Article Of Footwear Incorporating A Chamber System And Methods For Manufacturing The Chamber System

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising a component formed from a first polymer layer and a second polymer layer, the component including a chamber with an interior void that encloses a fluid, at least a portion of a periphery of the component including a flange that forms a seam for joining the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer and sealing the fluid within the void, the flange extending in an upward direction from the periphery of the component, and the flange having a first surface formed from the first polymer layer and a second surface formed from the second polymer layer, the first surface being secured to the upper, and the second surface facing away from the upper and forming a portion of an exterior surface of the article of footwear.

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising:

• a chamber formed from a polymer material and defining an interior void that encloses a fluid, at least a portion of the chamber being located in a heel region of the article of footwear;
• and
• a flange that is formed from the polymer material and projects outward from an upper surface of the chamber, the flange having a U-shaped configuration that extends (a) along a medial side of the article of footwear, (b) around a rear portion of the heel region, and (c) along a lateral side of the article of footwear, and a surface of the flange being secured to the upper.

A mold for forming a fluid-filled component, the mold comprising a first mold portion and a second mold portion, the mold having (a) an open configuration when the first mold portion and the second mold portion are spaced from each other and (b) a closed configuration when the first mold portion and the second mold portion are proximal to each other, and the mold defining a void with a shape of the component when the mold is in the closed configuration, a peripheral portion of the void including a seam-forming area, the first mold portion having a first seam-forming surface in the seam-forming area, and the second mold portion having a second seam-forming surface in the seam-forming area, the first seam-forming surface and the second seam-forming surface being non-parallel to define a tapered space between the first mold portion and the second mold portion in the seam-forming area when the mold is in the closed configuration.

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising a chamber formed from a polymer material, the chamber including a plurality of subchambers and a web area located between the subchambers, a first group of the subchambers being located on a medial side of the article of footwear, and a second group of the subchambers being located on a lateral side of the article of footwear, each of the subchambers having at least one segment with (a) a width that is less than fourteen millimeters, the width being measured between spaced portions of the web area and (b) a height that is more than fourteen millimeters, the height being measured perpendicular to the width and at a location of the width.

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising:

• a chamber formed from a polymer material and defining an interior void that encloses a fluid, the chamber having a first area that faces the upper and an opposite second area that faces away from the upper and toward a ground-engaging surface of the article of footwear, the polymer material having a first thickness in the first area of the chamber and a second thickness in the second area of the chamber, the first thickness and the second thickness being measured between an exterior surface of the chamber and an interior surface of the chamber that defines the void, and the first thickness being greater than the second thickness;
• and
• an outsole layer thermal bonded to the exterior surface in the second area of the chamber, an outer surface of the outsole layer forming at least a portion of the ground-engaging surface, a third thickness measured between the outer surface of the outsole layer and the interior surface of the chamber being greater than the first thickness.

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising:

• a chamber formed from a polymer material and defining an interior void that encloses a fluid, the chamber having a first area where the polymer material has a thickness of at least 0.75 millimeter (0.03 inch), and the chamber having a second area where the polymer material has a thickness less than 0.50 millimeter (0.02 inch);
• and
• an outsole layer thermal bonded to the second area of the chamber and forming at least a portion of a ground-engaging surface of the article of footwear.