ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR WITH A HARNESS AND FLUID-FILLED CHAMBER ARRANGEMENT

• US 20140173938A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Beye, Douglas A., Monfils, Benjamin J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,872,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/102
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/125 characterised by the midsole or middle layer
• 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 23/026 Laminated layers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/086 made of impregnated fabrics, plastics or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 9/12 Stuck or cemented footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear is disclosed having a structural harness and impact-attenuating structure arrangement that includes a fluid-filled chamber. The article includes an upper, a sole secured to the upper having an impact-attenuating structure including a fluid-filled chamber and a structural harness. The structural harness may extend between the upper and fluid-filled chamber in a tensile arrangement that biases the fluid-filled chamber toward the upper and compresses the chamber. The structural harness may include a first layer, a thread layer bonded to the first layer and a second layer bonded to the thread layer on an opposite side of the thread layer. The thread layer may include threads configured to transmit tensile forces and restrict stretch in a longitudinal direction of the threads.

Claims

1. An article of footwear, comprising:

an upper;

a sole structure comprising a lateral side portion, an opposite medial side portion, a top portion proximate the upper, and an opposite bottom portion, the sole structure being secured to the upper and including an impact-attenuating structure comprising at least one fluid-filled chamber; and

a structural harness extending between the upper and the impact-attenuating structure in a tensile arrangement, the structural harness biasing the impact-attenuating structure toward the upper.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the structural harness imparts compressive forces on the impact-attenuating structure while biasing it toward the upper.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the impact-attenuating structure further comprises a foam polymer structure incorporated with the at least one fluid filled chamber, and the structural harness is attached to the at least one fluid filled chamber.

4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein the structural harness is attached to at least an upper portion of the at least one fluid filled chamber.

5. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein the structural harness imparts compressive forces on the impact-attenuating structure while biasing it toward the upper.

6. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein the structural harness is attached to at least a lower portion of the at least one fluid filled chamber.

7. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein the structural harness is attached to at least side portions of the at least one fluid filled chamber.

8. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein the structural harness includes a pair of structural harness sections disposed on opposite lateral regions of the article of footwear and to opposite side portions of the at least one fluid filled chamber.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the structural harness comprises:

a first base layer; and

a thread layer bonded to the first base layer, the thread layer including a plurality of threads, each of the plurality of threads transmitting tensile forces and restricting stretch in a longitudinal direction of the thread.

10. The article of footwear of claim 9, the structural harness further comprising a second base layer bonded to the thread layer on an opposite side of the thread layer from the first base layer.

11. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein portions of the plurality of threads are in a tensile configuration and apply compressive forces to the impact-attenuating structure.

12. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein the portions of the plurality of threads further apply compressive forces to the fluid-filled chamber, and the fluid-filled chamber has an internal pressure greater than approximately atmospheric pressure while being compressed by the structural harness.

13. The article of footwear of claim 12, where the fluid-filled chamber is configured to have an internal pressure of about approximately atmospheric pressure in the absence of the tensile configuration of the plurality of harness threads.

14. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid-filled chamber includes a pair of elongate chamber regions peripherally disposed along the lateral and medial side portions of the sole structure, and the structural harness is bonded to outer side portions of the pair of lateral chamber regions.

15. The article of footwear of claim 1, where the structural harness is bonded to a bottom portion of the at least one fluid-filled chamber and extends from a lateral side of the upper around the bottom portion of the at least one fluid-filled chamber to a medial side of the upper.

16. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the structural harness is bonded to a portion of the at least one fluid-filled chamber via a thermoplastic bond.

17. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the structural harness is bonded to a portion of the at least one fluid-filled chamber via an adhesive bond.

18. An article of footwear, comprising:

an upper;

a sole structure secured to the upper; and

an expansion-limited gas spring, comprising;

at least one gas-filled chamber integrated with the sole structure; and

an expansion-limiter disposed outside of the at least one gas-filled chamber and attached to the upper and the at least one gas-filled chamber, the expansion-limiter configured to mechanically limit expansion of the at least one gas-filled chamber in a downward direction away from the upper.

19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the expansion-limiter comprises a harness having a plurality of structural threads, portions of the structural threads being oriented to extend generally downward away from the upper and toward a bottom region of the sole structure.

20. The article of footwear of claim 19, wherein the plurality of structural threads substantially restrict stretch in a longitudinal direction to limit expansion of the gas-filled chamber in a downward direction away from the upper and toward the bottom region of the sole structure.

21. The article of footwear of claim 19, wherein the plurality of structural threads transmit tensile forces longitudinally to compress the gas-filled chamber upward toward the upper and away from the bottom region of the sole structure.

22. The article of footwear of claim 19, wherein the harness further comprises:

a first base layer;

a thread layer bonded to the first base layer, the thread layer including the plurality of structural threads; and

a second base layer bonded to the thread layer on a side of the thread layer opposite the first base layer.

23. An article of footwear, comprising:

an upper;

a sole structure comprising a lateral side portion, an opposite medial side portion, a top portion proximate the upper, and an opposite bottom portion, the sole structure being secured to the upper;

a compressible and expandable fluid-filled chamber integrated in a portion of the sole structure; and

a structural harness attached to the upper, extending downward from the upper to the fluid-filled chamber, and being bonded to an outer portion of the fluid-filled chamber, the structural harness comprising;

a first textile layer;

a second textile layer generally parallel to and opposing the first textile layer; and

a plurality of structural threads disposed between the first and second textile layers and bonded to the first and second textile layers, each of the plurality of structural threads transmitting tensile forces longitudinally and restricting stretch in a longitudinal direction of the thread,

wherein portions of the structural threads extending downward from the upper to the outer portion of the fluid-filled chamber are in a generally tensile configuration and transmit forces to bias the fluid-filled chamber in an upward direction toward a top region of the sole structure proximate the upper.

24. The article of footwear of claim 23, wherein lace eyelets are formed in the upper, a portion of the harness is disposed proximate the lace eyelets, and groups of the plurality of structural threads of the harness are structurally connected to the lace eyelets and extend downward toward the gas-filled chamber.

25. The article of footwear of claim 23, wherein the structural harness includes a pair of lateral harnesses disposed on opposite lateral regions of the upper and extending downward to opposite lateral regions of the fluid-filled chamber and being bonded to opposite lateral outer portions of the fluid-filled chamber.