8. The sole component of claim 7, wherein said first narrow side of said second border is located closer to said first narrow side of said first border than the second narrow side of said second border is located relative to said second narrow side of said first border.

9. The sole component of claim 1, wherein both of the perimeter borders are formed by walls of the void in said resilient material and the other of said major surfaces is formed of a separate component attached to said resilient material.

10. The sole component of claim 1, wherein both of the major surfaces and both of the perimeter borders are defined by walls of the void in the resilient material.

11. The sole component of claim 1, wherein the sole component is incorporated into said footwear.

12. A sole component for footwear comprising:

a sealed chamber containing air at a pressure between ambient pressure and 5 psi of ambient pressure, said chamber having a substantially planar first major surface with a first perimeter border in a pear shape with a rounded end and a narrow end, an opposing substantially planar second major surface with a second perimeter border in a pear shape with a rounded end and a narrow end, and a sidewall surface connecting the first and second perimeter borders of said major surfaces, said second major surface having a surface area less than 50% of a surface area of said first major surface so that said second perimeter border is located inward of said first perimeter border, said first and second major surfaces being orientated with respect to one another so that the respective rounded ends of said pear shapes are closer together than respective narrower ends of said pear shapes, and said sidewall surface contours outwardly from said second major surface to said first major surface; and

a resilient material surrounding a substantial portion of at least one of said major surfaces of said chamber, said chamber being formed, at least in part, by a void formed in said resilient material, and at least one of said major surfaces and at least one of the perimeter borders being formed by walls of the void in said resilient material.

13. The sole component of claim 12, wherein all of the perimeter borders are formed by walls of the void in said resilient material and the other of said major surfaces is formed of a separate component attached to said resilient material.

14. The sole component of claim 12, wherein both of the major surfaces and all of the perimeter borders are defined by walls of the void in the resilient material.

15. The sole component of claim 12, wherein the sole component is incorporated into said footwear.

16. A sole component for footwear comprising:

a sealed fluid-containing chamber having first and second major surfaces, said first major surface being substantially planar and having a pear-shaped outline with a rounded portion and an opposite narrow portion, said second major surface also being substantially planar and having a pear-shaped outline with a rounded portion and a opposite narrow portion, said pear-shaped outline of said second major surface being smaller than said pear-shaped outline of said first surface and generally parallel thereto, and a sidewall connecting said first and second surfaces together; and

a resilient material surrounding at least a portion of said chamber, said chamber being formed, at least in part, by a void formed in said resilient material, and at least one of said major surfaces being formed by walls of the void in said resilient material.

17. The sole component of claim 16, wherein another of said major surfaces is formed of a separate component attached to said resilient material.

18. The sole component of claim 16, wherein both of the major surfaces are defined by walls of the void in the resilient material.

19. The sole component of claim 16, wherein said fluid is a gas.

20. The sole component of claim 19, wherein said gas in said chamber is air at ambient pressure.

21. The sole component of claim 16, wherein said resilient material is an elastomeric foam material.

22. The sole component of claim 16, wherein the sole component is incorporated into said footwear.

23. A sole component for footwear comprising:

a sealed chamber containing air between ambient pressure and 5 psi of ambient pressure, said chamber having first and second substantially planar major surfaces, said first major surface having a taper-shaped outline with a first end portion and a second end portion, said second major surface also having a taper-shaped outline with a first end portion and a second end portion, said taper-shaped outline of said second surface being smaller in surface area than said taper-shaped outline of said first surface and generally parallel thereto and arranged relative to said first surface such that the distance between the respective first end portions is greater than the distance between the respective second end portions, and a sidewall connecting said first and second surfaces together and contoured to provide a smoothly sloped sidewall configuration, said first and second major surfaces being devoid of internal connection; and

a resilient material surrounding a substantial portion of at least one of said major surfaces of said chamber, said chamber being formed, at least in part, by a void formed in said resilient material and at least one of said major surfaces being formed by walls of the void in said resilient material.

24. The sole component of claim 23, wherein another of said major surfaces is formed of a separate component attached to said resilient material.

25. The sole component of claim 23, wherein all of the major surfaces are defined by walls of the void in the resilient material.

26. The sole component of claim 23, wherein the sole component is incorporated into said footwear.

27. A sole component for footwear comprising:

a sealed chamber containing a fluid at ambient pressure, said chamber having a primary flat tensioning surface and a secondary surface extending from the perimeter of said primary surface, said primary and secondary surfaces being devoid of internal connection, at least a portion of said secondary surface forming a transition surface tapering inward from said primary portion, said primary and secondary portions being orientated such that a force applied to said primary surface decreases the volume of said chamber and applies an outward force on said transition surface of said secondary surface and a tensioning force on said primary flat surface; and

a resilient material surrounding at least a portion of said chamber, said chamber being formed, at least in part, by a void formed in said resilient material and at least one of said primary surface and said secondary surface are formed by walls of the void in said resilient material.

28. The sole component of claim 27, wherein another of said primary surface and said secondary surface is formed of a separate component attached to said resilient material.

29. The sole component of claim 27, wherein both of said primary surface and said secondary surface are defined by walls of the void in the resilient material.

30. The sole component of claim 27, wherein said chamber has a volume in the range of about 10 to 60 cubic centimeters when no force is applied to the chamber.

31. The sole component of claim 27, wherein the surface area of said primary surface is in the range of about 1,200 to 4,165 mm².

32. The sole component of claim 27, wherein the sole component is incorporated into said footwear.