# US 10,477,914 B2 · Shoe having a sole structure and an air pump device for blowing air into a shoe interior space > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,477,914 B2 - Document ID: US10477914B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/415,257 - Filed: 2017-01-25 - Published: 2018-05-10 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-04 - Assignees: ATMOS airwalk ag - Applicants: ATMOS airwalk ag - Inventors: Wilhelm Möhlmann; Jens Schmidt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10477914B2 ## CPC - A43B 7/081: {the air being forced from outside} - A43B 1/0018: {made at least partially of flexible, bellow-like shaped material} - A43B 7/084: {characterised by the location of the holes} - A43B 7/085: {in the upper} - A43B 13/12: Soles with several layers of different materials - A43B 13/186: {Differential cushioning region, e.g. cushioning located under the ball of the foot (resilient heel not included in the sole A43B21/26; resilient supports for the heel of the foot A43B21/32)} - A43B 13/188: {Differential cushioning regions} - A43B 13/203: {provided with a pump or valve} - A43B 13/206: {provided with tubes or pipes or tubular shaped cushioning members} - A43B: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR ## Abstract A shoe has an air pump device comprising a bellows formed in a cavity in a heel area of the sole structure. The cavity has an average height of at least 4 mm and extends horizontally over most of the surface of the heel area, so that a support strip of the compressible material of the at least one intermediate layer remains between the cavity and the outside edges of the sole structure on the sides and at the heel, wherein the support strip extends vertically over the full height of the cavity and the average width of the support strip is not more than 20% of the maximum width of the heel area measured transversely to the walking direction. The compressible material has an average hardness between 30 and 55 Shore-A at least in the area of the support strip. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A shoe comprising a sole structure having a top side facing a shoe interior space, and an air pump device for blowing air into the shoe interior space, wherein the air pump device comprises: a bellows formed in a cavity in a heel area of the sole structure; an intake channel coupled to the bellows for transporting air to the bellows from an intake opening; and an air supply device coupled to the bellows for forwarding air from the bellows into the shoe interior space; wherein the sole structure has, at least in the heel area, a multilayer structure comprising: at least one cover layer comprising a layer of a bending stiff material arranged over the cavity; at least one intermediate layer of a compressible material, the intermediate layer containing the cavity; and at least one outsole layer arranged below the cavity; wherein the layer of the bending stiff material forms a bending stiff plate that overlaps the cavity; wherein the cavity extends horizontally over most of the surface of the heel area so that a support strip of the compressible material of the at one intermediate layer remains between the cavity and the outside edges of the sole structure on the sides and at the heel; wherein the support strip extends vertically over the full height of the cavity and the average width of the support strip is not more than 20% of the maximum width of the heel area measured transversely to the walking direction; wherein the cavity has an average height of at least 4 mm; and wherein the compressible material has an average hardness between 30 and 55 Shore-A at least in the area of the support strip. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the compressible material has an average hardness between 45 and 55 Shore-A. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The shoe according to claim 2, wherein the compressible material is a viscoelastic material which exhibits a recovery of at least 80% within a period of 0.3 s when a load thereon is abruptly removed entirely following a compression. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The shoe according to claim 3, wherein the bellows formed in the cavity of the sole structure comprises a bladder made from an elastic plastic material which is inserted in the cavity, wherein the intake channel comprises at least one first plastic pipe which opens into the bladder, and the air supply device comprises at least one second plastic pipe which is coupled to the bladder. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The shoe according to claim 3, wherein the compressible material exhibits a recovery of at least 90% within a period of 0.3 s when a load thereon is abruptly removed entirely following a compression. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The shoe according to claim 2, wherein a top side of the support strip comprises a wide support surface for the at least one cover layer, and a width of the support strip decreases downwardly starting from the wide support surface, wherein the inner surface of the support strip which borders the cavity recedes to the outside. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The shoe according to claim 6, wherein starting from the wide support surface the width of the support strip initially decreases strongly and then decreases less with increasing distance from the wide support surface, so that an interior surface is formed that arches outwards. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The shoe according to claim 2, wherein the bending stiff plate has a bending stiffness with which a force of 1000 N acting on a middle of the bending stiff plate that is supported at its edges causes a deflection of not more than 10% of the width of the plate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the cavity has an average height of at least 6 mm. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the compressible material is a viscoelastic material which exhibits a recovery of at least 80% within a period of 0.3 s when a load thereon is abruptly removed entirely following a compression. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The shoe according to claim 10, wherein the compressible material exhibits a recovery of at least 90% within a period of 0.3 s when a load thereon is abruptly removed entirely following a compression. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The shoe according to claim 10, wherein a top side of the support strip comprises a wide support surface for the at least one cover layer, and a width of the support strip decreases downwardly starting from the wide support surface, wherein the inner surface of the support strip which borders the cavity recedes to the outside. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The shoe according to claim 12, wherein starting from the wide support surface the width of the support strip initially decreases strongly and then decreases less with increasing distance from the support surface, so that an interior surface is formed that arches outwards. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The shoe according to claim 12, wherein the bending stiff plate has a bending stiffness with which a force of 1000 N acting on a middle of the bending stiff plate that is supported at its edges causes a deflection of not more than 10% of the width of the plate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The shoe according to claim 10, wherein the bending stiff plate has a bending stiffness with which a force of 1000 N acting on a middle of the bending stiff plate that is supported at its edges causes a deflection of not more than 10% of the width of the plate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein a top side of the support strip comprises a wide support surface for the at least one cover layer, and a width of the support strip decreases downwardly starting from the wide support surface, wherein the inner surface of the support strip which borders the cavity recedes to the outside. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the width of the wide support surface is in the range between 9 mm and 18 mm, wherein a smaller value for the width of the wide support surface for smaller shoe sizes and a larger value for the width of the wide support surface for larger shoe sizes is preferred. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The shoe according to claim 17, wherein the bellows formed in the cavity of the sole structure comprises a bladder made from an elastic plastic material which is inserted in the cavity, wherein the intake channel comprises at least one first plastic pipe which opens into the bladder, and the air supply device comprises at least one second plastic pipe which is coupled to the bladder. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the bending stiff plate has a bending stiffness with which a force of 1000 N acting on a middle of the bending stiff plate that is supported at its edges causes a deflection of not more than 10% of the width of the plate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The shoe according to claim 19, wherein the outsole layer arranged below the cavity and parts of the intermediate layer arranged between the cavity and the outsole layer protrude downwards, so that the cavity is extended downwards. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The shoe according to claim 16, wherein starting from the wide support surface a width of the support strip initially decreases strongly and then decreases less with increasing distance from the support surface, so that an interior surface is formed that arches outwards. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The shoe according to claim 16, wherein the bending stiff plate has a bending stiffness with which a force of 1000 N acting on a middle of the bending stiff plate that is supported at its edges causes a deflection of not more than 10% of the width of the plate. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the bending stiff plate has a bending stiffness with which a force of 1000 N acting on a middle of the bending stiff plate that is supported at its edges causes a deflection of not more than 10% of the width of the plate. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The shoe according to claim 23, wherein the outsole layer arranged below the cavity and, if present, the parts of the intermediate layer arranged between the cavity and the outsole layer protrude downwards, so that the cavity is extended downwards. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the bellows formed in the cavity of the sole structure comprises a bladder made from an elastic plastic material which is inserted in the cavity, wherein the intake channel comprises at least one first plastic pipe which opens into the bladder, and the air supply device comprises at least one second plastic pipe which is coupled to the bladder. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the outsole layer arranged below the cavity and parts of the intermediate layer arranged between the cavity and the outsole layer protrude downwards, so that the cavity is extended downwards. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the intake channel coupled to the bellows for transporting air from an intake opening to the bellows has a minimum cross sectional area of 3 mm2, for shoe sizes longer than about 25 cm a minimum cross sectional area of 4 mm2. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the cover layer over the layer of bending stiff material comprises a cushion layer made from a softer material and/or a cover sole with a layer that has been adapted on top to the shape of the heel. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1) The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the bellows formed in the cavity of the sole structure comprises a bladder made from an elastic plastic material which is inserted in the cavity, wherein the intake channel comprises at least one first plastic pipe which opens into the bladder, and the air supply device comprises at least one second plastic pipe which is coupled to the bladder. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The shoe according to claim 29, wherein the bladder, the at least one first plastic pipe and the at least one second plastic pipe are manufactured as a single part from the elastic plastic material and inserted in the cavity in the at least one intermediate layer of the compressible material. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The shoe according to claim 29, wherein straight and/or curved bending rods are arranged inside the bladder and are fastened to the wall of the bladder adjacent to the top side of the cavity and to the wall of the bladder adjacent to the bottom side of the cavity in such manner that they are inclined relative to the horizontal, and the bending rods are deformed elastically when the bladder is squeezed.