Athletic shoe with pressurized ankle collar
First Claim
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1. An athletic shoe for use in activities where plantar and dorsi flexion of the foot occurs about the medial and lateral malleoli of the foot comprising:
- a sole;
an upper attached to said sole, said upper allowing substantially unrestricted plantar and dorsi flexion of a foot, and said upper including an ankle portion extending at least partially around the area of the medial and lateral malleoli of the foot;
an inflatable bladder attached within said ankle portion, said inflatable bladder being formed of two layers of elastomeric material joined along the perimeter of the bladder and having a medial section, a lateral section and inlet means for supplying pressurized gas to the interior of said bladder; and
prevention means incorporated into both said medial and lateral sections of said bladder for preventing the formation of restrictive vertical columns of pressurized gas in said medial and lateral sections when pressurized gas is supplied to the interior of said bladder, whereby the inflated bladder does not substantially inhibit plantar and dorsi flexion of a foot in the ankle portion of the upper of said athletic shoe, said prevention means including connection points between said two layers of elastomeric material defining small areas of fluid communication between areas of the bladder, with the small defined areas being insufficient in size to allow the formation of restrictive vertical columns.
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Abstract
An athletic shoe formed of a sole, an upper attached to the sole and including an ankle portion extending around the medial and lateral malleoli, and an inflatable bladder attached within the ankle portion. The inflatable bladder has a medial section and a lateral section, with an inlet mechanism for supplying pressurized gas to the interior of the bladder. Weld lines divide the medial and lateral sections into upper and lower portions and prevent the formation of restrictive vertical columns of pressurized gas in the medial and lateral sections.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. An athletic shoe for use in activities where plantar and dorsi flexion of the foot occurs about the medial and lateral malleoli of the foot comprising:
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a sole; an upper attached to said sole, said upper allowing substantially unrestricted plantar and dorsi flexion of a foot, and said upper including an ankle portion extending at least partially around the area of the medial and lateral malleoli of the foot; an inflatable bladder attached within said ankle portion, said inflatable bladder being formed of two layers of elastomeric material joined along the perimeter of the bladder and having a medial section, a lateral section and inlet means for supplying pressurized gas to the interior of said bladder; and prevention means incorporated into both said medial and lateral sections of said bladder for preventing the formation of restrictive vertical columns of pressurized gas in said medial and lateral sections when pressurized gas is supplied to the interior of said bladder, whereby the inflated bladder does not substantially inhibit plantar and dorsi flexion of a foot in the ankle portion of the upper of said athletic shoe, said prevention means including connection points between said two layers of elastomeric material defining small areas of fluid communication between areas of the bladder, with the small defined areas being insufficient in size to allow the formation of restrictive vertical columns. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An athletic shoe for use in activities where plantar and dorsi flexion of the foot occurs about the medial and lateral malleoli of the foot comprising:
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a sole; an upper attached to said sole, said upper allowing substantially unrestricted plantar and dorsi flexion of a foot within said athletic shoe, and said upper including an ankle portion extending at least partially around the area of the medial and lateral malleoli of the foot; an inflatable bladder attached within said ankle portion, said inflatable bladder having a medial section divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, a lateral section divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber and inlet means for supplying pressurized gas to the interior of the bladder, said lateral section having an edge defining a lateral cut-out area surrounding the area of the lateral malleoli so that said bladder does not cover the lateral malleoli, said medial section of said bladder having an edge defining a medial cut-out area surrounding the area of the medial malleoli so that said bladder does not cover the medial malleoli, and a divider extending generally horizontally in each of said medial and lateral sections for dividing said sections into the respective upper and lower chambers, said dividers defining small areas of fluid communication between said upper and lower chambers that are insufficient in size to allow the formation of restrictive vertical columns of pressurized gas in the medial and lateral sections, whereby the inflated bladder does not substantially inhibit plantar and dorsi flexion of a foot in the ankle portion of the upper of said athletic shoe. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. An athletic shoe for use in activities where plantar and dorsi flexion of the foot occurs about the medial and lateral malleoli of the foot, the medial and lateral malleoli including posterior and inferior portions, comprising:
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a flexible upper having a collar area that allows substantially unrestricted plantar and dorsi flexion of a foot; a flexible sole connected to said upper; a valve assembly associated with said flexible upper; and a bladder system positioned in said collar area, said bladder system comprising a plurality of communicating fluid chambers which are adjustably inflatable with pressurized fluid, via said valve assembly, to provide a customized fit for a foot within said athletic shoe by conforming to and filling in the posterior and inferior portions of the malleoli of the foot, said fluid chambers being formed of two layers of elastomeric material joined along the perimeter of the fluid chambers, connection points between said two layers of elastomeric material defining small areas of fluid communication between areas of the chambers, said defined small areas being insufficient in size to allow the formation of restrictive columns of pressurized fluid adjacent the malleoli that would substantially restrict plantar and dorsi flexion of the foot within said athletic shoe when said chambers are pressurized with fluid. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
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Specification