Footwear having air-controlled active element
OwnerFinn Alexander Stronginventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clothing article for a foot including a sole including a sealed collapsible air cavity having disposed therein a return support for expanding a collapsed air cavity wherein the air cavity includes an outlet permitting a quantity of air to exit when the air cavity is collapsed; an upper, coupled to the sole, for covering a portion of the foot; an air-actuated active element coupled to the upper, the active element including a first mode and a second mode, the active element biased to the first mode and responsive to the quantity of air to transition from the first mode to the second mode; and a communication channel, coupled to the outlet and to the active element, for transferring the quantity of air from the air cavity to the active element.
Claims18
1-23. (canceled)
A method for operating an air-powered actuator system, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) collapsing repeatedly a first air cavity, each collapse expelling a portion of a first quantity of air contained within said first air cavity;
- and
- (b) expanding repeatedly said first air cavity;
- and
- (c) initiating, responsive to each said collapsing step (a), a transfer of each portion of air into a second air cavity included within an air-actuated active element, each said portion of air flowing through a flexible conduit connecting said first air cavity to said second air cavity with said portion of air flowing into said second air cavity beginning a transition of said air-actuated active element from a biasedly-closed folded mode towards an open unfolded mode, said biasedly-closed folded mode having said second air cavity substantially deflated and said second mode having said second air cavity at least partially inflated.
(canceled)
A method for operating an air-powered footwear article worn on a foot of a wearer, the air-powered footwear article including a collapsible and expandable air cavity within a sole of the air-powered footwear article wherein the air cavity is biased into an expanded mode and wherein the air cavity collapses responsive to a compressive force applied by the foot, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) collapsing the air cavity responsive to the wearer weighting the sole to expel a quantity of air from the air cavity;
- b) communicating said quantity of air expelled from the air cavity to an air-actuated active element coupled to the sole, said air-actuated active element including a first mode and a second mode, said air-actuated active element biased to said first mode and responsive to said quantity of air to transition from said first mode to said second mode;
- c) transitioning said air-actuated active element from said first mode to said second mode responsive to the wearer weighting the sole;
- and
- d) transitioning said air-actuated active element from said second mode to said first mode responsive to the wearer unweighting the sole.
A method for operating an air-actuated amusement device, comprising:
- a) collapsing a first component of a garment article of manufacture to expel a quantity of air from a first air reservoir disposed within said first component, said garment article of manufacture including an second component coupled to said first component;
- b) communicating a portion of said quantity of air into an air-powered actuator, said air-powered actuator coupled to said second component and including a plurality of flexible walls defining a second air reservoir, said plurality of flexible walls having a proximal end and a distal end opposite of said proximal end with a fold region defined therebetween, said plurality of flexible walls configured to repeatedly transition between a folded mode and an unfolded mode by folding and unfolding about said fold region;
- c) unfolding said air-powered actuator responsive to said portion of said quantity of air communicated into said second air reservoir;
- and thereafter
- d) folding said air-powered actuator as said portion of said quantity of air leaves said second air reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.